EagleSoft Ltd's New GameDev PC! (Part 1)

Tamkis 3:52 PM Leave a Comment

EagleSoft Ltd's New
Gamedev PC!
(Part 1)






     Hello world! What's up? EagleSoft Ltd. 🦅 is still alive and kicking. I just got busy with major life events since last November 2023 in my personal life. I need to get caught up on making some announcements, doing some coding and releases, blogging, hardware modding, and YouTube videos (EagleSoft Ltd. YouTube channel) in my todo-list backlog.

Upcoming EagleSoft Ltd. 🦅 Updates

     Some new coding/releases will include some coding projects such as updating DreamPi DX NOOBS Image against the latest DreamPi v1.9 DLE version. This new build will be versioned as DreamPi DX v1.4, and merges in SaturnPi and XBandPi NOOBS into the distro. Recently the Netlink Tunneler script for Sega Saturn has had official support added for XBandPi (Sega Genesis and SNES/SFC XBAND support), and thus merged into standard DreamPi too.

   This new DreamPi DX v1.4 update will allow the ultimate, all-in-one Sega DreamPi distro, which will handle:

  • Online gaming and networking for Sega Dreamcast (Dial-up/BBA and over WiFi support)
  • Sega Genesis XBAND support
  • SNES/SFC XBAND support
  • Sega Saturn Netlink modem support


     Other updates will include more development on Knuckles' Clackers, a new Sonic the Hedgehog ROM hack, and a related hardware mod for the Sega Pico. More details about that new ROM hack and related hardware mod when the time is right. A lot of research and development, reverse engineering, and other work is going on behind the scenes to make some runway on the development on that new ROM hack/hardware mod.


 

Sega Pico video game console


 
???

Potato the Dog is excited for educational video games
real Sega Genesis video gaming on the Sega Mega Pico. Piko-piko!

New Gamedev PC!
 

    Back to the intended blog topic at hand.

   I purchased up a coworker's pre-built, used custom gaming PC build back in February 2024 while working at a factory job at the time. The coworker is a bit older in his late 50s and he retired in summer of 2024. He isn't too technical, and recently switched over to an Android tablet. The gaming PC was actually his stepson-in-law's computer, which the stepson built. Both the coworker and his stepson no longer have a need for that old PC, especially since the stepson recently built a modern gaming PC with higher specs. The coworker said that he would like to sell it and a NIB PC case to me.
 
   Although my Windows 7 HP Elitebook 8570w mobile workstation from 2016-present has served me incredibly well, technology has really advanced in the past decade. A few years ago in 2019, I maxed out the old HP EliteBook 8570w's RAM to a whopping 32.0 GB of gaming laptop RAM, and the Nvidia Quadro K2000M GPU inside (2GB VRAM) still works pretty well for moderate gaming and 3D modelling.

The old HP Elitebook 8570w mobile workstation

   Despite the old Elitebook serving me well since 2016, I'd love to start being able to handle modern computing features. Such modern computing features like:

   This newer Windows 11 gaming PC would be used for viewing and editing 4K video content, developing/playing VR video games (SteamVR), and just playing modern video games in surround sound and 4K on Windows 11. The old laptop would be used for computing while on the go or accessing older data, while the newer gaming computer for Windows 11, modern gaming, and hardcore gamedev.

Modern video games such as:

  • Rachet & Clank: Rift Apart, A 
  • Gotham Knights
  • Rocket League (highest settings)
  • Genshin Impact in UHD 4k resolution

Comparison of video resolutions (HD vs. UHD),
UHD Blu-Ray and 4K logos

PS4VR Headset kit used on the computer with SteamVR (TrinusVR software)
 WiFi 6 and BT5 logos

Windows 11 logo

   I bought the computer and the NIB computer case for $120 total ($60 each). Not a bad deal! I sold  off the NIB computer case on Craigslist to recoup some of the purchase cost. The computer came with the following basics:

 

 

Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 motherboard
 
AMD FX-4300 Processor (3.8 GHz Quad-Core)
Vroom-vroom!
 
 

 

Thermaltake Versa N21 case

 
Thermaltake Smart 500 W 80+
(Certified ATX Power Supply) PSU
 
   With the new gaming computer acquired, it was time to upgrade the computer with newer hardware in order to modernize the build with my desired hardware features! Over the course of a year and in between paychecks, I saved up money and bought used/new computer parts on eBay, Amazon, Craigslist, shopgoodwill.com, and from thrift stores (Super Goodwill and regular Goodwill). ("Super Goodwill" I call the distribution centers where they have bulk discounts in the big blue bins the workers bring out.)
 
   I give nicknames to my computers. Since this computer is my most powerful computer build, I nicknamed it Giant Eagle Big Eagle 🦅. My mobile workstation laptop (Windows 7) is nicknamed American Kestral (tiny hawk, but powerful), while the retro gaming computer is the Millenium Eagle. The Millenium Eagle is multi-boot and covers my retro computing Windows needs. It runs Windows XP, Windows ME, 3.11 WfWG, and DOS, and has an OPL3 FM-synth Sound Blaster clone card, among many other goodies.


Computer specs, upgrades, and purchases

   A list of computer specs, upgrades, and purchases. Dollar amount purchases in yellow. If no price given, then purchased before making the build or spare parts I had in storage (no dollar amount, not counting towards total price of build).

Final computer specs:

Build analysis/post-mortem
 
Summary of building process/cost
 
   Other than saving up money and purchasing parts in batches in between paychecks, the upgrades for the build, installation of hardware drivers, and software installation for my gamedev/gaming environment went very smoothly. The new computer parts significantly upgraded the performance and features of the machine to modern specs.
 
These newer features include:
  • 4K display and 4K webcam
  • GPU with 4K, 3D stereoscopy, VR, support
  • Blu-Ray drive with BD-XL read/write support
  • Maxed out 32GB gaming RAM
  • WiFi 6E and BT 5 networking card
  • SSD+HDD hard drive storage combination (2TB+2TB = 4TB total)\ 
  • Windows 11 OS
   The newer graphics card (an Asus Turbo GTX 1070 with 8GB VRAM and 4K, 3D, and VR support) is about a 4x+ performance increase than the older Nvidia Quadro K2000M (2GB VRAM) in the older Elitebook. The machine is very fast and runs smoothly at 4K for most games, like Genshin Impact.

   The build however was a bit over-budget, despite shopping for discount deals, thrifting, and buying used parts online. I was targeting a $600-$1k build, but ended up spending about $1,160. Regardless, the upgrades were worth it and the machine is now a powerful investment and business asset for gamedev and gaming.

Design flaws

   The build had 3 design flaws:
  • Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 motherboard has only one PCIe 2.0 x1 slot
  • Accidentally ordered a PCIe 2.0 x4 slot card (RedComets USB 3.2 Gen 2 TypeA/C card)
  • Accidentally ordered a 5.25" Sunicon multi-card reader (wrong size, not 3.5")
 
  The design flaw of the Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 motherboard for the computer is it having one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot and only having one PCIe 2.0 x1 slot. It has a few other older, regular PCI slots too. The Asus Turbo GTX 1070 GPU was one of the better feature-heavy, modern GPUs that can run in PCIe 2.0 x16 mode without oversaturating the bus for graphics operations. The single x16 port is okay for the single GPU, but the single x1 port is not fine for installing PCIe add-on cards. I tried using a PCIe x1 to 4x16 riser card adapters to install additional PCIe x1/x4 cards, with extension cards outside of the case with appropriate extension cables, but it's a clunky interface taking up room on the retro-styled PC computer desk. With a 3D printed enclosure, it may work better.

I have the following PCIe x1/x4 cards intended for the single slot:
  • TP-Link Archer TX55E
    • WiFi 6E/BT 5.0 PCIe x1 card
    • Always installed, occupying the slot
  • RedComets U21 USB 3.2 Gen 2 PCIe x4 card
    • Has a few USB3.2 Gen 2 Type A ports
    • Also has a USB-C port (!)
    • Is unfortunately a PCIe x4 card
  • Synchrotech PCIe x1 to ExpressCard 34/54 adapter
    • Backwards compatibility with my ExpressCard 34/54 cards from my Elitebook 8570w computer
    • HP Analog TV Tuner (EC680)
      • EC54 card
      • Meant for analog composite capture from retro video game consoles
    • Matrox MXO2 Mini + ExpressCard
      • EC34 card + external device
      • Meant for HDMI capture (upto 1080p) for modern video game consoles
    • Creative X-Fi Xtream Audio ExpressCard 54 + Analog surround dongle (SB0710)
      • EC54 card + dongle
      • Meant for analog 5.1 surround sound output on Elitebook, and digital audio (TOSLINK) I/O.
    • Dynex DX- ECFW Firewire card
      • Firewire ExpressCard 54 interface (1394a and 1394b)
      • Used for interfacing with an older 1.5TB Maxtor One Touch III HDD enclosure (1.5TB over Firewire 1394b, max speed interface) for video editing, large Steam games

Synchrotech PCIe x1 to ExpressCard 34/54 adapter

HP Analog TV Tuner (EC680 ExpressCard)
I've discussed about this card in a past blog post
 
 


Matrox MXO2 Mini Kit + ExpressCard 34 adapter


Creative X-Fi Xtream Audio ExpressCard 54 +
Analog surround dongle (SB0710)
 
Dynex DX-ECFW Expresscard 34
(1394a and 1394b Firewire interface) 
 

   Since there is only one PCIe 2.0 x1 slot, the WiFi/BT network card is usually installed into it. I only swap out the network card with other cards as needed (and then fallback on wired Ethernet for networking while using the other card).

    Another mistake made was ordering the RedComets U21 USB 3.2 Gen 2 card, which is an x4 card. Since the port is just an x1 port, it cannot fit into it. It requires the riser card solution, to fit the x4 card into the x16 extension slot for backwards comaptiblity. Since the riser cards are still going through the PCIe 2.0 x1 slot, I believe the bandwidth of the USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A and Type C ports will be bottlenecked and limited to PCIe 2.0 x1 speeds (500 MBps) vs. the full bandwidth of x4 specs (2,000 MBps). USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 and Gen 2x2 are rated at 1,250 MBps and 2,500 MBps, respectively. The card is rated for USB 3.2 Gen 2x1 support (1,250 MBps), which is too much for the x1 bandwidth but enough for the x4 and x16 rated bandwidths. The PCIe 2.0 x16 port is the fastest bandwidth bus in the computer at 16,000 MBps and meant for GPU support, while the USB 3.0 bus is the second fastest (625 MBps). The USB 3.0 support was a selling point feature of the Asus motherboard back.

   The ExpressCard 34/54 PCIe adapter is very useful for utilizing my older ExpressCards from the laptop. This includes analog (composite) and digital (upto HDMI 1080p) video capture cards, an analog 5.1 surround sound card, and a Firewire interface card.


Comparison of various data transfer bandwidth speeds (MBps)
of standards and interfaces on the motherboard 
 


 


PCIe 2.0 Riser (4x16) interface attempt

 
  The last mistake was accidentally ordering a Sunicon 5.25" Multi-card reader instead of a 3.5" bay (more information about the fix later in this blog post).
 
Storage
 
   The computer is maxed out with 32GB of RAM, with 8GB x 4 sticks of Kingston HyperX DDR3-1866 CL11 memory. For data storage, the computer utilizes a hybrid of an SSD and an HDD hard drive. The SSD is the primary boot hard drive, and is used for the Windows 11 OS, most video games, and frequently accessed files for quick access. The HDD is a secondary hard drive, is a slower mechanical type, and is meant for longer-term storage.
 
 

8GB x 4 = 32GB sticks of
Kingston HyperX DDR3-1866 CL11 RAM

32.0GB of RAM detected by the AMI BIOS


   The SSD is an enterprise-grade Samsung SM863a SSD hard drive (2.0TB at SATA3 6Gbps speeds, 2.5"). The HDD is a Western Digital WD2000FYYZ hard drive (2.0TB at SATA2 3.0Gbps, 7200RPM, 3.5"). The computer only supports SATA2 spec (3Gbps), so the SATA3 SSD only runs at half speed (SATA2 speeds).
 
   The computer originally came with a 1TB mechanical hard drive. Unfortunately my older copy of MiniTool Partition Wizard Free software struggled to clone the old HDD onto the SSD upgrade, so I purchased a copy of Easus Partition Master Pro software for the partition cloning and hard drive migration.
 
