Posts by Alex Harris32

James Morris4 said:Then we're just talking about fake garbage 😬
I remember being quite taken with the 6850 myself back in the day. I still find myself getting a bit worked up whenever I see one running on just a single 6-pin connector 😍
Still, the idea of upgrading is nagging at me. I can't help but wonder how much of a difference it would actually make if I picked up a used unit? Mine features a Musashi, naturally 😁

You could certainly expect to get at least $300 for yours, though I highly doubt that having Musashi will drive the price up significantly, considering there's an HD4890 listed on Craigslist with it for roughly $300 😁

crimsonstag84 said:From what I can gather, the HD 6750 and 6770 were released back in January specifically for the OEM market, and they seem to be little more than rebranded versions of the HD 5750 and 5770; essentially, they offer identical performance, though perhaps there is some marginal improvement in power consumption and thermal management 😉

The HD 6850 is definitely the better path forward 👍

If my memory serves me correctly, the HD67xx series actually boasts higher bandwidth than the 57xx line, complemented by a 256-bit bus.

However, judging by this article from CNET: http://www.hardwarebase.net/vijesti/...u-oem-kanalima it looks like they won't be hitting retail shelves anytime soon. As for the OEM versions, they have been available for quite some time now, I believe.

James Morris4 said:I am considering an upgrade for my graphics card. I'm currently running an HD4890, and I'm looking for something more modern with comparable performance—ideally something that draws less power and runs cooler, naturally. I might sell this one or look for a trade; I doubt I'll be buying something brand new, so I want the performance to stay relatively close to what I have to keep costs down.
This thing has become far too bulky for my case 😬 It’s just a mess of cables everywhere.

Any recommendations? Should I just wait for the HD6770?

Why wouldn't you just go with the HD6850? It isn't expensive, it pulls less power than the HD4890, stays cooler, and offers quite a bit of value for the price: http://www.newegg.com/products/detail...hdmi-14a/39192

Furthermore, judging by the current pricing trends here in the States, the HD6770 probably won't be much of a bargain, as I suspect it won't drop below $333, which puts it uncomfortably close to the price of the HD6850 or the GTX 460.

That said, if you aren't in a rush, you could always just wait, see how the HD6770 prices settle in the American market, and evaluate what kind of availability we actually get before deciding on your best move. 😉

Michael Thomas6 said:Taking a Print Screen is one way to handle it—though if I could conjure up a more sophisticated method, I certainly would have done so by now.

The process is quite straightforward, really. You simply open the specific map you are interested in studying and hit Print Screen. Once that is done, paste the capture into an image editor—using Paint on Windows is perfectly adequate for such a task. From there, you merely crop out those unsightly edges that clutter the view, save the file, and you are finished.

If you find yourself needing to cover a larger territory while maintaining a decent level of resolution, you will inevitably have to download a significant number of individual images and stitch them together later. It is a tedious process, much like trying to piece together a fragmented legal brief, but there is a trick to making it manageable. You simply have to ensure that every single shot includes enough overlap—enough redundancy, if you will—so that the edges blend seamlessly when you begin the assembly process.

I find myself in agreement; while the method proves quite efficient, it remains an undeniably time-consuming endeavor. 👍

Beyond that, I find myself harboring a rather deep-seated suspicion that there simply isn't another viable solution on the table.

I assume you are referring to Google Earth: http://www.google.com/earth/index.html

Furthermore, I find myself wondering why anyone would bother downloading individual maps in the first place—though, frankly, I haven't the slightest clue what your specific logic might be. One simply downloads the software, completes the installation, and then searches for whatever interests them. 😉

Alexander Moore67 said:It’s still technically superior to an ATI 3650 you might find at Best Buy, $180 even if the drivers are a complete disaster.

