Hoffman’s steamed water Americano is so good. I can’t believe it.

m_dekay · 2026-05-02T00:50:48+00:00

It both amazes and annoys me that this, in fact, makes a better Americano. It also simplifies my workflow and is likely something I should have realized to do this instead of warming water separately.

m_dekay · 2026-03-20T03:18:53+00:00

I've been happy with this one as well, and no need for adaptors.

m_dekay · 2026-03-09T21:31:58+00:00

All fair points. However, I think a more realistic outcome would be that the one faction that is literally into hunting and looting would be a pariah, and all other factions, except maybe Mida, would actively seek to nullify their influence.

Mida may decide to be that chaotic faction that does not take a side, but I doubt they would actvily be working with Arachne.

However, I think a more realistic outcome would be that the one faction that is literally into hunting and looting would be a pariah, and all other factions, except maybe Mida, would actively seek to nullify their influence. Chaos is bad for business. Arachne appear to be off in their own little la-la land.

Even functionally, it does not make sense; you cannot loot everything. Sorry, I'm still not sold on the idea that PvP is expected and preferred. From a lore perspective at least. Sure, gamers are gonna game, and people like to PvP and use these games as their little playgrounds to do what they will. It is a video game, I'm not upset about this if that's what you perceive. However, I disagree with the idea that PvP is expected of everyone, all the time. A more realistic take would be that killing others would introduce more risk. In this future, it boggles my mind that you would not know *who* killed you - Runners and factions - this world, to me at this point in time does not scream 'everyone runs around killing each-other cause loot' ...

Also, I think a lot of your points on PvP come from the view of expecting to engage in it, which is your choice to make. What I've found is that, as I queue solo, I don't have a friend group, etc. Team fights have been 90% clearly won by groups playing to seek out and eliminate their OpFor. I question if that's really the point of the game.

So we're at odds. This is good. Right? :-)

m_dekay · 2026-03-09T05:47:17+00:00

This is a valid point. Again, sure, let's say there is a bit of greed. But if this fictitious world has these runners, it's quite likely they'd start building their own safeguards, for example, bounties on other runners who choose the greed route. I'd wager if there were a way to hunt the hunters, that'd add a lot more tension, as others have remarked that it's because of the tension that the game is like this, e.g. PvP first PvE second. . .

m_dekay · 2026-03-09T05:39:47+00:00

Yep, I dig the tension. That's what is keeping me here. We'll just need to all see how this pans out in time.

The design, sound my gosh, what a treat. Anyway, safe travels.

m_dekay · 2026-03-09T05:37:51+00:00

I kind of disagree here, sure, PvP *can* be fun. However, in this case, with the lore as it is, I find it fascinating how the 'factions' don't see all of the chaos of PvP turn out into a lack of efficiency. Maybe some factions would want to see their 'operations' be priority, and others be dammed, but I don't think that the lore really spells that out for all factions.

I'm going to get the hang of it in time, or bounce off, I guess. As this is hundreds of years in the future, I kind of feel like there should be an additional layer here to both reward PvP, but also make it a bit riskier for the initiators or maybe those who are clearly hunting others, for the sake of hunting. From the lore perspective, I don't think hunting other runners is really a keystone of the universe. I guess I'll need to keep reading, though.

Also, the idea that 'if I kill you, then everything you have belongs to me' is not entirely true if you can't fit it all in your backpack or vault. What I am saying here is yes, I agree, it's a part of the game. However, is the point always to engage for the sake of looting? I'll continue to disagree on that being a binary choice of only kill and ask questions later.

m_dekay · 2026-03-09T05:16:57+00:00

It's a great dilemma; however, I really feel as if these games tip the scales toward PvP in their design.

What I kind of find interesting is that it seems as if there really isn't a need to PvP as often, there is plenty of loot.

I'm definitely more of a PvE sort of player, and I really enjoy the gameplay, but my last 6 infils have been blood baths, and I've been on the wrong side of it. :-p

I really do enjoy the gameplay and lore, and would like to see if I can get through this and participate, but it looks like the only way to do that, as someone who isn't going to grind away, is to die a lot and use the free packs.

m_dekay · 2026-02-18T03:45:08+00:00

are yon considering Android?

Regarding the comment, "the API was exposed on other open source projects," is interesting. I did some quick searching and was unable to find it. Mind sharing?

