Is 2018 The Year to Upgrade my Sandy Bridge?

so recently i've got the sudden infatuation with main computer tech that i've watched so many youtube videos by several tech pros and also read online from multiple sources on various CPU, MOBO, RAM & liquid cooling related stuff whenever i can. before moving on lets take a look at what i'm currently using and have been since 2011.. except for the casing, PSU and GPU upgrade later on.

don't mind the shady 500W PSU spilled some drinks accidentally on my Silver Certified Raider FSP 650W lol. so had to get a quick replacement sad stuff mate

oh and i also underclocked the GTX 960's clock speed and memory clock speed by 5% equally just for good measure. used the gigabyte OC guru 2 for underclocking the stock card and also because i don't really have the habit of pushing my rig till i hit a certain bottleneck whether be it CPU or GPU bound etc..

so basically i put this screenshot up for two things.. the ryzen 7 1700 and/or ryzen 5 1600 was such a pull for me to find some reason to upgrade my current rig on impulse. which i took great effort to resist lol. also because relatively speaking.. i don't reeaaaally need the extra cores and threads and cache etc. although i AM very enticed by all the cool RGB tech available now on motherboards, rams and liquid coolers etc 

second thing is just to show that i usually watch youtube at 1080p 60fps smooth as milk. i can tune it up to 1440p at 30fps if i want to but i haven't noticed any major differential between the two so it's not worth wasting my hardware's lifespan for like maybe 10% better quality on the pixels? but that's just me being a budget head haha

so this is currently the only game i play to destress and have fun. 101 is the max fps i can get in openGL mode in this counter-strike: condition zero game. but i wouldn't recommend running at this max fps if u're currently using the rig that i'm using. i mean i wouldn't wanna risk blowing up my almost 7 year-old CPU & MOBO eh? haha..

fps_max 77 is what i would set in console if i plan to play this game for about 2-3 hours. i would even lower it to 72 max if i plan to go at it for like 4-8 hours straight. obviously there's still room to listen to music/radio while playing this or even minimize to watch youtube when you're dead and waiting to spawn but i didn't include it in here cuz my brain was still at lunch u see lol..

oh and this game seems like it uses 2 cores mainly with the other 2 cores as backup prolly cuz it's a super old classic. i reckon the newer(well not really new tbh) counter-strike: global offensive uses up to four cores but obviously i'm not interested in learning new games right now cuz i've had enough back in the day and it's now more of a hassle than an entertainment to learn new games and get a kick out of it. but then again that's just me yea i'm not mainstream like that lol don't follow me! 

oh and at times i'll do video editing/content creation etc for my tiny little youtube channel and i feel that's the most taxing my computer gets as u can see from the "All CPU Meter" gadget at the top left area of this screenshot. this is just a sample of my latest penang pulse part 3 video. not only does my CPU die hit its max turbo speed on all four cores.. the small playback area of the editor isn't smooth and the line slider takes time to switch between cut up scenes etc. 

and if that isn't choppy enough.. it gets worse when i have to playback an area which has like two PIPs, text, music & some light effects etc that's the worst. plus if i don't playback a certain cut from the same position.. the sound goes off and doesn't match the proper scene anymore when i finish exporting the video into format for youtube. so it's loads of time used/wasted for longer playback or an alternative is to export the video in a lower quality just to see if it's fine etc.

rendering of video takes a while but that's fine cuz i can just go take a shower or grab a meal etc so how long it takes to complete exporting isn't a major turnoff for me.

so although it's not an everday thing.. content creation/video editing is still the most compelling reason for me to soft-look around for an upgrade on my sandy bridge i5-2400, gigabyte mobo and ddr3 ram. also maybe a new mid-tower case to replace my sharkoon t28 and another silver certified PSU for future proofing. i'm without question going to get RGB ram even tho it can only run at 2666mhz or 2933mhz it's totally fine for me. i jsut want that RGB cuz it makes my smile stay on longer on my face haha

so here are my options

1. save up for a ryzen 5 1600, r7 1700 or r5 2600 etc

more cores and threads but lower clock ceiling

can make use of the RGB stock cooler

2. save up for a coffee lake i5-8600k or i7-8700k etc

much better clock speed ceiling and quicker/snappier daily tasks

can get a CPU liquid cooler and finally say i own one lol

3. wait a little longer to see what's up by Q3 of 2018

can get my savings compounded for a more satisfying buffer in spending

Shadow of War - 2017 Game of the Year?

u start off with a little prelude

then u get taught the basic controls

or rather, reminded of them if u've played a ton of such games

game gets u up to speed with the storyline

then it's a remarkable amount of quests & missions

all while soaking in its breathtaking graphics

i'd say the game script is an unquestionable 5/5 sapphire stones

here are some screenshots of a really small part of the gameplay

special thanks to MKIceAndFire

Middle-earth: Shadow of War

it's worth buying imo

特工皇妃楚乔传 - Princess Agents is a Hit

recently went back to watching a couple tv dramas that are from China like Love O2O, Rush to the Dead Summer and many more but today, I'll be talking about this latest series called 特工皇妃楚乔传 - Princess Agents.

