Goodbye 8cx, Hello X Elite

I didn’t realize it is already 2 years since I started using a Windows on ARM laptop. I used it only for my office work and the overall experience was ok, it has amazing battery life and ok performance.

Somehow, the user feedback on 8cx Gen 3 was very negative, until it triggered the upper management to completely replace it with X Elite, the latest and newest chip that was designed completely in house.

The moment I start using it and I can already tell it is different, it is so much more snappier than the old one. I hope the software can continue to evolve and one day ARM can finally replace x86.

Ripping a CD in 2025

I don’t remember when was the last time I bought a CD. I recently bought one CD released more than 20 years ago and today it is finally delivered.

I don’t have a CD player anymore, so the first thing I needed to do was buying an USB CD/DVD reader. To my surprise, not just CD/DVD reader is still a thing, it even comes with USB C connector.

I was worried that the computers I have will not be able to use the USB disc reader. But surprisingly, not only my M1 Mac Mini is able to use it, it even plug and play without any driver installation needed.

Not sure why, when I start to rip the CD using Music app, the drive shut off by itself. I tried a few times and the same thing happened.

So I decided to plug this disc drive to my NUC which is running Bazzite. I didn’t expect it to work, but turns out, I was just thinking it too much.

As soon as I put in my CD, within seconds, all the disc info was pulled from the internet—it brought back so many memories. 💿

Now, let me enjoy my music. 🤭

Buying CD in 2025

It feels so weird to buy a physical CD in 2025. I don’t even have a disc drive to play it or rip it. So next thing I need is getting a USB DVD/CD drive. Getting all these things in 2025 just feel so out of place. 😂

Replaced Arch with Bazzite

I have been using Arch Linux for a long time. I like it is a rolling release and I can try the latest software as soon as it’s released in the repo.

With more and more family responsibilities, I have lesser and lesser of my own time. I can only do so much of my own things everyday, Im getting tired of keeping my system updated.

Recently, I started using Bazzite on my gaming PC. Its very stable, and all the things I need are already pre-configured. I don’t really need to tinker so much to get the system up to my liking, I just need to install it and it’s ready to be used. And most importantly, I don’t need to worry about updates anymore. If the update contains bugs or something, I can just roll it back to the previous state, and the system will always work unless there is hardware failure. This is exactly what I want now, I want something reliable more than something new but unstable.

Steam Deck Battery Replacement

Finally, the Steam Deck LCD replacement battery is here. Its so nice that the deck parts are very easily replaceable. It took me less than 10mins to put back the battery, and now my Steam Deck is back to life!