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  1. I

    So.. about Fallout 3

    Good game, I find it a lot better designed than its predecessors. I had heard the main quest was very short, so I am having fun exploring and doing the other quests, which certainly seems to keep me busier than the MQ. Whenever I get lost a simple look at the quest screen and the map puts me...
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    Will 16:9 resolution be the new standard for LCD monitors?

    Not really, because width works best. I am not talking about exotic dimensions, but only the 16:9 and 16:10 widescreen formats. You have to use some common denominator, so we look at equivalent resolutions, similar screen measurements, etc. Diagonal size is misleading because that can result...
  3. I

    Will 16:9 resolution be the new standard for LCD monitors?

    You have been confusing field of view and screen area in this discussion. Area = pixel x pixel at a fixed pixel pitch, or simply height x width in cm or inches (if resolutions and pitch are not equivalent). You get more screen area at 16:10 than you do at at 16:9 if one of the measurements is...
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    Will 16:9 resolution be the new standard for LCD monitors?

    As far as I can tell the 16:9 monitors today are mostly TN. Looks like they are trying to make a cheap and popular technology even cheaper and more popular. I'd consider a non-TN 16:9 monitor a waste, to be honest. You lose overall viewable area. When configured properly a game in 16:9 seems...
  5. I

    Did Atari not learn anything from EA and 3 activation limits?!

    This is pretty horrible. Imagine if more software took this approach - maintaining your PCs would become a total nightmare.
  6. I

    Securom on Games

    Thank you for this highly informative thread and for sticking with it. When I started gaming, the rule of thumb was that the original version worked if you could afford it, and the pirated version of the same game probably did not work well at all, but was really cheap or even free. For the...
  7. I

    Will 16:9 resolution be the new standard for LCD monitors?

    16:9 is a pretty crappy cheap format and quite useless unless you're gaming on a console or want to watch movies without the black bars - and even then not all movies come in 16:9 aspect ratio (far from it!) so you will still see black bars even on a 16:9 screen (it's either that or picture...
  8. I

    [Retired] The LCD Thread

    Possible new addition to the list - inexpensive H-IPS panel: Philips 240PW9 I've been shopping for a 24" monitor to serve as a good all-rounder (text document work, gaming, movies, a little graphical work) and was looking at the HP LP2475w, considered a good monitor from most points of view...
  9. I

    what kind of panel was the ComeMon CPD-174 LCD monitor?

    I've been using a ComeMon CPD-174 heavily since around 2001 or 2002 and am astonished that it is still performing as well today as the day I bought it. But, at 17.4 inches diagonal, it has become too small for gaming and movie watching. Does anyone have any idea what kind of panel this...
  10. I

    Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth

    Fun game, creepy, atmospheric, well-written. I never finished it, and I have not been able to install it on Vista (though I think that may be because of damage to the CD).
  11. I

    Vista downgrade stats

    Obviously, but why are you bringing that up? We would never put Vista on hardware that does not significantly exceed the recommended (not minimum) system requirements. As I said, we put Vista on new boxes that we build on a regular basis. It's not old hardware, it's current. It's not enthusiast...
  12. I

    Vista downgrade stats

    We've kept a couple Vista installs for general purpose, but everyone is back to using XP and the machines we installed Vista on have been downgraded (we didn't buy new Vista PCs, we tested the OS ourselves on the PCs we build on a regular basis). It doesn't look like we'll be buying Vista en...
  13. I

    P45 or X48 - Which is the best & newest?

    The p45 is cheaper, uses less power, and (I think) runs cooler. Also, because there are more p45 in circulation than x48, I'd say BIOS and similar issues are likely to be resolved sooner and more thoroughly. Unless you are overclocking a lot I don't think you will notice a difference between...
  14. I

    Gaming Motherboard Recommendations

    I would pick an Intel chipset from Gigabyte or Asus, as Intel logic just works miles better than nVidia. Even then you have to choose from the p35, p45 x38, x48... all have several variants and many support DDR3. In terms of performance I do not believe there are huge differences between models...
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    Vista downgrade stats

    I am involved in 6 or 7 fairly mature tech companies, the largest of which is a 300+ person, 10 year old web developer and service provider. I can tell you that Vista opinions throughout the companies are pretty negative, I don't think you could pay our IT managers to upgrade to Vista for free...
  16. I

    PC Game prices

    Yep... when you buy a console game, a portion of your bill is basically a subsidy for the console itself, that's why console games almost always cost more than PC games (sometimes they are equal in price, but never cheaper). That way the console makers can sell you their hardware for cheap...
  17. I

