Overview

Heh, GPUs are one of the components I Don't tend to change much over time as I always overspec (future proofing). 😛 As it stands, I have the 3770k's APU, an EVGA 970 FTW (in it's box), and the upgrade for it, an EVGA 3060ti (because I wanted one last EVGA).

I got the 2TB as well back on a cyber Monday sale. Love how storage is dropping in price, both volatile and non-volatile. If only GPUs would do the same!

Not like anybody seems to be reading anything in groups, but here's what I recently did. I originally went with the 2 Tb Samsung 980 Pro with the heatsink and had no issues with it beyond limited capacity vs my game library. Recently, I decided to go ahead and grab one of the 4 Tb 990 Pros, but this time with Out a built-in heatsink in favor of a highly praised Custom heatsink. I have no way to monitor temps and I never get the "system overheating" message, so I can't attest as to how effective it is or whether it was worth the purchase, but "I did the thing" as it were. 4 Tb Samsung 990 Pro ElecGear PS5 NVMe SSD Heatsink The first thing I did was get out my "SSD to PCIe" adaptor (need to get a USB or easier to install version I think) and make sure the SSD's Firmware was current as I won't be yanking it out of the system anytime soon for testing upgrades. Then I did some basic health checks, confirming it was legit and new, etc. And then it was time to do the install. While the install was somewhat painless, I found that it's Really easy to lose track of the cooler's tiny components, so it's best to do that on something with like a white background and with a rim so that things don't roll away on you. The instructions are rudimentary, but also written kinda tiny. They talk about how it's best to put the included thermal pads on the chips themselves and how they can be cut, but I found them almost putty like, so I put the whole thing as one big strip. It won't hurt anything, but it's an option. They also give strain relief pads for under the SSD, so that was cool. Oh and don't forget to stow the parts that can't go back into the system in the cooler's packaging just in case you change it out later.

I doubt anyone's reading, but I played quite a bit of Disney Dreamlight Valley to keep me occupied during my unexpected unemployment back in April - Aug. Then shortly after that came Starfield and yeah that kinda took over most things. Sure, it's not the Best game, but it has a ship builder (you will constantly be updating your ship!), base builder, and plenty of places to roam. Yeah, it probably has maybe a dozen or so different dungeons, so there's a fair bit of repetition, but I've also come across some awesome side missions without trying. 'Acquiring' ships is now pretty straight forward for me, but it took some time to invest in perks, upgrades, etc along with coming up with a foolproof way to add the ship to my (limited) inventory until I glitch-sell it at full price. In many ways, NMS has it beat in terms of variety, but at the same time people complained about it during the first few months and look how it is now. IDK what they are off-hand, but I Have also acquired other games, but when I sit and think about what I want to play, I always end up booting the XB. 😛 Meant to put the share link for my Starfield Randomness that I wanted to post here, but can't seem to do so without eating up my image space allocation. I might need to put the videos on youtube though as my gaming Gmail account only has like 25 Gb of space. Edit: So I decided to move the videos to Youtube instead. I've uploaded a text file with the link.

Just following up with this was the Best decision ever for a multi-purpose headset! I can leave it connected to both console and dynamically switch between the two. It comes with two batteries, one charges in the head unit and the other goes in the "easy to access" earpiece. If you swap it fast enough, then it'll reconnect on its own. The earpiece simply has a metal / magnetic cover that you can remove with your nail and the head unit stores it in an NES style, spring loading mechanism. Note that you Must get the Xbox version if you have the XB console as it's the only way to have a passthrough. It also has more connections than the two USB jacks. I can Also run a USB cable from the non-XB port to my PC and use it that way. All while Also being fully BT compatible!

Assuming anyone reads this later, I eventually found an awesome replacement to the Golds that works on, well, Everything. A little on the higher price range, but vs buying two separate headsets (PS/XB), it works out fine. They have both custom RF DAC (USB cords instead of dongle) and BT for connectivity. Also has an audio in/out feature as well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZW52XSQ?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_1DVNEVB9TA02VE3TDR55&th=1

Now these I bought for work actually, but figured I'd put some input as they're designed for gaming. The requirements I chose for work were that they had to be wired, needed an external controller, the controller needed to be detachable in the event of replacing the headphones, the controller had to be USB, the mic had to be adjustable, the headphones had to be covering my ears and adjustable as well. Unfortunately, they can't replace my Sony Golds because they're not wireless at all. Razer Kraken Tournament Edition THX 7.1 Surround Sound Gaming Headset The Good: The Room for Improvement:

This is more for referral requests, but I think it's a good place for a general discussion of the topic as well, so I left the title more open. I considered a poll, but it may be Too broad for that. As seen in the earlier thread, I've got a pair of the original Sony Gold Wired/Wireless gaming headset that I've just began having to replace parts on. So what I'd like to discuss are how they might compare to Anything on the market as well as comparable alternatives. Nothing is really off the table, but below are my likes/dislikes. My personal likes about them are as follows: And then there's the gripes:

I didn't want to make this part of the other discussion I'm about to start because it would split the focus. I've got a pair of the original style Sony Gold headphones that I really like, but they're getting old and I'm getting to the point of replacing components. I've already replaced the ear cuffs, the band is in a close second for need, and the battery is starting to show its age too as I have to charge it more than a PS5 controller (that's an insult btw). I've found only a couple of options on AMZ/eBay, but they all feel suspect as one has multiple reviews for reverse polarity of all things. Now I'm sure I could figure out how to move wires, but I shouldn't have to. Does anyone have some input for where to find such a thing?

So apparently they fixed it sometime today in the latest patch so everything's good to go

And right after I post this they release a patch that breaks the game. I'd suggest that no one attempt to play until the next patch just in case doing so will bork the save files.

If you haven't played this or the mini-game that was rereleased this past year, then you really should. With all the OOC interactions, it makes it feel like you're sitting at a table (almost). Obvious Borderlands based content, but even I've gotten past the cell-shading aspect. Personally, I'm about 75% through the full content and I think I'm on the last general area of the game. I spent a few days on collectable cleanup, but that's what the internet is for!

I had been playing some Subnautica (1 & 2), but then Horizon: Forbidden West came out and I've been stumbling through it for a bit.

Aside from CoX of course... What's on everyone's "Now Playing" list?

I've really not figured this whole thing out quite yet, but if someone wants to help/take over control then let me know. I just really wanted to plant the seed TBH.

So I finally managed to get ahold of a PS5 without needing to sell a house. During my research on upgrading storage, I came across a few things that I don't think most people would necessarily think about that would greatly impact your gaming performance. For those not aware, you need a very specific type of storage. Not only does it have to be electrically compatible, it must be within a certain set of physical dimensions. Unlike the PS4, it's not quite as simple as making sure your drive is less than 12mm high. On top of all this, you will likely want to get one with a heatsink (or install one yourself) to help extend the life of the drive. I've pulled the following from the OFFICIAL SUPPORT PAGE. Top Rung Choices: One last thing: