Forum posts

Posted 13 years ago2010-09-16 12:07:49 UTC
in GTX 460 or 470? Post #285390
I am trying to decide whether I should get a GTX 460 or GTX 470 for my next rig.

GTX 470 is clearly faster. It costs US$50 more than the 460, and it's also hotter and possibly noisier than the 460. In addition, it is the "first generation" of the DirectX 11 cards from Nvidia.

GTX 460, on the other hand, is newer and arguably has a better design. It is more power efficient, and requires less cooling (therefore quieter).

What do you think?
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-09-04 00:56:31 UTC
in Desktops of September Post #284932
You have a decompiler?
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-09-04 00:54:13 UTC
in Desktops of September Post #284931
User posted image
Mt. Baldy, elevation 8600 feet. We spent last weekend there.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-08-23 22:44:08 UTC
in Desktops of August! Post #284501
Shit! srry, your desktop background gives me a migraine.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-08-04 11:18:12 UTC
in Speccy! Post #283897
400Mhz DDR2? I thought you had DDR3.
I wish. I will have to wait until my next rig to get DDR3.

When I built this computer, DDR3 modules were very expensive. I was able to get 8 GB of DDR2 (G.Skill) for $100 when I built my rig.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-08-04 01:04:24 UTC
in Speccy! Post #283868
Post your Speccy!
User posted image
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-08-03 11:11:41 UTC
in Desktops of August! Post #283825
User posted image
The Getty Center in LA. I took this picture early this year.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-08-03 11:06:29 UTC
in Valve Hammer Editor lags! Post #283824
I have Windows 7 64-bit with Nvidia 260 GTX, and no problem here.

I have 8 GB of memory. How much do you have? Maybe that's the issue?
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-28 18:47:38 UTC
in Building Your Own Rig Post #283571
Highly doubt that satchmo.
Guess the only way to find out is to wait a year. Hopefully we'll remember this thread in summer of 2011.

Haven't we all been surprised by the speed of hardware advancement before? LCD's were extremely expensive and impractical in the past. But in less than a few years, they have largely replaced CRT's.

I remember the time when a 14" LCD cost US$6,000.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-28 16:21:16 UTC
in Building Your Own Rig Post #283566
I've been very satisfied with Seagate for more than ten years.

Seagate HDD have never let me down. I wouldn't buy any other brand for HDD.

Except for my next build, I'll be using SSD exclusively (within a year, mechanical drives will go the way of the floppy disks). So far, OCZ dominates in the SSD market in regard to performance.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-26 19:03:58 UTC
in Building Your Own Rig Post #283506
should i change something?
The best bang for your buck is to get more RAM. 2 GB nowadays is pretty meager, and they don't cost very much.

Is GoodRam a brand? I have never heard of it before. I would get some RAM from a well-known manufacturer. I used to think that all RAMS are created equal, but I learned my lesson the hard way.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-26 11:50:22 UTC
in Building Your Own Rig Post #283485
Does it still make sense to build your own?

Aside from the sense of satisfaction and the joy of laying your fingers on the cold hardware, does it actually save you money nowadays?

In the past, it is typically cheaper to build your own, but there are so many companies today that cater to all your customization needs that the competition keeps the price very low. Because these companies are able to buy in bulk and perhaps get special discount, they might get a better deal than individual builders on the components.

So which way is cheaper? Building your own or buying directly from one of these gaming rig companies?
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-26 11:39:54 UTC
in Compile Windows Not Responding Post #283482
Thanks for the useful tips!
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-23 16:38:11 UTC
in Compile Windows Not Responding Post #283369
Thanks. I tried it again this morning, and this time, I did not piss off the compiler by using any other program or even take the focus off Hammer (ie staying in foreground). And it worked.

I thought my computer is powerful enough to handle compiling, but apparently with a complex and large map, it needs undivided attention while compiling.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-23 01:42:10 UTC
in Compile Windows Not Responding Post #283347
I am trying to compile a large map, and Hammer's compile windows keeps saying that it's not responding.

The Windows 7 cursor is still spinning when it's focused on Hammer.

