Octopus Overlords

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:04 pm Begging . Lots of begging.

That and everytime I would walk past ANYthing with a coin return, my finger was giving it the ol' proctologist try, hoping to get lucky.

The holy grail was seeing the technician and hoping he'd toggle a few credits for you as he closed up.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 5:32 pm The holy grail was seeing the technician and hoping he'd toggle a few credits for you as he closed up.

YES. I forgot about that.

Has anyone had issues with Ubisoft Connect causing their CPU to run near 100% when not in a game? Since I've installed it, my CPU runs nearly all out regardless if I'm in the game or not.

stessier wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:46 am Has anyone had issues with Ubisoft Connect causing their CPU to run near 100% when not in a game? Since I've installed it, my CPU runs nearly all out regardless if I'm in the game or not.

Unless it's Steam, game clients are exited if I'm not in a game.

stessier wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:46 am Has anyone had issues with Ubisoft Connect causing their CPU to run near 100% when not in a game? Since I've installed it, my CPU runs nearly all out regardless if I'm in the game or not.

I usually leave it running and it doesn't seem to impact CPU usage at all for me.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 8:18 am

stessier wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 5:46 am Has anyone had issues with Ubisoft Connect causing their CPU to run near 100% when not in a game? Since I've installed it, my CPU runs nearly all out regardless if I'm in the game or not.

Unless it's Steam, game clients are exited if I'm not in a game.

I'm pretty sure I exited it, but when I launch Assassin's Creed, it comes back. I think - I'll double check tonight.

With pretty much any gaming service (except GoG), when you launch a game, it launches the service along with it, as it's the DRM. When you exit the game, it leaves the service running, and when you click the 'x' on the service, it minimizes it to the system tray,although there is normally a setting to turn that off so that closing the launcher actually exits it. Also, most set themselves to autostart with Windows. (I checked in Connect, both settings are in the 'General' section.)

They all want you to keep them active at all times, as that lets them make 'announcements', draw you into chat, and all the other little things that they hope will bring you into their ecosystem, to make you a 'Ubisoft person' (or an EA person, or whatever.)

Thanks. I'm running in Offline and just assumed that after it verified the first time, it wouldn't need to reverify. Silly me. I'll just kill it every time I'm done. Annoying.

JetFred wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 4:11 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 5:32 pm The holy grail was seeing the technician and hoping he'd toggle a few credits for you as he closed up.

YES. I forgot about that.

Same, that’s hilarious! Somewhere deep in the recesses of my memory is a vague image in a dark arcade where a dude finishes up repairing (or collecting?) the cab, sets up a few credits so he can make sure it’s working before he walks off. Dragon’s Lair or Star Wars maybe? I may or may not have frantically looked around to see if anyone else saw the miracle that just happened before me.

I only ever heard of that mystical moment spoken in hushed tones as legend.

Ok got a video game and video card question. This could go in the hardware area but I think it will get more responses here.

I was looking into if an i5 10500 was a lot better than my old i7 2700k. I was wondering if an old i7 still competes with a new yet weaker i5 series. Turns out its about the same from all I read. The newer one has more threads, cache, and a slightly higher frequency but the old i7 still beats it in some categories. As for performance you cant tell them apart hardly.

So that solved that. I then started thinking about my GTX 750. I can see the less performance in it than the GTX 950 I had that broke on me. Some games just are noticeable.

So Im thinking other than the OS of course you guys know very well that a new video card SHOULD let me play even new release games just fine. Im a 30 fps guy. This started of course in the very old days when 30 fps was enough and the eye fps thing. I am fine with 30 fps.

I see the AMD 6500 XT is going to be $199. I could find stuff to sell perhaps and get that in a year or so. Would that be smart? Just get a video card upgrade? And is that video card fine?

In a year? Who the hell knows. Wouldn't it be more prudent to save up the money first and then see? Prices could change significantly in a year.

My suggestion would be to put the money in a mason jar and see where things stand in a year. Things are too variable right now to make hard plans involving video cards in advance.

Well whatever is a new budget card then say. Or even a slightly older card people aren't thieving you for. Im thinking at least a 10 series equivalent.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 9:18 pm I was looking into if an i5 10500 was a lot better than my old i7 2700k. I was wondering if an old i7 still competes with a new yet weaker i5 series. Turns out its about the same from all I read. The newer one has more threads, cache, and a slightly higher frequency but the old i7 still beats it in some categories. As for performance you cant tell them apart hardly.

According to UserBenchMark you're looking at about 20-30% noticeable difference. That may not be enough to justify an upgrade, as you also need to swap the mainboard and memory.

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:16 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 9:18 pm I was looking into if an i5 10500 was a lot better than my old i7 2700k. I was wondering if an old i7 still competes with a new yet weaker i5 series. Turns out its about the same from all I read. The newer one has more threads, cache, and a slightly higher frequency but the old i7 still beats it in some categories. As for performance you cant tell them apart hardly.

