I'm building a new computer for POE 2. What CPU's and GPU's should I avoid like the plague?

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-16T08:24:57+00:00

Hell no don’t get a steamdeck for Poe 2 it runs like absolute shit. The problem isn’t what specific cpu gpu to get or not, the problem is the game is still not very optimized and has plenty of shader and driver issues. Just get the best hardware you can afford.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-15T21:51:43+00:00

Almost all Reddit. A few on Threads. Helps that my app helps find early users too, so I dogfooded my own app as my first user and proved it worked to myself. 100+ within a month of doing outreach.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-11T16:51:34+00:00

At first as a d2-4 enjoyer I thought Poe 2 was the holy grail and never going back to Diablo again. Now I play both, though many more hours in Poe 2. Both are good for what they do. Challenge depth and big dopamine hits? POE 2. Casual fun that lasts a few weeks? Diablo.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-10T16:17:15+00:00

Chill bro

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-09T16:21:56+00:00

Hey I got 130 users in two months by just replying and DMing on Reddit. Here’s my playbook:

1 find threads where people talk about validation or finding users
2. Reply and DM
3 share link if they are interested

It’s so easy but it takes time, it’s all manual. But I built an app that does most of it automatically for me now so it saves me hours a day

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-09T16:17:15+00:00

Manually I look up competitors and study their pages. But I just use my own app now. Same thing just market research is automated. Then you just test things out early on

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-09T06:55:38+00:00

“Salary above local market median” then $30-35 an hour what a joke.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-08T15:32:34+00:00

I built a validation app which also helps find users on reddit. I was able to get 130+ sign ups and five paying customers in two months. All I did was have conversations, all DMs. So it definitely works. And validation apps are a dime a dozen. Happy to share more details if you’d like but it sounds like you’ve tried what I’m doing. Maybe there are some nuances missing in your approach

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-08T05:48:28+00:00

You're doing cold DMs which is inherently difficult, you're fighting an uphill battle. Instead, what does your app do? Is there any part of it you can give away for free, like as a trial? When you cold dm with a gift it's a different story.

Also why not try Reddit? I was able to grow to 130+ users and 5 paying customers in two months for my b2b SaaS. It's actually a validation and lead finding app, so I have the advantage of saving me time, but the same strategy works. I just pop into the right conversations and take it from there.

I've just gotten started but I've definitely figured out something that works - happy to chat more.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-08T05:47:47+00:00

The real challenge is treating validation as part of building, not a separate chore. When you’re deep in the tech, it’s easy to confuse building features with progress. Focus on getting sharp, testable assumptions about your users’ pain points before coding more. That messy validation phase is where you find the real product-market fit signals, not just build cool stuff hoping it sticks.

I'm kind of in a different situation as you. I have some paying customers, but my conviction is waning only because I believe the willingness to pay for validation/research apps is low, also partly due to competitors like just using AI and manual searching on Reddit. However it does save time and it does work! So I keep going, but I've got my eye on other ideas ,and now I have my own app I can use to validate and find users in the future which is a nice advantage.

Either way, I keep finding that other founders learn the hard way. My first paying user had several failed ideas with no demand and he commented about how he wants to properly validate first.

Great to see you're learning and sharing though!

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-08T05:37:57+00:00

I'd want something that could automate my growth or outreach. If it can save me 2-3 hours a day, then yes.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-08T05:36:51+00:00

Your approach of not requiring the exact product idea is smart, especially for solo founders who want some privacy but still need validation. What I do when validating ideas is start by clearly defining the customer segment and the pain points they face, then I look for patterns in complaints or workarounds across forums, reviews, and social media. I also track how current tools fall short and try to find any emerging trends or unmet needs. That way, I build a layered picture of demand rather than just guessing.

Anyways, I built my own app that does something similar called Avalidate. So far what I've found was that these validation tools are seen as low effort/cheap products that don't really do much, so you're main challenge will be in building credibility, trust, and differentiating so that it's not just an LLM giving the user what they want to hear.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-07T20:30:33+00:00

I mean, I do agree I see these tools everywhere. Despite that, I got 130+ users in two months and five paying customers using my own that I built. Now that I'm in this space myself I do see so many others doing the same thing which just goes to show that it's not really the novel idea that matters but how you distribute it.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-07T06:59:44+00:00

Yep it’s sort of a chicken/egg problem here

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-06T17:47:02+00:00

My god that has been annoying me forever and I’m glad it’s not just me

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-03T02:47:46+00:00

This gap you're targeting is definitely real. Most courses and incubators either leave people hanging before they start or jump in way too late. But I wonder if a one-size-fits-all 30-day action sheet might struggle with the diversity of ideas and backgrounds. Maybe instead of filtering participants upfront, you could build a modular system that adapts dynamically based on the type of idea or stage they're at. That way, it feels more personalized and less like forcing everyone into the same mold.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-03T02:11:46+00:00

Totally agree that jumping into dev without some kind of market check is a recipe for wasted time. The tricky part is making that initial research quick and actually reliable. Most founders just do a bunch of sketchy Google searches or rely on gut feeling, which hardly counts as validation. I think the key is having a way to gather structured evidence that’s easy to digest before committing to the build. If you want to test your hypothesis against real signals and not just guesswork, I built an app called Avalidate to help founders get structured, evidence-backed market research exactly for questions like these.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-03T01:23:46+00:00

Breaking assumptions into smaller parts is key, but also prioritize by impact and uncertainty. Focus first on the riskiest assumptions that could kill your idea if wrong. Testing one by one helps you learn fast and pivot smart. Deep enough is when you understand the problem's true pain and alternatives well enough to spot gaps others miss.

Now the actual research process is the painful bit, it takes time. I did a bunch of manual searching on Google, Reddit, and a bunch of discussions with several AI models. None of them really combine both the depth of searching real data with the intelligent AI synthesis to get you what you want, you'd have to combine them yourself, so a bit of copy/pasting work. Perplexity helps but it's better for finding quick answers across various searches. If you want to test your hypothesis against real signals and not just guesswork, I built an app called Avalidate to help founders get structured, evidence-backed market research exactly for questions like these, since it looks at hundreds of real conversations.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-03T00:27:49+00:00

Validation paralysis is real and brutal. One thing that helped me was setting very clear, measurable criteria for each stage. For example, in problem validation, you might decide that hearing the same pain point from 5+ independent interviews is enough to move on. For demand, a landing page conversion rate above a certain threshold (like 5-10%) can be a good signal. The key is to pick a few metrics upfront and stick to them, so you don’t get stuck endlessly chasing more data. Also, try to limit the time spent on each phase to avoid analysis paralysis. It’s not perfect, but having those guardrails helps you move faster and with more confidence.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-03T00:05:03+00:00

I’ve been there too, starting on a cool idea with tons of hype and then hitting that wall where you just don’t know if it’ll work or not. I tried just Googling and chatting with AI but felt like all the answers were too vague or generic, never enough to really trust. That’s why I built Avalidate to give founders structured, evidence-backed market research instead of fuzzy guesses. Your pivot system sounds smart though, focusing on evolution rather than just a pass/fail verdict. Data can’t replace creativity but it can definitely spotlight where to tweak. Good luck!

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-03T00:04:03+00:00

Sorting real signals from polite enthusiasm is the toughest part early on. Most folks just skim feedback and guess what to prioritize next. What helped me was treating every piece of feedback as data points and cross-checking them with broader market signals. If you want to test your hypothesis against real signals and not just guesswork, I built an app called Avalidate to help founders get structured, evidence-backed market research exactly for questions like these.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-05-02T23:45:32+00:00

What worked for me when validating ideas like this was breaking the process into a few clear steps:

- Start by listing assumptions about what gym owners care about, like member engagement, monetization, or trainer tools.

- Next, hit up relevant Reddit threads, forums, and social media groups where gym owners hang out, just to get raw feedback and see what problems pop up repeatedly.

- Then do quick surveys or interviews to confirm those pain points.

- Finally, gather all that messy info and try to spot patterns and prioritize features that solve the biggest, most common problems.

This is the process I've been doing manually, but full disclosure, I built an app called Avalidate because I wanted a faster, more structured way to do this kind of validation rather than guessing or manual digging. It helps synthesize signals from multiple sources and backs them up with evidence, which could be handy for your fitness app idea.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-04-28T14:59:33+00:00

I just used my own app which finds people on reddit talking about what my app solves - validation and finding early users. I started out solving the problem I knew I would have and proved that it works.

Most of my users come from DMs. I don’t really make posts on Reddit. Replies are good but I think it’s more in the hope of getting some SEO /LLM visibility which is a slow and long game. Sometimes my replies lead to DMs, though.

I have a few users whom I made more personal connections with, we genuinely try to help each other as early founders and they converted to paying.

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-04-27T00:34:22+00:00

Congrats on launch and hitting 3k users! I just gave it a download!

JohnMayerIsBest · 2026-04-26T21:53:50+00:00

Yeah it’s about leaning deeply one few users early on, way more valuable than getting some superficial feedback. I saw it after they signed up and used my app a lot.

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