je_saist

AMD has shown off Bulldozer running on Socket AM3.

The question raised right now is just how many Socket AM3 chips Bulldozer will actually run on. As of right now Bulldozer has only been demonstrated working with the 890G chipsets, and AMD gets really quiet when asked about support atop previous chipsets.

The presumption as of right now is that Bulldozer won't be compatible with any of the 700 series chipsets, the 870 chipset, the 880 chipset, nor any of the Nvidia chipsets that eventually found their way into Socket AM3 motherboards.

Details about AM3 versions of Bulldozer reveal a possible Socket AM3+ edition, so called Socket AM3r2 : http://forums.amd.com/forum/messagev...hreadid=126441

In theory, there is no difference between AM3r2 and AM3 on the physical pin-outs. The big question is electrical voltage requirements, which older Socket AM3 motherboards might not be capable of meeting, which would explain why only the newer 890 motherboards have been shown working with Bulldozer.

might want to read the edit I made. Even with the rebate, you still paid $10 more total for less performance, more power consumption, and more heat.

As to your question in this post, up until recently Nvidia did not actually sell graphics cards directly. Technically, they still don't since Nvidia retail branded graphics cards are rebadged Foxconn parts.

Nvidia sells the GPU's to Add-In-Board Partners (AIB). The AIB's are the ones that actually put the product on the shelf.

Nvidia's top 3 AIB's used to be BFG, XFX, and Evga. There is evidence to suggest that Nvidia conspired (perhaps illegally with Best Buy) to force BFG into bankruptcy. Nvidia has also kicked XFX to the curb, leaving Evga as the only Top Tier Nvidia board partner.

Nvidia's GPU's are significantly more expensive to make than equivalent AMD archicture chips, a result of Nvidia's focus on more transistors is more transistors. Because Nvidia's GPU's are more expensive to make, Nvidia has to sell them to AIB's for more money.

This higher cost on Nvidia's end is why Nvidia cards cost more than AMD cards with similar performance, even from the same AIB, such as Asus or XFX.

In order to make profits on Nvidia cards many Nvidia AIB's cut corners on producing the physical card, such as using cheaper capacitors that won't last as long, using printed mylar boards with fewer layers, using aluminum instead of copper heatsinks, and other such cost saving measures.

Evga, BFG, and XFX set themselves apart in the recent years by not skimping on board components, one of the few reasons why I tell people to buy Evga if they absolutely have to have that green Nvidia badge.

Best Buy's markup.

Best Buy rarely sells computer components at MSRP. For example here, the GTS 450 MSRP is $129: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1408/1/

The EVGA model is a bit over MSRP, but it's also an EVGA, one of the few good Nvidia manufacturers left.

* * *

Also, before you buy, be aware that the GTS 450 is a dog: http://hardocp.com/article/2010/09/1..._card_review/1

The bottom line is simple:

If you bought that Evga GTS 450, you would be paying nearly $40 total more than a RadeonHD 5770... FOR LESS PERFORMANCE

If you believe the marketing, it offers C.risp A.nd R.esponsive P.erformance

No, subtlety is not one of my strong points.

To run all Ultra Mode options at once in 1680*1050 the starting point is around a AMD RadeonHD 4850 / Nvidia Geforce GTS 250. These have the respective theoretical throughput rates of

• 10,000 MegaPixel / 25,000 Megatexel
• 11,808 MegaPixel / 47,232 Megatexel

For the AMD architecture then, cards that will run Ultra Mode include:

• RadeonHD 4730**
• RadeonHD 4770***
• RadeonHD 4850
• RadeonHD 4850x2
• RadeonHD 4860
• RadeonHD 4870
• RadeonHD 4870x2
• RadeonHD 4890
• RadeonHD 5750
• RadeonHD 5770
• RadeonHD 5830
• RadeonHD 5850
• RadeonHD 5870
• RadeonHD 5970
• RadeonHD 6850
• RadeonHD 6870
• RadeonHD 6950
• RadeonHD 6970

**I've never actually seen a 4730 for sale. On paper it has the shader and texture power to execute the OpenGL 3.0 calls in the 1280*720 resolution range.
***As far as I am aware the 4770 was only sold with a 512mb memory configuration. The card also had a 128-bit memory bus. While it's not far off from the 4850 in terms of theoretical power, the memory configuration places this cards target resolution more for 1280*720

