Jay G.

Actually, no, an HDMI to VGA adapter is doing way more than just "re-directing the pins". It's converting a digital HDMI signal to a VGA signal. It has a video processor built in do do so, as this image from the Amazon listing shows (as a "smart chip")


The specs show it can output 1080p/60hz, which should be enough for the existing monitor.

Noonan, you may be thinking of older DVI-A adapters, since that was just VGA with a different pinout. But that was because a DVI port could theoretically output both digital and analog signals, depending on the connector type. Graphics cards would typically have a DVI-I connector, which could connect to both DVI-A and DVI-D devices.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digita...face#Connector

HDMI and DisplayPort, however, are fully digital, so any adapter for VGA has to actually convert the signal. However, electronics has progressed to the point where little chips in the adapter, powered by the power coming from the port, can do the job fairly easily.

Jay G.

OK, I found the specs for the Tower, and it says that the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER it comes with has:

• 1x DVI,
• 1x HDMI 2.0b,
• 1x DP 1.4

https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys...6AMR5_Spec.pdf

So you could, theoretically, plug in a DVI to VGA adapter.

It adds in potential compatibility issues, since DVI has different, incompatible pin configurations. Based on what I can find, such as this video at the 4:48 mark, the 1660 Super that comes with the Lenovo has a 24+1 pin DVI port:

So based on that, this DVI-to-VGA adapter for $3.59 should work:

Just don't get a 24+5 pin DVI adapter, that won't work with your card.

If you get the DVI-to-VGA adapter, you could keep using your existing monitor even when you get a new monitor, and have a dual-monitor setup, or even potentially a triple-monitor setup down the line. Just keep in mind the more monitors you're running at the time, the lower resolution/framerate you'll be able to run any single monitor at, although a 1080p/60hz monitor isn't going to really stress the card.

Edit: Now that I've checked back with the Wikipedia article, the "24+1 pin" configuration some adapters mention is the pinout for "DVI-D (Dual Link)," while "24+5" is for DVI-A, since the 4 extra pins are all analog signal. So the GTX 1660 Super card is digital-only on all 3 ports, and the adapter I linked to is doing the same digital-to-analog conversion as the HDMI-to-VGA adapter, and is likely just cheaper due to DVI adapters not being in as high demand anymore. It's still probably the better option, not just for being cheaper, but keeping the HDMI and DP ports free, but either way you're not getting analog from the card, and are thus limited by the limitations of the processor in the adapter (which, at least for the DVI adapter, are close to the limits of the interface anyway).

Noonan

You're right. I was 100% thinking DVI, which I completely forgot existed until you mentioned it.

lwhy?

I ended up getting this one:
I can still cancel it though. I'm only going to use one monitor. I don't really have room for two.

lwhy?

I'm looking over the inside and this part looks like it's mounted strangely or is it supposed to look like that?

RichC2

Looks like that's just the way they are mounted: https://www.google.com/search?q=leno...KHUpDjyk-VvFhM

lwhy?

Ok thanks! Just making sure. I've never had a computer that I can see the inside of until I bought this one.

lwhy?

My main complaint so far is that the USB ports on the top of the desktop are hard to get my flash drives into. I've been using two Samsung flash drives to transfer files. You have to press them down to get them to connect and it's already scratched them. I didn't have any problems with them on my old pc.

K&AJones

I don't know about that so-called...CPU Cooler....I've never seen anything like that mounted like that.....I'd recommend something from Cooler Master, ID-Cooling, Noctua, Be-Quiet but not sure how the mounting holes would work or not.....

lwhy?

I've been playing Dave The Diver after setting everything up and it's a really fun game. I was able to set my PS4 controller up with no problems.

lwhy?

The adapter came in the mail and I was able to get my monitor hooked up. Everything is working well. I've been playing Dave The Diver most of the day.

Thanks for all the help with picking out the computer and getting it set it up. I'm really happy with my purchase. I'm going to wait until I get my tax refund before I buy a new monitor and an Xbox controller

T-bone22

Dave the Diver looks fun, I want to check that one out one day.

lwhy?

It's really fun. It's still only in Early Access and I'm getting close to finishing what's available now.

RichC2

Feb 15th. Great fucking game. That is all.

K&AJones

This series was IT back in it's heyday and you basically played this or Quake or both.....apparentlly it along with several other Unreal Games are being sent off to the sunset. It's really sad because it was truly a outstanding series to play. At one time it looked like it was going to make a comeback but some weird new cell-shaded game came along....Fortnite....that shocked the Gaming World and Epic put it front & center and put Unreal Tournament on the shelf....a good read for those that remember....

Unreal Tournament Deserves Better From Epic
BY
ELIJAH BEAHM
A Killtrocity Of The Worst Kind.
Unreal Tournament Deserves Better From Epic (dualshockers.com)

RichC2

Tl;Dr: UT 1 - 3 are being pulled offline and replaced with Unreal Tournament 3X which is a free to play title.

It's undoubtedly the worst entry, but they can technically fix that pretty easily.