  For years, I've avoided purchasing an SSD hard drive, due to hearing horror stories about 1st generation SSDs crashing and burning quickly when they failed. I also didn't like how SSDs cost about twice as much as the HDD mechanical equivalent with the same storage. With this build, I decided to finally to try out an SSD hard drive. With benchmarking using HD Tune 2.55 software, the SSD was measured to perform better in all tests. Between both hard drives, the SSD had a faster access time (0.1ms vs. 10.2ms). The maximum transfer rate was 207.9 MBps vs. 153.1 MBps (35.79% performance increase), while the average transfer rate was 186.3 MBps vs. 124.2 MBps (50% performance increase) between the SSD vs. the HDD, respectively. The HDD utilized 42.1% of CPU usage (almost half the CPU cycles wasted!) while the SSD utilized 25.9% CPU usage (CPU usage decreased by 16.2%).
 
   I've really enjoyed the faster data transfer speeds, faster access, and lower CPU usage by the SSD. It has made the computer run much faster, and it's been hard going back to mechanical HDDs since then. I should have taken the plunge earlier! Hopefully the SSD will prove to be reliable and live long, especially being an enterprise-grade SSD.

Western Digital WD2000FYYZ HDD
(2.0TB at SATA2 3.0Gbps, 7200RPM, 3.5")
 

Fan unit add-on for HDD
 
Samsung SM863a SSD
(2.0TB at SATA3 6Gbps speeds, 2.5")

HD Tune 2.55 benchmarks (SSD vs. HDD)

Samsung Magician benchmarks (SSD vs. HDD), system specs

 
4K/3D/VR Display and sound, 4K webcam, and 4K BD-XL support
 

   The PC came with and originally ran off of a Zotac GeForce GTX 750 Ti (2GB 128-bit GDDR5) GPU from the original owner. It had a paltry, basic GPU with 2GB VRAM (boring 🥱). I purchased a used Asus Turbo GTX 1070 GPU from eBay to upgrade the graphics. It's an advanced, awesome GPU with 8GB VRAM approximately 4x+ more powerful (yeehaw 🤠). The GTX 1070 runs on the PCIe 2.0 x16 bus slot on the motherboard. The GTX 1070 GPU handles the computer's 4K/3D/VR graphics, and is supported by a GPU brace accessory. It is a dual-slot GPU, and takes up a lot of space. The Asus Turbo model variant is a bit unique, having a space for a custom lit sticker logo. The old Zotac GPU card was sold online on eBay.

 

 
 
 Asus Turbo GTX 1070 GPU
 
 
 
 
MHQJRH Graphics Card Brace
 

 

 
Asus Turbo GTX 1070 installed into the motherboard
 
Custom sticker area
on Asus Turbo GTX 1070 card 
 

MHQJRH Graphics Card Brace supporting
the Asus Turbo GTX 1070 GPU
 

   Unfortunately during the move into the house, the 55" 4k TV I had purchased used for a bargain from a former friend cracked. Due to this, being cash-strapped, and not wanting to purchase a massive 4K TV for the computer, I purchased a UPerfect 15.6" Portable 4K Monitor (Model 156J10) off of eBay on discount. This monitor is awesome due to it being small enough to fit onto my computer desk, running off of USB-C PD power supply, and obviously supporting 4K and HDR support. The video comes into it from a Mini-HDMI 4K cable. The monitor also has built-in speakers, although they are weak when the sound volume is max. The monitor fits well into a wooden tablet stand that I found from Super Goodwill.

   Since I now have a few 4K HDMI devices in my entertainment system, I installed an Avedo Links HDMI 4K@60Hz 4x1 Switch with 7.1 Audio Extractor into my AV receiver system. The 7.1 surround sound audio is extracted from the selected HDMI input, and output to a digital TOSLINK port. Although my AV receiver (an older Onkyo TX-SR508) has a built-in HDMI switch, it only supports HDMI 1.4a standard (1080p max). It requires a minimum of HDMI 2.0 support to handle UHD (4K) AV, so feeding any 4K devices into the AV receiver won't work. Using the 4K HDMI switch, I can change the HDMI device being input into the 4K monitor, while using the audio extractor TOSLINK port to output digital surround sound into the AV receiver's TOSLINK audio port. It's a dumb workaround, but it works!

