Posted 11/17/2008 at 11:20:21pm

Up until this point, SSDs were a total crapshoot. AnandTech identified the issue with random writes in the common controller in most SSDs. Intel comes out with their own SSD using their own controller, and not only does it annhilate other SSD performance (especially in MLC write performance), it manages to overcome the random write issues that exist in other controllers. 

Intel is really on top of their game lately. Their SSDs are so superior to everyone else's, I just hope other companies can actually catch up! Otherwise we'll be stuck in the current AMD/Intel situation, trusting that Intel will stay focused and at least somewhat affordable. 

Posted 11/17/2008 at 11:14:50pm

Good job, you rated the demo an 8. 

Play the actual game and give that a rating while you are at it.

People are so obnoxious sometimes. What rating did you give "The Day The Earth Stood Still" because the trailer came out...I expect a review score.

What did you think of Windows 7? That Pre-Beta was lame, huh? Shouldn't buy it .

Posted 09/19/2008 at 11:09:10pm

Run linux. Poof, look, all your problems went away! 

Vista SP1 runs a pretty tight ship compared to XP SP3. Installed apps are generally the difference between a slow machine and a fast one. My Vista Ultimate install has all the bells and whistles active, starts from power to fully functional and instapop start menu in 23 seconds, and gets me a statistically identical FPS in Crysis as XP.

So what is your issue? It has mostly to do with the interface and how you don't want them to change it. 

Again, linux. You can customize it all you want and you'll get every little inch of performance back from your hardware. Vista's "bells and whistles" have a statistically negligible impact on performance compared to the same in XP. I suppose it has mostly to do with how things "feel." 

Sticking with FF2 seems like a decent idea, but IE6 is just dangerous.  

My opinion (only giving it because this is the Internetz) is to just stick with XP for as many years as it is supported and runs your apps. You may have gotten to the point where any extra "fluff" or alteration is going to piss you off. Windows did a bad thing letting you get so comfortable, unlike Apple who keeps their users on their toes.

Whatever, free world, your life, your static OS.

(linux) 

Posted 09/18/2008 at 12:48:02am

Why do people always connect Bill Gates so closely with Microsoft all the way till Vista? He barely even works at Microsoft anymore, he just works on marketing at tradeshows. Stop bashing the man who followed his dream and SUCCEEDED at putting a PC in every home. Without him you wouldn't be on this site waxing on about Linux and how much Vista sucks, we'd be at least 10 years behind. So forgive me if I think the first half of your wall is completely pointless. 

Open-Source blahblahblah. I love my FireFox, and my Chrome, and my GIMP, and Ubuntu, and all that great stuff, but it will still be a few more years until Linux OSes really move full force into the consumer market. We are moving toward that now, but we certainly aren't there.

Your best chance is with Steam. Get Steam on Linux, and I'll honestly consider moving there full-time. Truth is, the VAST majority of games are written in DirectX these days, OpenGL is an absolute disaster. We are talking the absolute WORST example of Open-Source. DirectX 9 practically destroyed OpenGL, when DX11 comes out, that'll be the finishing blow. After that, maybe we will move away from GFX APIs altogether. MAYBE then Linux will handle gaming. MAYBE. 

My games, native on Linux, not using craptastic OpenGL, if the next version ever gets released.  

Posted 09/02/2008 at 12:13:23am

ATI has contracted with HAVOK to include physics on the GPU. Ironically HAVOK is owned by Intel.

Kind of annoying how this is working out, physics acceleration on ATI is HAVOK, Nvidia is PhysX. HAVOK is more popular, but it would be nice of both companies could support both. They'd have to get over the rivalry and competition first, and that will never happen. 

Posted 08/14/2008 at 02:58:11pm

I think he meant it like, "What's the takeaway from all this?"

So he said, "[What's] the upshot?" as in, what does the GDDR3 memory mean in performance.

Yeah, probably could've used another phrase.

Posted 08/05/2008 at 05:20:12pm

I really want to love this card. It is at the top of the heap, after all. Future driver revisions might even open up some seriously awesome PhysX action and even some cool encoding functionality.

But for some reason I can't let go of my AMD 4870 fanboyism. It is just so much more bang for your buck, and with a little bit of TLC (reapplying thermal paste) you can quiet it WAY down while bringing temps down 10-20 Celsius at the same time. 

If anyone asks me what the most powerful GPU is on the market right now, I still tell them it is a GTX280. But I still recommend the 4870 ahead of it. 

*feels shame* 

That said, I can't wait for the GTX280 vs 4870X2 shootout. 

Posted 08/01/2008 at 12:37:49pm

This is DISGUSTING. Why the HELL does Intel keep gaining share when their GPU products (GMA 950, X3100, X4500) are so pathetically underpowered they should only be offered on mobile phones? Because people don't want to pay for a dedicated GPU! And they buy Intel processors in Intel chipsets with Intel Integrated Shit. 

Nvidia integrated graphics work pretty decently above anything from Intel, and the not-even-that-recent HD3200 integrated graphics in the AMD 780G chipset DESTROYS EVERYTHING INTEL HAS. It performs TWICE as fast as the X4500. Intel won't be able to catch up for AT LEAST a full year. Kinda backwards considering the CPU situation, eh?

TWICE. AS. FAST. 200% Faster. Why don't OEMs give a shit? Because they want to sell Intel processors. You can't sell your Intel processors in an AMD motherboard and IGP. That would be the ideal situation, though. 

Actually, AMD has done some good in the mobile market (and in the desktop IGP market, frankly). PUMA was recently released, offering the HD3200 to mobile users, along with decent WIFI capabilities, and a competitive CPU (if not as fast as an Intel Penryn). You know what? I have only seen ONE major consumer OEM offer a PUMA laptop. HP. DV5z. That's it. 

I don't know who needs to get their ass in gear, but PUMA laptops and 780G chipsets need to be pushed so hard it isn't even funny. WHERE IS THE MARKETING? Oh right...AMD has virtually no cash right now. So can you blame them? I don't know, it just seems that when the best integrated graphics ever released have been sitting and constantly substituted for year-old, digustingly inferior IGPs, you sort of lose your faith in the intelligence of the average consumer. AMD needs to throw some marketing muscle into BestBuy and Walmart. Every one of the laptops in those stores could be taken from decent CPU, Shit-filled GPU to a decent CPU, decent GPU (gaming capable) with just a little bit of advertising. 

*sigh*

Posted 08/01/2008 at 12:05:39pm

If Rage is anywhere near decent, and Microsoft charges full royalties for the disks, they might as well prevent the game from running on the XBOX360. Seriously, I dare Microsoft to shoot itself in the foot. If it does, we know that the gaming division is dead. If it doesn't, kudos to them for not being douchebags. 

Posted 08/01/2008 at 12:01:16pm

Least helpful comment ever?