Katarn

On 5/6/2023 at 11:59 PM, Mark Kaine said:

good question, i guess you could look up specific titles... or you could check if theres a 60 or 120 fps patch in dolphin settings.

There are videos on Big Red One running at 60 fps... on PCSX2. Dolphin, not so much. I probably shouldn't find the lack of coverage on shooters for the GameCube all that surprising since the Nintendo crowd tends to look down on shooters anyway.

On 5/6/2023 at 11:59 PM, Mark Kaine said:

not at all in my experience,  dolphin isnt bad, but pcsx2 (which would be the equivalent) is by far the best optimized emulator out there.

This, however, does surprise me. Every Reddit thread I've come across has been arguing in favor of Dolphin as the better optimized and more intuitive emulation software. Considering I did have some trouble with PCSX2 when I tried using it the first time, I assumed they must be right.

On 5/6/2023 at 11:59 PM, Mark Kaine said:

it can be cpu heavy, but ps2 era games generally aren't taxing at all nowadays. 

 

And of course a modern "i5" can do that.

By modern I meant in the sense of 2016+ so it is not necessarily a brand-new system.

I think it had something to do with the fact that they only use one core (or something to that extent) which may overwhelm some computers, especially if you want to play at higher-than-native resolutions or if you want effects like AA enabled.

On 5/7/2023 at 4:10 AM, BiotechBen said:

I wouldn't expect it to be feeling like a speedy new phone after 2 years.

I didn't say I expected it to be like a "speedy new phone" nor have I owned it for over two years. We are talking about their product dropping in performance in less than half a year - and I am not playing Warzone 2 on it; it's for things like DuoLingo and Discord.

And, on top of that, to add to the topic, they suggest only using their brand of chargers and threaten to (allegedly) void warranty if one does not.

On 5/7/2023 at 4:10 AM, BiotechBen said:

The only galaxy x3 phone specced lower than the A13 is the A03 which is borderline manufactured ewaste. The 0 and 1 tiers are ultra budget options from Samsung.

These were the most frequently bought models at the store. If the most common representative of a brand is considered borderline ewaste, it doesn't make much sense to argue that the brand is "exceptionally good actually, with the exception of most of what they make."

Considering they are the only available models that do not have 5G, those of us who do not have a 5G deal with our ISPs and consequently don't want to pay for a feature we won't use, the A03 and the A13 are the only Samsung models we care about, and so, they represent 100% of Samsung's output for a lot of people.

On 5/7/2023 at 4:10 AM, BiotechBen said:

Buying a well specced phone is not the same as software support being good.

And how does this change what I said? It only alters the part where I talk about bloatware to an admission that they are indeed bad, but only in every other regard, not necessarily software.

On 5/7/2023 at 12:21 PM, TukangUsapEmenq said:

You can't really expect a device will run smoothly if the hardware itself sucks, even with good OS. Samsung lower-range segment isn't something you would compare against another brands unfortunately,

And that is the problem. Their specs are the same (if not better) than other available models in the price-range (like the Moto G31), and yet they perform worse in practice. This wouldn't be as annoying if there were many other models from which to choose, but other models (like the Moto G31) were very hard to come by when I was looking for a new phone (and maybe they still are). Samsung is like a low quality corporate beer they serve everywhere, often at the expense of other brands. The irony is that it was in the same price-range as my previous phone (Galaxy J5), and, while that phone began to break down after about a year and a half, that was much longer than five months, and its performance was solid in the meantime - so the quality of the same tier has clearly deteriorated.

And this is on top of the A13 lacking functions that other Android phones (and even my old Windows Phone) have, like a scrollable background.

I would not use a Xiaomi phone though.

On 5/7/2023 at 12:21 PM, TukangUsapEmenq said:

But in my friend's experience of using an Anker fast charger, it still reliably works after 5 years on his S10.

Anker might be the Logitech of portable electronics. I've been hearing good things about their bluetooth speakers too. I should look into their products, including their chargers.