For the Nvidia architecture these include:

• 8800 GTS*
• 8800 GTX*
• 8800 Ultra*
• 9800 GTX
• 9800 GTX+
• 9800 GX2
• GTS 240
• GTS 250
• GTX 260
• GTX 260 216
• GTX 275
• GTX 280
• GTX 285
• GTX 295
• GTS 450
• GTX 460
• GTX 460 SE
• GTX 465
• GTX 470
• GTX 480
• GTX 570
• GTX 580

*the Geforce 8800 series has the shader and texture power to execute Ultra Mode Code, but memory counts of 256mb and 512mb of local video memory really cuts into the ability of the cards to render Ultra Mode in high resolutions

The list of mobile cards that can render in ultra mode is significant shorter:

• Mobile RadeonHD 4850
• Mobile RadeonHD 4850x2
• Mobile RadeonHD 4860
• Mobile RadeonHD 4870
• Mobile RadeonHD 4870x2
• Mobile RadeonHD 5830
• Mobile RadeonHD 5850 GGD5
• Mobile RadeonHD 5870

• 9800M GTS
• 9800M GT
• 9800M GTX
• Quadro FX 3700M
• Quadro FX 3800M
• GTX 260M
• GTX 280M
• GTX 285M
• GTX 460M
• GTX 470M
• GTX 480M

Now, I have the well publicized opinion that most of the Geforce cards are rip-offs. Outside of the Geforce GTX 460, pretty much the entire street price for Nvidia cards are way over-priced compared to AMD cards with similar frame-per-second performance: http://www.pricewatch.com/video_cards/

Case in point: Nvidia wants $500 for the GTX 580. However, in realistic gameplay, the $500 msrp GTX 580 doesn't actually buy you higher resolutions, more anti-aliasing, or better texture quality... compared to a RadeonHD 6970 with an MSRP of $369, and a street price only a few bucks more. So... what are you spending nearly $125+ for? Best as I can figure, a little badge that says Nvidia.

One of the problems with my opinion is that Nvidia offers huge discounts to OEM vendors in order to keep system price parity with AMD offerings. So, if you are buying a pre-built computer from a major OEM like Dell, HP, or Gateway, their computers won't have the price / performance discrepancy you'll find in the add-in card market.

So it's very possible that you'll find one of the card listed here available in a pre-built system for not much off an equivelent AMD card.

maybe a Recharge Intensive TOA set, something to equal Eradication / Obliteration?

no.

I was thinking about talking about the corrected aspect ratios of the splash logos when trying to log into the game, yes.

Yeah, I haven't seen this on any of my Radeon graphics cards. Then again, I'm in the habit of running Driver Sweeper before running any graphics cards updates on a Microsoft Operating System platform: http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/

The full list of requirements for City of Heroes can be found on the NCSoft store page: https://secure.ncsoft.com/cgi-bin/St...em&item_id=209

Yes, the requirements can be confusing because they are not accurate. City of Heroes has largely two different rendering modes:

• OpenGL 1.3+
• OpenGL 3.x

The old OpenGL 1.3 graphics mode works across almost all graphics cards that have been in production for the last 9 years. You can still run City of Heroes on a Radeon 8500 from 2001. Mine no longer works or I would take a screen shot.

So as far as your original question goes, Any computer that you can buy will run City of Heroes.

Yes. Even that $270 HP refurbished model. It will run City of Heroes.


Now, to answer one of your other question, the reason you don't see the 9600 on store shelfs any more is simple: The 9600 was a graphics card from 2003. It hasn't been in production since 2004.


Now, if you want to run City of Heroes in Ultra-Mode Graphics, you are going to need something with a bit of power under the hood than just anything off the shelf.

If you don't understand what Ultra-Mode Graphics are, I've got a whole thread explaining the different graphics features over here: http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=219534

Your starting point for a computer that will run City of Heroes in Ultra Mode is going to be around $1000, mostly as the starting point for Ultra Mode support is the AMD RadeonHD 4850 and the Nvidia GTS 250, and you'll want something a bit more powerful than STARTING POINT.

Looking at what passes for a system selector on Best Buy's Online site, the cheapest system they list that will run City of Heroes in Ultra Mode is going to be the $999.99 Gateway FX6840-15e which has a RadeonHD 5750.

