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bitcoinminershasrate · 3 years

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RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT review 2021: Specs | Hashrate | Overclocking Setting

Radeon RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT review 2021: Specs | Hashrate | Overclocking Settings| Comparison - What will be the mining on AMD Radeon RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT Most recently, we talked about the new "mining queen" from Nvidia, a video card GeForce RTX 3080... Doctor Lisa Su and the company decided to keep up with competitors and at the end of October an event took place, which was eagerly awaited in the camp of "red" miners. AMD made a presentation of the RDNA 2 line of graphics adapters: Radeon RX 6800, RX 6800 XT. Innovative team solution AdvancedMicroDevices was appreciated by computer technology enthusiasts. The red cards of the latest series in games showed higher performance than the RTX 30 based on the Ampere architecture and at the same time they will be sold at a lower price. For a long seven years, flagship green graphics cards dominated the market, but now AMD has managed to get ahead. Optimists believed that there was no need to rush to build mining farms based on the RTX 3080 or RX 5700 XT. It is quite possible that the cards of the new line will become a more profitable option. However, the miracle did not happen, the indicators of the real hash rate of Radeon RX 6800 / RX 6800 XT video cards in mining did not by much exceed the preliminary calculations of specialists based on the technical parameters of these GPU devices. By and large, the new version of Navi is an alternative to the 5700 or RTX 3070... But let's talk about everything in order and start with the appearance, new, already on sale AMD video cards. Packaging and appearance of AMD Radeon RX 6800 There have been no dramatic changes in the packaging design and appearance of the next generation AMD graphics adapters. The AMD Radeon ™ RX 6800 graphics card is a triple-cooler GPU device with a length of almost 30 cm, occupying 2 slots (while the 6800 XT is 2.5 in total). I must say that parallel to the increase in power, the sizes of video cards are also growing. Compared to the diminutive graphics cards of the early 2000s, today's gaming GPUs look like mastodons that won't fit into a standard case soon. However, for miners this is absolutely unimportant, the main thing is that the cooling system is as efficient as possible and always cope with the loads. But let's see what this miracle of technology can do. AMD Radeon RX 6800 specifications AMD Radeon RX 6800 specifications Comparison table for RX 6800 with its predecessors and competitors. OptionsGPUs AMDNVIDIARX 6800 XTRX 6800RX 5700 XTRTX 3080GTX 2080Process technology, nm777812Video chipNavi21XTNavi21XLNavi 10GA102TU104Crystal area536536251628545Number of transistors, billion26,826,810,328,313,6Number of shrader units46083840256087042944ROP quantity6464649664Computing power FP32, TFLOPS20,7416,179,7529,7710,07Core base frequency, MHz14871372160515151440Overclocked core frequency, MHz22502105190517101710Video memory frequency, MHz20002000175011881750Video memory, GB16168108Video memory typeGDDR6GDDR6GDDR6GDDR6XGDDR6Bus bandwidth, bit256256256320256Power consumption, watt300250225320215 Testing at the stand, hash rate on different algorithms. On the thematic forums, they asked many questions like: "Is it really possible to get 150 Mh / s on the 6000 series from AMD on Ethash?" Judging by the "naked" teraflops, the computing power of the green flagship is much higher, while the RTX 3080 produces a maximum of 103 Mh / s. And so it happened. In theory, the RX 6800 could not overclock to 100 megahash, even taking into account the higher core and memory frequencies. If in mining everything depended on the ability of the graphics adapter to work stably at high frequencies, then the more stable overclocking cards with Samsung memory would be worth their weight in gold for miners. Yes, hashrate depends on memory and kernel overclocking parameters, but not to such an extent. Of course, you need to take into account that the new architecture significantly improves performance, and after all, mining, after all, is a banal search of cryptographic codes in search of a suitable option. But you can't argue with the facts, when the new cards were put on the mining of cryptocurrency, they showed what they really could show and nothing more. The forecast based on technical characteristics disappointed those who really hoped for 150 Mh / s, and bench tests confirmed it. Real hashrate table for RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT. Mining algorithmHashrate RX 5700 XTRX 6800RX 6800 XTEthash, Mh/s556064KawPow, Mh/s212834Cuckatoo31, H/s1,52,42,5Octopus, Mh/s28,64044,7Cuckaroo29b, H/s3,978,8 The data was taken from the thematic forum Miningclubinfo, as well as from the mining profitability calculators Minersat and WhatToMine... It turns out that on Ether they hardly surpassed their