Anyone else think hardware is advancing too fast?

D

DoomRulz

Gawd
Joined
Apr 17, 2006
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512
Title might seem a little odd, so I'll explain.

First we had the 7900GTX. Then came the 7900GT --> 7950 GX2 --> 7950 GT --> 8800 GTS/GTX (hope I got that right)...all in one year.

And of course, 1900XTX --> 1900XT --> 1950XTX...also in one year

I put the lower end cards after their big brothers (7900GTX --> 7900GT b/c I remember the lower end cards coming out afterwards).

It seems like only yesterday that Quad SLi was big, and the famous 1900XTX vs. 7900GTX war was going on...and before we even knew it, DX10 arrived.

Who else thinks hardware nowadays is flying? (I used graphic cards b/c they seem to advance the most)
 
High-end graphics cards always seem to move faster than anything else in the market, and only the rich, stupid, or hard-core gamers buy those.

Overall, I think things are moving at a good rate. I would of course (like everyone) like to see Blu-Ray recordable optical drives hit shevles soon (at least before the horrible thing that is HD-DVD-R drives), and processor improvements are always welcome.
 
I honestly think its great because with newer hardware comes lower prices on the older stuff. So its a win win situation :)
 
tisb0b said:
I honestly think its great because with newer hardware comes lower prices on the older stuff. So its a win win situation :)
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I take your point, but consider this.

Quad SLi was in its heyday what, like 3-4 months ago? It was huge, a breakthrough if you will, in graphics technology. But by the time people were really excited about it, the 1950XTX was released, coming neck-to-neck with Quad SLi when run in CF mode, then all of a sudden, just those cards were big, BOOM! Out comes the 8800 series and DX10.

I mean, one day you're top-of-the-line, next day, you're bottom of the barrel (not literally, but you know what I mean)
 
DoomRulz said:
I take your point, but consider this.

Quad SLi was in its heyday what, like 3-4 months ago? It was huge, a breakthrough if you will, in graphics technology. But by the time people were really excited about it, the 1950XTX was released, coming neck-to-neck with Quad SLi when run in CF mode, then all of a sudden, just those cards were big, BOOM! Out comes the 8800 series and DX10.

I mean, one day you're top-of-the-line, next day, you're bottom of the barrel (not literally, but you know what I mean)
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I agree, gaming graphics cards are moving way too fast for the vast majority of customers to want, or be able, to keep up with, hence the big move to console gaming, which combined with consoles with HD cabability (the PS3 and Xbox360) are capable of producing almost as good of graphics plus on bigger screens, is driving more and more people from the PC gaming scene.
 
NulloModo said:
I agree, gaming graphics cards are moving way too fast for the vast majority of customers to want, or be able, to keep up with, hence the big move to console gaming, which combined with consoles with HD cabability (the PS3 and Xbox360) are capable of producing almost as good of graphics plus on bigger screens, is driving more and more people from the PC gaming scene.
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I see your point. However I don't play games on my computer because I am into pc gaming more than console gaming. I could really careless what sort of console I play games on. I simply play games because they are generally the easiest way to tax my system that I have modded, tweaked, and overclocked. You cant do those things with a console. Its like being a car guy. You tweak things just for the fun of it.
I am glad that technology moves so fast. Advances in computer technology is good for society as a whole, not just gaming. Besides you don't have to have the lastest an greatest. Trust me. I played Doom3 on a 9250 pci based card.
 
DoomRulz said:
I take your point, but consider this.

Quad SLi was in its heyday what, like 3-4 months ago? It was huge, a breakthrough if you will, in graphics technology. But by the time people were really excited about it, the 1950XTX was released, coming neck-to-neck with Quad SLi when run in CF mode, then all of a sudden, just those cards were big, BOOM! Out comes the 8800 series and DX10.

I mean, one day you're top-of-the-line, next day, you're bottom of the barrel (not literally, but you know what I mean)
Click to expand...

Yes but a 7950gx2 and x1950xtx haven't gotten any slower and are currently overkill for most people. It honestly doesn't matter if you don't have the latest and greatest graphics cards because until there is a real need for it g80 is pointless for anyone gaming at less than 1600x1200 and who is not playing oblivion. Because in about 6 months there might be 2-3 games max that are actually gonna utilize dx10 and those games are gonna let you use a dx9 gfx card anyways.
 
