Tuesday, August 02, 2016

It's Not Just You™ - Battle.Net Issues with Logging In Today [Notification]

Just a quick post to let others know that if you are having logging in to Battle.Net today (August 1st) that lots of people have been having problems as of this morning. Blizzard has addressed this with a quick note via their twitter, seen at:

https://twitter.com/BlizzardCS/status/760100687111938048

Retry or Go Back To Bed? Hmmm....

For those playing Blizzard/Battle.Net games this weekend, hopefully it will be up soon - just letting you know, It's Not Just You™ !


Monday, August 01, 2016

And More: In One Sentence™ - "The RX 470 or The RX 480"? [A Very Short Comparison with Sources, Currently Text-Only]


As done a previous "In One Sentence™" article here at The Blog, I've been wanting to make posts once in a while that catered to those without much time, or without much patience, or who [like me] suffer from conditions like ADD/ADHD, or perhaps those who 'just want a quick answer'... Thus, my beginning to write posts that literally 'sum up' concepts, comparisons or reviews "in one sentence", made especially for those 'in a hurry'...

For this post, I answer the quite-specific Hardware Upgrading question [mainly as it was one that I was asking myself, so I thought I would share my recent findings with others], 'should you get the AMD Radeon RX 470 GPU or the RX 480'..?



The Short Version



"Should I buy the 470 or the 480?"


The answer, in-one-sentence, is:


"Overall, there is anywhere from a 0-20 frame difference in performance at 1080p between the RX 470 and the RX 480, but with the average difference between the two being about 10 fps at that resolution; so, if that difference is worth the price differential to you (which is anywhere from zero dollars to fifty dollars, depending on where you purchase it from and what model, etc) - then get the 480 - but if that difference is not worth the price to you, stick with the slightly-less-powerful-but-extremely-high-value-for-the-money-right-now RX 470."

~ The Game Tips And More Blog's Answer, In One Sentence™




The Long Version



Again, as done a previous "In One Sentence™" article here at The Blog, I've been wanting to make posts once in a while that catered to those without much time, or without much patience, or who [like me] suffer from conditions like ADD/ADHD, or perhaps those who 'just want a quick answer'... Thus, my beginning to write posts that literally 'sum up' concepts, comparisons or reviews "in one sentence", made especially for those 'in a hurry'[just like how I spent tons of time on the very creative and original titling of these types of posts..].

Where was I? Oh yes, here then is my summation for a Hardware Purchase Suggestion, a very specific answer for a very specific question in Hardware Upgrading [arrived at after many hours of reading, researching, watching benchmarking videos, all while getting distracted by games, health issues and non-computery-or-techie events in life... but you can skip all of that Life Drama of your own and skip all of the time Researching on your own and just 'get to the jist' right here], in one sentence - the answer to the question:


"Should I buy the 470 or the 480?"


The answer, in-one-sentence, is:


"Overall, there is anywhere from a 0-20 frame difference in performance at 1080p between the RX 470 and the RX 480, but with the average difference between the two being about 10 fps at that resolution; so, if that difference is worth the price differential to you (which is anywhere from zero dollars to fifty dollars, depending on where you purchase it from and what model, etc) - then get the 480 - but if that difference is not worth the price to you, stick with the slightly-less-powerful-but-extremely-high-value-for-the-money-right-now RX 470."

~ The Game Tips And More Blog's Answer, In One Sentence™



The answer above is based on an average viewpoint of all reviews read and videos watched. Of course, there is always fluctuation in the average amount (sometimes the fps was exactly the same, sometimes it was a quick change in difference [eg. in a video benchmark] by 20fps or slightly more for a short period of time). Also, for some people, money isn't the issue and they want the higher-shelf RX 480 for the capability it offers. No problem, I'm just presenting what I have seen so far, between the 470 and the 480. If you can "easily" afford the faster product, go for that - but for those who are in the situation where $20 or $40 is a "big step" in price at the moment for them, but they really want to upgrade their aging hardware "now" at the same time - then this summation is for them.

As I always say, if you are looking to upgrade any hardware in your system - and if you have the time to do it:

Do your own research, read lots of reviews, check out prices in multiple places/sites/stores and find out which is the best path for you, at that point in time. No matter what the part is, spend as much as you "comfortably" can (to make it more 'future proof'). What is the most important/best advice I can give, from 20+ years of technical expertise and real-world experience in the field presented without making a new paragraph so it would be easier to read..? It is this: No matter what computer part you are purchasing, if you are not in a place where "money isn't an issue", then watch for "The Jump" in price - that leap or huge gap in prices - and purchase a part that is just in front of that gap (before the large price increase); that is the "Price Sweet Spot", where you are getting 'the most bang for your buck' and other cliche phrases. Most of all though - have fun learning and doing it all!


This Message Brought To You By Troy from The Game Tips And More Blog And Free Websites And Other Things That Made It All Happen



List of Some Sources Researched (not including video benchmark sources):

http://www.techspot.com/review/1220-amd-radeon-rx-470/page2.html
http://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/2544-sapphire-rx-470-platinum-review-benchmark-vs-480-gtx-1060/page-4
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/73155-amd-radeon-rx-470-4gb-review-4.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3104044/components-graphics/amd-radeon-rx-470-review-a-great-graphics-card-with-a-terrible-price.html?page=3
http://wccftech.com/amd-radeon-rx-480-rx-470-3dmark-performance/
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/RX_470_STRIX_OC/10.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-radeon-rx-470,4703-4.html