It’s an interesting idea, and if that iGPU is actually all it’s cracked up to be then it should make for a relatively potent little console-a-like, considering its size. But… Lack of upgrades means it’s a no from me, dawg. I get why it’s not upgradable: it’s a mobile CPU, and signal integrity issues make any kind of RAM socket infeasible. But the iGPU is reportedly roughly comparable to a 4060, and that’s just not enough for me to consider plonking it next to my 65” 4K TV. Not when it costs so much and I’ll never be able to upgrade the GPU. But it’s a neat idea, and I do respect what Framework are doing in general, so I hope they can find a market and make this work. EDIT: Aye, it’s unified LPDDR5x with dynamic allocation, which IIRC is the same setup as Apple Silicon. Nice from a VRAM perspective, because it can expand on the fly, but I’m a bit more conflicted on it as a general trend.
Saw that the other day and didn't really get it, maybe I misunderstood but looked so limiting I thought what's the point of it vs other small form factor pcs, as Byron said you can't upgrade it etc so didn't make sense to me.
Pure filth! An integrated board with 4060Ti GPU level graphics is appealing, but way out of my budget at £1,100. The full 4.5L kit with handle is impressive, but even more painful to the wallet. I'm currently downsizing my LAN box from 14 to 7.5 L, I bought a mesh sided Metalfish T40
I'm not totally against it but that case is fugly, and the idea of Framework producing a non-upgradeable pc seems a bit mental.
Anyone using SteamOS on a anything other than a handheld? Just installed it on my MS-A1. I was hesitant because I tried Bazzite a while back and it was ok but also a wee bit... clunky. It's early days but I think I like SteamOS. Dropping out of the game library reveals a pretty usable desktop environment. Again, it's early, but it feels nice.
My MS-A1 - 8700G +32GB Obvs not going to be a complete replacement for my gaming rig, but I am going to try some more demanding games on it.
AFAIK the 8700G has the most powerful iGPU currently available, interesting to know how it works out. I have a weedy 3400G and was disappointed that the 5600G iGPU was no better than the 3400G and not worth upgrading graphics wise.
I bought a thing recently. The words “print volume” may have given it away, because it’s a 3D printable NAS case (yes the design costs money, but I don’t mind supporting creators). Has 6x3.5” bays, 3x2.5” bays, and unsurprisingly only supports MiniITX and SFX. By last Friday I’d printed only 3 or 4 panels And as of this morning, I’ve printed pretty much all of the internal panels … and most of the external panels The first batch of drive trays is printing right now There is still quite a lot of printing left to do - 3 or 4 external panels, another set of drive trays, some connecting pieces, logo inserts - but I’ve been prioritising the internal parts so I can assemble hardware. Oh yeah, and also a shedload of heat-set threaded inserts to put in place - that’ll be “fun”, I haven’t done that before… If you’re interested in trying it out, you’ll want 8x3mm magnets, 10mm M3 bolts, M3 threaded inserts, a bunch of PC screws and motherboard standoffs (there are two variants of the motherboard tray, one for imperial standoffs and one for metric M3), two 92x22mm fans, and about 2kg of filament. According to the designer, PLA will work but a higher temperature material like PETG is strongly recommended. For those not aware: the temperature at which PLA plastic starts to soften and deform is generally around 50-60C but can be as low as 45C, whereas for PETG that point is around 70-80C (it’s higher again for ABS). 45C is not inconceivable for something that will hold a motherboard and hard drives, so personally I’ll play it safe and stick to PETG! It seems like a very neat design, and the way the panels are designed is quite clever. The honeycomb mesh isn’t designed into the 3D model, the model itself is solid. So how you get that pattern is by changing the slicing parameters: set the infill to “honeycomb” (~20% density IIRC), set the number of wall loops to 5, and set the number of bottom and top layers to zero. Normally the “infill” is to fill voids, but these parameters mean that every layer has the infill pattern. It’s a great design choice; it keeps the model geometry very simple and probably makes it a hell of a lot easier to work with in CAD. I’ll pop up a thread once I actually start building it, but here’s the creator’s video in the mean time: Speaking of APUs, as @Arboreal and @David are, the same designer also created this rather eye-catching case design for GPU-free MiniITX systems: Big “Trashcan Mac” vibes, I really like it. But it doesn’t fit a discrete GPU, on-board video only. I’ll probably buy the design, it’s only $3.50. But as much as I love the look of it, I can’t really say I have a use for it right now. It’d look great next to or under the TV, but… It’d need some serious APU horsepower to be a credible “lounge gaming” machine, and, thanks to a lack of “remote control friendly” interfaces for streaming services on PCs, HTPCs are largely a thing of the past. The same designer does also have other cases on Printables, including some that are free, but they’re a lot more “generic box”-type designs.
Yeah, I only played a couple light games on it, but I'll copy over my steam library and try some others as soon as I get the chance.
Thought I'd have a crack at sorting these this evening: Let's dig out Old Faithful... I've had this thing a good ~13 years or so, it's been a damn reliable - if unspectacular - bit of kit. Need a smaller tip for this job though, so let's take off--... wait... wtf is that dust... ah crap... That's part of the heating element, looks like it's finally failed after all these years... Long story short: replacing the iron itself is a dicey proposition, so... Press F to pay respects to the venerable Precision Gold A55KJ soldering station... Time for one of those new-fangled things like a Pinecil, or whatever the mini USB-C PD soldering iron du jour is... I don't want to spend a fortune because it's a tool I'll use a handful of times a year, so that probably means waiting for an AliExpress delivery. Meaning... this project is on hold until I source a replacement
how is the 3d printed case going byron? i am thinking on either k1 https://www.printables.com/model/77399-k1-itx-pc-case-modular or modcase https://modcase.com.au/products/evo
I’ve downloaded it, but don’t have a printer and think it’s a bit much to buy one just for that! I was considering trying one of the commercial printing services where you can just send them the file and have the finished product sent to you. I’d be very interested to hear your thoughts once you’ve printed it.
Unfortunately… it ain’t going at all right now . Hit a bit of a dead end. I need to fit the threaded inserts before I can continue assembly, and I can’t do that until I replace my soldering iron. This month’s pocket money is long gone, so it’ll have to wait a week or two Assuming you mean this one: I’ll take a look at the print files later and see how much material it uses. I skimmed through the videos and he mentioned using ABS at some point. That complicates matters when it comes to printing at home; you need an enclosed (preferably heated) build chamber, and ABS gives off some nasty fumes. He might have talked about using PETG in the video, I’ll have to watch it properly when I get home. A lot of the enclosed CoreXY printer designs being sold today are suitable for ABS, but it’s a mixed bag on whether you have air filters or chamber heating. My Qidi Q1 Pro, for example, has chamber heating but doesn’t have air filtration as standard, and the Elegoo Centauri Carbon has neither. Though obviously none of these are an issue if you’re using a commercial printing service, ‘cos they’re not your problems to worry about .
We just got a 3D printer in the office to do some prototyping stuff so this is really interesting. Maybe we'll design a new case.
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/gig...r7-ray-tracing-graphics-card-dlss-4-3840-core That launched quicker than I though it would. Nice to see - guaranteed outlet for otherwise meh cards. This form factor is the only place where this class can shine. Kinda gutted it's a 8GB card again though
