View Full Version : Christmas is coming
XabbaRus
11-10-07, 06:43 AM
And I am putting some stuff on my list.
!st is upgradiing my RAM to 4GB as I will be able to afford that.
The next question is video cards....:)
PCI-E card is what I'm after. I need a card that will let me play FSX at decent settings as I am liking the look of it but I don't want to break the bank. Also would be nice to play IL-2 maxed out when I am playing some big offline campaigns. At the moment I have ATi but seems they aren't too hot at the moment in the PCI-E world.
Any recommendations for GFX that won't break the bank? Oh Probably will get a beefier PSU but that shouldn't be too hard to source should it?
Normally when I am building a computer, I use the site linked to below, not necessarily to buy from (although they are quite cheap), but to check and compare specs, since it stocks a lot of stuff, and usually has a little explanation about the specs too. It is handy in that you can view lists via price, or maker or type etc, so even if you don't want to buy from them, it's still good for researching components:
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/
:D Chock
TteFAboB
11-10-07, 01:39 PM
What do you need 4GB of RAM for?
Jimbuna
11-10-07, 06:22 PM
Normally when I am building a computer, I use the site linked to below, not necessarily to buy from (although they are quite cheap), but to check and compare specs, since it stocks a lot of stuff, and usually has a little explanation about the specs too. It is handy in that you can view lists via price, or maker or type etc, so even if you don't want to buy from them, it's still good for researching components:
http://www.microdirect.co.uk/
:D Chock
I've used them on occasion too....they're okay :yep:
I'd love a Track IR this year!
But I'll also settle for a cool sub model of some kind. I got plenty of planes, but no sub yet. :p
(hey, this is a christmas thread... right? I hope Santa reads it)
What do you need 4GB of RAM for?
I plan to upgrade to 2GB, but am still not sure if the work is really worth it.
My SH3/GWX could continue to run with 1GB.... It just is a feeling that 2GB would help, but 4GB? What is the reason?
4 GB of RAM would definitely help some of the funky apps out, certainly it would help FSX when downloading dynamic weather files off the 'net while in flight if you have the terrain on high resolution and are running other stuff like Track-IR, FRAPS, Vox ATC etc, as all that stuff adds up.
I suspect it would probably assist SH4 to run smoothly too, but there's an argument for faster RAM rather than simply more of it. Of course more and faster is the best you could do. More RAM definitely smooths things out whilst using a sim if you are also playing on the PC that is the server, that's for sure.
Lots of RAM is very handy when editing big files in Photoshop while using some of the filters, it also helps on video and audio editing software too. And if you render 3D stuff, as much as you can get is a good idea, that I do know.
:D Chock
JSLTIGER
11-10-07, 07:34 PM
Easy answer on the Graphics end right now: 8800GT.
XabbaRus
11-11-07, 05:48 AM
4 GB of RAM as my mobo supports it and would help immensely with some large IL-2 campaigns as well as eventually getting FSX and Bob SoW.
The 8800GT I'll have to check it out.
XabbaRus
11-11-07, 05:57 AM
8800GT a bit out of my price range, might have to go the next one down. Also there are all these different makers of the the cards using GeForce chip but who are a good maker. ASUS are one I trust but what about the likes of Novatech etc...?
JSLTIGER
11-11-07, 03:49 PM
Xab, there is no question that the 8800GT is by far the best bang for the buck right now. The next step down, the 8600GTS while indeed cheaper, does not even come close in terms of performance.
XabbaRus
11-11-07, 04:06 PM
OK but what make?
The Bandit
11-11-07, 07:35 PM
not to hijack the thread but I plan on getting an 8800GT soon, as a replacement for my "adaquate" ATi X1650 Pro 512MB. I think I am going to go with EVGA because I have heard great things from them, I get most of my stuff from www.ncix.com but they only do USA and Canada. I belive EVGA cards should be availible across the pond though. I have heard really good things performance and warranty wise about them and I'm going with them for my next Video card. On the cheaper side most of the Nvidia cards I have bought off the shelf are made by BFG or thier "Budget" (ie CHEAP) line 3dFuzion, can't say I have ever had a problem with them.
JSLTIGER
11-12-07, 11:18 AM
eVGA or XFX would be your best bet as they have lifetime warranties with the card.
