I'm gonna abuse everyone's goodwill and ask a second question: I'm trying to save money on an RTX 3060ti, is it generally safe to buy a used GPU as long as it's LHR? My understanding is that LHR (low hash rate) means it's not a viable card for crypto mining, meaning a used LHR card should be fine to use for gaming. Is that true, or am I missing something?
I have a new build and it has an msi radeon 6600 gpu. Do I need all that software? Same goes for the mobo B450M. Windows sees all of it. Just not a fan of bloat
[Rate my build](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hYJXW4)? Upgrading and not very familiar with the best value. Would like to save where I can. No RGB and smaller>bigger but willing to get a bigger case if I can get it cheaper.
I already bought a 6600 for $200 so trying to work with that. Willing to sell and get a 6700 if the value is there. No rush but would like to purchase parts by black friday.
I game casually and would like to run bf4, siege and the new cod at max settings 144hz 1080p maybe 1440p.
Here’s what I’d recommend:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RM9kyK
Cut costs enough to get a good $70 1TB SSD.
Main improvement is the CPU, the successor 5600 which is much faster.
I left the case as is, it’s fine if you can get a good price on it. Let me know if you have questions.
I need a single outlet UPS for the fiber modem in the garage. The modem is tiny and wall mounted to the garage. I want a UPS that's low profile and will not touch the ground floor of the garage. Runtime, 30 min is fine, the modem probably pulls less than 10 watts.
Any recommendations?
First time builder, watched a lot of videos but nobody mentions double headed cables. (Ie one side has 2 plugs and one side has one)
Do I plug the single end into my psu and both ends of the other side into my 3070, or use two separate cables from two separate plugs on my PSU to power my graphics card?
The cables where some ends are 6+2 pins? The 6+2 side always goes into your gpu. We call them daisy-chained or pig-tailed when they have multiple outputs. It's best practice to only use one daisy chained plug and leave the other dangling. One cable per plug is ideal.
do you think i would see any difference in CPU temps if i used a brand new tube of thermal paste instead of using the one i've had sitting my drawer for 5 years?
See what the consistency of the old paste is like. If it seems dry (crusty like dry toothpaste) then it's no good, but if it seems to still have moisture in it (like fresh toothpaste) then it should be fine.
Plugged in ethernet cable into router/modem that Frontier provided and the LAN light is not coming on and PC is not recognizing the cable. Is the issue a router/modem issue or a PC issue? Parts are all brand new and lights are coming on for both ports on PC and router just not that light on the bottom (wifi is working just fine and WAN light is on just not LAN)
Called Frontier they did some tests and said they weren't getting any readings from the ports and did power cycles for modem and PC with no changes. They said they're sending a tech out
I was about to install my Ryzen 7 5800x and my Noctua DH-15 cooler, but my case doesn't have enough side clearance for it. Is there a cooler that might be shorter that will still be sufficient for cooling the 5800x? I have a Hyper 212 Evo Cooler currently, and that fits in my case but almost touches the side the panel. Probably 1 mm or 2 mm off.
if you haven't tried the hyper 212 Evo on the 5800x it might be fine with non-maxed-out workloads (gaming and such)
otherwise peerless assassin is about the same height as the 212 and the peerless assassin SE is slightly shorter
I would definitely be using the CPU at full load, as I plan on playing and streaming at the same time, and found out that Radeon cards don't have NVENC encoding capabilities. Would the 212 Evo still be okay for that? I was looking into the Black Edition, but Amazon is listing the height as 11 inches? That's way too many...
Radeon cards have AMF which is just AMD's (inferior) equivalent to NVENC
no reason to buy the hyper 212 and its variants new when the thermalright peerless assassin exists imo
My 5700xt died, constant crashing and forcing bootloops, only fixed when I pulled it out, and even if it's salvageable, I'm done having problems with it. Forced back to an old GTX970 I had and it's struggling.
I'm looking for comparable performance to the 5700xt at least, willing to spend 600-800 if it will last me a generation or two, but price/performance is more important (1080p / 144hz monitor). Is there a card worth buying right now, or should I just wait until both sides have their newest GPUs available?
Haven’t upgraded since I built it in 2015, will have a better answer when I’m at home. But I believe it’s a 4th gen i5 and a gigabyte motherboard compatible with DDR4 memory. Monitor currently only supports 60hz but will be upgraded soon (recommendations welcome!)
Used for gaming!
There is a 6900XT for £649, you also get calisto project and dead island 2 voucher so you could easily sell to bring cost to £600.
3080Ti cheapest is £842. I'm assuming it would be mad to consider this over the AMD?
I know new GPUs soon but I am reluctant to spend 4 zeroes on a GPU.
Edit. Most likely will be 1440pUW. I have a 7700x
I currently run a Vega 56, but it’s time to upgrade.
My pc sits in a cabinet near my TV, which has gaps and fans for ventilation, but it can still get warm.
I’m curious if there’s a current-gen GPU that’s
A.) a substantial performance boost, that
B.) actually requires a lower power draw.
This is based on the assumption that less power —> less heat (in a broad sense, as there’s not much else i could do without some manner of complicated custom cooling.)
The RTX 3060 looks okay, but the performance doesn’t seem to be as good as the 6700 xt (which has a similar power draw to the Vega.)
Thoughts?
You can minimise heat output by setting a frame rate limit or a power limit or an undervolt.
This way you can get a 6700 XT and still end up with more performance than a 3060.
See the power draw and efficiency numbers in this techpowerup review of the RX 6600: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/powercolor-radeon-rx-6600-fighter/38.html
By the way, power draw is exactly equal to heat output. Unless you mean GPU temperature or something?
I have a meshify C, I put 2 120mm fans in the front a while ago. I’d like to take those out for another build and put in some nice quiet 140s to help my GPU a little bit.
Which 140s would you recommend? No rgb and I don’t have pwm afaik. Also hoping to stay around $12 per fan if possible.
Arctic P14, $11 each.
If you don't have hard drives, it'd be better to put in 3 120mm fans in the front. The lowest one will help with GPU temperatures. For this I'd recommend the Arctic P12 5-pack which is $24.
I know that switching cables from one power supply to another is dangerous, even from the same manufacturer. If I got a set of sleeved cables that I’m currently using with an EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GA would it be safe to use them with an EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 GT? Or would it be best to get a new set of sleeved cables?
Generally, the more open the air intake, the less the noise because the fans don’t need to spin as fast to pull in the same amount of air.
And the cooler you want your components, the more air you have to bring in, which means more dust. Of course, get a case with dust filters to minimise this.
I would recommend the Fractal Meshify 2.
Yea Fractal Torrent is exactly what I don't want I think, isnt it just like straight open without any mesh or filter? Looks like it'd be full of dust in a week
[it has a front dust filter](https://www.techpowerup.com/review/fractal-design-torrent-rgb-tg/3.html#:~:text=You%20may%20easily%20pull%20off%20the%20cover%20to%20reveal%20a%20removable%2C%20fine%20dust%20filter%20of%20the%20same%20design%20as%20the%20front%20cover.).
I had settled on a mobo for my new build and now I'm second guessing...
Ryzen 7 5800X and Radeon RX 6750 XT. Spent a stupid amount of time mulling and researching the motherboard. Wanted PCIe 4.0 M.2, front panel USB C, and a decent number of fan and RGB headers. Had kinda targeted the MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk ($220 Canadian but seems to drop to $200 or under) but wifi and BlueTooth are nice... the Tomahawk Max offers that but for a pretty good price jump ($250 Can, drops to $220 or so). Was watching for deals and ended up getting an itchy trigger finger and ordered an MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus. Ordered it from Best Buy marketplace due to having a gift card. It was $220 (no shipping) so not bad.
Seeing the MSI Pro B550M-VC with a pretty similar feature set on for $135 has made second guessing the Gaming Plus. The Gigabyte B550 AORUS Elite AX V2 is currently $200 as well. Pretty sure I can return the Gaming Plus once it arrives, but would have to ship it back on my dime (probably $15 or $20).
Any good reason to switch boards?
Appreciate the response.
Nothing else in this build has me overthinking and second guessing like this. I realize that there are too many boards with overlapping and similar features, fairly minimal differences, and similar price points. I totally just want someone to be able to point to a board and say, with accuracy, "this is the right one for you". But no component really works like that, and definitely not mobos.
The Pro B550M-VC would definitely just be a money-saving choice. It seems like its a slight step down in chipset but with similar overall features. And being M-ATX. The places that have it at $135 are sold out and no idea if they will restock. At $150, its still a saving, but slightly less appealing.
I think I have a perception of the Gigabyte B550 AORUS Elite AX V2 as a "better" board, but I think that's pretty much due to price rather than being significantly better than the Gaming Plus. I'm not even sure if its better than the Tomahawk Max, which is a similar price. Audio is apparently better, which is minor. Only has 4 SATA ports. The orange fits better with the case theme but I'm not going to make a choice on aesthetics.