On 5/7/2023 at 12:21 PM, TukangUsapEmenq said:

Really doesn't too matter actually, as the A13 would only charge on 15W anyway.

Could you please explain the implications of this concerning the type of charger I should buy? What specs am I looking for exactly?

On 5/4/2023 at 1:51 AM, Mark Kaine said:

nope a lot of games are locked to 30 or run even lower natively. 

And how would one check to see if the game is locked at 30 and/or if it is possible to go above that?

I think that Frontline wasn't locked on RPCS2 - the thing is, though, Dolphin is supposed to be better than RPCS2.

On 5/4/2023 at 1:51 AM, Mark Kaine said:

when i run PSX2 most games barely use my CPU/GPU at all ,maybe 2-10%, you sure you don't see something similar?

Really? I thought emulation was supposed to be taxing on the system - that's why even i5s can't do it.

On 5/4/2023 at 2:22 AM, shoutingsteve said:

Much faster is a full charge in about two hours.

Shouldn't fast-chargers be much faster than that? My normal charger does ~2 hours already.

On 5/4/2023 at 3:46 AM, BiotechBen said:

4 years of OS upgrades and 5 years of monthly security updates? I'd challenge you to find an oem android maker that offers better

That is only "in theory." You spend two out of those four years with a lagging system that is barely usable by the end.

I've had my A13 for about five months, and, other than lacking basic Android functions available to non-Samsung phones, it is already beginning to lag on DuoLingo and Discord.

Samsung relies mostly on its reputation these days. Their quality has gone down.

On 5/4/2023 at 7:12 AM, TukangUsapEmenq said:

For 3rd party brand, it's rather expensive in my opinion (because there's quality on it), but it's still way cheaper than Samsung's own brick.

From what I see in stores, they're about the same price. Would you recommend Anker over Samsung if the difference in price is marginal?

On 5/4/2023 at 7:12 AM, TukangUsapEmenq said:

Samsung's One UI are actually the one top-notch 'manufacturer stock' Android that I would enjoy use for daily drive nowadays tbh.

I liked the phone I had in 2018, but as of 2021 I've been mostly disappointed in their products, and a big part of that is their software. Although I do agree with your decision not to go with Redmi - I wouldn't use Redmi either.

Very cute profile picture, btw.

1 hour ago, shoutingsteve said:

If it were me; I would risk it.  I have already done so twice.

Any information if it actually voids warranty or if it is just a scare tactic?

It's not like Samsung products last very long anyway, but that's mostly a software issue *cough* bloatware *cough*

1 hour ago, shoutingsteve said:

Oddly, the phone does not recognize them as fast chargers, but still they charge must quicker than the low end ones you might stumble upon.

Define "much faster."

1 hour ago, BiotechBen said:

I have a couple of ravpower 20w type C blocks and they've been great.

Now that you mention it, I'm looking for a Type C, but I'm seeing a lot of Type A fast chargers. Will it make a difference if I buy a Type A charger if I have a cable?

1 hour ago, BiotechBen said:

I wouldn't be surprised if it was an engine cap. The majority of those era games were console limited to 30fps in game. 

afaik that only applies to PAL copies; games should be able to run at 60 fps, there are ways to set this in the emulation even if the game is capped at 30. Medal of Honor ran at 60 fps on PCSX2 iirc.

Pretty much what the title says.

I tried playing Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (NTSC) on Dolphin, and I can't get over 30 fps. In the task manager, the utilization of my CPU and GPU are on idle performance, as if they don't even register that they're supposed to be running a game.

I've emulated with PCSX2 in the past, and, while not perfect, I could get it working. I've heard many good things about Dolphin, so I'd like to switch to Dolphin, but there is obviously something wrong with it. I've tried both the stable build and the latest version, and neither runs well.

