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Skylake Gaming PC, i5 6500, 250GB SSD, 8GB, GTX960, <$900 AUD Delivered (Req AmEx + eBay) + More

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Skylake Gaming PC, i5 6500, 250GB SSD, 8GB, GTX960, <$900 AUD Delivered (Req AmEx + eBay) + More
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G5 on 22/10/2015 - 18:42 files.ozbargain.com.au (2292 clicks)
Last edited 16/11/2015 - 14:55 by 1 other user

I have spent a while researching the best bang-for-buck PC components and weighing off against things like shipping costs, exchange rates and current discounts a la Amazon 15% Amex and eBay $100 voucher deals. My goal was to build a decent-spec gaming PC that can play most modern games in HD resolution and costs under $1000 including delivery.

This is the cheapest way I can find to build a well-specced Skylake socket 1151 micro ATX system with DDR4 ram, fully delivered. It's probably a little bit more expensive than a socket 1150 system with DDR3, but not by much, and you get the benefits of newer tech.

The sweet spot appears to be around the $1100 mark.

You could save even more by cutting back on things like the motherboard, RAM and GPU, so I've provided a couple more builds with this in mind. Some prices might be cheaper to pick up if you live near a store like MSY. I haven't taken that into account. Some prices might also be cheaper from other eBay sellers - I've mostly chosen those that allow click + collect in order to get the $100 voucher.

I also haven't included any peripherals or operating systems in the pricing - I assume most people have these things already.

Don't forget to use 2.5% Cashrewards eBay cashback and 5% Amazon GivingAssistant cashback before Nov 1.

All prices in AUD using exchange rate of 1USD = 1.38AUD.

Update 23/10

Due to price drops on GPUs, it's now cheaper to build a system with a 4GB GPU than a 2GB GPU, which effectively removes the <$950 price tier. I've also updated motherboard prices with the latest ShoppingExpress deal.

Update 24/10

Added a <$1200 build with a mATX motherboard that supports SLI.

<$900 Gaming PC

Should run most modern games like BF4, GTAV in 1080p, 30-60fps at ultra or just below.

Uses a GTX 960 4GB as the GPU, and a non-overclockable motherboard.

To get the $100 eBay discount you will need to buy the motherboard + SSD in the same transaction to make $200, then use the eBay voucher to buy the PSU.

Part Description Notes URL StaticIce Cheapest
GPU EVGA GTX 960 Overclocked 4G $211 @ Amazon w/Amex $310
Motherboard Gigabyte B150M-D3H eBay click + collect to get voucher $149 @ eBay, $139 @ FreeShippingTech $135
PSU Antec Neo ECO 520C Buy with eBay voucher $108 @ eBay $83
Ram 8GB 1x8GB DDR4 $57 @ Amazon w/Amex $74
CPU i5 6500 Best bang-for-buck Skylake CPU $244 @ Amazon w/Amex $289
SSD Crucial BX100 250GB eBay click + collect with Mobo to get voucher $118 @ Ebay $125
Case Cooler Master N200 Ships from NZ $50 @ FreeShippingTech $59
Amazon Shipping ~$19
eBay voucher discount -$100
Total $856 (delivered) $1043 (not delivered)

<$1100 Gaming PC

Upgrades the GPU to a GTX 970 4GB. Upgrades the motherboard to support overclocking with a future CPU upgrade.

Part Description Notes URL StaticIce Cheapest
GPU EVGA GTX 970 Overclocked 4G Full-size card $370 @ Amazon w/Amex $457
Motherboard Gigabyte Z170M-D3H eBay click + collect to get voucher $226 @ eBay, $207 @ FreeShippingTech $199
PSU Antec Neo ECO 520C Buy with eBay voucher $108 @ eBay $83
Ram 8GB 1x8GB DDR4 $57 @ Amazon w/Amex $74
CPU i5 6500 Best bang-for-buck Skylake CPU $244 @ Amazon w/Amex $289
SSD Crucial BX100 250GB eBay click + collect with Mobo to get voucher $118 @ Ebay $125
Case Cooler Master N200 Ships from NZ $50 @ FreeShippingTech $59
Amazon Shipping ~$19
eBay voucher discount -$100
Total $1092 (delivered) $1286 (not delivered)

<$1200 Gaming PC

Upgrades the GPU to a GTX 970 4GB. Upgrades the motherboard to support SLI and overclocking with a future CPU upgrade.

