Random Technology Questions

[Whiskey]

You could setup sharing on some folders which are saved on the server. First you would have to make sure the HTPC is in the homegroup.

Thanks, got it working!

 

Have one more question. I'm getting a new GPU next week and I'm torn between a GTX 670 and a AMD 7970. I haven't done much resrach for the 7970 but I'm looking at two 670's in particular.

 

Gigabyte Windforce 2GB 670.

[link]

 

ASUS 2GB DirectCU II 670.

[link]

 

Any kind of suggestions would be appreciated! I'm torn! Cheers!

[Mince]

So I've been testing numerous games out on my PC lately, a few major titles and indie games. I've noticed slow performance on some, whereas I get excellent performance on others. I'm sure this is due to either my graphics card or processor being inadequate. How can I tell which it is?

 

My specs:

 

2.6 GHz Pentium Dual Core

Radeon 7750 HD

6 GB of DDR2 ram

Windows 8 64 bit

 

If I need to post other info, I can. For reference, this is a Vista machine made in 2009 that has been upgraded to 7 and now 8. I've upgraded the graphics card, but the processor is what came stock. I can upgrade the processor to a 2.6 GHz Core 2 Quad at the max.

 

Some examples: I tried playing SCP Containment Breach, and I was getting around 20 frames no matter the resolution. Minecraft varies: with Optifine I can get 60 frames most of the time, but with no mods I get 30-40 frames at max. L4D2 runs perfectly with 60+ frames all the time.

 

edit - I probably should rephrase that. Which do you guys think is holding me back more on game performance, the processor or the graphics card?

Edited April 19, 2013 by mincemate003

[yoječ]

This rig is pretty balanced, but if I was to guess I'd say the CPU holds you back more. Unless you meant Pentium D not Dual Core - then the CPU would be culprit.

[Mince]

Yep, it's a Pentium, in fact it appears to be this exact model. I'm assuming the Pentium is just too outdated/slow to run games, so I need to focus on that. I know once I max everything out (8 GB is the max for RAM, and I can't have double slot graphics cards) it will still have problems with newer titles, but that's fine with me. I will eventually dish out and probably build a PC from scratch. Thanks.

[Rebel]

Not sure where to put this but I thought I'd ask here first since its more tech related than gaming right now. Basically, I'm kind of looking into getting some emulators - I'm sure a quick google will get me going in the right direction but I'm wondering if its possible to get PS1/PS2 games on an emulator to play?

[friendly luggage]

http://www.emulator-zone.com/doc.php/psx/

This website should help you out. Beware of the adverts which say "play now".

[na89340qv0n34b09q340]

 

Not sure where to put this but I thought I'd ask here first since its more tech related than gaming right now. Basically, I'm kind of looking into getting some emulators - I'm sure a quick google will get me going in the right direction but I'm wondering if its possible to get PS1/PS2 games on an emulator to play?

I haven't looked much into PS2 Emulation, but PS1 emulation is easy enough. ePSXe, my favorite PS1 emulator, can be downloaded here. To set it up you're going to need to either extract a PS1 BIOS. or get it some other way. Here's a good setup guide that provides links to plugins and other things you're going to want.

 

You're also going to need ECM if you want to download game isos from the internet, because a lot of CD image files are compressed using it. If you don't want to use it through the command-line just drag and drop the ECM files onto UNECM.

Edited April 25, 2013 by zoo3891

[Guest]

For some reason all of the folders that are in Documents, are also in Music. They're not copied, but somehow synchronized because if I delete it from Documents the same one deletes from Music?! (Windows 8)

[Crokey]

Anyone know of any small programs of command lines, cause I can't seem to find any that can do the following.

 

Basically print off or generate a report on all files and folders (mainly video files) with the tag data as well, like resolution, length, time, etc. I can generate a report through the command prompt which gives the file name and directories as well as the size of the file but not the extra tag info.

 

Any Ideas?

[sivispacem]

Anyone know of any small programs of command lines, cause I can't seem to find any that can do the following.

 

Basically print off or generate a report on all files and folders (mainly video files) with the tag data as well, like resolution, length, time, etc. I can generate a report through the command prompt which gives the file name and directories as well as the size of the file but not the extra tag info.

 

Any Ideas?

I'm sure I've seen a Python script that does this, but I can't for the life of me remember what it's called.

[Rebel]

Not sure where to put this but I thought I'd ask here first since its more tech related than gaming right now. Basically, I'm kind of looking into getting some emulators - I'm sure a quick google will get me going in the right direction but I'm wondering if its possible to get PS1/PS2 games on an emulator to play?

I haven't looked much into PS2 Emulation, but PS1 emulation is easy enough. ePSXe, my favorite PS1 emulator, can be downloaded here. To set it up you're going to need to either extract a PS1 BIOS. or get it some other way. Here's a good setup guide that provides links to plugins and other things you're going to want.

 

You're also going to need ECM if you want to download game isos from the internet, because a lot of CD image files are compressed using it. If you don't want to use it through the command-line just drag and drop the ECM files onto UNECM.

Thanks a bunch for the link it actually really helped. Very simple to understand for a beginner. I'm not sure what this ECM thing is all about though - or what this UNECM is haha but I think I'll set up ePSXe again on a rainy day and see how it goes since that link you provided is awesome. I checked out a couple youtube videos but they don't seem to do it step by step for some reason.

[na89340qv0n34b09q340]

 

Thanks a bunch for the link it actually really helped. Very simple to understand for a beginner. I'm not sure what this ECM thing is all about though - or what this UNECM is haha but I think I'll set up ePSXe again on a rainy day and see how it goes since that link you provided is awesome. I checked out a couple youtube videos but they don't seem to do it step by step for some reason.

