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maximumzero

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,891
New Orleans, LA
Dropped off the PC I built for my wife's friend this morning.

I meant to snap a few pictures of the finished product, but totally forgot before boxing it up.

Suffice it to say that the reviews are correct: The Fractal Design Core 1000 makes absolutely no concessions for cable management. I did the best I could but it's still a jungle in there.
 

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,110
Dropped off the PC I built for my wife's friend this morning.

I meant to snap a few pictures of the finished product, but totally forgot before boxing it up.

Suffice it to say that the reviews are correct: The Fractal Design Core 1000 makes absolutely no concessions for cable management. I did the best I could but it's still a jungle in there.

At least you're finished now! Just gotta wait for the troubleshooting to start =P
 

Gabbo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,562
Dropped off the PC I built for my wife's friend this morning.

I meant to snap a few pictures of the finished product, but totally forgot before boxing it up.

Suffice it to say that the reviews are correct: The Fractal Design Core 1000 makes absolutely no concessions for cable management. I did the best I could but it's still a jungle in there.
Are there cases out there that are good for cable management that aren't huge or over $200?
 

exodus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
9,935
Are there cases out there that are good for cable management that aren't huge or over $200?

What's your definition of not huge?

Fractal Meshify 2 and Corsair 4000D are pretty good for ATX cases as far as cable management goes.

For mATX, choices are frustratingly limited. Meshify C Mini is a bit outdated but otherwise one of the better mATX options out there.

For ITX, the NR200P Max is great and the value isn't bad if you get the full kit with PSU and AIO cooler, as it's already cable managed for you. It's way above $200, but if you're getting a PSU and AIO anyways, it's pretty competitive.
 
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apathetic

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,711
Cable management on the Meshify C Mini;
2oQ3JDc.jpg


This is the matx case, and not bad for management options. This was also before I cleaned it up a bit, but nothing visible from the other side, and actually a lot more space for the cables if I didn't want that hard drive down there at the bottom. Sub $100 case and while on the big side for matx, it's not that big of a case.
 

Spinluck

▲ Legend ▲
Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
28,400
Chicago
What are you guys using these days to fight dust, dirt, and smear build-up?

Any good cleaning kits you guys can recommend? All white and black setup here so it's pretty brutal when I don't keep up with it.
 

Outtrigger888

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,304
Running some test on the 3070ti I installed yesterday and temps seem great. Only question I have is the cards boost clock is rated for 1875MHz but Afterburner and GPUz are showing the GPU clock at 2055MHz. I was wondering do cards typically boost themselves if there's head room? Also shows the 2 fans spinning at different percentages and speeds. Is that typically normal. They are about 100RPM difference from each other.
 

inner-G

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
14,473
PNW
Running some test on the 3070ti I installed yesterday and temps seem great. Only question I have is the cards boost clock is rated for 1875MHz but Afterburner and GPUz are showing the GPU clock at 2055MHz. I was wondering do cards typically boost themselves if there's head room? Also shows the 2 fans spinning at different percentages and speeds. Is that typically normal. They are about 100RPM difference from each other.
yes and yes
 
OP
OP
Crazymoogle

Crazymoogle

Game Developer
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
2,875
Asia
What are you guys using these days to fight dust, dirt, and smear build-up?
Any good cleaning kits you guys can recommend? All white and black setup here so it's pretty brutal when I don't keep up with it.
  • Smears or dirt are best treated with a lightly damp cloth, or a wet wipe that isn't sopping wet. Obviously don't use this on electrical components though, just plastic, glass or steel, and wipe dry. Alcohol wipes are an alternative to be electrically safe. For small details they work well.

  • You'll see repair folks on youtube like Tronicsfix use a toothbrush dipped in isopropyl alcohol ("IPA") for cleaning motherboards, ports, and hard to dust places. A bottle of IPA and cotton swabs actually does great for a lot of places.

  • For just general dust deliverance, I swear by an air compressor, specifically one meant for PCs. I use the Metrovac ED500-ESD but that one is the gold standard (steel, electrostatically safe, etc). There are other, cheaper options if you google for "best air compressor for PC". Compressors won't make your fans sparkling clean - the plastic almost always needs a bit of a wipedown - but they have the power to blow 99% of the dust out of your PC. Something weaker (ie: USB powered, or a dyson handvac) are effectively useless and the only time I would use a USB vac is for like...a keyboard.
 

ss_lemonade

Member
Oct 27, 2017
6,641
Can anyone give some advice on a potential RAM upgrade for my system? My PC is a prebuilt system with an i5 10400F, a GTX 1660 Super and 8gb of RAM. Not super high end, but is the RAM likely to be a bottleneck? General browsing and work stuff is fine but I do get some stuttering in some games, particularly VR games like Half Life Alyx.
I'm not entirely sure what speed the RAM I have now is. Task manager says 2667 MHz but CPU-Z says my two RAM sticks are:
a1QiEyg.png


Either way would, say, 16gb of 3200MHz be a worthwhile upgrade?
Could the stuttering be a bug or something specific to Half Life? Alyx used to work fine for me, but I stopped playing for a while and when I reinstalled the game again a few months later, I get really intermittent stuttering now. I don't think it's hardware related since I have a 3090 + 5800x and it used to work fine on this same setup (and even before that when I had a 1080 Ti).

I guess the one difference I could say is I was on Windows 10 before and now on 11
 

Soda

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,833
Dunedin, New Zealand
I haven't ventured back here for a long time. The OP looks wonderful Crazymoogle! I'm so happy to see the thread is still active and the community thriving despite crazy GPU prices the past 12+ months.

With that said, I'm getting the itch to do a new build. I will probably wait until Ryzen 7000 launches this fall, but I like to start thinking stuff through months in advance. Still rocking my 2950X + 1080 Ti, both of which have served me well since 2017/2018. However, I want to downsize from my current mATX (X399M Taichi) to a mITX with the new build.

I think I've narrowed my case choice down to the NR200P (Cooler Master) or the Tower 100 (Thermaltake). I plan to only do air cooling this time as I don't wanna worry about leaks or dead pumps ever again.

Does anyone here have hands-on experience with either case? Or just general thoughts? I'll probably be doing a mid/upper range build (e.g. whatever the next gen equivalent this fall is to the RTX 3070 + 5900X).
 

ChitonIV

Member
Nov 14, 2021
2,149
I haven't ventured back here for a long time. The OP looks wonderful Crazymoogle! I'm so happy to see the thread is still active and the community thriving despite crazy GPU prices the past 12+ months.

With that said, I'm getting the itch to do a new build. I will probably wait until Ryzen 7000 launches this fall, but I like to start thinking stuff through months in advance. Still rocking my 2950X + 1080 Ti, both of which have served me well since 2017/2018. However, I want to downsize from my current mATX (X399M Taichi) to a mITX with the new build.

I think I've narrowed my case choice down to the NR200P (Cooler Master) or the Tower 100 (Thermaltake). I plan to only do air cooling this time as I don't wanna worry about leaks or dead pumps ever again.

Does anyone here have hands-on experience with either case? Or just general thoughts? I'll probably be doing a mid/upper range build (e.g. whatever the next gen equivalent this fall is to the RTX 3070 + 5900X).
air options are limited with the NR200. I would recommend the Sliger S620 or something with similar dimensions, if you want big air cooling, for ITX.
The Thermaltake Tower 100 also has even more room for air cooling. Its a lot lower cost. But, also MUCH larger.

An interesting case for both MATX and ITX, is the Silverstone Alta G1M.

Also, by the time the next CPUs are out, Sliger may have released the updated Cerberus MATX case.
 

Spinluck

▲ Legend ▲
Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
28,400
Chicago
  • Smears or dirt are best treated with a lightly damp cloth, or a wet wipe that isn't sopping wet. Obviously don't use this on electrical components though, just plastic, glass or steel, and wipe dry. Alcohol wipes are an alternative to be electrically safe. For small details they work well.