predecessors. However, it should be borne in mind that 5700 XT cards have already learned how to reflash, but no one has tried to modify the BIOS RX 6800 yet. Perhaps, over time, folk craftsmen will get to them. Theoretically, with the right timing, these video cards can be overclocked on Ethash up to 70, or even before 75 megahash, but no more. That is, from their competitors RTX 3080, the red video adapters of this series are still lagging behind. Nothing more serious than Radeon VII, the company under the leadership of Dr. Lisa Su never released Overclocking AMD Radeon RX 6800 Overclocking-AMD-Radeon-RX-6800. What can be said about the overclocking of new video cards. You need to set almost the same parameters as on the old 570/580, memory for 2100/2150 and core 1200/1250. These graphics adapters work stably on crypto mining in Windows, but with HiveOS according to the miners' reviews, there are still problems. Devices are detected and started, but failures frequently occur. So, if you buy this model, forget about Hive and bet ten. But with the Nicehash miner, AMD cards of the 60th line are quite compatible. How to reduce the power consumption of video cards The easiest way to reduce card consumption is to lower the Powerlimit. And you can also carry out undervolting, that is, lower the voltage of the graphics core by modifying the BIOS or setting the necessary parameters using specialized software. How to reduce the power consumption of video cards The first tests showed that a high Power limit gives nothing but an increase in power consumption. The power limit does not need to be raised much, the maximum +20 is not higher. Reduce voltage using the –cdvc –mcdvc options in the latest version Phoneixminer does not exceed. We need to wait for the developers to release a new release. Now the card consumes about 250 watts. Profitability, purchase relevance At the time of this review, the most profitable algorithm is Ethash. More precisely, the coin is a big Ether, since all other tokens of this algorithm, including Ether classic, are in the second ten of the rating of profitable crypto coins. How to reduce the power consumption of video cards At a speed of 64 megahash video card RX 6800 XT will earn 0.0023 ETH per day, which as of April 24, 2021 is equal to 420 Russian rubles. From this amount, you still need to deduct electricity costs, according to your local tariff. Let's say the net income is 370 rubles per day or 11,100 per month. At a price of 115,000 rubles, the card will pay off in 11/12 months. The term is quite acceptable, however, it can radically change both in one and the other direction. What conclusion can be drawn. While the market is in an upward trend, the RX 6800, despite the rather high cost, is very profitable. In purely technical terms, progress is evident, but nothing surprising, AMD could not offer it. Analogs from competitors and cards of previous series for miners are no worse. However, the potential of the new Navi GPU devices has not yet been fully revealed. Radeon RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT review Radeon RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT revieW Radeon RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT review - What's The Changes in 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fs0yByc8EA The end of 2020 is the scene of two titanic fights on the video game scene. On the console side, we have Microsoft's Xbox Series X taking on Sony's PS5. On the PC side, the new graphics cards are the center of attention. On the one hand, we have Nvidia, the market leader, which has released its new line of GeForce RTX 30XX cards : the RTX 3070, 3080 and 3090 . On the other, we have AMD. Eternal second, the Californian manufacturer has decided to strike hard this year with its RX 6000 range, which accompanies the release of its new Ryzen 5000. Three Radeon cards were presented: the RX 6800, the RX 6800 XT and the RX 6900 . These are the first two that we are testing today. With its cards, AMD seeks to catch up with its direct competitor by notably introducing ray-tracing (DXR ) with its RDNA 2 architecture. This technology was popularized in the world of video games two years ago via the series RTX 20X from Nvidia, but was not yet available from AMD. The manufacturer also wants to offer new things, such as Smart Access Memory (SAM). This technology makes it possible to increase the performance of the card if it is coupled with a Ryzen 5000 processor, by improving the exchanges between the CPU and the GPU going directly through the PCie 4.0 interface. Consumption promises to be reduced compared to competing cards, which are very energy-intensive. AMD's main argument compared to the competition is also the price of its products. The RX 6800 XT is cheaper by 50 euros compared to the RTX 3080 for the same power. At least in theory. But is the economy worth it? This is what we will see. Note that our test was carried out in partnership with Igor's Lab. The benchmarks as well as the various measures are therefore common. We are testing AMD's models here and custom versions from third-party manufacturers will also hit the market. Logically, they should bring more power, while remaining in the same range.https://dc5c3500fab89362ccb930a73b645cbc.