Is it really not responding, or the compilation process just takes so long that Windows 7 thinks it's not responding?
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-22 12:11:31 UTC
in Custom Texture Post #283326
Thanks. It worked beautifully.

VTFEdit is extremely easy to use. I don't even have to convert the image to a TGA file or resize it. I can throw it any JPG or BMP with any dimension, and it will automatically resize it and convert it into a VTF. It even generates the VMT automatically.

It couldn't be simpler.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-21 00:30:14 UTC
in Custom Texture Post #283285
I know this has to be pretty simple, but I have not done it before.

How do I convert a JPG image into texture so I can include it in a map?

Thanks in advance.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-19 00:11:00 UTC
in Show Your City Pride Post #283161
Yeah, we're fairly close, but it's still a pretty long drive, especially with a three-year-old in the car.

I think most people know that my "Justice" map is based on the Santa Barbara Courthouse. I got the blue print from the city architect when I was visiting there, so the map was pretty to scale.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-14 00:56:22 UTC
in Show Your City Pride Post #283045
I proposed to my wife in Melbourne, right on the beach of St. Kilda.

I was born in Taipei, a very different city from the one that I live in now.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-13 14:15:26 UTC
in Show Your City Pride Post #283010
My son goes to preschool at this college, and my wife and I got married at this garden on campus.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-13 12:55:22 UTC
in Show Your City Pride Post #283005
I love the rich cultural history of European cities.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-12 23:14:15 UTC
in Show Your City Pride Post #282973
Very few Asians in Paris, Texas.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-12 21:59:35 UTC
in Show Your City Pride Post #282969
Post your city's Wikipedia entry in this thread.

I live in Long Beach, California.

And I had no idea that I am living on top of the richest oil field in the world.

Who knew.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-12 21:57:26 UTC
in Best Video Ever Made! Post #282968
It's pretty well made as far as effects go, but there's really no story at all.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-09 11:18:30 UTC
in Anti-Vaccine Idiots Post #282859
Unfortunately there will always be people who prefer to live on the fringe.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-08 22:37:02 UTC
in Firefox 4 Beta Post #282841
Eventually, every browser is going to look like whatever Google makes.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-08 22:35:52 UTC
in Can't hear any sound Post #282840
Half-Life via Steam or Half-Life on a CD?
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-08 22:34:07 UTC
in Anti-Vaccine Idiots Post #282839
I find it hard to believe that there are so many idiots in this world.

The Darwin Award reminds me of that, and so do these comments.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-07-07 12:12:30 UTC
in Firefox 4 Beta Post #282790
Firefox 4 beta is out.

It basically copied many features from Chrome and renamed it Firefox.

I am glad that I've been using Chrome all along, because it's way ahead of its time.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-29 22:32:13 UTC
in TWHL Weight & Height Post #282493
I'm 5'4", and 135 lb (61 kg).

I have a fair amount of muscles, but I've been training for a half-marathon, so I am also pretty lean.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-27 16:05:51 UTC
in Your legit games Post #282409
Quake II was pretty good for me.

But Quake 4 was a piece of shit.

However, I bought Quake 4 for $4.99, so it wasn't a big loss.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-24 00:33:11 UTC
in Your legit games Post #282307
User posted image
User posted image
I also have Medal of Honor and TF2 (of course), but these didn't show up in the photos.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-19 17:21:43 UTC
in Your legit games Post #282049
Hmm, ZombieLoffe, I didn't know that you're into the Sims.

I'll take a picture when my son wakes up from his nap.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-18 14:15:38 UTC
in Wife's Getting a Cube! Post #281983
I like the style. I think it's brave for the designer to come up with a notably asymmetrical design, but it definitely sets itself apart from the typical boring designs.

I also like the Honda Element. They have some similarities.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-18 00:02:30 UTC
in E3 2010 Post #281946
Have you guys seen this?

Looks fun.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-17 19:21:35 UTC
in E3 2010 Post #281941
And there's the added benefit of getting some free gaming magazines:
User posted image
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-17 15:43:47 UTC
in E3 2010 Post #281931
Here you go: link, and link.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-17 15:24:24 UTC
in E3 2010 Post #281930
I just came back from E3 on the last day.

