It’s time for some promises, and here’s a list of ten of them that I’d like to accomplish in the coming year. Well, the ones related to PC hardware and software at least!
1. OK, the first one is very easy because it has to do with RESOLUTION. Given the chance, I’d like to boost my display to WQHD because I think my current setup can handle it, plus I intend to upgrade during the latter part of the year. Right now I’m on a 24″ LCD TV which doubles as my monitor in 1080p, and while everything looks good it doesn’t have the clarity of a true monitoring masterpiece. I’m a huge fan of big numbers and a firm believer that there’s no such thing as “good enough” graphics until we get to stuff that looks like the Matrix, so WQHD is definitely a step in the right direction and I’m more than willing to be an adopter, albeit not the earliest…
Is that a WQHD display in your study or are you just happy to view me?
2. Get back into overclocking. Just for the fun of it. I’m not a huge believer in overclocking, as it’s not as necessary as it was even a few years ago. But I’d like to give my HD 7950 a go and see how far it will allow me to push it. GPU Tweak should be handy for that. You can always find the latest version right here.
You've been comfortable at 800MHz long enough, pal
3. Upgrade my CPU. Right now I’m on an i5-3470, but it may be time for an i7 K variant, if I’m to get back into overclocking. Besides, i7 does have a better ring to it than i5, right?
4. Max my PH877-M PRO’s 32GB RAM allotment. I have 16GB, but with Windows 8 the old physical limits are no longer there and RAM isn’t overly expensive so why not? Sure, very few games actually even notice if you have more than 8GB, but we all understand the real pleasure of upgrading your hardware is in the knowing.
Slot me in for some more memory, will ya?
5. Get a dedicated sound card. Certainly, the sound I get from my HD 7950′s HDMI out is great, but it could be so much better. Since my hearing isn’t the best I’m not greedy and a solid internal sound card should suffice. I have the available slots. I can do it.
The hills are alive with the sound of Xonar
6. Speaking of sound, while I’m happy with my current headphones (I do all gaming and most movie watching with headphones to avoid disturbing others), the ones I’m using now are plain vanilla headphones and do not have a built in microphone and I’m using an external one for online gaming. Their cable isn’t braided so it gets slightly tangled here and there. There is a fix for that.
Respect the rank!
7. Play every game I buy. Again, not being greedy, as realistically I won’t be able to complete all of them. But right now I’m addicted to buying them like they’re going out of style, and my backlog is numbering in the dozens. That will not do.
8. Keep enjoying Windows 8 and make sure other people know it is awesome. It’s possible you haven’t experienced Windows 8 yet, but as I said before it’s an amazing operating system for desktops, and it keeps getting better, with more stuff available, more apps, and updates that make it even faster and more effective. It really is time to make the move.
9. Get Office 2013 as soon as it comes out. As a writer, I can’t wait for this one.
10. Keep sharing all the good stuff that’s just around the corner, because trust me, good things are coming…
Have a wonderful 2013 everyone!
Suds McSoapdish
Thirty years ago, toddler Suds got his first taste of just how enjoyable technology can be when his parents gave him an Atari 2600. He soon picked up on the wonders of the Commodore 64, and the rest is history in the form of a long list of consoles, 80’s home computers and PCs built and assembled with great fervor. Writing and technology gradually moved up from hobbies to professions as Suds became the man he is today, and although he’s worked and traveled the world and experienced many things, technology, especially computing and gaming, has remained a solid constant.