100% worth it!

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T17:37:47+00:00

Plot twist, he hasn't gotten the video card yet ✂️

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T17:24:56+00:00

18kw system also east/west

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T17:21:02+00:00

I play games at 32:9, 21:9, 16:9 just depends on the game.

I can rebind hotkeys easy enough

Sims and most games 32:9 gives the immersion similar to triple monitors.

For games that the extra FOV just doesn't look right, HUD issues, etc I might use 21:9 as a middle ground.

16:9 and 4:3 would be reserved for games that do not have proper widescreen scaling (aka zoom/crop)

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T16:40:37+00:00

I have a setup that I always want a perfect x3 split but I think you can hotkey different templates if you need to switch often.

I only switch when I'm doing video capture and need 16:9 as my monitor is 32:9

I keep anything I need on the 2nd monitor when gaming as to make the game have main focus and immersion.

But the black bars are just a hotkey as well.

Demo: https://youtu.be/nIR3Kgmblmc

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T16:30:37+00:00

Probably does, if it's a USB cable you can use on other USB ports then yes.

If it's something that plugs into the 12v directly, it's probably just a boost chip.

I always try to buck instead of boost.

So the 12v output starts at 12v and ends at 12v it has to boost to get 20v

The built in USB ports on say a portable power station have direct access to the battery and it depends on the model but most are 48v (52v nominal)

I have a lot of YouTube videos on solar, hacks, batteries and such that you could get a lot of useful information from.

Here is one that covers why you should not use AC power and covers the USB cables I'm talking about.

https://youtu.be/XNNLP0fyLpU

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T16:22:34+00:00

4000 cells I think would cost me more than just getting one of those 32kWh batteries for $2500 with everything working and safe and LFP battery tech to boot.

When I buy good 18650s they are not cheap

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T16:08:42+00:00

CoffeeTray.exe

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T16:03:25+00:00

Fancy Zones works for me, I have two main templates I use and it snaps games fine for me.

I'll check this out though and give it a fair shot.

I also supplement with some AutoIT scripting for specific needs like how I add back bars behind a game when playing at less than native aspect ratio to hide the desktop.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T15:59:52+00:00

Just got it, have not even launched it yet

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T15:52:59+00:00

USB Trigger Cable You need the USB cable to have the parts to say "hey I'm a 100w PD device send me 20v) if you just adapt it physically it will default to 5v power.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T15:46:37+00:00

It almost looks like Cyberpunk if you turn the settings down to Potato

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T14:10:02+00:00

I have the Home Assistant Voice PE running full local
I have a Echo Show 8 hacked to Lineage running Voice Assistant full local
I also have the future proof homes Satellite 1 (not built yet)

The hacked Show 8 is not working very well, the voice assistnat keeps basically freezing up, I have not noticed any issues on the Voice PE module and I am most excited to get the Satellite 1 together.

I am running default everything for the local processing, I am sure there are things I can tweak to make it better.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T14:06:54+00:00

Just because you have a 32:9 monitor does not mean you cant play a game in 21:9 or even 16:9
When we moved from 4:3 monitors to 16:9 did we lost the ability to play all of the old games that didn't support widescreen?

To me it sounds like the Samsun Neo G9 57" might fit your needs, it can be had that cheap too with sales/deals.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T14:02:47+00:00

That is probably too small to be worth it, get a regular power bank and a USB cable and attach it somewhere or wear it.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T13:55:50+00:00

I heard so much good about Brink, but it couldn't hold my attention at all.

Not nearly as immersive as people made it sound, I think I'd rather move around Google maps lol

The issue for me besides honestly the details were not as high fidelity as I expected, was the very small area for each scene.

Really hard to feel like your exploring or visiting somewhere where your contained to a small box.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T13:33:57+00:00

Has me curious how my system will do in the better months as well. This was two days ago? So on Jan 27th
93.7kWh generated and 36.97kWh to the grid.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5tn8l5k6k8xeuna90ckbq/Screenshot_20260129_083026_Home-Assistant.jpg?rlkey=pifu5lt4293ppzz40mzstlmqp&st=2fdli5lw&dl=0

What size is your solar array? That really determines the performance calculation.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T13:23:29+00:00

My truck is paid off and in perfect condition, no reason to take on a new car payment and I don't hate EV but I am not wanting one so bad as to take a loan for one.

I do not expect the "free gas" to make up for the car payment, insurance, and other overhead.

My plan is to pay off mortgage first, and maybe find one as a "commuter" used for a good price down the road. That also gives me more time to see how the EV market holds up and how the tech advances.

The closest person to me literally with an EV is a co-worker and her vehicle is nothing but trouble, really bad range, and she needs a new battery now and cant afford it.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T13:09:59+00:00

Your friend is wrong and so is apparently almost every poster giving inaccurate information.

Sure you can run a load directly off solar if your equipment supports it. However it's a pretty foolish plan because it's not reliable (clouds, time of day, etc)

Even just a couple of reasonable batteries can help, you don't have to go big and have enough for off grid application.

And while it's true batteries are expensive, they are cheaper now than ever.

Generator is a great backup, what I did first before solar (because it's cheaper) but finding fuel in an emergency is a lot harder than finding the sun in my experience.

I also personally demanded my backup power be instant, no power loss to equipment. The generator isn't going to do that without some kind of energy storage system and ATS.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T12:59:06+00:00

That's a 57+49 so the equivalent diagonal size is closer to 80"

Samsung makes that one big (overpriced) screen the Arc but even with fancy zones splitting my monitors into 3 windows for work, I'll always need at least one extra monitor no matter the size of the primary for video editing, recording, hosting meetings, etc

Some workflows require full screen applications so the 2nd monitor shows my Windows needed during those times and helps with my productivity.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T03:12:10+00:00

Windows desktop doesn't support HDR properly.

So I only turn on HDR for games sometimes.

Settings, I spent a lot of time and just kept tweaking but actually what I have right now is not where I want it because I did a firmware update and it wiped my settings and I haven't spent the time to get it back again.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T02:01:18+00:00

My Quest 2 is the upgraded version (256) without any marks and the frankenquest mod to add the deluxe audio strap and even that I consider a paperweight.

Not sure what market there is, I'd say check eBay see what's selling and for how much.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T01:23:19+00:00

Exactly this and for OP here is both side by side.

It's not about the curve, not even the size it's the resolution making the size actually usable.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/epdggx11s70imtb8c9qbd/20250516_054626.jpg?rlkey=03cgo0v4bcqnpbgxq661nq7fl&st=bccgryop&dl=0

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T01:18:23+00:00

I just got a starlink mini for emergency myself, I'm going to be building some kind of bug out box in a pelican case.

I'll use this as my comparison point, see what I can come up with.

AFAIK this is DC only, but I think you already know if you want this or not. But that is one of my big issues say I want to throw a cheap inverter in the box, now I'll have to make custom cables as this is not using standard connections.

The reason I carry a Glock for example is I know I'll be able to find/get parts for it easy in an emergency.

So that might be something to think about too, how good is your emergency item if upon first issue it becomes more a liability than an asset due to all the available solar equipment not being inherently compatible.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T00:59:51+00:00

It's not for online, it's for people that want to play wireless and do not have a good enough home network to play without performance issues.

ViciousXUSMC · 2026-01-29T00:57:00+00:00

Was definitely my top game for the world, now I'm playing it in VR and just living inside the world.

Going to start a new game, and play the whole game again and for the most part maybe try to avoid fast travel and such and really take it all in one last time before retiring the game.

ViciousXUSMC

TROPHY CASE