i feel like it's going to be one of those trending sensations like the Little Nyonya local channel 8 tv series many years ago. 

if you haven't seen this c-drama, you should. i'm currently at episode 48 where the state of Yanbei & Wei are going to break the treaty & enter into war. but it didn't take me more than 10 episodes to realize why they chose Zanilia Zhao (赵丽颖) as the main female lead. even tho I like Zheng Shuang, i think this Zanilia Zhao has her own distinctive qualities & this difference actually compliments one another like comparing competitive swimming with Rugby. both are different but equally amazing

don't let the first few episodes fool you.. it is not a male chauvinistic type of show but instead, the adversities she faced are necessary to accentuate the brilliance of this Xing'er aka Chu Qiao aka Zanilia. well at least that's what i feel since i didn't read the storybook etc. she's not just a head-turner but also multi-talented

i'm not so familiar with the entertainment scene in China but i like how this Shawn Dou is able to act as both a good guy & an antagonist. he can prolly take on the main lead in another show imo

i think fans of China tv dramas &/or movies should keep a lookout on this Deng Lun guy. he takes on the supporting role called Xiao Ce, a prince of the state of Liang.

this drama gets a 10/10 from me.

SYDNEY 2017 - PERSONA 5 GAME

so here's my latest vlog do check it out if you haven't already. seems like it gets better the longer you watch it especially past the short Pontoon Bar highlights.

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so i just finished watching ShirrakoTV's PERSONA 5 series and it was absolutely spectacular. the people who made this game are extremely impressive imo.

here are some screenshots of the final but i suggest you start from the beginning to savour the entirety of this immensely pleasurable story line haha

THOUGHTS ON FIRST VISIT TO TAIPEI

today is the final day of the first quarter of 2017

it seems like i've accomplished so much within these three months

like my mum & i visiting Taipei for the first time our my lives

of course, you can search up the four episodes of my TAIPEI STYLE vlogs on youtube

but this blog post allows for more detailed content whereas the vlogs can't

 

 

our first day was spent around Ximending area which was a great starting point to get our bearings around this new city and country. gotta thank my ex-colleague, Jason for his recommendation he's such an amazing friend imo.

since our holiday was mainly free & easy, we could go anywhere & anytime we wished without the pressure of having to wake up early or be contained to any time slot. so we visited multiple places as we pleased to try all their tasty food-din tai fung, beef noodles & night market finger food.

we also tried their bubble tea & other drinks made in Taiwan
i had a ton more btw =P a lot more lol
they were so satisfying

we also booked a one-day tour to bring us outside of the city to some of Taipei's favourite tourist attractions-yehliu, jiufen, shifen & pineapple-making class

it was a really productive day & valuable package imo
i love the scenic views of yeliu geopark. beautiful beaches and mountaintop experiences are my soft spots tbh

 

 

i love the hustle & bustle of jiufen. obviously as Singaporeans, we can easily shrug it off as a common occurrence so it was very easy to blend in & enjoy the overall atmosphere of the place while snacking on all their cool finger food

i love shifen for its rustic feeling & it was perfect timing that we visited on a busy day. it really lifts the exciting vibe to its peak imo. also, burning a lantern & watching it float up was super cool since i havent done it before i shit you not LOL.. but yea it was a pretty cool place

now making pineapple tarts wasn't something i was looking forward to but since it was part of the deal, which is very affordable & value-for-money imo, i went in with an open mind & i think it was pretty enjoyable. 

basically, Taipei, Taiwan was a very pleasurable place for a vacation, as concluded in the final minutes of episode four of my TAIPEI STYLE vlogs in youtube. yes it drizzled & rained like 80% of the time we were there, which the locals said it was rare as there was a drought season just before we arrived. but that didn't stop us from enjoying our vacation because we are humans. mindsets can be positively switched if we choose to let it instead of tunnel-visioning on the sunny, clear blue skies of Taipei which we see in videos & on TV etc.

maybe that's why we could enjoy so much haha

oh & talking about money. i'd say it is pretty affordable like the in-between of Thailand & Malaysia. putting aside the flight & accommodation expenses, i exchanged SGD $460 for a five-day-four-night trip & could not finish spending it despite being lavish with my consumption of meals & tidbits. I even had so much left I could buy a pair of original Nike shoes(Pegasus 33 if u'd like to know) & still had spare for a cab to the airport.

having been to Australia multiple times now(i'll prolly do a blog post about my latest trip some time soon), i observed that Taiwan is a lot more affordable for Singaporean tourists in terms of daily expenditure & accommodation. the difference tho, is that the quality of life & beauty of things is a tad lower in Taiwan than in Australia so you'll have to weigh your next holiday destination depending on what you prefer. the underlying fact tho, is that both countries will undoubtedly still bring rejuvenation to your mind & soul, they just do it in different ways.