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html PRICING AND AVAILABILITY Both graphics cards are available from November 18. The RX 6800, which is theoretically placed a little above the RTX 3070 (519 euros), is sold for 589 euros. The RX 6800 XT, the improved version of the card, wants to compete with the RTX 3080 (719 euros) in terms of power. Its price is extremely interesting, since it is sold for 659 euros . Both cards are sold on partner sites. It should be noted that AMD could take advantage of the glitches of its direct competitor. Nvidia is indeed experiencing breaks in its new products until 2021, and the purchase of a Radeon card, which could be more easily available, could be considered. All this on the condition that AMD does not experience the same concerns, of course. TECHNICAL SHEET AMD promises cards as powerful as the competition, in particular thanks to its new RDNA 2 architecture with a chip engraved in 7 nm. This architecture allows more power, of course, but also the management of ray-tracing, a first for the manufacturer. Note that it is used on new consoles, whether it is the Xbox Series X or the PS5, which bring this innovation to their segment. Radeon RX 6800Radeon RX 6800 XTCompute Units6072Base frequency1815 MHz2015 MHzBoost frequency2105 MHz2250 MHzCache "Infinity"128 Mo128 MoGDDR6 memory16 Go16 GoWattage (W)250300Release dateNovember 18, 2020November 18, 2020Price579 €649 € The two cards are similar in design and only certain characteristics change. Both are, for example, equipped with 128 MB of “Infinity” cache and 16 GB of GDDR 6 memory. On the power side, the RX 6800 is equipped with 60 calculation units, a base frequency of 1815 MHz as well as a boost frequency up to 2105 Mhz. Its power is 250 Watts. The RX 6800 XT is logically a little more efficient, since we have here 72 calculation units with a base frequency of 2015 MHz as well as a boost frequency of 2250 MHz. Note that its power is here indicated at 300 watts, which is logical. Solid characteristics that allow, at least on paper, to play serenely in 4K by reaching 60 frames per second. Likewise, we can hope for a smooth game with ray-tracing activated in 1080p. This is what we will determine in this test. MAJOR NOVELTIES TO SEDUCE AMD offers several interesting things to push the user to buy in their dairy rather than another. This generation marks the arrival of DirectX RayTracing, management of light and reflections in real time. This resource, very greedy, is still marginal in the world of video games. It arrived only two years ago on the RTX 20XX generation of Nvidia cards and made its debut on consoles with the Series X and the PS5 . This technology makes it possible to display reflections in real time, and not pre-calculated as was done before. In a title like Control, this drastically changes the artistic direction, and even the playing experience. The reflections “live” by themselves and on a puddle, a window or a marble floor, you will see the surrounding decor. 'reflects it. We mentioned Control, but other titles like Battlefield V, Metro Exodus or even Shadow of the Tomb Raider are benefiting from it on PC. Note that some already existing games offer compatibility, this is the case of the august MMORPG World of Warcraft or Minecraft. Control with ray-tracing enabled AMD offers Variable Rate Shading technology with its cards. To quickly explain this innovation, it is a dynamic management of the quality of the shadows on the screen. The map thus “cuts out” the image in real time and improves this precise point on the areas of interest. For example, it is often the shadows close to the player's avatar and in the center of the image that are enhanced, to the detriment of those located far away and in the periphery of the field of view. This technology, already used by Nvidia, is far from being a gadget, since it saves resources. The game must support it, however. Finally, AMD introduces SAM, Smart Acess Memory. This is a technology that we only find on AMD cards. If you have a Ryzen 5000 processor from the same manufacturer , the CPU communicates directly with the GPU in order to skip the 256 MB limit to access all of the memory. The aim is thus to improve performance. On paper, AMD promises up to 10% more power in play with this technique. Note that Nvidia has indicated that it is working on a similar solution in the future with Intel processors. https://dc5c3500fab89362ccb930a73b645cbc.