|OT| The PC Hardware Thread -- Buy/Upgrade/Ask/Answer

MonthOLDpickle

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Oct 31, 2018
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I haven't built my PC yet but I am going to the electronic expo up in Taipei this weekend and thinking of looking at a monitor. My future build will have a 4090 and still settling on a CPU (buddy has memory issues with AM5 and intel is EOL)...

If I plan to go 240hz and 2K what should I grab? 2k = 1440p? Should I grab wide?

I currently use 1080@60hz x2 so I am use to two monitors.

If wide, anyway to have it setup as two (or three) monitors - basically no bezel ?
 

Mivey

MetaMember
Sep 20, 2018
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I haven't built my PC yet but I am going to the electronic expo up in Taipei this weekend and thinking of looking at a monitor. My future build will have a 4090 and still settling on a CPU (buddy has memory issues with AM5 and intel is EOL)...

If I plan to go 240hz and 2K what should I grab? 2k = 1440p? Should I grab wide?

I currently use 1080@60hz x2 so I am use to two monitors.

If wide, anyway to have it setup as two (or three) monitors - basically no bezel ?
1440p with a 4090 is a bit overkill, honestly. My current 2080Ti is still doing OK at that res. So maybe look for 4K or no need to go for a 4090.
 

Mivey

MetaMember
Sep 20, 2018
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My last PC lasted me 10+ years.. >.> (Plus I got a deal waiting for the 4090)
If you are planning to have the PC for a while, then I would keep an eye out for 4K monitors. Your GPU should handle it just fine, and stuff like DLSS will make it quite future proof even on future games, baring any crazy path tracing stuff.
 
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Durante

Durante

I <3 Pixels
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What are you using your monitor for primarily? If it's gaming and you have the budget for it, I'd go OLED. It's one of the biggest upgrades to image quality you can get.
 
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MonthOLDpickle

我會打敗你!!
Oct 31, 2018
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Mainly gaming. Then video editing, remote play to my cell phone, random streaming and such, I use both my monitors a lot. I am just worried that I won't be able to have separate sections for games and such where I need to multi-task and having everything visible.
 

Joe Spangle

Playing....
Apr 17, 2019
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Hey all,

Does anyone have any experience building their own case? Im thinking of giving it a go due to the current location of my pc being too snug and not enough air getting to it. I cant find a case that will fit in the space i have but i recon if i knock up a skinny box it might work ok.

Just wondered if anyone had done something like this before?
 

didamangi

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Nov 16, 2018
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Glad to see gaming mouse starting to go the way of mechanical keyboards and iems. Lots of good cheaper options.

Bought this local brand mouse today for $35. Seems like a rebrand of Attack Shark X3. Can't complain so far. Top of the line sensor, triple connections, with grip tape and extra mouse feet as accessories. Let's see if it can last more than the 1 year warranty.



 

Ibuki

MetaMember
Dec 9, 2018
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I’m looking into the state of the GPU market since my current one is having a bunch of issues. Has anyone coming from a 3080 upgraded to 40 series or switched to AMD recently? Curious to know your thoughts.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
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I’m looking into the state of the GPU market since my current one is having a bunch of issues. Has anyone coming from a 3080 upgraded to 40 series or switched to AMD recently? Curious to know your thoughts.
I upgraded to a 4080 from a 3080.

Frame generation is awesome, if you have games that use it. But for games that don't use it the jump is much smaller.

But is it worth it regardless? No. I'm fortunate enough to have a good job and tons of disposable income so I could afford it quite easily, but I've also been dirt poor in the past and a 40-series card is not worth the money, especially if you've got a 3080, so consider it an indulgence.
 
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C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
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Trying to diagnose a system issue.

Was downloading to my Gen 3 NVMe that's also my Windows install and got a BSOD. Tried rebooting and got stuck in a boot loop.

Looked in BIOS and the NVMe drive was not found (but my other 2 were).

Cracked open my PC, removed the NVMe and put it in a caddy, which I tested on my Mac. All my files are there.

Popped the NVMe back into my PC and the drive now shows in the BIOS. But Windows still won't boot.

Not sure what to do next to try and identify the problem. I don't want to buy another NVMe only for me to have the same issue if it's my motherboard, and I'm not sure I want to go through reinstalling Windows to a busted NVMe only to get the same issue in a few months.

Is there any way for me to test the NVMe or the motherboard without buying new parts?

