Posts by Amanda Kelly

Alright, here's something to kick things off.
I was watching on ABC, and honestly, the directing and coverage were pretty rough—the only thing they got right was the picture quality.
I’m personally going to pass, but I’d tell others to tune in on the local networks. At the very least, you'll get plenty of useful info since there's so much new stuff happening with the teams, the people, and the rules.

At the top, I'd say, it's exactly what we expected.
Now we just have to see how everyone handles themselves during those long runs tomorrow.

Well, I’d say plenty of Ferrari fans have had a taste of that!

wiredmarlin5 said:When you look at the raw performance, the Radeon HD 5770 doesn't really bring much to the table. It’s trailing behind the HD 4870/90 and the GTX 260. Not by a massive margin, sure, but it's there. That gap starts to feel a lot wider once you actually start pushing things like AA, Anisotropic Filtering, and HDR.

If you’re looking for the best Radeon HD 5770 out there, you can't beat the Sapphire HD 5770 Vapor-x. Word on the street is that the cooling on that thing is actually decent. $397 Check out Gor Inf. You can find the test results for that exact card over on the PCE portal—it’s actually pretty decent.

I wouldn't go so far as to call this "new technology." If you look at the facts, there isn't anything truly groundbreaking here—it’s basically just the same old thing wrapped up in some imaginary DX11 support and a 40nm process.

If I had to pick, I'd go with the GTX 260, even though prices have jumped by about $80 lately.$33 Supply is pretty thin right now. That MSI card was a solid deal since it came with a three-year warranty, but I'm still in the dark about which cooler they actually pack in with it. Might be worth checking with Best Buy to see exactly which versions they’re bringing in.

I did a bit more digging around—checked out PCE again and even took a serious look at Nvidia, which wasn't even on my radar before. After weighing everything up, the decision is pretty much made.
I'm starting from an old HD 4850 and a Dell 1920 x1200 monitor. My target was originally supposed to be a Radeon HD 5770.

The scaling on these HD 5xxx cards actually caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting results this solid, to be honest. That’s a massive win in my book.
The HD 4870—and especially the 4890—are definitely faster, but you’re paying a hefty premium for that extra speed.
It’s similar to the GTX 260, but honestly, I think it's overpriced for what you actually get. Even Tom's Hardware didn't bother putting it on their "best value" lists. Plus, it's hitting EOL pretty soon, which is a dealbreaker for me.

The Radeon HD 5770 is faster, pulls less power, runs cooler, and stays quieter than my old 4850. In every single category, I'm seeing about a 20-25% jump. It also brings along some new features that'll probably sit idle most of the time, but hey, you never know.

The HD 5850 or the GTX 275 would be massive upgrades, sure. But both are way out of my price range, and frankly, that's a category I have zero interest in touching. Besides, I don't actually need them.

So, the Sapphire HD 5770 Vapor-x would be my final pick.

Thanks for always keeping me in the loop with the useful info.
Look, I’m no expert, and I’m certainly not some clueless amateur. That’s exactly why I know just how much grit, time, and genuine effort goes into every single sentence written here. 👍

wiredmarlin5 said:At that price point, I wouldn't suggest getting the Radeon HD 5770. The differences aren't massive—just the usual stuff like cooler design and extra card features.

First, let me correct myself:
I used a generic term when I really meant reference design. That's the right way to say it.
Also, XFX should definitely be on that list of manufacturers.

What's your angle here, wiredmarlin5?
I assume you're suggesting a different model.

The 4850 is already gone (got it by accident at a steal) and the cash is sitting right here ready to go.

Whatever. A tiny speed boost isn't my top priority. If the money is roughly the same, I'd rather grab something with newer tech. By pure coincidence, I tend to swap parts out pretty often (even though I keep telling myself, "Okay, this is the time I finally settle down"). In that case, it'll be easier to flip something that's basically brand new in a year or two.

If anyone has actual suggestions, please lay them on me.

I'd probably go with the Radeon HD 5770.
I'm not sure if there’s actually a meaningful difference between the brands here. Is one of these supposed to be better, higher quality, or more reliable than the rest? I could use some advice. There is a slight price gap—maybe around 10%—but honestly, I wouldn't sweat that much.

On paper, they all look identical: 1 GB GDDR5, HDMI, HDMI, and 2 x DVI.

The only thing that caught my eye is the cooler design. Most of them seem to use those closed-off, generic-looking heatsinks, but a couple have a different open-style cooler with a fan.

So, which one of these should I grab?

PowerColor, HIS, Sapphire (I had a 4850 once and it was fine), or MSI?

HP LaserJet Pro

So, what’s the deal with the leader diving into the pits right as the Safety Car pulls out?
I'm talking about that moment when the Safety Car came out for the second time.

