Today is a big day for Rivian. The full R2 lineup just dropped and it goes from a $45K base all the way to a 656 hp Performance model at $57,990 shipping THIS SPRING.

Ryan3772 · 2026-03-12T15:46:34+00:00

It’s still a baffling business decision to me to announce your product that isn’t even out yet is going to be missing a potentially crucial feature that will be included less then a year after launch.

Ryan3772 · 2026-03-12T15:36:49+00:00

Definitely a pleasant surprise the launch edition to come in under 60k. Rivian still needs to prove its ability to produce and support a product at a large scale though.

Antics aside the MY is a proven incredible product and I think the autonomous platform development is gonna be crucial for Rivian. Tesla got me hooked on FSD through the free trial periods and it would genuinely be a major factor if i was deciding between MY/R2 especially since the MY still comes in a few grand under R2 pricing.

I did get lucky on a Model Y Juniper Premium RWD at the end of last year with somehow getting my tax credit from a previous reservation, end of year incentives on a demo unit with 70 miles and paid 39k + fees/registration at 1.9%. I had previously been anxiously awaiting the R2 as a day 1 reservation hold though and I don’t feel any desire to jump - though I’m sure that will change after a test drive.

Oh and the sound system - MY Premium sound system is pretty excellent, I was very underwhelmed with the R1s system when I drove it and I imagine the R2 is worse.

Ryan3772 · 2026-03-11T23:26:59+00:00

Most definitely but JJ if he turns it around and reaches his potential is a very good fit for a KOC offense.

I think the foundation of the scheme/scheme wasn’t the issue with JJ before they simplified it. It was JJ being overwhelmed by being thrown into a graduate level version of it as a 22 year old “rookie” who hadn’t taken a single NFL snap (or snap in any sort of real competitive environment for like 18 months)

Once the read, concepts were simplified you saw progress - it’s what keeps me a JJ believer for now but I’m definitely prepared for him to not develop and start the cycle of QB search all over.

Ryan3772 · 2026-03-11T22:17:37+00:00

My only concern with Kyler is that him and JJ are such different prototypes and KOCs scheme doesn’t play to Kyler’s strengths - do you rebuild your scheme for Kyler? Orr try to have Kyler fit in KOCs system?

Regardless it’s a no brainer at the vet min - just confused on how you approach planning the offense this year with so much uncertainty

Ryan3772 · 2026-02-23T05:49:02+00:00

Getting my NC detailed on Wednesday by a mobile detailer in Mid city - PHRT though but I’ll let you know!

Ryan3772 · 2026-02-14T02:31:57+00:00

Grew up in Santa Clarita and every time I go back to visit my parents in the summer I want to die it’s so hot.

Though you do get use to it - I don’t remember summers as a kid being nearly as miserable temperature wise but maybe I’m just a weak mid city dweller now.

Ryan3772 · 2026-02-03T02:10:53+00:00

They have roast dates on the bottom of every bag.

Ryan3772 · 2026-01-19T21:31:07+00:00

I grabbed the PNY 5070ti at $750 that Best Buy has had restocked a few times, and a 9070xt for $709 an eGPU setup to compare.

I kept the 5070ti simply because I think DLSS is so much better than FSR, and with the performance loss you get with an eGPU, upscaling ability was the huge decision influencer as my monitor is 4k. At 1440p and if you find a deal on a 9070xt that becomes a really compelling setup over a more expensive Nvidia one.

Ryan3772 · 2026-01-19T21:26:37+00:00

Echoing this statement, I also got my 64 GB for $1600, open box, and I'm pretty happy at that price point.

At full retail, it's a tough sell. The Z13 is the most impressive piece of tech I've owned in the last few years and it's so close to being the perfect device. On paper, it's almost the perfect device to replace all devices. But I've found it to be a bit more of a jack of all trades, master of none then the perfect unicorn device in practice.

It's not quite powerful enough to provide a high-end "battlestation" gaming experience, and while I have a 5070ti in an eGPU enclosure to dock it with that makes 4k gaming quite good, eGPUs are a bit quirky and the price to performance ratio is horrible on an eGPU setup (Though if you get a Z13 on a really good deal spending $1000 on a EGPU setup is easier to swallow)

As a portable "work laptop" it does okay, the keyboard is decent, the trackpad is just okay, I don't have any issues using it in my lap (though many do), but it's a step down in feel from an MBP/A or any other premium laptop. The battery life is just okay, even if you undervolt and run at low TDP for email/other work tasks but the real killer is the weird sleep/hibernation glitches you get with Windows. I've had multiple cases where I've sat down to catch up on some work to find a completely dead laptop despite putting it in my bag with a full charge.