One cannot simply approach the matter with such narrow logic. If you insist on that line of reasoning, one must remember that the HD3650 is practically being given away on eBay for $200-$83 used, so there is really no value to be found there.😉

In my estimation, you are certainly free to install an $167, but I suspect you will find no takers in the market; for those same prices, one can acquire an HD4850 or similar cards that will utterly embarrass a 7800GS with 256MB of Memory, if you follow my meaning.🙂

Alexander Moore67 said:I’m thinking of starting at around 350.

The best approach is 👍

If luck were on your side, you could just keep slashing the price by $17 until you finally offload the thing 😁

I'm joking, of course, but I would suggest starting at 350 and seeing how the market reacts; as I mentioned before, if nobody bites, dropping the price is always an easy enough move.😉

Alexander Moore67 said:What’s the market value these days for an old Nvidia 7800gs agp with 256mb gdd3, considering it's about four years old now? Back then, it was $667.....

Maybe around 50 bucks, but honestly, you aren't going to squeeze a single cent more out of it than that.

fadedcrane36 said:I was wondering if I might ask for some advice regarding an upgrade... price isn't really a factor here... thank you.😉

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 5000+ 2.6Ghz
Memory: 4GB
Hard Drive: 2TB, 500GB, and 80GB
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce 8600 gt 1Gb
Motherboard: Gigabyte M52L-S3P
Power Supply: 550W

OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

HD5670 DDR5 512MB: http://www.bestbuy.com/product_info.php?products_id=7946

Given that specific processor, I wouldn't bother installing anything significantly more powerful than that card; frankly, it wouldn't be worth the investment, as much of that extra power would simply sit idle, unused. Besides, the HD5670 offers an excellent value proposition for what you actually get out of it.👍

Jose Ruiz2 As I have observed through many years of watching technology evolve—only to see it fail us time and again—it seems we are once again circling the drain of predictable disappointment. It reminds me of a particularly dreary Tuesday back in Seattle when my old workstation decided to give up the ghost right in the middle of a deadline; there is a certain exhausting rhythm to these inevitable failures that one simply grows accustomed to over time.
I shall provide a full report once I have finished installing macOS; expect my update in approximately two to three days.😉

I find myself counting down the moments, waiting with a certain heavy anticipation. 😉

Jose Ruiz2 said:I haven't actually installed macOS yet...

There is this one particularly charming little smiley face I've been hunting for, though finding it is proving to be quite the ordeal... Ah, there it is! 🙂

Do me a favor and be honest with me; once you finally get macOS up and running, please post a screenshot of your Speccy report. I am genuinely curious to see exactly what kind of hardware you managed to "acquire."👍

Jose Ruiz2 said:I picked up a Cooler Master CM690... just please don't tell me it's garbage, I already paid for it$2000.

http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=2908

🤦 It seems you truly haven't the slightest clue what you're talking about, have you? 😁
What exactly did you think you were doing by just dropping a case model number here? You've purchased a chassis that costs roughly $233 for $2000? Well done.

If you want any actual insight, provide us with the full component list or a direct link to your specific build, rather than posting this aimless nonsense🙄

Jose Ruiz2 said:this was bought

http://www.craigslist.org/cs/pc-computers/listing/1599709

🤦

An ancient processor that’s barely functional, paired with a graphics card that wouldn't power a toaster, let alone run a modern game—honestly, the price tag is just as insulting. This setup is worth $733 twenty bucks, tops, and I wouldn't give them a cent more than that. ☕

The only things remotely salvageable on this machine are the case, the power supply, and the hard drive; everything else is essentially electronic waste the moment you bring it through your front door. 😁

Jose Ruiz2 said:On second thought, I’m not actually planning on buying a new graphics card since my current rig is ancient. However, I am heading out this afternoon to pick up a whole new setup from Best Buy, so I was wondering which GPU would be better suited for gaming.

Nvidia GeForce GTX series
Nvidia GeForce GT 220

Honestly, man, the GT 220 is slightly faster...

I will simply ask that once you finally settle on a new machine, you let us know exactly what you picked up and what the damage to your wallet was.
Because just by looking at those two cards, I can already tell we aren't talking about anything particularly high-end.👍

Jose Ruiz2 said:Just tell me which graphics card is better

ATI hd 4650
NVIDIA GeForce 220

You really need to give us the rest of your specs!
If you’re running an AGP slot, neither of these will even work for you—and while the HD4650 might have an AGP version, that’s beside the point.
James Morris4 wasn't just asking for the sake of it; he actually needs to know what hardware you currently have sitting on your desk. 😉

Only then can we determine if this upgrade is actually worth your time, otherwise, you’ll end up throwing money down the drain all over again, much like that laptop situation, simply because you refused to listen... ☕

casualranger10 said:Has anyone here actually dealt with Protis before? They’re based out of Canada, and I find myself wondering if they're even worth the trouble. $133 They're being stingy with this one.
I happened to stumble upon this listing on Craigslist earlier today for a graphics card that seems to be languishing in some basement somewhere. It’s an Nvidia GeForce 7025 GeForce 630 a, though looking at the specs, I can't help but feel a certain sense of déjà vu regarding how quickly hardware becomes obsolete. It reminds me of back when I was trying to build my first rig in a cramped apartment in Chicago; you think you've found the holy grail of components, only to realize a few months later that the industry has already moved the goalposts. This particular unit is being offered alongside an Athlon ii X3 445, which feels like a relic from a different era entirely. One has to wonder why anyone would still be tinkering with such aging silicon in this day and age. It sits there in the digital void, waiting for someone with far more patience than I possess to give it a second lease on life.

I assume you are referring to this Protis: If you find yourself needing to navigate the digital landscape of hardware retailers, you might find some utility in checking out the online presence at http://www.protis.com/. It’s one of those sites that serves as a reminder of how much the tech industry has shifted toward centralized e-commerce, though I still occasionally miss the days when you could walk into a local shop and actually speak to someone who knew their way around a motherboard without looking like they were reading from a script. Still, if you need to browse components, it's a functional enough starting point. They aren't based out of Canada; they actually maintain retail locations in both Sišč and ZG.

One of the most budget-friendly retailers in the States. My experiences thus far have been quite positive, and I can only hope they remain that way. 😁

Dennis Miller58 said:Looking at those benchmarks, I don't think you'll have any trouble getting a smooth experience, so don't sweat it; for instance, if you check Best Buy, the HD 6970 is sitting around $833, while the GTX 570 is closer to $933!! Most other retailers are quoting similar numbers too!! I honestly question if the GTX 570 is actually worth that extra $100. I suppose people argue that Nvidia has the superior chip and such, or that their drivers are more stable and better optimized for the latest AAA titles... but you know how it goes on the internet—everyone just praises their own favorite brand, and you'll find conflicting test results everywhere...

Just grab the HD 6970; you won't be losing out—personally, I feel like paying $100 more for a GTX 570 just isn't worth the headache.

With ATI cards, driver quality is always a bit of a moving target, and the HD 6970 is certainly no exception.
One month they release a stellar update, and the next, they stumble over some bug, only to fix it again later—it’s a constant cycle.

Bottom line, you won't regret going with the HD 6970, that much is 😉
certain.

Douglas Anderson41 said:If I end up installing that cooler, what kind of headroom am I looking at for Overclocking? Are we talking percentage increases or specific GHz benchmarks?

The truth is, no one can give you a definitive number because success in this area depends on a chaotic cocktail of variables—motherboard stability, memory latency, and even the silicon lottery itself; if you happened to pull a particularly high-quality chip from the factory, your overclocking potential will be significantly higher than average.

It’s certainly a possibility, though I find myself quite skeptical given that there isn't a single shred of information available online regarding this manufacturer; I highly doubt we're looking at anything remotely high-end...

If I were actually in the market for a GPU right now, where would you suggest I look so we can narrow down which retailers are worth our time?

ruggedmarlin43 said:Is there actually a way to check which power supply I have... either through some software or by actually peeking inside the case... haha 😁

Just unscrew two bolts on the chassis and take a look.

Don't worry, you aren't going to break anything by doing that 😉