SLI systems, overclocked processors and swiss cake rolls

While the rest of the general population was getting drunk and partying, I was right here sitting at my computer. For people who know me well this wouldn't come as a surprise, but even this case is exceptional - the dominant reason this time being that I had an SLI setup to play with. Of course, the fact that I simply don't like parties might have had something to do with it. Pfft. Parties. Who needs em. I've got my own party right here, complete with good music (which is more than I can say for some places...), drinks that don't turn you into a bumbling idiot who can't walk or talk straight (hey, some people are into that and I can respect that... or not), and most importantly, with no people. Damn plebes... they can be so annoying at times.

Now don't go thinking I'm anti-social. I'll have you know I was applauded on the UT shuttle back to campus for being the fastest grocery shopper around!

But I digress.

I'll get back to bragging about my l33ter-than-yours system. SLI works great. I managed to work around the driver limitations and enabled SLI in NFS Underground as well. More as an experiment though, since the game didn't really need it. Not like it wasn't something worth getting. DX Invisible War is just so much better running SLI. 1280x1024 at 4xAA and 16xAF works for me. Oh, and Half-Life 2 at 1600x1200 at 4xAA and 16xAF.

The 3500+ is running at 2.63 (default 2.2) GHz too, and not burning up like my old Newcastle almost did a few times. That's 2.63 GHz, at 1.425V. That's 250x10.5. That's equivalent to an Intel Pentium 4 with HyperThreading, SuperLongPipelineThatDoesMoreHarmThanGood, NetBurstArchitectureThatKillsPerformancePerClockForHigherClockSpeeds, ExtremeEditionThatsReallyNotMuchMoreThanAnOverpricedCPUWithMoreL3 running at 4 GHz, or a bit more. Intel fans and users alike will tell you otherwise. Ignore them. They're wrong.


Now Playing: U2 - I Fall Down

War is good for business

So I finally found where I could get non-price-gouged BFG 6800 GT OC PCI-Express cards. Except now they're selling them in a bundle of two cards.... Not very helpful when you already have one. Unless nVidia comes up with something to SLI 3 cards together (Quantum 3D anyone?). That would of course need a new motherboard chipset that supports more PCI-E lanes, a motherboard with a few hundred PCB layers and... lets not go there. Needless to say I'll be selling the extra 6800. Well, I've almost sold it already. Just waiting for Akucaen to come up with the $$$.

That, and I'm Ebaying the A8V. You can find the auction here. Feel free to bid - you know you want to!

Ah yes. Classes. It looks like History might be the hardest class I have this semester. There looks to be loads of reading (to the tune of about a hundred pages a week or more), and the exams are all essay type. That, and attendance at discussion is mandatory, though that's not such a big deal. Of course, the reading would be a lot easier if i actually HAD the books in the first place, which isn't the case thanks to the co-op....

Scratch that. I just went down to the co-op and they had all but one of the history texts I needed. A bit overpriced as always but I really couldn't be bothered to wait for 2 weeks for the amazon order to ship. Whatever works.


Now Playing: U2 - Gloria

Live version from Under a Blood Red Sky. Great song. Get it.

Where the streets have no name

The Joshua Tree is one good album. Especially in lossless FLAC. Boy (U2's first album) was pretty good too - I'm already addicted to one of the songs on it.

Did I mention I built my system? Here's what it looks like right now... (I like to brag and you know it)

AMD Athlon 64 3500+ (.09u/Winchester)
Asus A8N-SLI (nVidia nForce 4 SLI)
1 GB (2x 512 MB) Corsair XMS 3200 XL
BFG GeForce 6800 GT OC PCI-Express
2x Western Digital Raptor - 74 GB 10,000 rpm - RAID 0 on the nVidia SATA channel
Maxtor DiamondMax 10 - 300 GB 7,200 rpm 16 MB cache - On the nVidia SATA channel
LiteON SOHW-832S DVD Burner
Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum

Coolermaster Wave Master black case
Antec TruePower 550W PSU
Swiftech MCX6400 Heatsink
2x Vantec Tornado fans on a Vantec Nexus fan controller

Logitech Cordless Desktop MX900 Bluetooth
Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 (the MX900 just doesn't cut it in games)

And my favourite part...
Dell 2001 FP 20.1 inch LCD


That's about it I think. And yeah, I'm only running a single video card in an SLI motherboard, but damn those PCI-E 6800 GTs are hard to find. I'll get another one later once availability increases and there's not so much price gouging.