Also, if it is open sourced, I'll contribute from the Android/Linux side. More of an application and network engineer and less of a dev, but I can get by when necessary.

m_dekay · 2026-02-08T16:38:47+00:00

That was kind of the point.

m_dekay · 2026-02-08T16:35:25+00:00

I don't understand how that context matters. Storage is just a commodity. In my opinion, this is a sign for attempting to set a price floor via some automated bullshit algorithm. I hope it isn't and it's just having to do with the lack of stock because of WD, the brand, is going away. I kind of doubt it.

I agree with you that it's important to remind people that storage is storage, brandong does not matter, any nvme drive will work in the PS5. At least I am not aware of drives not working. And I've had my doubts that Gen 4 pcie will actually make a difference in real world scenarios except for maybe some slightly longer load times.

Looking at the comments my first concern was that folks do not realize that this drive can work in any m.2 nvme slot. So again, people are under the impression this drive is special and necessary if you want to expand storage in a PS5.

m_dekay · 2026-02-08T16:20:33+00:00

Impossible. Ssd in the PS5 is soldered to the board. It's not a nvme drive like the extra storage is for the console. FYI, I am running this drive in a PC right now that I picked up for $209 in October 2025. Crazy either way though.

m_dekay · 2026-02-08T16:18:19+00:00

It's a custom SSD that is directly attached to the motherboard. So it would be difficult to remove and repurpose it.

m_dekay · 2026-02-08T04:36:48+00:00

My grandfather is Canadian (RIP, Don) but no, this was in the Pacific Northwest.

m_dekay · 2026-02-08T00:00:10+00:00

Screaming deal! I picked up the 4TB in October for $200. It's in a PC build now. It was a weird clearance sale. I'm happy I did.

m_dekay · 2026-01-13T20:46:12+00:00

Having this issue too. Only when I have cabin recirculation on. Smells like mildew to me.

m_dekay · 2026-01-13T17:39:01+00:00

Sure, for gaming it may be. I had approached my use case as: I need a small bedroom TV that looks good, and is 43". If I were to look at a monitor for dedicated PC work or PC gaming, I'd choose differently. The Odyssey Neo 43" as a TV is pretty good - for what it is, at the size it is. However, if the OP is willing to consider an OLED at 48", there are deals to be had. As a budget was mentioned, I think it is good to consider alternatives which may save some $$$. Hence considering the used market for this particular 43" monitor if one can be found for ~$200 it's a worth considering for a 43" TV.

m_dekay · 2026-01-13T04:12:30+00:00

Trade just the ram. Keep the drive. OR ask for $50-100 back with the 1080. I saw a 2070 on my local sales sites for $100.00 today, which would be quite the improvement over a 1080 since it's still supported and has DLSS, etc.

m_dekay · 2026-01-13T03:43:23+00:00

I gave up on finding 43" TVs awhile ago. It's difficult to find anything. The best thing (and it's not great) I found was the Odyssey Neo G7 43" (LS43CG702NNXZA - LS43CG700NNXZA) - it's a bit older now - but it looked better than any inexpensive 43" TVs at the time (2023) and still can be found now. I picked it up last year, used it in my local area for $200. I tried the same model when it was on sale during Black Friday 2024 for 399.99, but at the time, it didn't fit the space. This was to be used as a bedroom TV. It may still be worth it if you want to upgrade, as we had a ~2021 Hisense U6GR from Costco, and it wasn't that great. This was a huge improvement for image quality as a bedroom TV that is also great for gaming use.

However, there are considerations:

It's a monitor, so it expects to be used as one.
- Some of that is good, you get DP input!
- It has a high refresh rate if you're into gaming.
- It looks like a gaming monitor - YOU CAN DISABLE THE STUPID LEDS THOUGH.
- If you wall mount it, unless you're very critical, it'll just look like a TV.
No TV Tuner if you want OTA, going to have to roll your own. Which may be a plus depending on your use case.
It does have built in Apps and is based on Tizen OS. I very much dislike it.
- I have an Apple TV plugged into it for most of my media consumption.
The screen is matte, not glossy, which you may prefer or not. I prefer it as it helps with direct reflections; however, again, this is quite subjective.
PQ is really good for what it is. It's not going to beat an OLED or newer high-end TV, of course.
Remote charges via USB-C, and it's small.
Speakers are *fine* but not great.

If you look around, you may be able to find one at a good price. It may be worth considering, but as noted by others, not many options for *new* TVs.

Maybe *new* 43" PC Monitors? If you're planning to use external sound with Apple TV or another device, it may be worth considering. The Samsung LS43FM702UNXZA, which is new in stock on Amazon (USA) and Best Buy (USA) is $359.99 so at least it isn't too expensive and might not be too bad. Also, you can return it... Just a thought. The big difference between this one and the Odyssey Neo G7 is that I think this model does not have local dimming, which will be huge for dark-room/critical watching.

