The "New Toys" Thread

Adunaphel said:
I wasn't criticising or attacking you personally. It's just that I find that after one wonky product plus bad warranty by one of their resellers it seems a bit harsh to say "I'M NEVER BUYING THIS AGAIN", so I felt there might be more to it. And I was right in that since a) you added more reasons in your next post and b) you toned it down to
Which is a far cry from
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I wasn't offended... who gets offended over computer hardware? :p

I think you are just reading too much into my wording mate. You're right, saying I will never, ever buy another Nvidia product is probably a hyperbole. But this is merely because of the funny situation in the consumer GPU market that leaves us with basically only two companies to choose from. If it was any other type of product, like the Mercedes analogy from above, then I would likely hold a negative bias against that company even with only one negative experience because there's a dozen other luxury car makers I can try my luck with.

Nvidia might get me back as a reluctant customer, but only due to lack of competition.
 
2q3pu9v.jpg


Makita MUB101, :D
 
Shawn said:
Right, they've fixed them but I'm still distrusting of them.

Say you bought the first-gen Mercedes ML and it turned out to be a lemon, along with a significant chunk of other MLs of that generation. Mercedes doesn't really offer you any meaningful assistance, you are basically left to deal with the issues of the car yourself for however long that car lasts you. When it comes time to buy a new car, will you trust Mercedes with a whole lot of your monies if they say "the new ML has been fully re engineered and all the previous issues have been solved!"? That might very well be true, most companies wouldn't build a new product with the same issues as the predecessor. But it doesn't mean consumer confidence is restored just like that... is Toyota going to ensure they lose no customers merely by ensuring none of their new cars have acceleration issues? Nope, if I'm paying you good money for a product or service and you fail me you can't just get my trust back by saying "terribly sorry, if it's any consolation our new products are teh awesome."
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If anything, your experience with baking should tell you one thing: nvidia makes some pretty solid chips. Rather its eVGA that poorly soldered the chip, so if anything, try another vendor before making such claims. I've had my fair share of fried parts and defective engineering, but does that affect my decision? no, since its really a matter of (bad) luck to get a lemon these days.

Olie said:
15" Macbook Pro:
2.66ghz i7 (3.33ghz under full load)
4 gig ram
High Res Matte finish screen (1680x1050)
500gig 7200rpm HDD
Win 7 Ultimate x64

mmmmm Speedy.
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GPU?

Polly said:
600 MHz, but yeah, it sure isn't Snapdragon-fast. But 'sluggish' seems a bit harsh, since people said that it would run smoother than a Legend in some cases.
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Thats because it has a lower-res screen QVGA vs HVGA
 
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ZeDestructor said:
If anything, your experience with baking should tell you one thing: nvidia makes some pretty solid chips. Rather its eVGA that poorly soldered the chip, so if anything, try another vendor before making such claims. I've had my fair share of fried parts and defective engineering, but does that affect my decision? no, since its really a matter of (bad) luck to get a lemon these days.
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It's bad lack to get a lemon these days? It's not pure luck, it seems many people have had the same issue with their eVGA cards and have been similarly disappointed in receiving after-sales service.

Maybe I'm being unfair to Nvidia, I don't know the exact relationship between Nvidia and companies like eVGA so I don't who to blame for what, but I will blame Nvidia because they designed the chip and because as far as I know eVGA is not a sort of cheap or budget brand where you would almost expect it to break down. It also seems likely that a bad driver from Nvidia triggered this issue for many of us, so that's something else to directly blame Nvidia for.


Seriously, what is wrong with ATI cards? I don't get the argument you guys are making so I have no choice but to chalk it up to fanboyism. I keep repeating myself... I've had 2 ATI cards that worked flawlessly, then one Nvidia card that did not and Nvidia failed to give me any support. Let's not get bogged down in the odds of getting a lemon or whether Nvidia or eVGA should get the bulk of the blame... just tell me, why ignore such a poor experience? You guys keep defending Nvidia and telling me I'm wrong to now be biased against them, but you don't tell me what is so inherently wrong with ATI cards that I should just bend over backwards for Nvidia once again.

Do I have anything to lose by trying my luck with ATI next? Is there a chance it will hassle me even more than the Nvidia card? Either it will work flawlessly, or it will prematurely crap out like the GeForce did. How will I be any worse for wear?

Either convince me that ATI cards are bad or kindly leave me alone, I'm not going to be swayed back towards Nvidia unless ATI messes up on a similar or worse level. ;)
 
I've had my 4870 close to 2 years now, and I've yet to have a problem. Stick with ATI they're solid cards, and much kinder on the electric bill probably also :D
 
I've owned a GeForce 2, GeForce 4, a GeForce 6800, a GeForce 8800 GT, and a GTX 470. Never had a single problem with any of them and they all still work to this day. Infact the GF4 is still in use!

Don't blame the chipmaker for a card that a third party manufactured.
 
Currently have an 8800GTS.
 
I'm running a 250GTS, so far so good, my last one I gave to a friend, a 256MB 7800GT (eVGA no less), is still functioning flawlessly, although the friend I gave it to also had to bake 4 8800GTXs (he got them for free). Only one ended up working and it appeared that they were poorly handled and out of an Alienware.
 
You guys have taught me a valuable lesson. I'm not going to be swayed back towards Nvidia because you guys have had only good experiences with them, so I guess I shouldn't have put in my 2 cents thinking I could sway someone away from buying an Nvidia card.

To each their own... I will buy my next video card based on my own past experiences, and I'll let others do the same. Once you have to bake your own GPU to resurrect it then you can join me in being biased against Nvidia. :)
 
Shawn said:
Once you have to bake your own GPU to resurrect it then you can join me in being biased against Nvidia. :)
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For the second time, NVIDIA didn't make your card -- they made a chip which they sold to a third party who (poorly) mounted it onto a board. ATI makes and sells their own cards (although not as much anymore I believe), but like NVIDIA they also sell to third parties. If anything, don't buy [insert brand name of card here] again.

Would you blame Intel if your laptop was manufactured wrong?
 
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Shawn said:
It's bad lack to get a lemon these days? It's not pure luck, it seems many people have had the same issue with their eVGA cards and have been similarly disappointed in receiving after-sales service.

Maybe I'm being unfair to Nvidia, I don't know the exact relationship between Nvidia and companies like eVGA so I don't who to blame for what, but I will blame Nvidia because they designed the chip and because as far as I know eVGA is not a sort of cheap or budget brand where you would almost expect it to break down. It also seems likely that a bad driver from Nvidia triggered this issue for many of us, so that's something else to directly blame Nvidia for.


Seriously, what is wrong with ATI cards? I don't get the argument you guys are making so I have no choice but to chalk it up to fanboyism. I keep repeating myself... I've had 2 ATI cards that worked flawlessly, then one Nvidia card that did not and Nvidia failed to give me any support. Let's not get bogged down in the odds of getting a lemon or whether Nvidia or eVGA should get the bulk of the blame... just tell me, why ignore such a poor experience? You guys keep defending Nvidia and telling me I'm wrong to now be biased against them, but you don't tell me what is so inherently wrong with ATI cards that I should just bend over backwards for Nvidia once again.

Do I have anything to lose by trying my luck with ATI next? Is there a chance it will hassle me even more than the Nvidia card? Either it will work flawlessly, or it will prematurely crap out like the GeForce did. How will I be any worse for wear?

Either convince me that ATI cards are bad or kindly leave me alone, I'm not going to be swayed back towards Nvidia unless ATI messes up on a similar or worse level. ;)
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Shawn said:
You guys have taught me a valuable lesson. I'm not going to be swayed back towards Nvidia because you guys have had only good experiences with them, so I guess I shouldn't have put in my 2 cents thinking I could sway someone away from buying an Nvidia card.

To each their own... I will buy my next video card based on my own past experiences, and I'll let others do the same. Once you have to bake your own GPU to resurrect it then you can join me in being biased against Nvidia. :)
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Viper007Bond said:
For the second time, NVIDIA didn't make your card -- they made a chip which they sold to a third party who (poorly) mounted it onto a board. ATI makes and sells their own cards (although not as much anymore I believe), but like NVIDIA they also sell to third parties. If anything, don't buy [insert brand name of card here] again.

Would you blame Intel if your laptop was manufactured wrong?
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Precisely. My 8600M GT died in my Acer 5920G. That was a case of poor engineering, and the only one in the last 10 years as far as I know (poor substrate choice so it self-destructs). That cost nV a few billion US$, so they're not likely to repeat the same mistake. the cases of cards dying are more often than not because of poor ventilation (case clogged with dust), or poor vendor design/manufacturing as in your case where they didn't solder the chip properly. In fact, the fact that it got running again just shown that nV makes some pretty solid chips. Also, given the solder broke once already, I'd suggest you plan for a new card since its likely to break again soon.
 
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I know full well that Nvidia didn't actually manufacture my card nor are responsible in any way for providing warranty service. I also understand the science behind why the baking process works, I know it is due to poor soldering from eVGA. You guys just don't get my argument... this is a case of lost consumer confidence. Nvidia partnered with eVGA and allowed them to make GeForce cards, so maybe they should give a toss if eVGA is making shit quality products and/or providing terrible after-sales support. Why? Because customers will then be unfairly biased against all Nvidia products, like with me.

That Toyota acceleration problem was essentially due to some faulty part from a third-party supplier, wasn't it? Good luck convincing people who crashed their Toyotas that Toyota are completely innocent in that and deserve to have your repeat business.


Jesus, seriously guys, I paid $400 for a graphics card that for all intents and purposes failed on me prematurely; I will be giving ATI cards preference next time around. That's it - let's move on. Well I'm done with this discussion, you gents can keep on singing Nvidia's praises. ;)
 
Shawn said:
I know full well that Nvidia didn't actually manufacture my card nor are responsible in any way for providing warranty service. I also understand the science behind why the baking process works, I know it is due to poor soldering from eVGA. You guys just don't get my argument... this is a case of lost consumer confidence. Nvidia partnered with eVGA and allowed them to make GeForce cards, so maybe they should give a toss if eVGA is making shit quality products and/or providing terrible after-sales support. Why? Because customers will then be unfairly biased against all Nvidia products, like with me.

That Toyota acceleration problem was essentially due to some faulty part from a third-party supplier, wasn't it? Good luck convincing people who crashed their Toyotas that Toyota are completely innocent in that and deserve to have your repeat business.


Jesus, seriously guys, I paid $400 for a graphics card that for all intents and purposes failed on me prematurely; I will be giving ATI cards preference next time around. That's it - let's move on. Well I'm done with this discussion, you gents can keep on singing Nvidia's praises. ;)
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Right. Now can someone post a new toy? Please?
 
chaos386 said:
Radioshack? They should sell multi-pronged, multi-voltage A/C adapters.
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Yeah, thats what I did when my MS Force Feedback Wheels' a/c adapter died, just replaced it and swapped the pin (connector) from old adapter to new one.
 
Ah why didn't I think of Radioshack? They have an adapter that looks like it would work (24v/1A) but it's out of stock. :(
 
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