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I have yet to actually take that gaming laptop to any LAN sessions @BLUEVOODU @mastermario @SpartanEvolved

I did, however, have it in the hotel when we were in town for the wedding reception last May!

I figure that I have bled the last bits of upgradability out of this rig.  In a year or two, it'll be time to move to a DDR5 supporting platform!

Here we go, this should be the last update until I am ready to build a new computer.  Here is a shot with the new Zalman cooler over the Core i7 processor along with the cable sleeving added.  I think that is about as much as I can do with this motherboard!  All potential is now tapped!

Okay, I think that this'll be the last update on my old desktop.

I got some cable sleeving so that I could tidy up the inside with some cable management for the larger PSU cables.  I also did a slight overclock, changing the BIOS ratio to 39, so that I am running 3.9 gHz, air cooled with that Zalman copper cooler at 43 degrees C at light load.  I have not done a proper stress test on it yet or seen how far turbo boost pushes it under load.

In the mean time, I upgraded my ASUS TUF gaming laptop to Windows 11 over the weekend.  Overall, I have already changed some dumb user interface tweaks that Microsoft chose to make.  Other than that, it looks about the same as Windows 10 for the light gaming and internetting that I do on that piece.

Do any of the rest of you dork out to gaming or cartoon paraphernalia?

That is a rhetorical question; I know that you all do.  Share some of your gamer dork stuff here!

I have a Shiro (from No Game: No Life), D.va (Overwatch), Tachikoma, and Major Kusinagi (Ghost in the Shell) on one corner of my desk.

New phone, higher res picture.  So far the PC feels a bit snappier with the new processor.  I can now run Skyrim at even more ridiculous resolutions with too many mods!

Moar RGD! 

More RGB more better computer game color overclock!

I just have a blue 120mm intake fan on my desktop with a green power button and green exhaust fan.  I do see higher end gaming stuff absolutely filled with RGB now though.  My laptop does have RGB glowing keys, but I largely ignore them.

I have been using the same Core i5 since about 2015, but was hitting a limit of a handful of games that I could not play with that processor.  In recent years, I had upgraded my RAM to 16 GB of DDR3 1600, upgraded the drives (Samsung EVO SSD 1TB, WD Velociraptor 1TB), but finally got around to a minor upgrade for the processor.  I am still using an old Ivy Bridge platform and frankly, between the silicone chip shortage and the pain of transferring recording software to a new platform, I opted for just a processor upgrade.

I found an oldie, but goodie i7-3770k, the best of the Ivy Bridge procs, and landed it in my old LAN box with some Gelid Extreme thermal paste and a Zalman copper cooler.  It still will be a bit of a bottle neck for the 2060, but at least I can play another generation of games without dropping over a grand on a new system.

Alllll the time!

My PlayStation 2 was our main DVD player for years before I got a PS3.  My current PS3 (slim 160 model, upgraded with 240 GB SSD) gets almost daily use for streaming Netflix and Hulu while playing occasional Blu Ray discs.  I even had my PC's music folder shared so that I could stream my music library to the PS3 to listen to music in the living room.

My Xbox 360 also had light duty media use for DVDs and streaming Hulu.

My main computer is used as much for streaming music as it is for gaming as well!

I still fire up SCII once in a while.

The Nova expansions are definitely worth getting.  They're pretty cheap for being another official chapter to the game and have a pretty good solo play storyline.

I have Skyrim on Steam along with the Hearthfires , Dawnguard, and Dragonborn expansions.  I then got Skyrim: Special Edition and modded it out with about 90 active mods from Nexus mods.  At some point, I also got a PS3 version, but it did not see as much play time as the PC versions.

Current and future owners of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition on any platform including Xbox Game Pass Subscribers will receive access to three free pieces of Creation Club content: Fishing, Survival Mode and even new quests with Saints and Seducers. Additionally, Skyrim Special Edition owners on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S, as well as Xbox Game Pass subscribers on Xbox Series X|S will receive a free upgrade to an enhanced version on November 11 for their respective PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X | S systems!

We're also excited to announce the most definitive version of Skyrim to date: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition. The Anniversary Edition includes Skyrim Special Edition and 74 creations, all 48 currently available and 26 to be released. These showcase over 500+ individual elements such as quests, items, armor, houses, etc.

