Posts by Sam Cruz11

Bryan Taylor6 said:Man, DDR4 RAM is like twice the price of DDR3 right now! Crazy, right?

And that right there? That’s a total game-changer when you're gaming!

I can't actually watch YouTube videos directly! If you can give me a quick rundown of what happens in the clip or paste a transcript, I'll jump right on it. I'm ready to spin it into something awesome once I know what we're working with!

I can't actually watch videos through links! My eyes aren't working that way yet, haha. Drop a quick summary or some screenshots of what's happening in the video, and I'll jump right in. Can't wait to see what you're looking at!

So, let's talk about this whole "lots of RAM vs. little RAM" debate. Honestly? It’s such a classic struggle. I feel like everyone goes through it! You're sitting there with your laptop, trying to have a decent time, and suddenly everything just... crawls. It's the worst. Is it worth dropping the extra cash for a beefier setup? For me, absolutely. I’m all about that smooth, lag-free life. There is nothing more soul-crushing than having twenty Chrome tabs open—because let's be real, we all do it—and having your computer start sounding like a jet engine taking off. If you're just browsing the web or typing up some docs, you can probably get away with the bare minimum. But if you're even slightly into gaming or doing any kind of creative work? Yeah, don't skimp. Trust me. More RAM = less headaches. Just saying!

I’m not even sure if that G2200 is worth the cash at this point. I mean, your GPU is probably beefier, but Vega 8 still feels like the better move since the drivers are way more solid and the architecture isn't ancient. Honestly? Vega 8 holds its own pretty well when you're just cruising through games at 720p.

I can't believe I just watched this! Seriously, my mind is blown. 🤯 Check this out—it’s absolutely wild. You have to see it to believe it. Just pure madness from start to finish! What even was that?! lol. Anyone else seeing this right now? I'm still trying to process what just happened on screen. Absolute insanity! 🔥

Man, from what I can see, there are some legit benefits here—like, actually noticeable ones too... And honestly, even if that Vega performance isn't a massive leap, it's still a little bit better than before... Either way, there's no way I'm downgrading. I’d most likely jump straight to the 16GB version... I feel like that would be the sweet spot! $833 Finally...!

Bryan Taylor6 said:let us know how it goes

For sure! Man, I am totally wiped this week after work, so I'll have to do a clean install this weekend just to test out Windows 😁
Plus, I gotta redownload a 30GB game installer because I have zero clue where I stashed the file at home 😵

Timothy Kim60 said:Yeah, you should really aim for a modern quad core at minimum (like the cheapest new R3 1200 or R3 2200G) or maybe some used Intel i5 4 xxx series on an 1150 socket if you stumble upon a crazy cheap deal and already have DDR3 RAM. But honestly, you'll be in a bind with motherboards—there aren't any new ones left, and the used ones are either gone or overpriced as hell

Even though even modern entry-level quads aren't exactly beastly these days, you could actually play most stuff decently with one, provided you pair it with a solid GPU. That’s the real MVP here, and it'll dictate your whole experience. I heard people are already grabbing RX 470 4GB cards for $267 and stuff. That would be such a killer deal—not much cash, but a pretty legit card

So yeah, I was actually thinking about the 2200G... since I'm upgrading anyway, why not go for something I can actually build on later? This DDR3 stuff is basically ancient history now. Looking at the big picture, I don't think it even makes sense to sink money into it... ☕

Bryan Taylor6 said:It was active yesterday, clearly sold....

Totally agree, and that R9 270 is solid, just like everything else mentioned.....

But let's get back to basics here....you can hit 30fps at 720p if you slap an SSD in there and use a fast page file—basically using it as RAM—or just grab 8GB of DDR3 memory....it's a quick fix for maybe 200 bucks$100, or even just reinstalling Windows 7 if you already have the SSD

Everything else is just spending whatever your budget allows.....if you take Smartic's setup $583 + an overclocked R9 270 $150 = $733 and just enjoy the ride

To start, I'm gonna try the SSD combo first, then slowly save up cash to build something newer in the $833 range, because it's pretty obvious that $500 is a budget... well... crap 😁

Timothy Kim60 said:The big thing is—today. That link you shared? Those tests are ancient history. If you look at the dates, the newest titles are from like 2012. And if you were following the Kepler era, those didn't age all that great with newer games and drivers, whereas the GCN GPUs actually held up pretty well.

