46
its my dat ov brth gis\\y
yeh
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48
Games / Pre-Ordering Games, or: How The Bad Practices of the Gaming Industry Are Winning
« on: February 20, 2013, 12:31:13 PM »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf5Uj4XIT1Y
Not only this video, but your opinion on pre-ordering games.
In my humble, honest opinion: I couldn't agree more with what TB says in the video. I have only pre-ordered one game (Counter Strike: Global Offensive) and I had decent justification to do so because I know Valve would never forget me over. Even in that case, the game is good but still has a lot of flaws. Nevertheless I would never, and have never ended up pre-ordering games because I want extra content, even CS:GO never offered that - I simply pre-ordered it because I didn't want to have to remember to go and buy it, and just have it download the minute it was released (also to avoid long download times due to heavy traffic).
But, in this thread, I will allow and request your opinions on the matter of what I believe, and many others believe, is what is slowly murdering the gaming industry.
I'll add a poll. Try to keep this to a mature and reasonable debate.
Not only this video, but your opinion on pre-ordering games.
In my humble, honest opinion: I couldn't agree more with what TB says in the video. I have only pre-ordered one game (Counter Strike: Global Offensive) and I had decent justification to do so because I know Valve would never forget me over. Even in that case, the game is good but still has a lot of flaws. Nevertheless I would never, and have never ended up pre-ordering games because I want extra content, even CS:GO never offered that - I simply pre-ordered it because I didn't want to have to remember to go and buy it, and just have it download the minute it was released (also to avoid long download times due to heavy traffic).
But, in this thread, I will allow and request your opinions on the matter of what I believe, and many others believe, is what is slowly murdering the gaming industry.
I'll add a poll. Try to keep this to a mature and reasonable debate.
49
Off Topic / Today is TomTheGeek's birthday
« on: February 09, 2013, 01:55:29 AM »
Made this image for him personally.
Go loving tell him he's a good boy.
50
Off Topic / "I love helmets!" Prescott Majette has a few things to say about Helmets
« on: February 08, 2013, 11:59:40 PM »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hmHM4JYoAPU
Best footage I've seen of a helmet directly saving someone's life.
Best footage I've seen of a helmet directly saving someone's life.
51
Games / J.J. Abrams and Valve are talking about a Half Life or Portal film AND a game!
« on: February 06, 2013, 10:46:10 PM »
http://www.polygon.com/2013/2/6/3960102/half-life-portal-movies-jj-abrams-valve
*Mack giggles voraciously
*Mack giggles voraciously
52
Off Topic / Aircraft thread
« on: January 31, 2013, 09:17:34 PM »
Something a little different I guess. Not quite a megathread, but just a thread about different aircraft and which ones you think are awesome.
It can be any aircraft, any type, be it military, business jets, private aircraft or even commercial airliners.
I'll start: Sukhoi SU-35
Readysetgo!
It can be any aircraft, any type, be it military, business jets, private aircraft or even commercial airliners.
I'll start: Sukhoi SU-35
Readysetgo!
53
Off Topic / I just made the tastiest omlette.
« on: January 28, 2013, 02:31:30 PM »
It was easy to make. All you need to do is,
Should look like this:
Then after that, let it cook through, flip it over a few times as well until both sides are a lovely golden brown and crispy.
Once that's done, turn the stove off, and prepare the omlette with whatever you want on top. I did a little block of cheese, and ketchup.
So delicious, so sweet but sadly so small ; _ ;
Discuss delicious things to make!
- Butter a pan, scramble some eggs (2 to 3 is best) and pour them slowly into the pan.
- Put the heat of the stovetop to medium and let it cook until it becomes a solid sheet.
- Once solid, add seasoning of your choice (I did black pepper) and grate some cheese (I did cheddar)
- Pour some of the grated cheese onto the face of the egg, and let it melt a bit.
- Carefully make sure the egg isn't stuck to the pan by moving it around on all edges for a bit
- Fold the egg in half.
- Add more black pepper and grated cheese.
- Fold it AGAIN, so it's a quarter sized sheet.
Should look like this:
Then after that, let it cook through, flip it over a few times as well until both sides are a lovely golden brown and crispy.
Once that's done, turn the stove off, and prepare the omlette with whatever you want on top. I did a little block of cheese, and ketchup.
So delicious, so sweet but sadly so small ; _ ;
Discuss delicious things to make!