 
 
UPerfect 15.6" Portable 4k Monitor (Model 156J10)
 
Wooden tablet stand for 4K monitor
Avedo Links HDMI 4K@60Hz 4x1 Switch
with 7.1 Audio Extractor (TOSLINK)

Onkyo TX-SR508 AV Receiver
(for 7.1 surround sound, TOSLINK connection)

  The computer has a 3.5mm stereo headphone and microphone jacks on the top of the computer case. I use a Medion Erazer headset (P83036) for online gaming and webcam sessions. Unfortunatley the headset has only one 3.5mm jack for headphone/microphone signals combined, so I used a 3.5mm headphone and microphone splitter cable for usage with the computer. The headset is mounted onto a heavy-duty Command 3-strip headset mount (Xtremetech Headphones Mount), on the side of the desk.




Medion Erazer headset and mount


    VR support is handled by a second HDMI output port on the GTX 1070 GPU. It plugs into a PS4VR Processor Unit, which plugs into the PS4VR headset. TrinusVR (PS4VR) software is used to communicate between the GPU and the VR headset, for SteamVR games and more. The PS4VR kit from eBay was fully function and sold at a discount, due to the PS4VR HDMI extension cable not being included, and the headset's foam inside falling apart. I wrapped the inside foam with silver duct tape, in order to prevent users from getting their forehead messy. The solution is redneck, but effective.

    I found a computer desk cable cage (originally from Amazon) NIB for about $6 from Goodwill. After purchasing a craft foam block and some Command strips with metal hooks, I created a makeshift shelf on the side of the computer desk top to hold the PS4VR Processor Unit. I cut the foam block with a pumpkin carving knife, wrapped silver duct tape around the block (to prevent foam beads from making the area messy, like with glitter), and placed the foam block in the metal cage. The foam block makes a flat service in the concave section of the metal cage, like a shelf. I attached Command strip hooks to the side of the computer desk top to hold the foam cage. I also trimmed the width of the metal cage with a hacksaw, since the cage was too wide for the desk top side, cut off some of the original metal cage box cardboard, and taped the cardboard to the side of the cage to prevent the PS4VR Processor Unit from falling off the makeshift shelf overhang. The PS4VR Processor Unit power brick is stored on top of the desk. The entire solution is redneck, but effective!

 



PS4VR Kit and makeshift shelf


   The 4K webcam is an Enther Maxhub 4K webcam (UC-W20), which utilizes a USB-C port. As mentioned earlier in the bandwidth comparison table for the available busses on this computer, USB 3.0 is the second fastest bandwidth port on the motherboard, so I used a golden, braided USB-A 3.0 to USB-C cable to maximize the performance with the 4K webcam.

 
 

Enther Maxhub 4K webcam (UC-W20)

   The computer has an Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray writer. It has patched firmware with LibreDrive/MakeMKV support, to support BD-XL (Quad-Layer) 4K Blu-Ray support. It reads/writes basically all CD formats other than HD-DVD.
 

 
Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray Writer
in the motherboard

Blu-Ray burner media support (as detected by CD Burner XP)
 
4K Blu-Ray (BD-XL) support, as detected by MakeMKV
 
 
Keyboard/Mouse hardware
    
   The Millenium Eagle retro gaming computer has a Logitech G19 keyboard, a Wacom Graphire3 4x3 drawing tablet, and a Minoru 3D Webcam, all through USB-A cables. In order to share these devices  between the retro gaming computer and the new gaming computer Big Eagle, I purchased a 4-port ieGeek USB 2.0 KVM Switch.
 
ieGeek USB 2.0 KVM Switch
(and a ratsnest of cables) 

    I also upgraded the mouse to an Onn RGB Gaming Mouse (14-buttons, macro, RGB, and DPI buttons) and purchased a Handstands Premium Beaded keyboard wrist rest from Goodwill. Unfortunately Windows ME and WfWG 3.11 OSes on the Millenium Eagle do not like the new mouse (no ONN driver or software, occasional BSODs, and the mouse eventually stops repsonding due to DPI instability), so I'll have to manually swap out mice between those OSes on the Millenium Eagle and Big Eagle. I installed the software and drivers to make the Logitech G19 keyboard work on Windows 11.

