2005 Bricks & Bouquets

[Randell]

Yeah I would actually agree, I like the killer deal cards, that is why I put the one I did. The only problem with that card is that it was an artifact of a mistake more than a savvy decision.

and although I hate to say it not SM3.0. 7800GT has to be the card of the year for me, for the whole bag/buck reason. That equation even works really well over here in Treasure Island Britain where I can get a 7800GT for less than I paid for my 6800GT a year ago, which is a fast price movement down.

 

[Geo]

and although I hate to say it not SM3.0. 7800GT has to be the card of the year for me, for the whole bag/buck reason. That equation even works really well over here in Treasure Island Britain where I can get a 7800GT for less than I paid for my 6800GT a year ago, which is a fast price movement down.

Good point there. 6800GT was at $399 for a long time. In fact, I was at a Best Buy a couple weeks ago and they had a 7800GT and a 6800GT on the shelves. . .and the 6800GT was still $369. . . (I hope some poor bastard doesn't actually buy it, but there it was. . .)

 

[Geo]

11). Speciality niche reporting: I quite like Josh's stuff at Penstar, maybe I should give Josh question #6 as well for writing a piece, mentioning it here on B3D and then having to listen to Dave saying it was complete bollox Brave man, keep it up !

Somewhere, Josh is glowing. . .

 

[JoshMST]

Somewhere, Josh is glowing. . .

Haha, actually I am laughing pretty hard at the moment. My last article on card costs was up for a day or so, and I got an email from someone in the industry asking "Why no B3D post about it?" And I thought... why do I want to throw myself to the wolves yet again?

 

[Geo]

Haha, actually I am laughing pretty hard at the moment. My last article on card costs was up for a day or so, and I got an email from someone in the industry asking "Why no B3D post about it?" And I thought... why do I want to throw myself to the wolves yet again?

Heh. Nice to know they care what we're talking about here.

 

[ERK]

Just a couple of votes

VC/PCGPU of the year: 7800GTX256 for execution and timing, although some marks off for higher price and speed binning for the 512MB.
innovation of the year: Xenos, 'nuff said.

 

[Tim Murray]

1. Viddy Card of the Year: 7800GT. If anything is going to drive prices down, it's cards like that.

2. Disappointment of the year: R520 or Crossfire. Take a coin, flip it. I don't care. Both were no-shows. Then R520 showed up and was underwhelming, and from the previews of Crossfire alone, it's underwhelming. Requiring two separate SKUs is a terrible idea. Whoever said that's the way it should be done desperately needs to be fired.

3. Innovation of the year: Certainly some sort of IQ improvement. Take a larger set of coins, flip them, get transparency AA, HDR AA, angle-independent AF, something.

4. Most promising trend: At least in the States, the ability to get a decent deal on a card has increased substantially. 7800GT/7800GTX are good examples of this--MSRP on a GT was at least $400 at launch (was it $450? I can't remember), and you can buy them now for $300. I like it.

5. Most disappointing trend: Paid ******s. Okay, maybe it's been going on for longer, and I'm obviously overlooking other disappointing trends. But whatever. Price at the top end doesn't concern me, as I don't really care if I'm running a game in 2048x1536 with 4xFSAA.

6. The Dan Rather "Courage" Award: Kyle Bennett, I guess, for being a giant asshole and never admitting to being wrong. Especially when he's right.

7. People I want to punch: It's a tie! Sander Sassen, of course. And Kyle Bennett, I guess, for being a giant asshole and never admitting to being wrong. Especially when he's wrong.

8. Inaugural Sander Sassen Professional Suicide Award:

Thanks to all of you that continued to support me and what Hardware Analysis stands for. We'll continue to bring you news, reviews, editorials and columns true to our usual no holds barred approach. For those of you that felt the need to join ATI in their smear campaign, you know who you are, you bet on the wrong horse here, and the horse bit you on the behind.

They've had one column since then. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

9. Interview of the Year: Wavey with Jen-Hsun. Where else have you heard a CEO say, "Yeah, that entire product line was a terrible mistake"?

10. Article of the year: Xenos. Duh. It's simultaneously elucidating and brain-exploding.

11. Specialty Reporting! Rys's power supply article of doom was a journalistic behemoth, a monstrosity which I can only hope will be repeated time and time again.

12. Too many to list.

 

[Geo]

8. Inaugural Sander Sassen Professional Suicide Award:
They've had one column since then. I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

I hope that in spite of it being the Inaugural awarding, that we'll get to retire it for a few years before needing it again. But ya never know.

 

[Rys]

11. Specialty Reporting! Rys's power supply article of doom was a journalistic behemoth, a monstrosity which I can only hope will be repeated time and time again.

Since it's you asking, go on then As an aside, geo says you sounded like Gollum when you said that. Something about his nine fingers and your ring?

Bigger and much much better next year, too, promise

 

[Tim Murray]

Since it's you asking, go on then As an aside, geo says you sounded like Gollum when you said that. Something about his nine fingers and your ring?

