mkreku

I'm getting 8KB/s from Gamershell

Since when was Infogrames (currently known as Atari) ever Japanese?

The 8600 is a mid-range card and isn't really comparable with either the X1950 or the 7950. But if you're not looking for high-end performance it'll do. If it's the same price as the 7950, I'd suggest the 7950. The only difference (except performance and some SLI problems that might occur) is that the 8600 supports DirectX10. Games will have DirectX9 support for a long time to come though so no hurry getting on that train.

I'm not sure what "owts" means, but just to illustrate my point: I admit that these are chosen results (the 7950 probably won the rest of the tests, I didn't check them all) but since the 7950 is an SLI card, performance varies wildly. And on one core it's annihilated by the 1950. Still, both are good cards and if you can get the GX2 cheap, don't hesitate.

That's actually a good idea. I've always thought Enemy of the State would make an excellent setting for a RPG. Just an ordinary guy caught up in extra-ordinary circumstances. Let the player do what he wishes (free-form) and only script the unavoidable situations when the player HAS to use his credit card or HAS to enter a bank or HAS to login to a computer as means of driving the story forward (and trigger the next batch of attacks from the government). Played out in contemporary times with a living, breathing city to explore and hide in and more problem solving and stealth than combat. Ahem, what was the topic again?

Woah, I have no memory of ever starting a topic like this. That's some nice necro-ing!

I'm still waiting for it to be released on PC It was worth the cost of my DS alone. I also don't think it would be as charming on the PC (or a console) because it works extremely well in a handheld setting. Of course, that's my feeling with all puzzle games. Yeah, yeah, shut up you annoying board monkeys. I already bought the damn game for MY GIRLFRIEND's Nintendo DS Lite! Only problem being that she moved away to Sheffield, UK until the end of October. Also, I played the PC demo and the mouse/keyboard combo is still the unchallenged master of all control systems.

If you managed to score three, then you have some sort of game going (and not just 11 man on defense running around like chickens.. like you would in a 7-0 loss). Who's your leading goal scorer?

I'm still waiting for it to be released on PC

Wasteland 2 (is already being made, apparently) Deus Ex 3 (who knows..) Thief 4 Test Drive Unlimited 2 (is in the works, I think)

The ATI X1950XTX 512 MB GDDR4 (which I use myself) has the same or better performance on a single card. No need for SLI compliant games! Don't know if it's possible to find it anymore though..

Haha, great review :D

Oh, I remember the discussions we had on this very board about the reasons for the war.. and if there were WMD's at all.. Back then I was pretty lonely in thinking it was about oil and that no WMD's would be found. I'm sure EnderWanker would blow a blood vessel in his brain from trying to defend the Bush administration if he was here today. Glad he's not.

It's not a useless rig. It will still be able to play most of the games out there reasonably well. But it's also an upgrade dead-end. You can squeeze out a tiny bit more performance by buying a faster CPU and you can upgrade to a slightly faster GPU, but after that you're stuck. If you upgrade to a AGP X1950PRO you'll be good to go for another year or so. And it will run both STALKER and NWN2. Easily. http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/09/05/the...oney/page6.html

No, I am at work, but I can take one when I get back home. In like 8 hours..

I'm not sure. I don't think so, unless the game is on hardcore by default. I am playing a rogue character trying to become an assassin though, so spells are not my top priority.. And playing a rogue in a D&D game is ****ing boring! Sneak mechanics suck. Backstabbing SUCKS. In combat you fight way worse than any other class (it seems) and you can't use heavy armour. So what's the point?? I'm hoping the assassin class brings with it some FUN to the game. Not that I ever see how I'll be getting it. According to the stats screen I have everything needed to be able to become an assassin, yet when I level up I never have the option of choosing it. No idea why.

So Fallout and Fallout: Tactics are the same game? Never knew that.

Since when was combat in Fallout ever "tactically challenging"?

Yeah, combat is tough in Gothic 3. Even at level 80+ (which I am now) you still have to watch out for a pack of wolves.. just as I think it should be. I want to be slaughtered by anything and everything in the beginning of a game! I want to learn how to survive, what I can beat and slowly progress from bunnies to giant birds to wolves. The problem with NWN2's combat is that it's totally effortless (I just click attack and sit back and watch what happens) and practically non-challenging. I have yet to have my first full party wipe (I've just left Neverwinter City..). I think it's much more rewarding to be able to walk into a pack of wolves in my 150,000 gold paladin armour and be able to survive (Gothic 3) than it is to take on slightly bigger city guards than last time and still not have to worry about a thing (NWN2). But it's not only the combat that's difficult in Gothic 3. Some of the quests feel almost impossible too! The one where you're supposed to recruit people for the Okara rebel camp.. Or the one in Mora Sul where they want you to find and kill all the water mages (to gain entrance to Ishtar).. Or just trying to find the twelve fire chalices (no, it's not a collect quest as in a MMORPG!). There are no quest arrows. There are no maps to guide you. Nothing you're supposed to find shines with a bright light (I'm looking at you, Bioshock ). You. Are. On. Your. Own. The way you have to do it is by talking to people. You have to explore. You have to follow vague clues and experiment. That's how you make quests interesting.

Just to be annoying: Plextor makes great DVD-burners. But you really only need them if you need 96%+ flawless recordings (like we do where I work). A bit pricey but high quality.

I've been feverishly polishing my girlfriend's new case (Piano black.. shiny!) ever since I bought it for her. You're not anal.. unless I am too

Gothic 3, (in parts, depending on how you levelled up) Oblivion, Two Worlds. I also found Icewind Dale to be somewhat challenging and definitely BG2 the first time I played it, although that's probably more due to my lack of understanding the rules system than anything else ("Breach seems like a crappy spell, let's ignore that one"). It's a pointless discussion because as soon as you bring up a difficult RPG, he'll just go "But that's not a REAL RPG".. But it's true though. The Gothic games can be horribly difficult and it's one of the reasons why I love them so.

Yeah, it's quite a hassle working with the P180. Because the PSU is located in its own "wind tunnel" below the actual computer case, you get lower case temperatures so it's perfect for air cooled overclocking. But it also means you have to have a PSU with long cables and you have to pull them through this tiny hole just in front of one of the fans. If you don't do it properly, the cables connect with the fan and either stops it or makes it sound like a plane crashing.. Once you've done the annoying installing though, you have a case that's something extra. The entire case stands on these soft rubber feet to reduce sound. The case itself is built out of three different layers of plastic and metal to reduce sound. It's really sturdy. Everything on the inside is fastened using these soft rubber thingies to reduce sound. The built in fans are adjustable from low to medium to high and if you put them on low they're inaudible. I bought an extra silent PSU (Cooltek 600W) and a huge, silent CPU cooler. The only thing that screams in my box is my GPU (ATI Radeon X1950XTX) but that's only when it's under full load. I also happen to think it looks very cool But I've never been much for the "MORE SHINING DIODES AND PLEXI GLASS WINDOWS EVERYWHERE!!" fashion.

I still think the Antec Performance P182 is the best looking case out there. http://www.antec.com/ec/productDetails.php?ProdID=09182# It even comes in a new Stainless steel finish! http://www.antec.com/ec/productDetails.php?ProdID=09183

Yeah, on a geek board and behind Internet anonymity, sure. In the real world; no. But Finns have this weird thing where they think it's the height of manliness to be able to drink a lot of alcohol, so they lie and brag about it all the time. Then when you actually get to see them drink, they drink six beers and then they're spending the rest of the night puking down the hallways, the dance floor and over the railing on the "finlandsf