Now Playing: U2 - The Electric Co.

19, and then some

Looks like I'm getting old. :(

Nah, not quite there yet. Unlike a few people *cough* I know.

I did spend the 16th doing what I do best. Hey, we here consider slacking off to be an art! Well deserved slacking off too, after flying for ~17 hours from Dubai to Houston. I did get lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and a surprise dinner at Salt Grass. (Does everyone on the planet know I like steak or something?) Oh, and ice cream cake!

The next day was spent trying to redistribute 32 kilograms of stuff from one bag over two bags because Continental only allows 22 kg per bag... but they allow two bags. And I didn't get any peanuts. Oh well, it wasn't too long and it did get me to Austin.

Classes so far are a bit of a mixed bag actually. I managed to get M 408 D (Calculus 2) with McAdam, and even though he wasn't my first choice I'm beginning to like him. And the lecture timing's not bad either. ECO 304 K (Microeconomics) was a bit of a disaster though. The professor turned out to be - in his own words - 'a right-wing kook', and spent half the class time going over his political and economic beliefs. To cut to the chase, he 'apologized in advance' for anyone he would offend during the course of the semester (something he seemed to be almost sure would happen). No thank you, Dr. Bronars. That class is no longer on my schedule. I'll take it in the summer if I have to.

PHL 304 (Contemporary Moral Problems) looks to be a fairly interesting class, but there's a 20% participation grade. Yech. I guess I'll just have to argue with all the talking points I can google in discussion. HIS 315 K (US History 1) was pretty good for a history class, and Dr. Eastman seemed like a really nice professor. The GOV 310 L (US Government 1) class I went to yesterday with Dr. Edwards wasn't too bad, but it did seem like a lot of work, what with reading the New York Times and a bunch of chapters before class everyday. That, and short answer/essay type tests. Not my cup of earl grey. The government class I'm in now with McDaniel seems a lot better.

That makes 13 hours for the semester. I was planning to take at least 15 originally but I figure if I'm going to be taking summers 13 is enough for the time being. Once a slacker... yeah.

Oh, and my BFG GeForce 6800 GT from Chumbo finally shipped! Guess making that preorder finally paid off. Already got the A8N-SLI and 3500+ Winchester, with the Maxtor 300 GB hard drive I ordered sitting in the mailroom.

And before I sign off, my good friend Rishi, delusional as ever, mentioned on his blog....

In other news it seems the never-ending plague of half-baked rumours course through the fabled gals of BMM ,apparently,my buddy Sam gets jealous if i am in correspondence with them in any form.Poor guy,all he's done is wiretapped my phone conversations , keystroke logged my pc and hired a private detective to watch my every move,do not worry folk its okay :p.He still is a nice d00d.

And incoherent as ever too....

Of course, the chat log (edited for general readablity).

[11:30:39 AM] Sam: so what's going on?
[11:31:08 AM] .h3lios: some of the girls at college think
you're some possesive d00d who has a prob with them
mssging me
[11:31:48 AM] Sam: ...
[11:31:50 AM] Sam: eh?
[11:31:52 AM] Sam: what on earth
[11:31:55 AM] .h3lios: yeah
[11:31:57 AM] .h3lios: i know
[11:32:59 AM] Sam: i don't get it ;)
[11:33:07 AM] .h3lios: neither do i
[11:33:38 AM] Sam: i'm possessive? and i have a problem with people i
don't know messaging you?
[11:34:00 AM] .h3lios: yeah apparently if the grape vine is to be
believed...

Hey, I don't know what goes on there, but I don't want any part of it. There's a limited supply of sanity in today's world and I'm keeping my share, thank you.


