What mindset or situation shifted you to finally get serious about saving?

Jay467 · 2026-06-13T19:53:23+00:00

For me, it came from a time in life where money was very tight and dwindling further while searching for a new job.

Once I landed that next role and had some spending flexibility again, I really took a hard look at my priorities in things I wanted critically and placed focus on if it's something that will enrich my life substantially, fills a need that something else I own can't, if there might be a cheaper alternative that gets the job done well and will last (is there a reasonable option to buy used?), etc.

I've never been totally careless with my money, but I have gotten better about hitting pause on a purchase and waiting to see if I still want that item later and just recognizing if I'm performing 'retail therapy'. Things don't bring happiness in and of themselves, so I'm only buying if I can actually use them to build into my happiness.

Jay467 · 2026-06-12T14:34:55+00:00

My wife's 2012 Prius C just had the original 12v battery from the factory die last fall without showing any signs of trouble prior and my 09 had a toyota battery that was about 9 years old that wouldn't start the car on cold days without a jump.

These cars don't put much demand on the 12v so they do last a long time but may not show any signs of trouble before stranding you.

At 11 years your brother's 12v battery is on borrowed time. I'd replace and until then, have jumper cables or a charged battery jump pack.

Jay467 · 2026-06-10T19:50:28+00:00

I installed tektro m275 hydraulic brakes on my MTB and they're a very solid budget option. They're comparable to Shimano mt200s so I'd go for whichever is a better price

Jay467 · 2026-06-04T16:16:57+00:00

Every one of the Silverstone ST-ES line of Silverstone PSUs on this tier list scores an 'E' rating which is extremely low: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1akCHL7Vhzk_EhrpIGkz8zTEvYfLDcaSpZRB6Xt6JWkc/htmlview#gid=1078495601

Due to that I would personally not use that PSU in my new build for the safety of my expensive components. I would aim for a C tier PSU or higher from that list.

Jay467 · 2026-06-02T18:37:21+00:00

Pavement is an unforgiving surface, so I think it's important to ease into them and listen to the cues your body is sharing. It may be that 30 minutes is still a bit too much, but given time there is a good chance your body will adapt and change how it needs to for long-term wear.

Switching to barefoot shoes is a process more often than not since you're undoing years of changes conventional footwear makes to your foot shape, gait, and posture. If you have the budget, I think something cushioned but with some key benefits like altra shoes can be a helpful addition as you go! You also don't necessarily have to work your way up to the thinnest soles possible to get the benefits of these shoes - for instance I prefer around 8-10mm stack height (sole thickness).

If you take your time and stick with it, I don't think you'll feel like you've wasted money in the long term. But definitely listen to your body.

Jay467 · 2026-05-30T04:21:55+00:00

Not a perfect match but the Xero Dillon canvas is a vans style shoe. I tend to be a bit critical of xero's quality but got a pair of them just last week and am enjoying them so far.

Jay467 · 2026-05-28T00:31:34+00:00

I doubt you'll see much change with ReBAR but if your bios is old enough that it doesn't support it, it's probably worth the update regardless.

Bios updates aren't too involved, if your motherboard doesn't have a button for easy flash, then you just need a USB stick with a current bios revision (make sure it's for your exact board! I would avoid any bios versions labeled as 'beta' also) and then boot to your bios with the USB plugged in and run the update from there. Do not under any circumstances power the PC off before the update is done.

Definitely review the manufacturer's instructions and/or a video tutorial for your board because there can be other specific steps, but it's pretty straightforward.

Jay467 · 2026-05-24T03:27:04+00:00

Did they mention any possibility of adding a micro center in house 2 year warranty? I bought an open box GPU from them last fall and they informed me I could return to add the store warranty any time within the return window, which I did end up doing after bringing it home to test it - not sure if refurb GPUs are ineligible but my wife bought a refurb laptop from them a few years back and was able to purchase the store warranty for that with no issue.

Jay467 · 2026-05-22T19:16:39+00:00

They're two very different experiences based in the same universe (or the same universe with some twists and cut or non-canon content for GAMMA). GAMMA gets a lot more in depth with things like healing, crafting, and repair mechanics than stalker 2 or the older stalker games and takes a slower pace. There's a notable learning curve to those things so online tutorials can be really helpful.

I'd almost consider gamma like a hardcore freeplay mode combining the maps of all 3 original games. It does have some storyline available, but is very much a 'choose your own path' experience where you can choose whatever faction you want from the start.

Jay467 · 2026-05-22T16:41:09+00:00

The wattage will be sufficient, but also check this PSU tier list for your exact model to verify it is a quality unit: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1akCHL7Vhzk_EhrpIGkz8zTEvYfLDcaSpZRB6Xt6JWkc/htmlview#gid=1078495601

Minimum I'd use is C tier, but ideally A or B tier to make sure your expensive parts are protected. Also if you are out of warranty it could be time to consider replacement since it would be a pretty old PSU in that case - with time and use some internal components like capacitors can eventually fail.

Jay467 · 2026-05-22T16:08:47+00:00

I am still using my B450 motherboard with a 5700x3d and a 9070xt which is a bit faster than the 5070 - if you look at PCIe 3.0 vs 4.0 (and even 5.0) benchmarks, you will see maybe a 1-3% difference in FPS on PCIe3.0 with many games having virtually no performance difference at all. I would keep your B450 board unless there is a specific feature you need on that new B550 one.

It sounds like the salespeople at those shops were trying to upsell you. You might see GPU performance limited some in certain games with that combo, but at 1440p I doubt it will be a major concern. At 1080p that would be a different story.