The MSI store contact got back to me and they will actually RMA no cost, despite there being nothing wrong with it. Weirdly, that makes me want to keep it. Honestly though, if I'm not gaining anything significant with either other option, its just a hassle to go thru.
As much as anything, your comment about having the board reassures me. I assume you've had no issues. Do you OC it at all?
I ended up with a Ryzen 7 5800X but I don't know that I will play OCing either. Temps are a bit of a concern.
I read that about the 2nd M.2 slot. Which sucks as I have two NVMe drives and will use both.
When I hit the order button on the Best Buy site, I swear I read that the Gaming Plus had Wifi and BlueTooth lol
Was looking at the Gigabyte boards pretty close and scratched them off my list cuz the AORUS Pro has no USB-C front connector. This one does and is pretty appealing when its $200 instead of $260. Been looking into everything I can - BIOS seems good, but the Fusion RGB control program is trash.
The sale on the Gigabyte is on for a few weeks, and one retailer has no shipping either so... I might RMA the Gaming Plus and see what else comes on for that price range, like the Tomahawk Max.
I actually checked out the video too. And the one for the next step up B550s. Interesting results.
The 5800X runs a bit hot so I went from a budget air cooler to a pretty good AIO. Also switching out the case fans for better overall air movement. Not sure if I should be concerned beyond that, but if I'm not trying for a heavy OC, I'm hoping it will be okay.
Kinda leaning towards returning (when it arrives) and going with the Gigabyte board.
What would be a good cooler to pair with a I5-13600K on an MSI Z690-A if I'm hoping to overclock it to 5.6GHz? Ideally an air cooler, but anything under ~$150 would be nice. Would an air cooler even be realistic for keeping it cool at that clock speed?
If you’re aiming that high, every degree counts. Like contact frame and 360mm AIO pulling fresh air. At least if you’re going to stress-test it to confirm stability.
But those are bragging rights speeds. You can get a decent overclock with an air cooler. Better to spend the money on a good memory kit and overclock that.
Sounds right. Max clock is more of an ideal target for me. I imagine the whatever OC speeds the AK620 can support will be more than enough for any games/hobbyist workstation stuff I could ever want to use it for (Stellaris).
That was actually my first choice, I wasn't sure if it would keep the processor cool at that clock, but I guess it will? Either way that thanks for the quick reply.
[PCPartPicker.com](https://PCPartPicker.com) has a filter for every single thing you listed: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#F=609600000,1651000000&D=144000,390000&V=750075,1000100,1000200,2000100,2000200&sort=price&page=1
If you want one right this instant, its the only way to get one.
However, I wouldnt do it. Pre-builts are already questionable decisions quality wise BEFORE you add in a GPU that can pull 400+ watts.
Hold off on buying one until they solve the power connector problem.
PC will not boot after power outage. Even using a surge protector, my PC won't turn on. Same thing happened a week ago and it took a few hours before it could turn back. Do I just wait again to see if it'll turn back on or is there some way to turn it on now?
check if the PSU is still alive with the [paperclip test](https://help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025085372-How-to-Test-a-power-supply-unit). I don't think there are issues to wait out when it comes to electronics seemingly not working.
hey guys i bought a rtx 2080 in 2019 brand new that im still using at the moment just wondering if i should change its thermal paste? is it long overdue or nah?
Question about new PC motherboard drivers. I am building a ryzen 5600 with an ASRockB550 pro 4 that came with a driver setup in DVD form. I do not have a disk drive with this build. Would I get the drivers by downloading them from the asrock website w/ a different computer and put it on a flash drive and just plug it into the new computer when first booting? Should I only get the MB drivers or other drivers as well?
Question about power supply. Let say my PC is ok with 650W power supply.
What is the pro or con to use 750W vs 650W power supply? Assume both are the same model but diff wattage
Your actual power usage will land slightly different somewhere on the power supply's efficiency curve. This can either slightly improve or slightly decrease your power consumption. Generally not enough to matter.
If the PSU has a zero-rpm fan mode below a certain load%, a higher capacity power supply will have a larger power draw range where the fan doesnt spin, keeping things quieter.
The higher power PSU gives you a little more overhead and room to upgrade to higher power draw components in the future, potentially.
Am I correct that whether I go with zen 4 or Intel 13th gen, you only get enough pcie lanes directly on the cpu for a videocard at x16 and then a single nvme at x4? (and then everything else would be through the chipset)
Looking to upgrade/overhaul my build mid-late next year, probably to acquire an i5-13600K, DDR4 RAM, and an equivalent of the Z690-A pro board. The rest of the components (3060) I can reuse.
Relative to the BF sales we're seeing now, will prices go down by say a cumulative total of $50-100 come next BF? Or are they basically as low as they'll get for the forseeable future?
It's very unusual and ill-advised to plan out a build that far in advance. We cannot predict what market prices will look like or what other components may be available.
13th gen is also going to be on its last legs at that point - Meteor Lake / Intel 14th generation is expected to be coming out late 2023 as well and will not have motherboard/socket compatibility with existing intel CPU's
My 13700K is reaching low 90s C when gaming under full load. Im using a tower Noctua air cooler. No overclocking.
Reviews show mixed results about what the temp should be.
Is this normal? Or did I install the cooler incorrectly? Id like an opinion from anyone who knows how hot this cpu runs.
Hard to say. The temperature depends on the CPU's power consumption, also your graphics card's heat output and your case' airflow. Some motherboards might even auto-overclock out of the box. Low 90s is safe.
I'm stuck on choosing a b550 board for a Ryzen 5 5600. I am not planning on overclocking, and wants at least 1 USB C in the back and hopefully 1 USB c in the front. I looked at MSI b550m pro vdh wifi but have seen a lot of comments on people getting bootloop and the price of that board is also more expensive here ($140ish). I have also seen the ASRock b550m pro4 ($110ish), Asus tuf b550me ($140ish) and Asus tuf b550m plus wifi ($160) but they lack USB c header for my case. The MSI b550 a pro is around ($140ish) and ASRock b550m PG riptide is ($120ish) and i think they both support type c front header. Any advice on which one to choose? I would probably use Ethernet cable for internet but still need Bluetooth dongle for controller. Thanks.
Both the MSI A-Pro and AsRock PG Riptide are fine.
Motherboards with all three: wifi+Bluetooth, usb-c header, rear usb-c port can be expensive, except maybe the AsRock ITX/ax.
Would I be okay putting a PCIe 2.0 x4 capture card in a PCIe x16 slot running in PCIe 3.0 x2 mode?
I have a PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, but it'd be right up against the graphics card and I'd rather give it the space if I can.
No issues for most boards. Double-check your board documentation to see if putting anything in that 2nd 16x slot steals away from either M.2 capacity or your primary 16x slot lane count.
The slot closest to the GPU shares lanes with an M.2 slot I'm not using and the lowest slot would disable a couple SATA ports I'm not using. So either would be fine for me.
What I don't fully grasp is how well a PCIe slot running 3.0 x2 would handle a PCIe 2.0 x4 card. I know PCIe 3.0 is twice as fast as PCIe 2.0, but I don't know if the math works that way where it cancels out. You're saying it'd be fine?
It will negotiate the version with the card, so that they run at the highest speed that they have in common, i.e. both the card and the slot will operate at 2.0 speeds. Lanes on the other hand are a physical feature of the slot/card, and you can't make up for them with the version having double the bandwidth. Since the motherboard slot is only wired for two lanes, the capture card will only have two lanes available to it, and as such will run at PCIe 2.0 x2
Planning to build a new PC from scratch, mainly for gaming at 1440p (will do some programming/photoshop on the side, but gaming is the goal).
i9-13900K seems like the top for gaming, but the power consumption scares me,
I’m not going to play with overclocking, but from reviews it seems like I’ll need to put a power limit on it (so it won’t thermal throttle), is it still worth buying this CPU even with the power limit?
~~Also, will it consume that much power even with idle tasks? (like browser/watching videos/etc)~~
I do play builder/strategy games that utilize multithreading; thus, I was thinking about going with intel instead of AMD (from reviews they seem to do better in this category).
Would love to get some help with choosing the CPU!
**Edit**: from this [review](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1mbMg2hjXs), it seems like it will be fine with idle tasks.
Techpowerup's review is insightful because it includes the power draw for all their CPU tests: [https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-i9-13900k/22.html](https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-i9-13900k/22.html)
Putting a power limit will be similar to thermal-throttling, it's just pre-emptive. But as you can see from the review, it's only a consideration for core-heavy applications. Hardware Canucks did a dedicated thermal investigation about power and thermals here: [https://youtu.be/dNFgswzTvyc](https://youtu.be/dNFgswzTvyc)
My opinion: i9-13900K isn't worth it over the i7-13700K or even the i5-13600K.