I have a Ryzen 5 3600 and an RX 5700 XT, so I'm sure it's not about meeting the system requirements. But it is not utilized, so... is that the problem, or is there something else that could be causing the issue? I can't find anything on either Reddit or old forum posts.

My phone (Samsung Galaxy A13) didn't come with a charger included, so I'm looking to buy a fast-charger for it. The problem is that Samsung chargers sell for more than I'd care to pay for the purpose. So I've been looking at some alternate choices, but I'm also reading bad things about third-party chargers, so I'm having second thoughts.

I've stumbled upon a very affordable Qualcomm QC 3.0 Fast Charger. Is it better than a knockoff "Samsung" charger (for the same price)? It's half the price of an actual Samsung charger, so... is it worth it? I've been reading stories about cheap fast-chargers damaging the device, voiding warranty for the device, and being a safety hazard. How much of this is true?

I don't see the point in paying double the price of most chargers just because Samsung told me to, considering Samsung are not known for how conscientious they are with their customers, so I thought it might a good idea to go for cheaper brand for a charger, but now I'm not so sure.

So, is it?

I haven't found any reviews on the device's performance in the long term.

This is not necessarily about the Qualcomm btw, I'm just interested to know if third-party chargers really are that dangerous and if they really void your warranty.

22 hours ago, Princess Luna said:

I am currently playing it on a 2060Super which can play it at 1080p all maxed up (no RT) just fine so should the 5700XT I presume.

Yes, but the 5700XT can run OG on 4K, whereas NextGen will mostly stutter at 4K.

Then again, I play on a TV, so the distance makes 4K (mostly) pointless.

22 hours ago, Princess Luna said:

the game is already drop dead gorgeous and realistic at the same time, with excellent soundtrack you get sucked into immersion in a way I rarely see, no wonder Assassin's Creed sought out to copy the model so hard /s

this is a long sentence so I don't know at which point the /s begins to apply.

Is it the part about Assassin's Creed or the idea that The Witcher 3 is immersive on its own?

I keep hearing great things about The Witcher 3, so I'm going in with high expectations. I'd hate to have another GTAV experience, when I go in expecting a masterpiece and end up remembering the definition of overhyped.

16 hours ago, bluehawk said:

It just dropped so there might be some bugs needing fixing, good ol Projekt Red. The update is free and the complete game is like 8 bucks now on Steam. 

The problem is that I don't feel like waiting for them to fix the bugs. It could take a while, and I want smt to play now (as opposed to 2 months from now).

16 hours ago, Poinkachu said:

If you want more QoL stuffs, stick with the OG, since it is most likely supported by most if not all Witcher 3 mods out there.

I just want the definitive experience. I don't intend to mod heavily on the first run. If I play the OG, the only mods I would use would be the ones that make it look/play like the NextGen version.

I am interested in the HDR since I have a screen that supports HDR and I want to put it to use (seeing as most games don't have HDR) and afaik only the update has it -- but this doesn't rule out all the other problems the update has, nor the fact that I am yet to see if it has quality HDR or if it is like Marvel's Spider-Man, which HDR was thoroughly unimpressive.

15 hours ago, xAcid9 said:

OG + Mod.

I see you have come to this conclusion from my specs.

How so?

I didn't get the chance to play The Witcher 3 when it came out, so I thought the new update would be a good chance to finally give it a go.

I was also looking forward to the integration of HDR, since I like the effect.

But ever since it came out, I've been hearing bad things about the new update, in particular its performance, to the point where some people suggest just sticking to the original. They argue that the updated version is just like the original except that it is more taxing on the system, and the visual improvements are just mods you can easily acquire for the OG. The only reason to play it, they seem to argue, is raytracing (and I don't care for raytracing).

I was further disappointed to hear that HDR support is not very good either.

So which choice is the better option?

The Next-Gen version or the original?

In what ways is the one superior to the other?

I don't want to burden my system more than it is necessary if the visual effect is going to be the same. But if there are improvements that cannot be modded into the original (or it is better to have them without modding), then I will consider the update, provided it doesn't significantly tax the system.

