with CPU prices being so cheap, overclocking isn't really worth the risk imho.
What risks do you speak of? There are no tangible risks, above an beyond having any power running through the chip at all, with mild overclocking. Generally speaking, many CPU's of the same model line are essentially all the same. The only thing that differentiates the fastest rated chip from the lowest rated chip is, generally, an artificial governor of sorts, or locking/crippling of the chip by the manufacturer (Intel, AMD, etc.). When the chips come off the fabrication line, they are all tested, and separated by their abilities (binned) to pass stress testing at various speed grades. At some point, the fabrication becomes so refined, pretty much every chip made can pass the highest speed rating stress test. The problem is that in the retail market, not everybody wants to pay $900 for the highest end Intel CPU. Therefore, Intel still has to take these chips, that would normally pass every stress test thrown at them at 4 GHz (just a hypothetical figure indicating the max speed for that series of chip) and cripple/lock them so they can be sold at a lower speed rating/price point in the retail market.
To attempt to keep this explanation more brief: Given the above, there are motherboards that can somewhat override these locks, or alter other factors to increase the effective running speeds of these gimped/crippled/governed CPU's to that of the highest end CPU of that line, or well beyond that. There are many free stress testing programs you can run on your home computer (overclocked or not) to test the integrity of your CPU's functions. If your overclocked CPU's pass a thorough stress testing with these programs (some are the same that Intel uses, I believe, like Linpack, etc.), then it's generally considered a stable overclock, and there is no exaggerated risk of data corruption, etc. As long as you're not significantly over-volting your CPU, and the heat your CPU is producing isn't at dangerous levels, you should be able to expect a fairly typical life span for your CPU. Perhaps it might be cut short a couple years or so, but I believe the typical lifespan of a CPU is at least 10 years anyway, so if you envision still having a dire need of this CPU in ~8 years time, then perhaps it's not worth the risk.
Anyway, there seems to be a lot of unwarranted paranoia about overclocking, and I just find it silly. I think it's a great way to extend the productive life of a CPU, all while saving you money initially, and in the long run as well.
getting a dedicated graphics card would really be the safer and better solution
I agree =)
For really basic overclocking, I'm referring to speeds you can reach at default voltage levels; adjusting only FSB speed and/or multiplier, etc. I've never been a big fan of adding voltage unless you really NEED that extra few hundred MHz it will bring you. In my experiences, getting to speeds that require additional voltage generally is only for bragging rights, not for a significant performance difference. Though I did have an old Opteron 165 (default 1.8 GHz) that I could run @ 2.0 GHz at less than default voltage, but I couldn't get it stable @ 2.5 GHz without adding a reasonable amount of extra voltage. So that was a ~25% speed increase, so definitely noticeable in some instances.
Overclocking is ridiculously easy, as long as you're not trying to go to any extremes. That is, with just a small bit of research, maybe 30 minutes? of reading online, once you find the make/model of your motherboard, you can be up to speed with the basics of overclocking. Download and install a temperature monitoring program, like RealTemp (what I use, though there may be better at this point) to make sure you're not running any unsafe temperatures (which you will find what "safe temperatures" are with your ~30 mins of research).
I've been overclocking every single CPU I've owned since 1998 I'd say, and I've never had any issues. I'm by no means an expert, and I've still never flubbed anything up. I'm currently running an Intel Q9550 quad-core @ 3.6 GHz UNDER it's default voltage. Default speed is 2.83 GHz. I could probably squeeze more out of it, though I've never tried, or found any need to. It's been running at this speed for over a year and a half now.
I guess you guys are referring to in-person gross outs, because this is the internet after all, and I've seen MUCH worse than anything you guys have described, online.
When I was around 7, a friend of mine, around 5, decided to take a dump outside his house behind his AC unit. Just about as soon as he was done crapping (this was a multi-colored, funky looking defecation mind you) a dumb dog I had at the time comes trotting along, runs right over to the fresh steaming pile and promptly gobbles it all up. That was pretty nasty. Stupid dogs.