Part Description Notes URL StaticIce Cheapest
GPU EVGA GTX 970 Overclocked 4G Full-size card $370 @ Amazon w/Amex $457
Motherboard Gigabyte Z170MX-Gaming eBay click + collect to get voucher $298 @ eBay, $280 @ FreeShippingTech $269
PSU Antec Neo ECO 520C Buy with eBay voucher $108 @ eBay $83
Ram 8GB 1x8GB DDR4 $57 @ Amazon w/Amex $74
CPU i5 6500 Best bang-for-buck Skylake CPU $244 @ Amazon w/Amex $289
SSD Crucial BX100 250GB eBay click + collect with Mobo to get voucher $118 @ Ebay $125
Case Cooler Master N200 Ships from NZ $50 @ FreeShippingTech $59
Amazon Shipping ~$19
eBay voucher discount -$100
Total $1164 (delivered) $1356 (not delivered)

<$1000 Mini-ITX Gaming PC

Smaller form factor, but just as powerful. Costs slightly more due to a more expensive overclockable motherboard.

Part Description Notes URL StaticIce Cheapest
GPU Gigabyte GTX 960 Overclocked 4G $211 @ Amazon w/Amex $310
Motherboard Gigabyte Z170N-WIFI eBay click + collect to get voucher $273 @ eBay, $242 @ FreeShippingTech $244
PSU Antec Neo ECO 520C Buy with eBay voucher $108 @ eBay $83
Ram 8GB 1x8GB DDR4 $57 @ Amazon w/Amex $74
CPU i5 6500 Best bang-for-buck Skylake CPU $244 @ Amazon w/Amex $289
SSD Crucial BX100 250GB eBay click + collect with Mobo to get voucher $118 @ Ebay $125
Case Cooler Master Elite 130 Ships from NZ $50 @ FreeShippingTech $55
Amazon Shipping ~$19
eBay voucher discount -$100
Total $980 (delivered) $1180 (not delivered)

Further Upgrade Options

Part Description Notes URL
GPU EVGA GTX 970 Overclocked 4GB Full-size card $380 @ Amazon w/Amex
PSU EVGA SuperNOVA G2 750 $147 @ FreeShippingTech
Ram 16GB 2x8GB DDR4 $98 @ Amazon w/Amex
CPU Cooler Corsair H55 $98 @ eBay
Case Antec P50 $89 @ MSY local pickup
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closed Comments

  • Slo20 on 22/10/2015 - 18:47
    +32

    Thanks for the effort. Some good choices to pick and choose from

      • NoobTan on 22/10/2015 - 19:55
        +2

        Makes me wonder why you're so sure that I wiped my screen.

      • [Deactivated] on 22/10/2015 - 20:26
        +1

        I was scrolling down, so you failed!

        • [Deactivated] on 22/10/2015 - 20:36
          -6

          really tendulkar?

        • [Deactivated] on 22/10/2015 - 20:40
          +1

          @Davo93:

          I do like me a spot of cricket.

      • Major Mess on 22/10/2015 - 21:58
        +20

        Unbelievable. You got negative votes for a joke that could not possibly offend anyone.

        • Prothean on 22/10/2015 - 22:05
          +3

          Ah, those would be the 18 peeps who just got trolled.

        • illumination on 23/10/2015 - 20:11
          +1

          And I won't lie.. it made me wipe my screen….. mofo

      • FabMan on 22/10/2015 - 22:03
        +2

        I found it funny, if you didn't mention wiping the screen, I would have.

      • DauntingEarth on 22/10/2015 - 22:12

        Unbelievable. You made a joke.

      • soakedintaquila on 27/10/2015 - 20:09

        ah, now i get it ! i initially thought you spat at the config and he had to wipe his screen ! didn't realise it was the font joke until now…

  • iRMonkey on 22/10/2015 - 18:49
    +57

    Can't not upvote researched posts like that.