Now Playing: Iron Maiden - Hooks In You

Meet the countries

I thought I'd mention the countries I 'run' over at NationStates. First up of course, is...

The New Conglomerate of Jaridius

Formerly known as The Hynerian Republic of Jaridius, before being inducted by the Auraxian revolutionary forces of the New Conglomerate (play PlanetSide) to be an economic center, and The Confederacy of Jaridius before the Dominar decided to take an interest in it. The fact that the people have so many political freedoms and civil rights here means that this state is often on the border of anarchy. BFRs can be found patrolling the streets and the skill point is the most highly valued currency in the region.

This was my first country over at NS, going strong with a population of 608 million (at the moment). I started out trying to make this as liberal a state as possible, but then the economy was pretty much in shambles and taxes were high. I thought I'd work on bettering the economy while sticking to the previously set standards for civil rights and political freedoms, and now what we have is currently the strongest economy in Inconspicuousity World. (Don't believe what those folks over at Rising Sky tell you!)


The Armed Peacekeeper Base of Jaridius Prime

Formerly known as The Incorporated States of Jaridius Prime while an independant regime, Prime (as it is commonly referred to) is a highly oppressive state that serves as an armed recreational base for Peacekeeper Forces in the sector. The exotic chianas are avaiable for 'use' by all highly ranked officers, and crichtons are a very highly valued currency. It should be noted that even the Peacekeepers are more benevolent than the former regime and they are considering giving the populace more civil rights, so a change may be at hand.

This was my second country, following Jaridius. This one has been, from the start, as oppressive a country as it gets, with as booming an economy as possible. Which basically means megacorporations and no minimum wages. I'm considering giving the civil rights a boost though, as these usually end up helping the economy.


The Federation of Echelon V

Not much is known about this newly formed nation. New Conglomerate and Peacekeeper forces are constantly keeping it under surveillance. Initial reports indicate a population with biological modifications that trades in 'augmentation canisters'. Predatory and highly aggressive biomechaniods, referred to as 'spiderbots' are also found in certain areas.

This is my newest experiment. I'm not quite sure where to go with it.... guess we'll all find out soon enough. I've modelled it off Deus Ex for the time being though, being my favourite game and all. ;)



Other interesting nations in Inconspicuousity World are Rising Sky (the HIGHLY overrated Jaridius clone), Crushing Turbines, and the newly formed Galorndon Core, all run by Chris. Visit the evil Murdemeon and it's complete antithesis, Wandisticle, too - both run by Devon. I don't think the communists over at Paco De Taco or the capitalists at The Right-Wing Nutjobs particularly like visitors, but go there anyway.


Now Playing: Iron Maiden - Ghost of The Navigator

Bring your daughter... to the slaughter!

So I just got back from the dentist, and I had not one, but two cavities. Got them both filled... except now my front teeth feel weird. I've always had a gap between them and now that that's filled it feels really odd. Guess I'll just get used to it.

I also got 17 hours of sleep last night, complete with some of the weirdest dreams I've ever had. I think some of them were supposed to be scary but for some reason I've never been scared of dreams or nightmares even while in them....

What was even worse was that I went all the way yesterday to get my fingerprints taken for visa renewal, got all the documents needed, but ended up reaching the immigration bureau too late. The director (who was supposed to be there damnit, he said so) had left already and without him the officer wouldn't extend the visa. Damn slackers. I wonder how they ever get any work done.

On the bright side, I've got a new squash racquet - a Slazenger 110g Carbon. This one's a lot better - and lighter - than the ones they have at the UT Gym. The only thing is that now I won't be able to blame any games I lose on the racquet....

And I've finally managed to sell the 6800 GT, as well as the extra PSU I had. About time too. I should receive payment tomorrow following which I'll ship it.

Oh, the payment deadline for UT registration passed a few days ago. A lot of the classes I wanted opened up too, including Calculus 2 (M 408D) sections with Gonzalez and Friedman. I just hope they don't fill up again by the time I get to add/drop. Class sniping will be the order of the day tomorrow.


Now Playing: Iron Maiden - Hooks In You

Technobabble?

