ATI and NVIDIA

Nov 27, 2009

*UPDATED Jan 1st, 2010*

So, after selling the Quadro FX5800, I went back to my 9500GT. Then I recently upgraded from the GeForce 9500GT to an ATI Radeon HD4650. I did get a decent performance jump - but it left me wanting more. I barely got to raise settings, but the frame rates were better. The main annoyance of the upgrade, though, was the ATI Catalyst system. It's buggy, crashed explorer a few times, and was just "weird". The card was around 73 bucks total. So, I took it back today looking for something better. I found an NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT 1gb PCI-E2.0 that came out to 80 bucks after tax. WOW...what a performance leap! I get to max out settings in Fallout 3, Far Cry 2, Oblivion, Bioshock and more, all at 1920x1080, and using DirectX 10!

NVIDIA's drivers are great, and leave nothing to be desired. Seriously, this is why I stick with NVIDIA. The 9800 was the best hardware purchase I've ever made, hands down. Cuda support, PhysX, HDMI, full HD video acceleration, etc. I'm fully satisfied with this card! While it doesn't give the same performance when working with multiple PSD's with files sizes in the gigabyte range and greater, for gaming it's sweet, ESPECIALLY at the price point! Pics of my setup:

The new card itself:










Main PC
-Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium x64 (main OS)/Ubuntu Linux (secondary OS)
-Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 (45nm, 2.8ghz per core, 2mb L2 cache, 800mhz FSB)
-6gb Patriot PC2-6400 800mhz RAM
-PNY NVIDIA GeForce 9800GT xlr8 (PCIe 2.0, 1024mb, SLI-ready)
-Creative X-Fi Platinum sound card (24-bit, 64mb audio XRAM, EAX Advanced HD 7.1/5.1 audio, front panel with hi-z and lo-z mic inputs/outputs, mini MIDI inputs/outputs, S/PDIF optical digital inputs/outputs, coaxial digital inputs/outputs, media remote)
-3.5" Multi card reader drive
-Lite-On DVD+-R/RW CD-R/RW drive
-Seagate 250gb SATAII hard drive (OS, games)
-Seagate 250gb PATA hard drive (pictures)
-WD MyBook 500gb external drive (movies/tv)
-Digital Research 320gb external drive (archive)
-Maxtor OneTouch 250gb external drive (incremental backups)
-Acer 23" LCD monitor (1920x1080, HDMI, DVI and VGA inputs, HDCP compliant)
-HP 17" LCD monitor (1280x1024, DVI and VGA inputs)
-Logitech S510 Wireless Desktop
-Wacom Bamboo tablet
-Ratpadz GS gaming mouse pad
-Canon MP250 printer/copy/scanner

Netbook

-ASUS EeePC
-Ubuntu Linux (main OS)/Windows XP Home (secondary OS)
-Intel Atom processor (1.6ghz)
-1gb DDR2 667mhz RAM
-160gb hard drive
-Intel integrated graphics
-10.1" LED backlit widescreen LCD (1024x600)
-Integrated HD webcam
-WD Passport 80gb external drive (backups)

Sound System
-Panasonic 1000W home theater receiver (Dolby Digital, Pro-Logic, DTS sound decoders, 5.1 channel, composite audio inputs, 2 coaxial digital inputs, 2 S/PDIF optical inputs, external wireless speaker ready.)
-2 Sony full-range center speakers
-Sony front L+R mid-high range bookshelf speakers
-Insignia L+R mid surround speakers
-Panasonic rear L+R satellite surround speakers
-Panasonic subwoofer

All of it connected to an APC Uninterruptable Power Supply

Testing; One, two…

Nov 24, 2009

Ok, this is just a test. I downloaded Windows Live Writer and I linked it to my blog…this test will determine whether I will keep the program or throw it violently into my recycle bin. YOU DECIDE, PROGRAM. *Tough guy stare*.

 

EDIT: K, it worked. You’re safe, program – FOR NOW…

So yeah, I was trying out that VMWare image of ChromeOS.

Nov 20, 2009

It's like...imagine running the Chrome web browser in Windows...

...and then imagine, if you will, taking out the whole "Windows" aspect of it. Yeah. It's like that. ChromeOS = not for me. At all.