    • apptrack on 22/10/2015 - 19:38
      +1

      Or these kind of comments

    • 4agte on 22/10/2015 - 20:44
      +5

      Arrggh… double negatives ;)

      I do agree though. Top effort by the OP

      • illumination on 23/10/2015 - 20:11

        Single negative! His pos vote cancels out one negative…

  • jv hi fi on 22/10/2015 - 18:50
    +1

    Thanks for this, pity no Amex but good prices and effort!

  • n0va on 22/10/2015 - 18:53

    Good lord, lots of work has gone in to this deal thanks OP.

    Makes me wish I had AMEX so it would apply to me!

  • save my dollarydoos on 22/10/2015 - 18:56
    +1

    Yeah upvoted for the effort.

  • lostn on 22/10/2015 - 18:56

    I'm not interested but +1 for your super effort.

  • jv hi fi on 22/10/2015 - 18:59

    Can you also tell me why it says Skylake in title but all CPUs are Haswell or have I got something wrong?

    • rompastompa on 22/10/2015 - 19:07
      +4

      Skylake = 6th gen (eg: i5-6500)
      Haswell = 4th gen (eg: i5-4460)

      See wiki for more info.

      Just re-read the OP's description to add some confusion:

      This is the cheapest way I can find to build a well-specced Haswell socket 1151 micro ATX system with DDR4 ram, fully delivered. It's probably a little bit more expensive than a socket 1150 system with DDR3, but not by much, and you get the benefits of newer tech.

      Best bang-for-buck Haswell CPU

      • jv hi fi on 22/10/2015 - 20:04

        thanks that makes sense now!

      • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:08
        +1

        Thanks, I'm having trouble updating the post but those should say Skylake, not Haswell.

  • thackleberry on 22/10/2015 - 19:00
    +1

    Like a G5 like a G5

    • gimli on 22/10/2015 - 22:44

      lol

  • Tech5 on 22/10/2015 - 19:00

    Why are the prices so cheap? If I do a currency conversion of for e.g. the GTX970, I get 440 AUD + shipping which would be around another 30.
    Is it something to do with the Amex?

    • Merlict on 22/10/2015 - 19:13
      +1

      Did you remember to take the 15% off for the Amex promo?

      Remember Amex gives pretty crap exchange rates though.

  • lostn on 22/10/2015 - 19:03
    +1

    How quiet is the EVGA? They claim "whisper silent" but is this verifiable? Is it audible under load? Because I have serious doubts a SOC card will be inaudible while gaming.

    • Tech5 on 22/10/2015 - 19:03
      +1

      EVGA is probably one of the louder versions of the GTX970

      • lostn on 22/10/2015 - 19:10
        +1

        Yeah, that's a deal breaker for me. So much for the "whisper silent" claim.

        Any idea who is actually quiet? I've been partial to Gigabyte Windforce series up till now. Don't know if they're the best, but their noise levels have been acceptable for me so far, and I'll stick to something I know is decent, unless someone can suggest something better.

        • Tech5 on 22/10/2015 - 19:13
          +1

          MSI and Asus both v.quite under 65 degrees. I think asus turns off its fans when it under this temp. At above 65, MSI is a shade more quiet

        • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:27
          +1

          I picked EVGA because they are the cheapest, but most brands of GTX970s are within $20 to $40 of that price and might be less noisy. Or you can invest in a silent GPU cooler.

        • lostn on 22/10/2015 - 20:40

          @G5: Odd, because EVGA along with XFX used to be considered premium brands, with a price tag to match.

        • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:44
          +1

          @lostn: Most GPU brands in the same series seem to hover around similar price points these days. The main differences I have found are the included coolers and the factory overclock levels.

          I like the EVGA brand, good reviews and price, and they have a solid international warranty to boot.

        • save my dollarydoos on 22/10/2015 - 21:03
          +1

          I bought this card 2 weeks ago and I don't hear it through my Fractal R5 case

        • Baebs on 23/10/2015 - 10:15
          -1

          MSI is whisper quiet even without a noise reduction case.

