Cheers guys. Sounds promising that I'll be able to pick some spots as I choose. Croft isn't exactly a massively developed circuit - see FlashEarth for the circuit. It's cool that google's satellite image was taken on race day - there's cars going round the track!
I always carry a high-vis jacket in the boot of my car so maybe if I put that on and put the longest lens on my camera, there's a chance I'll get better access to somewhere a bit closer than spectator areas! Maybe it's worth giving them a ring beforehand to enquire about media-level access for non-commercial photography, just for that added bit of flexibility.
This is all assuming it's not pissing it down in April of course, as my camera gear isn't weather sealed.
I always carry a high-vis jacket in the boot of my car so maybe if I put that on and put the longest lens on my camera, there's a chance I'll get better access to somewhere a bit closer than spectator areas! Maybe it's worth giving them a ring beforehand to enquire about media-level access for non-commercial photography, just for that added bit of flexibility.
This is all assuming it's not pissing it down in April of course, as my camera gear isn't weather sealed.
What happens at a race track?
Yes, I know the obvious answer to the topic title. Racing! Duh!
What I mean is, what happens when a spectator goes to a circuit?
Reason I ask is that I'm determined to get to Croft this year (it's only 40 mins drive away) with my camera to do some motorsport photography. But once you've paid your gate fee, are you just free to wander around behind the armco on the banks and hillsides? Obviously the press and agency photographers have press passes and the best locations (along with pit and paddock access, lucky buggers), but what about the amateur? How much freedom is there to move around the trackside and get where you want to be - or are you typically limited to the stands and pathways between them?
Only time I've been to a circuit is Silverstone for the GP when I was a wee lad, and I can't remember any such details. So I'm trying to get an idea of how things are around the track.
F3 is at Croft in April and it's only £12 on Saturday and £15 on Sunday. A booklet I had also said the British GT was on the same weekend, which I'd be far more interested in, but Croft appears to have since been dropped from the GT schedule altogether.
What I mean is, what happens when a spectator goes to a circuit?
Reason I ask is that I'm determined to get to Croft this year (it's only 40 mins drive away) with my camera to do some motorsport photography. But once you've paid your gate fee, are you just free to wander around behind the armco on the banks and hillsides? Obviously the press and agency photographers have press passes and the best locations (along with pit and paddock access, lucky buggers), but what about the amateur? How much freedom is there to move around the trackside and get where you want to be - or are you typically limited to the stands and pathways between them?
Only time I've been to a circuit is Silverstone for the GP when I was a wee lad, and I can't remember any such details. So I'm trying to get an idea of how things are around the track.
F3 is at Croft in April and it's only £12 on Saturday and £15 on Sunday. A booklet I had also said the British GT was on the same weekend, which I'd be far more interested in, but Croft appears to have since been dropped from the GT schedule altogether.
Is that just a polite, reptilian way of saying, "stop being a provocative twat"?
Maybe they're all just really, really keen students?
He must really hate America to embarrass himself and his country like this. 
Yup, seems like it. I think he just lost whatever little credibility he had.
Not a tremor in Newcastle for me either.
Wierd, it's felt in York but not in Newcastle so it seems to have stopped at Middlesborough. Maybe it took one look at the place and thought it wasn't worth going any further.
Semi committed? Lol. I think they're very committed. It's just that there's only three of them, and there's only so much work three people can do.
I guess you haven't learnt to drive the FBM then. There's nothing wrong with the clutch on it. I've only managed to cook the clutch with deliberate effort to do so.
And would they expect to get paid for it as well, since their work would be included in a commercial product? It's not as simple as just saying "you, let's use your work in our product" when Scavier are selling that product.
I think it's quite clearly a full-time job - at the very least for Scawen. Victor appears to have taken a little step back and worked on another project or two, and none of us know about Eric. Either way, it's not for us to make demands or accusations about their working arrangements as it's none of our business. Yes we can voice concerns and opinions about the product, but it's up to the devs to allocate manpower/resources as required to keep the playerbase stable/content/not going anywhere/growing, and being sniped at won't change their minds in the slightest. I think the devs have more confidence in themselves and their product to pay any attention to your kind of comments.
this is where I stopped reading.
LFS is slow in development and increasing numbers appear to be dissatisfied with the current amount of content (tracks) and pace of progress, but it's by no means "the rest of the community" nor does it warrant troll comments followed by "i don't mean it in a bad way..."
Why would we? It's obvious that anyone who disagrees with him simply doesn't understand American politics.
He's got this debating lark truly nailed.