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html A RAW DESIGN OF FORMWORK The Radeon RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT cards are completely identical in design, since only their performance changes. AMD has long teased the look of its products, even going so far as to partner with Epic Games to include a giant 3D model of its RX 6800 in the Fortnite game . The players then had plenty of time to walk on the object and discover its small visual details.https://www.youtube.com/embed/PGyqXEsPrgM?feature=oembed On its RTX 30XX Founder's Edition, Nvidia had surprised with a neat design, pleasing to the eye. AMD takes the opposite view from its competitor by delivering a card with a design that is more practical than aesthetic, taking the main lines of the Radeon VII. After all, we are talking about an object that will sit inside a tower that has every chance of being closed. In addition, not all PCs have a plexiglass plate to admire the interior. The RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT feature a design that doesn't mark. Of course, we notice the three enormous fans hollowed out in an aluminum plate which allow an optimal release of heat from below. However, the hot air is released exclusively in the tower, since the back of the card does not have vents. The three fans ensure that the GPU temperature is around 80 degrees while rotating at more than 1,600 revolutions per minute. It is necessary to note an optimal silence. We did not notice any alarming noise, since the fans give off an average of 38 decibels with rare peaks at 48 decibels in play. This means that you will not hear your card hiss most of the time, and rare moments of noise will remain acceptable if your tower is completely closed. The RX adopt dimensions of 267 x 120 mm, which is quite classic for a graphics card, even if their design gives them a little "massive" side. We find the 8 pin connector for the power supply placed on the side, at the back of the card. An intelligent placement, more than on the RTX 3080 which placed it right in the middle. Obsessed with the cable managment can blow. The cards obviously take two slots on your tower and at the back, we find a complete connection. Thus, the RX 6800 and 6800 XT have an HDMI 2.1 port, two DisplayPort 1.4 ports as well as a USB Type-C port. Ultimately, the Radeon RX 6800 and Radeon 6800 XT weren't designed to look good, as these three huge fans on the front show, but to be efficient. An understandable and proven choice. Now all that remains is to know if our cards keep all their promises. PERFORMANCE THAT BRINGS GREAT PLAYING COMFORT The RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT are a huge evolution over previous AMD models. The RDNA 2 architecture now makes it possible to activate ray-tracing, as we have said, but also to play in 4K serenely. At least, it's AMD's promise that delivered promising first benchmarks. This is what we are going to check on our games panel. Before starting, we must specify our test configuration. The benchmarks below were carried out with an AMD Ryzen 9 5900 X processor (therefore with the possibility of activating the SAM), supported by 32 GB of RAM (16 x 2) as well as the games installed on an NVMe SSD. Overall, we notice that the results are very fluctuating depending on the game. On some titles, we have better performance than on competing cards, while on others, we are below. Gaming with Full HD definition and DXR (ray-tracing) enabled does not always achieve 60 frames per second with the RX 6800, it is the case with Control, for example, but we really are. not far away. Finally, it should be noted that the SAM brings a real boost to game performance, increasing the number of frames per second by 10% in some cases. A real asset. We are obviously above previous cards from AMD, such as the RX 5700 XT or the Radeon VII. Full HD games with ray-tracing Control is one of the most interesting games in our panel. It is indeed a title designed for ray-tracing and optimized for. In Full HD with DXR activated, we exceed 60 frames per second with the RX 6800 XT. Nevertheless, we remain at or below the RTX 3070 under the same conditions. The RX 6800 offers a rendering of less than 60 FPS on average, but this is still very appreciable. There is a significant performance gain with the SAM activated. Benchmarks carried out with the help of Igor'sLAB. Regarding Metro Exodus, in Full HD with DXR activated, the results are very different. With SAM enabled, the RX 6800 XT outperformed the RTX 3070 FE on our test sequence. Similarly, the latter is neck and neck with the RX 6800. Here again, it is the SAM that makes the difference, but in all cases, the game in 60 FPS is assured. Benchmarks carried out with the help of Igor'sLAB. Finally, on Watch Dogs Legion, our latest ray-tracing compatible game, the RX 6800 XT leaves the RTX 3070 FE on the floor, SAM or not. However, we still remain below Nvidia's flagship card, namely the RTX 3080. The RX 6800 revolves around 56 FPS, which provides appreciable comfort in the middle of the game. Benchmarks carried out with the help of Igor'sLAB. Games in 1440p If you have a QHD screen, that is to say with a definition in 1440p, the RX 6800 and RX 6800 XT can be a good compromise. On Control, with DXR disabled, all AMD cards are above the RTX 3070, SAM enabled or not. Without ray-tracing, AMD's products deliver much better performance, which can be appreciated in-game. Benchmarks carried out with the help of Igor'sLAB. Read the full article

