Posts by B-e-t-a

  • new gfx card

    I believe two 8800 Ultra cards in SLI hang with the GTX 280 in Crysis. My understanding is the Crysis devs optimized for the 8800 series cards. But, since Crysis 2 is coming out soon, I'm not sure what's in store.

    However, I will definitely say that Nvidia has better drivers and software support than ATI. Also, ATI has a higher rate of failure and DOA. Overall, you might save some money on ATI, but it might be payed for in the trouble that comes with it. Nvidia gives you what you pay for. Besides that, Nvidia has optimizations like Physics and CUDA, among other things. With Nvidia Physics, the Physics load will be relieved from the processor. Then you are less likely to be bottlenecked.

    A prime example of Nvidia software quality superiority: Folding @ Home. Nvidia cards can process F@H independently, and reliably without the help of the processor. ATI tried to compete with Nvidia in this field. Yes, ATI released drivers and software for F@H. But it usually crashes several times before ever finishing a WU (work unit). Does ATI care? No. As long as they can say they have the ability, that's all that matters, because then they can sell more video cards.
    _______________________
    *edit*
    It might be a good idea to wait for the GTX 4xx series release. Prices will drop and maybe you can pick up a GTX 285 for cheap. It looks like the GTX 470 might be in the $350 range.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc…N82E16814130550
    GTX 285 is currently about $350-$400, but the GTX 470 is possibly twice as fast with more 'stream processors'.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc…N82E16814143190

  • PC water pump bit the dust

    Tubing size should be based on how many 'things' you want to cool, and how powerful the pump is. If you have a single loop with three things in it, 1/4" tube is way too small. However, 1/4" tube would be fine for just a CPU. Or 1/4" would be fine for two loops that run parallel.

  • PC water pump bit the dust

    I ordered an OCZ Hydropulse 500 pump and like 3-5 ft of Feser tubing (1/2"). From FrozenCPU
    http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9481/…?tl=g30c107s155

    Now supposedly this OCZ pump was designed in the USofA, by Californians. I doubt it was made in America though. But still, it put me back about $60 with tubing and shipping.

    ex-pmp-82.jpg

    The thing I like about water cooling is that it is quiet. I can have all the overclocking and cooling performance I want without noisy fans at max speed. I built my girlfriend a very mild gaming rig and it runs at 3.2Ghz but it's frickin noisy as hella when she is gaming. Mostly, it's the stock Intel cooler and the 60mm GPU fan that produce the noise.

    I have a split loop water cooling setup. It runs like this:

    pump -> 360mm radiator -> CPU -> (split) GPU and mobo chipset in parallel -> pump return

    The tubing is 1/2" from the pump, radiator, and CPU. Then, at the splitter it is reduced to 3/8"(chipset) and 1/4"(GPU). Finally, the tubing goes back to 1/2" at the end of the split loop right before the pump return. Kind of complicated, but it's just the way I want it.

  • PC water pump bit the dust

    Anyway, here are the basic components used in water cooling:
    - water/CPU/GPU/etc block - directly contacts a PC component and transfers heat away and into the coolant
    - pump - the thing that makes the coolant move through the system
    - radiator - warmer coolant flows into the 'heat exchanger' and the heat is transferred from the coolant, through the metal exchange, and into the air. Fans aid in the transfer of heat from the metal exchanger to the air.
    - tubing - keeps stuff dry. never buy tubing from a hardware store. use Tygon, Primoflex, or something else that is decent
    - accessories - fittings, t-lines, adapters, reservoirs, fill ports, etc. You don't need a reservoir, but some people like to throw money away at things like that. Using a t-line serves as both a fill port and reservoir if it is placed at the right spot in the water 'loop'.

    The tubing needs to be a specific size of your choice that matches the components and/or fittings you use. 3/8th's inch tubing would be fine for just about anything. The 3/8 is the ID (inside diameter), or how big the hole is. The OD (outside diameter) is how thick the tube is on the outside. I prefer thicker tubing with a fat side wall because it is less likely to kink. If you buy tubing with a 3/8" ID, you need fittings to match it. In some cases, you can use a 1/2" fitting with 3/8" tubing. But never, under any circumstances, will you use a 3/8" fitting with 1/2" tube because it will leak.

    A basic cooling loop will need strategy and planning. You have to decide where things can fit on/in the case. Then, what order things will be placed. For example: pump -> radiator -> CPU block -> t-line or fill port or reservoir -> pump return
    There is a high pressure side and a low pressure side. The high pressure side is between the pump and block. Since the block has more flow resistance than any other component. Everything after the block is considered the low pressure side.

    ...