 
 
 
Wacom Graphire3 4x5 tablet and accs
Onn Gaming Mouse (14-buttons)

BSOD on the Millenium Eagle computer (Windows ME OS)
from Onn. mouse instability (USB-EHCI crash)


  The Logitech G19 is a special RGB keyboard with the following features:
  • Color LCD display
    • Runs applets and displays in-game information for supported video games and applications
    • Applet keys
  • 12 Macro and related keys
  • Multimedia keys
    • Mute
    • Volume wheel
    • Play
    • Stop
    • Fast-foward
    • Rewind
  • Button to disable Windows key
  • 2-port USB 2.0 hub
  • RGB lighting
  • Logitech software support 
  • Utilizes its own power supply (PSU pigtail)
    • Utilizes more current than regular USB 2.0; requires it
   The macro keys in Windows ME and WfWG 3.11 on the Millenium Eagle trigger a crash (no driver software). Unfortunately the Logitech G19 keyboard broke (again). The first G19 keyboard never had applet keys working, while this one no longer powers on the Color LCD display (possibly bricked?). I'll have to order another one later on eBay, possibly a more reliable G19s model.

   In the meantime, I picked up a Logitech G510 keyboard from Goodwill to use on both machines. It's based off the monochrome Logitetch G15.
 
The Logitech G510 keyboard has the same features as the G19, except:
  • Wider
  • Monochrome dot-matrix display
    • Runs different applets
  • 18 macro and related keys
  • No USB 2.0 hub
  • 3.5mm Headphone and microphone jacks
    • Mute buttons for headphone and microphone jacks
  • Runs off standard USB 2.0 power (no external PSU pigtail)
 
 
Logitech G19 keyboard

Logitech G510 keyboard
This keyboard is quite wiide!

 
 
Keyboard and mouse in the computer desk

 
Networking/RGB smart lighting

   A previous owner at the house left behind a NIB TP-Link Archer AX1800 dual-band WiFi 6 router. I transfered over my own Verizon internet service and had verizon install an ONT when I moved in, but I also hooked up the WiFi 6 router into the internet. In order to maximize the WiFi performance to this new computer, I installed a TP-Link Archer TX55E 802.11a(cx)/b/g/n / Bluetooth 5.0 PCIe x1 Wi-Fi/BT card.
 
TP-Link Archer AX1800 dual-band WiFi 6 router
 
 
 
 
 
TP-Link Archer TX55E 802.11a(cx)/b/g/n /
Bluetooth 5.0 PCIe x1 Wi-Fi/BT card
  
   I noticed in the Nvidia GeForce Experience and Armoury Crate apps that the GPU could control RGB smart lighting through the WiFi network to sync with the graphics on the computer's screen, specifically through Philips Hue smart lighting system. So I purchased a NIB Philips Hue WiFi network bridge and installed it to theVerizon ONT modem, a used Philips Hue color lighting strip from eBay, and a used compatible power supply from eBay. I never got the Armoury Crate app to directly sync up with the Philips Hue WiFi Bridge/color light strip; however the Philips Hue PC app was able to sync with both.

Philips Hue WiFi Bridge

Philips Hue color lightstrip

 
 Philips Hue Lightstrip power supply (the white box)


 

  Powered end for lightstrip

Lit light strip
 
Accessories
 Drive Bay Accessories

   Other than the 5.25" Blu-Ray burner optical drive for the drive bay, I purchased a Sunicon Multi-card reader on Amazon for free with an Amazon gift card. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of not fully reading the description. The USB 3.0 support was just for a front-facing USB 3.0 extension port (mobo header), not USB 3.0 support for the multi-card hardware (which is USB 2.0). Not only that, but I made the mistake of ordering this as a 5.25" drive bay accessory instead of as a 3.5" bay accessory, and I already used up my only 5.25" bay with the Blu-Ray drive. Oof!

 

   The USB 3.0 port made the device wider (widened it from a 3.5" bay accessory to a 5.25" bay accessory) and a bit taller. I unscrewed the port off, took a hacksaw to the device, and removed the excess space from the USB port to shrink the width from 5.25" to 3.5". Then I cut off excess height, glued some plastic and metal mesh pieces back on, and moved the front logo over. A redneck hardmod of the literal sense 🤣. It fits now, lol!

   I had to purchase an IDC10 extension cable and IDC10 splitter cable, to interface both the Sunicon device and WiFi 6E/BT 5.0 PCIe cards into the same IDC10 motherboard port. (Each motherboard port can support 2 USB devices).