    Older Games

    Clive Barker's Undying Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy Freedom Force 1 & 2 Dungeon Master & Chaos Strikes Back (talk about old!) I can't even count how many times I have played these. I bought Clive Barker's Clive Barker's Jericho by Clive Barker and found it to be a...
  18. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    I see what you mean, he doesn't specify how much space was used but says that "very little" was left free - a problem regardless of the precise GB actually used. Especially since the quota slider operates on a percentage, which in this case we see was hardly a limiting factor to the gobbling of...
  19. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    percentage of space is a standard indicator in disk applications, including the native Windows display, the System Restore quota manager, as well as Disk Keeper and similar software, all of which provide indications and recommendations based primarily on percentages. Percentage used would thus...
  20. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    Once again I invite you to address the existing arguments instead of engaging in this foolish posturing. SR consumes resources - this is not simply my position, I've also provided relevant citations, something that has been incredibly scarce from your end. In terms of specific resources used...
  21. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    You add nothing new to the argument, you're simply repeating the same crap you were hand-waving about before when you got in a tiff following an emotional reaction to minor comment pertaining to your dear MS SR. I already explained and clarified my position, and I have backed up all my claims...
  22. I

    Rate Vista for games

    has anyone had problems playing GTA San Andreas on Vista? It all works (and more importantly sounds) great except the minigames that involve dancing and bouncing the car. Those are lagged as hell and completely unplayable, even with everything turned down/off.
  23. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    Thanks a lot for this n7, I appreciate the helpful input.
  24. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    System Restore creates restore points (according to MS) as follows, as provided in a previous link: "once every 10 hours that Windows XP is running, or every 24 hours" http://www.microsoft.com/windo...more/tips/mcgill1.mspx Funny that you should choose to focus so much energy and time on...
  25. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    Oh and disk space wasn't the issue, no. The following might be specific problems with my implementation, I don't know, but here are some of my most recurring complaints: - Why does it take so long to connect to a broadband connection in Vista? - Why, when I right click on the taskbar...
  26. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    Well, not all the posts are talking only about disk space. However, even if that interpretation were the case, the fact that System Restore is taking up a large chunk of space makes it by definition a hog, no? After all, when was the last time you loaded a restore point from 280 saves ago?
  27. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    No I was referring primarily to XP (and, indeed, we won't see the whole picture on Vista until the greasemonkeys get their hands thoroughly filfhty under the hood, SP1 comes out, etc.). In Vista System Restore is supposed to work better but it is also a different system that MS bought and...
  28. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    Actually, restore points are created every 10 hours AND every 24 hours. I've already addressed the idle time issue, but see below for a conflicting opinion. I said "MS claims..." and if you actually bothered engaging your brain as opposed to the (admittedly less resource intensive) smugness...
  29. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    I've read it creates a restore point every x and y hours regardless in addition to whenever it monitors system changes. MS claims that writing a restore point and monitoring have a small impact on performance, funny though how after disabling SR my computer runs noticeably better, is free from...
  30. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    precisely. Turning off System Restore means that your system won't ever create a restore point, which means it will not be sluggish and unresponsive while a restore point is created (in the middle of running an application, for example). Since there are better, more reliable, and and less...
  31. I

    MMORPG where sex is rewarded

    not to suggest that the follow-up novels were all bad, but the majority of them definitely qualify.
  32. I

    MMORPG where sex is rewarded

    As a long time fan of Howard's original Conan short stories (not the incredibly bad novels written by others that followed) I totally applaud Funcom for their decision to include slavery, brutality, and sex in Age of Conan. The intellectual property they're dealing with (and remember Conan...
  33. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    Are you some kind of cretin, or do you just enjoy gesticulating pointlessly while offering no counter claims whatsoever? If you have a problem with my post state your case, otherwise spare us such idiotic posturing.
  34. I

    Oblivion safe storage of items

    Search for and get the basement mod - it enables an underground cave area that you can access from every house that you own, and has several rooms, storage, an alchemy lab, etc. With it you can very easily centralize storage of all your belongings instead of scattering them all over the lands in...
  35. I

    Laughable comment in MMORPG's: "I'm so bored..."

    there's another reason for the inane and pointless guild chat: validation. Makes these idiots feel like they are someone, and have a purpose in life/community.
  36. I

    Why do people hate Vista?

    My main problem with Vista is that it isn't exactly snappy even on quite powerful systems. After turning off hog services like System Restore, my XP Home box - which is 4 years old - beats my brand new Vista Home Premium (32bit) box at everything except gaming and benchmarks. Boot/shut down...
  37. I

    is this how POS cards are pushed on customers?

    Actually I agree that the Vista OS itself appears to be generally faster, especially considering how good it looks. The interface, however, is clunkier IMO. Aside from the UAC, which can be turned off (but which already stopped web sites auto-installing crap on IE three times today) I find I am...
  38. I

    switching to DX10 should i go 4 ATI or NVIDIA

    Keep in mind the ATI cards run hotter and use more power... if that is a consideration for you then nVidia is definitely your choice. On the other hand a lot of the ATI cards look really nice!
  39. I

    is this how POS cards are pushed on customers?

    Finished box, installed everything, got Vista Home Premium up and running. The Vista advisor gives the 8600GT a rating of 5.8 (I think, possibly 5.7 but it's pretty high anyway). 3dMark06 coughed up 4996 3dmarks. I installed Everquest2 and it looks good and runs well at 1200x1024 high...
  40. I

    is this how POS cards are pushed on customers?

    Perhaps, but (leaving aside the price issue) I am not crazy about ATI for a number of reasons, plus I am not very familiar with their recent naming conventions/value/price, I really don't like their system tools and interface, and they tend to be power-hungry and hot. I like the fact that the...