Personal computing discussed

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by mentaldrano
Sat Nov 19, 2011 1:05 am
Forum: Gaming
Topic: Oblivion crash to desktop time < 5 minutes
Replies: 1
Views: 1243

Oblivion crash to desktop time < 5 minutes

So I bought TES:Oblivion on sale for like $5 yesterday. Good deal! Downloaded and installed overnight, and I finally got time to play it tonight. Pros: character face creator is awesome! I'm loving my Imperial with big eyes and shiny silver beard. Cons: crash to desktop within seconds of finishing m...
by mentaldrano
Sat Oct 22, 2011 4:34 pm
Forum: Gaming
Topic: Turn-based strategy games?
Replies: 22
Views: 3998

Re: Turn-based strategy games?

If you like Civ, then I'd try out Alpha Centuri. Same general concept, but the one big differentiation is that you design your units based on the tech you have, rather than being stuck with whatever the game gives you. Wow, I wasted tons of time playing Alpha Centuri. Is that available anywhere for...
by mentaldrano
Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:04 am
Forum: Gaming
Topic: Turn-based strategy games?
Replies: 22
Views: 3998

Re: Turn-based strategy games?

Try The Battle for Wesnoth - a hexagon map turn-based fantasy game. There are loads of mods, and it runs on Linux! Also, if you are feeling old-school, try FreeCiv . Also lots of mods that can make the game fresh again. Personally, I have a very old copy of MissionForce: Cyberstorm that I play somet...
by mentaldrano
Sun Oct 09, 2011 7:37 pm
Forum: Gaming
Topic: First new gaming machine since Team Fortress 2
Replies: 4
Views: 1448

First new gaming machine since Team Fortress 2

I finally built a new machine last week. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I haven't had a gaming machine since TF2 came out (and at that point had an ATI X1900 Pro) . I've missed an entire generation of games! Things like Plants vs. Zombies and Torchlight have kept me going until the budget worked out. ...
by mentaldrano
Fri Sep 30, 2011 10:32 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Dell outlet store - "refurb" vs "scratch and dent" vs "new"
Replies: 4
Views: 8773

Dell outlet store - "refurb" vs "scratch and dent" vs "new"

I'm considering an entry level workstation from the Dell Outlet store . They are selling "new" T1600 minitower workstations with Xeon E3-1245 procs and 8 GiB of ECC ram for $770! That's an unbelievable deal. I've been in the market for a many-core workstation for a while, and I don't think...
by mentaldrano
Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:35 am
Forum: Linux, Unix, and Assorted Madness
Topic: Linux software RAID gotcha
Replies: 10
Views: 4017

Re: Linux software RAID gotcha

JBI, why would you RAID partitions instead of devices? Surely you have two drives in this machine that are in RAID-1? Or are you RAIDing two drives that have one partition on each?
by mentaldrano
Thu Sep 22, 2011 4:58 pm
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Huge Physics News
Replies: 70
Views: 9234

Re: Huge Physics News

This blog (by a Czech physicist who works in high energy) is a pretty good explanation about why he thinks this is bunk. It's a bit technical, but funny too. The smart money is on Einstein. Edit: also, wait for the peer-reviewed paper. Going to the press before peer-review virtually guarantees that...
by mentaldrano
Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:46 am
Forum: Processors
Topic: AMD FX Processors Up For Pre-Order
Replies: 7
Views: 1896

Re: AMD FX Processors Up For Pre-Order

Like everyone, I'll buy based on price. Presumably, AMD will set the prices appropriately (fill in those holes on the TR price/performance graph), since they need this launch to be a success. I know we've seen pricing before, and these numbers are very similar. That makes the highest end part roughl...
by mentaldrano
Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:37 am
Forum: Cases and Power Supplies
Topic: Toddler proof case for workstation?
Replies: 15
Views: 5109

Re: Toddler proof case for workstation?

So I decided to buy the Define XL. The reset button is inside the door, and apparently hard to find even with the door open. I'll tell the OS to ignore the power button. My wife "strongly encouraged" a quiet case, and the number of LEDs is minimal. It sounds like I may have to upgrade some...
by mentaldrano
Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:25 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Tired of waiting: checking TR at midnight every Sunday
Replies: 1
Views: 866

Tired of waiting: checking TR at midnight every Sunday

I'm tired of waiting for Bulldozer previews to drop. I stay up late every Sunday night, hoping TR or Anandtech will post an article at 12:01am Monday morning, and three weeks in a row I've been disappointed. AMD, put me out of my misery, just launch the chips and let the reviewers publish! I don't c...
by mentaldrano
Sun Sep 04, 2011 9:10 pm
Forum: Cases and Power Supplies
Topic: Toddler proof case for workstation?
Replies: 15
Views: 5109

Toddler proof case for workstation?

