Final Thoughts
So now that after 8 months the Lunchbox 4 project build is finally done do I have any regrets or final thoughts about the build? Well to fully consider that I spent time looking back at Lunchbox 3 and my coverage of the build and there were a few things with 3 that I regretted, even right after I built it. The biggest thing, and I wrote about this in my coverage of the Lunchbox 3 build, was that I regretted the build not having a better overall color theme. Later on, when using it I was also surprised at how little people even noticed the tiny build, even though it was the PC I was most proud of. Well with Lunchbox 4 I can say that I did a MUCH better job in this department. Nearly everything is black or red and the build itself is a lot more eye-catching. That said the Noctua fan on the CPU cooler still needs to go, it stands out like a sore thumb. I also already regret not coming up with a better design for the graphics on the case itself, I hope a reader feels the same way and has a much better idea that I can implement.
This time around I think I spent a lot more time focusing on thermals. In any small case, heat is going to be an issue but I’m hoping with the changes I’ve made Lunchbox 4 won’t run into those issues. Our last build would sometimes require me to pull the side panel off at hot events to help keep things cool, with that 3000 RPM Noctua fan I think it should help prevent me from having to do that in the future.
As for actual performance in the gaming focused tests we actually ended up doubling the performance when compared to Lunchbox 3. Given how good of a PC that still is, I think that is a big accomplishment. While I typically just take my normal 1080p monitor to LANs, I may have to pack the higher resolution ultra wide when space in my car and on my table at LANs allows. The new build shouldn’t have trouble playing most games at the higher resolution, let alone at 1080p.
So do I have any other regrets? Well, I think beyond the few issues that I still plan on fixing there is only one thing I do regret with this build. While it fits perfectly into our tiny form factor, easy to carry, and powerful PC guidelines for a typical Lunchbox build. This is the first time I didn’t actually go smaller on the form factor. Because of that I’m left still wanting to change everything up completely. In fact, over the past few months, I have been eyeing a few different cases that have the potential to pack this same power into an even smaller form factor. Really the only thing stopping me is the fact I JUST finished building this PC. In the end, this is an amazing PC in an easy to carry form factor for LANs. The timing couldn’t be better either, the next LanOC LAN is only a few weeks away. I guess it will be seeing action soon!