Sorry, I haven't anything constructive to add to this topic. I just wanted to gather all these quotes together to highlight a) the hilarity and b) the inconsistency.
Lizardfolk, if only the world was as black and white as you seem to enjoy labelling it.
I included the last quote just to demonstrate your naivety.
I'd like to announce that I'm also doing my bit for cancer. Don't bother with click revenues, just paypal me some money and I'll forward it to a cancer charity. I won't provide any specifics or assurances, I just expect you all to believe me and trust that I will.
Alternatively, maybe we should just fold proteins instead.
Alternatively, maybe we should just fold proteins instead.
Umm, no - I don't think that's what he meant at all. I think he meant that the community decides what needs fixing/improving, and Scavier implement it. It'll never happen this way though, and for good reason.
The invasion of Iraq is petty?
E8400 was ~£120, RAM was ~£40, 8800GT was ~£170, Mobo was a bargain at only ~£80, and the P182 was equally a bargain at only ~£70. It went back up to it's usual price the day after I ordered it. 
Hard drives, optical drives, peripherals, PSU, and other bits and pieces were all carried over from my previous system, which meant the cost of this build was a lot more manageable.
Hard drives, optical drives, peripherals, PSU, and other bits and pieces were all carried over from my previous system, which meant the cost of this build was a lot more manageable.
Couldn't agree more. I've been following this thread and it was a worthwhile read until Ian.H stepped in and ruined another thread. There's only so many people will be fooled by the explanations of "I'm just being blunt", "it's just the way I am", etc, like it gives you a golden ticket to say what you want.
Well, I think Ian.H comes across as an obnoxious little twat with a chip on his shoulder the size of an Intel factory, and who brings shame upon the name DSRC, but things such as "manners" and "general decency" restrain me from openly saying such things. Most of the time. There's plenty of discussion to be had in a constructive manner about the things we don't like about LFS, without resorting to describing aspects as "shit", "crap", or "some other bullshit". That's just trolling and dev-bashing, nothing constructive at all.
So, back on topic...
It's funny that this topic should spring up just as I was trying to motivate myself to return to LFS. The very fact that I mention trying to motivate myself to play a game/sim is a clue to the fact that things aren't as good in LFS land as they used to be. I've even got a team to race and practice with, but I still haven't managed to get on the track for weeks and months.
Why? There just isn't anything new to tempt me back. I'm someone that's bored of the tracks too. They're nice, but we've been racing the same circuits for many years now. The revised Blackwood drives great, and looks great, but... well it's still Blackwood.
Physics improvements in the form of aero, no-locked-diffs, ground effect and so on would provide a huge boost to the game. Day/night cycles, weather effects and more eye candy would take the immersion to almost unbelievable levels - but whole teams of programmers can work for a year or two to build graphics engines that can handle such stuff, so how long will it take Scawen, despite his considerable talent?
I've no doubt I will be back on track soon enough, but I just wish I felt the desire to get on the track right now.
There was a time when LFS would be one of the first non-essential apps I'd install on my pc. But I've just built myself a pretty decent specced PC, and LFS isn't anywhere to be found on it, not even the downloaded zip file.
I'm off to play a bit of BioShock and FSX.
Assuming I'm available in August, I plan on coming along with the camera. If I get enough photographic work then it's possible I'll have saved up enough for a 70-200/2.8 (in non-photog speak, it's one of those big white professional lenses) which will enable some cracking shots. But even if I don't, I've got a decent cheapie telephoto zoom to fall back on.
My current system - although I have to confess I've not yet run LFS on it. 
But it absolutely blazes through photos and editing in Lightroom.
CPU: Intel E8400
HSF: Thermalright Ultra120 Extreme
Mobo: Abit IP35 Pro
Memory: 2GB Corsair 6400
Graphics: XFX 8800GT
PSU: Tagan 480W
Storage: 1×320GB Samsung, 2×160GB Seagate (plus 2×500GB Samsung in the NAS)
Case: Antec P182
But it absolutely blazes through photos and editing in Lightroom.CPU: Intel E8400
HSF: Thermalright Ultra120 Extreme
Mobo: Abit IP35 Pro
Memory: 2GB Corsair 6400
Graphics: XFX 8800GT
PSU: Tagan 480W
Storage: 1×320GB Samsung, 2×160GB Seagate (plus 2×500GB Samsung in the NAS)
Case: Antec P182
I suspect the Met might have a spot of bother in starting an investigation into Dubya for war crimes.
Unfortunately.
