Currently Playing...

Here is what is in my current Games Explorer:

1) KOTOR 2
2) Turok
3) Rainbow 6: Vegas 2
4) Sins of a Solar Empire
5) Gears of War
6) Universe at War
7) Assassin's Creed
8) Call of Duty 4
9) Crysis

I like to jump around a lot, but I am mostly engrossed in KOTOR 2. I have always started and never committed to this game. I have decided to push myself to really get into it. Between sessions of KOTOR 2, I am playing Rainbow 6: Vegas 2. I loaded up Turok and have started it. It runs well on my laptop.

The one thing I've noticed in the 5-10 minutes of Turok play is the strange jolt of playing in 1st person and "sliding" into a 3rd person view when executing a "special" move like stabbing with a knife or climbing a ladder. I'm not sure how I feel about it. Maybe I will get used to it. Can't speak much for the story, yet.

Laptop Gaming, You Oxymoron.

High quality gaming on a laptop for less than $2000? Can it be possible?

Finally, the answer is YES.

For the longest time, Alienware, Falcon Northwest, Sager, etc. have been the best gaming laptops available. The problem is there is a premium price for these awesome gaming beasts. For a high-end gaming experience expect to pay around $3000+.

iBUYPOWER --- $1939
» CPU: Intel® Core 2 Duo Mobile T8100 Dual-Core Processor (2x 2.1GHz/3MB Cache/800FSB
» RAM: 4096MB (2048MB X2) DDR2-667 PC5300
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
» HDD: 250 GB 5400rpm Serial-ATA-150 Super Slim Notebook Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)

ALIENWARE --- $1924
» CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T5500 1.66GHz 2MB Cache 667MHz FSB
» RAM: 4096MB(2048MB X2) DDR2-667 PC5300
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
» HDD: 250 GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA-150 Super Slim Notebook Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)

SAGER --- $1934
» CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T8100 / 3MB L2 Cache, 2.10GHz, 800MHz FSB
» RAM: 4096MB (2048MB X2) DDR2-667 PC5300
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
» HDD: 250GB 5400rpm SATA 150 Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)

Falcon NW --- $4,121
» CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor E6750 2.66GHz
» RAM: 4096MB (2048MB X2) 800MHz
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX
» HDD: 200GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)
» all other options are equivalent to Gateway config (OS, media reader, usb ports, screen size, etc.)

note: prices do not include shipping

The Falcon Northwest is by far the most expensive, but it also has the highest end components as its lowest available configuration. The other laptops are not too far off from each other in price. So, with that said, here is the Gateway configuration and why it is such a great price/performance advantage over the others...

Gateway P-6831 FX ---
» CPU: Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T5450 / 1.67GHz, 667MHz FSB
» RAM: 3GB PC2-5300 DDR2
» GPU: Mobility 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTS
» HDD: 250GB 5400rpm SATA 150 Hard Drive
» DVD: 8x Dual Layer Burner (DVD±RW, CD-RW)

Okay, first let's get the negatives out:
1) CPU is the lower end Intel Core 2 Duo available
2) The hard drive is only 5400rpm
3) Removing the "bloatware" that Gateway pre-installs requires a little more setup time
4) RAM is slower than other configs
5, 6 & 7) Unfortunately, the Gateway P-6831 FX and P-6860 FX are the only P Series available at retail and BB has exclusivity to it for now and I'm not a huge fan of the BB.

Now for the positives:
1) The CPU is easily upgradeable, a feature not too often found on laptops. Gateway uses the Intel Socket P.
I checked prices on Newegg and a high end 2.5GHz Socket P CPU can be purchased for around $300. If you factor in the low initial cost of the Gateway laptop this makes the final price in the $1600 range. This nullifies the negative statement.
2) Dual Hard Drives can be easily configured.


I've have been running a few different applications to test out real world performance. Here is what I've done so far.

