Techgage 2008 Birthday Contest

Note: Contest is now over. Stay tuned for the winner!

Techgage turns three this month, and we’ve sure come a long way since the beginning. Since our last birthday, site traffic has increased by almost 50% and shows no sign of slowing down. We must be doing some things right, but we want to make sure we are constantly improving and making our site more enjoyable to visit.

To help celebrate our birthday and also read into your minds, we are holding a contest where one lucky winner could win a full-featured gaming PC valued at over $4,500 – just by filling out a simple survey!

To participate in the survey, please click here, or above, and enter your e-mail address. You will be e-mailed a unique URL that will load the survey on our website. Once filled out and submitted, you will automatically be entered into our random drawing. Below are the specifications of the grand prize, with all of the rules and regulations at the bottom of the page. More information about the products we chose can be found inside this forum thread.

Grand Prize PC

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 (2.66GHz)
• Motherboard: ASUS Striker II Formula (780i SLI)
• Graphics: ASUS EN8800GT 512 x 2
• Audio: ASUS Xonar D2
• Memory: Crucial Ballistix Tracer DDR2-1066 (4 x 1GB)
• Storage: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1TB (1,000GB)
• Optical Disc: LG GGC-H20L Blu-ray Reader, LG GSA-H55LI DVD-RW
• PSU: Ultra Products 1000W X3
• Chassis: Thermaltake Armor+
• Cooling: Zalman 9700LED, ZM-MFC2 Fan Controller

Other Included Components

• Display: Dell 24" 2408WFP (1920×1200, High-Color Gamut)
• Speakers: Logitech G51 5.1 Gamer Speakers
• Headphones: Ultrasone HFI-550 Closed-back
• Router: D-Link DGL-4500 Gaming Wireless Router
• Peripherals: Logitech MX5500 Desktop, Logitech G9 Gaming Mouse
• Software: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate, Office 2007 Home & Student

High-end gaming doesn’t get much better than this! Included is a powerful Intel 45nm Quad-Core processor which will bottleneck nothing as far as gaming and multi-media is concerned. To help power our gaming, ASUS have included their Striker II Formula SLI-capable motherboard and dual EN8800GT cards. Together, this machine is capable of handling any game at high-resolutions with superb performance.

Since gaming is somewhat lackluster without a monitor, Dell’s brand-spanking-new 2408WFP 24-inch wide-screen is here to deliver gorgeous high-gamut color (110%!) at 1920×1200. This display offers a variety of connection possibilities, including the new fangled DisplayPort, which is just beginning to catch on.

For the media-buff, this PC still continues to deliver. Equipped with 4GB of Crucial Ballistix Tracer memory (contains LEDs!) and Seagate’s 1,000GB hard drive, there is a lot of breathing room. The PC is also high-def ready thanks to LG’s Blu-ray / HD DVD combo drive, and courtesy of the included monitor, 1080p content is only a click away.

How about the sound? The ASUS Xonar D2 is so good, that three of our staff members already own one. It was a no-brainer to include. For a great 5.1 setup, Logitech have included their G51 gaming system to deliver immersive audio while fragging. Want to play with the lights off and not disturb the family? Ultrasone’s high-end HFI-550 headphones will deliver crisp, immersive audio, thanks in part to the built-in S-Logic technology.

Without a doubt… this is one heck of a PC.

We put our prize together with care. With much discussion of the staff, the resulting PC is very similar to what most of us would have built ourselves if we had $5,000 to spare. Each one of the components included were chosen by us, and from companies that we personally trust.

We wish to thank our regular sponsors who have sponsored this and previous Techgage events. Their support has been incredible and really helps make our contests special. The lone favor we ask for whoever wins is to drop by our forums and brag about her/his brand-new gaming rig :-)

Rules & Regulations

Contest Prize

The prize for this contest is ONE complete gaming computer, as listed above, including monitor, peripherals, Microsoft Windows Vista and Office 2007, a gaming router, headphones and speakers. Total value for the prize at contest launch was $4,625. The winner will not be incurred shipping charges or sales taxes – they will be taken care of in full by Techgage Networks Inc.

The prize will be shipped via FedEX Express within a month of contest closing (April 1 – 30). Potential delays would be caused by a late launch of Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 processor or late shipments from vendors. The winner will be kept up to date regarding any potential situation.

Techgage Networks Inc. Commitments

All information gathered through our survey will be used internally in order to improve the website for our visitors. The survey will help us see where we need improvement and also gage what our readers would like to see.

ABSOLUTELY NO data gathered through our survey will be sold or given away to companies, persons or any other entity outside of Techgage management. Your data is safer with us than it would be most places. Once the contest is completed, all related data will be physically purged on the server. We frown upon the practice of selling data and it will never cross our minds, regardless of what prized possession would be set in front of us.

At the end of the survey, there is a check box to allow ASUS to contact you via their marketing list in the future regarding their products. If you do not wish to be on their list, uncheck the box. ASUS will receive only e-mail addresses from our survey and nothing else (including your name). You will be able to opt out of their list at any time.

Eligibility

In order to participate, you must live in either Canada or the United States. We regret being unable to ship outside of these countries. If the winner resides in Canada, a skill-testing question is required to be answered, as per Canadian law.

To enter, you must be at least 16 years of age and are not an employee of Techgage Networks Inc.

One survey submission is allowed per household.

The winner of the contest will need to provide a full name, mailing address and phone number in order to have a smooth and prompt shipment of the prize.

Contest Entry & Winner

The contest runs until Monday March 31, 11:59PM CST.

To enter the contest, please complete our twenty-question survey. Upon completion, you will automatically be entered into the contest. The winner will be chosen at random between April 1 and April 5.

Your answers will NOT affect your chances at winning, whether they are positive or negative.

For reiteration of rules or any questions, please e-mail Rob at rob [dot] williams at tg.

If for whatever reason this page needs to be edited during the contest, addendums will be posted below with the time stamp of when and what was edited.