Debunking 8 Myths of PC Gamers

lorax · Post by **lorax** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 11:12 am

Silly Octopuses, myths are for squids.

Just as an octopus has 8 arms, there are 8 myths spread about PC gaming. Just what is a myth? Webster can help: a fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology. The same ideology and herding effect from like-minded gamers unifying around a single idea. The Myth. Onward to debunk a few of these.
<the Lorax climbs onto a boulder and clears his throat>

Myth #1. The bigger the monitor the better.
Truth: LCD monitors have a fixed number of pixels. In other words, the larger the monitor, the higher the recommended display resolution. And the harder the video card has to work for games. Or maybe the video card can’t keep up with a higher resolution which results in a slide show.

Myth #2. Buy an expensive sound card because it has more features and better sound.
Truth: Buying expensive newfangled hardware often results in more bugs. It is newer and untested. This introduces the gamer to possible audio problems during games. Also, gamers rarely (or never) show any evidence that the expensive card sounds better. Otherwise known as the “placebo effect”.

Myth #3. EAX (Environmental Audio Extensions) Advanced HD 4.0 is needed by modern gamers.
Truth: We have yet to see a list of games that require this. Only stories how it will make gaming better and it sounds better (see “placebo effect”). Also, jargon and technogibberish is used to convince the unwary buyer.

Myth #4. Buy the best video card that money can buy.
Truth: The performance of a video card should match the needs of current games. Any purchase to support future games is absurd because games are cancelled constantly. Games like Ghost Recon 2. This is one of the most common mistakes made by gamers. And the mistake can cost hundreds of dollars for a noisy, power-hungry, 2-slot occupying card.

Myth #5. Support your gaming company by purchasing on release day.
Truth: Companies are for profit. Your favorite company could merge with one of the less scrupulous examples and add Starforce or leave you as beta-tester. Best to buy from the Bargain Bin.

Myth #6. PC Gaming will be saved by the independent developer.
Truth: There is no evidence for this. The last time there was a recession in gaming, it went defunct. To repeat this – lack of games leads to defunct gaming.

Myth #7. Consoles are converging on PCs.
Truth: Let’s avoid the shifty use of language and point out the obvious. A PC is a computer while a console is just a gaming device. Not so difficult, is it? The convergence is about as likely as a Gameboy converging with a Mainframe. It’s just jabberwocky.

Myth #8. The Lorax didn’t save the Truffula trees.
Truth: This fact was disputed earlier. I can safely say that the Lorax did save these trees. The harvest has ensured an ample and tasty supply of truffle chocolates. Tasty indeed.

JayG · Post by **JayG** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 11:20 am

Myth 9#. Sausages are the only meat.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 11:24 am

Please, please can everyone stop replying to these threads so he might give up and stop posting?

...

dangit

Suitably Ironic Moniker · Sat Jun 18, 2005 11:26 am

wonderpug wrote:Please, please can everyone stop replying to these threads so he might give up and stop posting?

...

dangit

Amen.

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 1:53 pm

JayG wrote:Myth 9#. Sausages are the only meat.

But green sausages look suspicously like pickles.

Rincewind · Post by **Rincewind** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:16 pm

Myth #10: Any of this nonsense makes any sense.

warning · Post by **warning** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:19 pm

JayG · Post by **JayG** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:20 pm

The sausage thing does. Try living in Germany or Switzerland. Barbeques everywhere, yet there all there is to eat is animal genitals.

Jeff Jones · Post by **Jeff Jones** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 2:46 pm

raydude · Post by **raydude** » Sat Jun 18, 2005 4:54 pm

Actually I would say, keep on replying to these threads. Only make them one or two-liners at most, forcing Lorax to try to be witty in multiple paragraphs for his next post.

Kiam · Post by **Kiam** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 12:44 pm

Suitably Ironic Moniker wrote:
wonderpug wrote:Please, please can everyone stop replying to these threads so he might give up and stop posting?

...

dangit
Amen.

