Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!! d

[Steven Q Urkel]

Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

RL: The olde Dell Dimension 4100 has been showing its age for quite some time now, and after several recent problems I was finally able to upgrade. Introducing Patriarch h4xbox-360, my new P.C.

Antec 900 Black tower
Asus p5Q Deluxe main board
Intel Core 2 Duo e8500 Wolfdale processor (3.16 Ghz)
6.00 gigabytes G-Skill PC8500 RAM
Antec True Power Quatro 850 Watt power supply
2x Sapphire Radeon 4850 Video Card (Crossfired @ x8)
74 gig Western Digital Raptor main drive
2x 500 gig Western Digital Caviar data drives
Sound Blaster Audigy sound card
Logitech Wireless Keyboard/Mouse
Logitech X-540 5.1 Audio 
Samsung 32' LCD HD video display
Linksys WMP300N wireless pci adapter
Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro heatsink

3DMark score 15,000ish, not too shabby. The wireless card is giving me all kinds of problems :rant:, but everything else appears to be working normally, D2 included. :grin:

D2: Some cows in 1.09 w/ the LF Zon. I tried one last night, had the player settings too high, ran out of mana, and quickly got slaughtered. Here's hoping I have more luck on /players 3.

 

[Trim]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

^^ *drool*

RL: I've been researching how to best upgrade my used computer lately. Current specs:

P4 3.0g processpr
2gig 4300 RAM (just upgraded from 512 Saturday)
Radeon Express 200x series vid card

That extra RAM is very nice; web browsing is much faster than before. But that vid card has been failing me lately. I've been playing some Phantasy Star Online this past week, and against most of the bosses I've been getting some horrible slowdown. I just won a $100 gift card to Best Buy (a generic electronics store to those who are unfamiliar), so I'm thinking about using it for a vid card upgrade.

Since I'm not at all tech savvy anymore, could someone recommend a vid card that's less than $150 that'll have some longevity? Or a website that compares cards that can relate to people that have limited knowledge of computers? And on the same note, is the processor decent enough to validate upgrading my computer, or should I focus on my next machine instead? I'm not much of a PC gamer; besides playing D2, ROMs, and PSO, the only other game I see myself playing is D3 eventually. So I don't need some crazy top-end part, just something that'll work in the future...

D2: Not lately. Been thinking about making a FO/CBer since I haven't been too keen on my Chain Lightning sorc. And after messing up her skills a bit, it wouldn't hurt to have an optimal killing machine rather than a 'meh' character.


EDIT: Although I said I'm not a PC gamer, I would be interested in playing some titles I couldn't before... games like HG:L (just to try it, even if I hate it!), Mass Effect, BioShock... please take that into consideration if you want to suggest a vid card. :thumbsup:

 

[xALT]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

This might be a good resource if you are looking a new card.

 

[factotum]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

Radeon Express 200x series vid card

That extra RAM is very nice; web browsing is much faster than before. But that vid card has been failing me lately.

The problem you're likely to have is that the Radeon XPress series are usually on-board graphics chips (e.g. the graphics chip is soldered onto the main motherboard rather than being on a plug-in card), so the first thing you need to find out is if you actually have a slot for a graphics card at all. If you tell us the actual make and model of your PC we may be able to find out, or else you'll have to take the side off and see if there's a slot at the top which is different from all the others.

As for me, playing Mercenaries 2 at the moment, so will be a week or two before I get back to D2, I think.

 

[Trim]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

The problem you're likely to have is that the Radeon XPress series are usually on-board graphics chips (e.g. the graphics chip is soldered onto the main motherboard rather than being on a plug-in card), so the first thing you need to find out is if you actually have a slot for a graphics card at all. If you tell us the actual make and model of your PC we may be able to find out, or else you'll have to take the side off and see if there's a slot at the top which is different from all the others

Thanks, xALT; I'll be studying that page while on break at work.

factotum: hmm, that's bad news indeed. I'll have to tear my computer apart when I get home to check. The machine was a custom build; IIRC the motherboard is a Gateway, but I couldn't tell you a specific model. Hopefully there'll be some indication when I get inside it. As for detecting if a vid card slot exists, where/what should I be looking for? Thanks to all!!

 

[Grisu]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

RL: Dreamt that I found a Ber that dropped with a Spear from a superchest. Woke up when I realised that Spear was misspelled as "Speer" and that it was an Act II chest...
Should finally start writing my bachelor's thesis...

D2: Don't know yet. Maybe I'll try my Bountyhunter Paladin again (Act V NM).

 

[maxgerin]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

Steve:

I can't digest those numbers.

However, I'm wondering how far from the monitor do you plan to position yourself?

Between the fact that a 32" must be view from around 6 to 7 feet, and that you're using a wireless keyboard, I don't which one will occur first:
(1) You go blind from being too close to the monitor.
(2) You'll suddenly lose control of your chars and watch them get slaughtered while you figure out what's happening...only to frustratingly realize later that your wireless keyboard/mouse has lost power.


Other than that, you have indeed a h4xB0x.


--maxgerin

 

[John Remedy]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

RL: Work. Doesn't work suck?

D2: After the wife goes to bed, NM Baal runs for my PureBlizz.

 

[wwzerozeroone]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

RL: Dreamt that I found a Ber that dropped with a Spear from a superchest. Woke up when I realised that Spear was misspelled as "Speer" and that it was an Act II chest...
Should finally start writing my bachelor's thesis...

That's an omen. Somewhere in Act II there's a chest with Speers and Ber runes.

RL: A bit sick. Something flu-like but not quite the flu. Probably gonna watch the Belgian Grand Prix when it launches in about half an hour.

D2: I'll be in Act II.

 

[Ashmer Amadeus]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

RL: My wife and both kids are sick this weekend. Guess what I've been doing. On a much more important not, NFL season kicks off in earnest today. I hope to watch at least an early game.

D2: Been working on my "There can be only One" charicter. Still haven't made it out of act one. Full clears is new to me, as is untwinked. I'm hoping to make some progress while the game is on.

 

[factotum]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

As for detecting if a vid card slot exists, where/what should I be looking for? Thanks to all!!

Well, this picture shows what AGP and PCI-Express sockets look like:

http://www.tomshardware.pl/graphic/20041110/images/pic-agp-pcie.jpg

(Note that an AGP slot looks like a PCI slot, but backwards and usually a different colour--PCI-Express doesn't look anything like a PCI slot, so shouldn't be possible to confuse).

If you don't have either of those then you have problems. However, since the PC is a custom build, can't you ask whoever built it whether it has a graphics card slot?

 

[Steven Q Urkel]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

(1) You go blind from being too close to the monitor.

QFT!!!! :crazyeyes:

Luckily the proximity of my desk in relation to my bed presents an alternate setup. I took a pic, but I can't find my usb cable anywhere. :rant: The line of sight should be at least 6 feet me thinks, hopefully I'm in the clear.

http://img380.imageshack.us/my.php?image=diagramlw7.jpg

<Dr. Emmit L. Brown>Please excuse the crudity of this model, it wasn't drawn to scale.</Dr. Emmit L. Brown>

 

[Trim]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

Well, this picture shows what AGP and PCI-Express sockets look like:

http://www.tomshardware.pl/graphic/20041110/images/pic-agp-pcie.jpg

(Note that an AGP slot looks like a PCI slot, but backwards and usually a different colour--PCI-Express doesn't look anything like a PCI slot, so shouldn't be possible to confuse).

If you don't have either of those then you have problems. However, since the PC is a custom build, can't you ask whoever built it whether it has a graphics card slot?

To answer your question first: it WAS a custom build, but I didn't order it. I merely got it used from someone on the Internet. There may be a company name in the system properties, but it seems a little easier to crack the machine open and look myself. :crazyeyes:

After doing a bit of research myself, I came across this picture for AGP & PCI:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3118_7-5023982-1.html
(It's the one at step 2). So after opening it up, I noticed that the port for my monitor is about halfway up the tower and does NOT connect to either a PCI or AGP slot, which are located at the tower's bottom.

The hopefully semi-good news is that the AGP slot is open. There are two PCI slots; one is taken by the sound card (can't take THAT out) and the other by a modem (useless!!). But after Internetting, I see that AGP cards are typically better, right?

I've also been seeing people asking how to switch to an AGP/PCI card over an onboard card (most of them with the same card as me), and most are wary about not having a large enough power supply. Is there a way to check this through Windows or BIOS? And is installing a video card fan at all difficult? And since no one said no, apparently the P4 3.0g processor still has some life in her & is worth upgrading?

...maybe I should have taken these questions to a tech site... :badteeth: But I really appreciate all the effort by those who are helping me!

 

[krovak]

@Steven Q Urkel: It seems you are ready to plug off the central heating - your new PC should do the job just fine:grin:. Actually, I am planning a BIG upgrade, too(my machine is already ~5 years old). But I am determined to do it when SC2/D3 comes out, not sooner.

RL: My girlfriend went on another holiday, so I am alone at home, with plenty of time for myself. I have some tasks to do, but of course there will be *A LOT* of D2 in the following week.

D2: I have played my new HC untwinked barbarian "Krellion" almost whole day, bringing him all the way from the beginning to Lower Kurast. He's now level 23, looking forward to gaining BO on lvl 24. He just equipped a savage lochaber axe, which was created using a cube recipe. I doubt he'll come across a better weapon in the near future...

Edit: Btw the barbarian is going to be exact copy of my SC IK WW Barb. He's now untwinked, but once(if) he becomes a guardian, he'll be fully equipped immediately. The IK set is already waiting in a stash

 

[factotum]

Re: Sundaily, brought to you by Wolfdale...now w/ 30% more Core 2!!!

The hopefully semi-good news is that the AGP slot is open. There are two PCI slots; one is taken by the sound card (can't take THAT out) and the other by a modem (useless!!). But after Internetting, I see that AGP cards are typically better, right?

AGP is the old standard, so finding a card that'll suit may be tricky--most of them are PCI-Express. (Which does not bear any relation to PCI, incidentally--you seem to be confusing the two). I would suggest you look for the AGP version of the Radeon 3850, which can be had for the sort of money you're looking at.