The PC Builders Thread ("I Need a New PC") v3

SOLDIER · Jan 26, 2022

hussien-11 said:
I second this. I won't be comfortable if sticks weren't exact match.

Well y'all got me paranoid now.

The question now is which would be the more affordable option: buy two more of the HyperX model, or replace them with a completely different set that hits 32GB and 3600 speed?

Looking around it seems they sell two packs of RAM that equals that, rather than four. Is there a preference on two vs four?

hussien-11 · Jan 26, 2022

SOLDIER said:
Well y'all got me paranoid now.

The question now is which would be the more affordable option: buy two more of the HyperX model, or replace them with a completely different set that hits 32GB and 3600 speed?

Looking around it seems they sell two packs of RAM that equals that, rather than four. Is there a preference on two vs four?

Better be safe than sorry, its not a problem until it is. those sticks do have different speeds and different timings and possibly different voltages even, though I guess you can also adjust all this manually if you want, but it could be a headache.

Four is generally slightly faster than two according to GN. though really, it doesn't matter that much, its very similar either way.

You already bought 2 slightly faster sticks, might as well add another matching ones and sell the HyperX, its up to you, its fine either way and both are more than decent enough.

SOLDIER · Jan 26, 2022

hussien-11 said:
Better be safe than sorry, its not a problem until it is. those sticks do have different speeds and different timings and possibly different voltages even, though I guess you can also adjust all this manually if you want, but it could be a headache.

Four is generally slightly faster than two according to GN. though really, it doesn't matter that much, its very similar either way.

You already bought 2 slightly faster sticks, might as well add another matching ones and sell the HyperX, its up to you, its fine either way and both are more than decent enough.

Good point, just duplicating the Best Buy order would be best. Wish I thought of that sooner, but this just goes to show how my head is littered with a billion PC-related things I have to keep track of (including work-related stuff: I'll still need to test and see if the Docking Station+Button Switcher is still the best option to stick to rather than request a $250 KVM to the company, which I will not do).

Since it'll probably take a few days, can I continue to use the PC with the installed RAM? Or do you recommend I take out the mismatched RAM right the F now?

hussien-11 · Jan 26, 2022

SOLDIER said:
Since it'll probably take a few days, can I continue to use the PC with the installed RAM? Or do you recommend I take out the mismatched RAM right the F now?

I strongly recommend to take it out right now, until you get a matching kit.

SOLDIER · Jan 26, 2022

hussien-11 said:
I strongly recommend to take it out right now, until you get a matching kit.

Alright, consider it done. Good news is that the duplicate RAM will arrive tomorrow, and I saved $8 on the order (thanks, Honey!)

So once I take out the RAM, will I need to reset the CMOS again, boot into BIOS and restore default settings?

And then do this AGAIN once the new RAM arrives?

Crazymoogle · Jan 26, 2022

My opinion on RAM Mixing is as follows:

if Karhu ram test can't find an error in two hours, it's fine. Especially if one pair is underclocked

PhantomFFR · Jan 26, 2022

arrado said:
SOLDIER Hm I don't agree to run this ABAB setup. You are now combining different brands with different speeds and different subtimings.
I guess you are now running the Corsair XMP (3600mhz)?
The HyperX kit is rated at just 3200mhz, so you are now overclocking it, and it's unknown whether that is stable

Just don't mix different types of ram, it's asking for problems.

It really isn't. If the test runs succesfully you know that it's stable.

hussien-11 said:
I second this. I won't be comfortable if sticks weren't exact match.

Please stop pretending like it's the end of the world if your RAM is compromised of different sticks. It really does not matter nearly as much as you both pretend it does.

SOLDIER said:
Well y'all got me paranoid now.

The question now is which would be the more affordable option: buy two more of the HyperX model, or replace them with a completely different set that hits 32GB and 3600 speed?

Looking around it seems they sell two packs of RAM that equals that, rather than four. Is there a preference on two vs four?

Don't be paranoid. If the test runs fine for several hours it will work fine for many years. So here is what you do: Run the memory test for several hours, see if anything happens, any errors are reported, the PC crashes, etc. If it does, you can downclock the RAM and try again. And if the test does not run without fault, you can still replace the RAM. Though I'd wager that it's more likely to be defective RAM rather than some mix&match problem.