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Case 1) Gears of War

Exhibit A - All settings on high, no DX10 effects/ no AA (there isn't much difference when DX10 is enabled anyway) 1440x900

Exhibit B - Game ran fairly smooth right off the bat. I had a few vertical tears and tried to figure out the problem. I reduced the resolution to 1280x720 and the problem was solved with barely a noticeable chance in quality.

Exhibit C - For some reason an occasional vertical tear will occur during the in-engine cutscenes.

Verdict: I was pleased overall with the performance I was getting out of this machine. I could hardly believe I was getting such a great frame rate on this laptop. It rivals my desktop.
----------------

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Case 2) Assassin's Creed

Exhibit A - All settings on high, DX10, 1440x900

Exhibit B - I was really amazed that this ran so smoothly. It actually ran better on the laptop than my desktop for the sole reason that my home monitor only does 4:3 1280x1024. The laptop running in 16:9 eliminates the bars on the top and bottom, so I give it extra credit for that. The glossy screen also gives the colors a richer hue. The 512MB of RAM on the GPU (8800m GTS) gave it an advantage over my desktop which only has 320 (8800 GTS).

Verdict: Awesome. I was worried that this wouldn't run at the high resolution, but I was floored when I was smoothly running across rooftops in search of my next target. Beautiful.
----------------

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Case 3) Crysis

Exhibit A - All settings on very high, DX10, no AA 1280x720

Exhibit B - It actually ran on VERY HIGH settings.

Exhibit C - For some reason an occasional vertical tear will occur during the in-engine cutscenes.

Verdict: I was pleased overall with the performance I was getting out of this machine. I could hardly believe I was getting such a great frame rate on this laptop. It rivals my desktop.
----------------

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Case 3) Photoshop

Exhibit A - After looking at all of the gaming cases above, why would I need any evidence of the Photoshop power?

Verdict: This laptop can handle anything and I haven't even upgraded past the base config.
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Aside from the performance power of these laptops, they also have a visual appeal to them, with FX branding on the hood and a nice copper accent around the keyboard, they don't say "Take me to work with you."

VGA Graded Games

I came across this article that referred back to GameSniped.com. A group called the Video Game Authority (VGA) has a grading scale, much like the scale used for comics, to grade a game's physical quality. This is both good and bad. The good is that video game collecting will have a little more than personal value. The bad is that a person can fake a perfectly sealed copy of Zelda and make it seem like it has never been opened, when in fact it has numerous scratches and cosmetic defects. I've fallen victim to this a few times at a local reseller. Not a big chain like EB or Gamestop or whatever they are now. This store would buy/trade for credit and resell the games. I've come across a few games that looked new behind their shiny coats of shrink wrap when, in fact, they had horribly scratched cases and fingerprinted disks. Hopefully, the Video Game Authority consists of a group that will be able to spot a fake or a re-seal.

The other down-side is, of course, that prices on retro game collecting will go up. It may not be as easy to get that original copy of Final Fantasy, Contra, Zelda, Bionic Commando, etc. for that awesome package deal of 100 NES Games for $50 on Ebay. I had purchased a couple of these lots a few years ago and got some great stuff for a great price. A few of these even had boxes complete with the original instruction manual and black plastic sleeve. Sweet.

Here is the original article...
VGA Graded Games

A Star Wars Lot



Adventures of Tron for Atari


The strange thing is that every game I've seen, so far, with the VGA rating is an 85 NM+.

Print Dying. Follow-Up News.

Here are a few articles that I found dealing with this issue of Games for Windows Magazine going online only.

Credit to Joystiq for the articles...
Print Gaming Journalism On It's Way Out

GFW Magazine Goes Online Only

...and here is one about Dan "Shoe" Hsu departing from Ziff Davis to pursue personal interests...
Dan "Shoe" Hsu Ends Long Career at Ziff

GFW Magazine Moves To Online Only - Is Print Dying?

