Keyrock

Zen 3 is supposedly the end of the line for AM4. My plan is to go fairly high-end on the CPU when I do a new build later this year, likely the Zen 3 equivalent of R9 3900X, so R9 4900X, I guess. I figure that should future proof me. The only component I might upgrade in a couple years is the GPU and I can't see any scenario in which a 4900X monster becomes a bottleneck for gaming within the next 6 or so years and (presumably) 12-cores will have me all types of covered for multitasking and any highly threaded task.

As I understand it, this whole situation is a result of less expensive boards, such as the B450s, utilizing a 16 MB ROM. There are only so many different chips that can fit onto 16 MB of memory, so to support future Zen 3 chips, support for some older chips will have to be removed to make room. Someone with an older chip could brick their system were they to install this BIOS update, hence limiting this to verified Zen 3 purchasers. As far as I know, x470 uses a 32 MB ROM, so that limitation is not present on those more expensive boards.

I'd be interested to hear whether the touted verticality means anything from a tactics standpoint, besides distance in a different direction. For example, if you have the high ground, does Anakin Skywalker auto-lose?

I have no recollection of the Fantastic 4 in the above picture, but it can't possibly have been worse than any of the movies made in the last 15 or so years.

^ Who records in 1280x1024? What is this, 2002?

Who's got 2 scaly thumbs and a second destroyer? This guy. Behold my Split Rattlesnake: I had been saving the really hard to get components for tier 3 (highest AFAIK) engine and hull mods for this exact occasion. The engine mod increased thrust in all directions (forward, reverse, strafe, and turning speed) and the hull mod decreased mass (without decreasing HP) and drag, further increasing thrust. That took what was already an exceptionally fast and nimble destroyer right past ludicrous and straight to plaid. I also did basic shield mods on all the shields. No weapon mods yet since I don't have the components, but even stock this ship has massive firepower. Believe me when I tell you that I earned this ship. I got the money when I went into Zyarth Patriarchy space for some Xenon cleanup duty. The sector I was cleaning up was right next to a Xenon core sector and they sent a nearly infinite number of fighters and frigates at my Odysseus destroyer while I bombarded their stations. They damn near overwhelmed me with sheer numbers many times (they actually did a couple times but save scumming to the rescue). This is now the flagship of my fleet, and it's starting to look like a real fleet. My military stands at 2 destroyers, 4 frigates, 2 heavy fighters, and 3 scouts. I'm not quite ready to roll into a Xenon core sector and go to war, but I'm getting there. I can definitely defend my own space, that's for sure.

Can you play an orc, or do you have to be a filthy do-gooder?

^ Cool wing suit, Not Lara Croft.

^ When I was a younger man and still had hair on my head, I used to try to make the strongest character I could, then I had an epiphany; I came to the realization that many of my most enjoyable RPG experiences (pnp and vidya game) came from flawed and/or unusual characters. Since then I've almost always favored sticking to a concept over trying to get the biggest and best numbers. I create a backstory and concept in my head and then pick stats, skills, perks, etc that fit with the concept, regardless of how useful or efficient the build is. After many long hours, I have cleared a Split sector of Xenon invaders in X4. In total, I destroyed 4 Xenon stations and 1 that was just starting to get built (nip that bud right then and there), 4 destroyers, 8 or 9 frigates, a dozen or so fighters and scouts, and countless defense drones. The only real threat to me were the destroyers. Xenon K Destroyers have massive firepower, more than my Odysseus Destroyer. However, they are slow and have really poor maneuverability, even for a capital ship. Plus, my destroyer's main guns have superior range to any of the K's weapons. So it was all about being patient and smart, outmaneuvering the K and shooting it from a safe distance while is sloooooooowly turned to face me. I made a ****ton of money and rep for my heroic deeds (no brave NPCs ran interference for me this time, it was all me). I even sniped a few passing Xenon fighters on my way to the Zyarth Patriarchy shipyard after it was done. I swapped out all the turrets on the destroyer for split models. Same type of weapon, same damage, but Split turrets, while less armored, have significantly faster turn speed, which helps them track fighters better. While there I contemplated buying a Split Rattlesnake Destroyer, I had just enough to afford one with minimal equip. Ultimately, I resisted temptation and invested in some station module blueprints and decided to expand my HQ, investing for future profitssss. My HQ previously had a solar power plant (this should be your first production module on any station, energy cells are used in almost everything) and a Teladianium (Teladi alloy) foundry which used ore (collected by a mining ship I bought from the conveniently placed asteroid field near my HQ) and energy cells. I'm currently adding a silicon refinery (I'll add a second miner if the one I already have can't keep up on mining both silicon and ore), a refined metals forge (non-Teladi specific alloys), a smart chip factory (uses silicon wafers and energy cells), and a scanning arrays factory (silicon wafers, refined metals, energy cells). That will give me a self-sufficient production facility that produces 2 intermediate wares to sell (Teladianium and Smart Chips) and one high-tech ware to sell (Scanning Arrays). It will take a while to recoup the investment, but it will be worth it in the long run.