I like him. He's wrong a lot, in my opinion, but so what? So am I. The fact of the matter is he's obviously not taking all this too seriously but he's still starting (or trying to start) conversations. It's not his fault nobody replies to hiss threads except to mock him.

Suitably Ironic Moniker · Sun Jun 19, 2005 12:51 pm

We shall have to agree to disagree then.

baron calamity · Post by **baron calamity** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 1:35 pm

lorax wrote: Myth #1. The bigger the monitor the better.
Myth #2. Buy an expensive sound card because it has more features and better sound.
Myth #3. EAX (Environmental Audio Extensions) Advanced HD 4.0 is needed by modern gamers.
Myth #4. Buy the best video card that money can buy.
Myth #5. Support your gaming company by purchasing on release day.
Myth #6. PC Gaming will be saved by the independent developer.
Myth #7. Consoles are converging on PCs.

1. Agreed. I hate big monitors
2. Sort of agree. Mostly its just that low end cards are so good these days that its hard for the average user to notice or appricate the difference.
3. No commend
4. Another Myth. The high end faster cards are always over priced and games are targeted at low/mid range cards anyways. That said, I am a whore and often buy the high end solution. Something I'm going to try and not do the next generation. Mostily because of heat and noise issues.
5. BS. If you don't buy games when they are new close to full price then you are doing as much damage as pirating the game. While totally legal, waiting for the bagin bin is just like a vulture waiting for a meal to fall over and die.
6. Big myth. Most independant games are barely functional let alone enjoyable.
7. Not really a myth. It could happen if big companies want it too but I'll believe it when I see it.

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 1:41 pm

BC almost made me reply to dispute what he said. I caught myself from getting involved in this mess though.

WPD · Post by **WPD** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 2:56 pm

Myth #9: lorax knows what they are talking about.
Truth: As evidenced by this one can in fact see that lorax has lost their grip on reality. And if they can't save the Truffula trees why should we trust them in the first place?

CeeKay · Post by **CeeKay** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 6:56 pm

Jeff Jones wrote:

That'd be more funnier if it said: 'Jesus says: PWNED BITCH!'

Now back to the myths:

1) I honestly don't think you need bigger than a 19 inch monitor, but then again I have yet to witness wide screen goodness.

2) What's a high end or more expensive Sound card? I honestly haven't heard much ballyhoo since the Audigy 2 came out.

3) EAX 4.0- no game may require it but AFAIK you don't have to pay for it either. My Audigy 2 supports it if IIRC.

4) Buying the best video card at the time can help by letting you avoid having to upgrade for a few years.

5) I have never heard this one. What crack you smoking son?

6) Defunct is so 2004. Pick up some new lingo.

7) This dead horse has been beaten so much it cannot even be identified anymore. I've had bowel movements that look more like a horse than this does.

8 ) See then end of number 5.

edited to the dang 8) emoticon popping up.

ChrisGrenard · Post by **ChrisGrenard** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 7:25 pm

I contend that Lorax is actually our current president's online persona.

Suitably Ironic Moniker · Sun Jun 19, 2005 7:32 pm

ChrisGrenard wrote:I contend that Lorax is actually our current president's online persona.

I don't know. They have some pretty thorough government internet filters and Laura seems strict.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sun Jun 19, 2005 11:59 pm

I get the hugest monitor, the most expensive graphics and sound cards, the fastest processor and the most ram that money can buy, but I STILL can't bring Doom 3 to its knees. So now I'm gonna go for water cooling, SLI video, a ram drive and a physics card. Take that myth and smoke it!

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 12:46 am

Lorax you are flat out wrong on #1. I have a 22" monitor, and the difference between this and most other monitors is striking. Every person who leaves my house that has a 17" or 19" monitor/LCD, always wishes they could steal mine.

You my friend, sound like you have a tiny pen.... errr monitor.

Myth #2? Man, you need to do your research. If a gamer needs fps, they look for the sound card that will do the most work "on-card". Most crap-built mobo sound chips offload all that work to your cpu, thus lowering your fps potential.

