The PokéCommunity Forums

The PokéCommunity Forums (https://www.pokecommunity.com/index.php)
-   Internet & Technology (https://www.pokecommunity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=57)
-   -   Chit-Chat Developers, developers, developers, developers (https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=306434)

Starry Windy October 20th, 2013 4:44 AM

When I checked my Windows Updates last time, I installed most of them already except for Office 2007 SP3 and 2010 support (and 2 certain drivers updates), that I consider my laptop is fully up-to-date, and it was in a few days before my laptop's BIOS goes haywire...

I want to ask you guys (after I'm experiencing the problem that I just mentioned), if you guys have ever changing using laptops or even PC at some point.

Tsutarja October 21st, 2013 4:40 AM

Well, I do consider changing computers all the time based on what has the better specs.. in the most recent case, I began using my desktop way more than my laptop once I managed to get a newer (but not new) desktop and put Windows 7 on it. Before then, the desktop I used only had 2 GB RAM and Windows XP.

Legendary Silke October 21st, 2013 6:02 AM

Sometimes I wonder whether I'll manage to stay with this laptop for more than a year... It's almost 10 months.

Starry Windy October 21st, 2013 7:49 AM

It's the first time for me to changing laptop, because of the old laptop's issue that I need to buy a new one. I need to be used to newer OS of Windows 8 in my new laptop after using Windows 7 for years, because using this new OS means a totally different league for me.

However, I never change my PC because I was upgrading my PC little-by-little in terms of RAMs. But the out-of-date nature of my PC (well, the hardware which is in there is already old-fashioned) is what makes me consider to change one someday.

Legendary Silke October 21st, 2013 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wind Heart (Post 7893740)
It's the first time for me to changing laptop, because of the old laptop's issue that I need to buy a new one. I need to be used to newer OS of Windows 8 in my new laptop after using Windows 7 for years, because using this new OS means a totally different league for me.

However, I never change my PC because I was upgrading my PC little-by-little in terms of RAMs. But the out-of-date nature of my PC (well, the hardware which is in there is already old-fashioned) is what makes me consider to change one someday.

So what are you planning to get/did you get this time?

Starry Windy October 21st, 2013 6:52 PM

I managed to buy a new laptop yesterday which have Windows 8 in it, and for me, Windows 8 is quite odd if I'm not getting used to it, because the Start button does different thing now.

Starry Windy October 21st, 2013 9:36 PM

I think I agree with you, that Windows 8 starts to grow up in me, and my new laptop is more nicer if it comes to gaming right now (which have 1 GB dedicated memory), compared to my old one (which have about 128 MB's).

Tsutarja October 22nd, 2013 5:45 PM

It never really takes long for an operating system to grow on me at all. The next problem is: trying to get the fact that when I'm using older operating systems that some features aren't available.

For example, my server runs Server 2003, and when I was doing some work with it about a month ago, I tried to drag down a window up to the top of the screen to maximize it.

Starry Windy October 22nd, 2013 10:30 PM

lol yeah, I'm like that too, because after I'm using my current phone (which have touchscreen), when I'm touching my old phone's screen, I realized that my old phone is not using touchscreen, so I'm like between getting used to new technology or old ones now.

Terabyte October 23rd, 2013 8:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZachLMedia (Post 7896015)
It never really takes long for an operating system to grow on me at all. The next problem is: trying to get the fact that when I'm using older operating systems that some features aren't available.

For example, my server runs Server 2003, and when I was doing some work with it about a month ago, I tried to drag down a window up to the top of the screen to maximize it.

That's exactly how I am! And it's strange for me since I use Windows Vista alongside Windows 7, both of which use Aero.

Speaking of which, I really wish Windows 7 had the option like Windows Vista to where windows weren't transparent when they're maximized, because I don't like the idea of seeing my desktop background through my taskbar whenever I have programs maximized :\

donavannj October 23rd, 2013 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terabyte (Post 7897046)
That's exactly how I am! And it's strange for me since I use Windows Vista alongside Windows 7, both of which use Aero.

Speaking of which, I really wish Windows 7 had the option like Windows Vista to where windows weren't transparent when they're maximized, because I don't like the idea of seeing my desktop background through my taskbar whenever I have programs maximized :\

Try Windows 7 Basic or go into your themes and adjust the color intensity of your window colors in your Aero theme settings. Won't completely hide the windows behind your current one, but you won't notice they're there unless you're specifically seeking them out.