It'd certainly be pushing it. Not because of the wattage, but the amount of juice it can supply at 12V. Unbranded/OEM PSUs are the worst offenders for having low amps on the 12V rail. Even if it's rated at, say, 380W, if it can only do 20A at 12V then I wouldn't let it anywhere near a recent graphics card. 8800GT manufacturers suggest ~22-24A @ 12V as recommended.
Still, he seems like the sort of chap that will please himself anyway.
Newegg probably have a reputation that doesn't swim around in a disease-ridden gutter, though.
About 133.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
The RAM speed best for you is whatever is double the FSB of your motherboard. If your FSB is 333, the equivalent speed DDR2 RAM is 667. But you can still use 800 on any recent mobo afaik, you just change the strap in the BIOS. Whatever that is, I haven't got a modern rig yet, I've just been doing a lot of research lately.
Cheers for that. It's certainly a little more than I was planning on spending, but now that I've done a little more research I see people recommending it everywhere - and many brands & variants appear to be rather sought after in the UK.
So, follow-up questions - how noisy are 8800GT cards? I'm aiming to keep the noise down and don't want a gfx card that sounds like a turbine (like my current GeForceFX 5900 did until I ripped off the standard cooler and fitted a Zalman unit). Or are there any 8800GT cards that come pre-equipped with a quieter/larger cooler to reduce the noise? This card looks tempting but not until I can get an idea of how noisy they are (looks like it's a fairly standard reference design?).
Cheers. However I've been an AMD guy for the past four or five years and I'm not quite sure of what speeds go with what on the Intel platform. If I get an E8400 Core2Duo (Wolfdale 45nm), it has an FSB of 1333Mhz. But I can't get DDR2 RAM that runs at 1333Mhz - PC6400 is 800Mhz and PC8500 is 1066Mhz. And do I need to choose a mobo that runs at 1333FSB to take advantage of the Wolfdale's FSB?
I think mine has a 24 pin main connector (4 of the pins in a detachable block for use on older mobos), with a single separate 4 pin 12V connector.
What are the special connectors that current gfx cards use then? When I got my GeForce 5900, gfx cards were needing a standard 4-pin molex connector. My PSU has (I think) a 6-pin gfx card connector. But I remember seeing some cards that took an even larger 8-pin connector.
It's not about the wattage though, it's about the amps on each rail. I checked the side of my Tagan and it says 28A on the 12V rail. According to the BFG website, this is borderline for an 8800GT with a current typical Intel setup. Fortunately the new 45nm Core2Duos are presumably more efficient and draw less power.
I think you missed the bit where I said I was shopping with a budget. Dual cores are cheaper than quad cores.
I think you missed the bit where I said I wasn't going to overclock the hell out of it.
Well that's good to know, as I'll also be running three hard drives, two optical and a non-overclocked Wolfdale and 8800GT. Cheers.
Yes, I'm quite interested in the Asus P5K Pro (all the features I want with none of the OTT stuff I don't want), but can't find anywhere in the UK that stocks it yet - except for the (alleged) cowboys at OcUK and they're not getting a penny of mine.
E8400s just arrived in stock the past day or two at Scan.
Upgrade advice
Yeah, sorry, another thread about pc upgrades. How original.
Anyways, I'm beginning to think about doing some upgrades to my Athlon-powered pc which is beginning to feel distinctly vintage. I'm not totally decided yet as I really want to save up for a new camera lens like a Sony 70-200 SSM, but think I might benefit more from a short-term upgrade so that I can actually process the pictures I take with any kind of speed.
I used to be fairly up to date with PC hardware, but haven't kept track of it much for the past 18 months. I won't be buying cutting edge stuff, I'll be shopping with one eye firmly on the price. I'd actually much rather have a new lens, but gawd this thing takes forever to process RAW pictures, can't cope with 32 car grids in LFS, and laughs at me at 5fps if I go near an airport in FSX with anything more than a control tower and a Cessna parked up.
So bearing that in mind, there's a few things I'm wondering which never seem to be covered in product reviews...
1. I have a Tagan 480W PSU which doesn't have modular cables but is quiet and wasn't cheap when I bought it. Without me checking the ratings for the individual rails printed on the side of the PSU, does anyone know roughly what this can power? Isn't it the 12V rail that's always in increasing demand with each generation of hardware? And what power connectors do gfx cards have these days? And motherboards, for that matter?
2. Speaking of gfx cards, where's the sweet spot (in terms of price/performance) at the moment? Bearing in mind I'm planning on running XP for at least another year, DX10 performance isn't a priority for me right now. I can't decide whether it makes more sense to forget about DX10 now, on the basis that by the time I grudgingly get Vista, the card will be obsolete anyway; or whether I should buy now with the future in mind. Btw I'm an nVidia user, and would prefer to stay with nVidia. Any cards in this sweet spot available with noteably quiet cooling?
