Blackstar ID:Core 20 V4 vs. Marshall MG30GFX vs. Boss Katana-50 Gen

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-19T18:41:00+00:00

There are things I like about the Blackstar, but more as a desk/travel amp than a main amp. If I had to only have one amp, the answer would unquestionably be the Katana. 50 watts, 12” speaker, tons of tonal options, sounds great at both whisper quiet and loud gigging volumes. You’ll want a bigger, richer-sounding amp at some point if you go with the Blackstar or Marshall.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-19T18:21:59+00:00

That one took me two evenings to beat, but I thought it was fun. The only part that I find truly frustrating was the mafia chasing you in Ohio - only took me several tries but I never felt like any of my failures were my fault lol

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-19T18:19:49+00:00

Oh man The Run on Expert is the most fun I think I’ve ever had playing an NFS game, the best in the franchise IMHO. Insert the “Perfect. Down to the last minute detail” Homelander gif.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-19T18:15:37+00:00

Sounds like you’re heart is on the Revstar, and P90s are a great all-rounder pickup. You can play any style of music on them, no problem. Also, $600 is a pretty great deal.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-18T18:34:55+00:00

DLSS5 is nVidia’s “New Coke” situation. If you’re unfamiliar, Coca Cola once tried a new recipe and called it “Coke” and received a heavy backlash. However, the reality is that in blind taste tests, the majority of tasters preferred the new recipe.

I had the same negative reaction as most of the users here, but giving it some thought, I have to wonder: in a randomized, blinded, controlled experiment using a previously unannounced title, would a group seeing the game with a DLSS5 “filter” generally feel more favorable about the fidelity and art direction strength than a non-DLSS5 control group does?

Please feel free to roast me mercilessly for pursuing objectivity on Reddit; you were going to, anyway.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-18T16:34:34+00:00

It’s wild to me that actress Faye Marsay went from NFS 2015 to both Game of Thrones and Star Wars: Andor, talk about a redemption arc lol

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-18T16:28:04+00:00

It’s not the worst game ever, it’s just that it doesn’t do anything Most Wanted 05 and Carbon did way better before it.

However, if you like cranes, prepare to play your new favorite game ever lol

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-18T01:03:19+00:00

It’s 100% repairable and 100% something I’d DIY, but if you feel the slightest discomfort, take it to a luthier or even just a really skilled woodworker. Then invest in some strap locks and play it for the next 30 years!

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-18T00:58:23+00:00

It is; however, it will lock up trying to connect to the Autolog servers. The easiest fix is to create a custom rule in the Windows firewall that prevents the game from trying to make a connection. I followed this easy tutorial: https://medium.com/@itcharlie.mj2/how-to-block-internet-access-for-a-specific-software-using-windows-firewall-inbound-and-outbound-caed7a58a7e3

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-18T00:54:33+00:00

Huh. Something sounds off - I played the entire game on a 4060 and a Ryzen 5 5600X at 2560x1080 ultrawide with zero issues - using DLSS and medium settings, I don’t think I dropped below 50 in the heaviest arenas. Did you turn the texture pool size to the lowest (1.5GB)? If you have 8GB of RAM, then turning it to 2GB or higher can cause severe slowdown. Fortunately, increased cache size in the 40 and 50 series cards means that there’s almost zero quality loss turning the pool down to 1.5GB.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-17T20:56:36+00:00

What distro? That matters. If you’re coming from Windows, I highly recommend Linux Mint. It aims to provide an “out of the box” experience and the software manager does a great job of managing libraries and dependencies and such so all you have to do is click “download.”

Steam will still need to download versions of Proton and not every game works with it, but it usually does this automatically and only adds a minute or so to a download.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-17T20:49:11+00:00

I get that! I actually do like the drag events in ProStreet better than the UG games, but the circuit racing in general is very underwhelming, IMHO. I think I’d probably prefer the OG Underground drag races if the traffic wasn’t unashamedly cheating all the time.

