Had a chance to put Fallout New Vegas through its paces with my new Alienware Aurora R3. All I can say is wow. My last PC was no slouch, but the thing that always killed New Vegas for me was the load times between areas, and the jerky frame rate that occurred for the first 20 or 30 seconds you were in a new area.
The Aurora gets rid of that. The longest load time I have experienced was about three seconds. Most areas transition so fast now that I don't even see the load screen pop up. There's no jerkiness as the textures load in a new area, and the animations on things like fire are much smoother. The lighting effects seem to stand out a bit better as well.
So far I'm impressed. Hopefully this Alienware will perform just as well in my other games. (Especially Brink!)
Saturday, May 7, 2011
My Alienware Experience - Part 2
Let's start off with the good:
I have a lot more programs to install on the new system, but hopefully I will be able to take a break and put it through its paces in some games. Then we'll see what it can really do.
- My PC shipped 2 business days early. That means I got it on Friday, May 6th instead of Tuesday, May 10th. Nice. Time to set up before Brink releases.
- The system looks amazing. Ah. Maze. Ing!
- Install was very clean for a pre-built. No bloatware at all.
- The system shipped with a GeForce 590 GTX card with 3 DVI connections and 1 mini-Display Port connection. Alienware sent me a mini-HDMI to HDMI adapter. I have an HDMI cable with a mini on one end and a full size on the other that I have been using for years. I have no DVI cables left. I have a full size Display Port cable. This means that I had to run out and get an adapter for $25 just to be able to turn the thing on. Grrr. Small oversight on their part, but giant pain in my ass.
- The system shipped with NVidia drivers installed that don't support the GeForce 590 GTX card. The card laughed at me when I tried to play World of Warcraft.
- The pre-installed version of WoW is still Wrath of the Lich King. Great. Good thing I have all my stuff on a hard drive in my old PC that is separate from the OS drive. Just popped that out and plugged it into my Alienware. (Which worked flawlessly.)
- The Dell monitor that came with the system: Ugh. I guess I am spoiled by my 27" Dell Ultrasharp, but this new monitor is washed out looking and just not anywhere near as nice. I had hoped to use it as a second display (I mean, what the hell, I got the graphics power to burn now) but I think I may just end up selling it.
I have a lot more programs to install on the new system, but hopefully I will be able to take a break and put it through its paces in some games. Then we'll see what it can really do.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Alienware Aurora R3 specs
| Description | ||
 | ||
| Alienware Aurora-R3 | ||
| Intel Core i7-2600 (8MB Cache) Overclocked Turbo Boost to 3.9GHz | ||
| 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz | ||
| Alienware MM Keyboard, US | ||
| Dell 23 Inch Wide ST2320L | ||
| Single Nvidia GTX 590 | ||
| 1TB SATA 3Gb/s (7,200RPM) 32MB Cache | ||
| Matte Stealth Black Alienware Aurora w/ 875W Multi-GPU Approved PSU | ||
| PC-Restore, Dim/Insp | ||
| DataSafe Local BackUp | ||
| Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English | ||
| Dell Resource DVD with Application Backup | ||
| Accessory Kit, Aurora 3, Eng | ||
| Alienware Optical Mouse, MG100 | ||
| AlienFX Color Astral Aqua | ||
| ADOBE READER 9.0 MULTI- LANGUAGE | ||
| Single Drive: Dual Layer Blu-ray Reader (BD-ROM, DVD+/-RW, CD-RW) | ||
| NERO 9, ANW | ||
| 1 | Power DVD 9.6, 3D | |
| Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium | ||
| Automatic Updates: On | ||
| Alienhead Glow | ||
| Dell Hardware Limited Warranty, Extended Year | ||
| Dell Hardware Limited Warranty, Initial Year | ||
| Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis, 1 Year Extended | ||
| Dell Limited Hardware Warranty Plus In-Home Service After Remote Diagnosis, Initial Year | ||
| 2 Year Limited Warranty | ||
| Accidental Damage Service, 2 Years | ||
| Warranty Support, 1 Year Extended | ||
| Warranty Support, Initial Year | ||
| Soft Contracts Consumer Accidental Damage Agreement for Alienware | ||
| Soft Contracts Dell In-Home Hardware Agreement for Alienware | ||
| Software, DataSafe Online 2.0 2GB | ||
| To activate your online backupaccount, go to Start, Programs, DataSafe Online | ||
| DataSafe Online 2.0 2GB | ||
| Steam and Portal Factory Installed | ||
| World of Warcraft Preinstall Edition | ||
| Alienhead 3D | ||
| Thank you for choosing Dell | ||
| Alienware High-Performance Liquid Cooling | ||
Thursday, April 28, 2011
My Alienware Experience - Part 1
So, I recently came to the conclusion that I need to buy a pre-built computer. The PC that I have been rebuilding over and over since the year 2000 is giving me major issues with just about everything that you can think of. I solve one issue only to be vexed by another. Hey, no problem, right? I used to work in tech support, I should be able to fix these things.
Yeah, no problem. Except that now I have a little girl, a wife, a dog, and a cat who all want some sort of attention at least once a day. I also attend college full time. I also practice the drums for a couple of hours a day. So, when I sit down at my PC, I want to check Facebook and then jump right into a game. (Or, you know, do my homework/ term paper/ online courses) I don't have the extra time I used to have to figure out why the hell my PC is freaking out again.
So, with all that in mind, I started looking at pre-built PCs capable of doing high end gaming stuff as well as my papers. Alienware has been around for a long time, and I was aware of them, but I was also aware that they are expensive. So, believe me when I say I did my homework. I looked at every custom gaming PC shop online. I looked up parts prices to make sure I knew what things should cost compared to what I was being charged.
In the end, I came back to Alienware.
There were a few reasons for my choice. First, they are owned by Dell. This is a big one, as I have dealt with Dell professionally for close to a decade through different jobs. I know what kind of tech support I can expect from them, and I know how to work them to get what I want. This is the biggest reason for me to buy a pre-built. I want someone else to work out the issue while I move on to something else. Dell can connect remotely and solve issues, and my coverage will let them send someone to work on it if they have to, or replace the whole thing if need be. Hell, I even have coverage for accidental spills and drops.
Secondly, was price. I know, I know, all the Internet ragers claim Alienware is ridiculously overpriced and horrible. The fact is, when you look at what you get for what you pay, they are about the cheapest custom gaming PC you can get, bar Cyberpower PC and their ilk. This is true even after looking at local shops. It helps that I got a huge discount for being a student as well.
For a little over $2000 US, I got a PC with CPU liquid cooling, an Intel i7 Sandy Bridge clocked at 3.9 GHz, 8 Gigs of DDR3 RAM, a Geforce 590 card, 1 Tb HDD, 875W PSU, Blu Ray drive, and a custom case. Because of my student status, I also got access to a package (which they pulled the day after I ordered) that included free 2 year warranty status (which I upgraded to advanced for $30), a 23" Dell HD monitor, and a free $100 Alienware headset. (TactX) I also had a coupon for $50 off, so I used it to upgrade to overnight shipping.
All in all, I am theoretically happy with my purchase. When it ships next week (The PC, I already have the headset) I will start my evaluation period and decide if it is really worth it.
Yeah, no problem. Except that now I have a little girl, a wife, a dog, and a cat who all want some sort of attention at least once a day. I also attend college full time. I also practice the drums for a couple of hours a day. So, when I sit down at my PC, I want to check Facebook and then jump right into a game. (Or, you know, do my homework/ term paper/ online courses) I don't have the extra time I used to have to figure out why the hell my PC is freaking out again.
So, with all that in mind, I started looking at pre-built PCs capable of doing high end gaming stuff as well as my papers. Alienware has been around for a long time, and I was aware of them, but I was also aware that they are expensive. So, believe me when I say I did my homework. I looked at every custom gaming PC shop online. I looked up parts prices to make sure I knew what things should cost compared to what I was being charged.
In the end, I came back to Alienware.
There were a few reasons for my choice. First, they are owned by Dell. This is a big one, as I have dealt with Dell professionally for close to a decade through different jobs. I know what kind of tech support I can expect from them, and I know how to work them to get what I want. This is the biggest reason for me to buy a pre-built. I want someone else to work out the issue while I move on to something else. Dell can connect remotely and solve issues, and my coverage will let them send someone to work on it if they have to, or replace the whole thing if need be. Hell, I even have coverage for accidental spills and drops.