Another gruesome, and pretty sad experience I had as well: Years ago, my step-mom at the time, owned a couple miniature dachshund dogs, and the female got pregnant. I forget why, but we were keeping her in this little pet carrier (like this one - http://www.petfoods2you.co.uk/userimages/pet_carrier_cayman1.jpg). I was home alone one day, and while she was inside the carrier, she started acting funny, so I was having a look at what she was up to, and apparently she's giving birth. She was against the back wall of the little carrier thing, so I couldn't see exactly what she was doing, but it appeared she was eating the afterbirth, etc., which is what dogs normally do. She seemed to be doing an awful lot of chewing, so I became concerned. I pulled her away from what she was doing, and realized she was eating the puppy! The puppy was actually clearly waaaay premature. It was hairless, and still had completely encased eyes, with no real distinction of eyelids. So anyway, this little thing is missing the lower half of its body, just below about where the ribcage joins together. The kicker though, was this thing was still alive! It was moving it's tiny paws, and opening and closing its mouth, though not making any sound. I didn't really know what to do. I just held it for a while, knowing there was no chance it would survive. Its movements slowed fairly quickly, and I had to dispose of it. It was a sad sight.
I will assume your motherboard won't allow it, but you could always overclock your CPU. I think those E5200 chips commonly overclock to 3.2-3.5 GHz, perhaps higher if you're lucky. It would be plenty safe, and it's FREE, that is IF you have a motherboard with those capabilities. You say you have integrated graphics though, so I'm guessing this was a pre-made machine bought at Best Buy or something like that? In that case you probably don't have any OC'ng options.
Do you know the make/model of the integrated graphics processor? Most likely upgrading the video card would be your best bet. The E5200 @ 2.5 GHz is fairly capable of most games, given a decent GPU behind it.
Also, what about your monitor? Do you have an LCD? What resolution will you be playing at?
Actually, check the slickdeals.net forum. Look in the Hot Deals section, and you will find all sorts of good deals on computer stuff, and everything really.
There's supposed to be an Asus branded Radeon 4870 1GB going on sale for $90 after rebate next week at Newegg as well.
Also, unless you go with a really high end video card, your power supply is most likely fine for most of these mid-grade video cards. If you can see the power supply, look and see the A (amp) value it has on the +12V rail on the sticker on the side of the PSU. If it's 15+, it should be fine for "most" any single low to mid-grade video card.
I just watched "Repulsion" from 1965. I'm not sure where I read that this was one of the scariest movies of all time, or best horror movies, or some sorta label like that, but I was thoroughly UNimpressed. I guess it was fairly graphic/gory, at times, for a 45 year-old movie. I think there was just a single moment that caught me off guard and made me jump a little.
Veeeeeeerrry slow to get going. It was "interesting" but I can't say that it was good. The girl playing the lead is a true beauty though.
You spend a significant amount of your time, and at ~$690 a month for server costs, a pretty hefty chunk (by most people's standards) of your own money to keep these servers up. I can only assume that the majority of the people who benefit from your efforts do so without any personal expense. On the graph page that shows the server maintenance costs along with paypal donations, you say that you will keep these servers up as long as you stay employed.
First off, these questions come from a place of admiration and total appreciation. So, why do you do it? I presume Quake 2 is as much of a hobby for you as it is for the majority of the players that have been playing here for these many years. Does it ever feel like an obligation; insomuch as if the tastyspleen servers suddenly disappeared, the options for online Quake 2 gaming would be severely crippled, especially here in the US, anyway.
My interest in this game has had many peaks and valleys over the ~11 or so years I've been playing. Whenever my interest in this game takes an upturn, it's great to know that there's a community like tastyspleen that's still going strong and with an excellent support system that I can easily jump right back into.
I haven't even played at all lately, but was just feeling very thankful for your efforts, quadz, and all the other people who do their part in making this such a great home for a ~13 year old game that's just too good to forget about
I'm with Ely. Please have a DM only server (Like we already had). Classic DM, dm1-dm8. These servers existed in abundance at one point, and to my knowledge, there isn't really a well-populated one in existence today, in the US anyway. Tastyspleen is like the last real US-based haven for Q2'ers these days, and I'd hope there would be room for a traditional Q2 DM server.
