In most places in the US it is indeed forbidden to build pedestrian friendly places. The reasons are multifold, zoning rules, local regulations, etc.

Indeed. It is a replacement for my previous “bulky PC”, with some capabilities that go far beyond that system but in terms of graphics it is pretty close to it. So it can play even current demanding games, on moderate resolutions, if you aren’t an fps fanatic. It is about 3-4 times more powerful than the iGPU on my Mini-PC. Due to the big unified memory it can handle locally some LLMs that even high end cards like a 5090 can’t handle but at a moderate speed only.

The CPU side is actually pretty powerful, so it is a pretty strong productivity system, helped by the large unified memory as well.

I use it when my main system, a Mini-PC (Ryzen 7640U), doesn’t suffice (complex CAD models, modern 3D games) and as it is a system with 64GB unified memory (crazy amount in this day and age) I also experimented with local GPU run LLMs, for example Gemma 4. I honestly don’t use LLMs that often in general but when I do, it is nice to have the option of actually having one that is really private.

It was ridiculously expensive, I could have built an RTX 5090 gaming system for the money… in 2025. But what is the fun in that? (Almost) anyone ready to shill out that money can do that. I enjoy projects where I can design and build something to my own specifications, something that ends up being more or less unique, yet functional.

So I built a 7.5 L small form factor PC based on a Strix Halo with the best iGPU on the market (with RTX 4060 levels of performance), completely fanless, operating at 100W TDP sustained for CPU and GPU combined. This was rather nerve wrecking given the investment and how it could have easily ended up as paper weight or with my custom cooling solution just being not up for the job, as the first prototype is also the final thing. But it worked and that’s why I am pretty proud at it, even if it means something only to me.

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/monochrome-2-my-custom-fanless-7-5-l-strix-halo-system-completed.20177/

There are many bad regulations in Europe too, but unlike in the US it is actually legal and possible in most places in Europe to build pedestrian friendly transit oriented neighbourhoods. In most places in the US it is not. The two are not the same.

Yeah, but not everything is wankpanzer that has a much higher kill rate than reasonably designed cars.

Yes, I fear those SUVs but not because that one is cheap, for an SUV but because oversized SUVs kill people (at a much higher rate than regular cars, even those with comparable loading volume).

Not just that. Gas turbines emit multiple times more nasty emissions than proper gas power plants that work by heating water instead of with inefficient motors.