So as a prior SE owner, I get some of the content automatically.  I guess that I am waiting to see what is and is not included.

I have been out of the loop on gaming in general.  With outrageous graphics card prices and an utter lack of availability in PS5 consoles, it has been difficult to get excited about the next big thing.

Is there a next big thing coming that we should be excited about for 2021 and 2022?!

Galaxy J3 Prime... it is dying.  I really miss my Samsung flip phone.

I finally got Renee to sit down and play some Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past.  This was a bit different as she usually sticks to Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania, and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night without much exploring outside of those games.

When she got to the village, she was aware that hitting chickens was a no-no.  When she accidentally picked one up from the ground, she claimed that she did not know they could be picked up.  I told her, "That's where most guys who grew up in the nineties learned how to pick up chicks!"



She was not amused.

Is anyone still playing StarCraft II?

I jumped on a few vs computer games this week.  I see several small updates, like the Void Rays having a manually operated +damage to armor attack...

https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/article/REybYU3Gy2InVlHmus4UC/skyrim-10th-anniversary-fan-celebration

Played just a short bit tonight.  I could not connect to a game with MasterMario or SpartanEvolved though.

I was playing campaign on the survivor mode.  It seemed a bit slower-paced than L4D.  The copper coins were a bit distracting.  I realize that it is only in Beta, so flow may improve as the community gives feedback.

On the plus side, the guns in the game have a decent feel to them.

Steam has the open Beta release of Back 4 Blood, which is a Left 4 Dead style co-op zombie stomp...  Anyone getting in on this?  Maybe relive a bit of pre-pandemic style meet ups on Steam?

I guess there were some pretty bad reviews on release.  I do not know if they have been resolved.

Yeah, but at this point, sadly, you probably know the games you aren't going to go back and beat.

I mean, unless I won the lottery and / or reach retirement, I do not know if I would ever have time to tackle my whole backlog between unbeaten video games and unread books.  On a daily basis, work, sleep, working out, and going to the grocery store seem to take up available time where I would have been playing games.

The only problem with PS3 games for me is that Renee uses it as her streaming device for Netflix and Hulu.  If she is home, I get no games played.

Actually, right now she is using my Nintendo DS Lite to play Castlevania: Circle of the Moon while streaming Netflix.  Maybe I cannot finish games anymore since she takes up my consoles two at a time!

Anyway, Drakengard is weird.  I have seen a few videos on how it ties into the Nier series.  It is in the same universe, but loosely connected.

Thank you for the birthday wishes!



I have not been online much this week.  After kayaking last weekend, it has been back to work without much down time!

I downloaded this for PS3 off the PlayStation store.  Since I am a huge fan of Nier: Automata, but do not want to shell out the premium price for the recently released Nier: Replicant remake, Drakengard seemed like a good option to get a bit more out of my PS3.

The graphics are not quite a smooth as current generation, but still amazing in the cut scenes.  The story is random and strange, which is to be expected with Yoko Taro works.  The game play is bloody slash & hack; not as refined as Nier: Automata, but still satisfying.

I have only played an hour or so into the game, but it is making for a fun action romp!

Streaming vs theater is a big difference.  Streaming can be more convenient, especially for a family.

However, going to a theater is still good for a date, a night out, or meeting up with friends for a social gathering.  Of course, the last year had an effect on all of those things.

The article is from The Washington Post, which is a terribly unreliable news source.

Also, considering how many non-vaccinated people and how much misinformation is still present regarding COVID and its variants, many are still not going to theaters.

Note: "Variants" not related to Loki

Spoiler: ShowHide

Almost as big as a Modern Warfare update. 

I played the first bit of Black Mesa.  It seems familiar.  The graphics are more shiny.  It, so far, is not really engaging me.  Similarly, I have tried to trudge through the original, Source version, HL2, Episode 1, and Episode 2.  None of them really keep me going though.  The only Half-Life game that I have finished to date is Lost Coast, which was more of a short tech demo rather than an actual game.

Wow, that video got lockes fast!

It was good!!

Spoiler: ShowHide

"Whoaaaa.....  This would be a cool way to die."

A couple of years later and this game still holds up.  Seriously, the story has characters who are so broken in just the right way!