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# damn it feels good to be a (pc) gamer
- URL: https://wootangent.net/damn-it-feels-good-to-be-a-pc-gamer/
- Published: 2011-02-20T12:53:05.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T08:22:35.000Z
- Author: Leigh Dyer
- Tags: Games, Linux, 8800GT, amnesia, asus, cooler master, mamba, nvidia, penumbra, psu, razer, #Migrated-1792830072870, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-10-24 08:21

It's no secret that, when it comes to gaming, I prefer consoles to PCs -- it's just easier to have a nice black box under the TV that I can shove discs in to without too much hassle, especially when your PC isn't running Windows anyway -- but there's still the occasional PC game (sometimes with a Linux port, no less) that I *would* like to run. Unfortunately, my PC hasn't really been up to scratch, despite being mostly decent (with 4GB of RAM and a Core 2 Duo E8300), but thanks to a few recent upgrades it's once again capable of playing actual games.

The main problem was the video, though the actual problem was the PSU; it was underpowered, and had a dead fan, so I had no option other than to swap out my (aging, but perfectly adequate) 8800GT and use the on-board Intel video. I replaced it with a [Cooler Master Silent Pro M600](http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product%5Fid=4199&ref=wootangent.net), which has both plenty of power for the 8800GT, and a wonderfully quiet 120mm fan, so it's still great for studio recording use.

With the 8800GT back in place, I was also able to pick up a second monitor, which I'd wanted for a while -- I couldn't tell you exactly what I got, but it's a 22" ASUS, it has a HDMI port alongside the DVI and VGA ports (handy for running consoles through it), and it was cheap!

Most recently, I picked up a new mouse. Dragging my old Logitech MX500 all the way across my now 3360-pixel-wide desktop felt annoyingly sluggish, so I headed to CPL yet again to grab a new mouse -- perhaps a [Razer DeathAdder](http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en%5FUS/pd/productID.169416100/categoryId.35208800?ref=wootangent.net). What I ended up with, though, was the [Razer Mamba](http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en%5FUS/pd/productID.169418100/categoryId.35208800?ref=wootangent.net), which is totally awesome. Its laser-based sensor is fast and accurate, and even though it's wireless, it's always smooth and responsive. It's rechargeable, and comes with a dock to charge it from, but if all else fails you can plug it in and use it as a wired mouse, which is very cool. There are hardware buttons to adjust its sensitivity on-the-fly, and its side buttons magically defaulted to controlling the back and forward buttons in Firefox; I think that's related to the fact that it appears to the OS as both a mouse and a keyboard.

As a sweetener, the box is freaking *sweet* (apologies for the phone camera photo):

![Razer Mamba](https://storage.ghost.io/c/42/8f/428f222b-5293-47dc-a763-0d524d3db42e/content/images/2026/10/razermamba-2.jpg "razermamba")

I know it's not the latest and greatest game, but I just fired up [Penumbra: Overture](http://www.penumbragame.com/?ref=wootangent.net), which I picked up in the first Humble Indie Bundle, and it worked beautifully. I did run on the on-board video, albeit very slowly, but at 1080p on my new monitor through the 8800GT, it looks great and runs beautifully. I might just have to pick up [Amnesia](http://www.amnesiagame.com/?ref=wootangent.net) after all!