Ha, Haven't Been Here for a While!

Nov 5, 2011

I was messing around in my Google account and found that Blogspot was linked to it. Well - I don't have much to say, other than the following: my last post...the one about the computer...yeah, I went with AMD. LOL! Buh-bye!

New PC soon!

Sep 1, 2010

Yay! My last PC still runs strong, but it's time to upgrade. Socket 775 is finally at that point where it's safe to call it a dead end. Socket LGA1156 and even socket LGA1366 are here to stay. The Core 2 architecture is dated and Intel's i3, i5 and i7 processors are where the real performance is at! The new systems don't even use front side bus anymore. I had no freaking clue. The processors now communicate with memory/graphics directly. The Core i3, which is the most budget-friendly of Intel's current lineup, puts even Core 2 Quad performance to shame! It's built on a 32nm process, runs cool and packs a ton of punch. It has 4mb of L3 cache, it's own integrated memory controller, it's own discreet GPU that runs at 733mhz(!!!), and runs at 2.93ghz (easily overclockable to 3.0ghz and much higher - the i3 chips are downclocked so you won't even need to apply any additional voltage to get to 3.0ghz).

Anyways...I've chosen i3 over i5 and i7. Quite simply - it's cheap, and the performance has been rated and reviewed to be awesome. The price to performance ratio of the i3 makes the i3 an absolutely ideal solution for the budget-minded. It performs as well as i5, is built on a newer manufacturing process than i7, and has built-in support to decode Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD-MA bit streaming over HDMI...which is EXTREMELY important to me, as I use my machines secondarily as multimedia centers.

I'm rambling now. Anyways, here's what I'm upgrading to (thanks to Trillance [www.trillance.com]...the very awesome photographer who gives me the honor of working for him):

-Cooler Master Elite 335 case
-Raidmax Hybrid 2 530W modular power supply
-EVGA P55V SLI-ready motherboard
-Intel Core i3-530
-4gb Mushkin Silverline DDR3-1333(mhz) (PC3-10666) RAM

I'll be tossing in my 9800GT (1gb, 600mhz, PCIe 2.0), and work on getting a second 9800GT to run in SLI mode.

I can't wait! It's been a year since I put together my last machine.

Our Engagement and Wedding Rings Came In!!

Feb 1, 2010

We have been waiting for a few months for our custom designed rings to arrive, and they did on January 31st, 2010. I think they turned out perfectly! They are both silver, and Archys has a captive bead in the middle with an opal stone inside (our birth stone). Mine is brushed in the middle and polished on the rest of the ring. Both rings have "Forever, Ending Never" engraved on the inside :)

Presenting: the Fujitsu iPad. Er..the Mag-Tek iPad. Or...wait...no, the Apple iPad

Jan 28, 2010

Yet again, Apple has released something without checking the trademark office first. Or...well, they probably did but, just like the iPhone, didn't give a shit weather the name was taken or not.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/28/apple-and-fujitsu-inevitably-caught-up-in-ipad-trademark-dispute/

Another Photoshoot Trip

Jan 18, 2010

Next month, 5 days worth of shooting is scheduled. Should be fun. This time there will be much less sight-seeing and a lot more work involved.

Bring it on, bitches!

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…