If you want to drop back by the store, the graphics cards you want in your system to run City of Heroes in Ultra Mode are:

• AMD RadeonHD 5770 or better
• Nvidia Geforce GTX 460 or better.

If you don't care about graphics, and you don't feel like dropping $1500 or more, just buy the cheapest thing Best Buy has and run with it.

yep. same here.

Email box resets no matter where or what I do with it.

I... kinda had to sit back and think on that one for a second.

Looking at the obvious filler sets, Accurate To-Hit Debuff, Accurate Healing, and Accurate Defense Debuff, there is a pattern that emerges on procs. One set gets a damage proc, the other set gets a buff proc. Basilisk's Gaze and Lockdown also do separate procs, but Basilik's Gaze gets a chance for a slow while Lockdown gets a chance for more hold.

The precedent is also in place through sets like Basilisk's Gaze, Eradication, Obliteration, and Lockdown to have a quaternary buff. Eradication and Obliteration are largely about Accuracy, Damage, and Recharge, but they get a minor endurance reduction in the quad. Basilisk's Gaze and Lockdown are largely about Hold, Recharge, and Accuracy, with a minor focus on endurance.

So... here's the revised proposal setting:

• Slow / Accuracy
• Endurance / Slow
• Endurance
• Accuracy / Endurance / Slow / Recharge
• Slow / Recharge
• Damage Proc

• Slow / Accuracy
• Endurance / Slow
• Endurance
• Accuracy / Endurance / Slow / Recharge
• Slow / Recharge
• Status proc: Chance for 2 mag hold

The focus of the set is still on lowering Endurance usage for Toggles, but with 4 instances of the primary Slow buff throughout the set it should still be simple to hit the ED limits on Slow buffs.

speaking of your router, have you checked to see if it will run DD-WRT?: http://www.dd-wrt.com/site/index

It probably won't help your particular situation as these issues largely seem to be occurring only on the CoH forums and with no other web-page. That being said, DD-WRT is generally faster in terms of network performance compared to the default firmware shipped on most routers, and is generally more secure to outside penetration.

I'd almost be as quick to dismiss potential problems as well since I don't get such issues on "some" of my computers.... but I have experienced the glitches with the forums suddenly logging me out and erasing my history. I have also experienced the forums suddenly not loading for 30 seconds or more.

So far the browsers that I've experienced the problems the least with have been Google Chrome and IE. Certain versions of Firefox, Opera, and Konqueror seem to be more susceptible to the problems, leading me to think software conflict.

try reading the original post first.

it is likely a problem with vBulletin itself. Such problems were one of the reasons that Mepislovers recently converted to using phpBB rather than upgrade a much older (but stable) version of vBulletin: http://mepiscommunity.org/node/1013 :: http://forum.mepiscommunity.org/

granted I'm not exactly fond of the new phpBB board... mostly because the skin / theme in use has a really obnoxious smiley box when making full posts that makes me think of junk software like incredimail.

Anyways, given that the forums have already been converted once before, trying to sell NCSoft and their web-team on the need to convert YET AGAIN, probably isn't going to be an easy task.

again. no.

If it was only in place for when the server is unlocked for beta testers (and who knows how long that's going to take), then there wouldn't have been two different versions of the user agreement posted to the beta server. That this second version is cleaned up compared to the first version, and no longer hides the CoH splash logo, indicates that somebody spent some time to try to get the user agreement to look nice, something that wouldn't be required if this was only for the Beta Server alone.

Also: again, the text of the agreement is the exact same text that is located in the current patcher and is located on the NCSoft website: http://www.ncsoft.com/en/legal/user-agreements/

There is no text that refers to any pre-alpha testers, beta-testers, developers friends and family, or anybody else. It IS the NCSoft User Agreement.

Also: again, this is what NCSoft's other games already are doing, putting the user-agreement inside the client itself.

Now, if a red-name steps in here and says that no, this change isn't coming to the live servers, and that yes, somebody in UI development sat there and reworked the user-agreement from the original version tossed up after the I19 lock-down just for people who will be playing on the beta server when it unlocks for I20? Then hey, I'll happily say that I was wrong.

nope.