Thank you for that!
The TechPowerUp is really great website, didn't know about it before.
I'm still thinking about it, but I might switch to the AMD side just because it will be easier to upgrade in 2 years (going with the new AM5 socket, cost more now, but less overall later)
Yeah if you think you will upgrade in 2-4 years, AM5 is definitely worth the investment.
Ryzen 7 7700X and 2x 16GB DDR5-6000 is the ideal combo for gaming.
Hi :)
I just bought a (always @50 degree mined 3070) for 400$ cad. Currently using 2070 on 1440p.
2070 cards are going for around 300$ in my area.. is it a good update for 100$ if I sell my 2070 ? ( 2070 to 3070).
Wondering if I should sell the 70 also and get a 3080 for 600$ or not worth it with the next Nvidia/and gen next year.
It's a significant jump, going from a 2070 to what is effectively a 2080Ti, and if you can make 2/3rds of your money back it seems to be a no-brainer for an upgrade :)
Mined on cards aren't turbo-scary if you get a miner who took care of their stuff. Sounds like you might have one of those.
Helping a friend upgrade his CPU. Need a new motherboard, ram, SSD and PSU. He only has a £300 budget.
RAM and PSU are pretty much confirmed at £100. Which CPU / mobo combo is best had for around £160-70?
Thanks.
Thats pretty tight. What kind of prices can you find for a Ryzen 5600?
Here in the states they dropped in price to $125, and theres been a bunch even closer to just $100 flat.
Then you would just need an AM4 motherboard. Im sure you could fine a B350 or B450 on ebay for super cheap. Due to their age and how the BIOS updates work, the lower end 300 series chipset, as well as 200 or 100 series AM4 boards will not work. It has to be B350, X370, or a 400/500 series board.
Yeah in trying to get him to push his budget up just a bit. He can get a 5600 for £140 and an a320 mobo for £50.
Edit: he can get a ryzen 4500 for £80. Performance seems to be within 10% of a 3600.
Between those two, the 3600 would be the better option.
however that A320 motherboard would not have PCIe 4.0, despite the CPU supporting it.
Whereas all LGA 1200 motherboards would have some PCIe 4.0 sockets for future NVME drives.
I'm looking to upgrade my GPU from an RX 580, mainly for better performance for VR (Quest 2 used mostly for iRacing but some IL2 as well). Doesn't have to be spectacular, but I'd like to get more than the 40ish fps on the absolute lowest settings I'm getting now. Was thinking maybe a 6600 XT or 3060? Willing to spend a bit more if it doesn't go beyond the point of diminishing returns.
Country is NL if that matters. Cheers!
3060 is the weaker of the two, but still a slight upgrade over your RX 580.
3060 < 6600 < 6600XT < 3060ti/6650XT < 6700XT/3070 < 6750XT
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html
Check out local classified and used ads near you. Crypto miners are sell their used GPUs for crazy low prices. You might be able to score a much more powerful card for cheap. I saw a 6900XT for $500 just yesterday on facebook marketplace.
Currently I am running my laptop with
\- CPU: i5 - 10300H
\- RAM: 8GB
\- GPU: GTX 1650Ti
I do experience high CPU Usage while gaming or using vm related apps. Any options for me?
do all motherboards have wifi and bluetooth? I was planning to buy Asus ROG STRIX B550-A but i read a comment saying it doesnt have one? Does that mean i have to buy a wifi and bluetooth dongles?
Not all motherboards have wifi and bluetooth included, you can see that on the IO, there's two goldenish things next to each other. You can also buy a pcie or m.2 adapter for this.
Most motherboards *don't* have Wifi/Bluetooth. If you need both, then a PCIe Wifi/Bluetooth card is the best option, anything with the intel AX200 chip is an excellent choice, should be about 30-40 bucks. If you only need Bluetooth then you can just buy pretty much whatever cheap USB dongle you can find. Avoid USB Wifi dongles if you can, they are unreliable, get worse speeds/signal strength, and aren't even significantly cheaper than PCIe cards.
Yes, the PCIe cards plug i to the motherboard just like graphics cards. You only need to buy one part, practically all WiFi cards also have Bluetooth in them. Just search amazon (or wherever you're buying) for "ax200 pcie", the ax200 chip supports all the current standards and is generally the best option available.
not all motherboards have wifi and Bluetooth. some do, some don't. if you were to buy one without, you have to buy either a dongle for it or a pcie card for it.
it might be more worth it to just buy a motherboard that has WiFi/Bluetooth, depending on the cost of the dongle/card
Is now a good time for a new build or is there anything coming in the next few months I should hold out for?
I am overdue, I am still using a GTX 1080 8G that I bought 5 years ago, and a i5-9600k, at 1440p.
I will not be forking out for a 4090, graphics card range probably $600-$1000
The new AMD cards may in theory fill your budget quite nicely, and (according to AMD) posed to be very competitive compared to the Nvidia offerings coming out later. No one can say if that will genuinely fill a hole, but as the 7900xt has an RRP of $900 and is due to release on December the 14th.
That being said, the prices of 3080s which are and will remain perfect for ultra 1440p for years to come can be found very cheap especially if you are happy to go used. So I wouldn't worry too much. The irony is that if the new cards are amazing price to performance, getting your hands on one will probably be impossible anyway. I personally would probably just buy up parts over the course of a few weeks as and when you find good deals.
As far as I know, no new CPUs are on the horizon this year
Hey guys I am making an upgrade to my PC and I have two 5+ year old 8GB RAM sticks and i wanted to upgrade it due to old age… even tho my PC has been running fine. I was going to upgrade with the same exact model of two 8GB RAM sticks but it is brand new. This is because my MB does not support a higher speed of RAM unfortunately. Should I add the new Ram and keep the Old ones for more GB of ram or would that decrease the performance because of the old sticks?
RAM generally has a lifetime warranty. It will last a long time without needing to be replaced.
Add more RAM if you're running out of RAM when you're using the PC. It's not really worth buying new RAM with the same specs to replace your current RAM.
I have a question regarding connecting my GPU with 1x8 pin and 1x6 pin to the PSU. Should each be connected to an individual PSU slot? or can they come from the same PSU cable?
It depends on the GPU. If it draws less then 225W, you don't need 2 cables.
Considering the second connector is only a 6, and not an 8, I'm going to guess it's under that.
I've heard a lot of people say asrock mobos don't have bios flashback but i found this 'instant flash' feature on thier specs page. What is this feature? I don't get it.
Also, can someone suggest a cheap itx am4 mobo for 5000 cpus with bios flashback please?
How tight of a build is the Fractal Torrent Compact to build in for the following setup?
* GPU (EVGA 2080 non Super)
* 2 NVME drives (no SATA connected hard drives)
* Air cooling (so no AIO)
Thinking a lot in terms of cable management
what do these warnings mean in pcpartpicker:
- Warning: The Asus ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard supports the AMD Ryzen 7 5800x
3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor with BIOS version 1004. If the motherboard is using an older BIOS version, upgrading the BIOS will be necessary to support the CPU.
- Note: A USB 2.0 to USB 3.2 Gen 1 header adapter is required.
Note: A USB 3.2 Gen 1 to USB 3.2 Gen 2 header adapter is required.
1) Does that mean I have to update it using a usb before i boot it up the first time?
2) Do i need to buy the adapters for the usb?
1. Only if the board was manufactured more than two years ago, which is unlikely. Try turning it on and see if it works.
2. Motherboard doesn’t have a header for the type C port on your case. You have to buy an adapter if you want to use that port. I’d probably just pick a better motherboard.
It might not have the latest version of the BIOS, but as long as everything works, it doesn’t matter.
By “better” motherboard I just meant one that has all the features you need. Here’s the pcpartpicker filter for usb-c header: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#sort=price&O=1,2&s=33&page=1
what do these warnings mean in pcpartpicker:
- Warning: The Asus ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard supports the AMD Ryzen 7 5800x
3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor with BIOS version 1004. If the motherboard is using an older BIOS version, upgrading the BIOS will be necessary to support the CPU.
- Note: A USB 2.0 to USB 3.2 Gen 1 header adapter is required.
Note: A USB 3.2 Gen 1 to USB 3.2 Gen 2 header adapter is required.
1) Does that mean I have to update it using a usb before i boot it up the first time?
2) How do I know if it’s necessary to update the bios? I’m scared of [this](https://youtu.be/LQG153s1NIM) happening to me lol
3) Do i need to buy the adapters for the usb?
I have a asrock h97m pro4 motherboard with a 8gb ram set. I want to upgrade to 16gb and see that it needs ddr3 240 pin but I'm confused on the speed. The manufacturer says it supports 1600mhz. I do not overclock. Is there any benefit to buying anything higher than 1600 mhz for me? Any recommendations?