  • You'll see repair folks on youtube like Tronicsfix use a toothbrush dipped in isopropyl alcohol ("IPA") for cleaning motherboards, ports, and hard to dust places. A bottle of IPA and cotton swabs actually does great for a lot of places.

  • For just general dust deliverance, I swear by an air compressor, specifically one meant for PCs. I use the Metrovac ED500-ESD but that one is the gold standard (steel, electrostatically safe, etc). There are other, cheaper options if you google for "best air compressor for PC". Compressors won't make your fans sparkling clean - the plastic almost always needs a bit of a wipedown - but they have the power to blow 99% of the dust out of your PC. Something weaker (ie: USB powered, or a dyson handvac) are effectively useless and the only time I would use a USB vac is for like...a keyboard.

I appreciate this.

It's been a bit of a problem. I'm paranoid about taking apart some things that need cleaning and ruining them but for the most part I've been good repurposing certain household items to get the done.

Definitely going to look into those air compressors.
 
OP
OP
Crazymoogle

Crazymoogle

Game Developer
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
2,875
Asia
It's been a bit of a problem. I'm paranoid about taking apart some things that need cleaning and ruining them but for the most part I've been good repurposing certain household items to get the done. Definitely going to look into those air compressors.

Honestly, I used compressed air cans for years, but it's easy to burn through those, and of course you have to hold it upright to avoid any discharge coming out as opposed to air. A compressor is obviously more expensive upfront, but something you can use long-term. Some people even just use the compressors for paint sprayers since it's basically the same thing.

The one warning most folks give with compressors is to tape down the fans; not a big deal most of the time but in theory an unprotected fan could burn out or generate an electric charge (basically acting like a turbine). I can't say I've bothered taping down with the Metrovac but it may be something I try in the future (anyway, if the fan can't move it's easier to blow the dust off)

Man case designs are frustrating nowadays. There are so few that support top mounted 280mm AIO.

Just in case you haven't considered it, the Hyte Y60 looks like it would do 280mm easily? A weird case though for sure.

I haven't ventured back here for a long time. The OP looks wonderful Crazymoogle! I'm so happy to see the thread is still active and the community thriving despite crazy GPU prices the past 12+ months.

Group therapy, basically. Some rough times!

Can't speak to ITX these days as I retired for the full ATX crowd. Nor would I generally trust a thermaltake case at all? But if the reviews are good, I wouldn't worry too much.

My guess is the RTX4070 and 7900X will be available by christmas, but...
  • Fully expecting huge supply problems on the RTX 4000 line (and it's entirely possible the 4080 ships first with early '23 on the 4070). You should either be prepared to camp Microcenter or be ready to pay a scalper price. The market recognizes this too, as the 3080ti holds its price.
  • The 7800X and 7900X should have much better supply but the added cost there (apart from MSRP CPU prices) will be a fresh new AM5 motherboard and (possibly) DDR5. The market in general is hoping AMD folds in DDR4 models because DDR5 pricing right now is...GPU absurd.
My guess is that for some people, the 5800X3D will be more appealing purely because you can pair it with almost any AM4 board and any sort of DDR4-3200+ RAM.
 
Oct 25, 2017
651
So I tried installing the SF750 PSU in my case yesterday and realised that the cables were too short. Is it safe to use cables from my previous Corsair CX550M PSU?
 

maximumzero

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,891
New Orleans, LA
Managed to get through the AMD queue again this morning, only to find only the 6700 XT in stock, as expected.

Honestly it's really tempting, as $479 is cheaper than the $600 starting point the card goes for on NewEgg, but I guess the wait continues.
 
OP
OP
Crazymoogle

Crazymoogle

Game Developer
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
2,875
Asia
thanks for the link!

So that says I just need to get the 24-pin and 8-pin cables right? The SATA and PCI-E cables should be fine? Or am I reading that wrong?

UX-wise it's a terrible chart. Like, really, classically awful. I could make a talk about it.