SOLDIER said:
Since it'll probably take a few days, can I continue to use the PC with the installed RAM? Or do you recommend I take out the mismatched RAM right the F now?

Of course you can. It's not going to explode. The worst thing to potentially happen is instability. If Windows crashes, it crashes. If it doesn't (and the mem test runs succesfully) you are fine and don't need to spend any money.

hussien-11 said:
I strongly recommend to take it out right now, until you get a matching kit.

Why exactly should he, if everything runs fine?

ChitonIV · Jan 26, 2022

Mixing RAM is a maybe. You might get it working well at decent speeds (the max speed of the slower set). Or you might have to drop both sets to a lower speed, to counter the extra stress on the memory controller.

However, its not fundamentally a problem to mix RAM. You can't damage the PC or anything.

hussien-11 · Jan 26, 2022

PhantomFFR said:
Please stop pretending like it's the end of the world if your RAM is compromised of different sticks. It really does not matter nearly as much as you both pretend it does.

"pretending"...

Not pretending about anything. I'm simply voicing my humble opinion on what I would do if I was in SOLDIER 's shoes. Its generally not recommended to mix RAM sticks and I prefer to be extra careful with hardware. in any case, I guess its up to him to decide what he want to do.

PhantomFFR · Jan 26, 2022

hussien-11 said:
"pretending"...

Not pretending about anything. I'm simply voicing my humble opinion on what I would do if I was in SOLDIER 's shoes. Its generally not recommended to mix RAM sticks and I prefer to be extra careful with hardware. in any case, I guess its up to him to decide what he want to do.

No, you are not just voicing your opinion. You are giving very clear advice to spend more money, when all we know right now is that everything works fine. "It's generally not recommanded" is an empty statement, especially if it is formed on forum posts just as yours. Also consider the risk. What is the worst that might happen here? A computer that might crash and reboot?

hussien-11 · Jan 26, 2022

PhantomFFR said:
No, you are not just voicing your opinion. You are giving very clear advice to spend more money, when all we know right now is that everything works fine. "It's generally not recommanded" is an empty statement, especially if it is formed on forum posts just as yours. Also consider the risk. What is the worst that might happen here? A computer that might crash and reboot?

Running both at slower speed is a loss of performance for the faster kit, overclocking the slower one maybe too much for it to handle especially that HyperX usually don't overclock that well. running both at different speed/timings and possibly even voltage is probably gonna cause issues.

Selling a kit and getting a matching one would be the best option in my opinion and cost should be very similar I guess, but its not like I'm forcing anyone to do anything. if you think its unnecessary, its fine, you can reason it without acting like I was talking in bad faith or something. I gain nothing by trying to help.

PhantomFFR · Jan 26, 2022

hussien-11 said:
Running both at slower speed is a loss of performance for the faster kit, overclocking the slower one maybe too much for it to handle especially that HyperX usually don't overclock that well. running both at different speed/timings and possibly even voltage is probably gonna cause issues.

Selling a kit and getting a matching one would be the best option in my opinion and cost should be very similar I guess, but its not like I'm forcing anyone to do anything. if you think its unnecessary, its fine, you can reason it without acting like I was talking in bad faith or something. I gain nothing by trying to help.

Well intend as you may be, I think you gave bad advice, given the situation and what we currently know. You were strongly suggesting for somebody with limited knowledge to inconvene themselves and spend more money than they quite possibly need, for (as far as we are aware right now) no actual reason except hearsay you have internalized.

I also fail to see the problem in the most realistic issue of having to run RAM at slower speeds than it might be capable, if it is either cheaper or less time/trouble than to return it and try to buy matching RAM.

hussien-11 · Jan 26, 2022

PhantomFFR said:
Well intend as you may be, I think you gave bad advice, given the situation and what we currently know. You were strongly suggesting for somebody with limited knowledge to inconvene themselves and spend more money than they quite possibly need, for (as far as we are aware right now) no actual reason except hearsay you have internalized.

I also fail to see the problem in the most realistic issue of having to run RAM at slower speeds than it might be capable, if it is either cheaper or less time/trouble than to return it and try to buy matching RAM.

I didn't intend to inconvence him or anything, so I apologize to him if I was over complicating something that could be dealt with in easier/more cost effective way.