Tsutarja October 23rd, 2013 4:12 PM

If I ever actually switch to Windows 8, the one thing I'd probably miss the most is Aero Glass.

quilzel October 23rd, 2013 5:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZachLMedia (Post 7897738)
If I ever actually switch to Windows 8, the one thing I'd probably miss the most is Aero Glass.

Areo Glass, and Areo Peak are what I miss most. Simple things are the most missed, strange.

Legendary Silke October 23rd, 2013 9:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terabyte (Post 7897046)
Speaking of which, I really wish Windows 7 had the option like Windows Vista to where windows weren't transparent when they're maximized, because I don't like the idea of seeing my desktop background through my taskbar whenever I have programs maximized :\

I know your feeling, right? Try cranking up the colour intensity of the window colour in Windows 7 - it's actually just another word for "how opaque the windows should be". It won't be completely opaque, but it's close when you have it at maximum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by donavannj (Post 7897295)
Try Windows 7 Basic or go into your themes and adjust the color intensity of your window colors in your Aero theme settings. Won't completely hide the windows behind your current one, but you won't notice they're there unless you're specifically seeking them out.

This is also arguably the fastest way to see your desktop responsiveness and smoothness plummet. Windows' DWM uses your graphics card to draw all these nice-looking windows and handle a lot of work, reducing the load on CPU by a lot and also preventing redrawing glitches for the most part. Not allowing that means everything has to be done on the CPU, and, well...

You'll also be penalizing the graphical performance of web browsers, for example.

Leave Aero on in Windows 7 if your graphics card isn't some integrated junk in 2006 (emphasis on integrated in 2006 - today's Intel integrated is faster than your CPU at drawing your desktop).

Quote:

Originally Posted by quilzel (Post 7897824)
Areo Glass, and Areo Peak are what I miss most. Simple things are the most missed, strange.

Aero Peek actually still exists in Windows 8.x. It's just disabled by default. Open the taskbar properties and check the last checkbox.

donavannj October 23rd, 2013 10:22 PM

Windows Aero is just as dependent on the processor as the Windows classic theme in Windows 7, if not moreso. Maybe it is technically supposed to work the way you describe, but that's not been what I've been experiencing when experimenting with this and looking at raw performance numbers on various PCs running W7.

Seki October 24th, 2013 1:58 AM

I am using my current laptop for about 5 years already and I am going to change it to a new one in about 1 or 2 months time. The only reason why I am changing it because the battery life sucks, its getting slower and slower as the days go by, and I can't play most of the current-generation games.

Tsutarja October 24th, 2013 2:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SNOR(es)LAX (Post 7898275)
I am using my current laptop for about 5 years already and I am going to change it to a new one in about 1 or 2 months time. The only reason why I am changing it because the battery life sucks, its getting slower and slower as the days go by, and I can't play most of the current-generation games.

Out of curiosity, does the laptop run XP or Vista? Because I will agree that 5 years is a little long for a laptop. I know my Compaq laptop though has the same problem with its battery not living up to like its supposed to be.

Legendary Silke October 24th, 2013 3:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donavannj (Post 7898147)
Windows Aero is just as dependent on the processor as the Windows classic theme in Windows 7, if not moreso. Maybe it is technically supposed to work the way you describe, but that's not been what I've been experiencing when experimenting with this and looking at raw performance numbers on various PCs running W7.

You'd be surprised how much CPU is taken up when you're not using Windows Aero and on the desktop whenever something needs to be updated. Keep in mind that the window manager tries to not draw anything that it can not draw...

It is supposed to work in the way I just described. Drawing graphics is not the CPU's best thing to do when it can be used to do something else...

Also, there's a bunch of niceties that you lose besides the fancy effects when you disable Aero and other HWA goodies in Windows Vista or newer. Take an application that isn't responding to window paint messages and was hidden before being brought back to visibility. If this were Aero, at least Windows will be able to show the last contents as it keeps them in a buffer.

Classic mode? The contents were already thrown out. Guess what's there?

"Adjust for best performance" perhaps should be relabelled as "Adjust for crappiest appearance" these days given sufficiently fast graphical hardware.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raymond Chen
Starting in Windows Vista, a lot of visual effects were offloaded to the graphics card. Consequently, the impact on system performance for those visual effects is negligible, and sometimes turning off the effect actually makes your system run slower because you disabled hardware acceleration, forcing operations to be performed in software.

