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Torskelrak
Underworld Protection Agency Fatal Ascension
0
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 16:04:00 -
[1] - Quote
Hi Guys/Girls,
I really dont have much money at the moment with having a little baby girl/getting married and moving house all in the space of a few months. So was wondering what I could possibly buy cheaply to upgrade my system. Im rubbish with Pc's
Vista Home Premium (SP2) Intel 2 Quad Core Q6600 @2.40GHz RAM - 4GB 32-Bit OS
According to the Performance Test I get around 5.5, which is probably bad but to be honest the PC is a few years old and Life at the moment aint giving me much luck on the Money side ; )
Any help would be gratefully apprieciated,
Torsk
Processor - 5.9 RAM 5.5 Graphics 5.9 Gaming Graphics 5.9 Primary Hard Disk 5.7
|

RUSROG
Beasts of Burden
93
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 16:06:00 -
[2] - Quote
Please, for the love of all that is holy - do not use Vista.
-áE .-+ ` ' /-+. F
Your tears fuel me. And as always, have nice day. |

Torskelrak
Underworld Protection Agency Fatal Ascension
0
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 16:09:00 -
[3] - Quote
RUSROG wrote:Please, for the love of all that is holy - do not use Vista.
It's not like I had a choice at the time mate..
|

Christopher AET
Segmentum Solar Rolling Thunder.
25
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Posted - 2011.12.21 16:10:00 -
[4] - Quote
If wanting to build I would say don't skimp on the MOBO or the case. As the other parts you can upgrade as you go but those 2 form the base for everything so you want to futureproof it to some degree
|

Famble
Three's a Crowd
175
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Posted - 2011.12.21 16:11:00 -
[5] - Quote
I upgrade my PC's every few years and I've never done it on a tight budget. Nothing against bargain hunters but my PC is something I never skimp on.
You're in a bit of a pinch there as upgrading your current platform is going to require some cash. Here's what I see and take it with a pinch of salt due to the aforementioned:
You need a 64 bit OS to easily surpass the 4GB RAM limit I love and wouldn't settle for anything but a cpu from the core i7 processor family I love my nvidia GTX 580 graphics card but I think they're still not cheap (bought mine 5 months ago for $500)
The only areas I go cheap for my rigs are CD/DVD drives, mouse and keyboard (i upgrade those later with christmas presents etc.) and the PC's case.
If anyone ever looks at you and says, "Hold my beer, watch this,"-á you're probably going to want to pay attention. |

RUSROG
Beasts of Burden
93
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 16:14:00 -
[6] - Quote
Torskelrak wrote:RUSROG wrote:Please, for the love of all that is holy - do not use Vista. It's not like I had a choice at the time mate..
My current rig - albeit a bit old and oddly pieced
Case: HAF 932 (Full tower) MOBO: nVidia 790SLi Ultra CPU: C2D E8400 @ 3.00GHz RAM: 2*2 GB OCZ 1333MHz GPU: 2*nVidia GTX295's PSU: Toughpower 1200w
OS: Win7 Ulti
I think that's it, off the top of my head. A bit old on the parts, but still runs like a beauty.
-áE .-+ ` ' /-+. F
Your tears fuel me. And as always, have nice day. |

Othran
Brutor Tribe Minmatar Republic
72
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 16:50:00 -
[7] - Quote
Torskelrak wrote:Hi Guys/Girls,
According to the Performance Test I get around 5.5, which is probably bad but to be honest the PC is a few years old and Life at the moment aint giving me much luck on the Money side ; )
Get an NVidia graphics card around 100-150 $/Gé¼/-ú is my advice.
You don't need a newer cpu for Eve - not if you buy NVidia for the PhysX part of Eve. Edit - and probably not even then as its all to do with character models (Incarna).
I have a lappy that has the same (mobile) cpu in it and a couple of NVidia cards - its fine for dual boxing and probably triple boxing if you have that many monitors. Another lappy with an i7 in it and dual AMD cards needs cpu much more - PhysX offloads calculations to graphics card which is much faster.
You don't need more RAM.
You could do with going to Windows 7 - Vista is too annoying for words but if you can't then you can't.
tl;dr buy a newer gfx card around the 100-150 $/Gé¼/-ú region. Buy NVidia if Eve is your main game, probably AMD if it isn't although I don't much care either way these days. Much of a muchness unless games support (and use) PhysX. |