K&AJones

On the Steam page for UT3x....already this notice.... Notice - Unreal Tournament 3x is no longer available on the Steam Store

I got UT3 for the XBox 360 and for me I actually liked it and had fun. I think at the time the rip was some of it was a bit too close to Gears of War and some saw it a rip-off. I posted a video on the XBox Series x topic of someone actually playing this title...13yrs old...on a XBox Series X which frankly didn't look bad at all, not going to win any Visual Awards but it's playable and even still in the XBox Store for $10....

RichC2

UT3X will be available soon, per the same steam page.

kahuna

Should of brought the Lenovo Legion T5 26AMR when it was first posted here.

lwhy?

I love mine. They went out of stock shortly after I bought one.

Jay G.

I found an eBay listing for a similar T5 for $699, with a 2 year warranty from Allstate.

Lenovo Legion T5 26IOB6 Gaming PC: i5-11500 2.70GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD + 512GB SSD, GTX 1660 Super, Windows 10 Home
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275591103389

The CPU is Intel instead of AMD, and slightly less performance, but about par.


Lenovo Outlet also has one with a better CPU and GPU (AMD Ryzen™ 7 3700X, NVIDIAŽ GeForceŽ RTX™ 2060 6GB) for $851.57. Only has a 512GB SSD, no HDD included, although since it's likely the same case/motherboard, you should be able add one if you want:
https://www.lenovo.com/us/outletus/e...mr5/90rb000uus


Edit: note that the eBay listing may have a pic of the wrong case. From what I can find for that model, it uses the same case as the T5s shown on Lenovo Outlet, and not that really tall one with weird lip on the top back.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275615016479
https://www.cdw.com/product/lenovo-l...d-1-tb/6652397


Also, MicroCenter has a new T5 with RTX 3050 for $799:
https://www.microcenter.com/product/...waAiZYEALw_wcB

• Intel Core i5 11th Gen 11400 2.6GHz Processor
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 8GB GDDR6
• 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM
• 512GB SSD+1TB HDD
• Microsoft Windows 11 Home

The CPU is for some reason just a little less powerful than the other two options I listed. See this link for a comparison of all 4 CPUs:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare...-Ryzen-7-3700X


Edit 2: Comparison of GPUs:
https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/c...GTX-1660-SUPER

kahuna

BB has the ASUS - ROG Gaming Desktop - Intel Core i5-11400F - 16GB Memory - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti - 512GB SSD for $699. Might just pick this one up.

K&AJones

I'm still watching and waiting.....there was one of these Console vs PC YouTube Videos I watched...about 2 months old....and I responded with my comments which said PC's have several advantage with the custom configurations, price variations, software, amount of games and basic hardware like Mouse, KB, Monitors....BUT>..they fail when it comes to getting the most out of some current games...like 21604K...that you need a pretty good Video card that costs half of the total PC....plus you almost need to upgrade every few years due to the changing of visual performance demands with games...

Where as with a Console, you get the same level of performance that lasts 5-7 years, it costs less than one of those fancy Video Cards you need, don't have to mess with updates, software and hardware conflicts and basically a true "Plug & Play" experience...well the author of the video responded and generally agreed with my points while still sticking up for The PC Side..

But there were a lot on there that mentioned the Costs as keeping them from PC and mainly all centered around the Insane Cost of Video Cards.....I pointed out that as time goes on Video Games become more and more Visually Demanding....which requires a better and more powerful card. And the prices for Video cards have got way, way out-of-hand which a majority agree on. I took Atomic Heart that is coming out. They listed it will be 4K 60FPS on Consoles...great. They then listed the PC Specs. What they recommend for 21604K at 60FPS is a RTX 3080 Nivida and RX6800...right now both of those cards are around $750-$850....which proves my point. Now if one is happy at say 1440P and 1080P at 60-120FPS then more power to them but thats less "Visual Candy" that XBox and PS5 offer...so...

RocShemp

To add to your sentiments, a PC user can definitely build a PS5 or Xbox Series X equivalent PC (which are basically mid tier gaming PCs), but it will cost them significantly more than either console. This is due to both being sold at a loss, which is then recouped in game sales and licensing fees.

As for video cards, those prices boil down to the stranglehold Nvidia has on the market. Even though AMD has proved they can be more than second banana on the processor side of things, they've never been able to best or even equal Nvidia. And Intel's graphics cards aren't really a thing yet, so Nvidia is essentially without competition and can set prices as they please.

As for a console-like experience on PC, the closest we have is the Steam Deck. It has its quirks, but it's a step in the right direction. Hopefully it leads to a resurgence of what Valve attempted (and failed) to accomplish with the Steam Machine. We need a proper baseline like how consoles have for plug & play compatibility. But with some games optimized for Nvidia and others for AMD (or Inel vs AMD on the processor side), you're always bound to stumble into some annoying compatibility issues.

RichC2

The gap has definitely closed this generation, especially for those that are good with 1080p gaming or no ray-tracing (4k @ 30 fps offered for most Series X / PS5 games in "Quality" mode looks spectacular but the lack of FPS is super noticeable, especially in the feel of the game). Last gen still had struggles with framerates, that is seemingly gone now.

And yeah the Steamdeck is a very impressive piece of kit. The things being done with Proton were unimaginable to me just a few years ago.