What's your latest tech purchase?

[Mindweaver]

Are you locked into Steam or can you use other launchers?

Yes, all launchers work but you will need to install them on the main drive and not the SD. So, if you get a 64gb you will need to upgrade to a bigger m.2 drive.

 

[Arco]

Got a 2TB SN770 for like 110 bucks! Already installed but was kind of a pain due to the small amount of space allowed. (For recording.) Also got the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro and some nice new headphones. (Open back PC38X)

Don't know if a chair counts as tech but got a nice new one since my other PU leather chair was peeling very badly.

 

[Calmmo]

I just spent the last 30 mins in bed all cozy playing games on the Steam Deck.

I FUCKING LOVE MY STEAM DECK!!!! honestly online reviews don't do it justice, its much more high quality than I was expecting, so easy to use... screen is decent (but I will be buying steam deck 2 on launch in a couple years) the glass on the screen does help the colors pop though, its honestly not a bad display at all (I'm glad I didn't get the premium anti-glare display though, I hear that one ruins the color pop some)

Played Edge of Eternity on it just now, steam auto downloads and installs game specific software like linux run times and proton 7.0 for this specific game... literally a very friendly user experience.

holding it my hand the weight distribution is perfect, honestly didn't bother me at all (but for long play sessions in bed I may get a small pillow to place on my belly/chest area, and rest the center weight of steam deck on that. (I may also manually remove the battery, as I plan to leave it plugged in 24/7 next to my bed anyway... not sure if it will still boot without battery, we will see)

overall best 360 bucks i ever spent. honestly not sure i even want to game on my desktop anymore. like why the fuck am i sitting here when i could be chill as fuck?

View attachment 288828

screen looks wrinkled, it is not, thats just my ceiling design reflecting.

my next plan: 1tb nvme drive from Sabrent, emulate some old games on it, get FFXIV mmo setup on it, and keep enjoying some indie games

I FUCKING LOVE STEAM DECK!!!

also, being able to turn on the overlay to check temps or fps, and having preset levels was fucking genius. I absolutely love it. I can hit power button on any game to quick sleep and resume for a proper portable experience (until I take the battery out anyway) but yeah 10/10... can't wait for Steam Deck 2. until then I will enjoy this.

@Mindweaver @Nordic

I'd have bought one if it weren't for the so-so screen. I luv my deep blacks too much..

 

[Space Lynx]

Got a 2TB SN770 for like 110 bucks! Already installed but was kind of a pain due to the small amount of space allowed. (For recording.) Also got the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro and some nice new headphones. (Open back PC38X)

Don't know if a chair counts as tech but got a nice new one since my other PU leather chair was peeling very badly.

the prices are absolutely insane on nvme drives, I hope they are here to stay and 4tb SN870 (yeah I know its a real thing) is like $150 a year or two.

congrats on a great drive! I got the 500gb version of that drive for $40, I only needed 500gb since its just acting as my work drive. the SN770 honestly feels speedier than me 176 layer kingston kc3000 sometimes, like W1zzard said in his review of the SN770 "What is this magic?" is very accurate...

@Calmmo I am an asshole when it comes to display tech. I am the pickiest mother fucker around. I am honestly impressed by the Steam Deck's screen, but if it was not for the glass giving it that extra pop to colors and deeper contrast, it would have been a no buy for me. Honestly looks decent though, but yes I don't blame you for waiting a couple more years on Steam Deck 2 to come out, but I have a gut feeling WW3 is going to happen soon, so going to get all my 'made in China' stuff now while I still can. haha

 

[wheresmycar]

Got a 2TB SN770 for like 110 bucks! Already installed but was kind of a pain due to the small amount of space allowed. (For recording.) Also got the Razer Basilisk V3 Pro and some nice new headphones. (Open back PC38X)

Don't know if a chair counts as tech but got a nice new one since my other PU leather chair was peeling very badly.

i got my Razer Bas V3 (non-pro) at the start of the month https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/whats-your-latest-tech-purchase.225885/post-4965168

I did consider the wireless pro for a split second but still a little wary with spending more on peripherals which I know i will end up somehow damaging. Yep, an occasional lost-the-plot rage affirmative mouse banger here. Although i'm curious, ive never used wireless mice other than the basic cheapos for the work laptop - how do they fare in terms of input latency or any other performance measuring stat which is game-related (esp. fast paced FPS shooters)?