Muad 'dib
The Imperial Fedaykin
29
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 17:17:00 -
[8] - Quote
An upgrade to win7 and your machines going to speed up a tonne.
As mentioned above a new graphics card would get your more FPS and higher graphic settings, also less heat for the same performance.
An SSD or performance HDD will increase your load times, mostly unimportant for eve.
A better CPU would mean slightly better FPS and possibly a slightly boost to graphics settings, the same with RAM. Generally a Quad core above 2 Ghz , and RAM 4 gigs, should be able to handle most games at a reasonable level.
Motherboard and PSU is largly irrelivant, they just have to support the power load and specification critiria of the system.
So if you just want eve to be a bit faster, graphicly, with some higher options then just find your graphics card and find a comparative chart, find yours and then go up the scale and find somthing in your price range with a reasonable lead on the performance. Finally check that the new card is compatable, if it uses the same standards as your current one, its an easy-peasy switch out - however do check the power consuption isnt hugly more or you may need a new PSU too. |

Mr Kidd
Center for Advanced Studies Gallente Federation
266
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 18:26:00 -
[9] - Quote
A new GPU is prolly your best option for upgrading on the cheap since games mostly utilize GPU these days. You have enough ram to run 2 clients with low settings and not take hits on system performance by the system utilizing the page file more than usual. Make sure all the vista eye candy is turned off and you keep at a minimum programs running in the background. Also, turn off indexing on your hard drives if you haven't already. Dunno how Vista handles indexing but in XP it was a big performance hit.
Also, another thing you can do in absence of "upgrading" is to do a fresh install of your system. If it's been a few years things tend to build up, registries grow, errors creep up. A fresh install most always makes old hardware seem faster because all the garbage that's grown over the years on your system that the OS loads into memory or accesses frequently is eliminated. We want breast augmentations and sluttier clothing in the NeX! |

fuer0n
Republic Military School Minmatar Republic
26
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 18:57:00 -
[10] - Quote
overclock your cpu and buy a new gfx card. consider if your likley to go sli soonish. take that into consideration when choosing a card. |

Professor Alphane
Alphane Research Co-operative
23
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 19:36:00 -
[11] - Quote
You don't mention what graphics card you are running. This most likely is what you want to upgrade if you want extra performance for games.
Some other things that might be worth considering.
Buy more RAM. You won't be able to address higher than 6.7 gigs (I think is the number) on a 32 bit OS but 2.7 extra gig is still 2.7 extra gig.
If you do buy more RAM you may consider a 64 bit OS to take advatnge of the extra overhead.
Consider drive speed- SSD's, high speed drives and RAID setups could all be consdierd
SSD- low size but very fast
HSD- medium size medium speed
RAID - large size, usually faster than HSD but a more expensive option, you may also need someone to configure your system for you.
Things its probably not worth considerdering.
MOBO
CPU- proviso if you feel the need for extra processing power, a cheap option can be to invest in extra cooling (CPU air fans or a water cooling system) , this would allow you to OC your CPU and would be cheaper than a whole new CPU and possibly MOBO depending on your 'socket'.
SLI- proviso, mostly pound fo pound 1 highspec card outperforms 2 mid spec cards for the same outlay, making it very much a rich mans toy (you need to be able to afford 2 highspec cards for it to be worthwhile). If however you already have a SLI enabled MOBO and a fairly decent Graphics card (as I say you don't mention one) then you might get a cheap and cheerful boost by adding another similar card.
Hope this helps.
YOU MUST THINK FIRST.... |