Bigger and much much better next year, too, promise

A. More exploding power supplies, whee!
B. You're talking to Geo behind my back? Is there some Secret IRC Room I don't know about? (Actually, I think it'd be nice to have a B3D IRC channel or something, but I seemt o be in the minority. )
C. Never watched LOTR. I am a horrible human being. Might as well over the MONTH LONG BREAK ahead of me, though.

 

[Geo]

The man is a social butterfly --he prolly has the Pope's home phone nbr and chats him up once a week.

 

[Pete]

C. Never watched LOTR. I am a horrible human being. Might as well over the MONTH LONG BREAK ahead of me, though.

Eh, watch the trailers and you'll get the gist of it. TTT's trailer was the best of the three, IMO. If you have the endurance, tho, I imagine the extended versions would be more satisfying than the theatrical releases.

 

[ERK]

I imagine the extended versions would be more satisfying than the theatrical releases.

Seconded.

 

[Geo]

Well, except for the imagining part. Just are.

 

[Rys]

Is there some Secret IRC Room I don't know about? (Actually, I think it'd be nice to have a B3D IRC channel or something, but I seemt o be in the minority. )

irc.freenode.net #beyond3d Unofficial of course, but I've thought one would be a great idea too, so there we go. Pass it on!

 

[Rys]

Eh, watch the trailers and you'll get the gist of it. TTT's trailer was the best of the three, IMO. If you have the endurance, tho, I imagine the extended versions would be more satisfying than the theatrical releases.

I did all three extended editions in a row a few months ago. ~11 hours all in, including breaks for food and 'business'. Loved it, great way to watch them.

 

[Reverend]

Just visited this thread. I don't give a rat's ass about all the supposedly "best ofs" and "worst ofs" as far as those provided by geo go.

The best thing that happened this year, for me, is that 2005 saw the most responsive John Carmack out of all the years I've been corresponding with him (I think I provided you guys the majority of our correspondences, although there are quite a few that I can't).

But getting back onto what geo commented : I can't say I agree with his vote for Dave's XB360 article. While a great read, I don't think it is an example of what Dave has shown what he truly excels at (i.e. compare the XB360 article of his with the one where he "fought" NV's accusation that 3DM03 has major flaws, here... the latter left me just shaking my head at the quality work Dave put in, something he hasn't replicated since). As for the best-of and worst-of hardware-and-tech-wise, I don't really care insofar as 2005 releases are concerned. 2005 has seen releases and "tech" that are nothing more than stop-gap stuff until Vista hardware come out next year.

 

[Geo]

Well, Rev, you're certainly welcome to add as many catagories you find relevant as you like, and the one you did add is just fine. I am a bit wondering what you'd find objectionable about "most promising trend" or "most discouraging trend" tho.

As far as the comments on the XB360 article go, I won't argue the comparison to Dave's 2003 work one way or the other. That wasn't the point; it's 2005 work that we're rewarding or panning here. So it seems to me it would be more relevant to point at some other piece you found more worthy that appeared in 2005, whoever the author.

Leading fights is fine, I guess (and I have new found respect for the nervous energy involved in doing so), but it must get tiring being in front to take the bullets all of the time.

 

[Reverend]

Leading fights is fine, I guess (and I have new found respect for the nervous energy involved in doing so), but it must get tiring being in front to take the bullets all of the time.

You invited comments by starting this thread (in a public forum and not within a closed-community, I might add). I provided my thoughts.

I am not sure how that paragraph of yours has anything to do with this thread other than your voicing your obvious perception of the nature of my participation in this public forum. Which, again, has nothing to do with this thread specifically. Please move on, geo. I see folks more critical of Dave/B3D than I have been (that I don't see you accord the same degree of sarcasm) but you can't seem to forget the circumstances under which I left this site. I did nothing other than provide valid comments in this thread.

That XB360 article of Dave consists of nothing more than info he gained from corresponding with ATI, an endevour of Dave's that other sites might have been lucky to have been accorded by ATI if they wanted to. That 3DM03 article I mentioned is on another plateau altogether. All I did is post what I thought of the XB360 article by Dave that you brought up. Is that wrong?

I don't want to take this thread OT but I am getting extremely annoyed by the posts that target me specifically just cause I post something disagreeable to them or to the fact that they like B3D or to their disagreement with the way I conducted myself publicly when I left B3D. Or a combination of all. Which, again, has nothing to do with staying on topic for all threads that I participate in. Again, move on.

Sorry mods/B3D staff.

 

[Geo]

Nah, you're off base this time, Rev. I'm not that subtle. Sorry you felt I was picking on you.

Edit: I've gotten a PM from a member wondering what this was all about. Rev and I had some unhappiness awhile back, and obviously he thot I was looking to continue it here. But I wasn't. I thot I was fulfilling the traditional role and usage of thread hosts everywhere, keeping the conversation going, drawing out what folks are pointing at, and trying to keep the conversation in the rough confines of relevancy to the original subject. In this case 2005 work.