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Chris Jacob
This is useful considering I'm building a new rig next month but such a shame they didn't provide benchmark charts. I like to see graphs for these sort of things rather than a vague performance analysis.
No AGP or PCI? I have an old PC, and I don't really have the disposable funds to replace the motherboard, CPU, and related components. I have a 6200, and I've heard mixed news about the newer PCI cards.
@BubbleF**kingBuddy:
Whether you have the money to replace the rest of your system or not it isn't their fault that your hardware is quite literally obsolete. There's no point covering hardware that was phased out about 5 years ago. I mean it's not as if AGP or PCI are even recent anymore.
Trust me you're better off just saving up and buying a new system rather than wasting money on something that's just getting more and more outdated and harder to maintain.
The PC may not be as popular for the home theater as it is for gaming... but it would still be nice if we could occasionally be given more info about what graphics cards are best for use in our home theaters. Like which ones can do 7.1 lossless audio over HDMI? Or which ones are hdcp compliant?
Sigh. None of those meet my requirements. Damn Dell and their pretty space saving design! Who has a normal PCI gfx card with half the normal card size that they want to sell to me?
@Pessimippopotamus: Normal PCI isn't going to give you enough bandwidth for gaming anyway, so I wouldn't really bother if you don't have a PCI-E slot handy.
@Necrotoxin: I had that thought, but I don't want to open that can of worms. I'll end up replacing every part of the computer while making sure each and every single bit is compatible. I'd rather save up for an i7 computer and milk my computer dry as dry as possible.
I've got two of the exact Sapphire HD 4850's pictured Crossfired in my system, and I can attest to their amazing performance for the price point. They also create enough heat to warm a decent-sized apartment, so bonus in the winter! (seriously, make sure your case is well-ventilated)
I recently installed a Radeon 4650. It's one of the relatively few GPUs available in a low-profile PCIe format. It more than doubled performance over my previous nVidia GPU, making the most recent games actually playable! It really is a great bang-for-the-buck GPU.
@whiteflea: Old DSLR, Old DSLR, Old DSLR, - For me, just the fact that a DSLR won't have the shutter lag apparent and extrememely frustrating in almost all PAS's
Thanks for the info on the differences! I am referring this page to some camera shoppers.
AS far as after having the camera...Before I start trolling forums and gather headaches: Which is Better for working with images (cropping, archiving, ...) Apple's Aperature or Adobe's Lightroom? Using a Canon 5D...shooting objects to make catalogs twice a year. Or just stick to photoshop?
Good job, John. Covered everything that a newbie needs to know in a simple yet concise manner. Me likes.
Just one complaint though. The part about CCDs and CMOSs is incorrect. As I mentioned in a comment below, DSLR makers have almost entirely moved to CMOS now. CMOS used to lag behind CCD when it comes to dynamic range, but with the current developments, they have bettered CCDs. The CMOS sensor in the D700 for instance is the class leader when it comes to dynamic range and high ISO performance.
I have a camera showdown between a 6MP DSLR, a 10 MP point 'n shoot, a 3.2MP camera phone and another 12.1MP cameraphone. That's right, one cameraphone in the test had twice as much megapixels as the DSLR!
This seems to focus mainly on takeoff and/or landing yet these are the points that most people don't really care about. Both the takeoff and landing portion constitute of maybe a maximum of 5-10 minutes each. I mean unless you're doing a short hop flight this isn't really going to be much of an issue. I'm flying from the UK to Japan in June and I don't think I'm going to care if for 20 minutes I can't use my iPod. I'll be annoyed if they don't let me use it the other 12+ hours though.
It's a pretty paltry issue, the real problem is when the flight attendants may attempt to stop you using gadgets mid flight. As for takeoff and landing though? Let them have their superstitions, all it's hurting is the whiny and impatient who can't be without headphones for a few minutes. Read a damn book until the plane is in the air.
"...and you guys will let me listen to my iPod after the flight attendants are in their seats and I'm making peace with my god."
Sounds like you find flight a little frightening, like many people I'm sure. Wouldn't flight be a LOT scarier if the industry wasn't operated in the ultra-conservative and highly regulated fashion that it is?
Look, we can split hairs over 15 minutes of gadget restrictions, or we can be glad they let us use them outside of that restriction window. The FAA has MUCH better initiatives to focus on, like modernizing air traffic control.
12/15/09
12/14/09
12/15/09
Whether you have the money to replace the rest of your system or not it isn't their fault that your hardware is quite literally obsolete. There's no point covering hardware that was phased out about 5 years ago. I mean it's not as if AGP or PCI are even recent anymore.
Trust me you're better off just saving up and buying a new system rather than wasting money on something that's just getting more and more outdated and harder to maintain.
12/14/09
12/14/09
12/14/09
[www.newegg.com]
I have had good luck with Nvidia 9500s for lowend systems.
12/14/09
12/14/09
@HeartBurnKid: Agent of R.O.A.C.H.: But how will I play 4 year old games?!
12/14/09
12/14/09
12/14/09
12/14/09
12/14/09
12/14/09
12/10/09
I'm wondering: if I'm on a budget of say $150, would it be better to get a new point-and-shoot or an old DSLR?
12/10/09
12/10/09
12/10/09
AS far as after having the camera...Before I start trolling forums and gather headaches: Which is Better for working with images (cropping, archiving, ...) Apple's Aperature or Adobe's Lightroom? Using a Canon 5D...shooting objects to make catalogs twice a year. Or just stick to photoshop?
12/09/09
12/09/09
Just one complaint though. The part about CCDs and CMOSs is incorrect. As I mentioned in a comment below, DSLR makers have almost entirely moved to CMOS now. CMOS used to lag behind CCD when it comes to dynamic range, but with the current developments, they have bettered CCDs. The CMOS sensor in the D700 for instance is the class leader when it comes to dynamic range and high ISO performance.
I have a camera showdown between a 6MP DSLR, a 10 MP point 'n shoot, a 3.2MP camera phone and another 12.1MP cameraphone. That's right, one cameraphone in the test had twice as much megapixels as the DSLR!
[sandeepmurali.shutterfly.com]
Would make an interesting read for those who wonder about optics vs Megapixels and just how much each of them matter.
12/09/09
12/08/09
It's a pretty paltry issue, the real problem is when the flight attendants may attempt to stop you using gadgets mid flight. As for takeoff and landing though? Let them have their superstitions, all it's hurting is the whiny and impatient who can't be without headphones for a few minutes. Read a damn book until the plane is in the air.
12/07/09
Sounds like you find flight a little frightening, like many people I'm sure. Wouldn't flight be a LOT scarier if the industry wasn't operated in the ultra-conservative and highly regulated fashion that it is?
Look, we can split hairs over 15 minutes of gadget restrictions, or we can be glad they let us use them outside of that restriction window. The FAA has MUCH better initiatives to focus on, like modernizing air traffic control.