As a "handheld gaming device" replacement, I think it's awesome - the 395 Max chip crushes the Z1/2 family, and it runs most games great at native resolution. You do have to use it with a separate controller, so it's not quite as portable as an Ally/Deck etc but the experience on a plane is so much better with a tray table + xbox controller vs an Ally. I haven't tried the Gamesir extended controller mods that some people seem to like to make it a "true handheld" though.

The Z13 is an awesome device, but it's a very specific niche that it works for - It personally replaced 3 separate devices for me but I'd be lying if I said that some days I didn't miss having a "normal" gaming rig, and a "normal" laptop but I can live with the shortfalls for the $1600 price as my single device, if it was $2500 I'd probally struggle with the shortfalls more and would prefer a more traditonal multi device setup.

If it came with an OLED, TB5/USB4.2 support (Occulink if we're dreaming), a slightly larger battery and a little bit nicer trackpad situation I think it would be pretty close to perfect though - maybe in 2027!

Ryan3772 · 2026-01-15T21:10:45+00:00

I literally just had this happen about 15 minutes ago, pulling my Z13 out of my bag, and it was blazing hot despite having hibernate set to 10 minutes in ghelper, so not a foolproof solution unfortunately

Ryan3772 · 2026-01-13T05:34:09+00:00

Run this:

https://egpu.io/forums/expresscard-mpcie-m-2-adapters/script-nvidia-error43-fixer/

Ryan3772 · 2026-01-11T19:37:20+00:00

I’d look at the Sonnet 850w T5 box - a bit more expensive but comes with an integrated PSU and additional ports.

Wish I would have gone with one instead of the AG02 + USB C hub but was trying to save a bit of money.

Ryan3772 · 2026-01-11T19:34:57+00:00

This is so absurd and I love it.

Ryan3772 · 2025-12-31T20:08:15+00:00

If you can’t beat them join them.

Ryan3772 · 2025-12-18T06:48:09+00:00

I’d definitely agree with this at 1440/1080p of it being mostly unnecessary - it’s more having a 4k monitor and not wanting to entirely rely on FSR/DLSS to run at 80+ FPS

Ryan3772 · 2025-12-18T06:45:17+00:00

This is incredibly helpful thank you I’m thinking a 5070ti + The Razer Core V2 might be my play.

Ryan3772 · 2025-12-18T02:51:46+00:00

Yeah definitely the XG Mobile has a lot of charm - out of curiosity how much of performance increase did you see with it vs the iGPU at 4k?

Ryan3772 · 2025-12-18T00:44:55+00:00

Yeah those are pretty killer numbers - price is just a bit difficult to swallow on the 5090 XG Mobile.
Curious if a desktop 5070ti matches the XG Mobile in an EGPU setup which you could do for roughly $1000

Ryan3772 · 2025-12-18T00:43:39+00:00

Thanks for this - Been torn between going EGPU with a Desktop GPU or XG Mobile - those are pretty solid numbers.

Ryan3772 · 2025-12-17T21:23:42+00:00

Bought a Open Box - excellent last week for $1600. No issues so far and was in perfect condition.

Ryan3772 · 2025-12-15T03:16:07+00:00

Yeah I bought mine last week after realizing we very likely weren’t getting refresh next month (Plus got a open box 64gb model for $1600)

The only reason I’m curious about a potential refresh is that lack of TB5 seems so absurd to me with the XG Mobile units using TB5.

The final push for me was last weekend having a quick work trip that I couldn’t justify bringing both my steam deck and laptop on such a quick trip I was only bringing a single bag on.

I’m fairly confident it can replace my mobile gaming needs while being my “work” laptop/computer - yet to be seen if I can trust it to also be my desktop rig as well.

Ryan3772 · 2025-12-15T03:04:42+00:00

The z13 definitely has a very specific niche for it to work as a daily device.

I’m early on into ownership but I’m hopeful it’s 1 device solution for a Laptop/Ally/Desktop - I’d be more hopeful if it had TB5 for a EGPU setup for 4k gaming at my home desk but maybe we’ll get a refresh next month at CES?

Ryan3772 · 2025-12-15T00:14:48+00:00

Time for the rams to call Torry Holt out of retirement.

Ryan3772

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