......................./ys-..............................................................................
...................`*MMMM+........................................................................
................`-o.. MMMMM+....................................................................
............`-+o+. ..mMMMMN.................................................................
........`.:+o+:`...... o+/NMMMy.............................................................
.......-/hmNMh`........h sMMMN..............................................................
....shhMMMMMy ........ s:/MMMM...........................................................
.../yyhMMMMMMo-....``syMMMM..........................................................
..:+oshhmMMM/ ::: //+ + -Vocal..........................................................
......................................................................................Journal..........
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*Update*
Well If you didn't catch the original news, here it is.

---------------------------------------

To be honest, Im over it.

Just friggan over it. So here is how it goes.

Okay, so i work at a pc store, I build and
repair computers for a living so you would
think that I would know how to get Vista to
behave for me.

Wrong!

For the most part, I'll be honest, It's a great
operating system but for me, its just not what
i need. Im a gamer, straght up. so I have a
few issues with the operating system.

These are the biggest.

Reliability -
Vista is reasonable good most of the time, but
issues with software, from all walks, is an issue
for me. Such as game compatability etc. However
my biggest issue - and im not sure where the fault
lies - is with my video drivers, and random windows
stuff rolling over without warning. Not a big issue
but a real annoyance, when your working on
say a graphics assignment, then the 3D program
your working on - which was a B***h to get
working in the first place rolls over, becuase
your display drivers fail, and Vista reverts back
to the default ones. Useless for an SLi rig.

Random Bugs -
My screen for example, thanks to a windows
update, is now detected as a Non-PNP device.
No matter how much fiddling I do with drivers
and the like, nothing fixes it. This resulted in
me having to disconnect and re-connect my
screen every boot. After alot of forum searching
I found an apparent solution. Switch the DVI
cable it was connected with, to a VGA. Alas,
it works! But, I have to ask, why did I have
to go through all this work to get my monitor to
work properly?

Performance -
Okay, so im running the 32Bit version of
Vista Home Premium, thus, I can only use
3gb of ram. To increase speed, I decided a
while back to go with 2gb of 800 Mhz Corsair
XMS2 DHX DDR2 RAM, and run it overclocked,
in Dual-Channel, rather than get 3gb and run it
normally. However, my issue comes whenever
I try to run any game - WoW included - because
even in idle, my vista chews up 600Mb of RAM.
Like I said, I work on PC's for a living, so Im not
doing anything stupid with background processes
or anything, but rather just running Vista - With
Aero Glass enabled mind you - In idle.

So, after all these issues, Im going back to XP
Home SP:2, where I can enjoy my gaming
rig at it's fullest, until I can be sure, that Vista is
worth my while, and I get some 1200mhz DDR2 Ram.

Oh well, all's well that ends.

-Vocal/Lachlan

---------------------------------------

Anyway, I thought that I would bless you all with
an update.

Iv'e gone back to XP, and am very glad for it. Although
I read a small report in this month's APC, and for the
first time, I strongly dis-agree with the article.

Its In March 2008's edition, on P18, entitled 'Gaming
on Vista?' The main gist of the article is that with OS
- or opertaing systems for those not constantly engrossed
in leet speak - Gamers are cautious because they can
either have a great, or very bad impact on the overall
gaming quality. Granted. It then goes on to say, that,
and I quote;

'Many of Vista's early performance
problems were caused by ill-prepared vendor drivers,
and over time these have matured to improve
performance, system stability and feature sets.'

Im sorry, But Im really going to have to ask James Bannan
for some evidance here to support his statement, as
a gamer myself, and an employee in the computer
hardware industry, I personally see these claims to be
false. Personally, going from Vista back to XP has seen
frame rates increase as much as 4-times in certain games.
- The 8x increase was on the Lost Planet Benchmark, which
went from averageing 24fps to 98fps - and stability
that I could not have thought possible after using
MS's new OS. As far as stability goes, I can also
comment on the numerous number of clients that
I get in my store, with issues revolving around Vista.
Issues such as random BSOD's to drivers rolling over
to loss of data, to random forced re-activation etc.

In my oppinion, It is NOT just a hardware developer's
issue to get proper drivers released in time, but also
the developer of the OS's responsibility to make sure
that the end user won't have any issues with the hardware.
I really hope MS has learn't there lesson here, as
without the initial driver issues, fundamental issues
with the OS aside, I think there would be a less
coppies of Vista sitting on shelves, and a lot more
running in systems, for better or for worse.

The comments don't end there however, as James
continues; 'Windows XP does sometimes have a
slight edge over vista in some - note he says some
- gaming scenarios, but the momentum behind
Vista as a next-gen gaming platform is incresing in
intensity, and there are some compelling reasons
to make the change.' - Continues on to explain DX10
and its benifits.

Apart from the fact that he states that only in some
scenarios is XP faster that Vista in few gaming scenarios,
I really hope he is right about Vista gaining momentum.
As far as i can see, there are some great things about
Vista. Its asthetics, Its security and namely DX10. All
Of which im fully ready for, and willing to support.
And I think that although these things are great, and
the product really does need some positive reviews,
I personally think that James, should be a little more
balanced when it comes to telling the truth. As far as I
saw, with my SLi rig. There were No situations
where Vista was faster, or more stable that XP when
It came to gaming. End of story.

As far as my rig goes, Im really happy with it, and
although Iv'e been distracted, I promise to get that
Overclocking review out soon.

And just for the record, here is Lucy, as she stands.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 2.13ghz @ 3.2ghz 1.45Vcore.
CPU Cooler: Zalman S9700 LED w/ Titan Vanessa S-Type Speed Controler
Motherboard: XFX nForce 780i Reference Design
Ram: 2 x 1gb Corsair XMS2 DHX DDR2 CL5 800mhz Ram @ 4-4-4-16 timings 914mhz
Ram Cooler: Corsair Domminator RAM Fan.
Video: 2 x XFX 8800GT XXX AlphaDog Edition 512mb - Factory Overclocked.
HDD: 2 x Seagate 7200RPM 160gb Drives In RAID 0
DVD: LG 20x DVD Combo Drive - New!
PSU: Zalman 600w SLi Ready Heatpiped PSU.
Case: Thermaltake Soprano.

So yes, Im happy with my girl. ^-^

Thanks for reading.

-Vocal/Lachlan

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