Cheap (SFF) prefabs without GPUs on ebay, is that still a thing?
Hey all. I'm currently renovating my basement and have been thinking about finally creating a comfy couch gaming setup. One of the many options I've been mulling over, besides running Steam Link over ethernet (~ugh, that lag though!~ lag actually wasn't that bad, but for some reason I can't get Steam Link to adapt the screen resolution to my tv) and running a RUIpro HDMI cable through my walls from the tv to the rig in my office, is maybe moving my 3080TI into a new SFF build to serve as a PCMR steam console for the basement. Preferably something small and nondescript, yet powerful enough to comfortably drive my 3080TI. I would stick an xbox adapter in it, hook it up to ethernet and my 4K TV via HDMI and call it a day. Bonus points if it can double as a blu-ray player, because why not.
If I am going that route I would like to not spend too much, so I was wondering if maybe I could just pick up (from eBay) a prefab with a removed GPU, since that used to be a thing a year or two ago. Is that still a thing? And if so, can you recommend any specific models that would work well in my use case? Or did I miss the proverbial boat and am I better off just building a new SFF unit?
Just curious on your Steam Link issue, have you checked the "Change desktop resolution to match streaming client" checkbox on Steam? One of my computers is using a 2560×1080 monitor and we have it going to the Steam Link, it adjusts the resolution to 1080p to match the TV.
I've never tried with the 4k ranges I honestly cannot imagine the 100 mbs ethernet and cheap CPU could provide enough bandwidth without significant input delay. You might be alright with the SFF that can output your resolution and then using the Steam Link app for a beefier Steam Link.
Hey, thanks for reaching out, sorry for the late reply. I did check that box. But I still got the ratio for my ultrawide (21/9), meaning big black bars, so it just didn't seem to work for me. I might give it one more try in the weekend, steam link would be so much better than running cables in my walls or spending money on a separate rig.