Also although not needed at the mo, these 2TB/4TB NVMEs at the current price are just too enticing... i've got a bunch of smaller capacity units on the go, maybe its time to merge-up

 

[Athlonite]

You mean deep cool yea? I'd already decided to replace them prior to even testing them. Almost every review was like good fans but loud. Got T30's my self set @2000rpm mode atm, will have to see if going above is even worth it at all. (I'm not gonna be running tile renderers professionally or anything like to justify 3000rpm jet engine mode).

Still at work so didn't have enough time to even install an OS. But In the bios it was sitting ~29-31c .. so far so good, compared to my old h115i rgb Plat the coldplate appears to be super flat. Just eyeballing it ofc no measurement tools to prove it. View attachment 288802

Oh bugger me yeah I meant Deep Cool just been typing Lian Li so often it just happened LOL yeah the cold plate is flat as I used a measured flat surface to look at mine and there were no gaps at all

 

[Calmmo]

the prices are absolutely insane on nvme drives, I hope they are here to stay and 4tb SN870 (yeah I know its a real thing) is like $150 a year or two.

congrats on a great drive! I got the 500gb version of that drive for $40, I only needed 500gb since its just acting as my work drive. the SN770 honestly feels speedier than me 176 layer kingston kc3000 sometimes, like W1zzard said in his review of the SN770 "What is this magic?" is very accurate...

@Calmmo I am an asshole when it comes to display tech. I am the pickiest mother fucker around. I am honestly impressed by the Steam Deck's screen, but if it was not for the glass giving it that extra pop to colors and deeper contrast, it would have been a no buy for me. Honestly looks decent though, but yes I don't blame you for waiting a couple more years on Steam Deck 2 to come out, but I have a gut feeling WW3 is going to happen soon, so going to get all my 'made in China' stuff now while I still can. haha

Im seeing 2tb 980 pros go for as low as 160 here.. tempting tho i dont need any more space :X

Also I wasnt a monitor snob, but then i got a C1 couple years back... hard to go back to IPS after that.

 

[Space Lynx]

Im seeing 2tb 980 pros go for as low as 160 here.. tempting tho i dont need any more space :X

Also I wasnt a monitor snob, but then i got a C1 couple years back... hard to go back to IPS after that.

I understand. I game on my OLED phone and love it. I will be getting OLED tv eventually... I want the Panasonic OLED 42", but they only sell it in the UK sadly I grew up with a Panasonic tv, so I mainly want it for nostalgia reasons. Lot of good gaming memories on my old Panasonic tube tv

 

[tabascosauz]

Damn it! I guess we go for endgame after all. Maybe I can put the SCG back on the Gladiator NXT and it can find a new home.

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

I just spent the last 30 mins in bed all cozy playing games on the Steam Deck.

I FUCKING LOVE MY STEAM DECK!!!! honestly online reviews don't do it justice, its much more high quality than I was expecting, so easy to use... screen is decent (but I will be buying steam deck 2 on launch in a couple years) the glass on the screen does help the colors pop though, its honestly not a bad display at all (I'm glad I didn't get the premium anti-glare display though, I hear that one ruins the color pop some)

Played Edge of Eternity on it just now, steam auto downloads and installs game specific software like linux run times and proton 7.0 for this specific game... literally a very friendly user experience.

holding it my hand the weight distribution is perfect, honestly didn't bother me at all (but for long play sessions in bed I may get a small pillow to place on my belly/chest area, and rest the center weight of steam deck on that. (I may also manually remove the battery, as I plan to leave it plugged in 24/7 next to my bed anyway... not sure if it will still boot without battery, we will see)

overall best 360 bucks i ever spent. honestly not sure i even want to game on my desktop anymore. like why the fuck am i sitting here when i could be chill as fuck?

View attachment 288828

screen looks wrinkled, it is not, thats just my ceiling design reflecting.

my next plan: 1tb nvme drive from Sabrent, emulate some old games on it, get FFXIV mmo setup on it, and keep enjoying some indie games

I FUCKING LOVE STEAM DECK!!!

also, being able to turn on the overlay to check temps or fps, and having preset levels was fucking genius. I absolutely love it. I can hit power button on any game to quick sleep and resume for a proper portable experience (until I take the battery out anyway) but yeah 10/10... can't wait for Steam Deck 2. until then I will enjoy this.

@Mindweaver @Nordic

Are you locked into Steam or can you use other launchers?

I know epic games store launcher/games work on it, you just have to watch youtube video how to set it up.

not sure about other launchers yet, I haven't got that far. I am currently watching youtube video how to set up the ps2 emulator so i can play some old PS2 games on it.

Yes, all launchers work but you will need to install them on the main drive and not the SD. So, if you get a 64gb you will need to upgrade to a bigger m.2 drive.

Reminder - You didn't just buy a handheld gaming device, you also bought a fully portable PC running Arch Linux.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

Reminder - You didn't just buy a handheld gaming device, you also bought a fully portable PC running Arch Linux.

Yup. I just wasn't sure if the default configuration permitted installation of other launchers, and if they would integrate with Proton. It appears they do though.

 

[lexluthermiester]

The following came into the shop yesterday and I brought it home. The Dell T3500 gets an upgrade!

Sound Blaster Recon3D for those wondering. Perfect condition too!

 

[wNotyarD]

Reminder - You didn't just buy a handheld gaming device, you also bought a fully portable PC running Arch Linux.

Arch? Wasn't SteamOS Ubuntu-based?

 

[WonkoTheSaneUK]

Arch? Wasn't SteamOS Ubuntu-based?

Originally, yes. Valve then jumped upstream to Debian, and then across to Arch.

 

[oobymach]

Got a new mouse and a replacement battery (the other one held a 10 minute charge after owning it for a week).

JLab Epic Wireless Mouse

The Epic Wireless Bluetooth Mouse gives you the ultimate pro-level performance whether you’re crunching the numbers, creating brilliant designs, or owning the competition. Serious functionality and a sleek design make it an epic addition to any WFH setup, but you might just love it so much that...

www.jlab.com

Feels good, silent clicks, my hand rests on it (I'm used to small mice and hovering/fingertip grip), it has l2 and r2 buttons positioned mid finger, it feels good but already I've noticed it has a tendency to drop the connection or lag on movement so not sure it it's crosstalk maybe or something else (design flaw)?.

Sensor is 2400dpi so not the fastest movement but it works for what I use it for. 6month+ battery life on a rechargeable mouse which is why I bought it. Handy OLED screen to tell you if the mouse is connected, your dpi level and battery status. NO RGB AT ALL which is my primary feature requirement for a mouse, the less rgb the better. I don't need to kill batteries faster to make my hand glow in the dark. PC RGB absolutely, just don't need it in my hands (click to enlarge pics).

I technically don't need an OLED on my mouse but now that I have one I feel the PC master race in me kicking in.

CONSOLE PEASANTS WITH YOUR DIRTY CONTROLLERS MY MOUSE IS KING! Ahem....

 

[GreiverBlade]

alrighty standard exchange done (tho i added 2 extra gadget ) for 2chf more ... no complaint

interesting ... freaking thick metal housing (aluminum), thermal pad and heatsink include, neat cable and nice true toolless design (oh, and USB-C compared to the USB Micro B from the M2 SATA one )


it stack quite well against the ROG Strix Arion (both are "only" USB-C 3.2 Gen2 10Gbp/s) as for the SSD P1 and P3 Plus, P1 is PCIex 3.0 P3 Plus is 4.0 but the P3 Plus is HMB (Host Memory Buffer) thus DRAM-less


ran a quick CDM64
P1 in the Arion and then P3 Plus in the IB-1807, basically the same performances limited by the 10Gb/s or 1GB/s but still magnitude above a SATA ext. SSD (the TR200 Master Chief edition for reference)

it will be better once in the M2_1 4.0 on the mobo

odd gadget one from Velleman Maker series (now renamed to Whadda) by Madlab and one from 4Smarts (oddly convenient BT speaker/TWS combination, 2hrs if using speaker or 12hrs total using only the TWS ... cheap plastic feel but HEY! it has a USB-C!) ... they where cheap and the Kit from Whadda will help me practice soldering


ARC Reactor? oh, hell yeah!


the sound is not too bad ... for the TWS (need a bit of EQ tweaking but fine, although stem design and the head are shapped like iPods without silicon tips, kinda hate these ) the speaker is a bit underwhelming the volume is only slightly stronger (but less detailed) than my GT2

 

[Beginner Macro Device]

A-a-and another one purchase!

R9 380 2 GB by the XFX.