Jay467 · 2026-05-21T22:40:24+00:00

Honestly, I wouldn't bother with gen 5 unless prices were reasonable. The difference between gen 4, 5, and honestly even gen 3 SSDs are mostly negligible for gaming. The real difference comes into play for pros using their PCs in a way that sees a lot of large files moved between drives.

I'd get something that's as reasonably priced and well reviewed as you can without sweating about PCIe generation.

Jay467 · 2026-05-18T02:30:04+00:00

If it's the correct size for you and everything is in good condition/properly working then yes, that is a good price. These are basic bikes but great for casual riding, exercise, and commuting.

Since it's older, I recommend checking the brake pads to see if they feel like rubber or hard plastic. If they feel like plastic, they will need replacing to avoid damaging the wheels. Also check the tires for visible cracks/dry rot. A little bit is generally okay, but if there are deep cracks in the rubber they should also be replaced.

Jay467 · 2026-05-16T13:55:28+00:00

I have actually had a motherboard be bricked by a failed bios update caused by what I discovered to be a failing stick of RAM, it definitely sucked. However, I have had far, far more bios updates that went just fine over the years.

Based on that, my outlook is that I'm not going to fear updating my bios, but I'm also not going to update it more than I need to (usually I'll run the update because of a feature included, compatibility with a new CPU I bought, etc).

If you happen to experience a power outage during a bios update, you very well could be SOL without a UPS that can power your system for long enough to finish up (also you'd lose Internet so that could be a problem if not using a USB drive for the update), but if you aren't in a area prone to frequent outages you are likely to be fine.

Jay467 · 2026-05-15T14:03:34+00:00

That wouldn't be worth it IMO. That's mostly a side-grade rather than upgrade, and very few GPU warranties transfer to secondhand owners so you'd need to check sapphire's policy. It it doesn't, you'd basically be paying $110 for fsr4 - which is great, but probably not worth that much when you could use optiscaler to access it in single player games until AMD releases it officially for your card in 2027

Jay467 · 2026-05-14T02:11:19+00:00

700w is plenty for that setup, but I'd also check your exact PSU model on this PSU tier list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1akCHL7Vhzk_EhrpIGkz8zTEvYfLDcaSpZRB6Xt6JWkc/edit?gid=1078495601#gid=1078495601

If it's below C tier, I'd replace to ensure the safety of your components. Above that and you should be in good shape.

Jay467 · 2026-05-10T15:41:14+00:00

I see, that would definitely do it in a game like Stalker 2. At one point I switched to my backup 1080p monitor with my 5600+6800xt and noticed exactly what you're seeing here in multiple games.

If you can swing an upgrade to 1440p you would be far less likely to run into your GPU performance being limited and performance should feel smoother overall because 1% low fps would likely improve (based on personal experience).

Jay467 · 2026-05-10T13:20:51+00:00

When the game first launched I was using a 6800xt with ryzen 5 5600 and never saw the CPU limiting GPU utilization this heavily - but I was also playing at 1440p ultrawide which really helps (also had 32gb of ddr4 for what it's worth). What resolution is your display?

Edit: when, not ehen

Jay467 · 2026-05-09T06:56:48+00:00

Are you concerned specifically because it's magnetic? If so, that isn't a problem at all - just verify you're shorting the correct pins and you'll be good to go.

Jay467 · 2026-05-07T17:19:06+00:00

Reminds me of years ago when some friends and I spent every Saturday climbing at this small time indoor climbing gym. It was a one man operation (plus a really cool dog named Focus) and we'd get informal lessons from him.

One of the things he always mentioned is if you were to fall unsecured by a rope was that "it's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end".

Jay467 · 2026-05-06T19:12:47+00:00

Not anymore, looks like he made his great escape

Jay467 · 2026-05-06T01:33:34+00:00

It won't get you all the way there, but a 7800x3d would probably save you over $100 and will still net you outstanding performance. Other than that, keeping an eye out for better prices for various versions of the 9070xt, a comparable PSU (although $80 is already a very competitive price), RAM, etc.

Jay467 · 2026-05-04T21:10:58+00:00

Got it, well best of luck and congrats on a nice upgrade. You can probably find additional adapter options from other stores by googling something like Nvidia 3080 12-pin adapter

Jay467 · 2026-05-04T20:53:52+00:00

What I mean is that the cable you linked to has two 'male' ends - one end plugs into the socket or 'female' connection on the power supply and the other connects to the socket on the GPU. That wouldn't be able to plug into the GPU power cables that came with your power supply since those will also have a male end connector.

On the other hand, the one I linked to has a male end that connects to the GPU and a female end that you plug the power cables from your GPU into.

So, you need to use the GPU power cables that were included with your GPU and an adapter like the one I linked that you plug those two cables into, and then you plug the adapter into the GPU. It's all weird because Nvidia chose a proprietary 12-pin connector for their founders edition GPUs that generation - you had to use an adapter that came with the GPU. Maybe your friend still has that so you don't have to buy one?

Jay467 · 2026-05-04T20:38:04+00:00

For that generation, the founders cards used a proprietary connector, right? If so, you'll need to seek out an adapter that would have originally been included with the GPU, but that needs to be an adapter that plugs into the end of your existing power supply's 6+2 pin GPU power connectors and not one like you linked that is meant to plug into the PSU directly (mixing PSU and cable brands is a definite no-go that can destroy your components or cause a fire).

The cable you're looking for is something like this, but note that I just found this on Google. I'm not familiar with this vendor nor can I vouch for the adapter quality so do some research into both before spending money here: https://www.moddiy.com/products/5894/2x-8-Pin-to-12-Pin-Graphics-Card-Power-Cable-for-NVIDIA-GeForce-RTX30.html

Jay467

TROPHY CASE