Her Name Was Misery

Nov 19, 2009

I was in San Fransisco visiting my brother, and we were going to get our tongues split together. I got the procedure done and went home. Later that night, my tongue began to throb in an immense amount of pain, and started dripping with blood. I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. It looked as though my tongue was visibly throbbing. Both sides of the split began to rip with their own splits, and kept multiplying like crazy until there were hundreds of tiny splits all over my tongue. I was gushing blood and freaking out, and then the pressure built up so much that my tongue just exploded all over the mirror. All of the little splits that came off began squirming around like worms - it was like they were alive, pulsating like maggots on a disgusting wound. I was holding my mouth and ran into the living room to call my brother, but the phone was dead. No tone, nothing.

I ran back to the bathroom to grab some towels to try and stop the bleeding. The pieces of my tongue that were everywhere began to get larger and they started squirming faster and making noises. The sounds were like kittens, gurgling in pain from being bitten on the neck by a rabid dog - and there were HUNDREDS of them on the mirror, in the sink and on the ground. They were growing, and with each centimeter they grew, the sounds they made got deeper and louder. I was breathing hard in fear, and noticed that a fog came out when I exhaled. But, it wasn't cold. It wasn't cold at all. In fact, it was hotter than hell. I was sweating and noticed steam rising from the palms of my hands. I felt a cough coming on and I began chocking up what seemed like little black rocks. As I began to cough harder, the steam from my exhales appeared darker and thicker.

My lungs and stomach were burning, and the maggot-like creatures from my tongue were screeching louder and louder. I couldn't take it - the noise, the heat, the pain. I was in agony, suffering on the ground. My stomach felt hotter and hotter, and then a spot on my stomach began to glow and rise. It exploded, and a red-hot liquid began pouring out of me. When it hit the ground, the bathroom caught fire and the building began to shake as if an earthquake was happening. The fire spread out to the living room. In fact, it seemed to have spread everywhere except for the area directly around me. I don't understand why I was still alive, conscious of every passing second. I could feel everything - all of the heat, all of the pain from my stomach, lungs and throat. I thought people became numb during intense pain or fear? I was praying for the end to come.

As the shaking and noise continued, I looked to the side at one of the creatures from my tongue - it was the only one that didn't catch on fire. It was shaking violently and began to take on a cacoon sort of appearance. After a few seconds, though, it was like everything got quiet. It was absolutely silent, except for my breathing and my heartbeat, which was fading with each passing second. I felt peace. I felt so relaxed and happy. I looked to my other side and noticed the figure of a woman right outside the door, her silhouette like a black hole against the fire behind her. Her eyes opened in a bright, white glow, and then she whispered to me, "Hello my dear . My name is Misery, and I am in love with you...".

Immediately afterward, she opened her mouth and the sound of a thousand damned souls screamed in my ears, all at once, and then everything came back. The pain, the noise, the fire, the earthquake, all of it. I stared in horror as the cacoon that lay next to me exploded and drenched me with puss. When it exploded, millions more of the little splits from my tongue poured out, and they were all making the same cat-like noises. I turned over in fear and yelled to Misery. I screamed, "Help me! Let me go, please, I'll do anything you want just make this stop!!!". She said to me, "I have one question....do you love me back?". I stared for a second, confused, and blurted out, "Yes!! I am in love with you and I will always love you, just make this go away!!". She smiled, and then said, "Well if you love me, then I have no choice but to stay."

Then I woke up. The alarm was going off. As annoyed as I was at the sound of the damned thing, it was a relief to be out of that nightmare. I turned off the alarm, got some breakfast and called my brother. We met up at a shop in downtown San Fransisco, ready for our appointments. They unwrapped the goodies from their sterilization pouches and began the procedure. It wasn't so bad. It kind of felt like a papercut on my tongue. I bled a little, no big deal. We took some pictures, paid and then left. My brother and I went to my apartment and invited some friends over to play some videogames. I couldn't wait to experience more of the healing process! We all fell asleep, and the night was great!

...and then I woke up suddenly with the taste of blood in my mouth, and my tongue was pulsating. I looked down at all my friends and thought to myself, "Psh...nah, it was a dream, moron...".

I then walked to the bathroom, and stuck out my tongue...

THE END