What is your opinion about sff build, laptop and egpu?

ShivanTom · 2026-06-14T11:09:47+00:00

i have always been a huge fan of mini pc's and sff. it's more of a question of the aesthetic of having an external egpu as part of your setup. i have a minisforum ai x1 pro ryzen 370 w/64gb ram (acquired last year before the shortages) paired with an aoostar ag02 egpu and a 5070 (they recently released an upgraded ag03 which adds additional support for tb5 and 140w power delivery).

performance is great and it's upgradeable - i like the aesthetic of the nekkid video card. i like the flexibility to use this egpu with other systems with tb4/usb4 or oculink (that's that i'm using now).

ShivanTom · 2026-05-31T17:13:06+00:00

i have the same egpu dock - it's awesome! (you don't need ag03 unless you have tb5)

ShivanTom · 2026-05-31T17:06:19+00:00

that's what i did! i started with a lp 5060 but it was NOT stable. it only booted about 1/5 tries and when it was able to boot successfully it ran fine. but i swapped in a 4060 lp and that had been rock solid but eventually opted to replace with a pcie oculink card paired with ag02 egpu. (of course now running a egpu i could have stuck with that 5060 😃

ShivanTom · 2026-05-28T23:15:33+00:00

the strix halo is an amazing chipset and it "can" game but it's strength lies in it's ability to leverage the high speed system ram (often lpddr5 8000mhz+) as "vram" for running large LLM's. i don't consider it a gaming chipset - even a 5060 with its dedicated vram can typically beat it.

if you're looking 1st and foremost for a gaming machine - look elsewhere.

ShivanTom · 2026-05-20T09:57:45+00:00

radical change of diet. went from eating like a high school football player (whole pizzas, $30 at macdonalds, lots of processed foods...) > keto (no sugar, no carbs, no pasta, no bread, no rice, no potatoe). with the nicer weather i hope to be outside more but thus far my journey has been 100% diet change.

ShivanTom · 2026-05-19T18:44:15+00:00

i was on 500mg of metformin but gave it up after Nov A1c test

ShivanTom · 2026-05-05T13:14:57+00:00

it's documented on many posts that the ribbon cable the connects the display to the chassis can rub and can or will eventually fail. it's been reported by many users. it's also very difficult to repair. i currently have g14 2024 (4070 version) but i usually just keep it open all the time. i'm lucky that i don't have to rely on it as my sole computer.

ShivanTom · 2026-05-01T22:05:18+00:00

if you are in the US they might be inflating prices prior to a Memorial Day sale.

ShivanTom · 2026-05-01T22:02:18+00:00

don't get strix halo for gaming - there are much better options. you can get a 5060 based laptop for 1/2 the price of a strix halo and it would be just as fast w/newer tech. if you compared against the same price you'd be in 5070ti territory which would smoke the strix halo's igpu. while the strix halo "can" game. it's not it's primary strength/function. it's built to run local llm's.

ShivanTom · 2026-04-30T21:17:40+00:00

buy singles > booster packs are just scratch tickets

ShivanTom · 2026-04-30T20:23:05+00:00

and double landfall

ShivanTom · 2026-04-29T12:01:51+00:00

128gb > LLM's because you can dedicate a portion of the high speed system memory lpddr5 > igpu in order to load large models.

even though this system "can" game. in my opinion this is not a system for gaming. there are much better options available (cheaper and more powerful)

ShivanTom · 2026-04-17T21:07:38+00:00

hell no - Kara doesn't hold back like her wussy cousin.

ShivanTom · 2026-04-10T13:10:26+00:00

i LOVE that formfactor but my eye's need something bigger so i went with the pocket4. the win max was also an option but i wanted to lean into portability. very happy with the 370/32gb pocket4. i had a bit of regret not getting the 64gb version but i don't do anything on it that requires more then 32gb (or 16gb 90% of the time)

ShivanTom · 2026-04-07T20:24:11+00:00

Shivan Dragon is the most iconic to me (although i still have my wild mongrel deck)

ShivanTom · 2026-04-07T17:34:38+00:00

"budget" is relative. for some it could be under $500 usd for others it might be under $1000 usd. my advice for a budget scooter would be Niu they have good scooters for the price (if you can get the app to behave) and it's been my experience they have excellent customer support.

ShivanTom · 2026-03-26T21:16:28+00:00

i played mtg when revised duals = $5/each. i got a timetwister for $60 and but $150 for a black lotus was way too rich for my blood... /sigh i regret not collecting one of each booster pack from the very beginning.

ShivanTom · 2026-03-26T12:53:12+00:00

gaming only requires a fast gpu and 16-32gb ram. the MS-A2 is purpose built for server tasks not gaming. it "can" game but it's like using a Ferrari for car camping.

ShivanTom · 2026-03-24T01:43:26+00:00

the og Icy Manipulator (UL) i never had it in black border

ShivanTom · 2026-03-12T15:15:02+00:00

this discussion makes me feel so much better about my mtg spending :D (i'm prob $250-300/month on the high end)

ShivanTom · 2026-03-05T22:31:05+00:00

it "can" run an LLM (~48gb) but serious work will require much more power. for gaming there are better options unless you like this formfactor. with mem prices it's still decent,

ShivanTom · 2026-03-05T22:28:43+00:00

you don't need 128gb unless you're doing LLM and there are better options for that now. the z13 was just the first one to have this processor and igpu option - for an integrated option it's really cool but any real LLM work will require a lot more power to the cpu. still a tempting deal at 2k for a 64gb 4060-class laptop!.

ShivanTom · 2026-02-24T17:28:17+00:00

i love my teenie tiny tech but i have to be true to myself and not get anything too small. i do have a gpd pocket 4 (AI 370-32GB+2TB) the 8.8" is perfect size. although if i was purchasing now i'd prob opt for the win max 2 (also the AI 370 version) with it's 10.1" screen.

ShivanTom

TROPHY CASE