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multiplegamestyles-blog · 6 years

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Top 10 Xbox 360 Games (IMO)

So Microsoft gave up on the Xbox 360 consoles a little while ago, but they’ll always have a place in my heart. I’ve spent hours upon hours playing games with it, and it was a big part of my childhood. So, today I’ve chosen my Top 10 favorite Xbox 360 games. Be aware that I’ve played all of them till the end, and that this is my opinion.

This post will be covered with spoilers that may take away some of the fun parts of playing a brand new game. Without further ado, let’s begin.

10 - Terraria

Terraria is a great game, everyone knows that. You can explore infinite worlds that are never the same, you can fight 12+ bosses, and it even has an event that you can trigger that is actually a crossover with another one of my favorite games: Dungeon Defenders 2.

I recommend you to check it out.

9 - Project Gotham Racing 3

That’s a really cool one. PGR 3 is a racing game, where you can compete online if you have an Xbox Live Gold account, or you can play in campaign mode, where you race some of the hardest bots I’ve found out there, I must say.

If you don’t fancy a solo game you can play in local CO-OP, and design your own races. That’s really cool, right?

You can buy tons of different cars, and even have them displayed in some fancy garages! It’s definitely worth a try.

8 - Dragon Ball Z - Battle Of Z

I really like Dragon Ball, and the only reason I’ve not included Dragon Ball Xenoverse is that I don’t own it, and I haven’t actually played it. So I can’t give an opinion.

But that doesn’t mean that I don’t own any Dragon Ball games! DBZ - BOZ tells the whole DBZ story, back from Sayans Saga up to Battle Of Gods. You can even play as Vegetto if you buy him!

As the game progresses you’ll start to get some cards that can be equipped to increase a hero’s power.

When you get to a certain point of the game (after defeating Beerus, I guess) you’ll be able to use any hero at any stage, to the point of fighting Nappa with Goku SSJG. Mindblowing.

7 - Dungeon Defenders

If you like a good strategy game, that’s definitely a must play. Dungeon Defenders is an Action, Strategy, Tower Defence game where you can play as one of the multiple characters of different classes with different powers.

You can play as an Apprentice, which is kinda like a mage of some sort, you can play as a Monk, a Squire, a Hunter and others too.

On Dungeon Defenders you must defend Eternia Crystals, which are (warning - oversimplified content) magical crystals that monsters wanna destroy. Basically.

As you kill monsters, they drop weapons and equipment that you can use to make your character insanely stronger. The weapons vary for each class. If you’re playing with the apprentice you’ll get wands, staffs, and rods. Squire, swords, and so on and so forth.

It also has an online multiplayer option and supports local CO-OP up to four players too.

6 - Perfect Dark Zero

This is a game that I wasn’t able to finish (lack of time, and, you know, X360′s problems). But it’s a rather wonderful and rainbow-ish game. Or no. You play as a secret agent that has to take down, well, I can say, super-criminals that have amazingly a lot of high tech stuff.

Again, if you don’t fancy a solo game you can also play Deathmatch mode, which even has bots for the case that you don’t have a friend available.

Now, it’s an FPS game. And I’m not that into FPS games. That’s the only reason that this is as below as it is in the list. But it is an amazing game. Rare (or Rareware) makes amazing games and I like most of their work. Most of it. (I’m referring to Kinect Sports here).

5 - Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

God, I love this game. I’ve beaten it many times, and I still find the time to do so. Who doesn’t like at least one Lego game? On Lego... I’m just gonna abbreviate it, it’s a rather long name, you know. On LSW: TCS you play through the whole story of Star Wars characters, from the 1st to the 6th movie.

You can also play the game as Indiana Jones, for that matter. I’ve played this game a lot as a kid, and I play it till today.

4 - Viva Piñata

You can kill me because I’d rather play this one than play Tomb Raider Legends, which I also own, but it’s just that Tomb Raider isn’t my kind of game, you know.

On Viva Piñata you must grow a garden in a given area that increases as you progress the game, with the objective of becoming the best gardener in the land. Right on the beginning, you’ll know Leafos, the girl that’ll help you know the game’s controls and tell you the objectives.

The game has a whole city, you can say. It has a pinãta hunter, a doc and even a shaman.

You have side objectives too, such as finding the great Dragonache, the rarest piñata in the game. You can only have one of them per garden.

This is another game made by Rare. There are a few more in this list.

3 - Minecraft

C’mon, Minecraft! I know this game since... Since I can remember! And don’t tell me it’s a kid’s game! I know that’s the focus, but it’s still fun. Minecraft is a game that you can play with friends, online or offline, or alone if you’re fancy doing so.