Secondly, was price. I know, I know, all the Internet ragers claim Alienware is ridiculously overpriced and horrible. The fact is, when you look at what you get for what you pay, they are about the cheapest custom gaming PC you can get, bar Cyberpower PC and their ilk. This is true even after looking at local shops. It helps that I got a huge discount for being a student as well.
For a little over $2000 US, I got a PC with CPU liquid cooling, an Intel i7 Sandy Bridge clocked at 3.9 GHz, 8 Gigs of DDR3 RAM, a Geforce 590 card, 1 Tb HDD, 875W PSU, Blu Ray drive, and a custom case. Because of my student status, I also got access to a package (which they pulled the day after I ordered) that included free 2 year warranty status (which I upgraded to advanced for $30), a 23" Dell HD monitor, and a free $100 Alienware headset. (TactX) I also had a coupon for $50 off, so I used it to upgrade to overnight shipping.
All in all, I am theoretically happy with my purchase. When it ships next week (The PC, I already have the headset) I will start my evaluation period and decide if it is really worth it.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Fear Mongering by Gun Control Activists
Here’s some logic for you: Ban “assault clips” – magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds – because they are only good for killing a lot of people very fast.
Here’s some similar logic: Ban “assault vehicles” – minivans and other vehicles capable of holding more than 5 people – because they are only good for killing a lot of people very fast.
But, you may say, minivans are actually very useful because they allow people to transport larger groups of family and friends to school, sports events, or other outings. Sure, some nutjob parents may have killed a bunch of their kids by crashing them or driving them into water, but the rest of us shouldn’t be punished for their actions right? I mean, obviously minivans weren’t created simply to allow people to kill other people. That’s not their primary purpose.
And all of that is true.
It’s also true that magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds serve equally benign purposes. Competitors in shooting events have a better chance to score higher, target shooters can spend less time reloading and more time enjoying themselves, and people concerned about safety for themselves and their families can rest easier knowing they have a better chance to defend themselves.
But, but…people can use those large magazines to kill other people! Yes, this is true. It’s also true that people can use cars to kill other people. In fact, many times more people are killed each year by motor vehicles than are killed by firearms. Many tragedies occur daily involving vehicles, and yet we don’t have a public outcry to ban them. When the rarer gun death occurs, however, people are quick to try to capitalize on the tragedy to spread fear.
And make no mistake; this is about controlling people with fear. That’s why the argument is completely illogical. They don’t want you to think about it, they want you so afraid that you agree with them and advance their political agenda.
Here are some of their arguments:
You don’t need more than 10 rounds to defend yourself. – The fact is that in stressful situations, even trained military and law enforcement officers miss more often than they hit. The fact is that there are many instances where the bad guy doesn’t stop his aggressive behavior even after being hit a dozen times. The fact is that often people are attacked by multiple bad guys at the same time.
If they really thought this was true, why wouldn’t they be calling on the government to ban large capacity magazines for law enforcement and military too? It’s obvious that they know this is a lie, and they’re just hoping that you swallow it.
There are no legitimate reasons to need that many rounds in a “clip”. – Fact: many competitions require you to fire as many rounds as you can in as short a time possible. The bigger the capacity of the magazine, the less time you spend swapping magazines and the better your score. Fact: many of us would rather concentrate on the principals of marksmanship than on reloading our magazines every five seconds at the range. And I already mentioned the legitimate need to defend yourself and your family.
From the Brady website:
It’s so obvious now! Except that automatic weapons have been effectively banned from civilian ownership in this country, and yet criminals still manage to get them. In fact, it would be very easy for criminals to manufacture their own magazines. You don’t exactly need a lot of complicated equipment and skills to put a piece of sheet metal together with a spring. They could simply use the followers and floorplates of factory magazines to complete their very own high capacity magazine.
Many of the AK-47s on this planet are manufactured in villages with no indoor plumbing or electricity. To think that American criminals with access to even basic tools could not put together their own magazines is ignorant in the extreme.
Come on people, sometimes awful things happen, but you shouldn’t use those bad things to impose your will upon others or to spread fear and ignorance. And I’m sorry, but you simply cannot legislate crime away. You can only punish law abiding citizens and ignore inconvenient truths.
