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FredSRichardson

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  1. FredSRichardson
    So I got my wife a Dell refurbished Latitude 7480 which held up pretty well with the sole exception of the Thunderbolt port which failed. I actually thought it was the TB16 dock that was failing but then found that wiggling the cable "just so" would consistently reconnect/disconnect the Thunderbolt dock device (of course I don't want to do this a lot and risk frying the controller chips). So I am fairly confident that the Thunderbolt jack is failing physically. There are a few videos on YouTube demonstrating how to replace USB-C ports on motherboards, but it is a fairly advanced operation and that's assuming I can get the replacement part and adequate desoldering/soldering gear (I used to do a lot of soldering - so I think I can manage the skill set). Does anyone have any experience doing this and have a recommendation? The laptop is on it's 6th year, so replacing the unit is not out of the question. I just don't like the waste. As an aside, does anyone else miss the old Dell docking stations that weren't USB-C? IMO having such a fragile point of failure for the docking station is an insane design decision - especially when replacing the physical jack is so difficult! Maybe a socketed or clip in jack would make a bit more sense if this is the way it has to be.
  2. FredSRichardson
    The laptop still works! Just thought I'd ping this old thread. I did replace the keyboard, but so far that's about it. Knock on wood anyway, I really don't really want to buy a new laptop any time soon and honestly I'm not doing much gaming so even this one is overpowered for most of my needs. I've also been using my 2013 HP Spectre 13" Ultrabook - just for watching videos in the web browser. I might have to replace the battery, but otherwise that old system still works fine. I've had a lot of concern about BGA systems, and I guess I'm still not a huge fan of the whole idea, but I have to admit that the two BGA laptops I own have held up pretty well.
  3. FredSRichardson
    @Nareon - I think you're going to have to get it from Sager or from someone who also got the same model from Sager. There isn't even a default BIOS available from Clevo here: https://www.clevo.com.tw/clevo_down.asp?lang=en So I'm guessing this can vary depending on the laptop reseller. EDIT: I can't tell if this is legit - I'd be careful - but it might be worth looking into:
  4. FredSRichardson
    My understanding is that a laptop with an eGPU does not need another monitor. I also think the real limitation here ends up being the laptops internal bus throughput (when compared to a desktop with the same GPU). I imagine performance varies quite a lot with this approach depending on the laptop and GPU type... I'd definitely support a future in which we can buy really nice "lapdocks" with whatever level of keyboard and monitor we want. Then plug that into say a monster desktop at home, a cell phone on the road or a portable desktop while on travel all via usb-C. I'm not sure that future will ever happen though...
  5. FredSRichardson
    Yeah, that's an interesting compromise. It's kind of a laptop components in a desktop instead of desktop components in a laptop. I think if I wanted laptop components I'd buy a laptop though. With that form factor I'd really want desktop components.
  6. FredSRichardson
    Honestly I'm torn between taking the deep dive into a DIY portable travel PC and instead spending the money on standard PC. In either case, a good lapdock is still of huge interest given that I don't always use a PC at a desk. The console style SFFPC would be a great tinkering project though. Sadly I think I'll be on the fence for a while...
  7. FredSRichardson
    Just to answer myself - it looks like you can get cheap usb-c multi port adapters from Amazon so a usb-c home built lap dock laptop conversion mod is not crazy...
  8. FredSRichardson
    Uh oh, sorry this is a total rambling post... The TL;DR of it is that I'm having doubts and wondering if I should consider other options. Also, for non-laptop travel option I really want a nice lap dock and I'd likely have to build one to be happy with it - there are very few options out there right now. I'm definitely still quite a ways of from committing to a travel SFF PC. As I understand it, the current enclosure manufacturers are on the cusp of releasing new console offerings that might be worth waiting for. Someone on the SFF PC discord mentioned that the cooling with the Sliger CL520 might be an issue, but that one can mod around that (I think the issue is airflow for CPU cooling - I think the GPU is okay). I also think I get that the console form factor is not very popular - a thicker case does have a lot of advantages in terms of cooling and I have seen some impressive builds over at the Optimum Tech YT channel. But I'm not (yet) convinced that the "under the seat" constraint for air travel leaves a lot of options. You're talking abut 8-9" including the bag, so a 4" case leaves you with little room for other laptops or accessories. It might still make more sense and I'll definitely try to keep an open mind. But I am looking for an alternative to a laptop - and those are all well under 2" thick (these days anyway). The last problem with this whole idea is that a good "lap dock" would make the concept near perfect for me, but not too many of those exist. Ideally I would find a really nice laptop display/keyboard combination and build a lap dock from that. But this is no simple problem to solve. It does make me wonder about either the "eGPU" solution or seeing if there is a way to use a laptop as a lap dock without modification - this would be asking a lot from a remote desktop application especially at high frame rates. Lastly I have to play the devil's advocate about these expensive "gaming" BGA laptops smartphones. I think some people buy these with there eyes open. That is, I know of at least one person who spent the huge dollars on a Razer "3080" system, but they knew perfectly well that performance was around a desktop 3060 TI or such. I mean if you have the extra cash and you want a beautiful thin laptop with a nice keyboard and display that might not burn the skin off your thighs, then okay. It's a luxury item like buying the very latest and largest gen smartphone with max memory. I can't quite bring myself around to this. An easy way to mod old laptops into lap docks would be really cool, but I think it is generally a hard problem. There are mods out there for getting HDMI working with the monitor and USB working with the keyboard, but I get the feeling that building a circuit that would put both of those on Thunerbolt or usb-C is not easy.