  • derweep on 22/10/2015 - 19:05

    Good work mate, but I reckon you would need 16gb Ram and 4gb of Video ram in order to keep up with the latest games, probably not necessary but you can never have enough RAM.

    • Tech5 on 22/10/2015 - 19:09
      +1

      4g Vram at high-ultra 1080p yep, but 16gb ram not needed. Not unless you are multitasking between games

      • Cielescha on 22/10/2015 - 19:21

        Depends what sort of games. Cities:Skylines can very easily use up the 8GB.

      • Nyen on 22/10/2015 - 21:42

        The up coming Star wars battlefront recommends 16GBs of ram.

  • TitaniumOvaries on 22/10/2015 - 19:10
    +10

    I literally made an account just to upvote this. Good work.

    • serpserpserp on 22/10/2015 - 19:55
      +2

      Are you the OP? :P

    • bargainhunter on 23/10/2015 - 13:41

      I once metaphorically made an account but I mixed it.

    • stonkered on 23/10/2015 - 14:13

      +1 for effort

  • moony on 22/10/2015 - 19:21

    +1 for the effort.

  • tassieeagle on 22/10/2015 - 19:21

    Great work mate

  • Cielescha on 22/10/2015 - 19:23
    +1

    Very nice builds overall, you can save some more money by changing the motherboards.

    The first two build can be changed to MSI B150M Bazooka to save $6 while arguably improving aesthetics:

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MSI-B150M-Bazooka-DDR4-USB3-1-LED…

    For the $1050 ITX build, going with ASRock can save $26:

    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ASRock-Z170M-ITX-AC-LGA1151-DDR4-…

    • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:14

      Thanks. You'd have to buy the B150M from a seller that supports click and collect to get the eBay voucher. Next cheapest click and collect is only $3 cheaper. And it doesn't have an M.2 slot, so it's arguably less useful for a $3 saving. Aesthetics is subjective :P

      The ASRock looks good. Also no M.2, but the savings are better.

  • NeggerOfDeals on 22/10/2015 - 19:34
    +1

    EVGA GTX 970 Overclocked 4GB

    You've linked the 960 version, mate!

    • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:30
      +1

      Thanks, fixed.

  • mooreshady on 22/10/2015 - 19:39
    +1

    Well done OP!

  • discrete on 22/10/2015 - 19:56
    -4

    Thanks for the effort :), but what i don't get is, how come you went for i5 and not i7 cpu? I myself was just recently shopping for a good performance computer, and my criteria was i7 quad core, 16 gb ram, and SSD hard disk (seems if you want performance, u can't run away from SSD hard disks…)

    • cwongtech on 22/10/2015 - 20:00
      +22

      You don't need an i7 quadcore for gaming. You need a beast GPU.
      You got rekt by marketing buddy.

      • melfes on 22/10/2015 - 21:21
        +1

        just curious, performance wise what i7 will get over i5 if gaming is no issues?

        • andgucps on 22/10/2015 - 22:14
          +7

          If you are running programs which require 8 threads, parallel-threaded simulations etc. the extra Hyper-threading (which is primarily what i7 offers over i5) can speed them up by up to 30%.

          Mainly for people who max our their CPU processing photos/videos/simulations etc.

        • melfes on 23/10/2015 - 06:57
          +1

          @andgucps: well explained :)

    • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:32
      +4

      As others have said - the i7 6700K is nearly $200 more and not really necessary for gaming. Also no factory cooler, so that's an extra expense.

      • discrete on 22/10/2015 - 22:41
        +2

        ah.. I see. ok, point taken. I guess my needs differ from gaming, in that I'm planning to use mine for running multiple VMs (for software development) and to run trading backtesting simulations as well. GPU for me, doesn't matter as much. Maybe for the occasional Wasteland 2, or Bard's Tale IV perhaps, but that's about it.

      • Huntz on 23/10/2015 - 13:02

        Same requirement as "discrete" to run multiple VM and an occasional game. What would I have to change or add other than the i7??