Myth #6? Ummm hello! I've purchased a minimum of 15 pc games every year since 1988! There was NEVER a period when pc games were not published.

Myth #7? Ummm hello anybody in there? Sony wants to make their PS3 a "supercomputer". http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/06/09 ... 27219.html - HD will ship with Linux. Is this a stupid move by Sony? I think it is. People want their "gamebox" to be easy to use. What they're doing is opening up their "gameing box" to all the potential problems that plague the pc world. But that doesn't stop the fact Sony is pushing this.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 2:55 pm

HD will ship with Linux.

I'll believe that shit when I see it.

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:32 pm

Bob wrote:
HD will ship with Linux.
I'll believe that shit when I see it.

Yea, Sony has gone ballistic in predicting the PS3 can solve the worlds problems. If you believe everything they said, their cell processing is cheaper and faster than any chip on Earth by a factor of 10x. Baloney.

killbot737 · Post by **killbot737** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 3:54 pm

Myth #1. The bigger the monitor the better.
Truth: Yes, that's the truth. ed - I mean yes, the bigger the monitor the better.

Myth #2. Buy an expensive sound card because it has more features and better sound.
Truth: Not really. SB16 doesn't cut it anymore, though.

Myth #3. EAX (Environmental Audio Extensions) Advanced HD 4.0 is needed by modern gamers.
Truth: No it's not.

Myth #4. Buy the best video card that money can buy.
Truth: Buy the second best card you can afford unless you're really poor. Then buy a new one 4 years later using the same guide.

Myth #5. Support your gaming company by purchasing on release day.
Truth: All that does is support your merchant (which may or may not be the same thing.)

Myth #6. PC Gaming will be saved by the independent developer.
Truth: No, but it will be continued by them.

Myth #7. Consoles are converging on PCs.
Truth: These pretzels are making me thirsty!

Myth #8. The Lorax didn’t save the Truffula trees.
Truth: True. The lorax did not save the Truffula trees.

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 4:08 pm

killbot - how can you say #1 is true? I've worked with a cajillion monitors and LCD's through my life, and I can honestly say I get to see more detail in games than anyone with a smaller monitor would miss. Sure my video card works harder, but that's why I have a X800 XT Platinum.

Seriously, if you gamed on a super-sharp 22" monitor like mine, and then went to ANY kind of 17" display, you'd "know" you are missing all kinds of detail.

Fuzzballx · Post by **Fuzzballx** » Mon Jun 20, 2005 4:56 pm

Oh god, oh god, we're all gonna die.

Arcanis · Post by **Arcanis** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 3:20 pm

as WPD said lorax is a bit insane but thats ok wel all go crazy its just a matter of how lonag and how bad. oh a bunny let me shoot it with some buck shot.

Now on a serious note most of it is myth and like they said erlier lorax is just trying to get some discution going, so don't rain on his parade if you don't like it. Just don't reply or make sure the good and bad are clearly labled like action a is studpid but action b is more stupid. Remember don't take life too serious no matter how hard you try you'll never get out of it alive.

Suitably Ironic Moniker · Tue Jun 21, 2005 5:22 pm

Awwww, a little Arcanis life lesson. Where are the guys from GI Joe to tell us that knowing is half the battle?

lorax · Post by **lorax** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 7:42 pm

jpinard wrote:Myth #2? Man, you need to do your research. If a gamer needs fps, they look for the sound card that will do the most work "on-card". Most crap-built mobo sound chips offload all that work to your cpu, thus lowering your fps potential.

There is no evidence shown that games perform worse with use of onboard sound versus an external card. With no facts, there is myth. A myth that has been handed down from one gamer to another.

Silly octopuses, myths are for squids.

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 7:50 pm

lorax wrote:
jpinard wrote:Myth #2? Man, you need to do your research. If a gamer needs fps, they look for the sound card that will do the most work "on-card". Most crap-built mobo sound chips offload all that work to your cpu, thus lowering your fps potential.
There is no evidence shown that games perform worse with use of onboard sound versus an external card. With no facts, there is myth. A myth that has been handed down from one gamer to another.

