Hey everyone!

Has anyone come across any good Lemmy communities for BC-250 Linux gaming builds?

I got my board yesterday and need to sort out PSU, cooling and modding like unlocking the CUs. I don’t have a 3D printer, so I could do with a good place to ask for advice. I can check Reddit for some stuff, but I don’t have an account to post questions.

I’m also open to any tutorials (web/video) or even Discord communities etc. If anyone here has built one or has prior knowledge, I’d love to get your input.

  • user_6282638282@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    2·
    1 天前

    Was wondering the same thing while I built mine over the last few weeks. I watched a ton of videos, but many are out of date on the software side. I mostly used the site that Quantumantics@fedia.io linked to, which seems to cover most everything. e.g. you no longer need to flash the BIOS if all you want is dynamic memory allocation, there’s a userland utility now.

    I printed my case, but there are some available for purchase on eBay and Etsy. Some 3D printing sites let you request models be printed to your specs.

    Anyway, I’m happy with the build and the performance, but… This thing is loud, and given the limitations with power options (no sleep mode?) I’m still trying to figure out how to integrate it. If I could reliably power on and off remotely, I could stash it somewhere and use Steam Remote Play. But I’ve not had much luck yet.

  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    29·
    5 天前

    For anyone else who, like myself, doesn’t know what a BC-250 is:

    https://bc250.info/

    AMD BC-250

    A PS5 APU’s second life as a budget Linux gaming PC

    Originally built for crypto mining, these cut-down PS5 APUs were headed for the scrap heap. Then Linux driver support arrived — and everything changed. Now they’re surprisingly capable mid-range gaming PCs with 16GB GDDR6 that double as local AI inference machines.

    • Dudewitbow@lemmy.zipEnglish
      14·
      5 天前

      also if it sounds like its too good to be true, the biggest flaw the device has is that its idle power usage is high, so its a device you definitely want to shut off after youre done playing.

        • async_amuro@lemmy.zipOPEnglish
          5·
          5 天前

          Yup! I paid $217 USD with shipping

          I was looking 2 weeks ago when I was getting tired of waiting for Steam Machine updates. They were closer to $150-$175, so they are going to keep increasing.

        • Prove_your_argument@piefed.socialEnglish
          2·
          5 天前

          Let me guess, it just came with the unit and you still had to buy a power supply, case, storage, other necessary accessories, and the end price gets you something much more than 200 EUR. Probably more like 400-500 EUR.

          How far off am I?

          • user_6282638282@sopuli.xyzEnglish
            1·
            1 天前

            I managed to get mine for $150 USD shipped. $40 for PSU (provably overkill), $50 for fans and other miscellaneous parts, and about $25 for filament (with some leftovers). That’s under $300.

          • Cobrachicken@lemmy.worldEnglish
            1·
            5 天前

            A bit, just wanted a small PSP, so another 50 EUR for that, rest is printed. But well for me its a fun project not sth to count every cent.

      • async_amuro@lemmy.zipOPEnglish
        5·
        5 天前

        Great shout out! That’s my plan, keep it under desk connected to my monitor or move it to the living room, but never left idle if not in use.

        • async_amuro@lemmy.zipOPEnglish
          4·
          5 天前

          I’d also include…

          The 40 CU unlock is a lottery, you could get a damaged unit and not be able to reach that many compute units.

          • WFH@lemmy.zipEnglish
            2·
            4 天前

            That’s the very reason of this board’s existence though. Initially it’s a binned APU that is not supposed to pass QC for the 36 CUs required for the PS5, as a way to recycle silicon that should have ended in a landfill. The only guarantee is that 24 CUs work.

            I’m not sure the massive increase in power and cooling requirements vs. stock is worth it in a mid-range gaming situation, as the performance uplift is not as impressive.

  • Quantumantics@fedia.io
    5·
    5 天前

    I’ve not seen one thus far here on the Fediverse. If you haven’t already, check out this site which has some exhaustive instructions for working with the BC-250 - it was invaluable when I got mine!