For example, if desktop composition is enabled, then a backup copy of a window's entire contents is kept in video memory, even if the window is covered by other windows. Without desktop composition, the window manager uses the classic model which follows the principle don't save anything you can recalculate: The contents of an occluded window are not saved anywhere, and when the window becomes exposed, the window receives a WM_PAINT message to tell it to regenerate its contents.

This means that, for example, when you remove a window from the screen and expose the window underneath, the desktop compositor can show the contents of the underlying window immediately because it saved a copy of the window in video memory and has been keeping it up to date. On the other hand, if you disable desktop composition, you will just stare at a blank window underneath, and then you have to sit and wait for that window to repaint itself.

Congratulations: By disabling desktop composition, you made the act of uncovering a window run slower. (You will see the same effect when switching between maximized windows.)

I believe how much CPU advantage enabling Aero gives also depends on raw CPU power available. Most GPUs should be able to stay in 2D mode with a normal desktop environment, so they shouldn't guzzle up power, either.

Seki October 24th, 2013 5:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZachLMedia (Post 7898306)
Out of curiosity, does the laptop run XP or Vista? Because I will agree that 5 years is a little long for a laptop. I know my Compaq laptop though has the same problem with its battery not living up to like its supposed to be.

My laptop's running on Vista.

Tsutarja October 24th, 2013 11:12 AM

I will say that sometimes I do indeed use Windows Vista for nostalgia purposes, but that's about it really.. and I also always have that one Windows XP Virtual Machine on my desktop as well if I want to revisit that. :)

Catalyst. October 24th, 2013 2:06 PM

Well, just finished a motherboard/CPU upgrade on my main rig. New specs:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($113.94 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-HD3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($55.67 @ Amazon)
Storage: OCZ Vertex 60GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Scorpio Blue 160GB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.95 @ Mwave)
Storage: Seagate Pipeline HD 500GB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.95 @ Mwave)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7750 1GB Video Card ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX12V Power Supply ($36.23 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive ($21.99 @ Mwave)
Total: $660.69
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-24 18:04 EDT-0400)

Not bad for the price, if I do say so myself. OS X Mavericks is running on the SSD and the 500GB, while Windows 8 is running on the 160GB purely for gaming purposes. Quite happy as this is the first combo gamer/hackintosh I've had in quite a while.

Tsutarja October 26th, 2013 7:34 PM

Hmm this was weird but a few moments ago my desktop just suddenly decided to freeze up and I had to hard-boot it just to get it moving again :/

Legendary Silke October 27th, 2013 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZachLMedia (Post 7903572)
Hmm this was weird but a few moments ago my desktop just suddenly decided to freeze up and I had to hard-boot it just to get it moving again :/

How long has it been on? Sometimes even computers just need a short break.

Starry Windy October 27th, 2013 3:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZachLMedia (Post 7903572)
Hmm this was weird but a few moments ago my desktop just suddenly decided to freeze up and I had to hard-boot it just to get it moving again :/

I was having it on my desktop some months ago, and it was freezing even when opening some start-up programs like antivirus. In my case, my PC is finally working like it used to when the harddisk of my PC is plugged out, and later plugged in again (with carefully), along with some cleaning on my PC's inside (it was full of dusts).

Tsutarja October 28th, 2013 5:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ♪Twiggy♪ (Post 7904049)
How long has it been on? Sometimes even computers just need a short break.

It had a two-week uptime roughly, though I guess it's because I let it run nonstop. Maybe I should give it a break every now and then.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 11:21 PM.


Like our Facebook Page Follow us on Twitter © 2002 - 2018 The PokéCommunity™, pokecommunity.com.
Pokémon characters and images belong to The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo. This website is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK, The Pokémon Company or The Pokémon Company International. We just love Pokémon.
All forum styles, their images (unless noted otherwise) and site designs are © 2002 - 2016 The PokéCommunity / PokéCommunity.com.
PokéCommunity™ is a trademark of The PokéCommunity. All rights reserved. Sponsor advertisements do not imply our endorsement of that product or service. User generated content remains the property of its creator.

Acknowledgements
Use of PokéCommunity Assets
vB Optimise by DragonByte Technologies Ltd © 2023.