BC-250.info — AMD BC-250 Budget Linux Gaming PC
Specs<br>Setup<br>Shop<br>Videos<br>Benchmarks<br>FAQ<br>Community<br>Buy on eBay
Codename: Cyan Skillfish
AMD BC-250
A PS5 APU's second life as a budget Linux gaming PC
Originally built for crypto mining, these cut-down PS5 APUs were headed for the scrap heap. Then Linux driver<br>support arrived — and everything changed. Now they're surprisingly capable mid-range gaming PCs with<br>16GB GDDR6 that double as local AI inference machines.
Get Started
Buy One on eBay
Hardware
What's inside
A cut-down PlayStation 5 APU with 6 Zen 2 cores and 24 RDNA2 compute units, sharing<br>16GB of fast GDDR6 memory.
CPU
6× Zen 2 Cores
Up to ~3.5 GHz
GPU
24 RDNA2 CUs
1536 shaders · "Cyan Skillfish"
Memory
16 GB GDDR6
Shared CPU & GPU
Storage
M.2 2280
NVMe PCIe 2.0 ×2 or SATA 3
I/O
DP 1.4 · GbE
2× USB 2.0 · 2× USB 3.0
TDP
220 W
~50 W idle · ~235 W peak
Performance Class
RX 6600 – RTX 3060
16 GB GDDR6 · 1080p High · 60–100+ FPS
Setup Guide
From bare board to gaming PC
Seven steps to get your BC-250 up and running. You'll need some hardware, a<br>screwdriver, and a willingness to flash firmware.
01
Get Cooling Sorted
220W TDP demands serious cooling. At a minimum, place two 120mm fans directly on the heatsink. Arctic P12<br>Max and Noctua NF-A12x25 are community favorites. Don't forget the GDDR6 memory —<br>it runs extremely hot and needs airflow or heatsinks of its own. You'll also want fresh thermal paste for<br>the heatsink.
Arctic P12 Pro Fan
PWM Fan Splitter
Arctic MX-4 Paste
Thermal Grizzly Putty
02
Get a Power Supply
You need a 300W+ PSU with an 8-pin PCIe connector. The board uses a standard PCIe 8-pin power connector at<br>J1000. Any decent ATX PSU with PCIe power will work. A good 500W PSU is the sweet spot.
Recommended 500W PSU (Amazon)
Alternative 500W PSU (If sold out)
03
Print or Build a Case
The BC-250 has a non-standard form factor from its rackmount chassis origins, so off-the-shelf cases won't<br>work. 3D-printable case designs are shared in the community Discord. You can also find pre-made cases on<br>eBay, mount the board in a DIY open-frame setup, or repurpose something creative.
BC-250 Cases on eBay
3D Printable Cases
04
Flash Modified BIOS
A modified firmware from TuxThePenguin0 unlocks critical settings. Set VRAM allocation to 512MB<br>dynamic for the best gaming experience. A hardware programmer (CH347 or Raspberry Pi Pico) is<br>strongly recommended for safe flashing and recovery.
Modified BIOS Repo
Always back up your existing BIOS before flashing anything.
05
Install Linux
Fedora 42/43 is the most tested and easiest path. Bazzite is great for a<br>gaming-focused experience out of the box. CachyOS offers the best raw performance. Use<br>nomodeset<br>as a kernel parameter during install, then remove it after. You'll need Mesa 25.1+ for GPU support.
Avoid LTS distros — you need recent kernels and Mesa versions.
06
Install the GPU Governor
The Oberon Governor manages GPU power states and can reduce idle power draw by 20–30W. It's<br>available as a Fedora COPR package for easy installation. Configure it in /etc/oberon-config.yaml.
Oberon Governor
07
Game On
You're ready. Expect 60–100+ FPS at 1080p on High settings in most titles. Install Steam via<br>Flatpak, enable Proton, and dive in. The BC-250 community has tested 30+ games with verified performance<br>data.
Parts & Recommendations
What do I need to build an AMD BC-250 PC?
Here is the complete parts list required to build your system. Affiliate links help<br>support this site at no extra cost to you.
The Board
AMD BC-250 Board
Search eBay for available BC-250 boards. Prices around $180, trending upward.
eBay
Power
500W Power Supply
Recommended 500W PSU with 8-pin PCIe connector. The sweet spot for the BC-250.
Primary Option
Alternative
Enclosure
BC-250 Cases
Pre-made cases designed for the BC-250's unique form factor.
eBay
3D Print
Storage
Budget NVMe Drives
The BC-250 can't utilize Gen4 speeds, so budget Gen3 drives are perfect.
512GB
1TB
Accessories
SanDisk 128GB USB Drive
Essential for flashing the BIOS and creating your Linux installation media.
Amazon
Thermal
Thermal Paste & Putty
Reliable thermal paste for the CPU, and high-performance putty for the VRAM.
Paste
Putty
Cooling
Arctic P12 Pro Fan
Excellent 120mm static pressure fan for cooling the board's heatsink. You'll need<br>two of these.
Amazon
Cooling
PWM Fan Splitter
Crucial for powering your 120mm desktop fans, as the BC-250 uses a non-standard<br>4-pin server fan header.
Amazon
Video Output
DP to HDMI Adapters
The BC-250 only outputs DisplayPort. To connect to an HDMI TV or monitor, you'll<br>need a DP-to-HDMI adapter.
Compact
Short Cord
10FT Cable
Connectivity
WiFi / Bluetooth Adapter
USB adapter confirmed to work on the BC-250 with Linux. Adds WiFi and BT.
Amazon
Peripherals
Logitech Gaming Mice
Excellent sensors on a budget. Choose the...