Experiment showcases 3D dental scanner capable of running Counter Strike: Source

By Kunal Khullar Published December 4, 2024 2:23 PM

Subnautica running on a 3D dental scanner — r/AfternoonPutrid8558 on Reddit

One would assume that medical equipment is not as capable as a modern PC. However, in a surprising and creative tech experiment, Redditor u/AfternoonPutrid8558 demonstrated how Counter-Strike: Source could be played on a 3D dental scanner. The system, equipped with an old Intel processor and AMD GPU, proved surprisingly capable of running the popular first-person shooter at an impressive 600-700 FPS.

The post has gained a bit of attention on the r/pcmasterrace subreddit, highlighting the creative potential of reusing older hardware for gaming. The tech enthusiast repurposed the dental scanner’s hardware, which featured an older 5th-gen Intel Core i7-5720K with an MSI Raider X99 motherboard, running at 3.3GHz with 32GB of DDR4-2999 RAM.

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While the exact GPU isn’t confirmed, it is identified as an AMD Radeon R9 200 series card, likely an R9 270X, 280X, or 290X. These older cards don’t match the performance of modern RDNA GPUs, but remain sufficient for running indie and less demanding games. The dental scanner’s display, with a 75Hz refresh rate, and the mid-range AMD GPU were sufficient for delivering smooth gameplay in Counter-Strike: Source, a game that launched in 2004.

Gaming on a dental computer
byu/AfternoonPutrid8558 inpcmasterrace

When tested with the more resource-intensive Subnautica, the system still managed to maintain a solid 60 FPS, further demonstrating that the hardware can keep up with modern gaming titles, though it’s not optimized for them. u/AfternoonPutrid8558 also mentioned that Subnautica’s sea moth controls felt “surprisingly elegant” when played with the 3D dental scanner’s large trackball.

This experiment underscores the growing trend of repurposing and recycling technology, especially in the DIY community. This feat also highlights the flexibility of older hardware, showing that components from a few years ago can still perform admirably in less demanding games.

If quirky tech experiments interest you, check out the subreddit r/itrunsdoom. With over 100,000 members, it showcases the most unusual devices running Doom, including calculators, credit card terminals, a 2006 RS Media Robot, Nintendo Alarmo, and even a Pioneer DJ multiplayer. The community is a treasure trove for fans of unconventional hardware hacks.

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Kunal Khullar is a computing writer at Digital Trends who contributes to various topics, including CPUs, GPUs, monitors, and…

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