Van Life Gaming

[Siefour]

I Have been researching van living recently, and have noticed that most people end up using laptops to save space. I would prefer to keep my mid tower gaming PC if I decide to live in a van, but I am worried about the GPU being ripped out on the road, not being able to generate enough power to support the build, and not having the connectivity for gaming online. Does anyone have any ideas of how to bypass these problems? 

[HanZie82]

As for the GPU i would go the route of extension cable and mounting its somewhere else completely.

And as for power i would recommend a (not to old) uninterruptible power supply. Since you can connect those with USB to get the telemetry so if you dont produce enough power (like for instance from solar power) you would know and you have the time to shut down.

As for on the road internet, that would depend highly on the location, in my country i would just tether my phone. Since on 4G even gaming is somewhat possible (not fast paced but slower games). But you have dedicated 4G devices to connect to a PC (or even notebook).

Satellite Internet is also an option, alto i don't know much about that besides it being very expensive.

[SenKa]

Basically as @HanZie82said.

 

The only thing I would like to add is you can park your van near or in a large city and get Gigabit LTE, which is (on supported hardware) as you guessed, Gigabit.

[LogicalDrm]

Unless you are driving around very bumpy roads, there won't be anything. I've moved few times with my gaming rig at front seat of car. Actually, on same mobo, the case has fallen few times to its side. No harm to PCIe slot. Things are sturdier than many think.

[NineEyeRon]

Build the rig into the van itself, leaving access to swap parts etc.

 

problem solved

[Curious Pineapple]

Use a dekstop case/lay a tower on it's side so any forces from bumps are taken by the backplate rather than flexing the card and the PCIe slot.

[Spotty]

14 hours ago, Siefour said:

not being able to generate enough power to support the build

That's going to be the biggest issue in my opinion. If you're running off battery power with a high end, high power consuming "gaming PC" you aren't going to get much time to use the system, especially not while gaming. Then there's also the issue of charging the batteries when they're depleted which will require mains or a generator. If you're running the system directly off a petrol generator then IMO you should also be using an online UPS to filter out any issues from the generator, which along with the generator is bulky for traveling around with in a van and going to add a fair bit of cost to the set up.

 

If you're planning on using camp sites which have electrical hook up then that might help...

 

Honestly a decent gaming laptop would be far more suitable and you won't have to try and overcome all the issues you would have with a desktop system.

[HanZie82]

7 hours ago, Spotty said:

That's going to be the biggest issue in my opinion. If you're running off battery power with a high end, high power consuming "gaming PC" you aren't going to get much time to use the system, especially not while gaming. Then there's also the issue of charging the batteries when they're depleted which will require mains or a generator. If you're running the system directly off a petrol generator then IMO you should also be using an online UPS to filter out any issues from the generator, which along with the generator is bulky for traveling around with in a van and going to add a fair bit of cost to the set up.

 

If you're planning on using camp sites which have electrical hook up then that might help...

 

Honestly a decent gaming laptop would be far more suitable and you won't have to try and overcome all the issues you would have with a desktop system.

Yeah i would think a UPS is a necessity for this type of gaming, and think of it, notebook indeed have those built in.
But i can understand OP not wanting to buy something he already 'has'.

But yeah i would say first use a Watt-meter to find out how power hungry your PC is then make the decision to use that or buy notebook.
Since the first isnt made to be efficient in room and powerusage. But most notebooks are!

[Guest]

On 4/28/2019 at 2:03 PM, Siefour said:

I Have been researching van living recently, and have noticed that most people end up using laptops to save space. I would prefer to keep my mid tower gaming PC if I decide to live in a van, but I am worried about the GPU being ripped out on the road,

With a case that includes a bracket for GPU sag, you should be ok. I’d probably mount the desktop with rubber mounts.

On 4/28/2019 at 2:03 PM, Siefour said:

 not being able to generate enough power to support the build, 

Depends on the power supply of the desktop. You’d need a dc to ac converter, and two batteries in your van (you need enough power to run your van and desktop, remember 12/power you need = amps you need. The big three is also a must, but the alternator should be fine. 

On 4/28/2019 at 2:03 PM, Siefour said:

and not having the connectivity for gaming online.

4G or wireless hotspots. No way around it.

 

[Bitcolbyin]

I've always wanted to do this, not being able to bring my PC and game is the reason I haven't started this. Seems like an awesome project