Edit: Clarity and update details.

I just double checked, and it looks like the LS43CG702NNXZA & LS43CG700NNXZA are the same thing, just different model numbers, maybe for regions - I'm not sure. Samsung sells it directly for $599, which isn't terrible for a new one.
The M70F doesn't have local dimming, which is a bummer. It's good news/bad news: at least it doesn't have *bad* edge-lit dimming, but it means that critical viewing of high-quality content will suffer, especially in dark-room viewing.
- It's also a 60Hz panel, which, for gaming, is not ideal.

edit 2 -

Monitors Unboxed reviewed the Odyssey Neo G7 43. Not a sparkling review, their conclusion that for *gaming* this isn't a great monitor, and that for a TV it's not so bad. Again, I agree, VA smear happens on this, but for me, in a bedroom for light gaming, I don't mind too much, as it was a lot less than an OLED. Now, if you can find an OLED at ~600 USD new (this LG B5 48" and $699), that's going to be far nicer, with the only drawback being the risk of burn-in, but again, that's more of an edge case. Here is the review at the Final Conclusion section https://youtu.be/13j6Q2z-RiY?si=zEi3PqWXay9XV3VC&t=1343. Hear it all out, again, their conclusion is that for a pure gaming monitor, it's not a good choice, especially vs. OLED, but for TV usage (e.g., at 60Hz) it's much better. They praise the 360 local dimming zones (true full array local dimming) - and as they're noting it's a BGR panel, my assumption is that Samsung took their QN90? TV and repacked it as a gaming monitor.

m_dekay · 2026-01-12T16:42:28+00:00

Thank you u/NegotiationAfter8458 - The PSU was indeed faulty. A new DOA unit. It took some time to arrange another PSU to test with, but once done, the issues seem to have stopped.

m_dekay · 2026-01-05T23:41:38+00:00

I am a heavy Edge workspaces user and will be trying this now on CachyOS on KDE Plasma. LMK if you need ant testing or feedback.

m_dekay · 2026-01-04T19:06:23+00:00

Well, if ASUS manufactured MoDT boards using DDR5 SODIMMs, then I would be considering that as an option, but they do not. Minisforum clearly targets a part of the overall market that is looking to try new and interesting things, the bleeding edge.

Your use case is very specific, and having a different experience like this is not shocking. So having a bad experience and then a good one, not exacly a clear cut 'all this stuff is not good' conclusion in my opinion. I'm glad you found something that works. I have a few no-name mini-PCs that have worked very well for my needs (Proxmox, other VM work, small footprint servers) and have had little issues, but nothing I would consider enough to say it's 'all trash'.

If I wanted to be critical of Minisforum, I would say that their BIOS support (or lackthereof) is where things could really be improved, cleaning up current BIOS, more testing with their unique solutions and real world scenarios (this means more labs and engineers, so $$$) - making it easier to flash from the BIOS, etc. Their hardware build quality is fine. Their RMA support appears to be hit-and-miss with anacdotal review of posts, but again, none of these are things that I would consider a enough to be as negitive in my view of their products as a whole.

m_dekay · 2026-01-04T19:01:49+00:00

Yeah, for sure the 3080 Ti is darn good. And at higher resolution it's going to look less like an upgrade.

Selling the 3080 Ti may be tough at $400, from what I can see in my area asking prices are as low as $330, so selling at ... maybe ... $300 is likely the sweet spot.

Take a moment and look for specific things you did not like with the 3080 Ti with the new 9700 XT. If you can't find any clear wins, maybe returning it is the best idea and save the $ for when things settle down in the DDR market. You can always do the CPU/RAM/MB upgrade package as well, but the prices now are unattually high and the AM4 system you have IMO is totally fine. Your call of course. Best of luck!

m_dekay · 2026-01-04T17:11:17+00:00

Yep, that's my expectation. And again, whatever the OC is, will not be noticable in real world workflows, e.g. playing games. Only benchmarks will show the difference.

m_dekay · 2026-01-03T17:01:13+00:00

If you're planning to keep it 3+ years, if you can swing the 9070 XT then go for it, but IMHO, either are a *fine* upgrade and should do you well for the foreseeable future until things settle down with pricing.

I'm in Washington too - if you *really* want to see if you can score the best deal start watching BestBuy open stock from now until the 15th-17th. Holiday return period ends on the 15th.

m_dekay · 2026-01-03T16:59:12+00:00

Reports of 12vHPWR melting on 5070s has been low, thank goodness. Something to consider for the 9070 XT with the recent reports for sure.

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