Do I need to say anything else about Minecraft or does everyone know about it?

2 - Banjo Kazooie - Nuts and Bolts

I know, the Banjo-Kazooie community doesn’t like this game as a Banjo-Kazooie game, because Rare transformed what used to be a platformer game in a racing game. But I do like this game, and it was through it that I’ve known the Banjo-Kazooie franchise. And, while I like every single game, this one holds a special place in my heart.

Plus, I don’t know any other game that lets you build your car from scratch with the freedom that Banjo-Kazooie - Nuts and Bolts offers.

1 - Kameo - Elements of Power

The number one in this list. This is literally the first game I ever played in an Xbox 360. In any console, for that matter. It’s a 360′s exclusive game, but you can play it on Rare’s game compilation released to the Xbox One console, Rare Replay.

You control Kameo, an elf that can transform into twelve different Elemental Warriors, where each one has unique skills. She can transform into a boxer plant (Pummel Weed), a dragon that creates fire tornadoes or even a yeti!

The objective is to end the war between elves and trolls and to defeat the strongest monsters, such as the Shadow Trolls, creatures that have imprisoned the Elemental Warriors, or Thorn, the king of all trolls.

Its graphics were amazing at its time, and it was one of the first Xbox 360′s games.

That’s my favorite game by far, and in my opinion the best game Rare ever made. Unfortunately, they’ve canceled its sequel because Microsoft wanted them to make Kinect Sports. The world is funny, isn’t it?

A Few Honorable Mentions (IMO as well)

Tomb Raider Legends

Castle Crashers

Battleblock Theater

Kinectimals

Burnout: Revenge

Banjo-Kazooie (Remake)

Banjo-Tooie (Remake)

Rare Replay

GTA V

Dragon Ball Xenoverse (1 and 2)

But Igor, why didn’t you put as number one the Rare Replay game if you like Rare so much?!

Well, that’s simple. That’s because Rare Replay is not a game. It is a game collection, a compilation.

What about GTA V then?

Eh...

You know, the best part is that now you can use almost any Xbox 360 game in an Xbox One. That’s amazing. If you don’t agree at some point or believe that I forgot something, please, let me know your opinion in the comments below!

Also, if you’ve got some time, check my game; it’s really cool. Its name is Land Of Enchantments. Visit my Twitter too, @igorvasiak_mgs!

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rudimentaryrecollections · 7 years

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Prague 23 - 25 August 2017

When I get to Prague, I have a coffee at the train station as I mooch internet to check where Rianne wants to meet. I have not had data or credit since I was in Belgium. The first woman who I order coffee from at the coffee shop is rude when I talk to her in English. The other woman who bring me my drink seems nice. So I check on Google translate how to ask for the bill in Czech. "Prosím, mohu mít účet?“ The woman beams at me with my efforts to use the local language, and brings me the bill.

'Prosim' is a very useful word in Czech, it can mean please, here you are, you're welcome, what did you say and I'll have.

I catch a train and a tram to meet Rianne at her local tram stop. We go to her apartment and catch up a little, then she goes to have a nap. Her apartment is spacious. It is a two bedroom apartment which she owns and lives in alone. She let's couchsurfers stay with her sometimes or otherwise rents it while she is on holidays. I make myself at home. I read a book on the balcony and then fall asleep.

I wake up and then so does Rianne, so we catch the tram towards the city centre.

A puppy licks my legs on the tram. It is very cute, and I talk to it's owner, a jolly middle aged woman. We get off the tram. Rianne buys some cans of beer and I buy a burrito. Then we walk.

My first impression of Prague is that there are graffitti tags everywhere. It gives the town a gritty, grungy feel, which I quite like. I feel more comfortable in that atmosphere than fancy, upmarket, shopping mall vibe areas.

We come to the Vlatny River, and Rianne points landmarks out to me, explains things about the city and makes suggestions on what I should do while I'm in town.

We hire a paddle boat further down the Vlatny river, and drink beers we bought from a shop as we drift around. The weather has been perfect today, even a little hot in the sun. It is beautiful just to gaze at the old buildings, lit gold by the falling sun and chat shit. There are many people with the same idea, floating around drinking beers and some even smoking weed. We can see the Charles Bridge, which leads to the old town from the water. It is covered with people – mostly tourists, so much so that I don't know how any of them are moving.

