What This Is
HobbyEngineered is about making your hobbies work with what you have, not what marketing tells you to buy.
PC gaming, console gaming, handheld gaming, mobile gaming, tabletop RPGs, dioramas, figure collecting. If it’s a hobby that involves building, optimizing, or engineering something, it belongs here.
No platform wars. No brand loyalty. No “you need the latest GPU” bullshit. Just practical advice for people who actually use their stuff.
The Philosophy
This comes from OGPCMR roots. The original PC Master Race idea before it turned into spec chasing and tribalism.
It was never about having the most expensive hardware. It was about understanding what you’re building and why. About optimizing what you have. About making informed choices based on your needs, not someone else’s benchmarks.
That philosophy applies to everything here. Gaming across platforms. Building and optimizing setups. Tabletop gaming. Collecting and creating. If you’re engineering your hobby, whether that’s tweaking game settings, planning a build, or organizing a campaign, you’re in the right place.
How We Think
HobbyEngineered isn’t about winning spec comparisons.
It’s about making tools work inside real constraints.
These principles guide everything published here:
Tools are judged in use, not in isolation.
Specs and benchmarks don’t mean much without context. A tool only proves itself when it’s used under real conditions.
Marketing categories are ignored.
“Gaming,” “Pro,” “Creator,” and similar labels are sales narratives. We care about capability, headroom, and reliability not aesthetics or hype.
Performance margin matters more than peak numbers.
Stability under load beats theoretical maximums. A tool that doesn’t choke is more valuable than one that wins charts.
Longevity beats novelty.
We buy quality and use it until it fails. Upgrading because something new exists is not a reason.
Use case comes before consensus.
There is no universal “best.” What matters is whether something fits the system it’s part of.
Real ownership beats sponsored access.
Everything discussed here is owned, used, or lived with over time. No review units. No launch-day theater.
If it works, it works.
Tools don’t need to be perfect. They need to be dependable.
If this mindset annoys you, this site probably will too. That’s fine.
What You’ll Find Here
PC gaming and optimization. Getting games playable on older hardware. Settings that matter versus settings that tank FPS. Budget builds that actually work. Regional considerations like parts availability and pricing.
Multi-platform gaming. When to play where and why. Controller versus KB+M for different games. Console, handheld, and mobile gaming reality checks.
Tabletop RPGs. Campaign planning. Table setups. Tools that actually help.
Building and collecting. Dioramas. Figure collecting. Display optimization. Storage solutions.
Real world constraints. Budget limitations. Space constraints. Regional availability. What you already own.
Who I Am
I’m Jaren Cudilla. I run an i7-8700 with a GTX 1660 for PC gaming, a PS4 for couch gaming, and own a ROG Phone 7 Ultimate that I don’t actually game on.
I optimize for smooth gameplay over max settings. I play games on the platform that fits the experience, not the one that “wins” spec comparisons. I mirror my PC and PS4 libraries because some games deserve a replay on the couch.
I also run QA Journey (tactical QA systems and testing frameworks) and Engineered AI (anti-hype AI content built by logic). Same philosophy across all of them. Cut the bullshit, focus on what works.
What’s Coming
Right now, it’s just my content. My builds, my optimization guides, my experiences across platforms and hobbies.
Eventually, this will open up to community submissions. Your builds, your regional pricing guides, your optimization discoveries, your tabletop setups, your collections. Not yet. But soon.
For now, it’s about establishing the foundation. Practical advice, real constraints, no hype.
Support the Work
If this content helps you optimize your setup, save money on a build, or just avoid buying something you don’t need, consider supporting the work.
Buy me a coffee or help me get an Asus Flow Z13.
No ads. No sponsored posts. Just honest takes on what actually works.
Connect
Build what works for you. Optimize from there.