Here are some more useful facts for making up your own minds:
99% of the time when someone says "clip" they are referring to what is actually called a magazine. A clip is something that feeds or loads a magazine. Of course, most of the lawmakers trying to create legislation for guns don't actually know much about them. Perhaps that's why they fear them so much.
High Capacity magazines - Most of the time this is used to demonize magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds. The fact is that standard capacity for most modern semi-automatic rifles is 20 - 30 rounds. Standard capacity for most modern semi-automatic pistols is between 12 and 20 rounds. Pistol that shoot larger bullets, a .45 for example, tend to hold 8 - 10, and tiny pistols made for concealment tend to hold 6 - 10 rounds.
According to the FBI, violent crime in the country has been decreasing steadily since 1992, regardless of the assault weapon ban in 1994 and it's lifting in 2004.
Here’s some similar logic: Ban “assault vehicles” – minivans and other vehicles capable of holding more than 5 people – because they are only good for killing a lot of people very fast.
But, you may say, minivans are actually very useful because they allow people to transport larger groups of family and friends to school, sports events, or other outings. Sure, some nutjob parents may have killed a bunch of their kids by crashing them or driving them into water, but the rest of us shouldn’t be punished for their actions right? I mean, obviously minivans weren’t created simply to allow people to kill other people. That’s not their primary purpose.
And all of that is true.
It’s also true that magazines capable of holding more than 10 rounds serve equally benign purposes. Competitors in shooting events have a better chance to score higher, target shooters can spend less time reloading and more time enjoying themselves, and people concerned about safety for themselves and their families can rest easier knowing they have a better chance to defend themselves.
But, but…people can use those large magazines to kill other people! Yes, this is true. It’s also true that people can use cars to kill other people. In fact, many times more people are killed each year by motor vehicles than are killed by firearms. Many tragedies occur daily involving vehicles, and yet we don’t have a public outcry to ban them. When the rarer gun death occurs, however, people are quick to try to capitalize on the tragedy to spread fear.
And make no mistake; this is about controlling people with fear. That’s why the argument is completely illogical. They don’t want you to think about it, they want you so afraid that you agree with them and advance their political agenda.
Here are some of their arguments:
You don’t need more than 10 rounds to defend yourself. – The fact is that in stressful situations, even trained military and law enforcement officers miss more often than they hit. The fact is that there are many instances where the bad guy doesn’t stop his aggressive behavior even after being hit a dozen times. The fact is that often people are attacked by multiple bad guys at the same time.
If they really thought this was true, why wouldn’t they be calling on the government to ban large capacity magazines for law enforcement and military too? It’s obvious that they know this is a lie, and they’re just hoping that you swallow it.
There are no legitimate reasons to need that many rounds in a “clip”. – Fact: many competitions require you to fire as many rounds as you can in as short a time possible. The bigger the capacity of the magazine, the less time you spend swapping magazines and the better your score. Fact: many of us would rather concentrate on the principals of marksmanship than on reloading our magazines every five seconds at the range. And I already mentioned the legitimate need to defend yourself and your family.
From the Brady website:
4. They Claim: If you ban large-capacity ammunition magazines, only criminals will have them and law-abiding citizens will be outgunned.
Response: Are you saying we should continue to make it easy for dangerous people to get their hands on ammunition magazines that hold up to 100 bullets? A ban on the sale of large-capacity ammunition magazines would make it harder for criminals to get them to commit mass murder. If manufacturers stop making these magazines for civilian use, criminals aren’t going to start making their own. The supply will eventually dry up.
It’s so obvious now! Except that automatic weapons have been effectively banned from civilian ownership in this country, and yet criminals still manage to get them. In fact, it would be very easy for criminals to manufacture their own magazines. You don’t exactly need a lot of complicated equipment and skills to put a piece of sheet metal together with a spring. They could simply use the followers and floorplates of factory magazines to complete their very own high capacity magazine.
Many of the AK-47s on this planet are manufactured in villages with no indoor plumbing or electricity. To think that American criminals with access to even basic tools could not put together their own magazines is ignorant in the extreme.
Come on people, sometimes awful things happen, but you shouldn’t use those bad things to impose your will upon others or to spread fear and ignorance. And I’m sorry, but you simply cannot legislate crime away. You can only punish law abiding citizens and ignore inconvenient truths.