Fidelium Mortis
Quantum Cats Syndicate
3
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 19:46:00 -
[12] - Quote
fuer0n wrote:overclock your cpu and buy a new gfx card. consider if your likley to go sli soonish. take that into consideration when choosing a card.
Agreed. The Q6600 will probably hit 3.2 GHz or so fairly easily if you have a mid-range motherboard and a low-end aftermarket CPU heatsink. Just check to see if your current motherboard, cooling and PSU are up for the job. If so, that's a huge savings that can be dumped into getting a better graphics card. A Q6600 at stock speeds will bottleneck the performance of most modern graphics cards in EVE. If you're running EVE at 1920x1200 or below the ATI 6770 is a pretty good starting point that will let you walk around the CQ with most settings maxed.
If you absolutely need a hardware upgrade the AMD Phenom II X4 or X3 black editions are pretty tough to beat from a value perspective. Clock for clock they aren't quite as powerful as most i5 and i7 processors but given a mild overclock (3.6ghz is a good target) there is little to no discernible difference in most games including EVE (other applications may differ). Keep in mind this is for most budget oriented gaming, not for multi-monitor setups running at high resolutions. Also, there's plenty of overclocking guides/forums on the net that serve as a quick/easy reference if needed.
ICRS - Intergalactic Certified Rocket Surgeon |

Fidelium Mortis
Quantum Cats Syndicate
3
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 19:59:00 -
[13] - Quote
Oh and the windows performance test is garbage. Gaming benchmarks such as the Unigine Heaven and 3DMark Vantage will give you a much better idea of your system's gaming performance. It will also help you identify the biggest bottlenecks and prioritize the best parts to upgrade. ICRS - Intergalactic Certified Rocket Surgeon |

Herping yourDerp
Federal Navy Academy Gallente Federation
196
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 20:53:00 -
[14] - Quote
Christopher AET wrote:If wanting to build I would say don't skimp on the MOBO or the case. As the other parts you can upgrade as you go but those 2 form the base for everything so you want to futureproof it to some degree
this, but i would say don't skip out on the PSU either go corsair, just do it.. |

Professor Alphane
Alphane Research Co-operative
23
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 23:11:00 -
[15] - Quote
Herping yourDerp wrote:Christopher AET wrote:If wanting to build I would say don't skimp on the MOBO or the case. As the other parts you can upgrade as you go but those 2 form the base for everything so you want to futureproof it to some degree
this, but i would say don't skip out on the PSU either go corsair, just do it..
MOBO yes, case/PSU meh they come and go.
YOU MUST THINK FIRST.... |

Jimi Crackcorn
Directed Evolution Corp
4
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 23:26:00 -
[16] - Quote
Torskelrak wrote:Hi Guys/Girls,
I really dont have much money at the moment with having a little baby girl/getting married and moving house all in the space of a few months. So was wondering what I could possibly buy cheaply to upgrade my system. Im rubbish with Pc's
Vista Home Premium (SP2) Intel 2 Quad Core Q6600 @2.40GHz RAM - 4GB 32-Bit OS
Well what exactly are you upgrading for? Just for the hell of it or do you actually need to for some specific reason? One of the best things you could do is upgrade your operating system, either to Linux, Windows XP or Windows 7 and getting a GPU.
And don't listen to half the idiots on here. You do NOT need a 500 dollar gpu to play Eve, despite what most of the community seems to think, but it is a gaming forum so you can't expect people to know too much about what they're talking about. You could get a 100 dollar geforce 8800 on Craigslist and play most any game, especially eve. In fact, that's way overkill for eve.
A 400 dollar custom PC is way more than enough for eve. Without knowing what else you're using it for I can't give much advice. Your ram and cpu are fine. Definitely don't need more than 4 gigs, or a 64 bit OS at this point in computer gaming(at least not for single boxing). Sorry elitists. |

