Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: Tigger29 on November 11, 2006, 07:04:00 PM
-
Just wanted to fill you guys in on my progress. I played AHII for about 2 years and ended up cancelling my membership (no NOT because of the arena changes.. this happened just before) due to me losing my job and financial troubles.
No it wasn't the $15/month that was the problem.. it was because I trashed my computer... It was an XP2200 system.. not the fastest thing in town, but worked fine for the most part with AH. It kept overheating.. I removed the processor fan/heatsink to clean it out... and my computer never worked again after that... must have cracked the motherboard or something. It was like rubbing salt in the wound... "HAHA you're out of a job..." then two days later "HAHA you broke your computer.. no AH for YOU!" very, very depressing times!
I had been using my 450mhz backup system as I didn't have the money to repair mine. Spent 2 months out of work total.. but a month into it I was hired by Pitney Bowes to do printer/internet maintenance at two local IBM offices here.. YAY! two bosses, but both residing out of town.. half way decent pay (but still not close to what I made as an automotive mechanic)... but after waiting 3 weeks they never sent me my "welcome aboard" packet, nor would they return my phone calls.
I finally gave up hope on that position and got lucky with a Service Advisor position at a local Honda dealership. Besides having a PITA boss, they treat me great and the pay is very very decent. I took advantage of being out of work to finally get away from wrenching, and it seems to have finally paid off.
Two weeks into my new job, I get a call from.. guess who? Pitney Bowes... asking if I'm ready to start... so I asked them why it's taken a month and a half to even contact me and they gave me some excuse about closing the position and then reopening it.. and promised me I had the job, but I'd have to reapply...
Well by this point my wife had decided to find work more enjoyable and less stressful and I could not afford to take a pay cut at this point for my "dream job".. and they've kind of ticked me off about the whole thing anyway.
Now I've been with this dealership just over a month. It's very stressful but nothing I can't handle. I only hope to get back into a system so I can finally relax with my favorite stress relieving game! The Sims!.. er wait that's my wife's favorite stress relieving game... ACES HIGH!!!
I'm finally at the point to where we're just about caught up on our behind bills.. bank account balance finally staying in the positive.. and I can start saving up for a system... if I'm going to spend the money I might as well upgrade.
Unfortunately the Wife isn't exactly ecstatic about me getting back into AH.. but whose wife is? Besides her Sims2 game is collecting dust and she wants to be able to play it just as badly as I want to try out the new Arena formats here!
Hopefully by Christmas we'll be in a position to buy the parts for me to assemble a better system, and we'll both be in "angry at each other for spending so much time on the computer" heaven once again! YAY!
Thanks guys for helping me out in other threads.. you helped me through quite possibly the roughest two months of my life (mentally AND financially). I don't think I can say I couldn't have done it without you, but you did help me out quite a bit! I was so afraid we'd lose this house.. our first house together.. and even though it's a rental it's still a HOUSE, but thank God our Landlord was VERY understanding and FORGIVING... and blatently REFUSED to even consider eviction or even charging us any late fees on our rent, even though it's very clearly stated in our lease.
And thank God for my father.. who is my second-most best friend (next to my wife)... who has been there for me, even though he's going through his own problems...
For those of you who think there are no good people left in this world, and I'll be honest I was starting to think that myself for awhile... think again.
Hopefully I'll be shooting you down soon! OKOK you'll be shooting ME down.. but I'll at least be having fun.
And by the way, that 450 mhz old Monorail system doesn't do half bad.. I loaded it down with spare ram sitting around in the basement.. got 384Megs in that sucker.. takes 2 minutes to post.. even WITH quick boot! I put a decent AGP video card in it... and it actually cranks surprising quick... still not quick enough for AH... but quick enough for common uses. I had to unplug the floppy though, because for some reason it would reboot every time I rolled by my computer chair... I guess the vibration shorted out the floppy somehow dangdest thing I've ever seen!
OK.. enough... have fun guys and THANK YOU!
-
Welcome back :) Glad to hear RL treating you better.
Now start complaining about the changes :D See adjacent threads for proper form and style.
------------
I built my own compy about 2 years ago. Been able to sneak in a new processor, and hard drive without wife complaining. RAM is next. As long as you keep the same box, wife can't complain as it's still the "same" computer...you're just fixing things that have gotten worn out, right? :lol
-
Tigger I'm sure I can find a few sticks of RAM I can part with if you really need them.
Have some Samsung RDRAM 256 sticks and a couple SDRAM 256 sticks if it helps when the time comes.
Congrats on the good fortune.
-
Glad to see there's light at the end for you .
My present job of 27 years looks like it might end all going to China , so hopeing it works out for us also .
cu up
-
Well you might try a setup like mine...
..
(http://www.mrmidi.org/images/newcpu.jpg)
-
CPU-heated beer. Yeah, that hits the spot.
-
Originally posted by OOZ662
CPU-heated beer.