Tested OK but extreme heat made me concerned about the thermal paste. Cranked my screwdriver. Yelled my whoas all around the place since the paste was in good condition but... do you really need a 1/8 inch thick layer of paste? Applied mine with finesse, and now my bro can enjoy higher framerates (poor guy was using R7 250 DDR3) despite this card is currently clocked at 933 MHz (1000 mV) due to weak PSU and my paranoia it'll kaboom if we go full nelson.

For those who's curious: 1000 mV gets you ~133 W max (stock 1220 mV get ~193 W). About 30% wattage cut for the steep price of 9% performance. Was short on time so didn't test it on higher clocks. Maybe this card can go faster with this voltage. Don't matter anyway, we both are happy.

 

[Kabouter Plop]

Liquid devil 7900 XTX arived no regrets so far, just the same graphic glitches tho i had before like with doom eternal, i guess its not a gpu bug.

http://imgur.com/TahpZsz

http://imgur.com/t7PSgQ7

Almost did not fit in pump fitting is touching it almost by 2-5mm had to put it inside bracket and then screw it in, as cm bracket has not enough space to put it in.
Going full mora external watercooling in the future, to make maintenance easier.

 

[Athlonite]

LOL just purchased the Lian Li LT720 AIO and I already don't like the fans that came with it so I just bought a 3 pack of
https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/FANLAN0022/Lian-Li-UNI-FAN-SL120-V2-Digital-Addressable-RGB-1 for $128.33 Gougelandastani Plunketts (NZD)

View attachment 288790


I just bought that same AIO the Lian Li LT720 don't like the fan noise though so I'm replacing them with the above set

Well after much fucking round I finally got the Lian Li UNI Fan V2's in and up and running

1: The fans didn't want to run at normal speeds no matter what I did they would only run at 249rpm
1a: Out of the 3 fans only one out of the three would do what aura told it to but in reverse so if I set it to blue I'd get one red and 2 white
2: Had to download LConnect and use the supplied USB cable just to get the fucking fans to sync as one colour and do more than 249rpm
3: decided to use the 3 Deepcool fans from the LT720 as bottom case fans ah yet another fucking around when running at anything over 50% the fan blades would pull down and hit on the bracket making a hua of a noise bugger it pull it out make some little 1.5mm shims install them put the damn thing back in and test HOLY SHIT no fan blade hitting noises YAHOO

Ah there it is finished although I think I might have to turn the brightness down a wee bit on the uni fans

 

[GerKNG]

replacing a EVGA Supernova G5 from my brother. (blew up like a grenade)

 

[nomdeplume]

replacing a EVGA Supernova G5 from my brother. (blew up like a grenade)
View attachment 289166

Times being what they are I'm not going to do a stealth edit to photo inside of quote that rearranges the inverted text printed on psu "Designed for use with 'G'..."

I am going to laugh at the idea to do so in place of a story supporting grievous harm arising from event requiring this purchase. Acronyms formed out of EVGA are already getting more hilarious by the second.

 

[WhitetailAni]

The stack has grown

Spoiler

Newcomers include an Apple TV 2, TV 3, and AirPort Extreme. I had to separate the single stack into two stacks!

 

[GreiverBlade]

The stack has grown

Spoiler

View attachment 289422

Newcomers include an Apple TV 2, TV 3, and AirPort Extreme. I had to separate the single stack into two stacks!

quite stacked i see ...

i should buy some Schiit DAC and AMP and do a Schiit stack (audiophile joke ... ) buuuuuuut none of my retailer (regional or national) have them ... and international are a PITA for me due to custom taxes

well ... i ordered something else just now ... should be home tomorrow (29) and a part of its name sound like stack... @VSG take a guess?

 

[lexluthermiester]

I've recently been spending a lot of time playing on the Wii with the family and have needed to get a few items.
I discovered that my old memory card was having issues, so I needed a new one. While searching, I found something very cool!

A GameCube controller in clear plastic! Just had to get one and it works perfectly. Gonna get a couple more for multiplayer GameCube games.

 

[VSG]

quite stacked i see ...

i should buy some Schiit DAC and AMP and do a Schiit stack (audiophile joke ... ) buuuuuuut none of my retailer (regional or national) have them ... and international are a PITA for me due to custom taxes

well ... i ordered something else just now ... should be home tomorrow (29) and a part of its name sound like stack... @VSG take a guess?

No idea!