Darth Hater Episode 21 - Turbo Buttons

Episode 21 - Turbo Buttons of the Darth Hater podcast is now up for stream and download. Check the bottom of the post for the stream and download links. Podcast notes after the jump.


Intro
Justin Lowe - Sado - @realdarthhater
Pete Trerice - Miisenus - @petetrerice
Joshua Ogborn - Sleeper - @dhsleeper
Dover - @doverbs

Segments
Friday Update: Composing the Sith Inquisitor

Community Poll
Do you plan on building or buying a new computer for The Old Republic?

Nope (39%, 153 Votes)
I plan on building one (30%, 116 Votes)
If I only had the credits (17%, 68 Votes)
I plan on buying one (14%, 55 Votes)

Total Voters: 392

Comments

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  • #31
    I've been thinking about building a new computer. Not necessarily for just TOR, but for other games as well. I was wondering if you guys could give me some opinions on what i've put together on newegg. I typically order from them for what i need, but not all of the items on the wish list will be necessarily bought from them. Things like Monitor and possible ram might be bought retail depending on prices. I know this is going to be an expensive build, but i'm kinda over compensating as i've not truly built another pc(at least for myself) since 2003 :D

    http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=17538148
  • #34
    I would go for a cheaper PSU and Motherboard, do you really plan on putting 4 video cards in your system? If not I would just get a motherboard with 1 or 2 PCIe 16x slots and save 60-100 dollars. For your current build you only need a 400w-450w PSU for 1 ATI video card 700w is a bit over kill.

    I also personally would wait for Blue ray burners to settle on a max speed or hit $100 or less mark.
  • #35
    I appreciate your advice but I went with the higher psu to allow room for slight upgrades. as for whether ill put in multiple video cards or not I don't know.l, but having the possibility is worth the extra few bucks if I decide to go that route. but again thanks for your input.
  • #32
    The only thing I would change would be the windows 7 retail copy that you have in your wishlist as there is no reason to spend the extra hundred dollars when you can buy the OEM version.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116758

    Just a heads up.
  • #33
    THank you much for that suggestion.
  • #28
    Well, we were mainly talking in reference of building a PC for TOR. There are valid reasons why someone would want SLI, watercooling, and SSDs but those aren't type of people who would be looking for tips on bulding a pc. That hardcore market of the building scene already knows what they need for their own means. However, to say that the average consumer needs to spend that to play TOR or any other game for that matter is a bit out there.
  • #27
    SSd's will drop in price every year, eventually being the same price as regular hard drives, since that is where all the R&D money is going into for storage. Games will always be designed with 1 video card in mind until the consoles start using 2 as default that will never change
  • #25
    The one thing you guys did not really go into too much detail about was Directx 11. SWTOR is still a year away, and Directx 11 will be even more used because of the new nvidia cards. Since LOTR is soon (or already is, don't play the game) making a Directx 11 version, and the game is much older then SWTOR; I don't see why it would not be worth it for someone wanting to truely enjoy the game to not spend extra for Directx 11. Direxct 11 will give many new features on top of giving better high end performance, so it would make sense that SWTOR would come with a Directx 11 version on release or very soon after. Personally, I think it is stupid to buy the 200 series Nvidia cards right now instead of buying the 5000 ATI series or waiting for the 400 Nvidia series.
  • #29
    DX11 is one of the things we wish we delved into a bit more. According to the card companies (NVIDIA and ATI) we could possibly see a pretty bit performance jump from DX10 to DX11 but that is only if the games themselves support it. It is very likely that SWTOR could end up supporting it and could drastically help the game's performance for DX11 users. But yes, you're correct, we should have at least talked a bit about that in the cast. However, remember that we were mostly talking about it in reference to building for TOR. In our opinion we don't see it being required for to or even needed.
  • #30
    The problem with making SW:TOR compatible with DX11 is you have to write 3 different sets of API's for the game. You need the game to run on D9,10 and 11 so you are basically coding for 3 different versions of the game at the same time. I just don't see that happening and the only real benefit is improved shaders and tesselation. Those are things that matter when you are going for that "real" look to a game but since SW:TOR falls more along the lines of WoW's graphical style it won't be necessary. Case in point: Age of Conan. They promised DX10 from the beginning but didn't deliver it until almost a year after launch primarily because, as I said, the level of complexity involved with coding the game across multiple DX API's. I might have gone a little too technical into this but basically it just comes down to DX11=more time than it's worth unless you wrote the game specifically for it.
  • #26
    Directx 11 really only becomes good when it is the only thing that is supported but if you take Dirt 2 into account the difference between 9 and 11 is really negligible it's only a really small improvement. We're going to need to see the next generation of consoles or crazy developers like Crytek to kill off Directx 9.
  • #24
    Wow. Totally enjoyed you guys geekin' out on computer specs. A key thing you missed is the importance of identifying bottlenecks. A computer is only as fast as it's slowest component. Too many people waste money on high end components that provide no benefit due a bottleneck elsewhere in the system. Also, don't be afraid of open box components. Most electronics fail in the first couple months or after 3 years (and if it does fail, that gives you an excuse to upgrade again).
  • #20
    I am a visual learner. I can't learn to build one without having a hands on experience to it. It has been my effective way of learning in building stuff or learning in school. I am not the type of person that will read computer terms and read directions where it will lead me to confusion. All it takes for me is one person to show me step by step. Fortunately, I hope my computer buddy will teach me in the future with TOR being far away from release.

    About price, I am a business major, I know a lot about pricing and market demand. I know how to save 1000s of dollars building my first to my next few computers. Technology changes much faster than any other product today. Things become the best of the line to almost obsolete in a few years, which alters value and price. The best shit now will be much lower in value in a few months. I am taking advantage to wait as long as possible to build the most updated tech for less than a 1000, which will be much better than Sleeper's computer hopefully. ^.^

    I hate best buy. My inexperience led to buying their computers. With my improved skills, I know what to do and ask my computer buddies on vent to lure me the right parts. :D

    <3 DH Team

    -Macer
  • #23
    Youtube has a ton of step by step guides for putting together a computer just search around for the ones you like the most.
  • #22
    "Be much better then Sleeper's" and you saying "Inexperience led me to buy their computers"... Yea I don't have much competition here, Mr. Retail Shopper. FORCE PURCHASER!
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