I have a Ryzen 5 3600 with an RX 5700 XT if my specs matter.

Thanks.

On 8/5/2021 at 2:49 AM, ET_Explorer said:

So what exactly is wrong with your computer other than you can't power it up even though you can?

The fact that it refuses to power up at a specific time of day, which alludes to either some extremely obscure hardware issue, or some kind of setting in the mobo that I have not made myself.

https://linustechtips.com/topic/1361966-refuses-to-power-up-at-3-am-mystery-question-and-im-serious/?tab=comments#comment-14911689

I tried something yesterday, and here's another thing to consider:

When the computer stays on, even if it is past 3 AM, it is fully operational.

Yesterday I decided not to shut down my computer around 2 AM, when I usually do, and to leave it running instead. I used it until after 5 AM, and it worked without a problem. So, apparently, the issue appears only when it is turned off at the specific time interval and I try to power it up - otherwise the computer has no problem staying on if it is still active during this time interval.

So can we rule out a hardware/electricity issue at this point?

15 minutes ago, Dedayog said:

Is the outlet working at 3am?

It is. I have a monitor, speakers, and a small neon lamp plugged into it through an extension cord, and they work. I've also tried plugging the computer into another outlet, on the adjacent wall, using a different cable.

19 minutes ago, AbydosOne said:

What's the power like in your part of the world? I'm wondering if the line voltage is being pulled low enough that the PSU refuses to start...

I think the power is ok. The TV in the other room works well, and so do the other two computers in two others rooms.

22 minutes ago, AbydosOne said:

Have you tried resetting the BIOS? There are some rudimentary Power-on-by-clock settings sometimes that maybe is effecting it?

I have not. I might do it if/when it does the same thing later tonight.

Why would it be set to stay off at that time of day though? I haven't tinkered with any such settings. Could this point to somebody tinkering with my computer through software?

20 minutes ago, Somerandomtechyboi said:

The title reminds me of those clickbait youtubers that do something at 3 am

I know, right;

That's why I added "and I'm serious." I was worried people might mistake the title for a joke.

As the title says. My computer refuses to power up, but only at a specific time interval. It appears to be around 3 AM (earliest I've tried was 2:45), and it lasts until after sunrise, when it powers up without any issues. It has done this for four nights in a row so far.

It works just fine throughout the day. I can work, I can game, I can have it on for hours on end without any kind of problem. If I turn it off at 7 PM and then try to turn it on again an hour or two later (which I usually do), it powers up and it works.

But if I turn it off and then try to use it again after midnight, usually around 3 AM, it does not. It shows no signs of power in the time interval I have so far experienced between 2:45 AM and 11 AM.

Nothing happens when I press the button. The fans don't spin, the diodes don't flash. It is as if I am trying to power it up during a power outage.

What could be causing this?

If it is hardware malfunction, why should it malfunction at this time interval specifically? A failing PSU/mobo would be failing at any time of day, not at a specific time - for four consecutive nights, no less.

But if it is a software setting, then, wouldn't it be the case that the computer should receive enough power to recognize the setting before it realizes it should be off? Memory does not load before the fans afaik.

So I'm at a loss here. Should I suspect some kind of ultra-insidious malware setting a timer of sorts? Maybe tinkering with the mobo, idk... If so, how does it work; and how would I go about removing something that sneaky? How paranoid should I be about somebody having control over my system?

My PSU and mobo are as follows:

Antec Edge Silent 550W 80+ Gold

MSI B450 Tomahawk Max
Obviously decent quality, and they are only around two and a half years old, so, by no means too old. I don't think I should start replacing these parts before we rule out anything else.

I hope we can figure this out, and I'm open to suggestions.

