Snakecharmed

Call it a hedge against rising PC component costs that will extend into 2027 or 2028. Call it overkill. Call it a build for the sake of building something. Whatever it is, it’s my new HTPC. I’ve had a 2011 Lenovo ThinkPad W520 laptop on a docking station serving as my family room HTPC for years. However, that laptop is long in the tooth and won’t be able to handle the next evolution of my family room home theater. The GPU is so old that it doesn’t support 4K60 output. Because of that, I had been casually considering a new rig or upgrading my Eluktronics laptop to a newer model with a mobile RTX 3080 with 16GB, which is basically equivalent to a hypothetical 16GB desktop RTX 3060 Ti. However, it seems that nobody is selling their 15" mobile 3080 laptops anymore for a reasonable price (if at all), so I went for a new build instead. Here’s what I put together based around a Micro Center combo while trying to save some money because prices are stupid now. The memory and SSD is lightly used instead of being brand new. Most importantly for the budget goals, I found a way to reuse my old Corsair PSU that I still kept after building my current main rig in 2023. AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D MSI B850M-VC Pro WiFi AM5 mATX Motherboard Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 Mini Black Heatsink 32GB (2x16GB) G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 36-36-36-96 1TB Kioxia XG8 Series KXG8AZNV1T02 NVMe PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD Jonsbo V12 Black microATX Case Corsair Professional Series Gold AX850 PSU MechLands CIDOO QK75 75% Layout Wireless Mechanical Keyboard Logitech Performance MX Wireless Mouse I opted not to get a discrete GPU for now because when I do get around to playing games on this, I’ll most likely stream Steam from my desktop PC. Hypothetically, if I had to get a GPU for anything else and needed it by the end of the week, it would be an RTX 3070. Even with a used 3070 for $200, my total build price would be around $950, which is pretty good these days with only the RAM being hideously priced compared to 2023. The Micro Center combo for the 7500X3D and MSI B850M-VC Pro was better than buying used. My original inspiration for this build was a prebuilt I saw on eBay a couple months ago using an ASRock DeskMeet X600 chassis. At least a couple of people were trying to build their version of a Steam Machine using a Ryzen 5 7500F/7600 CPU, a single stick of 16GB DDR5, and a Radeon RX 6600/7600/9060 XT GPU, but none of them were priced that well. I realized I could build something better for cheaper and use premium components in some parts of the build where they couldn’t. Case In trying to find something that fit the bottom shelf of my A/V stand that was compatible with an ATX power supply, I narrowed down my options to the Fractal Node 304 for $110 and the Jonsbo V12 for $130. If I went for an ITX motherboard, it was going to be the Node, but the Micro Center combo drove every other decision because the CPU and motherboard portion was cheaper than a 7500F and a used ITX AM5 motherboard. That meant going with microATX and the Jonsbo V12. This case is nice. The walnut wood accent on the front and the wraparound smoked glass look great. The whole thing has a mid-century modern vibe and it’s a sophisticated-looking showpiece for a family room. It supports GPUs up to 260mm in length, which allows for enough options available in the GPU mid-tier whenever I finally decide I need one for games installed on the local SSD. I don’t have a lot of experience with modern cases, but this one was straightforward. Thumbscrews on the back would have been ideal, but I can buy a pack of those on my own. The cable management seemed fine with cleaner routing than my spare Montech X1 ATX tower case. OS I can’t tell when I’ll fully swear off Windows, but until that happens, it’s 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 for my third build in a row since 2023. Meanwhile, since I don’t really have to sell my ThinkPad, I could have that become my first Linux sandbox. If I’m being honest with myself though, I probably still won’t use it much just like the last six years. Tinkering with testbed operating systems just isn’t an interest of mine. However, customizing a Windows 10 install to make it suck less both in terms of more attractive aesthetics and making it function more like 7 is a tedious, time-consuming process. In addition to all the manual tweaking to Settings, Control Panel, group policy settings, and the registry, the following apps and utilities have become part of my customization toolkit: ContextMenuManager DWMBlurGlass ExplorerBlurMica HWiNFO Microsoft PowerToys 0.86.0 Microsoft Visual Studio Code O&O ShutUp 10++ Open-Shell Rainmeter RocketDock Sizer 4.0 TranslucentFlyouts Windows Update Blocker I had it easy with ignoring most of the customization for the NVR, but I even went back and installed some of these utilities on my main rig after I was done with the HTPC. I can’t imagine how much worse it is with reigning in 11. A/V My current receiver and TV are an Onkyo TX-SR706 and a Samsung LN52A540 52" LCD from 2008-09. They're both getting upgraded soon as well. The speakers are also about the same age, but they're solid and I have no desire to change them. They're the Mordaunt-Short Alumni 8, 5, and 2 to comprise five channels, and a Rythmik Audio D15SE sealed downfiring 15" subwoofer. I made a really good call on them years ago because I’m still very happy with the total package between the sound quality and aesthetics. While I could try for a Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 setup with in-ceiling speakers, I just don't feel like going through the trouble. With the way I have the room set up around a TV in the corner, there aren't any great wall or ceiling mount locations for height speakers that make any sense. Also, I consume music way more than movies anyway. The new AVR also arrived today: an Onkyo TX-NR6100. I hope to set it up over the next week along with a Sofabaton X1S universal remote that I bought in late 2024 and still haven’t opened. The TX-NR6100 is mostly to modernize the connectivity options I have available. HDMI 2.1 support means it will go well with a new TV. Speaking of connectivity, I also need to get an HDMI adapter for that Wii on the bottom shelf, which I've neglected for over a decade now. Realistically though, the 7500X3D running Dolphin emulator upscaled to 4K is a better Wii than the real deal anyway. I doubt the TX-NR6100 will sound significantly different than the TX-SR706 for music at least. That's another thing to note with this build: I'm using HDMI audio now instead of either onboard motherboard sound (which I'd never use anyway) or my M2Tech hiFace Two USB DAC like I did with the ThinkPad. I'm trusting the DAC in the receiver to be more than capable of handling the load. I just couldn't before because the ThinkPad didn't support HDMI out.