This setup is how the User Agreement is configured in in NCSoft's other games, and this is actually a second version of the user-agreement to go into the beta server that I've seen. Shortly after the beta server was locked following I19's release a version of this had the User Agreement spread across the entire screen, and the accept / decline buttons across the bottom of the display.

My suspicion is that that this "new" version is likely the final or semi-final design that NCSoft and Paragon Studios agreed too; hence me murmuring the possibility that we'll see this particular change propagated to the live server independent of Issue 20's release.

Also, to counter the argument that this is somehow just for pre-beta / alpha users... again. No. It contains no verbiage exclusive to beta-testers, pre-alpha's, or anybody else. It is the same exact user-agreement that is currently displayed in the CoH patcher and on NCSoft's webpage: http://www.ncsoft.com/en/legal/user-agreements/

I suspect this is one wish that won't be granted. For the most part the developers are reluctant to ever give definitive statements to anything. Case in point: the forums when Going Rogue didn't ship in July, and when there was no Going Rogue beta in January.

As far as I am aware, the current power developers (Synapse, Black Scorpion, and Sunstorm if memory serves) are largely happy with sets that have full nukes. Case in point being the porting of Psychic Blast to Blasters in Issue 12, and Radiation Blast port to Blasters in Issue 16.

As far as I am aware, the only definitive power guidelines that have been expressed for the Blaster archtype are that any future secondaries would be built on the Mental Manipulation model; and that Energy Manipulation is considered to be an aberration, one that won't be addressed due to the cottage rules.

We'll probably be waiting a couple of issues to see if Synapse and Black Scorpion do anything differently from F.Grubb ... but after the goodbye thread from F.Grubb, I somewhat doubt that they will.

find a kin. Ask for Inertial Reduction

The only stats that matters on the ski-slopes is your jumping speed and air control. Your run-speed has nothing to do with it.

Trust me. I've turned on Walk, which disables hurdle and harms air control, and still turned in a sub 48 second run on the Luge just on IR alone:








Also, as a sub note, the Luge run is fairly level limited. Even with max jump speed, you probably are going to need a level 30 or higher to turn in a gold time.

http://boards.cityofheroes.com/showthread.php?t=120808

Incarnate Uncommon Spiritual will put a 3 slotted Hasten with level 50 crafted IO's around 113%, so if you build with Alpha Slot in mind, you will be hitting perma with a little bit less global recharge.

Gonna side with this sentiment here. Original poster is wrong... and I think I know why.

I highlighted the problem from the OP's quote. The idea that all power sets somehow must conform to some universal... "theme"... just grates on my nerves. I seriously question what theme the original poster has in mind. The "omgIneedtosoftcaptodefensivepositionsotheycan'thi tme" theme? The "omgIneedtohave200%+rechargesoIhaveeverypowereveru pwithnodowntime" them? The "omgIneedtoframframframframframwhat'sadoormissionw here'ssteelcanyonwhat'sataskforce?" theme? The "insertyourownobnoxiousthemeherewithnospacessoitis barelyreadable" theme?

The fact is, there is no central theme to the way the game is played. Some players still play the game exactly as they did 6 years ago. TO's into DO's into SO's with story arcs and task forces. Actually, we have evidence from the developers that a good percentage of the player-base doesn't even participate in the Invention System on any level. The number of players with "omgIamIObuffedtohearandbeyond" is pretty low.

The fact is, the blast sets are balanced around how the entire set functions, not how they function in relation to other sets. The presence of a half-nuke in Archery, Dual Pistols, and Assault Rifle is one of the reasons you'd take those sets. The flip side of that token is that the full blown nukes like Fire Blast's Inferno, Ice Blast's Blizzard, or Energy Blast's Nova is why you would take THOSE sets. Some sets are more effective solo. Some sets are more effective on a team. Some sets are designed to clear mobs. Some sets are designed for hardened single targets. No set combination is going to be perfect for all enemies, all the time, regardless of the team. The game is designed that way.

Given this, there is no reason at all to address the set-up of the blast sets.

If you don't like how they play? Fine. Don't play a set you don't like. By the same token, don't make suggestions trying to force sets you don't like to be turned into sets you like.

The User Agreement itself hasn't changed. It's the same one that's listed here: http://www.ncsoft.com/en/legal/user-agreements/

It's just now players HAVE to accept the user-agreement and cannot bypass it.