I'm on the verge of putting together a linux workstation based on the Xeon E3-1245 and Asus P8B WS . Basically for Monte Carlo simulation and some data analysis (there may be a Tesla card later if things go well). I'm looking for a full tower case with enough room to fit a boatload of drives and a c...
by mentaldrano
Wed Jul 13, 2011 7:39 pm
Forum: Networking
Topic: Connect two ethernet cables together
Replies: 10
Views: 6146

Re: Connect two ethernet cables together

UberGerbil wrote:
Or just cut the connectors off and splice them together. ;)


Sounds like a recipe for making a 10 Mbs cable out of two GigE cables. :wink:

It's like the joke: "how do you end up a millionaire investing in the airline industry? Start as a billionaire!"
by mentaldrano
Wed Jun 08, 2011 12:20 am
Forum: Graphics
Topic: The claim of "Stunning Visuals" has got to go..
Replies: 8
Views: 1983

Re: The claim of "Stunning Visuals" has got to go..

"Stunning visuals" is a code for either blue lightning bolts, realistic cloth, or explosions. If the game doesn't feature one of those, it can't have stunning visuals. :roll: Anyway, what does graphics horsepower / engine complexity have to do with stunning visuals? The Enterprise D that s...
by mentaldrano
Mon Jun 06, 2011 8:38 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Blank Screen of Death?
Replies: 18
Views: 2147

Re: Blank Screen of Death?

bdwilcox's suggestions are a great idea, but I'm still thinking. Your post isn't clear to me, pardon my limited understanding. Do the case fans and hard drive spin up when you turn it on? Case fans not spinning could be a mobo problem, but hard drives not spinning are a power supply issue (unless yo...
by mentaldrano
Mon May 02, 2011 9:23 pm
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Bought a house - best way to learn basic handyman stuff?
Replies: 29
Views: 4014

Re: Bought a house - best way to learn basic handyman stuff?

Excellent points all around. My toolbox is pretty pathetic right now, since you don't need much while renting. Of course, money for stuff like that is pretty tight ever since we bought the house. Catch 22. Time is definitely an issue. We have 2 kids under 3 years old, and they take it out of you. Th...
by mentaldrano
Mon May 02, 2011 4:52 pm
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Bought a house - best way to learn basic handyman stuff?
Replies: 29
Views: 4014

Bought a house - best way to learn basic handyman stuff?

So, I've put on the golden handcuffs and bought a house. As anyone who has owned a house knows, houses cost a lot more than just the mortgage. We're already paying someone to install new floors, and I just hired someone to replace all the locks. We're painting the place ourselves, and I can already ...
by mentaldrano
Mon May 02, 2011 3:30 pm
Forum: Hot Deals
Topic: 8 GiB PC3-12800 memory for $60 (updated)
Replies: 19
Views: 3842

Re: 8 GiB PC3-12800 memory for $75 or less

So, given the incredible cheapness of RAM these days, where are the multitasking benchmarks that look at performance / GB? There can't be much benefit from going above 4GB (1156) or 6GB (1366)? People talk about virtualization (more guests), Photoshop (less scratch), but what benefit is there to an ...
by mentaldrano
Mon May 02, 2011 1:31 pm
Forum: General Software
Topic: Stupid Virtualization Tricks
Replies: 10
Views: 1831

Re: Stupid Virtualization Tricks

Or alternately, "bend" the nested VMs around, so that the innermost guest hosts the outermost VM. I can't decide if that's a Klein bottle or Ourobouros (though it is certainly a recipe for an infinite loop). Anyway, I would think the practical limit to this would be only two or three nests...
by mentaldrano
Sat Feb 26, 2011 1:39 pm
Forum: Processors
Topic: Would we have been better off if IA64 was the standard?
Replies: 26
Views: 4815

Re: Would we have been better off if IA64 was the standard?

All other points aside (Itanium is power hungry because they have giant caches), this is fundamentally an architecture question. What goes on inside the chip has very little resemblance to what the architecture specifies. An architecture (also called an ISA) gives you the freedom to change the guts,...
by mentaldrano
Wed Jan 26, 2011 11:03 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Enter our MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti giveaway here
Replies: 1004
Views: 70866

Re: Enter our MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti giveaway here

Yay TechReport! Muchas smooches.
by mentaldrano
Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:16 am
Forum: Storage
Topic: UEFI and new storage devices?
Replies: 2
Views: 1419

UEFI and new storage devices?

