2 PCs, 1 monitor

Here's the solution to my 2 PCs, 1 monitor problem. An HDMI switch (not a splitter which would solve the opposite problem). The 2 outputs go into the main unit, while the attached 1m cable couples with the lone functional HDMI input slot in the monitor. Now I can have both PCs on and toggle between the 2 displays using the circular button on the main unit, instead of having to alternately plug separate cables in and out of the slot causing unnecessary wear and tear on everything. This switch is from Baseus and was the only model I found on the shelves at my local Challenger. So total budget overrun is now $23 for the extra HDMI cable, and $24 for the switch.

The new desktop powerhouse

A mostly easy and painless setup of the new Aftershock Ryzen 5 7600 + GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER rig. Essentially just plug and play. The problem I had was with my existing monitor which apparently has only 1 functional HDMI port. Maybe the other port needs cleaning, but my idea of sharing 1 monitor between 2 rigs isn't quite as seamless as I hoped.

Honestly, it's not the pretty lights and colours that attracted me, but the value I could get from each dollar spent. I do like the simplicity and neatness visible within the box through the plexiglass panels. Reminds me of a fishtank housing a family of tetras.

The corner of the monitor gives away the first game I'm playing on the new setup. Finally, Diablo 4 is running as quickly and smoothly as it should. It's currently Season 5, and I've been very lucky with the mythical drops of exactly the equipment I need from early in the playthrough. I picked up a Starless from normal Duriel, and an Andy's from normal Andy when the odds of any of them dropping from normal bosses are unrealistically high. Seasonal rewards give plenty of summoning materials to try for another mythical drop from Tormented Bosses, and I got a Tyrael's from Tormented Beast in Ice. Finishing the seasonal campaign with 3 separate characters provided enough crafting materials to manufacture my own mythic Shako. Now all I need to do is figure out which of the 3 characters is my favourite to bear this entire collection of treasures and blast the remainder of the season away to my heart's content.

Unboxing in the morning

My poor old PC has been struggling to deliver performance on the stuff I'm currently playing, and there's no way it'll cope with the new stuff coming up. He'll serve as my browsing and work desktop, but it's finally time to upgrade.

After holding off a little over 7 years, I finally decide it's time to get a new PC. I pretty much fell for the aggressive marketing that Aftershock PC puts out on social media. The timing was perfect, stars aligning along the return on an investment I made, and COMEX 2024 -- the time of year everyone who's selling IT stuff slashes prices like it's Black Friday. I shelled out for an AMD 5700 rig, with RTX 4070 graphics, upgraded to 32 Gb RAM, and 64-bit Windows 11. 

Aftershock wasn't kidding about next office day delivery. It's here, in a box, in my study, waiting to be installed. Thing is, although it arrived at about 8pm today (within 24 hours!), I wasn't ready for it to be delivered so soon. It stays in the box for tonight while I mentally prepare to roll up my sleeves for the grand installation come morning..