19 hours ago, ET_Explorer said:

Yet you stated in your original post " My computer was working fine yesterday. It was on for about 8 hours and it didn't show any problems. Then, when I tried to boot up again, it refused to power up. It didn't show any signs of power. No sound, no lights, no fans spinning... like I was trying to power it up during a power outage. " and " 

How worried should I be?

Is the PSU the most likely culprit? It's an Antec Edge 550 80+ Gold, and it's only two years old.

"

How does that necessarily point to the PSU being shorted? I said other things too. And citing me without any elaboration does not answer any of the other questions I asked, it only shows that I suspected the PSU as a possible culprit, which is far from conclusive evidence that it is the PSU, especially in light of the other things I said.

17 hours ago, Surestgarlic2 said:

I was gonna upgrade my current pc by adding more ram and a gt 1030 and all the other parts matched my current pc but I changed my mind and I'm not gonna upgrade this one I'm gonna buy a new one

I think that's a good idea. If you want to play modern games, it is best that you get a modern system. Hell, even if you're not into brand-new titles, a modern system is more likely to be better value than buying old parts.

Do you have any particular builds in mind?

On 7/31/2021 at 4:44 PM, ET_Explorer said:

Replace PSU, you definitely shorted the PSU.

Do you have a UPS connected to your computer, this would have prevented this from happening.

Why do you think that? It is a quality PSU and it is relatively new. Moreover, if it is the PSU, how come I am able to use my computer during the day? It runs just fine, and I can work and game without any issues.

No, I don't have a UPS.

The thing is though, I've experienced this for three nights in a row now. If it happens again, I think I'll make another thread about the specific issue which seems to be that the computer shows no signs of power only at a specific time of day - and yes, that is as weird as it sounds.

On 7/31/2021 at 6:28 PM, Surestgarlic2 said:

I plan on reusing the parts I buy for this system in my future build such as gt 1030 until I can get sum better and the SSD and the monitor until I can get a better one I game on dual core 4 thread i5 m 540 I believe with Radeon mobility hd 5770 will this be better since it has more cores? 

I'm not sure I understand your question. Is this the computer you have, or is it the computer you want to build? How does it relate to the one you picked out on Partpicker? Which parts are old parts, and which of them are new parts you plan to buy?

Truth be told, I didn't know there were dual core i5 CPUs, I thought an i5 meant 4 cores (up to Coffee Lake). But core count is not that important, at least not for older games. There were times when a dual core would perform better than a quad-core because not all games utilized all cores. So a dual core with better single-core speeds would perform better in some games; I believe Fallout 3 and New Vegas were one such example.

Anyway, according to Partpicker that CPU is around $50, which should be the same price for an old Ryzen 5 or maybe a Ryzen 3. Why not go for one of those instead? A Ryzen 3 would complement the 1030 well.

I think the most important questions here would be:

1) what is your budget?

2) what are the limitations you are facing for your build?

3) is it specifically a Fortnite machine, or are you interested in other games as well? If so, which?

How low-end? And how much are you willing to invest in gaming while on vacation?

I would be happy to recommend you some classics from the early-to-mid 2000s, but I'll need to know your specs first; as well as your tastes and how much time you plan to spend gaming.

All of them. Because they're free.

Joke aside, I would say any AAA giveaway was a good free game by Epic. If anything, they made for a nice test-run; especially of titles I wouldn't care to buy otherwise. Battlefront 2 is an example of this.

I haven't played many, and some of what it offered (Alan Wake, Batman Arkham trilogy, Borderlands, Rage, Metro, GTA V, Rising Storm 2...) I've played before they gave them away for free, so I don't think I should include them in my list of free games by Epic, although I applaud their decision to feature them.

I would say the best game I've played made free by Epic, which I wouldn't have played were it not made free by Epic, was Oxenfree. It only caught my attention because they were giving it away, and it was absolutely worth it. It was like Alan Wake Lite: with less gameplay but more story, or at least a fresh take on a somewhat similar story. I wouldn't like to give away the plot for those who haven't played it, so I'll just say that I strongly recommend it if you have it in your library but haven't gotten around to it yet.