I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Lewis drove, I’d say, his usual Hamilton style. Fast, aggressive, always hunting. As for those risky moves, I don't think it's a lack of skill—it's just his mindset. Those maneuvers were more a reflection of how things were playing out on the track. Honestly, he gave us exactly what we expected yesterday. Plus, he had a quick car, unlike some other guys on this thread. You could see massive improvement compared to, say, Australia.
So, if you ask me, Lewis has the driving talent and the pace 👍.

What I really have a problem with, though, is how much he risks everyone else on the track. Eventually, he's just going to train people to get out of his way the second they see him in their rearview mirror. When it comes to being a hazard to the rest of the field, he definitely has 👎.

stormybadger8 said:Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, and Mark Webber will definitely start on those super Soft tires. If they actually pull ahead by a massive margin in just a few laps, it’ll be a smart move. Who knows what happens later—a rock smash, sudden rain, whatever. They might struggle once those super Softs wear down. Honestly, I'm just looking forward to a good race.👍

That part is obvious. But how much of an advantage are you actually expecting?

I don't think it'll be enough. If they end up stuck behind 5th or 6th place, the track will probably be greasy, making it a real pain to fight their way back through the field.

For Ferrari, actual progress would mean finishing a race without some massive technical meltdown. Kimi clearly had the pace; they just need him to actually cross the finish line one time so we can see where he truly stands against the rest of the field.

I’m honestly worried that reliability issues might wreck everything for the top three. We're heading into the third race, and with parts being swapped and tweaked overnight, I’ve got my doubts about whether the hardware can even hold up. The software? Fine. But the physical stuff? Not so sure.

feralcanyon73 said:Felipe Massa has turned into a total pushover.
That kind of limited talent just doesn't cut it at Ferrari.

He’d take KERS even if it was broken.
His only real trick is holding his own during the opening lap.

Could one of the strategists on these teams actually bother to stay up late and look through some of the forum-style race scenarios for tomorrow? There’s plenty of material to work with if they actually cared.

Jonathan Booth5 said:Man, I used to have an old Samsung 9500 with a smart card and watched ESPN on it just fine. Now you're basically nagging me to pile even more gear onto my already cluttered setup. Just my luck. 🤣
Is it doable through the Humax?

Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine!
You can do it via VIA CI too, but it’s a bigger headache.
What Michael Lee4 has in his setup is the sweet spot.

Ferrari skipping KERS at the Shanghai Grand Prix (Domenicalli):

“We ran into some issues with the KERS on Kimi’s car back in Sepang, so we’ve made the call to skip KERS this weekend in Shanghai. We need to figure out exactly what went wrong with the system from a safety and reliability standpoint. Sure, it gives us an edge on performance, but if it isn't running safely and reliably, we aren't willing to take that risk anymore."

Maybe the guys running KERS could actually show some potential in New York City.
Unless, of course, this turns into yet another round of KERS testing where nothing works and everything breaks.

Over on RTL F1, the coverage doesn't even kick off until 9:45. Does anyone happen to know what the time situation is looking like over there right now?

Morgan Murphy7 said:Rubinho trying to make a move 🤣 🤣 🤣

Sebastian Vettel has the easiest car, and everyone knew he’d drop ten spots right off the bat.
So, I'm expecting him to get aggressive immediately. He’s got plenty of reason to be, I suppose.

"As a rule of thumb, 10kg of fuel lasts four to five laps while 10kg of fuel slows the car by roughly 0.3s a lap – depending on the circuit type and length."

If I recall that old tire discussion correctly, we aren't looking at the same rubber they used in Australia. These two specific compounds for Malaysia shouldn't act anything like those "Australian" ones. At least, that’s what our analysts are predicting.
Word is this harder compound is going to be a massive pain to get up to temperature compared to the hard stuff we saw in Australia. It's going to be a struggle to get them in the window for actual racing.

Because of that, I'm not buying into any theories about a one-stop strategy working here.

Morgan Miller said:If we actually had neutral commentators or "experts" here in the States... they'd see that Hamilton gets way too much preferential treatment from our broadcasters. I still remember that whole mess with the deck being stacked...

People can love him or hate him, but the guy literally won or lost two championships by a single point. And he just finished 4th in a car that shouldn't even be competitive. I don't know what else you need to see to prove his talent or driving skill.
He isn't a god, but he's a hell of a driver.

Morgan Miller said:If we actually had neutral commentators and "experts" here in America... man, Hamilton is always being played like a favorite by our broadcasters... I still remember that whole mess with them shuffling the deck order...

The idea of a "neutral" commentator or an unbiased "expert" is a total myth.
If they actually know their stuff, stay somewhat entertaining, and don't cross the line into blatant cheerleading, then they’re doing a great job.
Personally, I think our guys back home are actually better than average.