Please help! Software or Hardware?

[redaces95]

Software or Hardware? I have notice that some people are using hardware and some are using software. Which is the better of the two? People are saying that hardware is the way to go for pvp but others say it's just a waste of money and kavoom and keyclone works just as good for a fraction of the cost. Please post what u have and give me some feedback! :cursing:

[algol]

Hardware costs more, possibly much more, but is the most responsive. Software is cheap, sometimes even free, and can do neat tricks that are tricky or impossible to set up using only hardware.

[Xtr]

depend of you need and how you will be able to spen on.

If you have a lot of money to trow out of window use hardware :P

if you are like me and dont have a lot of money use software :P



Ps: hardware dual boxer dont be offended by my exemple :P

[entoptic]

Hardware costs more, possibly much more, but is the most responsive. Software is cheap, sometimes even free, and can do neat tricks that are tricky or impossible to set up using only hardware.

This is completely false. It could easily be argued that building a powerful quad-core PC is MORE expensive than building a hardware setup, depending on how you do it. Read and learn:

Full Hardware Ghetto Five-Boxing - A how-to guide. ('http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=7169')

Something else to read on the subject:

Power Consumption? ('http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums/index.php?page=Thread&threadID=8238')

Gotta disagree with you fur. My setup without the monitor cost me maybe 1,000 and in the long run I am being way more green and not spending as much for power. Overtime you will spend more on hardware since you need to power it, upgrade it, tech it (remember time = money), and the cost alone for electrical is amazing (24 cents a day to keep a 100watt bulb on 24 hours. say 500watt powersupply per system X a year = a good amount of money). I say go for the software side. I did it and it was easy to setup and easy to maintain. No issue at all.

[algol]

This is completely false. It could easily be argued that building a powerful quad-core PC is MORE expensive than building a hardware setup, depending on how you do it.

Only if you throw way too much money at it. But you could make the same mistake with any number of computers, so I'm assuming a competent builder. A Q6600-based system is so close to the efficiency threshold that it's at least difficult to split to multiple physical systems and experience a gain, more so if you consider total power draw and maintenance (but yes, turn it off when you're not playing!). Additional copies of Windows alone...

Now, figure out a way to get it to run effectively on an MSI Wind's GMA 950, and we can begin to compare the alternatives. Also, the layout for a beginning boxer is $20 for Keyclone, $0 for HKN...plus maybe a few upgrades depending on the number of clients they want to run, which may very well be drop-ins. Somehow I think it will be less prohibitive to many people than buying several more computers and a bunch of Vetra hardware.

Also, your response is potentially confusing. You quoted my entire post and said it is completely false, but argue only over cost. Do you think the rest is correct, or did you not think that discussing the benefits of each would be helpful to the OP?

[entoptic]

(24 cents a day to keep a 100watt bulb on 24 hours. say 500watt powersupply per system X a year = a good amount of money)

TURN THE SHIT OFF WHEN YOU AREN'T USING IT. Caps because so many people /fail to realize this.

Or as a second option, S3 suspend them. Near-instant on and ready to use, while consuming less than 2% of the normal idle power usage. (my main PC, idle = 130 watts, S3 = 2 watts). I have three of my boxes configured this way so far - I press spacebar and they are all ready to use in approx. 5 seconds. (I'm still tinkering with the other two). Yes, they'll use more energy when you're playing... but do you play 24/7? Doubtful.

Upgrades? read my hardware thread - you can get sooooooo much for free/near free if you just look around a little.

Time=Money? This doesn't factor in when you're tinkering with your own toys. You never had the money. You never spent the money. You never lost the money. If your time is so valuable, you shouldn't be playing WoW. ;)

I never said it was 24 hours a day. I was using that so you could see the cost it could be. It still costs you more money to run your rig than mine in the long run.

Time = Money regardless of what you do in life. It's a simple fact. Just because it's a toy does not mean it costs time and money to setup.

In my eyes an upgrade is something new out of the box that is cutting edge. Still costs (money X computers) regardless of how cheap it is.

I am interesting in this S3 stuff. Do you have a link to what you used to set it up?

[Ualaa]

If you already have a computer, software will be cheaper to get you into boxing then a hardware option.
Keyclone is $20 which isn't that much, and its a very nice program; there are other options but I highly recommend Keyclone if you're going the software route.

Most of the better pvp players have gone hardware, but both hardware and software are options for all aspects of play.
If you're not sure if you'd like boxing or not, I'd start off with software unless you have multiple (2+) computers available already.

[Herc130]

I box 5 on one laptop when I am traveling, but at home I have 6, sometimes 7 computers running and hardware box EQ. I have 4 X-keys for my support accounts, along with 1 keyboard on a KVM. Each computer has it's own mouse though. My cleric also has an Nn52 as well as an X-key pro. My tank has just an n52 and keyboard/mouse. My main computer has a G15 and I now play 2 accounts on the main computer using WinEQ2 to switch back and forth. I cannot see playing the way I play using software, but it might not apply to how you play WoW, as I have no idea and have only tried WoW durring the beta for 2 weeks.

For EQ, I set-up camp. My warrior stays in camp and I press two n52 keys that are set to auto-repeat my warriors taunt and kick button over and over and leave that on. I run out with my rogue (soon will use my bard for pulling) and grab a mob or two and bring it back, running straight at my warrior. I switch over to controling my rogues running with just my right hand on the mouse (pressing both mouse buttons will make you run) and with my left hand, tap one of my warriors n52 key which makes him assist my rogue and start shooting arrows at the mob, then I hit my shamans malo button (malo lowers mobs resistance) on his X-key pro. Once the mob is nearly in camp, I hit another n52 button for my warrior which will make him do an incite line of abilities (hard tuanting the mob and using a little endurance, so can't auto-repeat that forever like regular taunt), depending on how hard the mob hits, I either start healing with cleric by his X-key pro buttons (or if the mob hits really really hard, I use the clerics n52 keys to have him just spam heal on his own and then I spot heal with druid/shaman) or I tap my shamans slow key...which slows the mobs attack rating. Then I tap my druids key to snare (lowers the mobs run speed to nearly zero), tap my magicians key to send in his pets and then move my rogue into position to backstab the mob. Tap my rogues G1 key that makes him aut-repeat backstab till I tap the key again. At this point, I just go though tapping my shaman, druid and mage's nuke keys and every now and then my celrics heal key on their individual X-Keys as well as throwing in an evade for my rogue so he doesn't pull agro off my warrior. All this might sound like a lot of effort and mybe even complicated, but in action it is very simple and takes seconds to do. I cannot see doing this via software. I cannot use 4 X-keys, 2 n52s and 1 G15 on a single computer, so I would lose the controlability I currently have going software. I cannot keyclone for EQ, as have multiple accounts all of very different classes working off the same keypress just will not work.....but that's EQ. Maybe WoW is different and you are as much in control going either route.

For hardware, I will be putting together my 6 itx builds soone. Each should be consuming under 100w per build.

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/589/img0885yw0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/1605/img0896tl5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/2392/img0902hw0.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/3078/img0904vs3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[entoptic]

I am interesting in this S3 stuff. Do you have a link to what you used to set it up?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Configuration_and_Power_Interface

Your computer most likey already has it, you just need to enable / configure it. ;)

Fur FTW!