  • imahapyboy on 22/10/2015 - 19:59

    +1 for the effort~

  • clisterzz on 22/10/2015 - 20:02
    +1

    http://www.logicalincrements.com/

    This is the best website doing in the same way!

    I'm not complaining about it. Just telling another alternative.

    • scrimshaw on 22/10/2015 - 20:08
      +7

      Not the same way. Logical Increments doesn't tell you if there are any current deals, rebates, Amex offers, cashbacks or coupons to take advantage of. All of which the OP has taken into account and nicely compiled.

      • clisterzz on 22/10/2015 - 20:11

        I totally agree with you, but this one could get a overview about some good prices as well.

  • lancedefrance on 22/10/2015 - 20:11

    Really good effort thanks for posting much appreciated.

  • abctoz on 22/10/2015 - 20:20
    +1

    You can't overclock the i5-6500 so there is no point to pair it with a Z170 board, the B150 is sufficient.

    In terms of bang/buck Haswell is still better, get a H81/4460 or Z97/4690K for overclocking. But Skylake gives you the newer platform.

    • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:23

      That's right. My thoughts were that if you are planning to OC sometime in the future, it's worth getting the motherboard so that you have an upgrade path later on to invest in a 6600K or an 6700K.

      • MHLoppy on 23/10/2015 - 05:12

        That's a hell of an upgrade cost for only a modest clock speed increase unless you're able to reuse the old CPU elsewhere to offset it.

        • G5 on 23/10/2015 - 09:21

          Fair point. I was probably biased towards hedging my bets in case the i5 isn't fast enough, or my usage changes in the future.

          Also if you want to SLI in the future, you will need the Z170 chipset.

  • CraigZheng on 22/10/2015 - 20:32

    That's a great list, thanks for sharing.

    Even the budget gaming PCs are Intel and nvdia now, I miss the days when we can get great hardware from AMD at lower price.

    • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:38
      +2

      Yep - from everything I have read, the AMD R9 series are hotter, noiser and less performant than the GTX 9xx series. Worth the small extra investment with Nvidia.

      • Tech5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:49
        +2

        I thought that GTX970 had stuttering problems with ultra res due to its 3.5gb vram? (Not really 4gb). R9 390 would perform better at ultra or 1440p.

        • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 21:01

          That may be the case - I don't really know enough about the 3.5gb issue to know if it would make much difference. Feel free to substitute in a 390 - they appear to be priced quite well on Amazon.

        • l005e on 23/10/2015 - 12:07
          +2

          @G5: Here is a link to a NVIDIA engineer from Spain REVEALS Geforce GTX 970 DISASTER! :)
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IghcowGhRBc
          Its a must see if your in the market for a new card

        • G5 on 23/10/2015 - 17:51

          @l005e: Bahaha, this guy never ceases to be hilarious

  • Hirolol on 22/10/2015 - 20:33

    Why do these sellers say req amex?
    I thought by using amex it ends up costing more money in fees or does the buyer receive anything from amex company?
    Thanks in advance for any info about this!!

    • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:39
      +2

      There was a deal a while back where you can get 15% off Amazon purchases with an Amex card.

  • leech on 22/10/2015 - 20:35

    These are awesome prices.

    I wish there was an option to have them prebuilt

  • BTB on 22/10/2015 - 20:35

    Skylake CPU S, K series do not come with a fan/cooler. So it will need a cooler like this:
    Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005O65JXI

    • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:39

      Lucky I only used a 6500 ;)

      • BTB on 22/10/2015 - 21:08

        And you may need an OS:
        Microsoft Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit System Builder OEM | PC Disc
        http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Windows-System-Builder-Disc/…

        • nfr on 22/10/2015 - 21:47

          Is that the cheapest Win10 Pro?

        • alvian on 23/10/2015 - 01:25
          +1

          @nfr: Cheapest would be via the free upgrade path. $0.00

        • MHLoppy on 23/10/2015 - 05:32

          Fair warning, changes made to the licensing terms means you're no longer supposed to be using an OEM license for a PC you build for yourself. It was explicitly allowed at some point during the Windows 8 era, but that's no longer the case and it's now explicitly disallowed.