By the way, that ad you linked is dead anyway, and even if it wasn't, this is a much better deal (it's more powerful, newer, and has a better cooler).

Sometimes you can snag a GTX 760 or a GTX 960 for a steal, but you gotta hunt for them. Personally, I’d tell him to aim for something even beefier once he's ready to drop some real cash.

@Sam Cruz11/">@@Sam Cruz11

ARC is absolute garbage when it comes to performance—well, at least it was during early access. Honestly, your best bet is just swapping the whole platform, because trying to fix things with half-baked solutions isn't gonna give you that "new PC" feeling. Just check out the benchmarks and YouTube videos; you can see exactly how the game runs on different hardware.

Ugh, you're tempting me! That card isn't bad, and I actually have a WindForce model right now and it's awesome... damn this car, I have to race it this month hahah😁😁

Yeah, I get that it's risky... but I'm a die-hard fan of the Red Team, so I'll probably stick with AMD for now.🕺 😁

fadedorca66 said:Look, you might grab some extra RAM and an Apple, but don't expect a miracle. If you're pulling like 15-20 FPS right now, you'll maybe bump up to 25-30. It’s still gonna be a total slideshow!

If you've got the cash, just go brand new. Anything else is basically just patching up an old wreck!

Honestly, I'm thinking the exact same thing. Most of the stuff I play is pretty old school anyway, so my hardware is definitely showing its age... at this point, putting any more money into it feels like just burning cash for the sake of it. Total waste!
Honestly? Better to just stack up a decent pile of cash and grab something newer and more reliable...

Gonna try pairing this up with an Apple drive to see how it all shakes out! :-)

Bryan Taylor6 said:maybe grab an Apple drive with at least 120GB—honestly, 240GB is better so you can fit the whole ARK on there. Just keep your current RAM and set the page file to 10GB since that Apple speed makes it feel like extra memory. That might actually be the winning move here.

It’d look something like this, roughly

Pay close attention to the RAM and page file settings

Other options are just grabbing a 4GB stick to get 2+4, or ditching your 2+2 setup for a 4+4 combo

But the Apple thing could be legit! You basically get more virtual RAM and everything boots way faster, plus your web browsing and general stuff will feel snappy too...

I'd try the Apple route first, then worry about swapping the CPU or GPU later if you're still feeling sluggish

This guy claims his Apple drive made things insanely fast

So an Apple drive will help? Hmm... I have one, but my system is still stuttering... hmm... guess I'll have to wipe Windows and reinstall everything to test it out...

So is ARK just a total RAM hog? Maybe it's best if I just find a way to score some 8GB of RAM.... 😁

Bryan Taylor6 said:Dude, you’re practically there! Just snag another 4 gigs of RAM and you'll be good to go. It's honestly such a tiny upgrade—you'll be gaming in no time! $50

See? This just goes to show that this processor isn't actually all that bad!

I can't actually watch videos through links! You gotta give me the details, man. Just drop the gist of what's happening in the video—what they're talking about, the main points, whatever—and I'll get to work rewriting it with that same high energy. Send it over!

So this is basically your estimate (though a little low) and your GPU (kind of a bummer too)!

Since you only provided a link without any accompanying text to rewrite, I can't transform a specific post for you just yet! Drop the text you want me to overhaul right here. I'll make sure to keep that upbeat, choppy, "Sam Cruz11" energy while swapping out all those references to make it feel like it's happening right here in the States. Ready when you are!

What about your GPU?

If you’re looking to grab a better CPU, definitely go with that FX 8xxx series, but seriously—watch out for the wattage! Don't let it creep over 95W or you'll be asking for trouble. Check the manufacturer's website for the motherboard; they'll have a full list of supported CPUs right there.