Jimbuna
11-12-07, 12:18 PM
I use BFG, they carry lifetime warranties as well :up:
http://www.bfgtech.com/
SUBMAN1
11-12-07, 01:04 PM
I gave myself a Christmas present already - installed 64 Bit Gentoo Linux (From the begining - compiled all code from a stage 1 install of course, bootstrapping the system with my own build flags). KDE is 64 bit, as is X11. I refuse to run 64 bit Windows due to lack of drivers and apps, but on Linux, I can build most stuff by hand in a fully 64 bit environment. Never used 64 bit Linux before, so I am still learning a bit on what works (most everything) and what doesn't (things like flash - though there are alternatives).
I'll probably compile a 64 bit Firefox tonight and get ALSA running. A 64 bit Open Office is also on the list.
-S
Zayphod
11-12-07, 04:46 PM
What do you need 4GB of RAM for?
More than likely, next-year's video games. :p
SUBMAN1
11-12-07, 04:58 PM
What do you need 4GB of RAM for?
More than likely, next-year's video games. :pYep - nothing wrong with 4 GB of RAM, and besides, you might get closed to being able to load an entire game into a Ramdrive! Trust me - I can always find a use for massive amounts of memory. For fun, load XP into a RAM drive! :p
-S
Skybird
11-12-07, 05:55 PM
I'd love a Track IR this year!
Use it since early this year myself, in FS9. Will never live without virtual cockpits again. A must-have!
The Bandit
11-17-07, 04:39 AM
lol, eating my words, I just bought a BFG 8800GT today, lol EVGA will have to wait till next time but, at the rate I am going now, I want to learn how to do aluminum metalurgy so I can weld my case shut :p. I've used BFG before, had an FX 5500 from them, and a GeForce 7600 after that. Crazy thing is I bought this card locally, and even though it was a little more expensive, that would have worked out to be the shipping cost on any other GT, plus they are in short supply right now so. Now I just have to try to keep my next pay safe because we all know what happend to this one :damn:
XabbaRus
11-17-07, 06:18 AM
With Track IR how much do you have to move your head to look around? I mean are you still looking pretty much straight at your monitor or slightly offset?
With Track IR how much do you have to move your head to look around? I mean are you still looking pretty much straight at your monitor or slightly offset?
It's almost nil movement. This is what bothered me before I got it, but it really is very intuitive, I was surprised how good it is, great for dogfighting searching for targets and dodging SAMs.
By way of example, imagine you want to look out over your right shoulder in an F-16 - you move your head so that you are pointing at the right third of your screen area, your eyes naturally compensate for the movement and look slightly to the left so that they stay looking at the centre of the screen. Probably turn your head an inch at most. You get used to it after about thirty seconds, and then after that, you wonder why you didn't buy the thing years ago. If you want to look at something and keep the view there, you can assign a key to stop movement temporarily (default key is F9 I think), so it isn't intrusive if you want to look at an MFD in your cockpit or whatever. What is really cool though, is you can raise your self in the seat and peer over the nose of your plane, which is great for taildragger WW2 and WW1 aircraft, so you can do stuff like lean over and lean out of the window of your plane and look past the exhaust stacks on your Spitfire when on landing approach etc.
It's the single greatest thing for combat flight sims since the invention of the computer. Buy it, if you like flight sims, you will not be sorry. Works on ARMA too.
You can see me using it on these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYMZlrLVosA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TAKr4kAGCM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJnK6wgLjnE
:D Chock
SteminDemon13
11-17-07, 02:55 PM
Don't know weather to be good or bad. I want a new coal stove, but if I am bad I will probably only get just coal and no stove. So my question is.....If I'm in the middle will Santa Give me both?
TteFAboB
11-17-07, 04:12 PM
Don't know weather to be good or bad. I want a new coal stove, but if I am bad I will probably only get just coal and no stove. So my question is.....If I'm in the middle will Santa Give me both?
Yup. He'll give you half a piece of coal and half a stove.
SteminDemon13
11-17-07, 04:32 PM
Don't know weather to be good or bad. I want a new coal stove, but if I am bad I will probably only get just coal and no stove. So my question is.....If I'm in the middle will Santa Give me both?
Yup. He'll give you half a piece of coal and half a stove.
:rotfl: Damn Santa....why must he be so complicated, that would mean I would have to wait to christmas's to get a complete stove and then I'd have to wait again to get a welder. I guess your inferring that I be good:hmm: ....so I guess I'll be good for goodness sake.
So that brings up the next question. How many pouts does it take to piss Santa off?
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