Looking in detail, Corsair is saying (RED), (ORANGE) and (YELLOW) are the same cables, just that (YELLOW) are shorter. The only exception is the 24-pin ATX cable. So that means:

SF vs. CX-M
  • PCIe Power cables are cross compatible
  • PATA/SATA cables are cross compatible
  • ATX/EPS are non-removable on the CX-M (ie: it's only partially modular) so there is nothing to carry over
 

Classy Tomato

Member
Jun 2, 2019
2,514
Just ordered a GPU (Asus RTX 3060 Ti Mini OC) finally, and I'm really excited!

What do I need to do before installing the GPU (like uninstall the GPU driver etc.) on an existing PC?
 

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,110
Just ordered a GPU (Asus RTX 3060 Ti Mini OC) finally, and I'm really excited!

What do I need to do before installing the GPU (like uninstall the GPU driver etc.) on an existing PC?

Use DDU to uninstall old drivers

Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) 18.0.7.4

Official Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) download website. DDU is a driver removal utility that can help you completely uninstall AMD/NVIDIA/INTEL graphics card drivers and packages from your system, trying to remove all leftovers (including registry keys, folders and files, driver store).

DDU Tutorial: https://www.wagnardsoft.com/content/ddu-guide-tutorial
 

J-Wood

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,747
What are average/safe temps for a 3070? When I play a game on my new asus prebuilt, the asus armory crate app basically shows my gpu sits at 76C, and my 5800x hangs around 60, but occasionally would hit 67.

Ideal the temps are pretty low. If i'm just in windows the gpu is around 44C and the cpu is around 38-40C
 

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,110
What are average/safe temps for a 3070? When I play a game on my new asus prebuilt, the asus armory crate app basically shows my gpu sits at 76C, and my 5800x hangs around 60, but occasionally would hit 67.

Ideal the temps are pretty low. If i'm just in windows the gpu is around 44C and the cpu is around 38-40C

76C at load is acceptable for a 3070, but you can always tinker with the fan curve if you want. Nvidia cards will autoboost a bit better when the temps are low.
 

J-Wood

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,747
76C at load is acceptable for a 3070, but you can always tinker with the fan curve if you want. Nvidia cards will autoboost a bit better when the temps are low.
Ok good to know, thanks! I was just playing tiny tina, and had the crate app run constant temp recording, played for about an hour. It said the max GPU temp was 77C and the max cpu temp was 68. So seems pretty decent?
 

super-famicom

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
25,110
Ok good to know, thanks! I was just playing tiny tina, and had the crate app run constant temp recording, played for about an hour. It said the max GPU temp was 77C and the max cpu temp was 68. So seems pretty decent?

Iirc the card will start to suffer performance degradation past 83 or 85C? So 77 is within normal limits. But personally that's pretty high for me. I have a 3080 and since I have an itx build, I undervolted it as well as setting an aggressive fan curve so it never really goes past 74C at load on very hot days.
 
Oct 25, 2017
651
UX-wise it's a terrible chart. Like, really, classically awful. I could make a talk about it.

Looking in detail, Corsair is saying (RED), (ORANGE) and (YELLOW) are the same cables, just that (YELLOW) are shorter. The only exception is the 24-pin ATX cable. So that means:

SF vs. CX-M
  • PCIe Power cables are cross compatible
  • PATA/SATA cables are cross compatible
  • ATX/EPS are non-removable on the CX-M (ie: it's only partially modular) so there is nothing to carry over
Thanks for clearing that up, I appreciate it. I only need to order the ATX and EPS cable from them then.
 

OléGunner

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,274
Airborne Aquarium
Hey all so was wondering if anyone can tell me how these specs sound?
I'm trying to get my first pre-built mid-range PC. Nothing fancy for modern gaming at 1080p-1440p/60fps and some minor video editing on the side:

  • Intel core i5 six core processor i5-10600KF (4.1 Ghz) 12Mb cache
  • Asus Prime B460 Plus USB 3.2 Motherboard Prime SATA 6GBs
  • 16Gb Corsair Vengeance DDR4 2666MHz (2x8Gb)
  • 6Gb Nvidia RTX 2060
  • 512Gb Pcle M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
  • CoolMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) CPU fan cooler
  • Extra case fan 1x120mm case fan(?)
  • Corsair 550W CV series power supply
Any advice would be appreciated!
 
