Joined on 11/26/05
Zotac GTX 570
Pros: Easy install, quiteness, price, attractive design
Cons: None so far
Overall Review: Just installed this card today and it runs Battlefield 3 smoothly at "Ultra" settings, although I am using only a 17" monitor (cheesy, huh?). Even when playing in 64-player servers, I haven't run into lag or choppy gameplay so far. I haven't tried other games yet, but it is running nicely. I'll post an update in the coming months. Bought this card at $299.99 from Newegg, and at that price this card was irresistable. My systems specs: Intel Core I5 760 CPU Kingston 4GB DDR3 1600 320GB Western Digital HDD Antec 650w Green PSU Gigabyte H55M-S2V LGA 1156 Motherboard Samsung 17" SyncMaster 731B LCD monitor
ASRock rocks!
Pros: - price - stable so far - straightforward BIOS
Cons: Tight fit. This is not an ASRock issue, but a micro-atx one. Installing any large after-market CPU cooler will block one of the DDR memory slots. Also, installing any mid-range or high-end graphics cards will significantly impact airflow throughout the board, especially over the Northbridge heatsink.
Overall Review: - When I first tried loading Windows 7 the board couldnt find the boot drive. I checked BIOS and the drive sequence was correct. I then tried loading the drivers, but no go. Finally Win7 just loaded on its own. PC is running fine now. - The 10/100 Mbps LAN speed is not a problem for me, since my previous PC had that and I was still able to play online multiplayer games and stream hi-def content, all via my wireless connection. Overall, this is a nice, basic board, given it's price point. Streaming high-def content looks good; the onboard audio sounds fine. I might even play Diablo 3 on this rig when that comes out. System specs: - CPU: Intel Core I3 2120 - OS: 64-bit Windows 7 - System memory: 4Gb Kingston DDR3 1600 (running @ 1333) - graphics: Radeon 1 Gb HD 5670 - HDD: seagate 80 Gb - psu: 550-watt / 30 amps on 12-volt rail
Bad Company 2
Pros: Destructible enviroments, multi-dimensional game play (ability to fly helicopters and drive armored vehicles, in addition to infantry combat), addicting on-line multiplayer, visual/graphics quality
Cons: Hit detection, presence of hackers and cheaters in certain servers, occasional CTD issues, no prone (to me it's not an issue but it still would've been nice to have)
Overall Review: Nice try from the previous reviewer on 11/8/10. What a coincidence that the "reviewer" issues a very negative review on the same day that COD Black Ops is released. Anyway, the online multiplayer is not broke at all and is in fact very much alive and well. In addition, EA announced on 11/8/2010 that VIP Map pack 7 with four brand new multiplayer maps will be released for FREE, for PC players and VIP accounts. Unlike the other competing FPS games out there where they charge for additional DLC, BFBC2 has free DLC. Unfortunately, I can only give this game four out of five eggs, due to the continued hit detection issues, as well as the CTD issues (happens once or twice a month for me). Not every server has hackers, but once you see them, they tend to ruin the game when using the teleport hack. Fortunately, I haven't seen this hack in over a month. Overall, I would still recommend this game to any FPS fan who has an open mind.
Battlefield 1942
Pros: - Great multiplayer - variety of maps - fun gameplay - low system requirements
Cons: - Graphics are aged - Singleplayer is no good and is best used as practice for multiplayer - BF Vietnam is meh for me
Overall Review: There are still servers running this game. I highly recommend the Desert Combat mod (it's free). EA still runs a server with this mod and it still gets full during the weekends, with up to 48 players. Another popular mod is Desert Combat Final, which is similar to the first mod but with better sound and visual effects. The physics on this games is great and seeing players flying off after an explosion, is quite comical. Most PC integrated graphics made in the last two years can run this game without an add-on GPU.
Bad Company 2
Pros: Great sound effects (I have cheapo speakers and can only imagine how much better it would be if I hooked up my PC to a surround sound system), very good graphics, good weapons selection, especially the mortar strikes!
Cons: - Only eight maps when the game was released, although some downloadable content have already been released and more are on the way. -Server issues (mostly fixed now; if you played the beta, you need to uninstall it as it causes problems with Punkbuster) -lot's of snipers and noob tubers (not the game's fault, but I need to vent) - foul language. If you have children and don't want them exposed to four letter words in the game, then this is not for them. I believe there is a setting that will let you turn it off, though I don't know how
Overall Review: I'm running the game on my budget gaming rig and the graphics and gameplay are very good. The server problems have mostly been fixed (EA released the R6 server two days ago and things are running smoothly since then) with a few minor issues still remaining. You can add and find your friends in-game and it works well. Having no prone is not a deal breaker for me. It took me a day to get used to it and I'm glad that I did, as this game has lots to offer and is real fun and exhilarating. A major issue is the assault class serving as the ammunition resupply. A lot of noob tubers now have the ability for unlimited tubing because all they have to do is resupply themselves. That's lame and is an epic fail by DICE. Altogether, this is a great game and will keep me busy for a very long time. PC specs: Intel E7200 C2D, patriot DDR2 800, Seagate Barracuda HDD, ECS GF7050VT mainboard, XFX GeForce 9800GT 512MB.
BFBC2 rocks!
Pros: Very good graphics and visuals, squad based team play, ability to respawn on any squad mate, option to pilot helicopter gunships or use armored vehicles, various weapon and gadget unlocks, excellent sound effects, dedicated server support
Cons: Hit registration, server disconnects (although now it is not nearly as bad as when the game first released and is getting better day by day), no toggle crouch
Overall Review: The graphic quality is on par with COD4, or a little better (I can't compare with MW2 since I haven't played that game). The sound quality is second to none! The single player campaign is not bad, although multiplayer is where it's at. The rush game mode provides for an exciting, objective based team play. Conquest mode (the same as Domination mode for COD4) is also present, as well as squad deathmatch. Lone wolves can and do excel at this game, but team play is what gets you the win! The hit registration in this game can be a pain. You can empty a whole magazine onto another player and he can still kill you with one or two shots from his pistol. However, the key to minimizing this is by firing short, controlled bursts of two or three rounds. You'll get better results that way. The lack of prone doesn't bother me, but is an issue with some players. This game simply is too much fun for anyone to not buy it because of no prone.