SFF in a big rig??? :eek:

B

Big_Rig_Stig

Gawd
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Jan 24, 2018
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I originally posted this over in Computers And Gadgets, got a number of interesting suggestions, including one to come over here & ask you fine folks for some ideas.

The original thread:
I'm a truck driver these days
(gee, how'd y'all guess??)
, I've got a 40" 1080p TV in my sleeper, and I'm trying to decide if I want to get a gaming laptop, or a NUC to plug into the TV as a monitor, again for gaming and movies.

I get the portability of a laptop, but I just do not carry it around or into places, I will only use it in the sleeper, mostly with the TV.

The NUC is attractive because it's really small, and I can take it home & use it on the TV there (55" 1080p), and replace my ancient desktop (i7 1366 xeon hexcore, RX580-8GB vidcard, 12GB RAM) when I'm home.

Amazon HAD a NUC for right at $600 barebones that's got the Vega integrated chipset and processor, which most reviews show it's pretty good at gaming. It'll be far better than the desktop I have now, for sure.

Appreciate the advice, in advance, of course. Thanks y'all.
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So, what d'y'all think? I"m very open to suggestions, especially after watching the video I posted in there showing how easy it is to build a Ryzen system for cheap these days. Perhaps a mini-ITX Ryzen system with my RX580-8GB vidcard in it??

Thanks in advance, as usual, I do appreciate all y'all's hard work. :)
 
The NUC will not beat you desktop with an RX580 in gaming. Not even close.

The first question is how small do you want to go?

Do you want something small like a console?

A little bigger, but still console-like, such as a Node 202?

Or there are cases like the Cougar QBX or Raijintek Metis Plus, which are still pretty small, but still allow larger coolers and are less picky about the hardware and accessories you choose. Due to having some width, more like a mini tower.

A very versatile, budget cube case is the Thermaltake V1
 
Your budget constraints and game types you intend to play would be helpful additional info.

Hades Canyon NUC, with Vega M GH is quite capable. It comes to about 75% of the GPU power of the RX580. (Quick check on GPU boss, so big grain of salt). I was looking into it a portable VR capable device. But didnt go for it the Hades Canyon. It can't be beat in portability and still capable enough for most games. However I bought a laptop with 1060 instead. (I would have had to also drag around a external screen, so total package less appealing)

If keeping your budget lean, i'd use the RX580. Check the Silverstone ML08 case (own one). Its similar to Node202 but has a carrying handle. But the orientation kinda has to be Vertical, not sure if that's a pro or con inside the truck. If prefer horizontal case, i would go for Cougar QBX with a carry strap on it. Both ML08 and QBX can be handled a bit rougher than full aluminum cases like DAN-A4 and Ncase (I would worry getting dings and scratches on those)
 
Budget? I'd like to stay under $1000, but that's flexible.

I've already got a acreen:
IMG_20190721_010029.jpg

I could make a mount for either of the cases you suggested, and hang it from the wall mount behind the TV.

The appeal of the NUC is I can velcro it to the back of the TV, and toss it in my backpack when time to go home. Plus, I still have a second working rig at home as well.

As to what I do on it: watch movies, occasionally Handbrake a movie or file to make it compatible with the TV, play Steam games (the Half Life series are a particular fave), some older games like Caesar, and Minecraft. I don't have too much time to do much else. :-/
 
chameleoneel said:
The NUC will not beat you desktop with an RX580 in gaming. Not even close.

The first question is how small do you want to go?

Do you want something small like a console?

A little bigger, but still console-like, such as a Node 202?

Or there are cases like the Cougar QBX or Raijintek Metis Plus, which are still pretty small, but still allow larger coolers and are less picky about the hardware and accessories you choose. Due to having some width, more like a mini tower.

A very versatile, budget cube case is the Thermaltake V1
Click to expand...

Right now, my limitation at home is the x5670 at stock speeds, most new games & CPU-bound games don't like it.

Start with the NUC and move up, but not too far. The cube cases are too big, but a console-sized one would work.
 
Big_Rig_Stig said:
Right now, my limitation at home is the x5670 at stock speeds, most new games & CPU-bound games don't like it.

Start with the NUC and move up, but not too far. The cube cases are too big, but a console-sized one would work.
Click to expand...
I'm confused becase you said your desktop is "i7 1366 xeon hexcore, RX580-8GB vidcard, 12GB RAM".
 
chameleoneel said:
Cougar QBX or Raijintek Metis Plus
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These are cool- that Raijintek would be nice in white. Currently available colors are... off-putting. The Cougar is far uglier, but the cooling potential is pretty attractive- looks possible to put AIOs on CPU and GPU, and while it'd dump heat into the space with wild abandon under load, figure it would work pretty well if it's not too big for the OP. Might even be quiet!
 
Always liked the idea of driving truck: the open road, loud music, the views - but then the thought of trying to reverse one of these things up to a dock door or traverse through a city, and the fantasy quickly dissipates.
 
SeymourGore said:
Always liked the idea of driving truck: the open road, loud music, the views - but then the thought of trying to reverse one of these things up to a dock door or traverse through a city, and the fantasy quickly dissipates.
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Tell me about it: backing is my worst enemy. I do everything I can to either find pull-thru parking, pull-in (nose-first), or paid parking (yes, it's a thing) with loads of room so I don't have to jackknife the thing into a spot.

And then there's the oversize loads: :eek:
 

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That thing gets off the street pretty good! Thanks for sharing the truck porn.
Interesting to see the turbo spooled at high idle.
 
N4CR said:
That thing gets off the street pretty good! Thanks for sharing the truck porn.
Interesting to see the turbo spooled at high idle.
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I'll try to get that for ya..

And, NO, it doesn't do well off-road: I got stuck in the mud 5.times, and had to get yanked out:
20190815_130346.jpg
 
Super cool setup, I had no idea truckers were living better than me haha.
 
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