Let's put it this way:

I built my computer over a year and a half ago. It's got an Intel LGA775 3.4ghz ES (engineering sample, so 64-bit) CPU, a D915GAV-L Motherboard, 1.5GB of RAM, and 450GB's of Seagate goodness. The only thing I've done since is changed out the 6600GT for a 7800GTX. It's usually as good (or better) than most of the new PC's my "real-world" (so, no $4,000's in expendable cash) friends buy, so I feel good inside.

Hardware (minus the RETARDED graphics card releases) is moving along just nicely. I haven't had a computer for so long without upgrading it! Besides Dual/Quad-core CPU's and advances in power usage, main hardware hasn't changed too much. It's not the "upgrade every 3-months" rat race it used to be.
 
Klintor said:
It's not the "upgrade every 3-months" rat race it used to be.
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I disagree my friend. Let's go back to my Quad SLi example. Only 3 months ago (more or less) it was the graphics system to have. Now look: how often do you hear people talking about Quad SLi? When I say people I'm talking about folks such as you and I, not the tech people that evaluate the hardware.

It seems like as soon as the jump from GeForce FX to 6 series was made, graphics technology was sky-rocketing all of a sudden.

Upgrading every 3 months is entirely the individual's choice I agree, but I would still say there's a bit of a rat race out there.

Is there other hardware that's advancing as quickly as graphic cards?
 
I just upgraded from a Geforce ti4200 to a 7600gs, thats a 4 year time span there. It's only a rat race if you let it be.

Technology needs to start making it's way, games are getting better.
 
NulloModo said:
Overall, I think things are moving at a good rate. I would of course (like everyone) like to see Blu-Ray recordable optical drives hit shevles soon (at least before the horrible thing that is HD-DVD-R drives), and processor improvements are always welcome.
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Yeah I want blu ray, and i want it NOW!! and not for 500 + dollars. Bigger discs = less hard drive space required.

tisb0b said:
I honestly think its great because with newer hardware comes lower prices on the older stuff. So its a win win situation :)
Click to expand...

Couldnt have said it better myself

tacosareveryyummy said:
You cant do those things with a console. Its like being a car guy. You tweak things just for the fun of it.
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Yeah... tweaking cars is fun as hell. I want to use that Corsair guide and put a Car PC in my car. that would be dope as hell.

As for me, Im primarily a old school console guy myself, i have literally every emulatable system on my PC and play games right from that. (Of course i play oblivion too!) I only use my TV for television and movies.

I think, overall, that as long as I build my own system and not buy some rip-off software bloated one from a store, *SONY* then I got a good deal.
 
DoomRulz said:
I disagree my friend.
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Notice, I said "besides the retarded graphics card updates, and multi-core CPUs;" both of which are non-required upgrades. Unless you're talking about shaving minutes off of a video encode, or seconds on Photoshop's load time, I don't really foresee needing either in the near future.
 
DoomRulz said:
Title might seem a little odd, so I'll explain.

First we had the 7900GTX. Then came the 7900GT --> 7950 GX2 --> 7950 GT --> 8800 GTS/GTX (hope I got that right)...all in one year.

And of course, 1900XTX --> 1900XT --> 1950XTX...also in one year

I put the lower end cards after their big brothers (7900GTX --> 7900GT b/c I remember the lower end cards coming out afterwards).

It seems like only yesterday that Quad SLi was big, and the famous 1900XTX vs. 7900GTX war was going on...and before we even knew it, DX10 arrived.

Who else thinks hardware nowadays is flying? (I used graphic cards b/c they seem to advance the most)
Click to expand...


Hardware is advancing too fast for what?
DirectX is software not hardware, so DirectX10 arriving is a software issue.
Did you mean that Directx10 has come too fast?
We have been given DX10 hardware shortly in advance of DX10 becoming available, I'd say the timing is pretty good, not too early.

More graphics power isnt a bad thing so advancing too fast isnt a term I'd use.
The need for more graphics power is possibly the bad thing through unoptimised and lazy code.
You could also argue that better looking games needing more power are a bad thing but I wouldnt :)

Very soon we will reach the peak of acceptable resolution for the size screens in general use. This is likely to be around 2048x1536 to near 2500x????.
Any graphics cards performance increases will be applied to better quality animation/graphics/physics and even AI from then on.

CPU and memory performance increases will help feed the graphics cards better (although cpu reliance is reduced in DX10).
They will also help give improved Physics and AI.
Are you really saying that you would rather that game/development advancement slowed down because you dont want to upgrade so often?