SOLDIER · Jan 27, 2022

hussien-11 said:
I didn't intend to inconvence him or anything, so I apologize to him if I was over complicating something that could be dealt with in easier/more cost effective way.

You weren't the only one in this thread who mentioned that mixing RAM of different brands and speeds could be potentially dangerous, so don't worry about it. My decision was influenced by the majority of opinions here. I've spent a bit of money and a whole lot of time in getting my dream rig going, so spending a tiny bit more on matching RAM is worth it to give me peace of mind (and as mentioned, the original included RAM can be sold on eBay along with a dozen other parts I'm going to have to put up).

The extra RAM will be arriving today, and are a duplicate of the ones I got from Best Buy. So will the m2 screw kit, which I really hope works because I'd love to set my PC upright again and not worry about those unscrewed NVMes. Also returning the 8TB external drive I was using for a 10TB external drive that happened to be on sale this week.

Now, I really want to make sure here before the RAM arrives: once I insert the four matching RAM, I need to remove and reseat the CMOS battery, and then when booting up I need to reset BIOS to default settings, correct?

The only question I have is do I still turn on XMP profile, or leave it alone this time? Kindly confirm.

PhantomFFR · Jan 27, 2022

SOLDIER said:
You weren't the only one in this thread who mentioned that mixing RAM of different brands and speeds could be potentially dangerous,

It's not dangerous. The worst that could happen is your PC not posting. The second worst would be not being able to run the RAM at it's rated speed. That's it. There won't be any big explosions.

Now, I really want to make sure here before the RAM arrives: once I insert the four matching RAM, I need to remove and reseat the CMOS battery, and then when booting up I need to reset BIOS to default settings, correct?

The only question I have is do I still turn on XMP profile, or leave it alone this time? Kindly confirm.

You would only remove the CMOS-battery if the PC does not post. Given that you already have the same RAM and the same XMP settings turned on I'd wager a guess that it will post and furthermore that it will also keep the XMP settings turned on. But again, just check in taskmanager at what speed the RAM is set, if it's at 3600, you're good, otherwise you know how to enable the XMP again.

hussien-11 · Jan 27, 2022

SOLDIER said:
You weren't the only one in this thread who mentioned that mixing RAM of different brands and speeds could be potentially dangerous, so don't worry about it.

Thanks. I hope you would be satisfied.

SOLDIER said:
Now, I really want to make sure here before the RAM arrives: once I insert the four matching RAM, I need to remove and reseat the CMOS battery, and then when booting up I need to reset BIOS to default settings, correct?

If the XMP profile is already set for your current 3600mhz kit, you install the new kit and all of them should work with the same XMP profile if they are the exact same with matching part number.

TheDestructiveSquirrel · Jan 27, 2022

Do they make HDMI switches with that support HDMI 2.1? If you even need one that supports 2.1....

Excko · Jan 27, 2022

I want to upgrade my PC and I'm thinking of buying these parts to build it.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/kjxQzf

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($359.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($139.94 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($274.99 @ PC-Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($105.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($419.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact ATX Mid Tower Case ($159.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1620.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-01-27 13:17 EST-0500

I will use my existing 2070 Super as a graphic card and upgrade when it no longer does the job.

I Don't Like · Jan 27, 2022

Excko said:
I want to upgrade my PC and I'm thinking of buying these parts to build it.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/kjxQzf

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($359.99 @ Memory Express)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($139.94 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z690-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($274.99 @ PC-Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($105.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($419.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact ATX Mid Tower Case ($159.99 @ Memory Express)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $1620.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-01-27 13:17 EST-0500

I will use my existing 2070 Super as a graphic card and upgrade when it no longer does the job.

Looks fine and if you're not looking to save leave as is but $420 for 2TBs is still a lot. 980 Pro is great but you can get 2TB NVMes for a little over $200 and extra speeds aren't going to be noticeable for the most part, so that would leave you with another ~$200 for whatever.

Excko · Jan 27, 2022

PlayALLTheGames said:
Looks fine and if you're not looking to save leave as is but $420 for 2TBs is still a lot. 980 Pro is great but you can get 2TB NVMes for a little over $200 and extra speeds aren't going to be noticeable for the most part, so that would leave you with another ~$200 for whatever.

Company pays so I'll leave it as is. Also, I probably won't get touch it again for a while except for a video card later on. Thanks for the comment though.