ECM is just a filetype (and the name of that program) that psx game files are often compressed with, kind of like .zip or .rar files. UNECM is the name of a program that also comes with the ECM program. You just drag any ECM file onto it and it'll uncompress and give you a file that can be read by the emulator. The reason I included it is because lots of psx files you get from rom sites are compressed with ECM, so if you're using the emulator to play actual CDs, or if you manage to find the files as .iso or .zip files you don't need to worry about it.

 

I'm glad the link helped.

[SuperVeloce]

Probably sounds like a dumb question, but does installing iTunes to my computer affect gaming performance at all?

[Mince]

 

Probably sounds like a dumb question, but does installing iTunes to my computer affect gaming performance at all?

Assuming iTunes isn't set to run on startup and is not running during your gaming session, it should not affect the performance. If you are tight on resources, do make sure that all of the iTunes-related processes like "AppleMobileDeviceSetup" and "iTunes Helper" are disabled as well. I've had some of them spike up for no reason and take 90% of my processing speed away, and my processor isn't that bad.

 

edit - just to clarify, assuming your specs aren't that bad, iTunes should never really slow things down. It can be a hog on lower tier systems though, especially those running XP/Vista.

Edited May 1, 2013 by mincemate003

[Whiskey]

Have a question guys.

 

Been playing BF3 with my GTX 670 there and I've started to get artifacts. I'm on the latest beta drivers. Temps aren't bad, HWmonitor says that the highest temp was 60 degrees while playing. Ran Unigine Heaven 3D and I never got any artifacts or errors. Should I uninstall the drivers and revert to old ones?

Edited May 7, 2013 by Whiskey

[friendly luggage]

Should I uninstall the drivers and revert to old ones?

You might have to try that. Have you overclocked your card lately?

[Whiskey]

It was factory overclocked, I had overclocked it, but only slightly. I didn't change the voltage or anything. I reverted back to the default clocks. Going to roll back the drivers now. Some have said that it might be BF3 specific as on full settings the memory leaks or something along the lines. I just hope the card doesn't have to be RMA'd.

[yoječ]

Allegedly 320.00 drivers are bugged.

[Dnero]

Is the 680 worth buying? I just saw one in Amazon for only like 380 pounds, that's like almost half the actual price. I have the 660 Ti at the moment, but if I do get it, I'm gonna give the 660 to a friend.

 

So yeah, is it worth getting?

[Finn 7 five 11]

If you were building a new rig I would say "Yes, Definitely".

 

If you already have the 660 ti it's not such an easy question. Next generation is around the corner so more power will come in handy for sure, look at benchmarks for games on super high settings and see what the differences are, and then you can decide.

 

If I were you, try get some cash out of the ti. Maybe €100, that's quite a fair mates rates price and it'll make the upgrade more worth it.

[yoječ]

IMHO GTX680 is far more expensive than GTX670/HD7970, while not being really that much faster. Not a good deal in my book.

[Dnero]

Alright then, I'll be getting the 670. Which one though?

 

EVGA GTX 670 2GB

 

or

 

EVGA GTX 670 4GB w/ Backplate

 

and what does the backplate do btw?

[Ryan]

The blackplate is merely for looks. Unless you're gaming across multiple monitors, the 2GB card will be fine. One suggestion I would make though is to get a card with an aftermarket cooler. The stock cooler, like those EVGA cards have are fine, but cards from Asus, MSI, Gigabyte, ect all run a lot cooler with their aftermarket coolers.

[sivispacem]

The blackplate is merely for looks.

It adds a great deal of rigidity. Not that you really need that with the 2-slot cars, unlike the 3-slot ones which weight a stupid amount.

[Dnero]

Still wondering why most people recommended me the 670, instead of the 680. Is it really not much of a difference?

[sivispacem]

Give or take 10% unless you are running extremely high resolutions or multiple monitors. Not really worth the 20% price premium.

[Shoumaker]

 

Still wondering why most people recommended me the 670, instead of the 680. Is it really not much of a difference?

Most of your friends will recommend you the GTX 670 because even though a standard GTX680 is 10% faster than a 670 OC'd edition like sivispacem said, even though this isn't the case with a normal GTX 670 where the performance differences will be more it still isn't worth the 20-30% higher price tag.

[xI Jakk Ix]

Still wondering why most people recommended me the 670, instead of the 680. Is it really not much of a difference?

The 7970 GHz Edition is also a card worth considering. It's actually faster than the GTX 680 in a lot of games and benchmarks. Best thing is it's also £50 cheaper. So I would choose that over a 670/680. AMD cards are also good overclockers, so you can squeeze a bit more out of an already OC'ed card. This is if you're considering an AMD card.

[Dnero]

Alright, got another question.

 

Can you bring a desktop on a plane? If so, which is best, the cabin or luggage (with fragile written all over it). Mine's not really a tower, it's a Cooler Master Elite 120. Not that big, a bit heavy though.

[Pat]

Still wondering why most people recommended me the 670, instead of the 680. Is it really not much of a difference?

The 7970 GHz Edition is also a card worth considering. It's actually faster than the GTX 680 in a lot of games and benchmarks. Best thing is it's also £50 cheaper. So I would choose that over a 670/680. AMD cards are also good overclockers, so you can squeeze a bit more out of an already OC'ed card. This is if you're considering an AMD card.

HD7970s are not worthwhile in my opinion if you know how to overclock a GPU (which you absolutely should if you're buying AMD). HD7950s and HD7970s both have borderline identical OCs when taken as high as you can safely go, leading to less than a 4FPS difference in performance on average, when the HD7950 is ~$100 less. It's absolutely the better deal if you ask me.

 

Avoid Gigabye, though, I've heard their HD7950s are voltage locked and it would be absolutely pointless to buy a voltage locked HD7950 or HD7970. You'd be wasting so much of their potential.