Here's a lesson you can take from my experience in PC building: If you install any kind of components, make sure to find out if you need drivers for them, otherwise, they may not work. This was the case with the Ryzen 5 2400G CPU I have on the PC. I was trying out some games on it, and kept wondering why it kept overheating (I call overheating 80-90 degrees C). I also wondered why the FPS was just awful (at around 10). So, I went on Reddit to find the answer, and it turns out that the CPU needed the latest drivers for it to work. In other words, I was running this PC with no additional graphics! (So, now you all know what it's like using a PC without a graphics card.) I then went to this website to get the drivers I needed. I clicked the Download button next to " Auto-Dete...
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I did what I wanted to do for years: Build a computer using a Nintendo Entertainment System case. However, things were starting to fall apart. One side of the Power/Reset button came off, the power adapter button came off, the whole system still isn't level, etc. So I left it alone for a while, until I found a computer case for $5 at a thrift store. So, I just decided to give up on the NES PC and build a computer from a more stable case. The case I found. (I added the optical drive later.) So, I had to buy a few more parts:1. A regular power supply (Link)2. A hard-drive adapter (the place where the hard drive usually goes didn't come with the case (Link)So, I bought them, and started re-building the PC: The hard drive adapter.. (I included the 320GB laptop hard drive, an...
Read MoreThis one didn't exactly go well. Previously, I drilled some tiny holes in some thread holders to make some standoffs for the motherboard. Later, I cut them with a hack saw, then used a rotary tool to make them more square. Using the hack saw. Using the rotary tool. The four standoffs. I then popped them into through the holes I drilled a while ago. Surprisingly, and with some effort, they all fit without any glue! The standoffs. Here's where I ran into trouble: I was only able to fasten two of the motherboard screws to the standoffs, although it stood solid. A second problem I had was that the PC became uneven. I had to put a piece of cardboard (as shown) to level the computer. So, I guess the next thing I need to do is clipping one or two standoffs, or push that ...
Read MoreHello everyone! I just wanted to share a few pictures with you to get myself up to date with this blog. There are a few things I have yet to do with this PC build, but they're minor additions. In the meantime, here's what I've built so far: Hinges on. How it opens up. I added some holes for the heatsink, and installed a 4 in 1 USB hub.. Normally, I was considering using this as my new default PC for working on creative content. However, when trying to render a five-second video clip, the CPU temperature shot up in the 90 degree Celsius range, which is the maximum rated temperature for that CPU. Right now, I just have the stock cooler for the AMD Ryzen 5. I looked up better coolers for it, but to install it would mean abandoning the entire NES form factor and buying a...
Read MoreI'm getting closer to the end of this particular PC building journey. Today, I want to show you three distinct features I added to this PC build: Placing the power port on the front of the case The power port hole. Screwing it into the case. Before, the power port was sticking out of the cartridge slot of the case, and that just didn't look pretty. So, after realizing that the power port had unscrewable parts, I decided to make this feature. I found the right bit to drill the hole into (the hole had to be a little bigger for this to work), then just slipped it in. 2. Adding side hinges to the case The side hinge holes. Here's why I decided to add this feature: The backplate to the motherboard had a cover, and at first, I wanted to install that backplace to the com...
Read MoreJust a small update I wanted to share with you while I'm relaxing after work for a four-day weekend. Now, I'm not yet fully caught up on posts, but please bear with me; I get quite busy during the summer. So, anyway, when you try to close the case with the top half, part of the computer sticks out. So, I wanted to try and fix that. Here's a picture of one of the rotary tool cuts I had to make: The cut is in purple. There was also an issue with the backplate, so I had to trim that down too: Top cover. This reminds me of something someone told me on Facebook; he suggesting using the soldering gun to smooth the plastic (since plastic melts). I'll have to try that. ...
Read MoreWell, I got all the parts, and I was ready to do a Facebook live stream of the critical parts of the build. I connected the parts, and... It works! Well, sort of. It didn't recognize a few things at first, but with a few tweaks, I installed Windows 10 and got it running! Here are a few more pictures of the experience: The motherboard inside the case. The CPU. A working mess. This was one of the tweaks I had to perform. The PicoPSU wasn't in all the way. So far, it's a working PC. However, there are some things I'd like to do to it to make it look a little cleaner... Next time. ...
Read MoreNow, before I put the real hardware in the NES case, I have to cut it to make it fit. So, I had to use a rotary tool to cut off the posts, then a few other things for the motherboard to fit. This took several weeks to do, because the rotary tool kept dying on me. I was doing this while watching Mental Samurai and answering the questions (which was easy for me since I wasn't being strapped to a giant mechanical arm). Here's a picture of my progress: I wasn't with Eva at the time. This was before I cut the back to fit the motherboard, since at the time I haven't bought it yet. Next post: Putting in the goods. ...
Read MoreThis step took me three days, according to the pictures I took. April 11, 2019: Per hatsuli's build, instead of a regular power button for a PC, I wanted to use the original NES power/reset button with attached LED light. The first step is to take off the gold piece that keeps the power button held on, since PC power buttons don't have that feature. Had I kept that gold piece in place, the PC would stay on, even if I toggled the power button off. The Gold Piece. Now it's off. April 13, 2019: Next, I had to find some power leads from an old computer I had. This came from a Compaq Presario made back in 2008. The old power lead housing. The back of it. The rest of the wiring. One thing I wanted to do was make sure of what wire goes to where on the motherboard ...
Read MoreNow, the first step to any NES build is to remove all of the components from the NES, Here are some pictures from that process: The NES I bought for $20. The bottom of the NES. There are a few screws you have to remove to open the case. Now, remove the I/O shield... Then the cartridge chassis... Finally, the motherboard. (Sorry, the image was a bit fuzzy.) There were a few cables I had to remove first... And voila! Note that I saved the power/reset button component per hatsuli's build. The next step is to do some soldering on said power/reset button component. ...
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