ATI (and NVidia) have brought out many similar performing cards as they change process sizes, manufacturing techniques and designs but thats not really an advance but an optimisation.
If you own one of those cards are you really bothered by other similar cards being released? I'm not and I'm plum in the middle of them with an X1800XT :)

SLI exists because there is a need for it to run at higher resolutions and some games arent very well optimised and need more than their fair share of power.
As we see what SLI can do, the next generation needs to be something special for us to buy new hardware.
This helps drive the market forward (as games developers know its coming!), but no matter what the performance of the previous generation, the next gen will need to be about twice as fast as the the top of the range last gen (single boards/cards) for us to ditch SLI and buy new.

You arent compelled to buy new hardware but if you want to play the latest games in full glory, you will likely need near the latest hardware.
 
NulloModo said:
High-end graphics cards always seem to move faster than anything else in the market, and only the rich, stupid, or hard-core gamers buy those.

Overall, I think things are moving at a good rate. I would of course (like everyone) like to see Blu-Ray recordable optical drives hit shevles soon (at least before the horrible thing that is HD-DVD-R drives), and processor improvements are always welcome.
Click to expand...
i guess we're all rich fucktards then huh? :mad:
 
jcll2002 said:
i guess we're all rich fucktards then huh? :mad:
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Id say that if you are able to eat the loss of selling yesterday's top end and buy today's top end at every graphics refresh, you have more money than most. Me, for example.

If one sold a 7950 GX2 right now, they would get roughly 380, going by ebay. That's $200 to get an 8800GTX. That's still a considerable amount of money to be spending every 6 months or whatever, when current hardware will probably be fine for another cycle or two.
 
jcll2002 said:
i guess we're all rich fucktards then huh? :mad:
Click to expand...

haha yeah, we pretty much are. But i would rather be considered rich and smart. Celebrities are mostly rich and stupid.
 
buffbiff21 said:
haha yeah, we pretty much are. But i would rather be considered rich and smart. Celebrities are mostly rich and stupid.
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like that Tom Cruise guy, way to go off topic :p
 
It's impossible to keep up with technology. Why even bother. Just be happy with what you can afford or be broke. :)
 
andyle said:
It's impossible to keep up with technology. Why even bother. Just be happy with what you can afford or be broke. :)
Click to expand...

lol, I suppose that's one way of looking at it.
 
Chernobyl1 said:
Hardware is advancing too fast for what?
DirectX is software not hardware, so DirectX10 arriving is a software issue.
Did you mean that Directx10 has come too fast?
We have been given DX10 hardware shortly in advance of DX10 becoming available, I'd say the timing is pretty good, not too early.

More graphics power isnt a bad thing so advancing too fast isnt a term I'd use.
The need for more graphics power is possibly the bad thing through unoptimised and lazy code.
You could also argue that better looking games needing more power are a bad thing but I wouldnt :)

CPU and memory performance increases will help feed the graphics cards better (although cpu reliance is reduced in DX10).
They will also help give improved Physics and AI.
Are you really saying that you would rather that game/development advancement slowed down because you dont want to upgrade so often?

ATI (and NVidia) have brought out many similar performing cards as they change process sizes, manufacturing techniques and designs but thats not really an advance but an optimisation.
If you own one of those cards are you really bothered by other similar cards being released? I'm not and I'm plum in the middle of them with an X1800XT :)

SLI exists because there is a need for it to run at higher resolutions and some games arent very well optimised and need more than their fair share of power.
As we see what SLI can do, the next generation needs to be something special for us to buy new hardware.
This helps drive the market forward (as games developers know its coming!), but no matter what the performance of the previous generation, the next gen will need to be about twice as fast as the the top of the range last gen (single boards/cards) for us to ditch SLI and buy new.

You arent compelled to buy new hardware but if you want to play the latest games in full glory, you will likely need near the latest hardware.
Click to expand...

You can't use DX10 unless you're running DX10 hardware. Software or hardware, it's still an advancement in technology. And honest-to-God, I think you've misunderstood me.

I'm not saying that hardware as it is today is useless...there is a definite need for innovations like SLi, but the advancements are moving so quickly that my feeling is essentially "Why bother? It's just a race b/w competing companies to see who can put out the best for the time being" :rolleyes:
 
Yeah theres definitely a strong competitive element but the advancements dont go to waste.
We want fluid and lifelike animation on any number of objects in high resolution and dont have it yet, so really, its not advancing fast enough.
 
Well, here's another advancement I'm sure most of us are familiar with; HD-DVD vs. Blu-Ray.

Seems as if they're poised to fight each other to the bitter end lol...my guess is Blu-Ray has a chance at winning b/c of PS3. Thoughts?
 
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