Messages

466

Off Topic / Re: New PC Build [HeRP DERP]

« on: May 04, 2010, 08:46:19 PM »

how does it know what pc it was installed on?

I believe it takes record of your general hardware configuration and only takes exception to major changes in the configuration (IE. a new motherboard). You can still install it multiple times (if you need to reformat for example), but you are only authorized to use it on a single machine.

The catch with OEM OS's is that they must be sold with some form of hardware.

467

Off Topic / Re: New PC Build [HeRP DERP]

« on: May 04, 2010, 08:25:59 PM »

You can use this OS option. Same product, just OEM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

468

Off Topic / Re: Phenom II X6 1090T vs Intel® Core™ i7 980X Processor Extreme Edition?

« on: May 02, 2010, 05:27:59 PM »

I don't understand what's the difference between a 920 and a 930 other than a few extra $10s and a whole whopping 0.16 GHz.

I was under the impression that the 920's were being phased out. If that isn't the case, then a 920 would work well too.

VRAM is completely overrated. People jizz their pants when they see 1GB +of VRAM. It's not all about VRAM, it's about the speeds and the core of the graphics card. Once you run out of VRAM, it will put the least used textures to your RAM and then delete them from the VRAM. Which allows for more space on the VRAM and when that texture is needed, it copies it back. This all happens at like nanosecond speeds of course.

VRAM is not something I'd use to distinguish between different grades of cards, although that is a common mistake amongst inexperienced consumers, but it remains an important factor in the performance of the GPU. As Otis mentioned, the quantity of memory does matter at higher resolutions. I game at 6060x1080 (Eyefinity) and with even a small amount of AA I can fill up that 1GB of VRAM rather quickly.

Reading and writing textures from the main system memory to the GPU's VRAM is a costly process and does impact the speed of the game. It can cause stuttering that can be quite frustrating at times.

469

Off Topic / Re: Phenom II X6 1090T vs Intel® Core™ i7 980X Processor Extreme Edition?

« on: May 02, 2010, 04:34:50 AM »

Nope.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCXjaS6AmZw&fmt=37
The 980x vastly outperforms the 920 (overclocked to 3.33GH/z).

I assumed he was looking for gaming performance. If he is looking for high scores in benchmarks then the 980X will certainly outperform the 930. I doubt you'd see such a dramatic difference in real-world gaming.

470

Off Topic / Re: Phenom II X6 1090T vs Intel® Core™ i7 980X Processor Extreme Edition?

« on: May 02, 2010, 03:09:55 AM »

A lower-end Core i7, such as the 930, would be identical in performance to the 980X and you'd avoid the massive price premium they put on having an unlocked multiplier. In terms of hardware they are roughly equivalent (although "Extreme Edition" parts are generally binned higher than their regular equivalent).

A decent after market cooler and spending a few minutes overclocking would earn you comparable performance at a quarter of the price. The 980X won't "last" any longer than a regular i7 processor in terms of "future proofing".

I realize you have a large budget, but there is little reason to try and max that out at this time. I'd spend under $2000, and save the rest for an upgrade 2 or 3 years from now. You'll get more value for your money and you'll still end up with top-of-the-line performance.

471

Off Topic / Re: Phenom II X6 1090T vs Intel® Core™ i7 980X Processor Extreme Edition?

« on: May 01, 2010, 06:45:44 PM »

The Core i7 980X offers far superior performance, but at a ridiculous price premium.

472

Games / Re: Just stuff 2.

« on: April 30, 2010, 04:30:46 AM »

I've played it extensively on PC and found it to be the most fun I've had in a game in a long while.

If you approach the game looking for believable characters, a convincing story, or any sense of realism, then you will be disappointed. If, however, you play the game just for fun, you'll probably enjoy yourself.

The laughably bad voice acting, decidedly cliche plot, and ridiculous stunts make the game quite humorous.

473

Off Topic / Re: How would I go about launching a satellite?

« on: April 30, 2010, 04:18:41 AM »

You'll need clearance from the FAA, and you will have to meet their many stringent requirements for a safe, controlled launch.

The generally entails launching it from a site far away from civilization within a specified launch window so as to not endanger any being/property. You will have to prove to them that the rocket is safe and predictable.

There are large, commercially available, amateur rocket engines available that can provide enough thrust to launch large rockets (20ft tall+) high into Earth's atmosphere, but these are expensive, closely regulated (Permit required for purchases/operation) and will still not be enough to achieve orbit.