SOLDIER · Jan 27, 2022

Most of the parts came in today. The only thing that hasn't arrived is the additional RAM, which might be delayed until tomorrow if this Best Buy tracking is any indication.

Still, I wanted to at least work on seating the NVMes correctly. Thankfully, the magnetizer and screws did the job. The magnets made things significantly easier (magnets, bitch!). Puts the 3 or so hours I wasted two days ago into perspective, but hindsight is 20/20.

The only issue I came across was trying to fit in the cover for the additional NVMe (the one that I've now made my primary Windows drive):

This thing refused to fit with the NVMe itself, no matter how much I tried. I started to wonder if it was SUPPOSED to fit on it in the first place.

The naked NVMe on its own fit just fine, tightened with the screw:

So as a compromise, I once more relied upon black tape and used it to hold the cover in place:

It appears sturdy, but I dunno....I'm starting to wonder if I need to now order a heatsink or something to put on top instead, like the one that was included with the primary drive:

Please let me know if I do....another order from Amazon, if so.

The only other minor issue is that the little latch you push down in order to unseat the GPU came off:

I'm pretty certain I can snap it back into place, as it doesn't appear broken in any way:

Haven't figured out how, though, so if someone knows a video that properly shows how, please let me know.

I really wanted the RAM to be ready, as it means I'll have to open up the PC yet again once it does, but I've got to now transfer 6TB from my current external drive to the new one, which is something I plan to leave overnight.

Edit: The RAM actually did arrive today. Replaced the HyperX RAM and now have the full four matching set.

So I should be golden from here on.

I did order the heatsink from Amazon in case you were going to say I needed it. Only $5 after rewards points, will arrive tomorrow.

TURBO1112 · Jan 28, 2022

Is this decent value for this PC?

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jonjonaug · Jan 28, 2022

TURBO1112 said:
Is this decent value for this PC?

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Discover a wide range of Lenovo laptops that cater to your every need, from gaming and productivity to portability and affordability. Browse now to find your perfect match and elevate your computing experience.

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It's OK. Even with a scalped 3070 at around $1000 you can build something a bit better (12th instead of 11th Intel gen) with more room to upgrade for about 100 dollars more. But for a prebuilt it's fine.

TURBO1112 · Jan 28, 2022

jonjonaug said:
It's OK. Even with a scalped 3070 at around $1000 you can build something a bit better (12th instead of 11th Intel gen) with more room to upgrade for about 100 dollars more. But for a prebuilt it's fine.

Thanks. Yeah just looking at pre builts right now

Terbinator · Jan 28, 2022

For anyone looking to buy new components or waiting on stuff to come in stock, I think China will be shutting down for lunar new year soon so expect some delays.

chaobreaker · Jan 28, 2022

What's the AMD equivalent to a RTX 3060 Ti or basically their best midrange card? I assume it's RX 6600 or 6700 XT but some Canadian retailers charge the same price for one as a RTX 3070 card.

Deleted member 30077 · Jan 28, 2022

chaobreaker said:
What's the AMD equivalent to a RTX 3060 Ti or basically their best midrange card? I assume it's RX 6600 or 6700 XT but some Canadian retailers charge the same price for one as a RTX 3070 card.

The 6700xt, although it's slightly faster than the 3060Ti in raster. I don't think the 3060Ti has any competition if we'd be talking about MSRP prices, but real prices vary from region to region. Around here the 6700xt & 3060Ti are more or less the same price.

hussien-11 · Jan 28, 2022

chaobreaker said:
What's the AMD equivalent to a RTX 3060 Ti or basically their best midrange card? I assume it's RX 6600 or 6700 XT but some Canadian retailers charge the same price for one as a RTX 3070 card.

The 6700 XT. its slightly faster than 3060 Ti and slightly slower than 3070, and it has 12GB of memory.

The 6600 XT is slower than RTX 3060 Ti in general, but if you are using a PCI-e gen 3 system then its even worse as it supports only 8 lanes, this could hurt performance significantly in some games like Doom Eternal even at 1080p, otherwise, its fine with PCI-e gen 4 but even then, at 1440p its performance is closer to RTX 3060 than the Ti.

SOLDIER said:
So I should be golden from here on.

Congrats, enjoy it.

SOLDIER · Jan 28, 2022

hussien-11 said:
Congrats, enjoy it.