 
Original Sunicon multi-card reader
 
 

 

 
The Sunicon multi-card reader,
modified to fit into 3.5" bay

USB motherboard ports (IDC10)


PCI(e)/USB cards
 

   I already discussed about the PCIe cards purchased and added in the Design flaws section. I also purchased a few SATA power extension cables and USB 3.0 patch cables for the PCIe 2.0 x1 to 4x16 riser card expansion inteface. I also bought a Vivitar HDMI to USB video capture device (HDMI upto 1080p, USB 3.0 interface). The Asus motherboard supports an optional DB9 and DB25 serial and parallel port respectively, through IDC10 and IDC26 headers on the motherboard respectively. I bought and installed a DB25 parallel port PCI card slot from eBay, and installed the DB9 serial PCI card slot from my spare parts bin. I also installed IDC10 and IDC26 extensions cables, since the default cables were too short.

  
Vivitar HDMI to USB Capture Device

Serial/Parallel Port add-on cards
(IDC10/IDC26 motherboard headers)
 
Cables/misc
 

   Due to having the RedComets PCIe x4 USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type A/C card, I purchased a Wordima USB4 Type C to C cable (40Gbps) from Amazon on discount from a gift card. As mentioned earlier due to the PCIe 2.0 x1 bottleneck, I strongly expect far lower data transfer speeds than ideal using this cable in the RedComet card's USB-C port; however this cable helpes future proof the PC. I also purchased extra Thermaltake case thumbscrews, and Xbox 360 USB breakaway cables (for gaming with wired USB Xbox 360 controllers).

Decorations
 
   With all of the hardware and software installed into the computer, for finishing touches, I added some decorations. Go Big Eagle 🦅 or fly home home as a sparrow. This included a customized HTC Vive VR Vertagear gaming chair found on Craigslist, some fluorscent tube lighting (in and underneath the desk), mousepads, and stickers to personalize the PC gaming case.
 
   The customized Vertagear HTC Vive VR gaming chair is very good. It has a pillow for the neck and butt, as well as adjustable arm rests and tilt. It's almost like car sear for a mid-end sportscar. What's even better is how it's customized with HTC Vive VR logos, perfect for this VR gaming PC build.

Custom HTC Vive gaming chair (Vertagear)

   At Goodwill I found two fluroscent/LED lighting tubes. One is an Antares Odyssey fluorscent light about 12' 1 1/2" long, while the other is an Infinigreen LED light with switch at 2' 10 3/8" long. The former is taped underneath the workspace area of the computer desk, while the later is placed underneath the computer desk as a nifty maintenance light for doing work on my computers. The later is held up by two command strip yard-pole styled pole holders. It's redneck, but both the tape and command strip pole holders hold up both lights.


Small overhead light



Large underground maintenance light
 

    I also added some more mousepads to the computer desk workspace surface. The computer desk already had two large mouse pads that I got earlier, one for the desktop surface, the other for the sliding keyboard surface. Both are from my favorite RPG video game/anime series, Hyperdimension Neptunia. The former is the pack-in mousepad from the Limited Edition of Neptunia: Sisters vs. Sisters (PS4), while the later is a standalone mousepad from Neptunia Reverse (PS5 exclusive). Both are Neptastic for the desktop.

 
PC Desktop desk mats/mousepads
 
 
Neptunia ReVerse desk mat
(keyboard/mouse shelf drawer)


Neptunia: Sisters vs. Sisters desk mat

   To fill in some more empty space on the computer desk, I earned a McDonald's mousepad from the day job, found and purchased an Engrish-y Microsoft Office/CAD/Photoshop shortcut desk mat from Goodwill, and found a BassJaxx Aluminum Gaming Mousepad at Super Goodwill. All of the mousepads/desk mats are decent for the decoration.


Microsoft Office/CAD/Photoshop shortcut desk mat

McDonald's and BassJaxx Aluminum Gaming Mousepads
 
   Lastly, to finish off the build, I added some stickers to the computer case. These stickers include:

Daiso Japan Urusei Yatsura sticker sheets
 


 
Genshin Impact stickers (eBay)
Officially unlicensed!
  

Hollywood sticker sheets (PCCR)

 
  I've scanned most of the stickers (and more) for backups, including my custom ones. They can be downloaded here.
Overall Performance
 
After the build was completed with all of the upgrades, the Windows Experience Index (WEI) score went up. 
 