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hussien-11

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,315
Jordan
Hey all so was wondering if anyone can tell me how these specs sound?
I'm trying to get my first pre-built mid-range PC. Nothing fancy for modern gaming at 1080p-1440p/60fps and some minor video editing on the side:

  • Intel core i5 six core processor i5-10600KF (4.1 Ghz) 12Mb cache
  • Asus Prime B460 Plus USB 3.2 Motherboard Prime SATA 6GBs
  • 16Gb Corsair Vengeance DDR4 2666MHz (2x8Gb)
  • 6Gb Nvidia RTX 2060
  • 512Gb Pcle M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
  • CoolMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) CPU fan cooler
  • Extra case fan 1x120mm case fan(?)
  • Corsair 550W CV series power supply
Any advice would be appreciated!

The i5-10600KF is a great processor, but to unlock its true potential you need a Z series motherboard to overclock it. Otherwise, I don't see any reason to pick it up over something like the 5600X from AMD or i5-12400 from Intel, both are ~200-230$ right now. They are going to be slightly more expensive than the 10600KF, but you get the benefit of great performance out of the box, and access to more modern platform with PCIe4 support for both.

The Ryzen 5600 is also releasing soon in April for 200$ MSRP, it also should be better than the 10600KF at stock settings, it will retain the same cache of the 5600X, so performance will be similar and you will get the same benefits of a better platform with PCIe4 support.

B550 mobos for Ryzen CPUs are not expensive, and something like the 5600 or the 5600X will be easy to cool and operate even with 100-120$ motherboard. This board from Gigabyte isn't the best B550, but its more than capable of handling a CPU like the 5600X or 5600 with no issues, and its inexpensive. With PCIe4 support, it has 2 slots for SSD so you can install 512GB part now, and add 512GB/1TB Gen 4 SSD in the future if you ever wanted to do that.

Also, you can get a GPU like the Radeon's RX 6600 which is faster than RTX 2060 and cheaper on Amazon. The RX 6600 has only 8-lanes so PCIe3 bandwidth does affect its performance but even then in this case its faster than RTX 2060, and has 8GB of VRAM instead of 6GB. But on a PCIe4 system, its much faster than 2060, its as fast as RTX 3060 here, and much cheaper.

No reason to not get a faster memory, this RAM on Amazon has the same price of the one you mentioned, and it has 3200mhz XMP out of the box.

If you want to go Intel route, this board is also inexpensive and should be capable of handling the 12400 just fine. Even with 65W power limit, the 12400 is slightly faster than a 10700k out of the box, though according to this review, the 5600X is faster than both. the Ryzen 5600 coming soon next month should be at the same level of i5-12400.

As for the PSU, the 650W unit is a couple of bucks more expensive, and it can prove beneficial in case you decided to upgrade the GPU in the future : )

Such build is going to be just slightly more expensive than what you are targeting (unless prices are very different where you live), but the GPU is actually cheaper so it will even out, and you will end up with a more modern and flexible system. A GPU upgrade alone with the same parts, like RTX 5060 or something similar down the line, will be even capable of handling 4k/1440p resolution without the need of changing any other part in the computer.
 
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OléGunner

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,274
Airborne Aquarium
The i5-10600KF is a great processor, but to unlock its true potential you need a Z series motherboard to overclock it. Otherwise, I don't see any reason to pick it up over something like the 5600X from AMD or i5-12400 from Intel, both are ~200-230$ right now. They are going to be slightly more expensive than the 10600KF, but you get the benefit of great performance out of the box, and access to more modern platform with PCIe4 support for both.

The Ryzen 5600 is also releasing soon in April for 200$ MSRP, it also should be better than the 10600KF at stock settings, it will retain the same cache of the 5600X, so performance will be similar and you will get the same benefits of a better platform with PCIe4 support.

