'Bippy'
Custom PC
Current Status: Working fine again!
CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz (6c/12T)
GPU: Gigabyte Radeon RX 580 8GB (Rev 2.0)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Wifi (m-ATX)
RAM: 16GB DDR4 Corsair Vengeance
Storage: 500GB Crucial P1 M.2 NVMe SSD + 2TB WD Green SSD
PSU: Corsair CV650 650W
Optical: (External USB) LG Ultra Slim Portable DVD-RW
Case: Darkflash DLM22 MATX - Pink
Current OS: Linux Mint 22.1 + Xfce
I built this in 2020 after receiving some kind of covid related lump sum of money. My outlook on tech and how I spend money has changed significantly since then, I wouldn't ever build something like this for myself again. Building and maintaining this has taught me a lot about computer parts and compatibilty though. I think these parts are considered low-mid end for their time, which serves me perfectly. The most intensive/new games I would ever actually play have Unreal Engine 4 or similar. Personally I am not a fan of the look of 'ultra-realistic' raytraced games anyway, they kind of have an uncanny valley thing for me, or often that's the ONLY thing they focus on, leaving gameplay and story to the wayside. I'm jaded tho.
Not much to say regarding what I like or don't like with this PC. I built it, so it is tailored to my use. I have never really had any issues that weren't a quick fix, and as with most custom PCs it has taken to GNU/Linux well. I had Windows 10 on it originally (with a code from a random reseller site), and first installed Linux Mint 22 in mid 2024. Had it dual booting for a few months which made the performance difference between the two very stark. I guess more specifically, every time I would boot back into Windows it would be super slow downloading updates. This encouraged me to switch permanently.
Sometime in August 2025 it stopped turning on, I troubleshooted the parts as much as I could and it ended up being the motherboard. This was a pain because it's a more budget oriented one from five years ago, I could only find one other replacement still for sale that was compatible with all the other parts. I spent a couple weeks just trying to decide what to do and I ended up finding a local repair shop that was cheap. They fixed the motherboard short in like an hour lmao, so I got it back and it's working fine. This period has encouraged me to stick to using this only for heavier stuff like games and video editing, as I have been using my asus laptop for everyday web browsing and site management.
Usage
- Gaming; again the most strenuous games I play are like Unreal Engine 4 or similar. Most games I play are well below this though, 90s-2010s stuff.
- Virtual Machines; lets me try out different distros or contained setups.
- Everything else; website stuff, image manipulation, video editing etc.
Peripherals
- Keyboard: Fantech K613L - Pink
- Mouse: Onikuma CW918 Cat Paw Gaming Mouse
- Headset: Sound BlasterX H6 USB
Works fine, it's a membrane keyboard so it can't take keycaps, it was also pretty cheap. The lettering font is fine except the '&' does not look like an ampersand. Not ideal for very long periods of typing though, I usually get a bit of RSI in the wrist and pinkies. Needs to be plugged in to turn of the backlight (with Fn+Scroll Lock).
Cute cheap mouse that works fine. Has a physical switch to turn off the light effects and a button to change their pattern. The cat paw has a silicone feel to it. Well rounded shape with no jagged edges.
I got these because I figured it would be easier to replace parts; the mic and output cables are detachable. They have good sound/mic quality and are comfortable to wear for long periods. Despite this, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone (they aren't sold anymore anyway). There was pleather (?) on the headband and the inside of the earcups which peeled after a while. I've since replaced the earcups with some unbranded compatible ones off eBay as Sound Blaster doesn't offer parts at all. The Micro-USB cable that came with it wore down very quickly and would constantly disconnect despite being plugged in (I've replaced this too). It does have an AUX input you can use instead, but then you lose the headset's volume control and mic mute. Using with some controllers/consoles requires AUX, so you need to use the consoles UI to change volume/mic mute, or get some extra adapter. The sound is a bit richer and clearer in USB mode, and others have told me the mic is clearer and much louder on USB too. There were also issues with drivers on Windows, you had to uninstall the automatically downloaded one and get a specific one from their website. It's just felt like endless little problems grating away at me, lmao.
Links
These are mostly here for my own reference