Or am I just a victim of Windows being trash?
 

didamangi

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C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
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Yeah, the Mac was able to read the files.

What I’ve wound up doing is wiping my drives (it is literally just games - I don’t need to back anything up from this machine) and reinstalling Windows.

I first tried to install it to a different Gen4 MVMe in a different slot on the motherboard.

The installer crapped its pants and refused to continue.

I then popped a 256gb Gen3 NVMe from my OG Steam Deck into one of those NVMe cards you can install in your full-size PCI-E sockets.

Windows installed fine, and all the connected drives (including the suspected broken NVMe) format and write fine. Got Cyberpunk installing to one of my Gen4 NVMes and I’ll verify the files to see if that’s an issue after it’s done installing.

So I dunno what happened. I wonder if something’s up with my BIOS and the boot order or something?

I’m starting to think it’s my motherboard at any rate. I’m gonna continue to play Cyberpunk and we’ll see if there’s any performance issues or further blue screens. If there is, I’ll try that app you suggested. I also have an alternate Windows desktop in my office I can run tests on.

If not my PC will probably limp on for a while longer. But I think it might be time to start saving for an upgrade in the next six months or so.

I was hoping to avoid having to do it until late 2024/early 2025, but here we are.
 

Joe Spangle

Playing....
Apr 17, 2019
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Hey all,

Does anyone have any experience building their own case? Im thinking of giving it a go due to the current location of my pc being too snug and not enough air getting to it. I cant find a case that will fit in the space i have but i recon if i knock up a skinny box it might work ok.

Just wondered if anyone had done something like this before?
I finished building my case, and it works! Slots in nicely at the end of the sofa, air flow seems ok, its running quieter than when i had the old case and temps seem ok.

Was fun knocking it up. I butchered some old cases and used the power on/off and usb hub, some fan covers and meshes. The rest is wood. I've given it an oak stain finish - sort of like an old Atari. Blends in ok in the living room.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
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Gen3 NVMe failed again. Thankfully this time I’d put Windows on a different drive, so my install is okay.

But I’ve ordered a new NVMe (Gen4) to go in it. If that one fails to then I have some real bad luck, or my motherboard is screwed. In which case I’ve got plenty of drives to go into my new PC.
 

didamangi

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Nov 16, 2018
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I finished building my case, and it works! Slots in nicely at the end of the sofa, air flow seems ok, its running quieter than when i had the old case and temps seem ok.

Was fun knocking it up. I butchered some old cases and used the power on/off and usb hub, some fan covers and meshes. The rest is wood. I've given it an oak stain finish - sort of like an old Atari. Blends in ok in the living room.
Pics?

Gen3 NVMe failed again. Thankfully this time I’d put Windows on a different drive, so my install is okay.

But I’ve ordered a new NVMe (Gen4) to go in it. If that one fails to then I have some real bad luck, or my motherboard is screwed. In which case I’ve got plenty of drives to go into my new PC.
At least you can RMA the old one right? Most nvme put at least 3-5 years warranty on their drive.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
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At least you can RMA the old one right? Most nvme put at least 3-5 years warranty on their drive.
3 year warranty I think. Drive is about 3.5 years so I’m not optimistic, but I’ll try my luck.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
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I love super-integrated custom cases. One of the cool things about PC building is you can put your parts in almost anything once you’ve accounted for mounting/screw holes and airflow.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
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So my new Gen4 NVMe has arrived. Popped it into my PC and all seems well so far.

I’ll give it a few weeks and see what happens. If it fails, my motherboard is probably bust. If it doesn’t, it was the old Gen3 drive.

I will probably test the old drive at some point regardless.
 

Parsnip

Riskbreaker
Sep 11, 2018
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Very curious how NV is going to price the upcoming super cards. Are they just going to take the place of the existing cards at the same price?

I'm not expecting great pricing but I'd love to be wrong.
 

didamangi

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Got bored of my old tactile switches, and got a new one (Gateron Baby Kangaroo) It's really good.

Also checking out the Chifi IEM scene after a few years, looking to upgrade my Blon BL03 and wow, you get a lot for $30 these days. Subjectively beating the $100 IEM I bought (and sold) a few years back (the Moondrop Starfield).

Plus a $10 usb c dac cable and I got a good portable IEM for desktop/laptop/mobile, anything with a usb port really, for under $50.

Simgot EW200 + JCally TC30 Pro.
 