          Some people won't care, but figured it's worth noting.

          If you are building a system for your personal use or installing an additional operating system in a virtual machine, you will need to purchase a full version of Windows 10, available in FPP. Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 system builder software does not permit personal use, and is intended only for preinstallation on customer systems that will be sold to end users.

          source

  • JMERC on 22/10/2015 - 20:36

    Hey mate, great work on the post.

    I'm in a similar position (trying to build a skylake gaming PC around $1K).

    How'd you go picking between the i5 6400 v i5 6500?

    Also while searching for a GPU I found many would recommend the R9 380 over the GTX 960 given it outperforms the 960 at the same price point.

    • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:40

      There's not really much difference, especially if you're just using it for gaming. I went with the 6500 because it was only like $7 more expensive.

      I prefer Nvidia GPUs - they're more efficient, make less noise and don't run as warm as their AMD equivalents.

      • JMERC on 22/10/2015 - 21:53
        +1

        Fair enough. Great find on the cheap Case. I was going to go with the Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 - but you've saved me $100.

        Here's what I've ended up with so far:

        CPU: Intel Core i5 6400 $269 (PCCG)
        GPU: Sapphire Radeon R9 380 Dual-X 2GB $299 (PCCG)
        MB: Gigabyte GA-B150M-D3H Motherboard $139 (PCCG)
        RAM: Kingston HyperX FURY 8GB Kit (2x4GB) 2133MHz DDR4 $19 (using eBay $100 voucher)
        HDD: Western Digital WD Blue 1TB WD10EZEX $82 (eBay purchase)
        SSD: Samsung 850 EVO Series 250GB 2.5in SSD $145 (eBay purchase)
        PSU: Seasonic M12II 520W EVO Edition Bronze Power Supply $119 (PCCG)
        CASE: Cooler Master N200 $50 (FreeShippingTech)

        TOTAL: $1122

        • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 22:22

          Looks good, prices seem fine for locally bought parts.

  • chipstss on 22/10/2015 - 20:46
    +1

    Lacks a crucial gaming feature, a hard drive to store your games :]

  • Bacons on 22/10/2015 - 20:48

    That EVGA 750 G2 PSU is a good deal. Has anyone got experience with FreeShippingTech?

    • G5 on 22/10/2015 - 20:53

      They're the Australian arm of these guys. Parts ship from NZ and don't incur GST which is why they're cheaper.

      • Bacons on 22/10/2015 - 21:29

        Cool! Thanks for info. Thinking of buying from these guys

  • knobbs on 22/10/2015 - 20:56

    What happens with Amazon and any DOA products? Do they have to be shipped back to the states? I seem to with every new PC build get DOA products.

    • lostn on 22/10/2015 - 21:47

      Of course. They don't have a local center to send them back to, and why would they?

      • knobbs on 22/10/2015 - 23:06

        I don't know it is Amazon, they sell everything all over the world.

        Thanks for answearing anyway.

  • deanylev on 22/10/2015 - 21:13
    +3

    Love when people put effort like this into posts, simply awesome :)

  • [Deactivated] on 22/10/2015 - 21:17

    This is exactly how I'm building my mini-ITX PC

    CPU: i7 6700K ebay $500(20%discount voucher, up to $50 off), already collected from Big W today
    Motherboard: Asrock Fata1ity mini-ITX $210(will use $100 voucher next month) ebay
    SSD 1: Samsung 950 Pro 512GB $527 wife's eBay
    SSD 2: Samsung 850 Evo 1TB （will use wife's $100 voucher)
    Ram: Corsair Vengence DDR4 2666 16GB(2x8GB) $132 Amazon
    GPU: Gigabyte GTX980TI $840 Amazon, received last week
    CPU fan: Big Shriken 2 reb B $45 Taobao (China's local ebay)

    I will be ordering Silverstone RVZ02 case and their 500W SFX-L power supply from umart locally.

    • lostn on 22/10/2015 - 21:48

      Why 2 SSDs? What will you be putting on the 1TB?

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