54
Off Topic / Gentlemen: The 2013 Corvette Stingray is displayed today @ the Detroit Auto Show
« on: January 14, 2013, 12:25:09 PM »
I'm going to the 2013 Canadian Auto Show.
I wet my pants when I saw this.
55
Off Topic / Adobe has released Photoshop and CS2 for free
« on: January 08, 2013, 05:35:28 AM »
http://gizmodo.com/5973730/grab-photoshop-and-cs2-for-absolutely-free-right-here
http://www.adobe.com/downloads/cs2_downloads/index.html
Download away, it's legitimate and legal.
http://www.adobe.com/downloads/cs2_downloads/index.html
Download away, it's legitimate and legal.
56
Off Topic / Next generation of Lego Mindstorms: EV3
« on: January 07, 2013, 11:30:13 AM »
Finally a new system. c:
57
Off Topic / [MEGATHREAD] Personal Computer - Updated builds thanks to Logical Increments
« on: January 01, 2013, 11:24:51 PM »
Welcome to the Computer Megathread. Here, you will find all the information you need on buying a new system, upgrading your current system, or just problems you are experiencing with your current system.
Table of Contents:
What is a computer?
- Purpose-built computers
Components
- Cases/chassis
- Power supplies
- Motherboards
- CPUs (processors)
- RAM (memory)
- Hard drives
- Video cards
- Optical drives
- Operating system
- Other
Prebuilts
- Pros
- Cons
Custom builds
- Pros
- Cons
Suggestions
- Logical Increments PC Buying Guide
- $2000
- Custom
- Other
- How to Build
Conclusion
What this thread can do for you
Additional Reading - How to fix a Blue Screen of Death
What is a computer?
A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem.
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer
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Purpose-built computers
There are many different types of computers based on what you wish to do with them. The one you are most likely familiar with is the personal computer, your laptop or desktop. If you are building a system, you will need to decide what you are going to do with your system so you can work out which solution best suits your needs. Some examples are:
Gaming Computers
These computers are a pack-load of power to deliver high-quality graphics and smooth gameplay. This is probably the computer you (would/want to) use.
Emphasized hardware:
Graphics Card: The gamer's best friend, the graphics card is pretty much the heart of making the game look pretty and run fluidly.
Processor: Delivers the power than games can run on.
Computer Monitor: There's no use in investing in monster graphics cards and CPUs when you have a tiny little monitor to look at. Larger monitors fill up your vision more (and may seldomly allow some increased area of vision!) Remember that the bigger the screen, the more work your graphics card has to perform.
Workstation Computers
Workstation computers are built for productivity and are the most used computers in businesses.
Emphasized hardware:
Processor: This dictates the amount of data it can work through, so quite often workstation computers will have 2 separate processors each with their own socket and cores etc.
RAM: RAM would allow the computer to "remember" more things going on at once. This allows multiple programs to be run at a single time, and more data to be remembered in a single application, perfect for productivity programs like video editing or illustration.
Graphics Card: The graphics cards in workstation computers are super expensive, but super powerful.
Server Computers
These computers are used to host internet content, such as web pages or gaming services.
Emphasized hardware:
Internet Connection: Faster and higher-quality internet connections allow users to access your stuff faster. Outdated dial-up connections will probably never be sufficient, while cable broadband systems suit the job way better.
Hard Drives: If you're hosting large amounts of files and data, it's good to know you always have extra space on hand.
RAM: Especially useful for gaming servers where all the game data has to be loaded on to the RAM for faster access and less lag for the end user.
Thanks to QuantumEagle.
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There are a number of components that go into making a complete computer system, some compulsory for the working of the computer system, some are optional for extra features.
Some great places to shop for parts are Newegg or NCIX US.
Below, the main components are listed and briefly explained.
Cases/chassis
The case of the computer holds all the parts within, in a tidy, manageable, easy-to-build way. It is necessary for part structure, avoiding static charges, and good airflow, as well as looking good.
Typically there are a few brands of computer cases that are built better than the rest and offer more features and better airflow as a rule; some of these are Cooler Master, Thermaltake, NZXT, Silverstone and Antec.
When choosing a computer case, if possible I will always choose a mid ATX tower sized case. This provides lots of room for big video cards and CPU heatsinks and good airflow. I try to stay away from mATX cases due to the cramped insides with not much room for the components and no room for a full sized ATX motherboard.