According to UserBenchMark you're looking at about 20-30% noticeable difference. That may not be enough to justify an upgrade, as you also need to swap the mainboard and memory.

Why? Because its AMD? Could always stick to Nvidia. Or even Intel by then.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:18 pm

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:16 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 9:18 pm I was looking into if an i5 10500 was a lot better than my old i7 2700k. I was wondering if an old i7 still competes with a new yet weaker i5 series. Turns out its about the same from all I read. The newer one has more threads, cache, and a slightly higher frequency but the old i7 still beats it in some categories. As for performance you cant tell them apart hardly.

According to UserBenchMark you're looking at about 20-30% noticeable difference. That may not be enough to justify an upgrade, as you also need to swap the mainboard and memory.

Why? Because its AMD? Could always stick to Nvidia. Or even Intel by then.

Because they won't physically fit into the same motherboard. There are multiple generations separating them. The 'plugs' they fit into are different.

If it's been more than two or three years, CPU upgrades are almost always motherboard and RAM upgrades, too. Less time than that if you're getting something current.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:18 pm

Why? Because its AMD? Could always stick to Nvidia. Or even Intel by then.

Actually, I think the problem is that he's discussing CPUs. You're talking GPUs.

Ya I have no plans to change cpu / mobo / ram...just a video card when I can. Which may be over 2 years. But Im going to try to get one this year.

I was just putting the cpu talk in there to explain how its ok and that I came to the conclusion a video card only would be fine.

Actually, I think the problem is that he's discussing CPUs. You're talking GPUs.

Oh ya I see that now too. Ya Id stay with what I got there.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:18 pm

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 11:16 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed Jan 12, 2022 9:18 pm I was looking into if an i5 10500 was a lot better than my old i7 2700k. I was wondering if an old i7 still competes with a new yet weaker i5 series. Turns out its about the same from all I read. The newer one has more threads, cache, and a slightly higher frequency but the old i7 still beats it in some categories. As for performance you cant tell them apart hardly.

According to UserBenchMark you're looking at about 20-30% noticeable difference. That may not be enough to justify an upgrade, as you also need to swap the mainboard and memory.

Why? Because its AMD? Could always stick to Nvidia. Or even Intel by then.

Your i7 is probably DDR3. Core i5 Gen 10 needs DDR4.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 7:50 am Ya I have no plans to change cpu / mobo / ram...just a video card when I can. Which may be over 2 years. But Im going to try to get one this year.

You're going to need to figure out how to purchase a card that you're not over-paying for because the CPU/Mobo/RAM will be its bottleneck. Basically, what is the fastest card you can get in your current setup that isn't going to be throttled (and its power wasted) because your current system will end up limiting something about it?

Like...maybe you can afford a [Brand] 569 XT card but if your setup can only get maximum throughput from a [Brand] 498, the money you'd throw at a faster card would be wasted.

This was the issue when I was looking into upgrading my NVidia 970. I can't remember now what the card was that might have been a better fit (10xx?) but there was a question over the power requirements and how much faster it would have actually been with the motherboard and RAM given the insane price that was being floated. At some point it just seemed like the 970 was *the* best card for what I had built and trying to upgrade it 4+ years later just wasn't worth the cost - and that was before the pandemic.

Yeah, unless you're planning on following up with a new mobo/processor/RAM within a year or so after, don't spend money on more of a card than your CPU can handle.

Not only will it mean that you're paying for performance you can't use, it can actually cause issues in some games. I upgraded to my current GPU (an RTX 2060) just before things went nuts. It's a budget card, but it was way, way more powerful than my CPU was at the time. The result? I spent weeks trying to diagnose this problem, dealing with both Rockstar and Nvidia support:



The cause in the end? My CPU/mobo/RAM were too slow to feed the GPU what it needed to actually render the textures.

Back when you could actually buy stuff, I'd always save all year to buy a GPU one year, a CPU/mobo/RAM the next, and any other components the third year, then go back to GPU the next year. $25/month kept me in a fairly good system back then. Not anymore. But still, the point is that the GPU and other components need to be kept in balance. If you just want a graphics card, buy an OK one. If you want to buy a great one, fine - but do so with the intention of replacing the rest ASAP.

Wow, I never even thought about that causing an issue. I wonder if the reverse is true? (Slow ass GPU with a modern CPU/MOBO/RAM)?

Carpet_pissr wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 11:32 am Wow, I never even thought about that causing an issue.

Neither did I. I originally thought it was a problem with the video card, as it was brand new and the problems began when I got it. It was, if I'm understanding it, like hooking a firehose up to a garden hose faucet. It just couldn't pull the data through as fast as it was trying to display it.

Id love a 4 gig 970 right now. Or a 980 or 980 ti. But those last two Im sure are still expensive. Im not sure how hard finding a GTX 970 would be. Back in the day I think I wanted a 980 ti badly.

Democracy 4 has been released out of Early Access.