So what? I don't care about min-maxing.

Fun fact: I played Shammy in 2 of the 3 games, ork for all 3, naturally. If ork(c) is a race option I always play it.

^

Not alcohol... well, actually it is, just very low alcohol %, but I've been drinking a ton of Kombucha lately. The jury is out on its health benefits, though I've been a lifelong believer in fermented foods and probiotics in general. Even if there are no benefits, I just think it's delicious. I generally just go for the original ginger kind, not any of the fancy flavored varieties.

It's only going to get worse for them from here on out. On the other hand, it's a good day to be my friend.

With my destroyer fully equipped in X4 I decided to put it through the paces and at the same time help out my friends, the Split Free Families. They have been getting their asses whooped from 2 sides, the Xenon and the Split Zyarth Patriarchy. I flew to the Family Tkr sector, which is slowly being taken over by Xenon, and decided to try my hand at taking down a station. I brought along my Cobra Frigate on the off chance that an enemy was smart enough to pull a similar trick to how I took down a destroyer before, in that case I can have the frigate take care of the pesky attackers. Mission successful, though it took FOREVER. I destroyed a defense platform, and those are particularly well armored. The station's defenses might have been a danger to a frigate, and would definitely be a danger to a fighter, but they were laughable against my destroyer. Surprisingly, the Xenon did not send anyone to stop me, beyond the station's own turrets and defense drones. Next up, a Xenon solar power plant. I plan to sweep this sector free of Xenon, though I won't be attacking any Zyarth Patriarchy ships or installations. I'm friends with both Split factions, I'm not getting involved in their civil war. Similarly, I'm not taking sides in the Paranid civil war between the Godrealm of the Paranid and the Holy Order of the Pontifex either. They can sort things out on their own, I'm just here to help with Xenon, Kha'ak, and potentially hardcore pirate factions, like the Scale Plate Pact.

After some work, I managed to get both the credits and the standing with one of Paranid factions necessary to get my Paranid Odysseus Destroyer fixed up and fully equipped. For scale, that's my Split Cobra Frigate docked on top of the Odysseus. Here's the destroyer's bridge: The only thing not top quality on the ship are the maneuvering thrusters. The mk3 thrusters are ludicrously expensive (5 1/2 million credits) and only slightly better than the mk2 I have installed now, so that upgrade can wait. I modded the hull and shields to be beefier, all the shields, the main shields and the component shields (large ships have shields for components such as engines and turrets in addition to the main shields). I also modded the two main cannons on the front of the ships to do more damage, but haven't modded the turrets yet, since I ran out of the necessary components. Lastly, I modded the engines for more speed. I almost want someone to threaten one of my stations now.

^ Badass gangsta granny? Color me interested. I'm still waiting for Watch_Dogs Legion so that I can make a Golden Girls gang.

Dwayne "The Rock"?

Well, yes and no. I landed the first blow and the killing blow, not to mention did 90% of the damage, so technically the loot is rightfully mine. Look, I don't make video game rules, I just follow them. Of the 8 marines aboard my frigate, only 2 were experienced, the other 6 were still condidered recruits. If I tried a boarding maneuver I would most likely have sent them to their death. Kresusiso Enterptises values the welfare of its employees. We have a great 401k plan too. Also, when I built the pier at my HQ, I built a 3 dock pier and I currently only have 1 large or XL ship (destroyer), so I would have had room. Sorry to disappoint.

I hadn't noticed, but a couple weeks back HDMI 2.1 was officially released. Why is this a big deal? Because it solves the bandwith issue for 4K gaming at high framerates without workarounds. HDMI 2.1 can handle uncompressed 4K@120 Hz and 8K@60 Hz (for the Bokishis of the world). Later this year we also should get DisplayPort 2.0 which should have even more bandwith, but for my needs HDMI 2.1 is enough. None of this matters at this moment because no HDMI 2.1 capable video card exists, but it's a safe bet that both Ampere and Big Navi will support it, and likely DisplayPort 2.0 as well. Right now no HDMI 2.1 monitors exist AFAIK, though I think there are some tvs that do, like LG's awesome but expensive C9s. Usually monitors with new tech come out a couple months after the tech comes out, so I should be gucci when I build my new rig this fall.