Nice. Does the M.2 to Oculink adapter you used also use the COM port cutout in the DeskMini case? What GPU do you plan to use with it?

Some cheap upgrades in the face of everything else about this hobby becoming expensive: Back in October, I swapped out the Ryzen 5 5600G for a Ryzen 7 5700G. The used prices for the two CPUs were so close, so I just went ahead and did it because I could. The flip ultimately cost me just under $20 after reselling the 5600G. Tonight, I upgraded the NIC with a Realtek 2.5 GbE adapter that replaced the Wi-Fi card. The RJ-45 end fit neatly into the COM port cutout on the back of the case. This upgrade process wasn't without its pitfalls though. Before I could get to that, I upgraded the desktop switch that connects to both my desktop and NVR from the ubiquitous TP-Link TL-SG105 to a D-Link DMS-105. I got the D-Link for a steal at $34 direct from D-Link as a factory refurb. It was by far the best price I saw for a 2.5 GbE 5-port switch that doesn't feel like a cheap piece of junk, and the separate blue status LEDs to indicate a 2.5 Gbps connection won't leave anyone guessing or needing a legend. At first, I went with an M.2 2280 adapter with an Intel I226-V chipset that I put in the second PCIe x4 slot on the back of the ASRock motherboard. It flat out refused to acknowledge the Cat 6 Ethernet cable I previously had plugged in to the Realtek gigabit NIC on the motherboard, so I switched it with an old 15' Cat 5 cable from 2000 that I still keep around for testing purposes. That cable worked, but the I226-V did not want to negotiate a connection faster than 100 Mbps, which I can't complain too much about because it was only officially rated for Cat 5 10/100. Then I swapped to the Cat 6 cable that was plugged in my printer and while that worked, the I226-V still refused to connect faster than 100 Mbps. The onboard NIC on the other hand took any of those cables at 1 Gbps, slim or standard jacket, Cat 5 or 6. After reading about all the continued issues that people have had with the I225-V and I226-V (which is interesting because my desktop motherboard has the I225-V and it connected at 2.5 Gbps without a hitch), I decided I wasn't going to waste any more effort on this NIC that doesn't even think a Cat 6 cable is a cable. I went with an M.2 2230 adapter using the Realtek RTL8125 chipset in the Wi-Fi slot instead. I never used Wi-Fi on this anyway. On Amazon, there's a few sellers peddling M.2 2230 adapters with the Realtek RTL8111 chipset and claiming they're 2.5 GbE capable. Liars. Those are all gigabit-only, and thankfully Realtek's chipset naming makes that pretty obvious. This is the one I got with the Realtek RTL8125B chipset: Amazon.com WWW.AMAZON.COM So anyway, it worked. Other thoughts: How times change. I'm glad I got my SSD for this build back when I did. I got the 3.84 TB Samsung PM863a for $159 in February 2024. It now goes for $350 on eBay. This DeskMini started its role as an NVR in May 2024. I now have 7 cameras recording to the SSD, with 5 of 7 recording in 4K, and the other 2 recording in 2K, all at 15 FPS. I've set Blue Iris to record continuous video for 14 days, which occupies about 3.1 TB. CPU usage typically stays at 3-5% on the 5700G. It was slightly higher on the 5600G, maybe 6-7%. Relative to how I use it, this is the most overkill system I've ever built, and I still think it's an awesome little wonder. To me, there was never any other way I was going to run surveillance cameras, long before the general public woke up to how shitty Ring (and cloud storage video recording in general) is after that Super Bowl ad.

