Hi, first I would like to preface that other than using Linux casually I am a complete Linux noob.
I’m looking to move my PC to a rack downstairs in a separate room, along with a server machine for running game servers on. I currently still use Windows, but I’m looking to move to one of the Fedora flavours at some point. I ideally want to be able to have a thin client like machine on my desk in my office that I can log into just like I would normally if my main desktop was here.
So far my research is that the main way is to do it “LTT-Style” and have long ass optical cables and USB cables going from the office to the rack. But since that’s two floors and a kitchen away I was hoping for something less instrusive.
The other problem I have seen in my research is due to resolution and refresh rate. I currently use a 7680X2160 monitor which is a lot of pixels to push at 120Hz.
Any advice from people who know more about this kind of setup than I do?
SteamLink is a thing or rather was a thing. Now its available everywhere, all you need is pretty much 2 computers that can run steam and it will do it for you.
I havent really tried it in a high refresh rate setup because all I have is a Steam Deck and that tops at 60fps (Back then it was Moonlight . Usually thin clients do not have high resolution/refresh because those need a GPU and once you bolt in a GPU it is no longer a thin client, technically.
I could try later when I get back home from work and use a weaker GPU in my laptop to see if it can stream a higher refresh rate at a higher resolution. The laptop is just 90Hz so I dont know if counts significantly.
You should be able to find a mini-pc with hdmi 2.1. But finding one with DP 2.0 might be harder to find. But I have seen some with USB 4. Which should work for DP 2.0.
Usually thin clients do not have high resolution/refresh because those need a GPU and once you bolt in a GPU it is no longer a thin client, technically.
Ozlay mentioned it below, but I was planning on using a modern mini-pc/nuc thing that would hopefully have DP 2.0. I have used SteamLink in the past and it worked fine, but also never on anything higher than 1080p60. And while the primary use case for my PC is gaming, I do still do other stuff as well. Although I gues if the “thin client” is sufficiently powerful enough maybe I can just use that as the desktop and then SteamLink any game I want to play
The steam client provides both the server and client to do this. For non steam games just add them to the launcher to be able to stream them.
I own an actual SteamLink, the real problem is network latency, Your adding a minimum of 1-2ms to each frame, not to mention the input lag, across the network. My review of it, is great in that situation where you just want to game on not your normal tv or monitor, or somewhere in your house without moving the gaming setup to it, but on the main gaming tv or setup i would always just plan to have the computer right there.
If your planing to use wifi just forget game streaming, way to much input lag in my experience.
If your wondering what the experience would be like just fire up steam on two pcs and play games on one from the other.
Regarding the thin client setup, maybe someone here can answer that: is there currently even a thin client that can manage that many pixels at 120 Hz? As you stated, a “7680X2160 monitor [which] is a lot of pixels to push at 120Hz”. Even a 4090 needs to use compression to deliver that over HDMI, and I’m not sure if it can do that over it’s DP 1.4 out. There might be optical extenders of HDMI signals that can handle it, although the only ones I know stop at 4K 60Hz.
My unifi wifi gear is not the issue, don’t have wifi 7 gear. The actual StemLink is only capable of wifi 5, so i usually always wire it. But even remote playing on my wifi 7 capable laptop(using 6e due to ap limitations) dose not come cloase as in less than 10% diff from wired, its more like 3x to 4x average, and this is sitting right under the ap on the ceiling.
Wifi inherently adds more latency than wired. In my experience you can start with doubling network latency going from wired to wifi, as a minimum. However while doubling is the best case wifi is not a stable as wired, and the latency is always fluctuating from that best case 2x to some times a worst case 100x, when the ap is hit hard with 50+ other clients using it.
Again if you have wifi 7 gear and wanna test your self, like i said before fire up steam on two computers and check.
Edit: ps any network wired or wireless is adding more input latency than a bad mouse, there is just no way around this.
If i remember correctly SteamLink use to be limited to 1080p60 over wifi. And 4k60 over ethernet. However i believe they added an option in the advanced settings to set the display to match the client. I believe it was added so that the server side could run headless. But i don’t know if works at 120hz.
Latency might be something for you test yourself. Most people don’t have an issue unless they are playing competitively.