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Franken-PC: It is tempting to discard devices the second they malfunction. Why trouble fixing a damaged machine when you’ll be able to simply purchase the most recent mannequin? However every so often, somebody sees the potential in repurposing broken tech, restoring our religion in human ingenuity. That is precisely what YouTuber Eta Prime has carried out with a busted Steam Deck.
The story started when Eta Prime acquired a damaged 512GB Steam Deck with a cracked LCD display. The earlier proprietor had salvaged a few of the inner parts, recognizing that they have been nonetheless completely purposeful. Eta Prime noticed a possibility to rework what was left into one thing solely new – a miniature desktop PC.
The centerpiece of the challenge was the intact motherboard, with the unique Steam Deck fan precariously hooked up. The board included a USB-C port able to video output, together with M.2 and microSD slots for expandable storage.
Step one was to mount the uncovered motherboard and fan onto a sheet of Plexiglas, offering each assist and construction. A small aluminum heatsink was then hooked up for primary cooling. To energy this franken-PC, Eta Prime used a 65W charger with built-in HDMI and USB ports, enabling a single cable to produce each energy and video output.
With the {hardware} prepared, it was time to see if this Steam Deck surgical procedure had been successful. Eta Prime pressed the facility button – the LED lit up, and the fan whirred to life. A number of seconds later, the Steam Deck’s acquainted interface appeared on the related monitor.
There was only one small hiccup: performing BIOS updates required an hooked up battery, which the open-air setup lacked. Nevertheless, Eta Prime discovered a intelligent workaround utilizing the SteamDeck-BIOS-Supervisor device obtainable on GitHub.
With every thing lastly operating easily, it was time to throw some video games at it, and the outcomes have been spectacular. Cyberpunk 2077 managed round 40fps at 900p with low settings and FSR Balanced enabled, whereas Forza Horizon 5 hit 70 frames per second on the identical decision and FSR settings with medium graphical particulars.
Contemplating this setup was cobbled collectively from Steam Deck scraps, the efficiency was fairly outstanding. Positive, the uncovered motherboard sitting forlornly on the desktop seems to be a bit unhappy, however Eta Prime plans to “spend somewhat extra” to enhance its look with a 3D-printed case and a greater cooling answer.
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