  • PC water pump bit the dust

    Quote from "icomrade @ Sun Mar 28

    recommend me on e please im interested in cpu water cooling i saw this i wanted to know if it was any good.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233011&cm_re=water_cooling-_-35-233-011-_-Product

    It's better than an air cooler, but also could be less reliable than air cooling. You want a WC setup that draws the CPU heat out of the case. Otherwise, you may end up wasting money. Tioga knows this: It will not compare to a full water cooling setup.

    If you want to trim cost and just make things easier for you, this might be good. It is a water block and water pump all-in-one. Then you would just need to choose a radiator, tubing, and accesories.
    http://www.aerocooler.com/shop.cart?action=ITEM&prod_id=FANSWAPD350

    Let me expand on this response in a bit.

  • PC water pump bit the dust

    The water pump on my computer died last night during a storm outtage. It is a VIA Aqua 1800 and lasted about 3 years of service. I can't play Crysis or Crysis 2 until it's replaced. Well, idk, maybe I'll slap some stock HSF's on and downclock everything. We'll see.

    I'm considering an OCZ pump with 80,000 MTBF right now.

  • GTX 480 (Fermi)

    Quote from "icomrade @ Sat Mar 27

    Nvidia had a hold on the market for two years around the 8xxx series were out continued into 9xxx series, but for about the past year since the 5xxx series was introduced ati has had a hold on the market.
    the 5970 is clearly still at the top, but the 5870 seems to be par with the gtx 480 ati many points.
    http://www.vizworld.com/2010/03/nvidia…480-benchmarks/

    I'd disagree with those numbers. Some benches imply the GTX 480 performs the same as the GTX 295. Besides that, the ATI 5970 is a $700+ card, while the GTX 480 is listed at $500. While the ATI 5970 has more video memory (2Gb), the GTX 480 only has 1.5Gb. The ATI 5xxx series has been out for long enough that the video drivers should be developed. However, the GTX 480 has not been released long enough to have a video driver that is properly suited for benchmarking.

    When we have fair game, then we can compare benchmarks again. There are things that go unmentioned in reviews, such as driver development. From what I understand, the ATI 5970 did not perform very well with the very first driver release, much less a pre-release driver version. I will refrain from uncovering senseless garbage about the ATI 5970, but keep in mind, Nvidia emphasis quality control.

  • The shit that pisses you off thread.

    I hate it when people don't understand that Communism is a form of economy, not gov't. Those are the same people that don't understand the difference between Capitalistic and true Capitalism. And that America has dual parties disguised as 'Republican' and 'Democrat', when it is actually 'Communism' and 'Capitalism'. Furthermore, it is Communism versus Socialism. Well that might step on toes but it also is the true nature that Americans are sheltered from hearing.

  • GTX 480 (Fermi)

    Six times the performance compared to the previous generation cards? Wow.

    Just like Intel has over AMD, Nvidia has over ATI. It's all about the instruction sets. That might be over a lot of peoples heads. Allow me to provide an example of technology developments.

    First ever (personal computer) CPUs were 286's and 386's. Lets say you buy a 33Mhz processor in 1991. Not all 33mhz were equal. Back then, the big thing was level 1 and level 2 cache. Developers finally reached the cache size wall and enlarging the cache size did almost nothing for performance. Still, they needed things to perform faster with demand.
    Fast forward to the year 1996. This was the territory for pentium 2 and pentium 3. The big advancement was Mhz. The more Mhz you have, the better the computer performs.
    Eventually, they figured out that 3-3.6Ghz was about as fast as you want to go before you have heat and power issues. Maybe 2004-2005-ish with Pentium 4 HT. Later 64-bit systems took into the market.
    Another Fast forward to 2006-2010, the computer developers decided they can achieve even better performance by cramming multiple processor cores into one die. Thus, the dual core, triple core, quad core, and hexa core processors are being produced in masses.
    2010 - Yet, they have found that increasing the # of cores is not faster for ALL applications. Only applications built to utilize the multi core sub-architecture. Intel has resolved this issue with the Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 processors. These processors contain more than just hardware. They contain micro code that interprets data. Did you know a processor will try to predict every outcome or possible input before you actually provide input. Such as, what will the position of the mouse be before you move it. Instruction sets allow the processor to use itself more efficiently. It's like algebra or calculus, and there are different ways to solve a question.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instruction_set

    What I'm getting at is, Nvidia has taken the route of Intel by improving instruction sets. ATI may have raw power, but it can't use that power as effectively as Nvidia can. It's like comparing a quad-core Intel Core i7 2.8Ghz to an AMD quad-core 2.8Ghz Phenom2. We all know the Core i7 will beat the Phenom2 in almost every real world test.

  • The shit that pisses you off thread.

    I hate people who do their makeup when they drive

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcL587oaisA

    I also hate rednecks with Nextel chirp phones. They always crank the volume up and idk how they can understand each other. It's like gibberish blaring through a 1.5" speaker and the plastic phones vibrates equally as loud.[flash width=250 height=250]

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