Hauling Hal
The Black Ops
33
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 23:50:00 -
[17] - Quote
^^ Excellent comments from above poster. The 'net is full of people that tell you what they think you should buy, not what you actually need.
Torskelrak wrote:Hi Guys/Girls,
I really dont have much money at the moment with having a little baby girl/getting married and moving house all in the space of a few months. So was wondering what I could possibly buy cheaply to upgrade my system. Im rubbish with Pc's
Vista Home Premium (SP2) Intel 2 Quad Core Q6600 @2.40GHz RAM - 4GB 32-Bit OS
According to the Performance Test I get around 5.5, which is probably bad but to be honest the PC is a few years old and Life at the moment aint giving me much luck on the Money side ; )
Any help would be gratefully apprieciated,
Torsk
Processor - 5.9 RAM 5.5 Graphics 5.9 Gaming Graphics 5.9 Primary Hard Disk 5.7
The performance test always quotes the lowest as your performance, but you don't need more than 4 GB of RAM for most things, so this method is flawed.
You have an excellent CPU, even though it is old. You have more RAM than you will need in normal use. Your hard disk is the same speed as mine and will only effect load speeds. Plus, it's bad time to buy a hard disk. Your graphics looks good enough for normal game play, but this is the area you could improve if you bought an older, higher specification graphics card off Ebay. ATI 5870, for example.
That setup is fine for Eve and most other things, except the latest 3D games. Vista may have been a dog when it first came out, but its close enough to Windows 7 for most users that paying to upgrade needs a good reason if you care about the cost.
If you are short of cash there is no point upgrading 'for the sake of it', which is what you seem to imply. I'd like to upgrade my 7 year old Ford Focus that has140,000 miles on the clock for a brand new BMW, but I can't afford one and don't need one, so I won't.
One of the best ways to make an old PC faster is to get the registry cleaned up and remove all the clutter that starts with the PC. Alternatively, if you have a problem with your PC, get the problem fixed.
Finally, one of the easiest ways to speed up a Windows PC after a few years is to do a clean install of the operating system. |

Cipher Jones
188
|
Posted - 2011.12.21 23:58:00 -
[18] - Quote
Just got an nvidia gforce 450 2GB for a hundred bucks USD. It runs 3 clients easily and I don't use more than 4G of ram while doing so. It even runs CQ (for as long as it takes to turn it off).
As stated the windows experience factor is weak. You will never score higher then a 5. something without a raid configuration, Solid state, or raptor Hard Drive. It uses the lowest score, not the average.
Just make sure that you don't buy a card that takes more power than the rails on your PS put out. Read the fine print and check the amperage on the card and the PS.
See what happens when fat neckbeards try to ride little ponies? The ponies die. |

Luthor Reiza
The League of Delusional Grandeur
0
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 01:30:00 -
[19] - Quote
RUSROG wrote:Please, for the love of all that is holy - do not use Vista.
Well I'll start by making enemies and defending vista. I like it so much that I've had it installed on 3 of my systems, replacing xp with it on one and windows 7 on the the other. Ok, now that I have no viability left I'll give you my thoughts on what you could do.
Vista Home Premium (SP2) - As I said earlier vista is what i use, people will lambast you for it but it works absolutely fine, if possible try to upgrade to 64bit as this (probably around -ú70 or the equivalent in other currency). If this is unfavouvourable for you, 32 bit will still be fine. Intel 2 Quad Core Q6600 @2.40GHz - What I'm running on one of my systems, absolutely fine. RAM - 4GB - Once again no problems here 32-Bit OS - see above
-Beyond this graphics card wise ati will give you better value for money, consider an HD5770 HD5750 or HD5850. All good cards under -ú150 so they won't break the bank.
Above suggestions would effectively give you exact same spec as my uni pc, might sound like a shameless 'copy me' plea but to be honest it's cheap, effective and as I use it myself I can guarantee it will cover you for pretty much anything you might want it for (outside of enormous fleet battles or modding the bejesus out of crysis). |

Taiwanistan
Wildly Inappropriate Goonswarm Federation
37
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 02:13:00 -
[20] - Quote
graphic cards: nvidia 560ti or ati 6950 (upper mid range cards) about $200 you can wait until the ivy bridge cpus get released, and all prices get adjusted, wait for cheap deals *edit also try fresh install of your vista it is like if i went on second life and raged where's the spaceships |