3. When are the 45nm processors expected from Intel? Just looking at the prices on Scan, the pre-order price for a 2.66GHz, 6MB cache, 45nm Core 2 Duo E8200 is £115.78. The price of a 2.66GHz, 4MB cache, 65nm Core 2 Duo E6750 is £122.19. So the new 45nm chips are going to be cheaper, and also cooler? And you can get the 3GHz 45nm E8400 for only £14 more than the E8200!
4. Any mobo suggestions? I don't know anything about which ones are highly rated at the moment. I like Asus, I've found them to be ultra-stable and generally well featured. I'm not obsessed with overclocking as I use the computer for work and photography more than gaming these days, and demand perfect stability (although I may be tempted to have a fiddle considering the overclockability of the Core2Duos!). I want plenty ports of all descriptions (although mainly USB and SATA, just need the one PATA connector for optical drives and a floppy port for installing SATA drivers during the XP install process), and things like controlling the cpu fan speed is good. I'll probably get an Antec P182 to put it in, so it'll be staying the right way up, meaning that heatpipe solutions are an option (and certainly preferable to fans on the north/south bridges).
5. Obviously this is determined by the choice of mobo, but in the current market - DDR2 or DDR3?
Phew, that's a lot, I know. Many thanks in advance for any pointers.
Anyways, I'm beginning to think about doing some upgrades to my Athlon-powered pc which is beginning to feel distinctly vintage. I'm not totally decided yet as I really want to save up for a new camera lens like a Sony 70-200 SSM, but think I might benefit more from a short-term upgrade so that I can actually process the pictures I take with any kind of speed.
I used to be fairly up to date with PC hardware, but haven't kept track of it much for the past 18 months. I won't be buying cutting edge stuff, I'll be shopping with one eye firmly on the price. I'd actually much rather have a new lens, but gawd this thing takes forever to process RAW pictures, can't cope with 32 car grids in LFS, and laughs at me at 5fps if I go near an airport in FSX with anything more than a control tower and a Cessna parked up.
So bearing that in mind, there's a few things I'm wondering which never seem to be covered in product reviews...
1. I have a Tagan 480W PSU which doesn't have modular cables but is quiet and wasn't cheap when I bought it. Without me checking the ratings for the individual rails printed on the side of the PSU, does anyone know roughly what this can power? Isn't it the 12V rail that's always in increasing demand with each generation of hardware? And what power connectors do gfx cards have these days? And motherboards, for that matter?
2. Speaking of gfx cards, where's the sweet spot (in terms of price/performance) at the moment? Bearing in mind I'm planning on running XP for at least another year, DX10 performance isn't a priority for me right now. I can't decide whether it makes more sense to forget about DX10 now, on the basis that by the time I grudgingly get Vista, the card will be obsolete anyway; or whether I should buy now with the future in mind. Btw I'm an nVidia user, and would prefer to stay with nVidia. Any cards in this sweet spot available with noteably quiet cooling?
3. When are the 45nm processors expected from Intel? Just looking at the prices on Scan, the pre-order price for a 2.66GHz, 6MB cache, 45nm Core 2 Duo E8200 is £115.78. The price of a 2.66GHz, 4MB cache, 65nm Core 2 Duo E6750 is £122.19. So the new 45nm chips are going to be cheaper, and also cooler? And you can get the 3GHz 45nm E8400 for only £14 more than the E8200!
4. Any mobo suggestions? I don't know anything about which ones are highly rated at the moment. I like Asus, I've found them to be ultra-stable and generally well featured. I'm not obsessed with overclocking as I use the computer for work and photography more than gaming these days, and demand perfect stability (although I may be tempted to have a fiddle considering the overclockability of the Core2Duos!). I want plenty ports of all descriptions (although mainly USB and SATA, just need the one PATA connector for optical drives and a floppy port for installing SATA drivers during the XP install process), and things like controlling the cpu fan speed is good. I'll probably get an Antec P182 to put it in, so it'll be staying the right way up, meaning that heatpipe solutions are an option (and certainly preferable to fans on the north/south bridges).
5. Obviously this is determined by the choice of mobo, but in the current market - DDR2 or DDR3?
Phew, that's a lot, I know. Many thanks in advance for any pointers.
Last edited by STROBE, .
Holy crap.
Now that's a fantastic development. Great work Victor!
Now that's a fantastic development. Great work Victor!
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG