Hi @ll.
I did take a small break from SG the last months. It started in December, when my new rig was built (more on that further down below) and, honestly, I think it had something to do with Lily stopping the bundle threads.
I am super happy that Robby picked up the bundle threads and although to me, it still feels like something is missing, they are done reliably, concise and quite soon after a bundle releases. They are as helpful for my purchasing decisions as the "old" threads, so I really haven't lost anything in information and I am thankful to Robby that he picked up the work.

For me, personally, I think I lost my touch on SG a little. 2025 will mark me being on this website for 12 years, which is a very long time. Many people I knew have left and I feel a little bit detached from the new crowd.
But, admittedly, this might just be a phase. The last few months have been kinda rough.

My new PC was built at the beginning of December and I was just waiting for the new NVIDIA 5000-Series to come out in January of this year to finish it. Had I known what a debacle this series turned out to be, I would have stayed with my old rig. The idea was to finally make the jump from Full-HD-Gaming to 4K-UHD-Gaming. Or, in other words, to upgrade my old PC from February 2015 to a new one from January 2025.
Well, too many problems later, I am now sitting here with a PC that should have been my dream PC and I'm still hoping that Nvidia fixes the mess their drivers are, still trying to set up the new display so that I am satisfied, still have to get the temperatures lower, still lacking performance, have to live with missing PhysX in old games and still have many questions about all the new stull (DLSS, DLAA, DLeverything) and how the optimal settings per game should be.

What is more important is: One of my best friends took his own life at the end of January. We buried his younger brother in 2021, also after he took his own life. Both brothers developed mental illnesses after their mother suddenly died of cancer some 30 years ago.
Well, since the father of those two brothers already suffers from dementia and had to go through a severe heart surgery just mere days before his second son died, we - as friends - organized the funeral. That wasn't easy, since it took several weeks for the police to rule out any wrongdoings by a third party.
Well, we buried my very good friend mid February. One week later the father refused any more treatment in the hospital and nearly exactly two weeks after the funeral of his oldest son, the father died, too. And once again, we organized the funeral, since there was no family left.
I think my mind and body is still in denial but slowly but surely reality is setting in and it is hard. I miss him. But hey, the family now is back together, just in another place.

Well, thank you for reading my drivel. I will try to slowly but surely try to wiggle my way back in and see how it feels like.
So...
Hello there! I hope life treats you good and you are in a good place. If not, remember, yours is not a dead end street, there is always the chance to turn things around and if you truly feel lost, go and get help.

4 hours ago

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Those had to be real bad ordeals. I hope you recover soon and well, but those scar tissues will remain there, I know.
I'm going through my own sunk-as-Titanic and everything irritates me and go full Hulk phase. Since December 2023 (15 months), and things, well, you know, on the seventh day, God said "Murphy, now it's your turn".
I still use humour as pressure valve, but often it goes as dark sarcasm which I think most people won't interpret as "slightly bitter comedy".
Welcome back, Amano.

4 hours ago
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Everything you're saying is hard. I hope you can slowly regain your happiness, and we hope that new people here—I'm very new—can brighten your heart a little.

3 hours ago
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Glad to see you back Amano. You were missed.

I am sorry about your friend.

3 hours ago
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my condolences, I wish you strength.

3 hours ago
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Sorry for your loss. You can find some kind of escape here. And I'm sure someone to talk to, no matter the timezone! Keep strong

3 hours ago
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I’m sorry for your loss. It must feel surreal.
Wishing you well, and thank you for the important reminder.

3 hours ago
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I was wondering why I haven’t seen you around the forums for a while. It’s good to have you back.
I’m sorry to hear about your friend, and that you had to handle the funeral arrangements. I hope the pain eases soon, and that you’ll be able to look back on your time together without too much sadness.

3 hours ago
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Hey Amano, glad to see you are back!

My condolences for your loss, sounds stressful with organizing the funeral. But it's really lovely and nice that as good friends you did this last deed for them.

3 hours ago
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Seems the Nvidia debacle was a minor issue compared to your personal experience of losing a friend. I'm no fortune teller but I saw the 5000 series for what it is: a glorified refresh. So I bought a 4090 Asus TUF last October which is ideal for my setup as my 65" main display is limited to 120 Hz anyway. Besides, I can play Mirror's Edge with PhysX on no problem.

3 hours ago
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Your friend and his family have been hit really hard. Such a series of calamities can wear anyone down. :(

3 hours ago
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Hey Amano, I'm very glad to see you coming back. I was thinking you also were pretty quiet these last months!

i'm very sorry to read about what happend to your friend and his family.....Tough times.

Feel free to contact me on Steam or here if you want to talk or just vent. I would be glad to help.

3 hours ago
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Welcome back, Amano - and I'm sad to read about the hard times. Certainly not drivel, and I hope airing the story does you well. It's good to see you here again.

3 hours ago
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At first I wanted to comment on your new rig and the shitshow that has been the new GPU releases. But then I read the next paragraph about your friend and his family and it made it all seem so trivial. I am sorry for your loss. Good on you for organizing the funerals. That must have been hard.

Welcome back, Amano.

2 hours ago
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These are difficult times to overcome.
I wish you all the best in the future and I'm very happy to see you back here.

2 hours ago
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