Windows Experience Index (WEI) score for Big Eagle comptuer build

The WEI final scores are:
  • CPU Score - 8.6/10
  • Direct3D Score - 9.9/10
  • Disk score - 7.2/10
  • Graphics Score - 9.1/10
  • Memory Score - 8.6/10

  • Lowest Score - Disk score (7.2/10)
  • Total score - 43.4/50 = 86.8% B grade!

   Typically the WEI scores the computer based on the component with the lowest score. I'm not a fan of that metric weighting, considering all of the components in this build are pretty close in grade. Using a standard grading scale intead, the machine ranks at 43.4/50 = 86.8% B grade! The Direct3D and graphics scores are the highest scores, nearly maxed out at 9.9/10 (wow 🦅) and 9.1/10, respectively.

   I find it wild that a nearly 10 year old graphics card (the Asus Turbo GTX 1070) is still packing such a punch. It just proves to show that you don't need to buy a brand new, $1k+ graphics card to enjoy most modern games and features. Since Nvidia regularly updates the graphics driver for this card and the Game-Ready Drivers (for new PC game releases), its driver support is still fairly up to date with features from other modern cards.

Full Specs/Pictures
 

 
 Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 BIOS Boot
 
 

 

 
 
 Asus M5A78L-M/USB3 BIOS Setup screens
 
 
 
Lockscreen (4K)
 
Desktop 4K
 
Desktop 4K (alt)
 
Windows Experience Index (WEI) score for Big Eagle computer build
 
Computer specs (as reported by
Windows 11 Settings/System menu)
 
Computer specs
(as reported by MyAsus app)
 
Computer specs
(as reported by Steam Client)
 
Detailed Computer Specs (CPU-Z)
 

 




Detailed GPU Specs (GPU-Z)
 

Basic GPU Specs (DXDiag 64-bit)
 
Detailed Nvidia GPU Specs/features (Nvidia Geforce Experience)

Basic Nvidia GPU specs (Nvidia Geforce Control Panel)
 
HD Tune 2.55 HDD benchmarks (SSD vs. HDD)

 Samsung Magician benchmarks (SSD vs. HDD), system specs
 

Blu-Ray burner media support for
Asus BW-16D1HT ODD drive
(as detected by CD Burner XP)
 
4K Blu-Ray (BD-XL) support for
Asus BW-16D1HT ODD drive,
as detected by MakeMKV
 
 
Conclusion
 
  The Big Eagle 🦅 gaming computer build was incredibly successful, although a bit overpriced at $1,160 . Due to purchasing the gaming computer used from an old coworker, thrifting used parts (Super/Goodwill, eBay, Amazon, Craiglist, other), and purchasing some new parts online on discount, this saved a lot of money vs. building a new PC straight from new parts.
 
This computer build now has modern computer features, such as:
  • Ultra HD 4K/Stereoscopic 3D/VR graphics support from GPU
  • 4K Webcam
  • 4K desktop Blu-Ray burner (BD-XL Quad Layer support)
  • 7.1 Surround Sound audio
  • WiFi 6E / Bluetooth 5.0
  • SSD/HDD SATA hard drives (2TB + 2TB = 4TB)
  • PCIe 2.0 card slots
  • Windows 11 OS
 The computer has been great for modern day hardcore PC and VR gaming, and game development with the higher end specs.

To finish the build, I'm purchasing and installing a few final parts at a later date:
  • Used Logitech G19 or G19s keyboard to replace the one that bricked
  • PCIe cards
    • 4K PCIe x1 HDMI capture card
    • WavLink BE8800 WiFi 7/BT 5.4 Tri-Band PCI-e x1 card (WL-WN685BE3-B)
      • Bought for $10 new 🤯 from a yard sale on Sat 05/10/2025
      • To further upgrade and future-proof the WiFi/BT networking on the computer
      • May not work on the AMD chipset included, requires NVMe protocol over PCIe (not suported on PCIe 2.0 x1 card bus)?

 

  • Decorations
    • Custom Big Eagle sticker for front bay area
    • Create a custom EagleSoft Ltd. logo sticker for the Asus Turbo GTX 1070 custom decal area

   I hope you enjoyed the writeup on the Big Eagle gaming computer build, and here's to exciting video gaming and gamedev sessions for many years to come at EagleSoft Ltd! Stay tuned to Part 2 in the near future, where I wrapup the build with final parts.

-MrTamkis

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