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KingKrouch

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Dec 14, 2021
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On the topic of displays specifically, I recently picked up a Viewsonic E90FB CRT monitor, and it looks sublime at 480p and 120Hz. Virtually no perceivable flicker to me at 120Hz, looks about as smooth as the 175Hz on my QD-OLED. I could crank it up to 160Hz if I wanted.

None of the current games was worth upgrading my hardware over, and I wanted a CRT as the RetroArch shaders (while nice looking) weren’t cutting it for me anymore.

Also got a GeForce 6600GT (specifically a PCIE variant as I didn’t want to mess with adapters to get a PCI version working, and AGP to PCIE bridges apparently don’t exist), which I plan to add to my TV gaming setup, so I can set up a GPU passthrough VM for Windows 98 and XP, so I can play older games with period accurate hardware and the same CRT. I had luck passing through my 6900XT to Windows 98 and Windows XP, BUT since there’s no video drivers for it, it’s next to useless. Tested the 6600GT, and it seems to work fine, albiet only on my Ryzen setup, but I gotta take it apart to add new thermal compound and to clean up the heat sink.

What I find interesting is that some people report that PCIE GPUs of that generation were slower than AGP, but another source says that these cards are native PCIE and are using a bridge to work with AGP anyways, so there’s conflicting info.
 

Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
Nov 12, 2018
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I'm strongly considering finally upgrading my 2060 to a 4070 Super.
But I think I'd have to replace my current 500W PSU as well, or could I get away with that? (I have a 5800x CPU).
 

didamangi

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I'm strongly considering finally upgrading my 2060 to a 4070 Super.
But I think I'd have to replace my current 500W PSU as well, or could I get away with that? (I have a 5800x CPU).
4070 super is a 210 watt card on average with spikes of 246 watt according to Techpowerup. 5800x is around 170watt on stress tests. Should be fine if it's a good PSU. Maybe the psu fan will be louder than before though.
 
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Ascheroth

Chilling in the Megastructure
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4070 super is a 210 watt card on average with spikes of 246 watt according to Techpowerup. 5800x is around 170watt on stress tests. Should be fine if it's a good PSU. Maybe the psu fan will be louder than before though.
Huh. Interesting. I have a be!quiet System Power 9
 

Parsnip

Riskbreaker
Sep 11, 2018
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I should actually check my psu situation too, didn't even think about that.

From nvidia's specs 3070 -> 4070Ti Super:
TDP 220W -> 285W
Suggested PSU 550W -> 600W

Not going to lie, I couldn't quite remember what my PSU wattage actually was, but after checking it's 750W, and it's a good Corsair RMX unit so I guess I'm good if I decide to upgrade.
 
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Durante

Durante

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The 4070 Super is a rather unexciting product on the one hand, but on the other hand it's a no-downside 20% improvement in perf/€ and at the same time also a minor improvement in perf/W, so it's hard to be mad about it.
 
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Knurek

OG old coot
Oct 16, 2018
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The 2070 Super is a rather unexciting product on the one hand, but on the other hand it's a no-downside 20% improvement in perf/€ and at the same time also a minor improvement in perf/W, so it's hard to be mad about it.
2070?
 

Gevin

Watch Madoka
Nov 16, 2018
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I'm planning to change my PC next month, would the 4070 super be a good pickup for the GPU? Is it worth it to go for the 80/90/ti versions?
 
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Durante

Durante

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I'm planning to change my PC next month, would the 4070 super be a good pickup for the GPU? Is it worth it to go for the 80/90/ti versions?
It's generally good value on the current market I'd say. Of course, people will point to the VRAM amount as a weakness, but that really depends on what resolution you target and how long you expect to keep the GPU.
That said, the "worst" that can happen is that you may have to go with 1-lower-than-maximum texture detail in some top-end games in the future.
 
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Gevin

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It's generally good value on the current market I'd say. Of course, people will point to the VRAM amount as a weakness, but that really depends on what resolution you target and how long you expect to keep the GPU.
That said, the "worst" that can happen is that you may have to go with 1-lower-than-maximum texture detail in some top-end games in the future.
Sounds good, my main goal is to have a GPU that last for a bunch of years. It's pretty rare that I play games at launch time either way and some of the more recent ones I can't even run them right now :cold-sweat:
 
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Parsnip

Riskbreaker
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Now I'm thinking about if my CPU is going to be bottleneck me in some of the more recent games if I get that Ti Super.
Suppose I should look at some benchmarks.
I have the 5600X, so if it comes to that, my most obvious upgrade option would be the 5800X3D I guess, that's like 360€ over here.

