PC Done. Final Specs.

[Raziella]

Man QCDN really shit the bed today. Yea Yea I know it's been reported and all. Raz, I don't want "comfort" I want to touch games in places they might not want to be touched. I think you fail to grasp what happens when you mix a computer junkie with a good paying job, it equals magic.

As for your example 500Mhz vs 550mhz at a 100 dollar price difference, I tap that 550 for the extra hundred bucks, means I have an insignificant gain over those people running @ 500 but none the less a gain. You fail to understand that an inch is an inch.

I am not so insane that I would buy parts and not have money for everyday living. Money is not tight with me, I can afford these parts and still be comphy. If you don't know who Aesop is I suggest you google The fox and the grapes. Because you are totaly being the fox.

I have to ask though Raz, what are you running currently?

Yeah, vBulletin isn't looking so good today. Or perhaps there's something wrong with their DB server.

Thanks for the Fox analogy... Couldn't be further from the truth. It's sad that I even have to bring this up, but...

I'm a software developer, so trust me, I can definitely afford it. It's the principle at stake here. Just because I make nice money doesn't mean I'm frivolous with it. I'm no stranger to splurging on myself, but when it comes to the insanely fast pace of the computer hardware industry, it's just not worth it to keep up with what's on the cutting-edge. Maybe this comes with age, but it gets harder and harder for me to blow money on something that doesn't justify itself in performance and will literally cost half as much 6 months later.

As a man of science and technology, I simply cannot, logically, justify this...

If you must know, I'm running:

CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ (2.6Ghz) 90nm Windsor
Mobo: ASUS M2N-E nForce 500 w/ SLI
Vid-cards: Dual GeForce 7950GT's 256MB (512 total)
Sys-mem: 2G Kingston HyperX DDR2 800 Dual Channel
Hdd: 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM SATA3.0Gb

...All of which totals to about $750 at the moment. Not counting optical drives, case, and PSU which would nudge it to around $900-950. I bought the 2 vid cards separately, the first ran me $350 and the second around $200 after it dropped in price. I planned it this way because I knew that 1 card would be plenty for the games out at the time and I could pick up the 2nd one later. Thus, tapping a lot of extra performance at a much cheaper price. In this case, I read the market well and it paid off for me.

Anybody can throw money at a machine and make it great. Now, In my opinion, if you can make your machine great by doing your industry homework, knowing all the intricacies of your hardware, and tweaking your machine (all while saving a buck)... Even if you're not overclocking and just simply planning ahead... THAT'S impressive! That there is something to brag about.

 

[Arctyrael]

Of course it's bragging rights. This is a primary gland in any enthusiast-gamer's brain, and needs to be satisfied.

Vandy... you post your computer specs every chance you get, nerd.

Razi's right, the leading edge is often the bleeding edge. But it's a minor price to pay for having the e-peen we have come to thrive on.

Good luck Aither. FEAR at maxed settings is something I thought existed only in dreams, god damn I hope they make a sequel or more expansions. Quake4... watching your legs get sawed off at 6xAA and 16xAF is heart-stopping.

ya... I've seen plenty of these type posts by you vandy...

 

[Aither]

Case a point: My current rig can run any game out right now at max settings and I've only stuck about $1400 US into it between initial cost and progressive additions. Sorry, but expense is not a relative term when the cost isn't justified by the margin of performance.

I'm willing to bet money that my rig would dance circles around yours. Also I can justify these costs. "This piece of hardware can do things faster then this one, ergo it is better. Does it cost more - yes. Oh well I can justify buying this piece because it's better even though the cost is higher." Bottom line is, expensive is relative.


Why do you think people buy +1 gear in this game? 1: They help make your stats better, which in turn makes your character perform better. 2: Does also classify as a status symbol in some cases. Or "bragging rights" if you will. I have a Berk+1, That gives me 1 more STR, 1 more Dex, 2 Att and 2 ACC vs a NQ. At the time it was 6M, NQ 1.3M. Small gain, but worth it to me as seeing it was the last piece of armour my DRK would wear the majority of the time, unless I was lucky enough to get an E Body. Do I feel "l33t" in it? Of course, but the main drive to why I bought it, performance. Those + to my stats helps me close the gap in stats I lack in compared to other stronger races, Also gives me an edge vs people of the same race.

I understand that in FFXI these are just pixels on a screen, but they did take time to invest in order (in most cases) to get them, just like I work 11-12 hr days so I can buy a 900 dollar video card. I do love my job and the time there does fly by, but regardless a 55-60hr work week is long. Although I can justify it every other Friday when I get paid.

I meen I even went for the ASC3 (or +1 version) because it has a 11% overall performance boost vs the regular NQ version. You might think 11% is not justifiable, but again, it's all relative to who is looking at it.

Performance comes at a cost, those willing to pay the price will have an edge, no matter how insignificant, an edge is an edge Raz.