Spending a lot of money on UPSes and UPS batteries is something that bothers me because the system isn't that sophisticated. The last four UPS units I bought including two rackmounts were used and I got them for cheap. I also never buy OEM UPS batteries because it's all AGM sealed lead-acid. They're not as complicated as lithium-ion. A 4-pack of replacement 7.5Ah batteries for my CyberPower OR1500LCDRT2U cost me $68 in 2024 and the same listing is $73 now. I bought the OR1500LCDRT2U unit used for $120 and it was in excellent condition aside from the batteries needing replacement. That's less than $200 total for hardware that performs just as good as new from the manufacturer (currently $546), and provides 3+ hours of network uptime in the event of a power outage either way.

Well, RAM prices are stupid and continue to get even more stupid, but I was going to need something within the next couple of years and there's no cheaper hardware on the horizon. I'm going ahead with (over)building an HTPC thanks to Micro Center combos being cheaper than buying everything used. All I'm really trying to do is stream Steam from my desktop PC which won't require much, but it still requires more than a ThinkPad W520 from 2011 that can't output 4K. I got 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB DDR5-6000 CL36 for $250 in open box condition on eBay, compared to when I paid $290 for 96GB Kingston Fury Renegade DDR5-6000 CL32 brand new from Newegg at the end of 2024. Anyway, that same 32GB G.Skill Trident Z5 kit is $480 retail right now. Meanwhile, Micro Center's combo comes with a single stick of 16GB G.Skill Flare X5 DDR5-6000 that has a resale value of about $160. $90 isn't nothing and really not even necessary for a system that will mostly stream from my main rig over Ethernet, but it's also not a budget breaker. Going up from 16 to 32GB could be a lot worse right now. This HTPC build will still total well under $1000 with a modest, used GPU like an RTX 3070. In the short term though, I'll just go iGPU because I'm still not making time for gaming this year.

Sadly, my latest purchase is a downgrade of my Internet speed tier with Xfinity down to what feels like the mid-aughts stone age for me at 300 Mbps (which I just tested to 360 Mbps) for $80/month because my gigabit contract expired and the price is going up from $88/month to $119. They do offer a $10/month discount for autopay with a bank account for all their plans, but I refuse to essentially consent to extortion with no consumer recourse. Companies like these will be paid via credit card every damn time. At least I'm off-contract now so if I ever do decide to switch to the other shitty customer service experience in AT&T (unlikely because I'm still bitter toward their relentless door-to-door commissioned contractor sales tactics), I won't pay any early termination fees.

The experience of using a PC to communicate and transfer data to and from a smaller device using a system/protocol that isn't regularly encountered by the general public always adds a degree of difficulty that someone might not want to invest their time in doing. For instance, I've rooted enough Android phones over the years that you'd think it's no big deal for me to do it, but it's never a simple affair. It's tedious and time-consuming to make sure you're doing everything right with the proper software lest you brick the phone by doing something incorrectly or out of order. Even when you do it exactly according to the guide, a minor error code somewhere in the process causes minor annoyances later that nobody can help you with because nobody else ever encountered that issue and documented a fix. Then you eventually forget the process after some time and you have to relearn everything when you want to do it again years later. With phones, it's even worse because the rooting process differs from one phone to another, and sometimes even between two of the exact same model phone because each one started with a different firmware version, so you're not even able to use your memory to recall a certain step of the process to save some time. I can see why the vast majority of people wouldn't have the patience for things like this. It paints a damning picture of how things are going today with technology outside of core computing devices that auto manufacturers are pulling this nonsense on systems where it's completely unnecessary. Of all the parking brakes I've ever used in any car I've driven, none have been electronic. Any savvy car owner wouldn't rely on a dealership for anything after the sale, but what Louis is describing is the path that manufacturers are trying to convince their customers to follow, and they're obviously succeeding to some degree when combined with their attempts to demonize independent mechanics.

