makingmatter

I agree with all of this.

Her first novel is quite good as well. I'm still reading the rest of it, so I need some more time to gestate actual coherent thoughts on it, but I'd still recommend it.

The Flamethrowers, by Rachel Kushner. Because if speed, motorcycles, art, and radicalism in 1970's Rome and New York isn't interesting to you, then you might need to be checked yo. Seriously though, this writer is the real deal.

I personally haven't read any of the sort, so I'm looking forward to it, even though it's technically a Russian book written by an outsider. Do you have any endorsements for a reader interested in Russian literature, asides from the usual Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky? I'm looking for works that are a bit more obscure.

I'd like to propose a debut novel: it's called A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, and is by Stegner Fellow Anthony Marra. It centers on the Second Chechen War, and based on the amount of buzz surrounding it in the literary world, has to be one of the most talked about first novels in quite some time. It also has the "... dubious fortune of appearing just after [the] terrorist killings in Boston", which may or may not weigh on it commercially - even though its similarities are simply coincidence - but nonetheless, it looked interesting enough to me that I think it warranted a recommendation. Read an excerpt here.

Fucking terrifying. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1va8FxBl7Cg

It isn't available in public domain, though this is a link that will allow you to get it legally let you get it as an ebook through more questionable means. You just need Calibre to convert it from HTML.

I can't unsee this.

This looks like a possible option. It can be reformatted for PC, even if you get the Mac version. Is there anything better on the market that would meet the same needs?

So I've decided to wait until summer to build a new computer, primarily because I don't want to become distracted while I'm in the process of applying to universities. It'll just be too, you know, tempting. With that in mind: 1) I'm looking at my build to have a new Intel Haswell CPU, providing that the consensus is that they're worth it; word on the street is that they'll be out in the first half of 2013. 2) Does anyone know of some good options for external 1TB hard drives that I can sync to my Mac's Time Machine application and eventually use to carry over my Steam files to the PC? I need something that's affordable, long-lasting, and compatible with both operating systems. Again, I appreciate everyone's advice. You all have been extremely helpful.

Modified build list to include the Corsair TX750M and the Hyper + 12 Cooling Fan... thanks. Is there a big jump between the 660 Ti and the 660, performance wise?

Sounds good to me. At this point, it's just a waiting game to see how far the prices drop in comparison. Any specific alternatives you can suggest?

So here's my current build that I'm looking at: COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN3-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior ( $ 89.99) Originally, I was considering this case, but I changed my mind after realizing the lack of compartments I could hide wires in, which the previous one has plenty of. ASUS VH242H Black 23.6" 5ms HDMI Full 1080P Widescreen LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 ASCR 20000:1 (1000:1) W/Speakers ($179.99) All considering, this a ridiculously good deal. Hopefully the price will dip down even more when I buy this stuff on Boxing Day or during the Christmas season. Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K ($234.99) I'm not going to wait for Intel's Haswell lineup. This will do just fine; I've taken everyone's recommendations into consideration about Ivy Bridge, so I've tried to achieve a nice balance between price, performance, and overall longevity. Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive ($109.99) From what I understand, Western Digital is one of the best places to invest in for hard drives. I'm going to do what Tycho says, run my OS and temporary files that I'm currently using on an SSD, and store everything else on this. Longevity is key for me. Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) ($99.99) CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 ($41.99) MSI R7870 Twin Frozr 2GD5/OC Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card ($228.99) At first, I was going to get this - from what I understand, NVIDIA but I think that might be overkill for a first build, and besides, it would send me over my budget goal (this is 200 dollars cheaper, and performs remarkably well, according to benchmarks I looked at on Eurogamer's Digital Foundry and AnandTech. If you guys have any thoughts on the matter, please let me know. GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD5H-WB LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($214.99) Need the Wi-Fi, because I don't use wired connections at the moment. From what I understand, this card has had mixed reactions, but I trust those from people whose opinions I trust (which were unanimously positive); let me know if you have any alternative solutions in the same relative price range. CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply ($114.99) Pretty standard: a well made product from a respected company, and 80 plus Bronze certified. At 750w, this will run this rig smooth as butter. I also might buy this, to maximise airflow. The final cost is $1, 335.90. Slightly past 1300, but not too bad. So, that is my build. As I said before, I'll be buying these parts on Boxing Day (or at least during the holiday season), but I'm currently unsure whether to buy from an online retailer like Newegg or a local store like Canada Computers or Wintronics. What do you guys think? Ultimately, I'll go with whatever will save me more money, and get my parts safer and faster to my trembling hands. Thanks for all your input Thumbs.

Also, Sandy Bridge versus Ivy Bridge: what makes them different from each other, in terms of Intel's CPU's?

Thanks, guys, I'm taking all these recommendations into account. The intent is that this computer will act solely as a gaming/media platform- with the occasional Windows-only app or program being used- my Mac will act as my workbook (for Scrivener, Final Cut, coding, etc), and both will be linked together by a fileserver using an external hard drive. In that case, what is a cheap but accessible external HD? This would be in addition to my build and external monitor; luckily, I already quite a nice keyboard and rainbow mouse. Yes, rainbows. I need some hippie stuff in that shit. Again, your suggestions are appreciated! I'll post a build here before I buy so I can get some feedback.