Jimi Crackcorn
Directed Evolution Corp
4
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 02:14:00 -
[21] - Quote
Luthor Reiza wrote:RUSROG wrote:Please, for the love of all that is holy - do not use Vista. Well I'll start by making enemies and defending vista. I like it so much that I've had it installed on 3 of my systems, replacing xp with it on one and windows 7 on the the other. Ok, now that I have no viability left I'll give you my thoughts on what you could do.
Vista Home Premium (SP2) - As I said earlier vista is what i use, people will lambast you for it but it works absolutely fine, if possible try to upgrade to 64bit as this (probably around -ú70 or the equivalent in other currency). If this is unfavouvourable for you, 32 bit will still be fine.Intel 2 Quad Core Q6600 @2.40GHz - What I'm running on one of my systems, absolutely fine.RAM - 4GB - Once again no problems here32-Bit OS - see above-Beyond this graphics card wise ati will give you better value for money, consider an HD5770 HD5750 or HD5850. All good cards under -ú150 so they won't break the bank.
Above suggestions would effectively give you exact same spec as my uni pc, might sound like a shameless 'copy me' plea but to be honest it's cheap, effective and as I use it myself I can guarantee it will cover you for pretty much anything you might want it for (outside of enormous fleet battles or modding the bejesus out of crysis).
Honestly, Vista isn't as bad as most people seem to think(at least not anymore) but using it over windows 7 is just plain ignorance. |

Fidelium Mortis
Quantum Cats Syndicate
3
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 20:07:00 -
[22] - Quote
As far as CPU performance goes here's a little benchmark I ran to take a look at CPU scaling in CQ.
EVE Online Incrana CPU scaling
The Q6600 can work, but the stock CPU speeds will be holding back a newer graphics card. On the plus side, overclocking the Q6600 narrows that gap considerably and will let you take better advantage of a new graphics card. Also keep in mind that the chip in the graph is an i7 which is more powerful clock for clock than the Core2Duo (Q6600).
There's no need up upgrade from Vista if budget is a concern. They worked out most of the kinks that were experienced during the first couple years of launch.
Professor Alphane wrote:Herping yourDerp wrote:Christopher AET wrote:If wanting to build I would say don't skimp on the MOBO or the case. As the other parts you can upgrade as you go but those 2 form the base for everything so you want to futureproof it to some degree
this, but i would say don't skip out on the PSU either go corsair, just do it.. MOBO yes, case/PSU meh they come and go.
NEVER skimp on a PSU! It doesn't have to be expensive, or pump out a crazy amount of wattage (550w is more than enough for a typical system with 1 video card). A poorly built PSU isn't able to provide consistent power to components, and can actually damage multiple components in your system.
ICRS - Intergalactic Certified Rocket Surgeon |

Cipher Jones
188
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 20:23:00 -
[23] - Quote
Quote:Honestly, Vista isn't as bad as most people seem to think(at least not anymore) but using it over windows 7 is just plain ignorance.
You realize that XP is a separate operating system, but 7 is just Vista, right?
See what happens when fat neckbeards try to ride little ponies? The ponies die. |

Jimi Crackcorn
Directed Evolution Corp
4
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 20:29:00 -
[24] - Quote
Cipher Jones wrote:Quote:Honestly, Vista isn't as bad as most people seem to think(at least not anymore) but using it over windows 7 is just plain ignorance. You realize that XP is a separate operating system, but 7 is just Vista, right?
Riiiiiiiiiight, look at your resource usage with vista, now look at mine, with windows 7, now back at yours. Your resource usage could look like mine, if only you weren't an idiot and upgraded to windows 7. |

Cipher Jones
188
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 20:29:00 -
[25] - Quote
I posted this in the other thread but very relevant...
Cipher Jones wrote:You can listen to people and their opinions all you want. You might be warned against mine in a thread dealing with New Eden here or there. However, there is one important fact you need to look at; Using a graphics card that consumes more power than the rails on your PS put out will result in system failure. You have to read the specs of the power supply, and the specs of the video card. I looked at the specs you gave and the PS only said "300 watts" so I looked it up... Quote:- Voltage: +3.3V (13A); +5V (13A); +12V1 (16A); +12V2 (16A); -12V (0.8A); +5VSB (2.5A) Gateway GT5620 Power Supply Replacement So you can use a 192 watt video card. Anything bigger will kill your PS, and possibly mobo.
See what happens when fat neckbeards try to ride little ponies? The ponies die. |