I was about to give up the idea of an SLI system, or put it off for a few months at least. A visit to the Hard forums changed that though. I managed to get an A8N-SLI for $184 shipped off 'Axent Micro' - the last one they had apparently. Not only that, a Winchester (90 nm) Athlon 64 3500+ off Monarch Computer for... $251! For comparison, the same thing costs over $340 at Newegg and well over $300 at most other sites. I just hope nothing goes wrong with either of the orders. With any luck I should have an Athlon 64 3500+ and an A8N-SLI waiting for me in the mail when I get back to Austin.

I also placed an order for a BFG GeForce 6800 GT PCI-E on Chumbo. Those are backordered but I figured I might as well queue up. It's the only place that has them at $400 too. You get to pay through the nose pretty much everywhere else... for OEM cards. The 300 GB Maxtor will have to wait though, now that I've spent all the money I made and more. Really need to sell the 6800 GT and A8V...

Not much else today though. I spent most of my time online (after waking up at 2 pm) talking to random and not-so-random people. And I played some squash too... there's a game that really kills your stamina.

Oh, and the payment deadline for UT registration is coming up. Hopefully a few spots will open up in the calculus 2 sections I want. The one I've got right now really messes up my schedule. It's a good thing I have an early add-drop period.


Iron Maiden - Can I Play With Madness

No more fix

So I just cancelled my PlanetSide subscription. Maybe taking a 3 month subscription was a waste since I only used about a month and a half. Blah. That's about $15 down the drain.

I know that some day I WILL reach BR 20 and CR 5... but it's not anytime soon. Oh well. Unless of course someone can convince me to start playing since the only reason I played in the first place was one of my friends played it. Right now we're not exactly on the best of terms (he's a bit more neurotic than I imagined but that's all right, I'm hoping to get it sorted out). Besides, my next semester course load is going to be higher so I don't think spending $13 a month on an MMO I won't even spend much time on is justified.

Besides, I'll have a whole bunch of 'other stuff' to do.

That, and I need money for that SLI system. /grin

Speaking of SLI, what the hell is up with the availability (or should I say lack of) of PCI Express GeForce 6800 GTs? That and all the overpriced SLI motherboards on the market. $270 for an A8N-SLI? Give me a break. And that's on Newegg. The MSRP of $200 is high enough as it is. Guess I'll just end up waiting a month or two longer than I expected. In the meantime I need to be able to sell this A8V and 6800 GT AGP, and quick.

I also paid a visit to my old high school today. It's really funny how teachers you hated and were convinced hated you act all nice when you go see them after you graduate. Who knows, they may not be all that evil. At least a few of them. Maybe. Possibly?

I still think ISC is one hell of a substandard high school system with a syllabus that overburdens its students and ends up assessing only a few skills - the most prominent being memory recall of text book material. I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone in their right mind. Send your kids to IB or A-levels or something.

With that said, I'll head down to the gym.


Now Playing: Iron Maiden - The Angel And The Gambler

Side Note: I thought the album Virtual XI in general and this song in particular were very underrated. Blaze Bayley is no Bruce Dickinson, but he holds his own and this song is up there with the best.

And a happy frelling new cycle to you too!

Personally I think New Years are overrated, but that didn't stop me from taking the time to go to a party with my cousins. It was fun. Yes, I danced a bit. No, I didn't get drunk.

I did get a good night's sleep after that though, and spent the next morning in the gym. I think I'll start going regularly now. Not sure why but it's a good way to kill time I guess. Spent most of the afternoon packing for my evening flight back to Dubai. Did I mention I hate goodbyes?

The flight was good though, especially after the one from Austin. Good TV, good food, good seats, good air hostesses... and peanuts! That, and a fast track through the immigration queue followed by a chauffeured ride back home. Have to love Business Class travel on Emirates. Now if only I could get that on European and US sectors...

So yeah, back in Dubai. I'll be here for another couple of weeks. 14 more days of sleep and food and not much else then.

I've also got a renewed interest in Iron Maiden thanks to my cousins... they're all I seem to have been listening to lately.


Now Playing: Iron Maiden - Wasted Years