bullen (u/bullen) - Readit News

bullen commented on Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android 9to5google.com/2025/08/25... · Posted by u/kotaKat

charlie-83 · 14 hours ago

Do you have a source for x86 taking x10 the energy? I generally hear that Arm is something like 30-40% more power efficent which lines up with my experience that Arm laptops don't have 10x more battery life than x86 ones.

In any case, my point in the last sentence is not that we shouldn't encourage people to use more power efficent devices. My point is that encouraging people to use open software and encouraging people to use power efficent devices are, to me, two seperate and unrelated goals. It seems that, by not offering x86 Linux you sacrifice one goal over the other which doesnt seem needed.

I suppose that the part of your position which I don't understand, and I am still interested to hear more about, is: if you are this concerned about openness and power efficiency, why even offer x86 Windows which is objectively worse by your metrics than x86 Linux.

bullen · 2 hours ago

A fully kitted "gaming " machine draws minimum 150W at 60 FPS, most people have 120+Hz monitors so even an indie game draws minimum 300W.

The 3588 that can play HL2 at 300 FPS draws maybe around 10-15W.

Windows is 99% of the market today so if you don't support it you don't exist, in 5 years I'm hoping Windows will be around 50% because people will grow tired of the violent AAA games and electricity prices will rise.

Playing a couple of hours will soon cost more than the game costs to buy.

bullen commented on It is worth it to buy the fast CPU blog.howardjohn.info/post... · Posted by u/ingve

TacticalCoder · 4 days ago

> Is it worth to keep your old CPU?

I just "re-cycle" them.

Bought a 7700X two years ago. My 3600X went to my wife. Previous machine (forgot which one it was but some Intel CPU) went to my mother-in-law. Machine three machines before that, my trusty old Core i7-6700K from 2015 (I think 2015): it's now a little Proxmox server at home.

I'll probably buy a 9900X or something now: don't want to wait late 2026/2027 for Zen 6 to come out. 7700X shall go to the wife, 3600X to the kid.

My machines typically work for a very long time: I carefully pick the components and assemble them myself and then test them. Usually when I pull the plug for the final time, it's still working fine.

But yet I like to be not too far behind: my 7700X from 2022 is okay. But I'll still upgrade. Doesn't mean it's not worth keeping: I'll keep it, just not for me.

bullen · a day ago

Yep me too:

Thinkpad X61s(45nm) DDR2 / D512MO(45nm) DDR2 / 3770S(22nm) DDR3 / 4430S(22nm) DDR3

All still in client use.

All got new RAM this year and when the SSDs break (all have SLC) I have new SLC SSDs and will install headless linux for server duty on 1Gb/s symmertic fiber until the motherboards break in a way I can't repair. Will probably resolder caps.

bullen commented on It is worth it to buy the fast CPU blog.howardjohn.info/post... · Posted by u/ingve

mwpmaybe · 2 days ago

It will simply throttle.

bullen · a day ago

Which is not good for longevity.

bullen commented on It is worth it to buy the fast CPU blog.howardjohn.info/post... · Posted by u/ingve

DanielHB · 3 days ago

Oh well, for GPU programming sure as VRAM is king depending on task. But for gaming I won't go high end again.

bullen · a day ago

I'm all in on 1030, the last passively coolable GPU.

But had to upgrade to 3050 because 2GB VRAM is to little for modern titles.

Fun fact: One 6600 core can saturate the 1030 for skinned mesh animations.

But only saturate the 3050 50% = perfect because the world takes much less CPU (you upload it to the GPU and then it's almost one drawcall; more like one drawcall per chunk but I digress) = OpenGL (ES) can render on it at lower motion-to-photon latency without waste = one core for rendering, one for gameplay, one for physics and one for the OS, audio and networking.

So 14nm 6600 + 8nm 3050 is actually the combination I would use for ever.

HL:A runs at 90 FPS with that combo too on the low res Vive 1.

