Just a heads-up that Computer Science is a branch of mathematics, and some schools lean into that more than others. There’s a lot of theory in addition to the practicalities of writing programs. I’d assess how comfortable you are with math and abstraction, then try to figure out where the schools you’re looking at place their emphasis. Since you want work as a programmer, make sure the school offers some software engineering classes in addition to the theory.

So who’s actually developing it? If it was Valve they would have said…
I already own HL2, but presumably I would have to buy this anew.

I’ll second the Diablo recommendation if you can drive down to the hardware store and pick one up off the shelf. Home Depot has them in my area.
If you’re ordering online you have all the choices and I can’t help you there.
I prefer a coarser 24-tooth blade for speed, and especially if you’re going to be ripping stock thicker than 3/4". The finish it leaves it leaves is perfectly fine, and if you need it any smoother you can give it one pass with a plane. High-tooth-count blades are slow and it takes more effort to push the stock through.

That’s some… uh… that’s some programmer art there.

I’m guessing the Jointmaker Pro
https://bridgecitytools.com/products/jmpv2-jointmaker-pro
which is faintly ridiculous.

I hadn’t heard that, but it wouldn’t surprise me. I haven’t had any issues with games on my IOT install, but none of them have been Ubisoft.

This is probably your best option at this point, as long as you’re okay with it ethically. It’s just one command to run.
If you haven’t fully move into your new installation, may I suggest installing the IOT version of Windows 11 instead? It has all the features you’d need and none of the cruft the normal consumer version has.

Jesus christ, what is that name.

Veilguard is a 3rd person action RPG, not a CRPG. It plays like God of War or something. It has lots of DA characters and lore, though.

I think the PC vs. console divide is relevant here. I’m not sure how advanced text entry on consoles is these days, but I imagine PCs have the advantage with keyboards. Maybe if they use voice recognition on the consoles? But AAA games usually target both, and if interacting with the model is clunky for a big chunk of your market then the big developers might not use the technology.
Of course, indie devs that only target PC can go wild.

I’ve got Pentiment and Persona 5 ready to go. I’ll probably start Pentiment first since it’s undoubtedly shorter.
Balatro looks really tempting, too, but I’d want that for my laptop or phone (?) and not my gaming PC.

The 7600 has integrated graphics

Ah - you’re right. My info is outdated. Nice of them to start adding that on the x600 line.

The graphics card looks okay. It probably has a passive mode where the fans only spin up under load. If it doesn’t that suggests an issue with the power supply affecting both the CPU and GPU.

First off, I’m pretty sure the 7600X doesn’t have an integrated GPU, and it won’t boot without a graphics card installed. Plug in your graphics card and make sure it’s powered. The debug LED code says there’s a problem with the CPU (Right? Double check the manual). Unfortunately you probably need to take the cooler off and reseat the CPU itself. Make sure the lever is properly engaged. Don’t worry about the thermal paste now, just try to get it to complete POST.

Dwarf Fortress? Go hard or go home.

Yeah, my main complaint with PoE 1 is the way it bludgeons you with lore. The writers are so excited to show off this massive world they’ve invented, they just aren’t very artful about it.

I’m (re)building a bird feeder for my mother. I have a design I came up with that makes good use of crappy big-box cedar boards. The squirrels eventually ruin them, so I’m ready for this year’s iteration.
The body is dovetailed together, which feels maybe a little over complicated, but it is a really strong joint and I enjoy cutting them.
The imgur album for the one I made five years ago is actually still up:
https://imgur.com/a/mkis0Hp

The tone is much less dour than the first one, and I think it does a better job introducing the world. It’s still a lot to take in, but all of the text has links you can click on that explain anything you don’t recognize.

I’ve been replaying Pillars of Eternity II - in fact I have the tavern music stuck in my head right now. Mostly I just need some CRPG gameplay, so I’m not doing anything wildly different with my character this time around. Maybe I should do an evil run…
Knowing how the ending works, I’m still not sure which faction to go with.

Probably Persona 5 at 60% off. I liked 4 and 5 has an incredible reputation.
Wasteland 3 is $8. Seems like a great value.