Silly octopuses, myths are for squids.

You really don't know what the hell you are talking about, to put it nicely.

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:53 pm

Lorax, there is plenty of evidence. Why do you think the Audigy 2 has a dedicated mp3 decoder, and the next CL chipset X-Fi will take ALL mp3 decoding off of the cpu? It's because playing mp3's takes cpu power. With many mobo soundchips, that hit can reach 20%, where-as my Audigy 2 ZS, only has a 6% cpu utilization.

As Lee said, you don't know what you're talking about. Good soundcards really do increase your sound quality and fps. I have plenty of experience woth both types here at my house. Kinda sounds like you "wish" you had a better sound card, along with a bigger monitor?

GungHo · Post by **GungHo** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 11:26 pm

lorax is great. Anybody that willing to poke fun at themselves is OK in my book.

The ppl getting their panties in a wad over his posts just makes him even better.

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 11:45 pm

Ohhh, I didn't realize he was poking fun at himself. Sorry!

Suitably Ironic Moniker · Tue Jun 21, 2005 11:57 pm

It's debatable whether this is the case. Frankly, I'm putting my money on a rudimentary A.I. gone rogue and spewing out random gaming terminology.

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:01 am

jpinard wrote:Ohhh, I didn't realize he was poking fun at himself. Sorry!

I didn't see any evidence that he was. He seems to be pretty eccentric, so he is kind of hard to read though.

SkyLander · Post by **SkyLander** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:05 am

GungHo · Post by **GungHo** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 12:42 am

Suitably Ironic Moniker wrote:It's debatable whether this is the case. Frankly, I'm putting my money on a rudimentary A.I. gone rogue and spewing out random gaming terminology.

Anyone who refers to themselves in the 3rd person is either having fun with it, or is totally out to lunch...either way it's good for the rest of us.

Rincewind · Post by **Rincewind** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 1:51 am

No I think this dude legitimately thinks he makes sense. Its funny, in a sad, odd sort of way.

jpinard · Post by **jpinard** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 3:46 am

Rincewind wrote:No I think this dude legitimately thinks he makes sense. Its funny, in a sad, odd sort of way.

Like the guy who always spoke of himself in 3rd person... and really thought that made him cool? Wasn't that in some tv show?

The Preacher · Post by **The Preacher** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:19 am

jpinard wrote:Lorax, there is plenty of evidence. Why do you think the Audigy 2 has a dedicated mp3 decoder, and the next CL chipset X-Fi will take ALL mp3 decoding off of the cpu? It's because playing mp3's takes cpu power. With many mobo soundchips, that hit can reach 20%, where-as my Audigy 2 ZS, only has a 6% cpu utilization.

...

Good soundcards really do increase your sound quality and fps...

Actually, the performance increase of sound cards (FPS-wise) is questionable depending on the the card you're comparing to, the application and the onboard chip in use. Quality is certainly another factor in the decision making process.

Tom's 2003 review of cards vs. onboard

Demonstrative image

So the Nforce2 beat both the Aud2 and the Hercules, but the other 2 onboard chips lagged. Obviously this is somewhat dated, but I haven't seen an article that has done a good h2h test since -- and the NForce2 is now off the market iirc.

All tolled, it's a debatable topic.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 10:32 am

Lee wrote:
jpinard wrote:Ohhh, I didn't realize he was poking fun at himself. Sorry!
I didn't see any evidence that he was. He seems to be pretty eccentric, so he is kind of hard to read though.

Rincewind wrote:No I think this dude legitimately thinks he makes sense. Its funny, in a sad, odd sort of way.

Aren't you folks aware the the pickle/gherkin debates?

~Neal

Octopus Overlords

Debunking 8 Myths of PC Gamers

Debunking 8 Myths of PC Gamers

Re: Debunking 8 Myths of PC Gamers