JB0 Posted October 29, 2020 Posted October 29, 2020 15 minutes ago, technoblue said: Not sure what to think about that thing they did with Xilinx, though. I guess we'll see how that works out for them. Hopefully, they let Xilinx keep doing what they're doing instead of screwing it up like Intel did with Alterra. Quote
mikeszekely Posted October 29, 2020 Posted October 29, 2020 As others have said, it's nice to AMD being competitive again. But, there are still some questions about whether games that support Nvidia's ray tracing will work with AMD's ray tracing (which would explain why they didn't hype it up), or if AMD will have anything like DLSS. Plus, y'know, AMD's drivers haven't been the best. Really, with an RTX 2080 in my box I don't have much need to upgrade at all, but if I were to do it I'd probably stick with team green. That said, I couldn't fault anyone for going red this time. Quote
technoblue Posted October 29, 2020 Posted October 29, 2020 It will be interesting to see if having hardware in both the new gen consoles (Playstation and Xbox) will help AMD on the PC driver front. At first blush, I am liking how AMD’s new cards are a little less power hungry. Their ray tracing implementation is a good start, but constrained compared to nVidia’s RTX. Quote
kajnrig Posted October 29, 2020 Posted October 29, 2020 6 hours ago, technoblue said: Their ray tracing implementation is a good start, but constrained compared to nVidia’s RTX. But might ultimately prove to be more ubiquitous and receive better support, due to the same raytracing... pipeline, I guess... being in the consoles. I imagine it will be fairly painless to port games to and from consoles as they are, and will require maybe minimal, maybe significant extra dev work to optimize for Nvidia cards. Quote
mikeszekely Posted October 29, 2020 Posted October 29, 2020 I was looking at the numbers again, but this time with pricing in mind. For the 6900XT vs the RTX 3090, the performance seems pretty comparable and the price heavily favors AMD. If money is no object and you're a gamer looking for sheer power then AMD seems like a no-brainer... except, in this space, are the cards more geared toward professional stuff like modeling protein folding and what-not? And it's my understanding that a lot of the apps are designed for CUDA, and AMD might not even be an option. The 6800XT vs the RTX 3080 is where I see the fiercest competition. AMD's card seems to offer slightly better performance (at least some of the time), and it's cheaper. But the price difference isn't a huge one, like the 6900XT and 3090's. Those questions about driver software, AMD's ray tracing performance, and their answer to DLSS are still on my mind, and I'm back at what I said before- I'd probably pay the extra $50 and stick with Nvidia, but I couldn't fault anyone for going with AMD instead. The non-XT 6800 seems like more of a head-scratcher. AMD seemed to position it as a competitor to the RTX 2080ti. And yes, in that matchup the 6800 is cheaper and the performance is favorable. But if you're buying a GPU today chances are you're actually going to compare it with the RTX 3070, which seems to offer comparable performance for $80 less. You might want to wait for more comprehensive reviews, but on paper it really looks like you should either buy an RTX 3070 or spend big on the 6800XT or RTX 3080. Quote
technoblue Posted October 29, 2020 Posted October 29, 2020 29 minutes ago, kajnrig said: But might ultimately prove to be more ubiquitous and receive better support, due to the same raytracing... pipeline, I guess... being in the consoles. I imagine it will be fairly painless to port games to and from consoles as they are, and will require maybe minimal, maybe significant extra dev work to optimize for Nvidia cards. For sure. The amount of ray tracing support AMD gets is definitely a wait and see point. If their CPU support is any indication, they might even 'reveal' more features using software updates. They have everything to gain and lose depending on how well software (and drivers) support this stuff. Quote
JB0 Posted October 30, 2020 Posted October 30, 2020 (edited) On 10/28/2020 at 11:48 PM, mikeszekely said: But, there are still some questions about whether games that support Nvidia's ray tracing will work with AMD's ray tracing (which would explain why they didn't hype it up), or if AMD will have anything like DLSS. Raytracing will be universal going forward. AMD supports the DirectX 12 Ultimate raytracing implementation, which MS basically copied from the nVidia implementation. Everything SHOULD "just work" on either company's hardware right now, but I would not be surprised if some current games only enable the feature if they see an RTX card. AMD's announced solution for fancy upscaling is called "Super Resolution". It is essentially the same thing as DLSS(not precisely the same implementation, but it uses a similar process to accomplish the same end goal). And I still think that using a neural network to upscale an image is a stupid gimmick that only exists because nVidia had to justify including a huge block of hardware on the RTX2K chips that was useless for graphics rendering. Edited October 30, 2020 by JB0 Quote