Even for a cheap computer build I'd recommend keeping over $50 for your case. This will make sure you are provided with a decent quality case if you don't know for sure which one to choose. Feel free to ask me in this thread for my opinion on a case and/or my suggestion for you for a case.
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Power supplies
The power supply unit is arguably the most vital part of the computer. While the CPU is the brain, the PSU is the beating heart, providing juice to the entire system. One that isn't good enough quality or enough wattage for your system's needs will often end up failing and frying some of your components with it.
When choosing a power supply, once again I try and stay with brands that are known to have good products. A few of these are XFX, Cooler Master, Corsair, OCZ and Antec.
Recently a nifty PSU rating system was introduced, called 80 plus. Each power supply is now tested and rated based on its quality. If possible always keep to the power supplies that are rated with at least a 80+ sticker. Strive to get the 80+ bronze sticker instead if you can, and for high budget systems, go the extra mile with a 80+ silver, 80+ gold, or 80+ platinum PSU.
And as always, make sure that you have enough power connectors to power each of your components.
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Motherboards
Motherboards are the boards that everything in your system plugs in to, in one way or another. It provides the routing between your components so they can communicate, so therefore a high quality one is vital. It also provides the socket for your CPU to plug in to, as well as a few other technology limitations, for example, the RAM, or the chipset may not support 2 nVidia video cards working together, but may support 2 AMD video cards working together. For this reason it is quite hard for a beginner in the field to pick a good motherboard, and more often than not, a beginner will usually have at least one incompatibility in their system, usually pertaining to the motherboard.
Some of the good brands I like to keep with are MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, ASRock and EVGA. ASRock provides a great balance between quality and price.
As for the chipset, I like to always strive to get the latest chipset on a motherboard, however due to price, this isn't always a good option. The good chipsets I recommend are 970, 990X and 990FX for AMD boards, and Z68 for Intel boards.
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CPUs (processor)
This is the brain of the computer. Any information running through the computer must be 'processed' by this first. Picking a fast one is always recommended because if you don't, it will limit the information throughput, slowing down the computer.
There isn't really a quality factor with these, and there is only 2 big brands, AMD and Intel.
AMD makes reasonably powerful processors that are cheaper than Intels processors by quite a margin. AMD just released a octo-core (8 core) processor for a really cheap and reasonable price, that can overclock quite easily to 4.5GHz.
However it still doesn't perform as good as Intels latest offerings, the Sandy Bridge lot. These offer amazing performance for $200 or $300, whether or not you want 4 or 8 theoretical cores.
Make sure your motherboard has the right socket for your processor.
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RAM (memory)
This is storage for your computer, but differs from a hard drive. Whilst the hard drive has huge storage and is slow, the RAM is smaller but super fast. It is used as temporary storage for the things you use most while on your computer, such as the operating system and your web browser, so that they are launched faster.
Some good quality brands are Mushkin, Corsair, G-Skill, OCZ, and most of all, Kingston.
The speed of the RAM doesn't really matter above DDR3-1600, as this is kind of the top point that most motherboards/cpus can support effectively. The new AMD 8-cores can support DDR3-1866 though.
For size, a small budget (< $600) I tend to go for 4GB, as that is ample, but anything over, I recommend 8GB at least.
If you are using the computer for productivity, eg music production, photo editing or video editing, you'd want to maybe go for 12gb or 16gb.
Once again, make sure it's compatible with your motherboard :)
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Hard Drives
These are the main storage of your computer and contain everything, including your operating system. These can pretty much be changed around to your liking, depending on how much storage you want/need.
Most current hard drives use the same technology to connect to the motherboard and to the power supply so they are for the most part the easiest component to install if you ever want more storage.
Some good brands are Western Digital (Caviar Black or Caviar Blue, try to stay away from Green), Seagate, and Samsung.
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Video Cards
Often called Graphics Cards, these do all the rendering to achieve what you see on your monitor. If you are an avid gamer, it is crucial to have a good one of these. If you are doing photo editing, illustration or especially 3d modelling, it is crucial to have a good one of these. You don't really have to get a good one if you are only going to be browsing the internet.
It's also recommended to get a good one/multiple good ones if you are going to be using more than one monitor.
Generally they scale with the price, however it can also be misleading.
