The computer and electronics super geek thread

[Test_Pilot_2]

On 11/5/2024 at 6:26 PM, Test_Pilot_2 said:

So I built an external GPU to work with my ROG Ally X and I think it came out pretty awesome....

Box moves between my office (3440x1440), home theater (1920x1080), and living room (4k). Performance has been stellar with the office sitting at 70-90 FPS ultra, home theater at 140+ FPS ultra, and living room between 30-60 FPS ultra. Temps are always great even at load. Drivers were a pain at first, but that was due to a bad PCIE extension cable and a PCIE cable to the GPU that wasn't fully seated. Had to tweak the case a hair, but the PCIE board sits nice and flat in the base of the enclosure.

For specific games:
Plague Tale Requiem: Running 4K Ultra across the board getting 45-60 FPS.
Space Marines 2: Running 4K Ultra across the board getting 35-45 FPS.
Dying Light Stay Human: Running 4K Ultra across the board getting 35-60FPS.
Starfield: Running 4K Ultra in the busiest cities and getting 30-60FPS.

Going to the office and projector - runs even better... On the projector I can get stupid and turn on Raytracing and the FPS are still great.

Enclosure:
Mechanicmaster IF-11 (90 Bucks Open Box)

Dock/Board 1:
Aliexpress v1.6 UT3G @ $130

Dock/Board 2:
Dock for peripherals and power

GPU:
Reference AMD RX7900 XT (Got it for $569 refurbished)

PSU:
Corsair SF850L (Refurb for 90 bucks)

Air Cooling:
Silverstone Shark Force 160 Intake Attached Magnetically to the Case
2 x Arctice P12s Exhausting Out the Top

Fan Controller:
Fan Controller I Snagged for 10 Bucks

L-Shaped Thunderbolt 4 Cable:
TBolt 4 Cable Built Like a Tank

Odds and Ends:
3D Printed I/O Cover
Tiny, Adhesive Rare Earth Magnets for the Fan
Replacing all the PSU cables with sleeved ones soon... The ones that came with the PSU are, well, awful.
Some decals to pimp the exterior of the case.

Delightfully, this setup was put together because of STALKER 2. When I saw the system requirements for it initially my heart sank because I was afraid I missed the mark. However, it runs beautifully. I have to use FSR and frame generation, but the game runs awesome with 70-80 FPS, all epic settings, on a 4k TV.

I know not everyone has been having an easy time with STALKER 2 and I hope those issues get resolved so more people can enjoy this fantastic game. It's been years and years waiting on a new STALKER and this one delivers (in good ways and bad ways) the original STALKER experience.

The system requirements aren't really as crazy as listed, but you do need alot of ram to run it.

 

[mikeszekely]

I installed STALKER 2 but I haven't started it yet. I'll be playing at 5120 x 1440, which is a bit fewer pixels than your typical 4K setup.  I think my RTX 4070 should be up to the task, but my i7-9700K is getting a bit long in the tooth.  I'm planning on replacing my PC, but I'm waiting until the RTX 5070 is a reality.

[Test_Pilot_2]

22 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

I installed STALKER 2 but I haven't started it yet. I'll be playing at 5120 x 1440, which is a bit fewer pixels than your typical 4K setup.  I think my RTX 4070 should be up to the task, but my i7-9700K is getting a bit long in the tooth.  I'm planning on replacing my PC, but I'm waiting until the RTX 5070 is a reality.

That is really wide! 3 monitors or maybe that Samsung curved ultra wide?

What are you on? I think the 4070 should work well, too, although your mileage may vary. I hope it ultimately works well.

[mikeszekely]

3 hours ago, Test_Pilot_2 said:

That is really wide! 3 monitors or maybe that Samsung curved ultra wide?

Yeah, the G9 OLED. I love it, it's the same height as my old monitor but the way it curves into my peripheral vision is so much more immersive, especially in racing games. Turns out to be better than I though for productivity, too... I finally get all those dual monitor people.

[Test_Pilot_2]

40 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

Yeah, the G9 OLED. I love it, it's the same height as my old monitor but the way it curves into my peripheral vision is so much more immersive, especially in racing games. Turns out to be better than I though for productivity, too... I finally get all those dual monitor people.

Yeah, that's awesome... It's also like this version of the monitors: