Twelve Eighty by Seven Twenty

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When the PlayStation 3 launched for $699.99 CAD, I could understand and justify its high cost. I had a built in Blu-ray player and actual PlayStation 2 chips were included in the box. It also came with specifications that were comparable to the Xbox 360.

Early third party results were poor. Many titles had poor frame rates compared to their Xbox 360 counterparts; some operated at half the framerate even. The hardware was complex and the software development tools were abysmal but as time marched forward, technical gaps narrowed.

One of the secrets to closing the gap was the PlayStation 3’s Cell. Developers used some of its many SPE’s to augment the relatively weaker RSX. But despite the increased familiarity and advancement in tools, in order to get favourable results on the PlayStation 3, Sony’s platform had to be the lead. And if that was the case, the PlayStation 3 version usually earned a narrow victory in Digital Foundry’s famous “Face offs”.

The early results for the Xbox One are not so hot. Of all the high profile games, only one is running at 1080p60. Every other exclusive and major third party release is running at 900p or lower. I have no problems with 900p but settling on 720p for so many titles this early on is a bit worrying.

I presume Microsoft will improve their tools and developers will become accustomed to utilizing the Xbox One’s ESRAM configuration but all the tricks in the book could not possibly make up for the hardware deficiency. There’s no SPE or unconventional powerful hardware that they could harness to make up for the lack of actual hardware power.

Now this normally wouldn’t be worth noting but the Xbox One is in the unique position of being less powerful and more expensive. It may be more capable than the PlayStation 4 with the Kinect Sensor and TV abilities but those two things aren’t as compelling as the Blu-ray player. I’m trying to phase out cable TV and the Kinect isn’t exactly something that I was hankering for.

It’s an interesting situation and I’m very curious how third parties approach it. Early signs are that they’re just going to make the best game the can on each console. They are not going for parity here and for future PlayStation 4 owners, that’s good news. I just hope they keep it that way.

2013 PC Build Impressions

posted in: Gadget Impressions 0

I finally finished my building the 2013 PC. It officially belongs to my brother but I had the pleasure of putting it together. Here are some of my impressions of the build and the build process itself.

Model
ProcessorIntel Core i5 4670
MotherboardASUS H87I-PLUS
MemoryHyperX 10th Anniversary Edition 16GB DDR3-1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 8GB)
Video CardPowerColor PCS+ HD5770 1GB GDDR5
OS DriveSamsung 840 120GB
Storage DriveWestern Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7,200 RPM
CaseBitFenix Prodigy (White)
Power SupplySeasonic G Series 550W
CPU HSFSwiftech H220
Additonal FanScythe Slip Stream 120mm (SY1225SL 12L)
OSMicrosoft Windows 8 64-bit
MonitorASUS PB278Q
KeyboardMicrosoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000
MouseRazer Death Adder
SpeakersBose Cinemate Series II
OtherMicrosoft Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows

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2010 PC Specifications Rev 1.3

posted in: Technology News 0

Upgraded to XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Core Edition

Model
ProcessorIntel Core i5 750
MotherboardGigabyte GA-H55M-USB3
MemoryOCZ Gold 4 x 2GB DDR3-1600
Video CardXFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Core Edition
OS DriveCrucial MX100 256GB
Storage DriveWestern Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7,200 RPM
CaseAntec Mini P180 White
Power SupplyAntec EarthWatts 650W
CPU HSFCooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Additonal FanScythe Slip Stream 120mm (SY1225SL 12L)
OSMicrosoft Windows 8 64-bit
MonitorDell 2007WFP
KeyboardMicrosoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000
MouseLogitech G5 Laser Mouse
SpeakersLogitech Z-2200
OtherMicrosoft Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows

The 2010 PC Revision 1.1

posted in: Technology News 0

Updated my 2010 PC with an OCZ Vertex 2 60 GB solid state drive.

Model
ProcessorIntel Core i5 750
MotherboardGigabyte GA-H55M-USB3
MemoryOCZ Gold 4 x 2GB DDR3-1600
Video CardPowercolor Radeon HD 5770 PCS+ 1GB
OS DriveOCZ Vertex 2 60 GB
Storage DriveWestern Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7,200 RPM
CaseAntec Mini P180 White
Power SupplyAntec EarthWatts 650W
CPU HSFCooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Additonal FanScythe Slip Stream 120mm (SY1225SL 12L)
OSMicrosoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
MonitorDell 2007WFP
KeyboardMicrosoft Comfort Curve Keyboard 2000
MouseLogitech G5 Laser Mouse
SpeakersLogitech Z-2200
OtherMicrosoft Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows
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