Recently in Speculative Systems Category

wow! I expect a lot of sales to Asia once this is complete. Just in time for the Yuan to be unpegged?

United States Mint to Develop 24-Karat Gold Bullion Investment Coin Program

The United States Mint is announcing today that it will develop a program to manufacture 24-karat (99.99% fineness) uncirculated gold bullion investment coins in early 2006. This will mark the first time that the United States Mint will produce 24-karat gold coins. Upon completion of a successful test strike, the designs, specifications, quantities and denominations will be considered. Possible themes for the images on the 24-karat gold bullion coins will be presented by teleconference at the April 28, 2005 meeting of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee at the United States Mint in Washington. The potential global market for 24-karat gold bullion coins is estimated at $2.4 billion.

HoustonChronicle.com - Mint will offer 24-karat gold bullion coin

The U.S. Mint is putting special luster into a new gold coin, hoping to win a bigger share of international investment sales. It will be the first 24-karat gold bullion coin in U.S. history.
[...]
The only difference will be that the new series will be pure gold without alloys mixed in.

This will mark the first time the U.S. Mint has produced a 24-karat gold coin, a designation that means it contains 99.99 percent gold. The current 22-karat gold coin, on the market since 1986, contains 91.67 percent gold with the rest of the coin silver and copper.

M762U

Nice! All AMD chipset, 2GB DDR DRAM and four IDE devices...

This is from AMDzone I can't find a permalink so this is the whole news blurb:

Jon Imm let me know about this page at Epox with details about two new dual Athlon boards based on the AMD 760MPX chipset. The M762B is a dual Athlon server class board which looks like the first board to challenge Tyan in that space. The M762U is a unique micro ATX dual Athlon board. Yes, you heard me right, it is micro ATX! Epox told me last week that they had a new dual Athlon board coming, but I wasn't expecting this. A spec sheet is available for the M762U, but the link for the M762B spec sheet is inactive.

Here's a bigger photo:

Specification
Processor Dual PGA462 Socket A support AMD® Athlon MP Processors
Core Logic AMD® 762 AGPsets FSB 200/266MHz
Memory Two 184-pin DDR Registered DIMM sockets, support up to 2GB
LAN Controller Dual Intel 82559 controller support 10/100Base-TX Ethernet
VGA ATi Mobility L graphic controller
Ethernet Controller Intel® 82559 Ethernet controller,
for 10/100 Base-TX On-board one RJ-45 LAN port
IDE Two channels for / Ultra DMA-33/66/100 up to 4 Devices
Dimensions (LxW) 9.6" x 9.6" (245mm x 245mm)

Byte: 3D State of the Art, Part 1: Hardware

The Asus motherboard I bought last week was a Nforce, the D315 is Compaq's first business machine running an AMD Processor.

David Em comments on the new Compaq:

The D315 I worked with is powered by AMD's 1.8-GHz 2200 Athlon XP processor. The D315's motherboard incorporates NVIDIA's nForce 220 chipset, which supports up to a GB of DDR PC2100 DRAM memory. The motherboard has surprisingly robust internal sound, supporting 5.1 surround systems and real-time modeling of Dolby Digital environments. It also has built-in NVIDIA GeForce 2 graphics. This box should handle just about anything a business user or consumer could possibly throw at it. But it can also do a lot more.

I completed the repair on the failed Epox system today.

I updated the comments here:
Asus success

Summary; I liked it.
For the price, $81 shipped Fed Ex second day I'm happy:
Asus A7N266-VM nForce 220-D

Considering their prompt service excellent price and capability to source a wide range of components. I'm going to shop there again.

My eyes are on a Desknote A929 for Athlon XP Processor which if you're not familiar with, uses all desktop components, (except for HD) to cut costs.

I think this is an excellent and suitable use for your older XP or Duron processor.

Last time I spec'ed a system out, with all new components it was $975. I expect another round of AMD price cuts in mid to late October. That's when I'll be looking at building. I've got a XP 1900+ in my main box...

ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC.--Motherboard - A7N266-VM
I had an Epox micro atx mobo fail, haven't done a post mortem on it yet, but sort of suspect it might be a heat issue. This board is a drop in replacement except for the fact I'll be changing from SDRAM to DDR-DRAM...While I'm at it I'll bump up to an AMD XP processor from the duron that was in the original.

The included AGP slot is very nice, the Epox did not have that feature.
The duron served it's purpose but the way I look at it, my time is worth more then the cost to buy the new proc' and while I'm in there might as well upgrade.
Oh and I'll drop a few case fans in while I'm at it.
Updates to follow.

The A7N266-VM is the first micro-ATX motherboard to offer complete integrated features without sacrificing performance. Built upon the advanced nForce chipset architecture, the A7N266-VM features powerful GeForce2 level 3D graphics, optional axudio and LAN for an all-in-one solution with unmatched performance and value.

Gaming in 3D | Intel Badass Mofo Guide (9/19/02)
This post inauguarates the 'Speculative Systems' category. I'll investigate and report on interesting systems I find, and why I would buy them if I had the time/money to proceed. Also see 'My Hardware' for items I have purchased.
That said; I haven't built a pentium system since the P90...But I'll always be interested in value for the dollar. Leaving out the absurd 'custom' case, and perhaps waiting for the panel prices to stabilize in October, I would say this is an interesting system.

Conclusion:

Looking at the total price, approximately $1,542, plus $150+ for misc. parts and shipping - I would say this system isn't cheap. Yet in comparison with gaming companies whom build systems such as Alienware and GamePC, the Badass Intel Mofo is quieter, faster, prettier, and cheaper. With a little tinkering and alteration, I hope this guide will help aid you in your next computer purchase. Remember, shop wisely and overclock recklessly, until next time. If you have any comments regarding our system, feel free to post them in our forums.