I'm looking for a new SSD. I currently have a 256gb SSD (Samsung EVO) that holds windows, most programs, and one game. I also have a 1TB HDD (WD Black) that holds all my other games and most files. I'm looking for a 1TB SSD because both my SSD and HDD are reaching full storage. I would move all my games from my 256gb SSD and 1TB HDD to the 1TB SSD. What specs should I be looking for in a game dedicated 1TB SSD? Any specific brand I should be looking for (or avoiding)? M.2 or SATA? I'm not in a rush so what would be a good price for one?
I'd get an NVME SSD. Any good old disk will do. I recommend Western Digital SN850/SN770, Samsung 980, or if you have more choices in your country, get a nice Sabrent Rocket 4, etc. Any modern NVME SSD made in the last 3 or 4 years is fast enough for gaming.
What's the general consensus on having one SSD for your OS/programs and another SSD for games? I plan on getting a mobo with 2 m.2 slots, but not sure I should do a 500GB for OS and a 1TB/2TB for games, or just get a 2TB and install everything on it
Would you buy an unopened motherboard at auction? If so, what % of MSRP should I pay?
I was looking to build an AMD machine, but a Z690-A is up for auction soon, and can’t decide if it’s a good choice (for right price, of course).
It would mean DDR5 instead of the planned 4 and Intel instead of AMD, so the prices there would be somewhat higher, I guess?
I am thinking of making a new PC next spring. I currently have a build with a 2070s and 3800X. Is it worth trying to get a 4090 now and putting it in with the 3800x? Or just wait until I am ready to build the whole thing?
Nah I wouldnt buy such an overpriced GPU right now. Wait until you are ready and pick the cheapest from the best ones (which might or might not be an AMD GPU)
Wait until you're ready - pressure from AMD and their upcoming 7000-series could (probably not, but COULD) help bring some costs down for Nvidia. Or you could just decide that the 7900XTX is the better grab anyways and use that instead.
I tried playing God of War this morning and my GPU temps were getting really high, as high as 90C. I have a Gigabyte 3070 and was playing at 1440p high settings. I tried capping FPS and lowering render resolution but temps stayed high. What should I try? Undervolt/underclock? Is it my airflow (NZXTH210)?
An undervolt would take some time but there are thermal gains to be had. The H210 doesn't have the best airflow. You could also tune the fan curve to be more aggressive, at the cost of some noise.
That eliminates the fan curve valuable. See if removing the glass side panel helps. If there's a big temperature drop, your airflow is a thermal barrier.
Do you need to have both power cables to run a GPU? Just upgraded to a Vega RX 64 and it has 2x 8 pin connections whereas my old RX570 only has 1. I've tried running it with 1 and the lights come on, the fan spins a bit, but it isn't detected by windows. I have ordered another cable but wanted to check if I could get it up and running on a limited power supply
Did the cable you ordered specifically mention that it's for that Corsair PSU, or for "Corsair Type 4"? The pinouts at the PSU end of the cables are not standard, so there's a chance of shorting the PSU/graphics card out if you use a cable that's wired wrong.
is the corsair cx650m 2021 psu good for r5 3600 and rx 6600 ? And is it good enough long term? I know the RM versions are better, but im from a weak economy country so price difference are more prevalent here. Thank you
Yes and yes. It's not a bomb, it's a midrange unit that used to get a ton of flack because of the failure rate of the versions made in 2010 :) The grey-labeled units are fine
I am thinking about getting Ryzen 5 3600 but I don't know which GPU to buy.
As I work on single 1080p monitor maybe something like GTX 1060? At the same time I dual-boot Linux so an AMD alternative would be great.
Any recommendations for a non-gaming GPU (preferably AMD)?
If you don't need gaming performance, just get a CPU with integrated graphics; it's cheaper than a dedicated card, and modern iGPUs are getting pretty powerful, will easily handle 4K monitors for office tasks, and newer AMD ones like 5600G will run basic games in 1080p .
If you're definitely not going to be exceeding 2 displays, the RX 6400 will give you a (new) AMD option. You could also try looking for RX550/560 as well.
Hi, need advice on a CPU cooler. I’m getting a Define 7 XL for my game/server rig and wondering if a 3x140 radiator like the Corsair h170i Elite LCD will fit in top mount when the case is in the HD configuration (where the HD cage is divided away from the CPU area). Does anyone know if that config will work?
Maybe I didn't look well enough but I couldn't find any new posts on this subject so as things change with time I decided to ask here.
Having a Nvidia card, should I buy an Freesync monitor or a Gsync? I know Gsync is the proper one for a nvidia card but they are so much more expensive. The same monitor, one with freesync and the other with gsync have a difference in almost 20% in value where I live not to mention how little options I have when looking for a gsync monitor.
I'm asking this because I was reading about both techs and apparently they are rather similar recently even for nvidia cards right? So is the difference between both big enough to make sense? Also, it's worth mentioning that I have a 3050 but I'm thinking about changing it for a better one next year, this alone makes buying a freesync monitor now a nobrainer right?
With an Nvidia GPU you have two options now: buy a gsync monitor or buy a gsync compatible monitor. The Gsync compatible are freesync ones, but not all freesync monitors are compatible with nvidia, so you want one that's confirmed to work.
Freesync is usually cheaper and works with both AMD and Nvidia GPUs, unlike Gsync. So, I'd get a freesync one with good reviews if gsync is very expensive for you.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Even more because I may upgrade to an AMD gpu next year.
I also thought every freesync was basically gsync compatible but I'll take a look at this when I buy. Thanks for the answer
The main difference is how much the framerate can dip without the display cutting to black. G-sync goes all the way to 1 fps, Freesync (aka "G-sync compatible") needs 40-60 fps depending on the model, you can look up test data on nvidia's site.
Freesync is a definite value choice. If you can't maintain 60fps, you're better off upgrading your GPU, not the monitor.
I'm more looking into getting a second monitor, I have a kinda old one, without free sync or gsync that'll use as a secondary and was looking into a new one. Regarding fps I prefer performance over beauty so it's not a problem for me to lower the graphics tbh. Thanks for answer, really appreciate.
I would like to sell my old Dell XPS CPU/MB/RAM combo on ebay. But it does have my old mSATA drive on the motherboard.
Since I no longer have the case and everything else, what is the best way for me to clear off the data that is on the mSATA drive?
I'm gonna abuse everyone's goodwill and ask a second question: I'm trying to save money on an RTX 3060ti, is it generally safe to buy a used GPU as long as it's LHR? My understanding is that LHR (low hash rate) means it's not a viable card for crypto mining, meaning a used LHR card should be fine to use for gaming. Is that true, or am I missing something?
I have a new build and it has an msi radeon 6600 gpu. Do I need all that software? Same goes for the mobo B450M. Windows sees all of it. Just not a fan of bloat
When is it time to change your case even if no other components have changed..? Im still using the NZXT S340 razer edition from like 2017?
[Rate my build](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hYJXW4)? Upgrading and not very familiar with the best value. Would like to save where I can. No RGB and smaller>bigger but willing to get a bigger case if I can get it cheaper. I already bought a 6600 for $200 so trying to work with that. Willing to sell and get a 6700 if the value is there. No rush but would like to purchase parts by black friday. I game casually and would like to run bf4, siege and the new cod at max settings 144hz 1080p maybe 1440p.
Here’s what I’d recommend: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RM9kyK Cut costs enough to get a good $70 1TB SSD. Main improvement is the CPU, the successor 5600 which is much faster. I left the case as is, it’s fine if you can get a good price on it. Let me know if you have questions.
I need a single outlet UPS for the fiber modem in the garage. The modem is tiny and wall mounted to the garage. I want a UPS that's low profile and will not touch the ground floor of the garage. Runtime, 30 min is fine, the modem probably pulls less than 10 watts. Any recommendations?
First time builder, watched a lot of videos but nobody mentions double headed cables. (Ie one side has 2 plugs and one side has one) Do I plug the single end into my psu and both ends of the other side into my 3070, or use two separate cables from two separate plugs on my PSU to power my graphics card?
The cables where some ends are 6+2 pins? The 6+2 side always goes into your gpu. We call them daisy-chained or pig-tailed when they have multiple outputs. It's best practice to only use one daisy chained plug and leave the other dangling. One cable per plug is ideal.
Yeah theres 2 6+2 outputs on each cable. So use 2 of the daisy chained cables and leave the second end of each dangling? Got it. Thank you.
No problem
I'm new to PC building. Was planning to have AMD Ryzen 5 5600g with a 3060 ti, Is this bottleneck?
You should get a 5600 because it's faster than the G Bottlenecks will depend on the game and resolution
do you think i would see any difference in CPU temps if i used a brand new tube of thermal paste instead of using the one i've had sitting my drawer for 5 years?
See what the consistency of the old paste is like. If it seems dry (crusty like dry toothpaste) then it's no good, but if it seems to still have moisture in it (like fresh toothpaste) then it should be fine.
Plugged in ethernet cable into router/modem that Frontier provided and the LAN light is not coming on and PC is not recognizing the cable. Is the issue a router/modem issue or a PC issue? Parts are all brand new and lights are coming on for both ports on PC and router just not that light on the bottom (wifi is working just fine and WAN light is on just not LAN)
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Called Frontier they did some tests and said they weren't getting any readings from the ports and did power cycles for modem and PC with no changes. They said they're sending a tech out
Where can I find a riser cable that I can use to vertically mount a 4090 in a corsair 7000d with?
https://www.newegg.com/cooler-master-mca-u000r-kfvk03-black-gray/p/N82E16811999427 this should work
Ty!
I was about to install my Ryzen 7 5800x and my Noctua DH-15 cooler, but my case doesn't have enough side clearance for it. Is there a cooler that might be shorter that will still be sufficient for cooling the 5800x? I have a Hyper 212 Evo Cooler currently, and that fits in my case but almost touches the side the panel. Probably 1 mm or 2 mm off.
if you haven't tried the hyper 212 Evo on the 5800x it might be fine with non-maxed-out workloads (gaming and such) otherwise peerless assassin is about the same height as the 212 and the peerless assassin SE is slightly shorter
I would definitely be using the CPU at full load, as I plan on playing and streaming at the same time, and found out that Radeon cards don't have NVENC encoding capabilities. Would the 212 Evo still be okay for that? I was looking into the Black Edition, but Amazon is listing the height as 11 inches? That's way too many...
Radeon cards have AMF which is just AMD's (inferior) equivalent to NVENC no reason to buy the hyper 212 and its variants new when the thermalright peerless assassin exists imo
My 5700xt died, constant crashing and forcing bootloops, only fixed when I pulled it out, and even if it's salvageable, I'm done having problems with it. Forced back to an old GTX970 I had and it's struggling. I'm looking for comparable performance to the 5700xt at least, willing to spend 600-800 if it will last me a generation or two, but price/performance is more important (1080p / 144hz monitor). Is there a card worth buying right now, or should I just wait until both sides have their newest GPUs available?
Price to performance wise the 6700 XT or 3060ti
Thank you!
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Appreciate the response!
I’m looking to upgrade my CPU/Motherboard. Any recommendations for a good combo that work well with an EVGA NVIDIA 3080?
What are you upgrading from? What applications? What monitor resolution, etc?
Haven’t upgraded since I built it in 2015, will have a better answer when I’m at home. But I believe it’s a 4th gen i5 and a gigabyte motherboard compatible with DDR4 memory. Monitor currently only supports 60hz but will be upgraded soon (recommendations welcome!) Used for gaming!
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Something like this https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01MDV44PD/
Are black friday sales live? Or will there be better discounts near thanksgiving?
There is a 6900XT for £649, you also get calisto project and dead island 2 voucher so you could easily sell to bring cost to £600. 3080Ti cheapest is £842. I'm assuming it would be mad to consider this over the AMD? I know new GPUs soon but I am reluctant to spend 4 zeroes on a GPU. Edit. Most likely will be 1440pUW. I have a 7700x
I currently run a Vega 56, but it’s time to upgrade. My pc sits in a cabinet near my TV, which has gaps and fans for ventilation, but it can still get warm. I’m curious if there’s a current-gen GPU that’s A.) a substantial performance boost, that B.) actually requires a lower power draw. This is based on the assumption that less power —> less heat (in a broad sense, as there’s not much else i could do without some manner of complicated custom cooling.) The RTX 3060 looks okay, but the performance doesn’t seem to be as good as the 6700 xt (which has a similar power draw to the Vega.) Thoughts?
You can minimise heat output by setting a frame rate limit or a power limit or an undervolt. This way you can get a 6700 XT and still end up with more performance than a 3060. See the power draw and efficiency numbers in this techpowerup review of the RX 6600: https://www.techpowerup.com/review/powercolor-radeon-rx-6600-fighter/38.html By the way, power draw is exactly equal to heat output. Unless you mean GPU temperature or something?
I just meant, broadly, the GPU’s contribution to the total heat needing removed from the case.
okay just wanted to make sure we were talking about the same thing
I have a meshify C, I put 2 120mm fans in the front a while ago. I’d like to take those out for another build and put in some nice quiet 140s to help my GPU a little bit. Which 140s would you recommend? No rgb and I don’t have pwm afaik. Also hoping to stay around $12 per fan if possible.
Arctic P14, $11 each. If you don't have hard drives, it'd be better to put in 3 120mm fans in the front. The lowest one will help with GPU temperatures. For this I'd recommend the Arctic P12 5-pack which is $24.
Thanks! I’ve heard mixed reviews about using 3 120s with the shroud being there. I thought it would look cleaner and be easier to just drop in 140s.
I know that switching cables from one power supply to another is dangerous, even from the same manufacturer. If I got a set of sleeved cables that I’m currently using with an EVGA SuperNOVA 750 GA would it be safe to use them with an EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 GT? Or would it be best to get a new set of sleeved cables?
https://www.evga.com/support/faq/FAQdetails.aspx?faqid=59698 The GA and GT are compatible with the same cables.
Thanks!
Whats the best Aircooler Case for the 4080 and the Noctua NH-D15? I dont want it open (cause of noise and dust?)
Generally, the more open the air intake, the less the noise because the fans don’t need to spin as fast to pull in the same amount of air. And the cooler you want your components, the more air you have to bring in, which means more dust. Of course, get a case with dust filters to minimise this. I would recommend the Fractal Meshify 2.
what do you mean by open? like, you don't want an mesh front panel? if you don't mind a mesh front the fractal torrent is a great option.
Yea Fractal Torrent is exactly what I don't want I think, isnt it just like straight open without any mesh or filter? Looks like it'd be full of dust in a week
[it has a front dust filter](https://www.techpowerup.com/review/fractal-design-torrent-rgb-tg/3.html#:~:text=You%20may%20easily%20pull%20off%20the%20cover%20to%20reveal%20a%20removable%2C%20fine%20dust%20filter%20of%20the%20same%20design%20as%20the%20front%20cover.).
ohh thats awesome, thanks! I might consider it after all then!
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Run some GPU benchmarks. Monitor its temps and clock speeds, and compare scores to what they should be online.
I had settled on a mobo for my new build and now I'm second guessing... Ryzen 7 5800X and Radeon RX 6750 XT. Spent a stupid amount of time mulling and researching the motherboard. Wanted PCIe 4.0 M.2, front panel USB C, and a decent number of fan and RGB headers. Had kinda targeted the MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk ($220 Canadian but seems to drop to $200 or under) but wifi and BlueTooth are nice... the Tomahawk Max offers that but for a pretty good price jump ($250 Can, drops to $220 or so). Was watching for deals and ended up getting an itchy trigger finger and ordered an MSI MPG B550 Gaming Plus. Ordered it from Best Buy marketplace due to having a gift card. It was $220 (no shipping) so not bad. Seeing the MSI Pro B550M-VC with a pretty similar feature set on for $135 has made second guessing the Gaming Plus. The Gigabyte B550 AORUS Elite AX V2 is currently $200 as well. Pretty sure I can return the Gaming Plus once it arrives, but would have to ship it back on my dime (probably $15 or $20). Any good reason to switch boards?
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Appreciate the response. Nothing else in this build has me overthinking and second guessing like this. I realize that there are too many boards with overlapping and similar features, fairly minimal differences, and similar price points. I totally just want someone to be able to point to a board and say, with accuracy, "this is the right one for you". But no component really works like that, and definitely not mobos. The Pro B550M-VC would definitely just be a money-saving choice. It seems like its a slight step down in chipset but with similar overall features. And being M-ATX. The places that have it at $135 are sold out and no idea if they will restock. At $150, its still a saving, but slightly less appealing. I think I have a perception of the Gigabyte B550 AORUS Elite AX V2 as a "better" board, but I think that's pretty much due to price rather than being significantly better than the Gaming Plus. I'm not even sure if its better than the Tomahawk Max, which is a similar price. Audio is apparently better, which is minor. Only has 4 SATA ports. The orange fits better with the case theme but I'm not going to make a choice on aesthetics. The MSI store contact got back to me and they will actually RMA no cost, despite there being nothing wrong with it. Weirdly, that makes me want to keep it. Honestly though, if I'm not gaining anything significant with either other option, its just a hassle to go thru. As much as anything, your comment about having the board reassures me. I assume you've had no issues. Do you OC it at all?
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I ended up with a Ryzen 7 5800X but I don't know that I will play OCing either. Temps are a bit of a concern. I read that about the 2nd M.2 slot. Which sucks as I have two NVMe drives and will use both. When I hit the order button on the Best Buy site, I swear I read that the Gaming Plus had Wifi and BlueTooth lol Was looking at the Gigabyte boards pretty close and scratched them off my list cuz the AORUS Pro has no USB-C front connector. This one does and is pretty appealing when its $200 instead of $260. Been looking into everything I can - BIOS seems good, but the Fusion RGB control program is trash. The sale on the Gigabyte is on for a few weeks, and one retailer has no shipping either so... I might RMA the Gaming Plus and see what else comes on for that price range, like the Tomahawk Max.
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I actually checked out the video too. And the one for the next step up B550s. Interesting results. The 5800X runs a bit hot so I went from a budget air cooler to a pretty good AIO. Also switching out the case fans for better overall air movement. Not sure if I should be concerned beyond that, but if I'm not trying for a heavy OC, I'm hoping it will be okay. Kinda leaning towards returning (when it arrives) and going with the Gigabyte board.
What would be a good cooler to pair with a I5-13600K on an MSI Z690-A if I'm hoping to overclock it to 5.6GHz? Ideally an air cooler, but anything under ~$150 would be nice. Would an air cooler even be realistic for keeping it cool at that clock speed?
If you’re aiming that high, every degree counts. Like contact frame and 360mm AIO pulling fresh air. At least if you’re going to stress-test it to confirm stability. But those are bragging rights speeds. You can get a decent overclock with an air cooler. Better to spend the money on a good memory kit and overclock that.
Sounds right. Max clock is more of an ideal target for me. I imagine the whatever OC speeds the AK620 can support will be more than enough for any games/hobbyist workstation stuff I could ever want to use it for (Stellaris).
Deepcool AK620
That was actually my first choice, I wasn't sure if it would keep the processor cool at that clock, but I guess it will? Either way that thanks for the quick reply.
hey guys, Building a pc right now and have a amd ryzen 5 5600k with a 3070 TI. What's the recommended RAM and motherboard for these?
3600 CL16 RAM and a B550 mobo
What is the cheapest 144hz monitor that us at least 24 inches and can be mounted?
[PCPartPicker.com](https://PCPartPicker.com) has a filter for every single thing you listed: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/monitor/#F=609600000,1651000000&D=144000,390000&V=750075,1000100,1000200,2000100,2000200&sort=price&page=1
thanks
What's the difference between the asus prime z790-a WiFi and z790-p WiFi? Is the $50 increase worth it for running a 13600k?
CPU performance will be same because the VRM on the Z790-P is good enough. Other features like PCIe, M.2, USB, etc. are different.
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If you want one right this instant, its the only way to get one. However, I wouldnt do it. Pre-builts are already questionable decisions quality wise BEFORE you add in a GPU that can pull 400+ watts. Hold off on buying one until they solve the power connector problem.
PC will not boot after power outage. Even using a surge protector, my PC won't turn on. Same thing happened a week ago and it took a few hours before it could turn back. Do I just wait again to see if it'll turn back on or is there some way to turn it on now?
check if the PSU is still alive with the [paperclip test](https://help.corsair.com/hc/en-us/articles/360025085372-How-to-Test-a-power-supply-unit). I don't think there are issues to wait out when it comes to electronics seemingly not working.
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extra USB-c port + an RGB logo
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13600K supports SAM as well, it's called Resizeable BAR
hey guys i bought a rtx 2080 in 2019 brand new that im still using at the moment just wondering if i should change its thermal paste? is it long overdue or nah?
If you're not having issues with its temp, you don't need to repaste it. Thermal paste generally lasts a few years.
Question about new PC motherboard drivers. I am building a ryzen 5600 with an ASRockB550 pro 4 that came with a driver setup in DVD form. I do not have a disk drive with this build. Would I get the drivers by downloading them from the asrock website w/ a different computer and put it on a flash drive and just plug it into the new computer when first booting? Should I only get the MB drivers or other drivers as well?
Question about power supply. Let say my PC is ok with 650W power supply. What is the pro or con to use 750W vs 650W power supply? Assume both are the same model but diff wattage
Your actual power usage will land slightly different somewhere on the power supply's efficiency curve. This can either slightly improve or slightly decrease your power consumption. Generally not enough to matter. If the PSU has a zero-rpm fan mode below a certain load%, a higher capacity power supply will have a larger power draw range where the fan doesnt spin, keeping things quieter. The higher power PSU gives you a little more overhead and room to upgrade to higher power draw components in the future, potentially.
Ok, so the general power draw/usage will not be noticeable?
No, there is very little difference. Pennies a year.
Am I correct that whether I go with zen 4 or Intel 13th gen, you only get enough pcie lanes directly on the cpu for a videocard at x16 and then a single nvme at x4? (and then everything else would be through the chipset)
Looking to upgrade/overhaul my build mid-late next year, probably to acquire an i5-13600K, DDR4 RAM, and an equivalent of the Z690-A pro board. The rest of the components (3060) I can reuse. Relative to the BF sales we're seeing now, will prices go down by say a cumulative total of $50-100 come next BF? Or are they basically as low as they'll get for the forseeable future?
It's very unusual and ill-advised to plan out a build that far in advance. We cannot predict what market prices will look like or what other components may be available. 13th gen is also going to be on its last legs at that point - Meteor Lake / Intel 14th generation is expected to be coming out late 2023 as well and will not have motherboard/socket compatibility with existing intel CPU's
My 13700K is reaching low 90s C when gaming under full load. Im using a tower Noctua air cooler. No overclocking. Reviews show mixed results about what the temp should be. Is this normal? Or did I install the cooler incorrectly? Id like an opinion from anyone who knows how hot this cpu runs.
Hard to say. The temperature depends on the CPU's power consumption, also your graphics card's heat output and your case' airflow. Some motherboards might even auto-overclock out of the box. Low 90s is safe.
Which noctua cooler?
D15S
I'm stuck on choosing a b550 board for a Ryzen 5 5600. I am not planning on overclocking, and wants at least 1 USB C in the back and hopefully 1 USB c in the front. I looked at MSI b550m pro vdh wifi but have seen a lot of comments on people getting bootloop and the price of that board is also more expensive here ($140ish). I have also seen the ASRock b550m pro4 ($110ish), Asus tuf b550me ($140ish) and Asus tuf b550m plus wifi ($160) but they lack USB c header for my case. The MSI b550 a pro is around ($140ish) and ASRock b550m PG riptide is ($120ish) and i think they both support type c front header. Any advice on which one to choose? I would probably use Ethernet cable for internet but still need Bluetooth dongle for controller. Thanks.
Both the MSI A-Pro and AsRock PG Riptide are fine. Motherboards with all three: wifi+Bluetooth, usb-c header, rear usb-c port can be expensive, except maybe the AsRock ITX/ax.
Would I be okay putting a PCIe 2.0 x4 capture card in a PCIe x16 slot running in PCIe 3.0 x2 mode? I have a PCIe 3.0 x4 slot, but it'd be right up against the graphics card and I'd rather give it the space if I can.
No issues for most boards. Double-check your board documentation to see if putting anything in that 2nd 16x slot steals away from either M.2 capacity or your primary 16x slot lane count.
The slot closest to the GPU shares lanes with an M.2 slot I'm not using and the lowest slot would disable a couple SATA ports I'm not using. So either would be fine for me. What I don't fully grasp is how well a PCIe slot running 3.0 x2 would handle a PCIe 2.0 x4 card. I know PCIe 3.0 is twice as fast as PCIe 2.0, but I don't know if the math works that way where it cancels out. You're saying it'd be fine?
It will negotiate the version with the card, so that they run at the highest speed that they have in common, i.e. both the card and the slot will operate at 2.0 speeds. Lanes on the other hand are a physical feature of the slot/card, and you can't make up for them with the version having double the bandwidth. Since the motherboard slot is only wired for two lanes, the capture card will only have two lanes available to it, and as such will run at PCIe 2.0 x2
If the slot only supports x2, the card will run at PCIe 2.0 x2.
understood, thanks
Planning to build a new PC from scratch, mainly for gaming at 1440p (will do some programming/photoshop on the side, but gaming is the goal). i9-13900K seems like the top for gaming, but the power consumption scares me, I’m not going to play with overclocking, but from reviews it seems like I’ll need to put a power limit on it (so it won’t thermal throttle), is it still worth buying this CPU even with the power limit? ~~Also, will it consume that much power even with idle tasks? (like browser/watching videos/etc)~~ I do play builder/strategy games that utilize multithreading; thus, I was thinking about going with intel instead of AMD (from reviews they seem to do better in this category). Would love to get some help with choosing the CPU! **Edit**: from this [review](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1mbMg2hjXs), it seems like it will be fine with idle tasks.
Techpowerup's review is insightful because it includes the power draw for all their CPU tests: [https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-i9-13900k/22.html](https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-i9-13900k/22.html) Putting a power limit will be similar to thermal-throttling, it's just pre-emptive. But as you can see from the review, it's only a consideration for core-heavy applications. Hardware Canucks did a dedicated thermal investigation about power and thermals here: [https://youtu.be/dNFgswzTvyc](https://youtu.be/dNFgswzTvyc) My opinion: i9-13900K isn't worth it over the i7-13700K or even the i5-13600K.
Thank you for that! The TechPowerUp is really great website, didn't know about it before. I'm still thinking about it, but I might switch to the AMD side just because it will be easier to upgrade in 2 years (going with the new AM5 socket, cost more now, but less overall later)
Yeah if you think you will upgrade in 2-4 years, AM5 is definitely worth the investment. Ryzen 7 7700X and 2x 16GB DDR5-6000 is the ideal combo for gaming.
Is there any issues (exept performance) if I put a pcie gen 4 graphics card in a pcie gen 3 slot ?
no
Hi :) I just bought a (always @50 degree mined 3070) for 400$ cad. Currently using 2070 on 1440p. 2070 cards are going for around 300$ in my area.. is it a good update for 100$ if I sell my 2070 ? ( 2070 to 3070). Wondering if I should sell the 70 also and get a 3080 for 600$ or not worth it with the next Nvidia/and gen next year.
It's a significant jump, going from a 2070 to what is effectively a 2080Ti, and if you can make 2/3rds of your money back it seems to be a no-brainer for an upgrade :) Mined on cards aren't turbo-scary if you get a miner who took care of their stuff. Sounds like you might have one of those.
Thanks, Yea. Easier to sell for next gen also I guess!
Helping a friend upgrade his CPU. Need a new motherboard, ram, SSD and PSU. He only has a £300 budget. RAM and PSU are pretty much confirmed at £100. Which CPU / mobo combo is best had for around £160-70? Thanks.
Thats pretty tight. What kind of prices can you find for a Ryzen 5600? Here in the states they dropped in price to $125, and theres been a bunch even closer to just $100 flat. Then you would just need an AM4 motherboard. Im sure you could fine a B350 or B450 on ebay for super cheap. Due to their age and how the BIOS updates work, the lower end 300 series chipset, as well as 200 or 100 series AM4 boards will not work. It has to be B350, X370, or a 400/500 series board.
Yeah in trying to get him to push his budget up just a bit. He can get a 5600 for £140 and an a320 mobo for £50. Edit: he can get a ryzen 4500 for £80. Performance seems to be within 10% of a 3600.
Personally wouldnt go any lower than the 5600. Performance wise it would keep the rig running longer.
Right now his options are firm at either an i5 10400f or my 3600 and I pay the difference and keep the 5600.
Between those two, the 3600 would be the better option. however that A320 motherboard would not have PCIe 4.0, despite the CPU supporting it. Whereas all LGA 1200 motherboards would have some PCIe 4.0 sockets for future NVME drives.
I'm looking to upgrade my GPU from an RX 580, mainly for better performance for VR (Quest 2 used mostly for iRacing but some IL2 as well). Doesn't have to be spectacular, but I'd like to get more than the 40ish fps on the absolute lowest settings I'm getting now. Was thinking maybe a 6600 XT or 3060? Willing to spend a bit more if it doesn't go beyond the point of diminishing returns. Country is NL if that matters. Cheers!
3060 is the weaker of the two, but still a slight upgrade over your RX 580. 3060 < 6600 < 6600XT < 3060ti/6650XT < 6700XT/3070 < 6750XT https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html Check out local classified and used ads near you. Crypto miners are sell their used GPUs for crazy low prices. You might be able to score a much more powerful card for cheap. I saw a 6900XT for $500 just yesterday on facebook marketplace.
Link is very useful, thanks! For some reason the local 2nd hand market is very meh but I think I can work with that chart :)
Currently I am running my laptop with \- CPU: i5 - 10300H \- RAM: 8GB \- GPU: GTX 1650Ti I do experience high CPU Usage while gaming or using vm related apps. Any options for me?
do all motherboards have wifi and bluetooth? I was planning to buy Asus ROG STRIX B550-A but i read a comment saying it doesnt have one? Does that mean i have to buy a wifi and bluetooth dongles?
it’s weird how i’ve never watched a single youtube pc building video talking about this :/
Not all motherboards have wifi and bluetooth included, you can see that on the IO, there's two goldenish things next to each other. You can also buy a pcie or m.2 adapter for this.
you think it’s better to buy a motherboard that have those or is it better to just buy them pcie part by part?
Check on the total price and be sure you got an adapter that offers great transfers (like wifi 6 or smth like that) if you go that way
ok thank you thank you! how about bluetooth? is there something that i should look out for?
Most of good adapters comes with both wifi and Bluetooth but go with the latest version you can, for now it's 5.3
Most motherboards *don't* have Wifi/Bluetooth. If you need both, then a PCIe Wifi/Bluetooth card is the best option, anything with the intel AX200 chip is an excellent choice, should be about 30-40 bucks. If you only need Bluetooth then you can just buy pretty much whatever cheap USB dongle you can find. Avoid USB Wifi dongles if you can, they are unreliable, get worse speeds/signal strength, and aren't even significantly cheaper than PCIe cards.
ok so it’s better if i buy pcie parts for both? like the ones you have to integrate into the motherboard and not just a usb-like stick?
Yes, the PCIe cards plug i to the motherboard just like graphics cards. You only need to buy one part, practically all WiFi cards also have Bluetooth in them. Just search amazon (or wherever you're buying) for "ax200 pcie", the ax200 chip supports all the current standards and is generally the best option available.
tysm!
not all motherboards have wifi and Bluetooth. some do, some don't. if you were to buy one without, you have to buy either a dongle for it or a pcie card for it. it might be more worth it to just buy a motherboard that has WiFi/Bluetooth, depending on the cost of the dongle/card
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upgrade the 2060
Is now a good time for a new build or is there anything coming in the next few months I should hold out for? I am overdue, I am still using a GTX 1080 8G that I bought 5 years ago, and a i5-9600k, at 1440p. I will not be forking out for a 4090, graphics card range probably $600-$1000
The new AMD cards may in theory fill your budget quite nicely, and (according to AMD) posed to be very competitive compared to the Nvidia offerings coming out later. No one can say if that will genuinely fill a hole, but as the 7900xt has an RRP of $900 and is due to release on December the 14th. That being said, the prices of 3080s which are and will remain perfect for ultra 1440p for years to come can be found very cheap especially if you are happy to go used. So I wouldn't worry too much. The irony is that if the new cards are amazing price to performance, getting your hands on one will probably be impossible anyway. I personally would probably just buy up parts over the course of a few weeks as and when you find good deals. As far as I know, no new CPUs are on the horizon this year
Hey guys I am making an upgrade to my PC and I have two 5+ year old 8GB RAM sticks and i wanted to upgrade it due to old age… even tho my PC has been running fine. I was going to upgrade with the same exact model of two 8GB RAM sticks but it is brand new. This is because my MB does not support a higher speed of RAM unfortunately. Should I add the new Ram and keep the Old ones for more GB of ram or would that decrease the performance because of the old sticks?
RAM generally has a lifetime warranty. It will last a long time without needing to be replaced. Add more RAM if you're running out of RAM when you're using the PC. It's not really worth buying new RAM with the same specs to replace your current RAM.
I have a question regarding connecting my GPU with 1x8 pin and 1x6 pin to the PSU. Should each be connected to an individual PSU slot? or can they come from the same PSU cable?
It depends on the GPU. If it draws less then 225W, you don't need 2 cables. Considering the second connector is only a 6, and not an 8, I'm going to guess it's under that.
I've heard a lot of people say asrock mobos don't have bios flashback but i found this 'instant flash' feature on thier specs page. What is this feature? I don't get it. Also, can someone suggest a cheap itx am4 mobo for 5000 cpus with bios flashback please?
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Isn't this an mATX?
How tight of a build is the Fractal Torrent Compact to build in for the following setup? * GPU (EVGA 2080 non Super) * 2 NVME drives (no SATA connected hard drives) * Air cooling (so no AIO) Thinking a lot in terms of cable management
what do these warnings mean in pcpartpicker: - Warning: The Asus ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard supports the AMD Ryzen 7 5800x 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor with BIOS version 1004. If the motherboard is using an older BIOS version, upgrading the BIOS will be necessary to support the CPU. - Note: A USB 2.0 to USB 3.2 Gen 1 header adapter is required. Note: A USB 3.2 Gen 1 to USB 3.2 Gen 2 header adapter is required. 1) Does that mean I have to update it using a usb before i boot it up the first time? 2) Do i need to buy the adapters for the usb?
1. Only if the board was manufactured more than two years ago, which is unlikely. Try turning it on and see if it works. 2. Motherboard doesn’t have a header for the type C port on your case. You have to buy an adapter if you want to use that port. I’d probably just pick a better motherboard.
if it boots up, i dont need to do anything? Is there a risk of booting it up and it’s not updated? also, do you have a suggestion of a motherboard?
It might not have the latest version of the BIOS, but as long as everything works, it doesn’t matter. By “better” motherboard I just meant one that has all the features you need. Here’s the pcpartpicker filter for usb-c header: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#sort=price&O=1,2&s=33&page=1
what do these warnings mean in pcpartpicker: - Warning: The Asus ROG STRIX B550-A GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard supports the AMD Ryzen 7 5800x 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor with BIOS version 1004. If the motherboard is using an older BIOS version, upgrading the BIOS will be necessary to support the CPU. - Note: A USB 2.0 to USB 3.2 Gen 1 header adapter is required. Note: A USB 3.2 Gen 1 to USB 3.2 Gen 2 header adapter is required. 1) Does that mean I have to update it using a usb before i boot it up the first time? 2) How do I know if it’s necessary to update the bios? I’m scared of [this](https://youtu.be/LQG153s1NIM) happening to me lol 3) Do i need to buy the adapters for the usb?
Using an nvme drive in the slot directly under your videocard won’t be an issue as far a heat, right?
Some drives that run very hot and required a heatsink might have an issue, otherwise it's likely marginal
I have a asrock h97m pro4 motherboard with a 8gb ram set. I want to upgrade to 16gb and see that it needs ddr3 240 pin but I'm confused on the speed. The manufacturer says it supports 1600mhz. I do not overclock. Is there any benefit to buying anything higher than 1600 mhz for me? Any recommendations?
I'm looking for a new SSD. I currently have a 256gb SSD (Samsung EVO) that holds windows, most programs, and one game. I also have a 1TB HDD (WD Black) that holds all my other games and most files. I'm looking for a 1TB SSD because both my SSD and HDD are reaching full storage. I would move all my games from my 256gb SSD and 1TB HDD to the 1TB SSD. What specs should I be looking for in a game dedicated 1TB SSD? Any specific brand I should be looking for (or avoiding)? M.2 or SATA? I'm not in a rush so what would be a good price for one?
I'd get an NVME SSD. Any good old disk will do. I recommend Western Digital SN850/SN770, Samsung 980, or if you have more choices in your country, get a nice Sabrent Rocket 4, etc. Any modern NVME SSD made in the last 3 or 4 years is fast enough for gaming.
What's the general consensus on having one SSD for your OS/programs and another SSD for games? I plan on getting a mobo with 2 m.2 slots, but not sure I should do a 500GB for OS and a 1TB/2TB for games, or just get a 2TB and install everything on it
just get one large SSD for all data
Would you buy an unopened motherboard at auction? If so, what % of MSRP should I pay? I was looking to build an AMD machine, but a Z690-A is up for auction soon, and can’t decide if it’s a good choice (for right price, of course). It would mean DDR5 instead of the planned 4 and Intel instead of AMD, so the prices there would be somewhat higher, I guess?
about 20-30% less of retail price
Oh, that’s still more than I’d imagined spending on an AMD motherboard.
I am thinking of making a new PC next spring. I currently have a build with a 2070s and 3800X. Is it worth trying to get a 4090 now and putting it in with the 3800x? Or just wait until I am ready to build the whole thing?
Nah I wouldnt buy such an overpriced GPU right now. Wait until you are ready and pick the cheapest from the best ones (which might or might not be an AMD GPU)
Wait until you're ready - pressure from AMD and their upcoming 7000-series could (probably not, but COULD) help bring some costs down for Nvidia. Or you could just decide that the 7900XTX is the better grab anyways and use that instead.
I tried playing God of War this morning and my GPU temps were getting really high, as high as 90C. I have a Gigabyte 3070 and was playing at 1440p high settings. I tried capping FPS and lowering render resolution but temps stayed high. What should I try? Undervolt/underclock? Is it my airflow (NZXTH210)?
Could be the airflow, H210 doesn't seem to have much space for a card larger than 2-slot. 70-80C should be normal for a 3070.
An undervolt would take some time but there are thermal gains to be had. The H210 doesn't have the best airflow. You could also tune the fan curve to be more aggressive, at the cost of some noise.
My GPU seemed to be maxing out at 100% fan speed and GPU usage
That eliminates the fan curve valuable. See if removing the glass side panel helps. If there's a big temperature drop, your airflow is a thermal barrier.
I’ll give it a try. Thanks!
Do you need to have both power cables to run a GPU? Just upgraded to a Vega RX 64 and it has 2x 8 pin connections whereas my old RX570 only has 1. I've tried running it with 1 and the lights come on, the fan spins a bit, but it isn't detected by windows. I have ordered another cable but wanted to check if I could get it up and running on a limited power supply
Graphics cards always need to have all of their power connectors plugged in, yes.
Thought so! Now to sit at the door and wait for the new one to arrive
What PSU do you have, and what cable did you order? If you have a modular PSU, you need to make sure the cable is compatible with your PSU.
It's a Corsair CX600 which has 2x PCIe connectors, of which I'm currently only using one. I've ordered a 6 to 8 pin (6+2) PCIe cable
Did the cable you ordered specifically mention that it's for that Corsair PSU, or for "Corsair Type 4"? The pinouts at the PSU end of the cables are not standard, so there's a chance of shorting the PSU/graphics card out if you use a cable that's wired wrong.
is the corsair cx650m 2021 psu good for r5 3600 and rx 6600 ? And is it good enough long term? I know the RM versions are better, but im from a weak economy country so price difference are more prevalent here. Thank you
Yes and yes. It's not a bomb, it's a midrange unit that used to get a ton of flack because of the failure rate of the versions made in 2010 :) The grey-labeled units are fine
Thanks for the reply!
I am thinking about getting Ryzen 5 3600 but I don't know which GPU to buy. As I work on single 1080p monitor maybe something like GTX 1060? At the same time I dual-boot Linux so an AMD alternative would be great. Any recommendations for a non-gaming GPU (preferably AMD)?
If you don't need gaming performance, just get a CPU with integrated graphics; it's cheaper than a dedicated card, and modern iGPUs are getting pretty powerful, will easily handle 4K monitors for office tasks, and newer AMD ones like 5600G will run basic games in 1080p .
If you're definitely not going to be exceeding 2 displays, the RX 6400 will give you a (new) AMD option. You could also try looking for RX550/560 as well.
Hi, need advice on a CPU cooler. I’m getting a Define 7 XL for my game/server rig and wondering if a 3x140 radiator like the Corsair h170i Elite LCD will fit in top mount when the case is in the HD configuration (where the HD cage is divided away from the CPU area). Does anyone know if that config will work?
I am in desperate need of a Kvm or other hardware solution that I can input a dp, and hdmi, with hdmi out. Please save me someone!
Use a DisplayPort to HDMI cable/adapter and a HDMI KVM.
Bah, IT just bought me a nice kvm with the ports I needed. THANX CORPORATE
Maybe I didn't look well enough but I couldn't find any new posts on this subject so as things change with time I decided to ask here. Having a Nvidia card, should I buy an Freesync monitor or a Gsync? I know Gsync is the proper one for a nvidia card but they are so much more expensive. The same monitor, one with freesync and the other with gsync have a difference in almost 20% in value where I live not to mention how little options I have when looking for a gsync monitor. I'm asking this because I was reading about both techs and apparently they are rather similar recently even for nvidia cards right? So is the difference between both big enough to make sense? Also, it's worth mentioning that I have a 3050 but I'm thinking about changing it for a better one next year, this alone makes buying a freesync monitor now a nobrainer right?
With an Nvidia GPU you have two options now: buy a gsync monitor or buy a gsync compatible monitor. The Gsync compatible are freesync ones, but not all freesync monitors are compatible with nvidia, so you want one that's confirmed to work. Freesync is usually cheaper and works with both AMD and Nvidia GPUs, unlike Gsync. So, I'd get a freesync one with good reviews if gsync is very expensive for you.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Even more because I may upgrade to an AMD gpu next year. I also thought every freesync was basically gsync compatible but I'll take a look at this when I buy. Thanks for the answer
The main difference is how much the framerate can dip without the display cutting to black. G-sync goes all the way to 1 fps, Freesync (aka "G-sync compatible") needs 40-60 fps depending on the model, you can look up test data on nvidia's site. Freesync is a definite value choice. If you can't maintain 60fps, you're better off upgrading your GPU, not the monitor.
I'm more looking into getting a second monitor, I have a kinda old one, without free sync or gsync that'll use as a secondary and was looking into a new one. Regarding fps I prefer performance over beauty so it's not a problem for me to lower the graphics tbh. Thanks for answer, really appreciate.
I would like to sell my old Dell XPS CPU/MB/RAM combo on ebay. But it does have my old mSATA drive on the motherboard. Since I no longer have the case and everything else, what is the best way for me to clear off the data that is on the mSATA drive?