Most of the brands are good, but there are a few cheaper ones to keep away from if possible, although no major difference if it can't be avoided. Keep in mind that the graphics processor underneath is built by the same 2 brands AMD and nVidia, only the cooler/pcb it is kept on is changed.
Video cards slot straight in to the expansion ports on your motherboard, mostly the PCI-E 16x slot. Sometimes they will need extra power from the power supply, but only on high end cards.
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Optical Drives
These are the CD or DVD drives in your computer. Not really much difference in them, mostly just the speeds, but they all hover around $20. Quite often I won't include these in a new system configuration, because they are cheap, universal and quite often people have them in their older computers that they can use.
If you have a big budget you may wish to go for a blu-ray reader or even a blu-ray writer.
Some features to look out for here are LightScribe and LabelFlash, both are technologies where you can 'burn' a label on to the top side of the CD straight from the CD drive.
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Operating Systems
Pretty much Windows, Linux and Macintosh. I recommend Windows 7, however if you don't have the $100 for an OEM version of Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, then maybe you could install a version of Linux until you can afford Windows. Up to you.
Make sure to keep with the 64-bit versions of your desired operating system to support all your RAM.
There are also free versions of Microsoft Server available for free download off DreamSpark if you are a student:
https://www.dreamspark.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductId=12
https://www.dreamspark.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductId=16
https://www.dreamspark.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductId=17
Suggested by Wedge.
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Other
Other things such as TV cards, wireless adapters, modems that are completely optional but up to the user to install if they want those extra features. These slot in to the expansion ports on the motherboard.
This image made by Wedge shows the location of the components of a PC inside a PC case:
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These are the majority of computers. They come pre-assembled and often bundled with monitors and a bunch of unnecessary software trials installed.
Pros
- Pre-assembled, no hassle for the user
- No need to have to worry with a parts list and making sure the parts are compatible
Quite frankly that's where the pros end though.
Cons
- Expensive. Quite often you can achieve equal specs, at about 2/3rds of the price. Maybe even more.
- Build quality. Most prebuilt brands use cheaper components such as the motherboard and PSU.
There are a few good prebuilt companies. Two that offer good price to performance ratios are iBuyPower and CyberPowerPC.
MSI and Asus have really nice laptops for sale.
If you really have a lot of money, I recommend a Falcon Northwest for build quality and raw power, however they do cost a lot.
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These are computers you build yourself. This is what I recommend. You can get much more for your money, and you can get a computer where every single bit you like, from aesthetics to how many USB ports you want.
Pros
- Cheaper
- More quality parts are used (if you pick properly)
- Totally customizable
- Upgradeability in the future
Cons
- Inconvenient. Unless you are like me and enjoy building/tinkering with computers, you may find it a nuisance.
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58
Gallery / Blockland via Nvidia Surround (Triple displays, 5760x1080 resolution, panoramas)
« on: December 29, 2012, 02:31:04 AM »
Well I think it's safe to say that Nvidia Surround/Eyefinity/what have you works really well with Blockland. After using "setfov(140);", the field of view increases to let you see the entire viewspace and it looks great on surround mode. Not sure if you should include this into the game Badspot but a FOV adjustment function would be nice! :D
Here's my setup:
Here are a few shots I got while testing with the three new 24" HD monitors I bought. Click each image for full resolution
New shots: Khorde's Space Server
More shots to come if necessary. Let me know what you think!
If you want any shots done of your server let me know!
Here's my setup:
Here are a few shots I got while testing with the three new 24" HD monitors I bought. Click each image for full resolution
New shots: Khorde's Space Server
More shots to come if necessary. Let me know what you think!
If you want any shots done of your server let me know!
59
Off Topic / You want, you lose! Version 1.0
« on: December 19, 2012, 01:48:06 AM »
1. Find something that's so loving cool that others will want to obtain it
2. Post it here as an image, video, or URL
3. Don't lose the game!
I'll start.
2. Post it here as an image, video, or URL
3. Don't lose the game!
I'll start.
60
Off Topic / Good ol' GLaDOS got a role in a movie! "Pacific Rim"
« on: December 13, 2012, 12:38:50 AM »
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6Vv2z-QiAI
Apparently Del Toro was a huge fan of the Portal series and needed a robot voice for the AI in the movie, so who else was there to chose? None other than dame Ellen McLain!
Apparently Del Toro was a huge fan of the Portal series and needed a robot voice for the AI in the movie, so who else was there to chose? None other than dame Ellen McLain!