Good Morning from my Robotics Lab! This is Shadow_8472 and today I am seriously thinking about a long-awaited computer upgrade. Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve had a lot of fun learning Linux and not only doubling (or more) the useful life of my workstations. With out the full bulk of Windows, they\u2019ve been able to keep up with my modest needs decently well, if I don\u2019t say so myself. Through the occasional upgrade, I figure I\u2019ve made the systems under my care last at least another generation worth of computers per what\u2019s typical in my house \u2013 maybe two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But over the past year, I\u2019ve come across the stray project or game\u2026 As it stands, working with AI art on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 is like trying to race go karts with pedal power. Some interesting applications may as well be a NASCAR event. A few applications I\u2019ve been wise enough not approach yet. I approached my father to ask him if a graphics card was right for me while I plan on saving up for a nicer desktop or if I should just go for a full workstation now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I came up with three tasks I want a new graphics card to do: AI art, VR, and gaming. My current card got me into AI art, but renders take minutes \u2013 too long to hold my interest long-term. I\u2019ve used Virtual Reality headset one time; while it was fun, I\u2019ll be after an open source driver (privacy concerns) probably on a tethered model, which my card likely isn\u2019t up to rendering satisfactorily. Finally, I have a recent game I wish to blog onto Linux for an upcoming post without exploring the depths of its \u201cpotato mode.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
AI art relies on something called CUDA, which I know very little about except it\u2019s tailored to NVIDIA cards, so I\u2019m shopping NVIDIA. A big question is if I want to patch myself over until my next big machine for $300, or do I want to blow around $1600 for a card I will take to the next system. My father pulled up a benchmark by Tom\u2019s Hardware showing that only the top of the market cards are gaming 4K at 60 fps. And while the bottom of the market may be an upgrade from where I am now, it didn\u2019t look as massive a leap forward as I took it to be at first glance the night before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But of course I\u2019ll get the best experience with a balanced system. PCI slots may be the same shape, but my motherboard has generation 3 PCI and we\u2019re on generation 6. I\u2019d need a whole new machine to take proper advantage. So, why not look for one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve been interested in getting a System76 machine with Linux preinstalled for a while now. It wasn\u2019t long before we were looking at the laptops, as that\u2019s another gap to fill in my present tech loadout. For Autism reasons, I need a heavy laptop. I find the weight comforting. These ultra-portables weighing less than a Frisbee won\u2019t do it for me. This leaves the top of the line \u201cDesktop Replacements.\u201d And would you know it, System76\u2019s top tier laptop is listed as having the kind of graphics card I was looking at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Growing up I had the following rule ground into me in regards to computers: don\u2019t buy junk. If you buy the computer hardware you will need X years down the road, you\u2019ll end up saving money once you count up the cost of a parade of budget computers bought along the way \u2013 as well as enjoying the turbo boosted performance along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What factors do you consider when shopping for computer hardware?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I look forward to hearing from you in the comments below or on my Socials<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Good Morning from my Robotics Lab! This is Shadow_8472 and today I am seriously thinking about a long-awaited computer upgrade. Let\u2019s get started! I\u2019ve had a lot of fun learning Linux and not only doubling (or more) the useful life of my workstations. With out the full bulk of Windows, they\u2019ve been able to keep … <\/p>\n