technoblue Posted October 30, 2020 Posted October 30, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, JB0 said: Raytracing will be universal going forward. AMD supports the DirectX 12 Ultimate raytracing implementation, which MS basically copied from the nVidia implementation. Well, Vulkan support is not yet confirmed, which is why I hesitate to say AMD’s implementation is universal before seeing the card work. We could find ourselves in another DirectX vs OpenGL situation where certain games are recommended for one company and other games are recommended for their competitor. Not that this is a bad thing. 4 hours ago, JB0 said: AMD's announced solution for fancy upscaling is called "Super Resolution". It is essentially the same thing as DLSS(not precisely the same implementation, but it uses a similar process to accomplish the same end goal). And I still think that using a neural network to upscale an image is a stupid gimmick that only exists because nVidia had to justify including a huge block of hardware on the RTX2K chips that was useless for graphics rendering. Curious. AI enhanced features are en vogue now, and DLSS or Super Resolution or whatever a company calls it for graphics rendering is meant to improve visual quality without the stupid hit on performance. Personally, I think we’ve come a long way from the days of setting anisotropic filtering and some compromise anti-aliasing algorithm, or hoping that higher 4k/8k native resolutions will somehow hide visual artifacts. At the very least, these AI-run features offer another option which adds to the traditional choices. Edited October 30, 2020 by technoblue Quote
technoblue Posted November 23, 2020 Posted November 23, 2020 FYI: In case anyone is looking to add or upgrade to an SSD, Amazon has put up their 20% off deal for Samsung 860/970 Evo and T7 portables. https://www.amazon.com/deal/6ef524f9/ref=gbps_tit___6ef524f9?showVariations=true&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER Quote
azrael Posted November 24, 2020 Author Posted November 24, 2020 Lots of SSDs, flash drives or other solid-state media on sale this Black Friday... Quote
TangledThorns Posted November 25, 2020 Posted November 25, 2020 19 hours ago, azrael said: Lots of SSDs, flash drives or other solid-state media on sale this Black Friday... Yeah, if your mobo supports it you should get a NVME drive at least 1Tb in size if you're a gamer. I've had one for over two years and its the best thing since SSDs were released. I'm looking at adding another 2Tb for faster video editing if I see a really good deal this weekend. Quote
technoblue Posted November 25, 2020 Posted November 25, 2020 46 minutes ago, TangledThorns said: Yeah, if your mobo supports it you should get a NVME drive at least 1Tb in size if you're a gamer. I've had one for over two years and its the best thing since SSDs were released. I'm looking at adding another 2Tb for faster video editing if I see a really good deal this weekend. I’ve been happy with using NVME as my boot drive too. I finally upgraded to a motherboard that supports this standard over the summer. Still quite happy with the price/performance ratio of SATA SSDs as well. $199 for 2TB is a price I haven’t seen in a while. Nice for a storage array, if that’s your thing. I’ve been slowly upgrading the spinning discs in a mini NAS I have at home. Quote
mikeszekely Posted November 25, 2020 Posted November 25, 2020 My boot drive is NVME. I should look if there's a second slot, my gaming drive isn't even a SATA SSD. Quote
technoblue Posted November 25, 2020 Posted November 25, 2020 (edited) On 11/25/2020 at 12:19 PM, mikeszekely said: My boot drive is NVME. I should look if there's a second slot, my gaming drive isn't even a SATA SSD. If you have the room for it, I recommend it. My current NVME-based system only has one full speed (16xPCIe) slot, which is why I paired it with a SATA SSD, but the new Ryzen desktop that I'm putting together (slowly) has two full speed slots. The improved throughput should help some with level load times in games (among other things). Also, it means fewer cables to manage. Edited November 30, 2020 by technoblue Quote
azrael Posted November 25, 2020 Author Posted November 25, 2020 While I should transition my SSDs to all NVMe (already using NVMe for boot) I’m debating holding off switching until I move to Ryzen. SSDs for my NAS is still a little out of my price range for TB/$$$. Quote
TangledThorns Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 This is overkill for my needs but it looks like a really good deal for those looking for a NVME drive as their main drive for OS and games. Sabrent Rocket Q 2TB NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 for $187.49. https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Rocket-Internal-Performance-SB-RKTQ-2TB/dp/B0829DZH2W/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1T1FNIBO40AN0&dchild=1&keywords=m.2+ssd+2tb&qid=1606741494&sprefix=m.2%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-6 Quote
azrael Posted November 30, 2020 Author Posted November 30, 2020 4 hours ago, TangledThorns said: This is overkill for my needs but it looks like a really good deal for those looking for a NVME drive as their main drive for OS and games. Sabrent Rocket Q 2TB NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 for $187.49. You can always use it as a external drive. Speaking of which, since I missed the sale on a Crucial NVMe, I'll pick up this one. *Add to Cart* Quote
TangledThorns Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 1 hour ago, azrael said: You can always use it as a external drive. Speaking of which, since I missed the sale on a Crucial NVMe, I'll pick up this one. *Add to Cart* I'd get a conventional HDD for an external. I'd only be interested in m.2 SSDs for their performance really Quote
Hikaru Ichijo SL Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 I would love to build a new PC one of these days, but I am so confused on why I should even get. I want to start gaming again at 1440p, I realized 4k is not viable. One thing I am sure of is that I want a RTX 3070 for the video card. Quote