Ummm no, that would be beer cooled CPU
-
No.. that's just a regular computer using Winbrew XP
I'm hoping to go with a AMD 64 bit setup... I have a nice AGP card and plenty of hard drives.. not the newest HD technology.. but enough to get by.
So basically I'll need a motherboard, processor.. and RAM. I can upgrade the other things later.
What sucks is I have a basement full of computer parts... and every bit of it is obsolete ;)
-
Welcome back Tigger!
Im really glad things worked out so good for you. Enjoy the new job and hopefully see you up soon again :).
-
Life has its ups and downs, I am glad to hear your on the up :)
I have some spare PC parts.... But I am all the way over here in Aus...
On a side note: As much as I love my 2005 650 Vstrom, My laptop and AH, when you really think about it all that matters is:
[list=1]
- Your children are in good health (perhaps I should say loved ones)
- They have food on the table
- You have a roof over their heads
[/list=1]
When you think abou it the rest is just window dressing.....
Good Luck with it all buddy...
-
Tigger, I have been unemployed since August, after getting laid-off by Ford. You are right, you find who "your real friends are", real quick.
I run a:
AMD 3500+
Gigabyte GA-K8N-SLi
eVga 7900GT
-
If you're starting over, I suggest biting the bullet and going all the way with a new system based on the Intel core 2 duo cpus and pci-e. Buying back into an AGP system at this point is really going to kill you later on.
I'd go with the cheapest core 2 duo cpu you can find, 1 gig memory, and a mid-range nvidia 7xxx video card such as the 7600 varieties for under $200. Re-use your hard drive and use motherboard integrated sound if you must, but please don't buy an AGP A64 setup just because that's what you need to re-use your video card. Trust me, you won't really save any money that way and you'll get a lot more performance and upgradability by going for the low-mid range intel and pci-e.
-
Originally posted by eagl
Buying back into an AGP system at this point is really going to kill you later on.
Amen!
Since you're getting a new motherboard, you need one that will last a long long time. AGP boards won't supply that right now. However, if you have old parts that you want to re-use so you can upgrade 1 at a time, then I'll take the chance to promote my favorite motherboard: the ASRock 775Dual-VSTA (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813157092). Use your old DDR1 and VGA card now while you can, and still upgrade 1 piece at a time later (beats buying everything at once, as most motherboards force you to do).
Note: I'm biased on this mobo. I love it. It's only around $50, as well! A lot of conroe-capable boards are 2 to 3 times this much.
You'll need a CPU, but since this takes 533MHz FSB, 800MHz, and 1033MHz FSB you can use lowly ("cheap") Celerons, mid-range P4s, or if you want to splurge a little just get a Conroe E6300 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819115005) (the cheapest of the Core2Duos). So, keeping everything else you've got, that's just $50 for mobo and anywhere from $60 to $200 for a CPU, and you can recycle everything else.
Throw in a mid-range PCIe vid card, and add about 60-80 bucks.
Throw in more ram (only 2 slots on this motherboard) and add about $50 per 512MB.
-
:D
Hi all,
I'm a former AW guy getting ready to return to the skies. (stop yer drooling, I'll die plenty).
Glad to be getting back to such a great community and tons 'o fun!
Not to vulch Tigger's topic, but I'd welcome advice on my hardware. I've been reading the topics trying to gather tips and info...
I have my Alienware tower:
P4 2.66.
768MB of pc800 RDRAM (booo).
nVidia Ti4600 card w/ 128MB.
Bought my RadioShack gameport --> USB widget so I can connect my Saitek Cyborg 3D Digital stick.
Gonna reformat and tune. With the RAM and video limitations, any idea what I can expect in terms of game performance and detail settings? Just wondering if it will work for the short term. I like Krusty's mboard recommendation and may eventually need to retool. Or I should I upgrade my AGP card for under $100 and live with it?
Thanks for the help!
-
RDRAM is actually one of the best kinds of RAM there is IIRC. However, it's very expensive. If you can get more, tha'd be great. Otherwise you have a pretty good setup there.
I'd hazard a guess at using 512 textures with no preloads. Enable skins.
There are three detail sliders in the game. Mess around with those to fine tune the settings.
Can always change it it it's too slow or not challenged enough by your settings.
-
Not so. When it came out, RDRAM was the answer to the problems DDR hadn't overcome yet. It was, however, far more expensive to make. However, DDR soon hit its stride and surpassed RDRAM. So modern DDR (400MHz and up) out performs RDRAM. DDR2 is even better.
You won't find RDRAM hardly anywhere, because they stopped making it years ago. I know. I tried to find some for my sister's PC. Ended up just buying her a new motherboard instead.
As for how well it'll run...
P4 2.66.
768MB of pc800 RDRAM (booo).
nVidia Ti4600 card w/ 128MB
It just so happens I upgraded from a Ti4400 not long ago. My CPU is about the same, but I've got DDR ram (and more of it). I used to have just 512MB, then got a stick of 1024 (1.5GB total) then donated the 512 stick to a good cause (1GB total). You will have to stick to low texture resolutions. Default might be good for you (256x256). You need to run AH at least at 1024 resolution, but it's possible on that card. Keep your detail sliders at default ranges, or even reduce them. You should have a steady 30-40fps (in best conditions), dropping to 20fps or less in heavy smoke/fire and large furballs near CVs.