Here are some more useful facts for making up your own minds:
99% of the time when someone says "clip" they are referring to what is actually called a magazine. A clip is something that feeds or loads a magazine. Of course, most of the lawmakers trying to create legislation for guns don't actually know much about them. Perhaps that's why they fear them so much.
High Capacity magazines - Most of the time this is used to demonize magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds. The fact is that standard capacity for most modern semi-automatic rifles is 20 - 30 rounds. Standard capacity for most modern semi-automatic pistols is between 12 and 20 rounds. Pistol that shoot larger bullets, a .45 for example, tend to hold 8 - 10, and tiny pistols made for concealment tend to hold 6 - 10 rounds.
According to the FBI, violent crime in the country has been decreasing steadily since 1992, regardless of the assault weapon ban in 1994 and it's lifting in 2004.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Top 5 Most Annoying Religions
In no particular order.
1. - Christianity. A million different sects, all with their own rules and beliefs. Most of them incompatible with each other. You don't like black people, or Jews, or gay people, or people that drive Volkswagens? Then there's a Christian sect for you. And they're all right, and you are wrong. And they love to tell you about it. Loudly.
2. - Atheism. The religion that revolves around telling anyone who believes in anything that they are wrong and that life is all a huge coincidence. They believe so strongly in their non-belief that they feel the need to shove their non-belief on to everyone else, thus making them a religion of non-religion.
3. Global Warming Eco-Freaks. The religion of decrying the evils of man and their planet killing technologies. Al Gore is their pope, and you are an enemy of the planet. Never mind that scientific evidence tells us that the Earth warms and cools in cycles and has been doing this for millions of years without mankind's evil. No, it's all because of US and we're all going to be EXTINCT!
4. Islam. - Almost any religion is about controlling people and getting them to act the way that you think is appropriate. Islam is just a lot more open about that, and is in control of a good many governments throughout the world. You know, friendly, happy places like Iran, Sudan, and Indonesia. Combine the countries controlled by Islamic law with the actions of groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda and you can kind of see why Islam annoys people.
5. Democrats and Republicans. Oh, come on. You know that you are religions. Your followers believe everything you say, and try to convert people from the other side. You both take offerings from your followers, promise to take care of them and lead them on the path, and fleece them like a televangelist with a million dollar gambling debt.
1. - Christianity. A million different sects, all with their own rules and beliefs. Most of them incompatible with each other. You don't like black people, or Jews, or gay people, or people that drive Volkswagens? Then there's a Christian sect for you. And they're all right, and you are wrong. And they love to tell you about it. Loudly.
2. - Atheism. The religion that revolves around telling anyone who believes in anything that they are wrong and that life is all a huge coincidence. They believe so strongly in their non-belief that they feel the need to shove their non-belief on to everyone else, thus making them a religion of non-religion.
3. Global Warming Eco-Freaks. The religion of decrying the evils of man and their planet killing technologies. Al Gore is their pope, and you are an enemy of the planet. Never mind that scientific evidence tells us that the Earth warms and cools in cycles and has been doing this for millions of years without mankind's evil. No, it's all because of US and we're all going to be EXTINCT!
4. Islam. - Almost any religion is about controlling people and getting them to act the way that you think is appropriate. Islam is just a lot more open about that, and is in control of a good many governments throughout the world. You know, friendly, happy places like Iran, Sudan, and Indonesia. Combine the countries controlled by Islamic law with the actions of groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda and you can kind of see why Islam annoys people.
5. Democrats and Republicans. Oh, come on. You know that you are religions. Your followers believe everything you say, and try to convert people from the other side. You both take offerings from your followers, promise to take care of them and lead them on the path, and fleece them like a televangelist with a million dollar gambling debt.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Birthdays
Yeah, don't feel bad if I forget yours. (If I know you. You other people can piss off.) I can't ever remember how old I am unless I take a few seconds to remember my birthday and calculate how old I am from my birth date. Memorize my age? Yeah, I tried that. Unfortunately, while I sleep my subconscious keeps whispering over and over to my slumbering mind "you're 25! You're only 25!" Reality doesn't help much either. You can't be that old, you're still in college and you don't have a job!
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