Xandivious is my new computer, named for the demon Spangles summons to clear horde from Winterfall Village.
main components:
CPU: AMD 64 3800+ ATHLON X2 939P RT
dual core 64 bit processor
$295.00
mobo: ASUS A8N-SLI Premium NF4SLI 939
nvidia chipset, neat heat pipe to cool it, supports dual nvidia graphics cards; lan, sound, raid drivers onboard
$163.49
memory: 1Gx2 Patriot 184P D400 PDC2G3200LLK
$235.00
disk: 74GB WD Raptor 10,000RPM 8MB WD740GD
fast SATA drive
$153.00
video: LEADTEK PX7800GT EXTREME TDH
bought two cards, installed one, will compare the effect of mono/dual video
$289.00 each
OS: MS WINDOWS XP PRO X64
has a built-in (x86) emulator that runs WoW, so no hyperthreading/multitasking that wasn't available on single core, I guess
$142.45
The practical effect of Moore's Law is that every two or three years I build a computer that costs approximately what the last one did, and get massively more of everything: speed, storage, memory.
This machine went together in three hours. Posted, and installed OS first time no problem. Took another two hours to tweak BIOS, load drivers, customize XP and load WoW. Brought up Spangles, set up sound and video, then logged out and copied the Interface/Addons and the WTF/Account folders into the WoW directory. Instant account cloning no problem.
I built this machine to mitigate causes of lag on my side. I wanted to eliminate the paging, and the video overload that cause lag and stutter when Spangles makes the scene in Ironforge.
I loaded only WoW after the OS. No background utilities, no virus checking, no nothing. The machine sits behind a Netgear router/firewall that has kept my lan clean for the last three years.
WoW runs in (x86) emulator mode. So why bother with dual core? Well, I dunno, but life on the bleeding edge of technology is its own punishment, and its own reward. Maybe I'll find something else for it to do while I'm gaming.
Things I like:
This is a motherfast machine. Disk drive activity is minimal, and Spangles doesn't lag into the moat when she runs out of the Stonefire tavern. I will reserve judgement on paging mitigation until she runs around in IF when it is very crowded.
WoW video enhancement options are all on and maxed, while performance enhancers are turned off. I think I might return the second video card. I have not encountered a situation yet where I think it might help.
The coloring and texturing is very pretty. Some objects look slightly glossy, as if buffed with wax. Spell effect enhancements are spectacular but I will turn them off if they continue to distract in combat.
Things I don't like:
Onboard sound is harsh, so I put in a X-Fi Fatal1ty sound card from Creative Labs. Went to the website for 64 bit drivers, and all is serene. Sound from the speakers is marvellous, I'm hearing things that I didn't know were there. I will listen carefully with headphones and report.
There is no 64 bit button-reconfigure utility for my Logitech Trackball Marble FX. There never will be, for this legacy device. So I switched to a Kensington Expert trackball. New drivers will be available 'real soon now'. Meanwhile, learning a new pointing device is hell. But I know already that results will justify the learning curve, and I will soon be able to shift-loot quick as a wink.
The (i386) version of Vent does not run, so I run it on a nearby machine. I listen to guild chat as if it were the radio, and don't say much, so this is a minor inconvenience.
I will update this post with new infos as they happen.
main components:
CPU: AMD 64 3800+ ATHLON X2 939P RT
dual core 64 bit processor
$295.00
mobo: ASUS A8N-SLI Premium NF4SLI 939
nvidia chipset, neat heat pipe to cool it, supports dual nvidia graphics cards; lan, sound, raid drivers onboard
$163.49
memory: 1Gx2 Patriot 184P D400 PDC2G3200LLK
$235.00
disk: 74GB WD Raptor 10,000RPM 8MB WD740GD
fast SATA drive
$153.00
video: LEADTEK PX7800GT EXTREME TDH
bought two cards, installed one, will compare the effect of mono/dual video
$289.00 each
OS: MS WINDOWS XP PRO X64
has a built-in (x86) emulator that runs WoW, so no hyperthreading/multitasking that wasn't available on single core, I guess
$142.45
The practical effect of Moore's Law is that every two or three years I build a computer that costs approximately what the last one did, and get massively more of everything: speed, storage, memory.
This machine went together in three hours. Posted, and installed OS first time no problem. Took another two hours to tweak BIOS, load drivers, customize XP and load WoW. Brought up Spangles, set up sound and video, then logged out and copied the Interface/Addons and the WTF/Account folders into the WoW directory. Instant account cloning no problem.
I built this machine to mitigate causes of lag on my side. I wanted to eliminate the paging, and the video overload that cause lag and stutter when Spangles makes the scene in Ironforge.
I loaded only WoW after the OS. No background utilities, no virus checking, no nothing. The machine sits behind a Netgear router/firewall that has kept my lan clean for the last three years.
WoW runs in (x86) emulator mode. So why bother with dual core? Well, I dunno, but life on the bleeding edge of technology is its own punishment, and its own reward. Maybe I'll find something else for it to do while I'm gaming.
Things I like:
This is a motherfast machine. Disk drive activity is minimal, and Spangles doesn't lag into the moat when she runs out of the Stonefire tavern. I will reserve judgement on paging mitigation until she runs around in IF when it is very crowded.
WoW video enhancement options are all on and maxed, while performance enhancers are turned off. I think I might return the second video card. I have not encountered a situation yet where I think it might help.
The coloring and texturing is very pretty. Some objects look slightly glossy, as if buffed with wax. Spell effect enhancements are spectacular but I will turn them off if they continue to distract in combat.
Things I don't like:
Onboard sound is harsh, so I put in a X-Fi Fatal1ty sound card from Creative Labs. Went to the website for 64 bit drivers, and all is serene. Sound from the speakers is marvellous, I'm hearing things that I didn't know were there. I will listen carefully with headphones and report.
There is no 64 bit button-reconfigure utility for my Logitech Trackball Marble FX. There never will be, for this legacy device. So I switched to a Kensington Expert trackball. New drivers will be available 'real soon now'. Meanwhile, learning a new pointing device is hell. But I know already that results will justify the learning curve, and I will soon be able to shift-loot quick as a wink.
The (i386) version of Vent does not run, so I run it on a nearby machine. I listen to guild chat as if it were the radio, and don't say much, so this is a minor inconvenience.
I will update this post with new infos as they happen.
![[Image: spangles_sig_3.jpg]](https://home.comcast.net/~swesson5/spangles_sig_3.jpg)