B550 mobos for Ryzen CPUs are not expensive, and something like the 5600 or the 5600X will be easy to cool and operate even with 100-120$ motherboard. This board from Gigabyte isn't the best B550, but its more than capable of handling a CPU like the 5600X or 5600 with no issues, and its inexpensive. With PCIe4 support, it has 2 slots for SSD so you can install 512GB part now, and add 512GB/1TB Gen 4 SSD in the future if you ever wanted to do that.

Also, you can get a GPU like the Radeon's RX 6600 which is faster than RTX 2060 and cheaper on Amazon. The RX 6600 has only 8-lanes so PCIe3 bandwidth does affect its performance but even then in this case its faster than RTX 2060, and has 8GB of VRAM instead of 6GB. But on a PCIe4 system, its much faster than 2060, its as fast as RTX 3060 here, and much cheaper.

No reason to not get a faster memory, this RAM on Amazon has the same price of the one you mentioned, and it has 3200mhz XMP out of the box.

If you want to go Intel route, this board is also inexpensive and should be capable of handling the 12400 just fine. Even with 65W power limit, the 12400 is slightly faster than a 10700k out of the box, though according to this review, the 5600X is faster than both. the Ryzen 5600 coming soon next month should be at the same level of i5-12400.

As for the PSU, the 650W unit is a couple of bucks more expensive, and it can prove beneficial in case you decided to upgrade the GPU in the future : )

Such build is going to be just slightly more expensive than what you are targeting (unless prices are very different where you live), but the GPU is actually cheaper so it will even out, and you will end up with a more modern and flexible system. A GPU upgrade alone with the same parts, like RTX 5060 or something similar down the line, will be even capable of handling 4k/1440p resolution without the need of changing any other part in the computer.

Wow that's a lot to take in but thanks for the detailed response!
But I think I got it all and will take your advice.

For CPU my only main option is the i5 11600K which I read is quite comparable to the 5600X.
Motherboard situation is a bit tricky- though I'm now looking at the Gigabyte B560 PCle4. Gonna look into getting that Radeon RX 6600 as well.

Definitely will opt for the RAM you linked at 3200Mhz

I'm still trying to save some bucks as I need a 1440p monitor and some PC accessories but may as well push the boat out a bit as I want this rig to last me a while before upgrading.

Thanks again, you've really helped me out!
 

hussien-11

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,315
Jordan
Wow that's a lot to take in but thanks for the detailed response!
But I think I got it all and will take your advice.

For CPU my only main option is the i5 11600K which I read is quite comparable to the 5600X.
Motherboard situation is a bit tricky- though I'm now looking at the Gigabyte B560 PCle4. Gonna look into getting that Radeon RX 6600 as well.

Definitely will opt for the RAM you linked at 3200Mhz

I'm still trying to save some bucks as I need a 1440p monitor and some PC accessories but may as well push the boat out a bit as I want this rig to last me a while before upgrading.

Thanks again, you've really helped me out!

Despite getting a lot of negative reviews, Intel's 11th gen CPUs do perform very well in gaming overall and you are also getting the benefits of PCIe4 support. But, make sure you watch this video before deciding on the mobo. Power limits can cause big difference in performance. If you want to save some money, then the i5-11400f is also a good CPU that will get the job done, and at 1440p the difference between it and 11600K will be minimal or non-existent when paired with the RX 6600 GPU.

If you are targeting 1440p resolution, then 8GB VRAM GPU does certainly make more sense than 6GB VRAM GPU, I tried to measure VRAM usage in a variety of games at 1440p using MSI Afterburner monitoring tool, and many games go over 6-7GB easily at ultra settings.

You are welcome : )
 
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inner-G

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
14,473
PNW
Wow that's a lot to take in but thanks for the detailed response!
But I think I got it all and will take your advice.

For CPU my only main option is the i5 11600K which I read is quite comparable to the 5600X.
Motherboard situation is a bit tricky- though I'm now looking at the Gigabyte B560 PCle4. Gonna look into getting that Radeon RX 6600 as well.