Not that VR is going anywhere, but still peak demanding application.

bullen commented on Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android 9to5google.com/2025/08/25... · Posted by u/kotaKat

charlie-83 · 2 days ago

Surely the e-waste from discarding an x86 Windows computer you could have put Linux on out-weighs the power benefit of Arm/RISC-V. Also seems like you would discourage people who cannot afford new hardware from moving from a closed system to an open one; most PCs and laptops are still x86 except for the newest models.

bullen · 2 days ago

No, because it uses 10x the energy. Electricity is not an energy source.

As I said the X86 would use linux but as a server, not a client.

A server has to handle thousands of clients and then it's ok to have the extra power.

I don't understand why you think the last sentence, it makes no sense:

I am encouraging people to get low price, low power, open hardware and software for everyday use before the KWh goes to $1 which is HAS to do, hopefully not too soon.

bullen commented on Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android 9to5google.com/2025/08/25... · Posted by u/kotaKat

charlie-83 · 2 days ago

I don't understand the part about Linux x86

bullen · 2 days ago

X86 uses more electricity than ARM/Risc-V.

So I do not want people to only move to linux (on their X86) but also move to ARM/Risc-V.

Directly from Windows on X86 to Linux on ARM/Risc-V in one go.

Two flies with one hit.

That said all X86 should become linux servers = this is only valid for the client.

bullen commented on It is worth it to buy the fast CPU blog.howardjohn.info/post... · Posted by u/ingve

mwpmaybe · 3 days ago

As we discussed elsewhere you could put the Ryzen 5 5600 into 45W ECO mode and cool it passively. Or a Ryzen 5 7600 if you decide to jump up to AM5 (which is probably a good idea even though you'll need new RAM).

bullen · 2 days ago

As I probably replied there too I do not want to build hardware that can burn my house down if the wares are crap and decide to reset for some reason.

bullen commented on It is worth it to buy the fast CPU blog.howardjohn.info/post... · Posted by u/ingve

Blackcatmaxy · 3 days ago

I do not know the specifics but a large issue with the 5 is that a lot of hardware acceleration for encoding and decoding video was removed, making it slower for anything to do with video.

bullen · 2 days ago

This too.

You can only stream 720p out at 20 FPS from my 2711 though, so it only seems to decode well = watching/consuming media. (the future is producing)

The 2712 can stream out 720p at 40 FPS. (CPU)

The 3588 can stream out 720p at 60+ FPS. (CPU)

Edit: HL2 runs at the "same" FPS on each (sometimes 300+ on 3588)...

bullen commented on It is worth it to buy the fast CPU blog.howardjohn.info/post... · Posted by u/ingve

mwpmaybe · 3 days ago

> Raspberry 5 is a dud

cf. the Pi 4: 2–3X CPU performance, full 5Gbps USB 3.0 ports, a PCIe Gen2 x1 connector, dual 4-lane MIPI connectors, support for A2-class SD cards, an integrated RTC...

A dud?? What's the issue? The price?

bullen · 2 days ago

The performance per watt is only 1.5x so it's too hot.

3588 is waaaay more performant per watt, close to Apples M1.

The IO has been moved outside the SoC which causes alot of issues.

SD Card speeds are enough for client side use.

bullen commented on Google will allow only apps from verified developers to be installed on Android 9to5google.com/2025/08/25... · Posted by u/kotaKat

bullen · 2 days ago

The solution is easy, stop developing for (selling on) closed platforms:

You now have options for cheap (less than $200) portable low energy devices:

1. PineTab-V, a linux on Risc-V tablet. (Got debian a few months back, still waiting for proper GPU support, usable but slow now)

2. uConsole, a linux cyberdeck with optional 4G. (Also has debian for 2711, 2712 and 3588 Compute Modules)

I'm not porting my games to Android, iOS, Switch or PlayStation. Only Windows/X86 and Linux/ARM+Risc-V.

No Linux/X86 to not encourage power waste after Windows gets too expensive to run on the client side.

I'm selling on itch instead of steam.

You only need Android for banking, and Nokia G22 (repairable) is/was also sub $200.

I am now creating a new Google account for each phone, that way you are not the product any more.

But can still operate in society.