There are a couple of companies that offer launch services for satellites, but these "rides" can easily cost thousands of dollars per pound or cubic unit of volume. This would be the easiest, simplest, most likely to succeed option for getting your payload into orbit.

The main challenge is designing the satellite itself. It isn't as simple as sticking a small computer up there with a solar panel from Radioshack. There are huge temperature extremes to insulate from, solar radiation can damage unprotected electronics, and tracking/communicating with an object travelling that high up at those speeds is a technical nightmare. I'm part of a team at my university that is putting together a UAV and even after I negotiated a big discount with a certain company, the radio modem system to establish a regular TCP/IP connection over 10/20 Km costs about $2000; a system with the kind of capability you'd need would easily exceed $10,000.

474

Off Topic / Re: Are these parts good for my computer?

« on: April 26, 2010, 12:01:37 AM »

The LGA1156 socket is not going to be around for very long and is set to be replaced. This means simply upgrading the processor in a few years time will not be an easy option.

Although I've never built a computer with one, I can state that AMD is quite good at sticking to a socket design for a long time and generally doesn't create different sockets purely for the sake of segmenting the market. You could quite easily go for a higher end Phenom II now, and perhaps upgrade just the CPU later. A 6-core CPU is due out some time soon.

475

Off Topic / Re: Question about Poughkeepsie tapes

« on: April 25, 2010, 11:57:57 PM »

I've heard that the "Paranormal" film was one of the scariest films ever made. A bunch of friends said that they couldn't sleep that night, and these are people that watch scary, creepy, gory, movies on a regular basis.

476

Gallery / Re: On the subject of the use of relays and projectiles to create realistic circ

« on: April 22, 2010, 06:53:26 PM »

Haha, I'm glad I took digital design this semester, I know everything you're talking about, and might even try building some stuff out of this :P Although, I should wait two weeks before doing anything.

Aye, same here. Can't say I enjoy Digital Circuits though. Will be glad when it's over.

I much preferred MATLAB.

477

Games / Re: Fallout Online: 2238

« on: April 18, 2010, 06:23:09 PM »

I have to agree with Rkynick on this one. Fallout 3 is not a bad Fallout game and I think it fits well with the rest of the series.

I recently picked up the old trilogy pack and have been playing through the first game. In my experience, the only significant differences between the original game and FO3 is that the original has an annoying interface/combat system and the quest system is awful. To me the depth and skillful implementation of storytelling is equally well done.

Most of the characters in the games are two dimensional due to the fact that there are so many of them and they only need to serve a few basic functions. So far in FO1 I've yet to see any real character development, but I have witnessed it in FO3; the father figure, President Eden, Elder Lions?, Fawkes, etc.

478

Off Topic / Re: ATI RADEON X700 pro : Any good?

« on: April 16, 2010, 05:09:35 PM »

I was able to find a set of benchmarks of it from 2006.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/desktop-vga-charts-2006/compare,590.html?prod[1720]=on

I'm afraid it isn't a very good card and it unlikely that AVP will play very well on it. That being said, I'd just try and live with it. I imagine your dad doesn't know a significant amount about computer components and thought this was a good card. It is rude to say, but I'd just be grateful for it.

479

Games / Re: Fallout 3 question.....

« on: April 15, 2010, 04:32:27 AM »

He tried to steal my sweet roll!

480

Games / Re: Supreme Commander 2

« on: April 13, 2010, 11:36:29 PM »

You can find a demo for it on Steam.

I'm a big fan of the original games (Forged Alliance expansion included) and was really disappointed with the major changes they made to SupCom2.

To sum it up, they drastically lowered the complexity of the game (in particular the economic aspects) and made sweeping changes to the appearance and scale of the game.

If you enjoy simpler RTSs with larger units in smaller quantities fighting on small battlefields over resource points, then you'll probably like SupCom2. It is quite comparable to CnC and Starcraft now. Unfortunately, it turned down the scale and complexity negating much of the strategic nature of the first games, but didn't adequately improve the tactical nature of the game. World in Conflict implemented small scale tactics based gameplay with not even a hint of base building and it did fairly well at this.

SupCom2 sacrifices the few traits that made it unique in order to appeal to a more mainstream audience. Brighter colors, chunkier unit design, smaller battlefields, cheesier dialog, and small scale combat are apparently what sells right now.