Definitely will opt for the RAM you linked at 3200Mhz

I'm still trying to save some bucks as I need a 1440p monitor and some PC accessories but may as well push the boat out a bit as I want this rig to last me a while before upgrading.

Thanks again, you've really helped me out!
I will wigh in and say that if you buy an intel -K CPU, you want a Z-series motherboard.

If you put a -K chip on a B-series board, you're losing features like overclocking. You are generally better off getting the non -K version of the CPU and saving some money if you don't get a Z-series motherboard.
 

Deleted member 5876

Big Seller
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,559
So I'm really interested in getting something like the Torrent Nano case. But after watching some videos specifically about the Nano I'm underwhelmed. In particular it seems like a terrible case to actually build in. The case isn't even particularly small. I don't know why they can't make these cases easier to build in by providing removable motherboard trays and other features to give you easier hand and tool access.
 

survivor

Member
Oct 25, 2017
565
Currently looking at getting parts for a PC build for the first time. I have a 27 4k monitor, is it ok if I use that to play games at 1440p? Or will the lower resolution not look as good?
 

Dr. Zoidberg

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,197
Decapod 10
Currently looking at getting parts for a PC build for the first time. I have a 27 4k monitor, is it ok if I use that to play games at 1440p? Or will the lower resolution not look as good?

Not look as good as on a 27" native 1440p display? Probably not but how much really depends on the scaler in your display. Most monitors have shitty ones, sadly. I can play 1440p on my 55" Samsung 4K TV and it looks pretty good but it does a great job scaling content. Obviously lower resolution than native 4K but very little in the way of artifacts. Maybe someone with a 4K monitor can chime in.
 

survivor

Member
Oct 25, 2017
565
Do you care about refresh rate or response time?
This is the monitor which is Philips 27 4k, an office monitor. It will be 60 refresh rate and probably not the best response time, but just seeing if it's passable for now.
Not look as good as on a 27" native 1440p display? Probably not but how much really depends on the scaler in your display. Most monitors have shitty ones, sadly. I can play 1440p on my 55" Samsung 4K TV and it looks pretty good but it does a great job scaling content. Obviously lower resolution than native 4K but very little in the way of artifacts. Maybe someone with a 4K monitor can chime in.
Yeah I just wasn't sure if it's absolutely necessary to get a native 1440p monitor or if I can get by with my running at lower resolution in the meantime.


I'm looking to get a 3070 Ti so maybe with my monitor this can run games at 4k 60fps anyway so going for 1440p isn't necessary.
 

ChitonIV

Member
Nov 14, 2021
2,149
Not look as good as on a 27" native 1440p display? Probably not but how much really depends on the scaler in your display. Most monitors have shitty ones, sadly. I can play 1440p on my 55" Samsung 4K TV and it looks pretty good but it does a great job scaling content. Obviously lower resolution than native 4K but very little in the way of artifacts. Maybe someone with a 4K monitor can chime in.
GPUs do better scaling than most monitors. This is what AMD's FSR and Nvidia image scaling, are all about.

Now you should be able to find RTX 3050 for "retail" price and it would give you better game performance AND better video editing one.
RTX 2060 is better than the 3050. 6GB of VRAM doesn't hold the 2060 back at 1080p or 1440p.

And 2GB difference of VRAM is probably only noticeable in edge cases for video editing.
 

SofNascimento

cursed
Member
Oct 28, 2017
21,250
São Paulo - Brazil
I just want to say one more thanks to CesareNorrez arrado Serpens007 PhantomFFR maximumzero who helped me decide what parts I should get for my PC. I finally got them and I have to say I'm very happy with the result, at least in the short term. If you people allow me, I do have one more question tough. I didn't make the installation myself, as I wouldn't know the first thing about it, so is there I way to check if everything is working as it should? ie 100%.
 

Soda

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,833
Dunedin, New Zealand
Group therapy, basically. Some rough times!