I've experienced both ends of the spectrum, ie both an underpowered card and also an underpowered CPU. Games can do weird shit when they don't have enough resources. For the most part, in the past I've had a lower-end videocard with a better CPU. Now I'm pretty much the opposite, with a better card being bottlenecked by the CPU. And it sucks because I know that technically my videocard is up to it, but then my CPU doth protest. Which does make me appreciate when games are well optimized, so much to the point that games that are not expected to run actually end up running flawlessly. That was my experience with Rise of the Tomb Raider a couple of years ago. Was able to max out its settings and was really surprised it ran as well as it did. I think another issue that annoys me are that games have become more memory intensive. I have 8GB of ram, but that doesn't seem nearly enough when running games anymore, and the issue is felt more when games are not optimized so well.

I need to find someone who has a GTX 970 or 980 laying around gathering dust from an old upgrade that would sell it to me. These days I think thats impossible.

Democracy 4 has been released out of Early Access.

I've always been intrigued by this series but wasn't sure if it would be enough of a "game".

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:04 pm I need to find someone who has a GTX 970 or 980 laying around gathering dust from an old upgrade that would sell it to me. These days I think thats impossible.

not if you're willing to pay ~$180+
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=gt ... Complete=1

going to try listing my broken GTX 580 on eBay - looks like i could maybe get $30-40 for it

(and possibly my old iPhone 5S for ~$40 on Swappa)

not if you're willing to pay ~$180+

Checked earlier....checked those in your link too. Notice they are all BID not BUY NOW. If you find a BUY NOW its either ended OR worse from a seller with 1-5 sales.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 11:17 pm Checked earlier....checked those in your link too. Notice they are all BID not BUY NOW.

Right. Because you abolutely must buy it today, do you?

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 9:04 pm I need to find someone who has a GTX 970 or 980 laying around gathering dust from an old upgrade that would sell it to me. These days I think thats impossible.

I have a 970 that's been sitting on a shelf here in case we need a backup. When I can find decent packaging for it, I can send it over. PM me your address if you want it. I can't promise I will send it quickly, but I will eventually.

Chraolic wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 3:14 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Thu Jan 13, 2022 11:17 pm Checked earlier....checked those in your link too. Notice they are all BID not BUY NOW.

Right. Because you abolutely must buy it today, do you?

No just that those bids will go MUCH higher.

No worries, I'm the same way. I tried bidding on ebay for a while early on when there were things I wanted, and was inevitably brushed aside by people using bots, or else prices skyrocketed past reasonable in short order. The few that stayed cheap didn't meet the reserve (or whatever) and were yanked.

I don't buy much on ebay, but if there is something I go there looking for, I only bother with Buy Now options.

Sudy wrote:In every RPG I run up against the question, "Am I roleplaying myself, or a distinct character?" But no matter how I plan, things get murky.

I doesn't help when none of the dialogue options strike the right tone. This is one area where I can't wait to see what VR/meta experiences and A.I. (or pseudo-A.I.) can eventually do.

Yeah, The Witcher Wild Hunt has (at least) one quest series like this, where two factions each have a quest line to assassinate the opposing faction leader.

I chose a Geralt-esque option of ignoring both thus far. One of these years I'll actually finish this game (I do keep coming back to it, but after months, and I keep having to relearn the controls, especially the signs).

And just why all that stuff is in your inv and why are you keeping it

Blackhawk wrote:Yeah, unless you're planning on following up with a new mobo/processor/RAM within a year or so after, don't spend money on more of a card than your CPU can handle.

Not only will it mean that you're paying for performance you can't use, it can actually cause issues in some games. I upgraded to my current GPU (an RTX 2060) just before things went nuts. It's a budget card, but it was way, way more powerful than my CPU was at the time. The result? I spent weeks trying to diagnose this problem, dealing with both Rockstar and Nvidia support:



The cause in the end? My CPU/mobo/RAM were too slow to feed the GPU what it needed to actually render the textures.

Back when you could actually buy stuff, I'd always save all year to buy a GPU one year, a CPU/mobo/RAM the next, and any other components the third year, then go back to GPU the next year. $25/month kept me in a fairly good system back then. Not anymore. But still, the point is that the GPU and other components need to be kept in balance. If you just want a graphics card, buy an OK one. If you want to buy a great one, fine - but do so with the intention of replacing the rest ASAP.

Miners have effectively made this approach, building your own system and upgrading video card independently, obsolete.

The only way to get a decent video card at a reasonable price these days is to buy a pre-built system (note, I haven't checked used, mostly because of miners running everything hard 100% of the time makes that dicey at best).

5+ years ago I built a really good system, and kept my GTX 770 with 6gb ram. Every few months, I'd look around for an upgrade in the 200-250 range, but it has been impossible. Anything with 6GB+ has constantly been around $500 or more.

And now Nvidia has even stopped releasing new drivers for my card.

On the other hand, the pandemic turned my pontoon a couch gamer mostly, but I miss my strategy games.

Daehawk wrote:And just why all that stuff is in your inv and why are you keeping it

Yup!