💸
 

didamangi

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Got my mobo, though not the one I wanted (the cheaper one). Oh well, this one has better vrm at least for the price increase.

I might have to change my CPU cooler to a smaller one like Peerless Assassin, removing the GPU is impossible without removing the front cpu fan and it's really hard to do with so little space between them.




Running great, no complaints. PBO CO -10 and +200 mhz on the clock. With Buildzoid DDR5 tighter timings guide as well. Passes 30 minutes of OCCT so far.
 

didamangi

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Just testing a few things and the improvement in some games is pretty good. I remember Metro Exodus drops pretty hard in the first open world area because of my 8700k. Now it's pretty smooth on the 7500f.

8700k@4.7 Ghz.


7500f cap at 140fps.

Not the same exact location but indicative of the performance increase in the game.

Time Spy result:
 

Mivey

MetaMember
Sep 20, 2018
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Finally assembled my new PC a week or so ago, and I'm running into the strangest issue. It's a fairly taxing system power-wise, at least on the GPU with a 4090 ASUS STRIX, and less so on the CPU side, with a 7800X3D.
The power supply is a RM1000e from Corsair. A bit of a budget PSU in this power class, but a reputable brand, so I didn't think much about it.

When I'm running fairly taxing games, like I tested Portal RTX for a couple hours at very high loads for the GPU, the system runs totally fine.
But the darndest thing happens with a game where the GPU is essentially sleeping: Spongebob Battle for Bikini Bottoms. Runs at the full 144 FPS of my monitor, and GPU is at maybe 30% load, and circia 30W power draw, so all but sleeping. And yet the PSU just keeps shutting down the system very regularly after half an hour or so. This notably does not happen when I bound the game to 60 FPS. I tested out multiple 12VHPWR cables, two actually, and I get the problem with both, so I'm fairly sure this isn't about the sense cables being broken or something. The power cables are also set properly, that I'm sure about. The only factor seems to be the light load on the GPU, which combined with the high FPS might cause high transient spikes. Of course a 1000W PSU that's rated for ATX3.0 ought to handle that, but it seems like it doesn't.

Anyone have any experiences with that? It seems like the PSU might really be fautly here. Only thing that comes to my mind is to contact the shop and try to get a new PS
 
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Kvik

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And yet the PSU just keeps shutting down the system very regularly after half an hour or so.
What do your temps look like? It could be thermal throttling. My rig is similar to yours, albeit with an Intel 13700 instead of AMD. In my case, it shuts down the GPU whilst the system is still running.
 

Mivey

MetaMember
Sep 20, 2018
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What do your temps look like? It could be thermal throttling. My rig is similar to yours, albeit with an Intel 13700 instead of AMD. In my case, it shuts down the GPU whilst the system is still running.
I had GPUz running, but haven't had a look at the temps specificaly, more the clocks and wattage, which were both really low,so I would be suprised if it was due to overheating. And as I said, I finished Portal RTX with full path tracing in pretty much one sitting (a bit over 2 hours) and the system ran fine.

Still, I could give it another go and have a look at the temps (and hotspot temps) this time.

EDIT: Kvik
Had aonther go with Battle for Bikini Bottom with framerate unlocked, and this time I set the fans of the GPU to 100% via afterburner. Temps never crossed 32 average, and 40 hotspot, and the PSU still fired after a couple minutes. Something about this game makes it go bust in minutes. I suspects it's a mix of overall low GPU load, with occasional expensive effects (or unoptimsed stuff) so the GPU goes from super low load to big spike, and this must happen often enough to trigger the PSU. But clearly, that's nonsense, a PSU should be able to deal with this. So either this corsair product is just bad, and I should avoid their "e" brands (or perhaps Corsair entirely for PSUs), or this unit is faulty (or all the cables I tested are faulty).

Will contact someone at Corsair, and see if I get useful help. I might try to return the PSU too, as this should be covered by warranty, if Corsair can't help me otherwise. Frustrating experience
 
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Kvik

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Kvik

Crossbell City Councillor
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Sadly not a temperature issue, quite sure, see above.
I see. Definitely don't skimp on PSUs, though. FWIW, I do have a Corsair HX1200 that I bought in 2018 (which is a re-badged Seasonic PSU) and it has served me well across two upgrade cycles so far.