It's playable. That's for sure. I won't go back to that hardware setup, but it ran. It should be enough to get you addicted to the game :)
-
Originally posted by Krusty
Not so. When it came out, RDRAM was the answer to the problems DDR hadn't overcome yet. It was, however, far more expensive to make. However, DDR soon hit its stride and surpassed RDRAM. So modern DDR (400MHz and up) out performs RDRAM. DDR2 is even better.
Goes to show what out of date textbooks will do to a Computer Construction/Technology class.
-
Originally posted by Krusty
It just so happens I upgraded from a Ti4400 not long ago. My CPU is about the same, but I've got DDR ram (and more of it). I used to have just 512MB, then got a stick of 1024 (1.5GB total) then donated the 512 stick to a good cause (1GB total). You will have to stick to low texture resolutions. Default might be good for you (256x256). You need to run AH at least at 1024 resolution, but it's possible on that card. Keep your detail sliders at default ranges, or even reduce them. You should have a steady 30-40fps (in best conditions), dropping to 20fps or less in heavy smoke/fire and large furballs near CVs.
It's playable. That's for sure. I won't go back to that hardware setup, but it ran. It should be enough to get you addicted to the game :)
Krusty,
Thanks for the point of reference. I'm sure I'll have fun with the game, but sounds like I'll be saving for upgrades :O
-
It was at the point that I could and would fly it okay, but I had FPS issues sometimes. I imagine you'll find out yourself :)
-
Masherbrum, I was laid off by Ford too a year or so ago.. although it wasn't FORD per say, but a local dealership where I was a technician. Then I was out of work for a few weeks, but had some AWESOME AHII time!
I'm well aware of the computer technology out there now, but for now I'm just wanting to go up to the latest AGP technology... later on when money's still not "tight" (having a wife is expensive) I might go current, but in all reality all I do is web browsing, Starcraft (which doesn't take much CPU power), and AHII. For now I just want a system that can handle 30+fps on AH.
I may just find a motherboard for now... then when I go new.. I will REALLY go new.. although I'll probably hold off for the new AMD coming out. I never was a big Intel fan, and although I've heard nothing but great things about the core-duo, well.. I dunno... we'll see...
I just heard an ad on the radio for helicopter pilot training.. anyone ever hear of Silver Star Helicopters? They are offering it here locally in St. Louis... I'm downloading their promotional DVD right now. Good news is you don't pay for it until you start work as a pilot... Bad news is it's $70,000...
-
Sorry that's Silver State Helicopters...
and about hardware.. my computer was an Athlon XP 2200 (~1.7ghz)
768MB Ram (First Generation DDR - PC2100)
Nvidia 6200 256MB 4xAGP
Onboard Video
Cheap, generic, Wireless card
Win XP Home
Saitec X45
I pulled 40+ FPS consistantly at 512 textures...
25-30 FPS at 1024 (Low Res) (would drop 50% in traffic)
and 15-20 FPS at 1024 (High Res) (would drop down to about 6-7 in traffic)
I typically ran it at 512 textures... but gameplay was perfectly acceptable
I think on your system you could probably expect about the same... little faster processor, but little bit slower video...
-
Tigger I wouldn't really try to bust into the helicopter as a career. There are LOTS of military guys with heavy turbine equipment time. Simply fighting for jobs with those guys while using your out of pocket expense time in light helicopters really doesn't measure up.
Not to say it can't be done...it's a long hard road compared to them being paid to learn to fly them.
I plan on getting my rotorcraft certificate. I'd like to have a Rotorway Exec helicopter as a toy...but that's a few years down the road.;)
-
Yeah I know it's a dog-eat-dog career.
They had advertised a "seminar" about their helicopter training program... doesn't sound like a bad deal.. $70k for a 2 year program... a few nights and one day a week.. get you certified in private, commercial, training, and load carrying, then afterwards they either hire you, or place you in a job as an instructor until you can build up enough flight time to find an actual pilot job.
You don't pay start paying on the load until six months into the job (probably a typical school loan kind of thing)
Went to go to the seminar tonight just to see what it's all bout, but there was about a two mile long line of cars just trying to get into the airport! I didn't expect to see that kind of a turnout but I ended up turning around and heading back home.
Just seems like one of those "dream-chasing" things... I just can't fathom the idea of actually doing something I love as I grew up in a family where work was something you didn't like, but had to do anyway.
But then again making a luxury car payment each month for the next twenty years doesn't exactly sound like fun either ;)
Maybe I'll apply anyway.. just to see what happens
-
I picked up an AMD 3200+, 9800Pro set up with a 19" CRT on Craigslist for $120
1/2 the time people have new stuff are just glad if you'll come get rid of the old stuff.
http://www.craigslist.org