Even without a pass, I could get pretty far into the exhibits and watch a lot of demos (and booth babes).
User posted image
User posted image
I'm uploading some videos to YouTube right now, and I'll post them when the slow upload is complete.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-17 00:36:01 UTC
in E3 2010 Post #281914
Far Cry 2 has had complete dynamic lighting for the past few years.

It is nice, I have to admit. And I am glad that it's finally coming to the Source engine (I hope).
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-16 00:14:36 UTC
in E3 2010 Post #281867
Isn't RabidMonkey in the game industry, considering that he is working on Black Mesa Source?
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-15 14:13:56 UTC
in E3 2010 Post #281836
Anyone going to E3?

I live in Long Beach, so I am only a 30-minute train ride away from E3 (LA Convention Center).

I don't have a pass, so I can't get inside. But I am planning to go on Thursday to scout around outside, when I don't have to work in the morning.

I'll post some pictures if I spot anything interesting.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-05 01:02:50 UTC
in The new Half-Life 2 and Episode One Post #281548
I haven't run into any bugs myself as I play through Half-Life 2 again. But then again, it's after Valve had pushed out an update earlier today (June 4th). Perhaps that update had fixed some bugs already.

Overall, the visual is a noticeable improvement, particularly lighting-related effects. The reflective surface is perhaps the most obvious improvement (cubemap effect enhanced), but when weapons fire (I noticed it in automatic turrets), the flashback offers dynamic lighting. In addition, when you turn on the flashlight, the shadow casted by the bright flashlight is dynamic (it moves with the movement of the flashlight direction). This is most easily noticed when you shine the flashlight through a prop metal gate or fence in a dark spot.

I like it.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-04 01:46:34 UTC
in Windows 7 Wireless Problems Post #281527
Did you buy a new cordless phone or other wireless devices? What type of wireless router do you have (801.11g or 801.11b)?
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 13 years ago2010-06-04 01:23:13 UTC
in Desktops of June Post #281526
User posted image
It's June.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 14 years ago2010-04-29 00:49:35 UTC
in New Steam Post #280857
How do you like the new Steam interface?

What happened to Hammer?
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 14 years ago2010-04-28 19:49:52 UTC
in Last movie you saw? Post #280850
Saw "District 9" finally.

It's really a film about racism. The science fiction aspect was trite, but I enjoyed the humor and the racist commentary in the movie.

I didn't know that "District 9" resulted from the failed attempt to make "Halo" into a motion picture until I watched the documentary.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 14 years ago2010-04-17 14:00:17 UTC
in Spot the Fracture Post #280593
cstriker, I would get your fingers checked out by an orthopedic surgeon. Sometimes when you break the bones in the fingers and they do not have perfect alignment when the healing occurs, you'll end up with permanent disability.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 14 years ago2010-04-17 13:56:11 UTC
in Origins and Home Post #280592
instead of shopping at Wal-Mart you'll buy your stuff at IKEA.
All of our furnitures are from IKEA, including the kitchen cabinets.

IKEA is the most popular furniture store in California.

America lags behind most European countries when it comes to fast broadband connection. Some people still use the modem, and most people use DSL at speed around 2 mbps. I know, I used to have that speed (or lower) until recently, and I live in Los Angeles, one of the biggest metropolitan areas in America.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 14 years ago2010-04-17 00:15:12 UTC
in Spot the Fracture Post #280576
Luke got it right.

The bones in the hand look strange because they are interdigitating with the tip of the father's finger holding the baby for the x-ray.
You're breaking patient confidentiality.
hlife is correct. As long as I do not name the patient or give so much detailed information that the patient becomes easily identifiable, I am not violating any privacy laws.
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”
Posted 14 years ago2010-04-16 18:30:20 UTC
in Spot the Fracture Post #280565
Can you spot the fracture?

This is a 10-month-old who fell off a bed.
User posted image
satchmo satchmo“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. -- Samuel Beckett”