While listening to GFW Magazine podcast, it was announced that GFW Magazine is moving to online only. All of the articles, news, reviews, and information has moved to the 1-UP space for GFW. No more print, which caused some casualties in the staff. The art staff that worked on the print magazine has been laid off. As a designer of print and web, my deepest sympathies go out to the art department. I really think they did a great job with the magazine. I anticipated each issue arriving in the mail. I think the design had really come along since the first issue and GFW Magazine was evolving into the best PC Gaming magazine available. I am really sad to see it go.

There is a wonderful tactile sensation that one gets from a printed piece that will be missed from the online version. The physical magazine can always be collected, referred back to and taken anywhere.The printed version is softer on the eyes than reading an article on a screen. I really hope that the articles have the same amount of time and effort put into them. I hope the ability to edit online articles quickly and easily does not affect the writing.

What about a commuter that flies and wants to read a magazine? The podcast is great, but the visual quality of the printed mag cannot be captured on an ipod or computer screen. What about when you want some bathroom reading time? You aren't going to take a laptop in there are you?

I really enjoyed GFW's print magazine and I'm going to miss it.

Adobe© Releases Photoshop© Express

Adobe^© has released their online version of Photoshop^©. This is a great way to do quick changes or access photos anywhere you are. The online application can be run full-screen and runs surprisingly quick. I am most impressed with some of the editing features that are available. The ability to "visualize" several options for changes on the fly are something I would like to see in a full version of Photoshop^© (ex. multiple variations of hue available on Express).

Above all it is free and there is a gallery, very much resembling Adobe^© Bridge, that holds 2GB of photos.

What are you waiting for? Check it out and sign up for your free account.
Adobe^© Photoshop^© Express

PC Upgrade!

I made a few significant modifications to my machine, since the post on AMD 4200+ over-clocking. Most significant is the processor upgrade. I've installed an AMD 5000+ Black Edition (2.6GHZ stock). The unique factor that makes this a "Black Edition" is the unlocked multiplier that allows for easy over-clocking.

I installed the new CPU with Arctic Silver thermal paste and attached it to my existing Hyper TX2 cooler. I booted up and everything was great. I shut-down the system and got ready for over-clocking. I immediately over-clocked the multiplier to x16 at it's stock core speed. Upon boot, the CPU was now running at 3.2GHZ!! This was awesome, since I didn't even have to up the voltage.

With that, I decided to shut-down and try for a little more juice. I cranked the voltage up on the memory and CPU slightly and kept the CPU multiplier at x16. From the stock speed I pushed the CPU speed up a few notches and rebooted. After a few reboots I finally got the CPU speed up to 3.3GHZ which seems to be the brink at which other over-clock test were maxing out at before the system became unstable.

AMD's 5000+ Black Edition is an amazing deal as far as price/performance goes. The CPU was on sale for $88 and it has been an amazing boost to my machine.


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Original Vista Score (AMD 4200+) : CPU score= 5.2 (CPU is the bottleneck) overall 5.2
New Vista Score (AMD 5000+ BE ) : CPU score= 5.5 (HDD is the bottleneck)overall 5.4
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Original 3D Mark Score* : 9,566
New 3D Mark Score* : 10,544
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*average after 3 tests


The real world performance vs. the synthetic game scores is much more significant. Applications load a lot faster (Photoshop opens in mere seconds), the system boots so fast I barely see the Vista loading bar screen,I am able to crank up the settings a little higher on games.

To go along with the CPU upgrade I also added another gig of XMS2 memory after CPU installation was complete. This brings the system to a total of 3GB of RAM at 4-4-4-12-2 timings.

*note that all of these test were run on Vista Business 32-bit with SP1 installed.

I've been busy lately...

Well, as you can see, I haven't posted anything in a while. I've been pretty busy working on designing a personal website/portfolio for my print, web design, and illustration. I've been able to play a couple of games in between and there have been some hardware changes on my rig since my last post.

I will detail more in the days to come.