I read a story over on Slashdot a while ago about the UEFI standard replacing the BIOS sometime over the next few years. The upside seems to be much faster boots (except for servers or anything with aux device BIOSes) and better USB / PCIe / other interface support in the bios. All the SSD review ar...
by mentaldrano
Fri Sep 24, 2010 8:10 pm
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: First build, similar to Sweeter Spot, many questions
Replies: 8
Views: 1312

Re: First build, similar to Sweeter Spot, many questions

1) Do I want/need better cooling equipment than what's included with the i7-870? 2) What are the differences between the four P7P55D-E versions? I can't tell which one I want/need. 3) I know I want 8GB of DDR3 memory but that leaves tons of choices. Do I want -1333 or -1600? And which voltage? And ...
by mentaldrano
Sun Sep 12, 2010 8:14 am
Forum: Motherboards, Chipsets, & RAM
Topic: Benchmark Win7 on an ultraportable with 1G of RAM?
Replies: 6
Views: 1386

Re: Benchmark Win7 on an ultraportable with 1G of RAM?

I read this article at Anandtech. The difference is that the author bought the laptop knowing he was going to add more RAM and a SSD to it from the onset. He uses an Intel X25-V 40GiB SSD which has speeds of 170/35 MB/s (specs from newegg). Uh, wow. It's like he read my mind - i bought it (in July)...
by mentaldrano
Sat Sep 11, 2010 12:54 pm
Forum: Motherboards, Chipsets, & RAM
Topic: Benchmark Win7 on an ultraportable with 1G of RAM?
Replies: 6
Views: 1386

Benchmark Win7 on an ultraportable with 1G of RAM?

The setting : I bought (foolishly, it seems) a Lenovo X100e because I liked the price and solid keyboard. The model I bought has an AMD Turion X2 NEO (1.6GHz), 1 GB of DDR2 667 RAM, and apparently a magnetic gerbil exercise wheel for a hard drive. Booting, launching a new program, or even resuming ...
by mentaldrano
Thu Aug 26, 2010 11:29 pm
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Enter our Metro 2033 and MSI Big Bang Xpower giveaway here
Replies: 147
Views: 13778

Re: Enter our Metro 2033 and MSI Big Bang Xpower giveaway here

http://www.facebook.com/ncbishop

Long time lurker, as my post count shows. Oh, to be a gerbil jedi.
by mentaldrano
Mon Jan 19, 2009 10:42 am
Forum: TR Distributed Computing Effort
Topic: Personal Milestone initiative
Replies: 15
Views: 9098

Re: Personal Milestone initiative

Momento Mori wrote:
I guess I am moving up the charts pretty fast but not near as fast as Shinare; I watched Shinare blow past me a few days ago even at my pace. I would like to get my PPD closer to what they have 20k-22k PPD.


Let us not speak of Shinare; my shame is total.
by mentaldrano
Sun Jan 18, 2009 5:51 pm
Forum: TR Distributed Computing Effort
Topic: Personal Milestone initiative
Replies: 15
Views: 9098

Re: Personal Milestone initiative

I am alright at 8kPPD right now between the GTX 280 SSC GPU, i7 SMP and PS3 all folding under my name but in the furture I would like to get another GPU or two folding and get my PPD closer to 20k PPD. Yes, you blew by me so fast is isn't funny! I need to get my laptop folding (probably another 1kp...
by mentaldrano
Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:19 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Women are insane
Replies: 369
Views: 25306

Re: Women are insane

No matter how long you have been together, and especially if you LIVE together, common courtesy is a must! If someone at work or one of your friends did something for you (like cleaning up something small), you'd say 'thank you' -- so why should your significant other get WORSE treatment? Words are ...
by mentaldrano
Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:29 am
Forum: SFF Station
Topic: E8400 + Antec Fusion Black = Silent AWESOME
Replies: 1
Views: 5518

E8400 + Antec Fusion Black = Silent AWESOME

Maybe this is old news, but I was surprised how well my new HTPC build works. Specs for completeness: Case: Antec Fusion Black w/430W power supply Mobo: Asus P5N7A-VM (GeForce 9300 on-board video) CPU: Intel E8400 C2D Heatsink: Scythe Ninja Mini (juuuust fits, yet surprisingly easy to install) RAM: ...
by mentaldrano
Sat Jan 10, 2009 11:08 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Geeky Plans for the holidays?
Replies: 12
Views: 876

Re: Geeky Plans for the holidays?

I feel so un-geeky! The only geek thing I did this holiday was rip and transcode a bunch of DVDs for viewing on my HTPC. That and play with my new daughter (2 months old). Gotta keep the shiny breakable disks out of her hands, but that's really just an excuse.
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