Wasn't mutant created for the very purpose of playing custom maps? If you want to mymap a custom map, then go to mutant. It has a reasonably steady population (thought not as high as vanilla or DM typically), so you should have a reasonable number of people to play against. Also, the players on Mutant know it's all about custom maps, so it's kinda a given that maps will be mymap'd in.
I don't think voting is necessary either. The mymap command basically forces whoever is playing on the server at that time to play the map choice of, potentially, a single person's choosing, or disconnect. With voting, at least it's a "majority rules" kinda situation. Though I prefer no map voting at all on a DM server; DM referring to q2DM1-q2DM8.
Another thing to consider, is one of the most popular Q2 FFA servers that I can remember, was the q2dm8 ONLY Mage warehouse. I'm pretty sure the main reason that server went down the tubes, was not due to lack of popularity, or growing tired of one map (hello TDM?), but because the server didn't have the proper backing of its admins, and it would frequently be down for months, if not longer, at a time. The server occasionally switched to the map "levels" as well, I believe, and while that was occasionally interesting, it often resulted in lots of disconnects, and a significant interruption of the flow of the current action taking place.
Was there something wrong with the tasty DM server anyway? Was this change thrown in because of a perceived lack of interest in the server? I really think this is a case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", and apparently the idea came to mind that the DM server was broken. Clearly, the "fixes" have ruffled more feathers than any perceived flaws the server was thought to have had.
dm8 on mage was awesome, but some maps are just more fun with quad like tokay's towers.
If I can say one positive thing about the quad on DM2, is that it puts the person that goes after it in a fairly vulnerable position. Though 99x out of 100 everybody rushes the RL so the lone person (or 2) that goes after quad often gets it undisturbed.
Dueling is such a dick measuring contest it's ridiculous. Too much focus on who's better than who. I think it's pretty obvious who the better players are. Challenge yourself, have fun while playing, and improvement will be automatic.
Without doing research beforehand, I will assume the GT220, even though it's a "newer" card (or possibly/likely an older car with a new, fancy name attached) is a good bit slower than a 9800GT. Do a little research for some video card reviews/comparisons. Check out anandtech.com, tomshardware.com, or any of the other better-known sites. Don't spend money and end up not fixing your problem.
The BFG is very hard to avoid if the BFG-wielder is at all competent with its use, and if there is nothing in the immediate vicinity to hide behind. Couple that with the surprise of that BFG wielder having 2, 3, or 4! shots with the BFG, and enough armor to take a rail/rocket or two, and you're pretty much screwed.
I think the BFG does like 1000 damage max or something? I guess that's if it makes a direct hit on you? I know I saw the figures listed somewhere on the web at some point in time.
self handicapping for the sake of fun is perfectly fine... you are just creating a challenge for yourself which is great
The goal is not to self-handicap. The goal is to seek an even playing field that does not contain, what I consider, overpowered offensive power-ups. In this game, your killing/scoring potential is MUCH higher by having 4x/Quad damage versus, say, 400 health/armor. I don't feel like getting frags in this game is difficult to the point where a quad power-up is needed. I think the game is still loads of fun, and quite challenging (given the right players) without quad.
BFG is more of a nuisance. I find the BFG annoying when I'm in a rail duel, or having a good fight with another skilled player, and before one of us dies, someone waltzes in and takes us both out with the BFG. Or those that attack you with like FOUR BFG shots. I think the BFG would be a more tolerable weapon if it perhaps lowered the wielders health to 100 with zero armor while equipped, or perhaps only allowed you to have, at maximum, one shot with it until you respawn.
Yes, these things are "part of THE game". A complaint here would be invalid if the good folks at id had made a perfect, or perfectly balanced game. Of course, they did not. DM flags are also "part of the game" so you can cater it to your preferences.
Not to mention... wasn't Quad changed to Triple damage in Q3? And the BFG was significantly altered? I think both of those items were gimped, were they not?
Again, my favorite experiences were on the DM8 Mage server, no self-handicapping required.
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