Forgot your password?

Close
typodupeerror
Power

Switching to Solar Power--One Year Later->

Submitted by
ThinSkin
ThinSkin writes "Slashdot readers may recall Loyd Case's series of articles illustrating his experiences after switching to solar power for his family home. Loyd shared his one month update, a six month update, and now finally concludes his series after one year of solar power. Despite the $38,000 initial cost for the setup, Loyd is very optimistic after a $3000 savings after one year, meaning that in about 12 years he will break even--though he suspects ten years is a better estimate considering other factors. Other reasons such as feeling "green", increasing the property value of his house, and the "spousal acceptance factor" all support Loyd's decision on why he'd do it all over again if he could."
Link to Original Source
Hardware Hacking

Build an $800 Gaming PC->

Submitted by
ThinSkin
ThinSkin writes "Building a computer that can handle today's games doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. In fact, it can cost less than $800, especially given that many hardware manufacturers have cut costs considerably. Loyd Case over at ExtremeTech shows gamers how to build an $800 gaming PC, one in which that features an overclockable Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400 and a graphics-crunching EVGA 260 GTX Core 216. The computer exceeded expectations in gaming and synthetic tests, and was even overclocked well over spec at 3.01GHz."
Link to Original Source
The Internet

Pirate Bay Defendant Calls Verdict 'Epic Win'->

Submitted by
ThinSkin
ThinSkin writes "One of The Pirate Bay defendants convicted in the piracy case spins the guilty verdict as "an epic win," claiming that the site will rise to "kick their ass". Peter Sunde, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Fredrik Neij and Carl Lundstrom were all sentenced to one year in prison and collectively ordered to pay 30 million Swedish crowns, or about $3.58 million, in a closely-watched trial that involved one of the Internet's most notorious sites for linking to illegally-copied works."
Link to Original Source
PC Games (Games)

10 PC Games That Won't Die-> 1

Submitted by
ThinSkin
ThinSkin writes "Some games just live on...and on...and on.... That said, Joel Durham Jr. at ExtremeTech has listed 10 of these games that just won't die. Rather than just list popular titles of yesteryear, Joel goes a step further and tests these games to ensure that they work on Vista (and in some cases Windows 7) so that gamers can stay happy even after migrating to a new operating system. Some titles include Diablo II, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries, and Warcraft III. Strangely, CounterStrke is absent from the list, and perhaps World of Warcraft is still relatively new to be included."
Link to Original Source
Graphics

ATI, Nvidia Reveal New $250 Graphics Cards->

Submitted by
ThinSkin
ThinSkin writes "As part of their "Spring Refresh," both AMD and Nvidia reveal new $250 graphics cards, the Radeon 4890 and GeForce GTX 275. ExtremeTech takes both cards and runs them through a gamut of gaming and synthetic benchmarks to decide which card triumphs over the other. Long story short, the GeForce takes the cake with its impressive performance at its price, while the Radeon didn't show a high improvement over the cheaper Radeon 4870."
Link to Original Source
PC Games (Games)

OnLive Aims to Replace Game Consoles->

Submitted by
ThinSkin
ThinSkin writes "Imagine playing bleeding edge games, yet never again upgrading your hardware. That's the ambitious goal of OnLive's Internet delivered gaming service. Using cloud computing, OnLive allows gamers to use ordinary hardware to play extraordinary games, thanks in large part to OnLive's remote servers that do all the heavy lifting. With a fast enough Internet connection, gamers can effectively stream and play games using a PC, Mac, or a "MicroConsole," a dedicated gaming client provided by OnLive that includes a game controller. Without ever having to worry about costly hardware upgrades or the cost of a next-gen console, gamers can expect to fork over about $50 yearly just for the service. If this thing takes off, this can spell trouble for gaming consoles down the road, especially if already-established services like Steam and Impulse join the fray."
Link to Original Source
Windows

Windows 7 vs. Vista Graphics Performance->

Submitted by
ThinSkin
ThinSkin writes "Thinking of switching over to Windows 7 already? Or maybe testing it out? According to ExtremeTech's Jason Cross, Windows 7 driver support from both ATI and Nvidia is moving along smoothly, and in some cases Windows 7 performance in synthetic and gaming benchmarks is actually better than Vista's performance. In their Windows 7 vs. Vista showdown, ExtremeTech benchmarks ATI and Nvidia cards on both operating systems for a good sneak peak at Windows 7 performance compared to Vista. The good news: without upgrading hardware, gamers can expect a boost in framerates for popular games when moving over to Windows 7."
Link to Original Source
Microsoft

Windows 7 Won't Save Hybrid Hard Drives-> 2

Submitted by
ThinSkin
ThinSkin writes "Microsoft's Windows 7 is supposed to be the Vista that works. So does that mean hybrid drives will finally work, too? According to Seagate, don't count on it. Microsoft just isn't interested in supporting the technology, even after hailing Vista's "ReadyBoost" in the past. So Seagate has little reason to further develop this technology."
Link to Original Source
Enlightenment

Why I Don't Like Online Multiplayer Gaming->

Submitted by
ThinSkin
ThinSkin writes "'If I get called "faggot" one more time by somebody I don't even know...well, I don't have a decent threat. What can you do?' So begins Joel's column on why online multiplayer gaming sucks today. Don't hate the game. Hate the playas. It's an interesting take from somebody who loves to play online but cannot stand the people who spoil the fun with their foul mouths and attitudes."
Link to Original Source
Displays

10 Tips for Better LCD Image Quality->

Submitted by
ThinSkin
ThinSkin writes "Loyd Case over at ExtremeTech has come up with 10 useful tips on improving your LCD's image quality. While many of us are fine using good old "auto adjust" to calibrate our monitors, Loyd goes much further in depth by introducing calibration tools and correction programs. Furthermore, the monitor's orientation (height and distance from you) is an important consideration, and how you clean your monitor when it's dirty."
Link to Original Source

She sells cshs by the cshore.