Explain SLI to me.

[guncrasher]

I had a back up power supply when I bought my first computer 7 or 8 years ago.  it finally died this year.  if I remember correctly I lost power once or twice in that time.  both due to the santa ana winds which are a killer around here.  when the battery finally died earlier this year, I just bought a power strip.  the power went out two weeks ago due to high winds again.  first time this year.  my system is still up and running along with all my tv's.  I just use a good power strip.


semp

[Chalenge]

UPS devices usually do not die, but the batteries age more quickly when they are not cycled regularly (usual lifespan is 3-5 years). You can usually replace the batteries in them for $40 and stay protected. Surge protectors only cover the few outages you see, but do nothing for power sags and noise which are the larger portion of trouble.

You can cycle a UPS fairly quickly too. Just put a load on them and measure the voltage until it's down to 70% of the minimum float value. Then you can return to normal use. If you do that every 30 days you can nearly double their life span. You can extend it even further by installing the UPS devices into a cabinet that is climate controlled.

You can also use larger cells (larger power pools) outside of the UPS cabinets and use the same UPS as inverter/monitor.

EDIT: Removed "jargon"

[guncrasher]

"climate controlled cabinet"?  sorry boss but my refrigerator is reserved for food and a couple of beers.  I have had my tv, dvr, surround sytem, etc., on the same power strip for about 6 years and it still hasnt failed me.   I actually wish it did so i would have an excuse to buy a 60 inch tv instead of the "little" 42 I have.

my ups lasted me about 6 years and to be honest with you when the power failed my computer wasnt even on.  will I buy another ups? nope.  never again.  the money wanst worth the return on investment in my situation.  for somebody else it might be, but it's not for me.  same as I told mrripley when i said an ssd wont really make a difference for me.  I still spawn on the runway way before most of my squadies do.

i used to work on an insurance company and I understand a bit about risk.


semp

[Chalenge]

Well, if your hardware isn't worth much then you won't miss it when it does die. There are two types of people (as they say), those that have and those that will.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

same as I told mrripley when i said an ssd wont really make a difference for me.  I still spawn on the runway way before most of my squadies do.

That's almost only true with AH. Try the same from bootup or most modern games and you'll get totally different results.

[Skuzzy]

That is because most "modern" games have absolutely horrible loaders so you need the hardware to overcome the deficiencies of bad programming.

We actually do look at most games to see what they are doing.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

That is because most "modern" games have absolutely horrible loaders so you need the hardware to overcome the deficiencies of bad programming.

We actually do look at most games to see what they are doing.

This wasn't a jab pointed at you guys. Many other game titles are just vastly larger compared to AH so they can't be loaded to ram all at once.

[Skuzzy]

This wasn't a jab pointed at you guys. Many other game titles are just vastly larger compared to AH so they can't be loaded to ram all at once.

I did not take it as a jab.  I was poking at the sloppy code many games have in it today which is forcing people to buy hardware to work around that bad code.

[guncrasher]

That's almost only true with AH. Try the same from bootup or most modern games and you'll get totally different results.

I only play aces high and world of tanks.  in both I spawn way before my squadies do.  that's the reason for me it doesnt make sense to buy as it wont really help me a bit.  but that's my own situation, it might not be true for others.

Well, if your hardware isn't worth much then you won't miss it when it does die. There are two types of people (as they say), those that have and those that will.

I have spent about 3k on my computer system, including all accessories.  I have a couple of flat screen tv's that I paid about 2k for both.  about another 1k in sound system, dvd...

I am 48 (49 next week  ), i have owned many tv's and computers in my life time.  including friends and family,  I do not recall of anybody losing any kind of equipment due to a power surge or power failure.

I use a power strip with power surge protection just in case and it meets my needs.  again what works for me doesnt necessarily work for others.


semp