You shouldn't have to employ workarounds to deliberately hostile anti-consumer acts by auto manufacturers who have engineered solutions to previously nonexistent problems. Parking brakes have worked for generations before this garbage. Anyone could have seen this coming after BMW tried to charge subscription fees for heated seats. The contemporary automotive industry is built on greed and attempted entrapment of consumers into the manufacturer's product and service ecosystem, as well as financial debt if you're crazy enough to take out a loan (I could just stop the sentence there, but in this case, a loan offered by the dealer). I realize I'm not contributing much with respect to the poll because I won't buy a car that phones home or has unnecessary bullshit systems to complicate functions that had been working fine previously for decades.

Since Fluxmaven mentioned the Mazda3 as an option, there's also the Mazdaspeed3 if you want to step it up a notch. Personally, I'm biased against GM for anything not Corvette, Camaro, or Cadillac V series because they cheapened out on everything else over the last couple of decades, so I'd simply drop the Cobalt SS from the shopping list.

On some level, the battery ecosystem plays a factor as well, or there's one particular tool by that brand standing out well above the competition that it justifies buying into the rest of the ecosystem. I bought into the Milwaukee M18 ecosystem, but the only tools I got new were a multi-tool that isn't even from their brushless Fuel line, and what Project Farm calls the "knockoff Milwaukee" handheld vacuum cleaner that outperformed the genuine Milwaukee in his shootout review. My Milwaukee Fuel hammer drill, impact wrench, and hatchet pruning saw were all bought lightly used at very sensible prices. I never would have bought any of those at full retail. I don't have any particular affinity for Milwaukee or its parent company TTI, which is notorious for being ass about honoring warranties. I think buying into the 18V battery ecosystem of one of the big three is more important than anything else so that you can also buy off-brand tools that use those batteries. Back when some folks were on here looking at USB air dusters, I checked to see if there was one that was compatible with M18 batteries, and indeed there was. Now Milwaukee has since made their own version at an exorbitant $180, but I'd gladly opt for the M18-compatible duster for a quarter of the price and more powerful than any USB-charged equivalent in that price range.

I upgraded my NVR's CPU from a Ryzen 5 5600G to a Ryzen 7 5700G. Why? I don't know. Because I could and their respective resale values are almost at parity on the second-hand market. Once I account for the fees to list my 5600G for sale, the CPU upgrade might cost me about $25. The 5600G was running just fine before. Running substreams of my seven cameras in the Blue Iris main window keeps the CPU utilization low regardless. Getting an extra two cores was a nice-to-have feature even though the machine based on its current use patterns will never come close to needing them. The slightly faster iGPU is also nice for the games that I will never play on this NVR because it's a freakin' NVR.

The last computing purchases I made were my 96 GB memory and 7950X CPU upgrade at the end of last year. Those were advance purchases made to fend off any uncertainty in the retail market for PC components. I haven't been paying very close attention to the news because the manic, ever-changing chaos of the tariffs is tiresome to follow and nobody has time for that crap. I've been looking to upgrade my laptop as well, but I noticed one retailer on eBay jacked up their price from $980 to $1200, then later to $1350 on a refurbished model I had been eyeing for months. The first price hike happened one day after the initial tariffs were announced. I missed out on a normal(ish) price because I was ready to buy that day, but took a break for lunch. Refreshing the page afterward led to the sticker shock. Considering that I distrust most laptop makers for one reason or another, this isn't a good situation. Ideally, I'd go for a 16" Framework laptop, but I'm not spending that much money on something I don't use often apart from watching some YouTube videos daily and may use more heavily when traveling. Now I'm shopping used laptops and it's a lot harder finding something with acceptable specs and pricing (if some sellers can be trusted to provide that info accurately), and that still doesn't address how previous gen laptop prices remain high because the RTX 50 series disaster launch did nothing to bring down the prices of laptops with the RTX 4060+ or 3080 mobile.

Go * yourself, Microsoft.

Kickstarter-style vaporware product announcements are so 2015.

It appears that the RX 9070 XT is sold out at the two Micro Centers closest to me, with limited stock remaining of the RX 9070. They supposedly had hundreds in stock on launch, but I didn't bother to check yesterday since I wasn't planning on getting one. The 3080 Ti lives on due to me making no time to play games in the last two years. Even when I do get back into it, I've got a backlog of older games to go through that pose no challenge to the 3080 Ti at 4K. It's a lot less stressful not being on the cutting edge because it really sucks out there right now if you are.