Cipher Jones
188
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 20:34:00 -
[26] - Quote
Jimi Crackcorn wrote:Cipher Jones wrote:Quote:Honestly, Vista isn't as bad as most people seem to think(at least not anymore) but using it over windows 7 is just plain ignorance. You realize that XP is a separate operating system, but 7 is just Vista, right? Riiiiiiiiiight, look at your resource usage with vista, now look at mine, with windows 7, now back at yours. Your resource usage could look like mine, if only you weren't an idiot and upgraded to windows 7.
I benchmarked both on the same hardware and the performance from 7 was not any better, and professionals have come to the same conclusion. I have 7 installed. Both vista and 7 have about 97-100 running processes out of the box, and both take up much less than 1G of ram when running. You will have to run XP or linux to gain performance.
See what happens when fat neckbeards try to ride little ponies? The ponies die. |

Lors Dornick
Kallisti Industries
92
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 20:38:00 -
[27] - Quote
I'd say that cpu and mem is good enough for a skint rig.
But graphics is always the cheap win.
Grab the best you you find supported by your mobo (and be prepared to possibly upgrade your psu).
Having that said, I have to second several other, get rid of Vista, downgrade to XP or upgrade to Win7.
Vista is another poor stepchild, like Me :/
|

Tacyon
The Phayder Corporation
3
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 20:53:00 -
[28] - Quote
Cipher .. I am one of those "professionals" you speak of (www.techpro.com) I do this for a living and have since the middle 80's before most of you were born. (which is scary for me)
We would never use Vista over Win7. Its XP Pro or Win7 Pro and just now 64bit due only to business app's hunger for >2gb of memory. Windows 7 (Professional and Ultimate) are more compatible with most business applications out there and cause less issues all around. But this is not why this thread was opened by the OP and I'm sure this debate could turn into a mega thread. (tl:dr, vista = millenium edition nuff said) XP/Win7 if you stay MS are the only real options.
64bit OS is the only way you'll ever use any amount of memory over ~3.25gb.
Everyone was had good advice to the OP and there is nothing more I can add save my vote for a current, bleeding edge video card and beyond that, Windows 7 professional 64bit and more system memory.
Note re 64bit OS. In "business" environments this is still causing issues with printers and the traditional method of managing >5 printers in a domain with mixed 32/64 bit servers and workstations. |

Professor Alphane
Alphane Research Co-operative
31
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 22:05:00 -
[29] - Quote
Fidelium Mortis wrote:
NEVER skimp on a PSU! It doesn't have to be expensive, or pump out a crazy amount of wattage (550w is more than enough for a typical system with 1 video card). A poorly built PSU isn't able to provide consistent power to components, and can actually damage multiple components in your system.
I was more trying to make the point A Mobo is the part of the rig you are least likely to upgrade, so try and make it is as future proof as you can. I wouldn't skimp on PSU but along with cases I kind of see them as get a standard one and your fine, also case and PSU costs don't compare to the cost of other components. I was trying to advocate buying rubbish but it's hardley a priorety when you could be spending your cash on silicon that actually improves your rig.
YOU MUST THINK FIRST.... |

J Kunjeh
105
|
Posted - 2011.12.22 22:22:00 -
[30] - Quote
Torskelrak wrote:Hi Guys/Girls,
I really dont have much money at the moment with having a little baby girl/getting married and moving house all in the space of a few months. So was wondering what I could possibly buy cheaply to upgrade my system. Im rubbish with Pc's
Vista Home Premium (SP2) Intel 2 Quad Core Q6600 @2.40GHz RAM - 4GB 32-Bit OS
According to the Performance Test I get around 5.5, which is probably bad but to be honest the PC is a few years old and Life at the moment aint giving me much luck on the Money side ; )
Any help would be gratefully apprieciated,
Torsk
Processor - 5.9 RAM 5.5 Graphics 5.9 Gaming Graphics 5.9 Primary Hard Disk 5.7
Search the forum for threads by Akita..I'm pretty sure she's got a "build a cheap gaming PC" thread or two on here somewhere. "The world as we know it came about through an anomaly (anomou)" (The Gospel of Philip, 1-5)-á |
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