mikeszekely Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 7 minutes ago, Hikaru Ichijo SL said: I would love to build a new PC one of these days, but I am so confused on why I should even get. I want to start gaming again at 1440p, I realized 4k is not viable. One thing I am sure of is that I want a RTX 3070 for the video card. That's a good start (and not sure why 4K isn't viable; I'm using an RTX 2080 and I'm playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla in 4K right now). I'd match that with an Ryzen 5000-series CPU (assuming bots and scalpers didn't buy them all). Then it's just a matter of finding a board to match the CPU with, preferably one with maybe two NVME slots. Do get at least a 512GB NVME drive for your boot drive, and if you can spare it a 1-2TB NVME drive for your games. Then grab a CPU cooler, some RAM, a PSU, and a case to stuff everything into and you're more or less done. Quote
azrael Posted November 30, 2020 Author Posted November 30, 2020 34 minutes ago, TangledThorns said: I'd get a conventional HDD for an external. I'd only be interested in m.2 SSDs for their performance really Portable/backup Steam library. Quote
Hikaru Ichijo SL Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 3 minutes ago, mikeszekely said: That's a good start (and not sure why 4K isn't viable; I'm using an RTX 2080 and I'm playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla in 4K right now). I'd match that with an Ryzen 5000-series CPU (assuming bots and scalpers didn't buy them all). Then it's just a matter of finding a board to match the CPU with, preferably one with maybe two NVME slots. Do get at least a 512GB NVME drive for your boot drive, and if you can spare it a 1-2TB NVME drive for your games. Then grab a CPU cooler, some RAM, a PSU, and a case to stuff everything into and you're more or less done. a decent 32" 4k IPS monitor are not exactly cheap. I would definitely get a 1tb M.2 nvme ssd for the boot drive. Quote
mikeszekely Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 29 minutes ago, Hikaru Ichijo SL said: a decent 32" 4k IPS monitor are not exactly cheap. I would definitely get a 1tb M.2 nvme ssd for the boot drive. Are you dead set on 32"? I bought a 27" LG I like a lot for $450. You can knock it down to $300 if you get the version with the plastic body instead of aluminum. Quote
Hikaru Ichijo SL Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 6 minutes ago, mikeszekely said: Are you dead set on 32"? I bought a 27" LG I like a lot for $450. You can knock it down to $300 if you get the version with the plastic body instead of aluminum. I am not dead set on 32". Which model 27" is that. Quote
TangledThorns Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 56 minutes ago, azrael said: Portable/backup Steam library. I quit gaming earlier this year so no more STEAM for me. On a side note my wife is frustrated on what to get me for Christmas this year as I quit gaming as stated above and I already have plenty of gun stuff, don't want her to overpay for ammo and such. Quote
mikeszekely Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Hikaru Ichijo SL said: I am not dead set on 32". Which model 27" is that. This is the one I got. Only drawback is that it's only 60hz, but I don't notice a ton of difference (and even hitting 60fps at 4K pushes my card, so...). Quote
Hikaru Ichijo SL Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 4 minutes ago, mikeszekely said: This is the one I got. Only drawback is that it's only 60hz, but I don't notice a ton of difference (and even hitting 60fps at 4K pushes my card, so...). Looks good. Which is the plastic model. Quote
mikeszekely Posted November 30, 2020 Posted November 30, 2020 10 minutes ago, Hikaru Ichijo SL said: Looks good. Which is the plastic model. I think this one. Quote
azrael Posted December 1, 2020 Author Posted December 1, 2020 The 3060 "launched"? Really? Another paper launch? Which no one can get anyways cuz bots are scoping up any stock for mining... Quote
technoblue Posted December 1, 2020 Posted December 1, 2020 2 hours ago, azrael said: The 3060 "launched"? Really? Another paper launch? Which no one can get anyways cuz bots are scoping up any stock for mining... Well, Wednesday is release day, but everything else will probably pan out as you say so...everyman user impressions in six months? Quote
azrael Posted December 1, 2020 Author Posted December 1, 2020 32 minutes ago, technoblue said: Well, Wednesday is release day, but everything else will probably pan out as you say so...everyman user impressions in six months? That's what it's looking like. I would like to do some upgrades during Xmas but with virtually no stock on major components (or ridiculous prices on the 2nd market), that ain't happening. Quote
JB0 Posted December 1, 2020 Posted December 1, 2020 3 hours ago, azrael said: The 3060 "launched"? Really? Another paper launch? Which no one can get anyways cuz bots are scoping up any stock for mining... Except the ones snagged by scalper bots. And the ones nVidia presold to buttcoin diggers. Quote
TangledThorns Posted December 1, 2020 Posted December 1, 2020 While not a computer it is electronic I ordered a Dyson AirWrap gift set as my wife's Christmas gift. It's pricey but I think she'll love it. Quote
azrael Posted December 2, 2020 Author Posted December 2, 2020 On 11/30/2020 at 2:44 PM, mikeszekely said: I think this one. Just as a FYI, B&H Photo Video has it in stock now (Amazon lists it as out of stock until late December at time of posting) https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1457456-REG/lg_27ul550_w_27_ultra_hd_color.html Quote
azrael Posted January 9, 2021 Author Posted January 9, 2021 Just an update on where we stand on anyone planning to update their computers this year: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/gpu-shortages-worsen-cryptocurrency-coin-miners-ethereum TL;DR: Maybe Autumn 2021...Maybe consider last gen parts... Quote
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