Need a better GPU? Thinking about grabbing a used GTX 660?

Haha, I'm actually digging this first one! If they had details like that, I'd be so stoked. 😁

Man, I feel you! It’s like everything else works exactly how it should, but then the frame rate just goes totally bananas... total slideshow mode! 🍌📉 😵

So if I grab a CPU for like $250, toss in another $150 for some extra RAM—since I’m running two 2GB sticks right now—and then drop about $500 on a decent GPU... haha... man, I'll be flying! I'd basically be getting half the price of a whole new high-end rig, just without the graphics card included!

Look, let's get one thing straight—I'm not out here trying to play everything on some super ultra mega giga 16K settings, alright? That's just not me. I just want things to be playable, you know? Like, I don't need it to run on the absolute lowest of the low settings either. Somewhere around that middle ground, maybe like 1/3 quality? I'm not even expecting 1080p. Honestly, that 1400x900 resolution from the first video looks totally fine to me... actually, I'd be perfectly happy even with 720p! 😁

So, I was thinking about doing this two-stage upgrade. First step might be swapping out my "holy trinity" for something in that Intel Core i3 class. I'm honestly not sure what the deal is with the integrated graphics on those—like, is having it built onto the chip actually any better than what I've got now, or should I just hunt down a used card instead?

For the first part of the swap, I'm looking to spend no more than $500. It's been a minute since I really messed around with PC hardware, so I'm guessing that’s a decent ballpark for an entry-level setup... 😁
Then I'd probably look for a GPU in the second stage... or maybe I do it the other way around? Hmmm... 🤔

Hey everyone, what's up!

So, I’ve got this absolute dinosaur of a PC. Honestly, it still gets me through my daily tasks, but given how old it is, it can barely handle anything modern. My big dream was to finally play Ark: Survival Evolved, but yeah... that's a total pipe dream. It runs like a freaking slideshow—maybe 15-20 fps if I'm lucky.

Here’s the current breakdown:

Intel Core i5 4th Gen 8 GB DDR3 1600 ASUS mATX
4GB DDR3 1600
An ASRock mATX motherboard with a 960 chipset that supports both DDR2 and DDR3, so I don't have much room to grow...
GeForce GTX 1060 EVGA 650W
Corsair HX650

The whole thing is tucked away inside a Dell OptiPlex desktop case. I did that on purpose because I really want to keep it as a "sleeper" build—plus, I don't really feel like dealing with the headache of modding a new case right now. 😁

What do you guys think? Should I sink some cash into used parts to keep this thing on life support, or should I just bite the bullet and swap out the CPU, motherboard, and RAM entirely?

If I go the used route, any recommendations on what to grab (besides more RAM, obviously 😁)? Or should I just toss this thing in the trash? 😁

Hey there!

So, I’ve got a bit of a massive headache here. I’ve been ordering a ton of stuff for my grandma lately, but lately, her packages just aren't showing up. It’s getting ridiculous. We checked the tracking numbers from China, and according to the info, one package cleared customs and hit her local US Post Office about two weeks ago, and another one showed up there maybe 4 or 5 days ago. But when she actually went down there with a printout of the Chinese tracking (using Yuntrack, not that RFxxxxxxxxxUS one), the lady at the counter basically told her they have no idea what she's talking about and can't track those numbers. Look, I get that they might not be able to scan a random Chinese tracking code, but if the system says it reached the local office, where the heck is it? Did it just vanish into thin air? Or did it fall into a black hole?
Has anyone dealt with this before? Is there anything I can even do? Like, is there a manager I can call? Because honestly, trying to get a supervisor on the phone at the post office is about as likely as winning the Powerball...

Also, we have a few other little packages with standard tracking numbers, and they’ve been stuck on "Sent item abroad" for almost two weeks now. Unless they’re coming by boat, shouldn't they be here by now, right?

Thanks for the help! :-)