  9. FredSRichardson
    @StripeySnake That's some amazing progress! I forgot that you put liquid cooling in there - that is pretty awesome (and I think very courageous) for a travel build. I've been shying away from the idea of liquid cooling for a travel system.
  10. FredSRichardson
    I think there are really three baselines to compare the Janktop effort to when you're considering mobile gaming options: 1. Expensive gaming laptop. I mean these can be nice, but they can also be really disappointing if you don't have clear eyes on what your getting for the money and if your wallet isn't big. So the main problem I have with buying say a Razor with a "3080" in it, is that it is really a potentially hot laptop with desktop 3060 performance at 2-3 times the price and like almost all laptops the whole thing is not user serviceable. Having said that, these have really nice screens and keyboards and look beautiful, so if really depends on ones budget (which can mean annual budget BTW). 2. Commercial "console" SFF: there are thin SFFPC enclosures available like the Sliger CL520 (and several others - some like the s4mini are not currently available as newer reversions are due to come out). They don't get much thinner than say 2.7". The s4mini can't accommodate much more than a 3060, but there is a YouTube video of someone putting a 3080 into the Sliber CL520. CPU cooling in that case is an issue tough. With this option you have to figure out what you're going to do for a keyboard and monitor - portable versions of those do exist but they add to the amount you have to travel with - I think maybe the monitor and keyboard options are what makes the conventional console SFF path to travel gaming a bit tricky to navigate. 3. Discrete GPU. I haven't explored this very much, but you can also buy a more affordable gaming laptop and carry around a discrete GPU in it's own box. Potentially this box could go in your checked luggage - I think... The discrete GPU plugs into the laptop's USB-C port. I have no idea how well this works, and I have been thinking about exploring it just to cover all the bases.
  11. FredSRichardson
    @hfm - that's a great question. I've been looking at portable monitors on Amazon and some of those look pretty good. There are also some nice compact travel keyboards. I kind of have to size everything out to make sure it will fit which I think it will (possibly with a new backpack). I'm not in a huge rush with this - my old 2015 gaming laptop is going pretty strong (actually I think even my old 2013 Ultrabook is still working pretty well), but I'm thinking this might come together in the Fall some time.
  12. FredSRichardson
    I did a "completionist" play through on normal which I think was a mistake - it became really tedious. Now I'm a bit over-leveled on next level of difficulty with pretty weak gear and it's a bit of a slog. I found the guides over on https://www.almarsguides.com/ really helpful and I'll have to learn a bit more about farming I think to make this more interesting. I did have to shell out for an expansion to access higher skill levels which I have mixed feelings about...
  13. FredSRichardson
    I love seeing schematics and this one doesn't disappoint! Really nice work! It is amazing to me that it's even possible to make a custom case using a 3D printer (and other components where needed). Just a very cool direction for things to be going in on the SFFPC front!
  14. FredSRichardson
    @StripeySnake - Yes, to be clear I'm definitely not advocating in favor of the eblaztr. I think the really cool thing is that you solved a problem given a certain set of constraints using a custom built case. No small achievement IMO. The eblaztr is definitely too big for anything I would be interested in even with optimal cooling. In general though I think the diverse set of SFF possibilities is awesome especially with the emerging custom builds like your Janktop! 😀 I'm considering a build that is way less ambitious than what you've been doing, but the number of "off-the-shelf" options for building a portable SFF is really amazing and IMO a very encouraging sign for people like me looking for alternatives to an expensive "gaming laptop".
  15. FredSRichardson
    @StripeySnake - great work fielding the bombardment of questions. That's one clear sign of a very success prototype - you get a ton of deep probing questions with all kinds of suggestions on what to do next 🤣 Not always welcome when you deep in to thing trying to keep a little airflow to your lungs! Outstanding work either way in my opinion - anyone drinking a tall latte while working on that awesome beast gets what they deserve! I know a lot of SFF builds are vertical instead of lying flat - that might have a little more "spill" tolerance (harder to aim a latte directly down the throat of the case), but it would mean putting the screen on a vertically standing unit (similar to the ginormous eblaztr https://eblaztr.com/) and I know that is totally not what you're going for here.
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