Can't speak to ITX these days as I retired for the full ATX crowd. Nor would I generally trust a thermaltake case at all? But if the reviews are good, I wouldn't worry too much.

My guess is the RTX4070 and 7900X will be available by christmas, but...
  • Fully expecting huge supply problems on the RTX 4000 line (and it's entirely possible the 4080 ships first with early '23 on the 4070). You should either be prepared to camp Microcenter or be ready to pay a scalper price. The market recognizes this too, as the 3080ti holds its price.
  • The 7800X and 7900X should have much better supply but the added cost there (apart from MSRP CPU prices) will be a fresh new AM5 motherboard and (possibly) DDR5. The market in general is hoping AMD folds in DDR4 models because DDR5 pricing right now is...GPU absurd.
My guess is that for some people, the 5800X3D will be more appealing purely because you can pair it with almost any AM4 board and any sort of DDR4-3200+ RAM.

Honestly, the only cases I've ever owned for my personal builds are Thermaltake. They've got some issues as a company, but I'm using the Core V21 right now and for the price it's an extremely good case imo. A lot of their cases are pretty horrific, however.

Good points on the pricing and availability. I've got some good options with a nearby Microcenter at least, and the price isn't overly concerning for me. I am somewhat considering doing the build a little earlier though... And you're kinda talking me into it. Tbh, my 2950X + 1080 Ti handle my needs just fine, but I like doing full rebuilds every five years or so anyway, so I might just get this going sooner than later and avoid the headache and potential price volatility of the 4000 series / 7000 series.

I'm tentatively considering two builds that are virtually identical, except one is a 5900X/X570 and the other is a 12700K/Z690. I'm near a Micro Center, thankfully.

These days it'll mainly be used for 1440p/110Hz ultra wide gaming (maybe upgrade this to 4K/144Hz ultra wide in the next year or so), but I still do occasional video editing, rendering, and bioinformatics / "big data" work that would benefit from extra cores. I also desperately want a front panel USB Type C, which is why I'd get the ROG Crosshair mobo despite the inflated price.

Budget isn't a huge concern for this. Any suggestions or advice is appreciated. Reminder that I'm also considering (and maybe leaning towards) a 12700k/Z690 build using virtually the same components as listed below barring the CPU/MB.

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 3.7 GHz 12-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 50.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus ROG Crosshair VIII Impact Mini DTX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory
Storage: Inland Performance 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Storage: Inland Performance 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8 GB XC3 ULTRA GAMING Video Card
Case: Thermaltake The Tower 100 Mini ITX Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair SF 600 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply
Case Fan: Noctua A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan
Case Fan: Noctua A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan
Case Fan: Noctua A14 PWM chromax.black.swap 82.52 CFM 140 mm Fan

I've already got the PSU, but I also have an ATX 850w SeaSonic Prime 80+ Gold that may make more sense here's and would certainly fit. The 3070 Ti is essentially a placeholder as stock kinda comes and goes, so I'll get whatever is a well-reviewed model when I pull the trigger.

Any thoughts or input from folks hereM
 

Serpens007

Well, Tosca isn't for everyone
Moderator
Oct 31, 2017
8,118
Chile
I just want to say one more thanks to CesareNorrez arrado Serpens007 PhantomFFR maximumzero who helped me decide what parts I should get for my PC. I finally got them and I have to say I'm very happy with the result, at least in the short term. If you people allow me, I do have one more question tough. I didn't make the installation myself, as I wouldn't know the first thing about it, so is there I way to check if everything is working as it should? ie 100%.

Congrats on your new PC!! Which specs did you end going for?

If you are already playing and everything is good, it's most likely working as it should. You can, to be sure:

- Check if the PC has all the ram it should (like looking at the properties of your PC, it should say it there). There's always the chance of not being well instaled.
- Use MSI Afterburner while playing. It allows you to read stats of the pc while you are playing, to keep an eye on the temperatures and usage of your components.
- Do a stress test with stuff like AIDA64 and Haven (or 3DMark)