After an hour we catch a tram to meet some of Rianne's friends. On the tram she points out a woman breastfeeding what must be a five year old girl and we cannot help but laugh about it. As we leave the girl starts throwing a tantrum and Rianne laughs -"It is because she get's told she cannot have any more."

At the stop are Ales and Dane. We go for a Pilsener Urquell at a pub. It is served with perfect head. I get along instantly with Rianne's friends. Ales is a videographer. Dane is a graphic designer and is also in a hardcore band. After two beers we got to another bar where Igor and David's friend is celebrating his thirtieeth. We drink a few more rounds of beers and the drink some rum from a glass flask we bought in the shops earlier – which I am told is perfectly fine to do in bars here (if you're a local at least). The rum tastes different to most rums I've had before, and I'm informed they make it differently in Czech – with potatoes.

After the rum my memory becomes hazy – especially of conversations. But I have fun at the bar and eventually we leave. Rianne and I say farewell to the others before catching the tram home.

In the morning I rehydrate and sleep. I shower and dry on the balcony, trimming a dried up oregano plant. Rianne has to finish some work today. She is a graphic designer, and needs to finish some jobs before going to a music festival on Friday.

So I go out for a walk. I make my way to the Vlatny which is nearby, and follow it south to Llatna park. There is a giant metronome up here, in a big skatepark. The metronome is on the site of what was the largest Stalin monument, originally finished in 1955 in what was then Czechoslavakia. The Czech's tore it down in 1962 when de-Stalinisation begun.

I have some beer to soothe my feelings and hangover, and I sleep for sometime in the grass. I wander around the park for some more time before descending into the city, towards the Vlatny which I can follow back home. I buy a beer at a pub on the way back. It is 50CKR (2.90 AUD). Beer is cheaper than bottled water here.

One thing I like about Europe is that pubs and bars can survive off selling food and beer, whereas most of the pubs and bars in Australia need pokies to survive.

I walk under a bridge and there is a homeless camp on the river bank, near the path. As I walk along, non-homeless people are drinking beers on the bank of the river after work, which is a vibe I like. I come across a wooden skate and BMX park under a bridge, with a bar at one end. Then there is a rundown tennis arena which is still in use. I like the feel of dilipdation some of the public areas have outside of the tourist part of town.

A man walked along the path wearing a t-shirt with a big peace sign on it and some writing. "All I want is peace in the middle-east." I though it was a nice message on his shirt. As he got closer I realised there was more. "And a blowjob." I actually laughed out loud. It was a vulgar punchline, the contrast of the hippy peaceful message I originally had with the hedonistic, debaucherous end line had me in hysterics for half a minute.

Eventually I get back to the pad. Rianne is out running errands in the evening, preparing for her trip. I cook some dahl and drink some beers I bought from the shop. The couchsurfer occupying Rianne's spare room get's home and I offer her a beer. She is from Hungary, but lives and works in London. She is in Prague for a few weeks for a puppeteering course. I share my food with her and we do two shots of some Hungarian moonshine, a 60% spirit that I am yet to acquire the taste for (Yes, I needed a chaser for this).

Rianne get's home looking exhausted from today's efforts. We all stay up talking for a while before going to bed.

In the morning I pack some things into my smaller backpack for Sweden. My large backpack has seen better days, both zippers were bust and it would need some time to repair. I bid farewell to Rianne who is trying to finish work in her room. I am to hang onto a set of keys to her apartment for when I return. We have some final words and hug. My sunglasses, hanging from the front of my shirt snap from the hug which abruptly ends it. I shrug it off and wish her and wish her the very best of times in her travels ahead. I think I will be back in two weeks.

I wait for the tram. A woman starts to talk at me in Czech and is pointing into the Asian cafe next to the stop, She has a pram with a young boy in it, and I realise she is asking me to help her lift the pram up the steps into the cafe. So I help her. The bus terminal is organised chaos. The bus takes us to Dresden and then we transfer for Berlin Schoffeider airport. I forgot to leave my Swiss army knife in Prague, so I put it in my first aid kit. It is detected when my bag goes through the X-ray.

But the German customs officer let's me keep it when I take it out for him, and explain it's for camping. The gate is jam-packed and hot, hardly anywhere to stand, least of all sit – no surprise with a budget airline. But the flight is quick and has wifi, so I can plan my route to the AirBNB Liss has booked for both of us.

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