On 7/27/2021 at 6:46 PM, WaggishOhio383 said:

What? They gave that one away and I missed it? I did go a few months without checking the free games a while back, so I'm not surprised I missed something good...

It was one of the earliest free giveaways. Pity you missed it. I do recommend playing it though, it's an amazing game.

Yes. You are the only one. None of us experience any drops or hitching when gaming.

You are also the only one who can't read minds. The rest of us can, but we haven't told you yet because we know it would make you paranoid.

Anything up to around 2012 should run fine. And by that I mean 1080p, medium settings (on average), and 60fps for the most part.

I used to rock a Core 2 Duo E7300 with a GTS 250 1GB (originally 9600 GSO 768MB) from 2009 to 2017, so I speak from experience.

If you want Skyrim or Fallout 3 or New Vegas - you can play them.

If you want Call of Duty, you should be able to play anything between the first game and Black Ops 2.

Crysis, Crysis Warhead, and Crysis 2 should work fine too, although don't be surprised if Crysis stutters a lot (it stuttered on my new system, and it's an R5 3600, 5700XT build; it's just poorly optimized).

The first three Far Cry games (the third one on low though; and it will probably still stutter).

If you want to go competitive, LoL should be playable. You can do StarCraft 2 if you want competitive RTS. TF2 with some mods to remove the new effects should work fine.

The Batman Arkham series excluding Arkham Knight.

The Mass Effect trilogy.

Rage, the Bioshock series, Bulletstorm, Homefront, the Stalker series...

Telltale games' early entries.

And these are just off the top of my head.

If you're looking for recently released games, something undemanding, like modern classic shooters: Dusk, Amid Evil, Ion Maiden, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin... seeing as they were made in old engines.

Unfortunately, I don't think you'll be able to run Fortnite very well. Not because of the GPU, the GPU is fine for a competitive game imo, but the CPU is a bottleneck. Take this part of my opinion with a grain of salt however, because I'm not familiar with either the 1030 or Fortnite; I'm just saying what I've heard from places like Tech Deals: it's a budget card, but I believe he did recommend it for competitive or casual games like LoL or Rocket League or Minecraft. I assume Fortnite shouldn't be demanding, competitive titles rarely are, but, having a bigger world and more things to render than any of the titles I mentioned above, it might not run very well on that CPU.

If you are interested in older titles, there are a lot of games you can play with that system. A lot of modern classics that I wouldn't mind replaying. There are a lot of great titles from that era, probably more than enough to keep you entertained until you can get a modern system: a lot of great titles released when Core 2 Quads were relevant.

You can't play the latest releases, but if you just want to experience some of gaming's finest, there is a lot you can enjoy up to 2012, and possibly a bit later.

My computer was working fine yesterday. It was on for about 8 hours and it didn't show any problems. Then, when I tried to boot up again, it refused to power up. It didn't show any signs of power. No sound, no lights, no fans spinning... like I was trying to power it up during a power outage.

I made sure the cable was in place, I tested three different cables, and I even tried a different power socket, all to no avail.

Suspecting either the PSU or the power button, I unplugged the power cable and left it as it was; I planned to call the retailer in the morning, considering that the computer is only two and a half years old and still under warranty.

I tried to boot it up today as soon as I woke up, and... it works. It shows no problems either.

Something like this happened to me once before, again late at night and showing the same symptoms, but I solved it by just removing the power cable and plugging it back in. So, this time around, it fixed itself after the cable was removed for around six hours? That doesn't make much sense.

How worried should I be?

Is the PSU the most likely culprit? It's an Antec Edge 550 80+ Gold, and it's only two years old. My motherboard is an MSI B450 Tomahwalk Max. So the parts are obviously of decent quality to just break down without any prior symptoms.

Hos safe is it to keep using it in this condition (if there even is a condition to worry about)?