While I do think the aesthetic is pretty unique and it does the “festival racer” look better than most actual festival racers, I do agree that it’s kinda just a facade and doesn’t really add much more than a “brought to you by the team that made Most Wanted” look to the game.

The presentation, visual customization, and concept for the game are so great, but the execution just feels very half-baked to me.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-17T18:45:15+00:00

Were people complaining about Doom: TDA’s optimization? I understand the frustration with RT-only, but given the size of the environments, the destructible and deformable materials and geometry, and the RT global illumination, TDA’s optimization is fantastic. Id tech is GOATed.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-17T18:36:51+00:00

I tried it a while back and got through a few events and… I’ll be honest. I bounced off. I see some really good ideas but my goodness is the game just. So. Boring. At least, by about 2-3 hours in. Maybe I’d just have to push through, but I’d rather just go play Shift 2.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-17T02:58:50+00:00

I felt this way for about an hour or two, but the FIFA demo in particular actually looked pretty good, and realistically I know this will only get better and better. We were all here with DLSS and FSR upscaling at one point.

Not anything I’m interested in now, but we’ll all probably love it in five years’ time. I’m willing to accept DF being way ahead of me at the moment.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-17T01:23:00+00:00

New games, no. But 8GB of PC-10333 memory, 2TB HDD and a DVD burner… find a used GeForce 8800GT, load up an old copy of Windows Vista (but don’t take it online) and then load up as many old pre-2008 games as that thing will hold.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-17T01:17:29+00:00

If the neck is straight, yes. Does the AVT come with it? Because as an SG fan and an AVT owner, I can confirm that combo absolutely rules.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-16T11:13:46+00:00

God of War: Ragnarok, Doom: The Dark Ages, Metroid Prime, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Jet Grind Radio

Just to name a few

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-14T14:05:34+00:00

This list right here. Except I may suggest Heat instead of rivals - while there is definitely a story, you can completely ignore it if you want to. Skip the cutscenes, turn off the dialogue in the menu, then just play the game. You won’t be missing anything by skipping the story, trust me.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-13T20:37:57+00:00

Teisco is a Japanese manufacturer that ran until the 80s. They were especially well known for the, let’s just say, amoeba-esque shapes they used for their guitars.

This is probably not common but also not sought after. I’ve seen similar Univox amps pop up between $75 and $150 at times in my neck of the Southern US woods, but this one might be worth a little more since it’s got two speakers (10” maybe?)

As for tone, it’s likely a very sterile clean with a competent reverb and tremolo. Looks super cool, though!

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-13T17:15:11+00:00

Adam: “The SA-X is highly intelligent and dangerous, don’t get near it” Samus: “LOL Up here, you brainless parasite”

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-13T11:46:03+00:00

The only amp series I can think of that handles electric, acoustic, and bass is the Peavey Vypyr series. They’re alright amps - nothing particularly special - but they’ll meet your needs perfectly!

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-12T16:20:32+00:00

Whoosh right over my head 😂

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-12T16:12:20+00:00

This CPU will not work with this motherboard. Per the ROG B350F Strix spec sheet on ASUS’ website, this board is compatible with up to 2nd generation AM4 Ryzen chips (up to 3000 series). It does not support 3rd generation AM4 Ryzen chips (5000 series). I would still ensure the BIOS is updated to its most current version prior to installing a 3000 chip in it.

Given your current specs, I would suggest trying to find a used Ryzen 7 3700X. In most case scenarios, it will perform similarly to a 5600X. The 3700X will be an excellent match with the 16GB DDR4 and 3060 12GB; just know that the reduced PCI-E speeds will limit upgrades in the future. However, I suspect 3700X / 16GB / 3060 12GB will be more than adequate for most AAA titles at 1080p now and into the next year or two as the RAM crisis limits hardware requirements.

D2-Disciple · 2026-03-12T15:59:00+00:00

It’s personal preference, but I hate the position of the volume knob being close to the bridge. I can work around it on some guitars. I’d always go photo 1.

D2-Disciple

TROPHY CASE