Thank you. Not done yet but I'm getting close to the end. Just need to wait on that heatsink to arrive and transfer my files to the new external drive.

Which brings me to my next question: I've got over 5TB to move from my old external drive to the new one. I thought leaving it running overnight would do the trick, but naturally the process stops due to various reasons.

So aside from a dirty CTRL+A "Move To" option, is there a simpler less error-filled way to copy/move the entire contents of one drive to another?

eddy · Jan 28, 2022

SOLDIER said:
So aside from a dirty CTRL+A "Move To" option, is there a simpler less error-filled way to copy/move the entire contents of one drive to another?

It's not really my domain, but `robocopy` would probably do the trick, run from PowerShell (as admin).

hussien-11 · Jan 28, 2022

SOLDIER said:
Thank you. Not done yet but I'm getting close to the end. Just need to wait on that heatsink to arrive and transfer my files to the new external drive.

Which brings me to my next question: I've got over 5TB to move from my old external drive to the new one. I thought leaving it running overnight would do the trick, but naturally the process stops due to various reasons.

So aside from a dirty CTRL+A "Move To" option, is there a simpler less error-filled way to copy/move the entire contents of one drive to another?

I honestly don't know, but if I wanted to move data this big I would move them in portions, like 500GB once at a time for example? I think this would do the trick without wasting too much time if process failed :P

SOLDIER · Jan 28, 2022

hussien-11 said:
I honestly don't know, but if I wanted to move data this big I would move them in portions, like 500GB once at a time for example? I think this would do the trick without wasting too much time if process failed :P

Of course that would be the more economical solution. But since I'm on my WFH shift, I've currently got it displayed through remote desktop. If it keeps failing then I'll do the "one folder at a time" method.

I do have one more question (for now, at least) regarding the whole PC upgrade process: the only thing left I'm wondering about is anything I could add to improve temperatures.

Just wondering if maybe I should invest in a more powerful fan that'll fit the case, or any other cooling options. I prefer not replacing the case for now, so anything additional that I can stick in there for optimal cooling, I'd like to know about it.

ceej · Jan 28, 2022

SOLDIER said:
Most of the parts came in today. The only thing that hasn't arrived is the additional RAM, which might be delayed until tomorrow if this Best Buy tracking is any indication.

Still, I wanted to at least work on seating the NVMes correctly. Thankfully, the magnetizer and screws did the job. The magnets made things significantly easier (magnets, bitch!). Puts the 3 or so hours I wasted two days ago into perspective, but hindsight is 20/20.

The only issue I came across was trying to fit in the cover for the additional NVMe (the one that I've now made my primary Windows drive):

Haven't figured out how, though, so if someone knows a video that properly shows how, please let me know.

I did order the heatsink from Amazon in case you were going to say I needed it. Only $5 after rewards points, will arrive tomorrow.

I doubt you'll need a heatsink, but for 5$ it's worth putting on. You should be able to snap the GPU piece back in, I've done it before. Do you have any other PCI slots you can look at to potentially help understand how to snap it back in?

ceej · Jan 28, 2022

SOLDIER said:
Thank you. Not done yet but I'm getting close to the end. Just need to wait on that heatsink to arrive and transfer my files to the new external drive.

Which brings me to my next question: I've got over 5TB to move from my old external drive to the new one. I thought leaving it running overnight would do the trick, but naturally the process stops due to various reasons.

So aside from a dirty CTRL+A "Move To" option, is there a simpler less error-filled way to copy/move the entire contents of one drive to another?

eddy said:
It's not really my domain, but `robocopy` would probably do the trick, run from PowerShell (as admin).

Xcopy or Robocopy are the best native methods for large transfers in windows. using the Move-To option adds a lot of time. You can trigger 'do not prompt' and other such options to reduce any manual intervention. You can use the xcopy /v flag to 'verify' the files are the same from source and destination if you are hesitant about errors, though you probably don't need it if you read the article.

Seems like Robocopy is better for catching errors and retrying, so robocopy should likely be chosen.

hussien-11 · Jan 28, 2022

SOLDIER said:
Of course that would be the more economical solution. But since I'm on my WFH shift, I've currently got it displayed through remote desktop. If it keeps failing then I'll do the "one folder at a time" method.

I do have one more question (for now, at least) regarding the whole PC upgrade process: the only thing left I'm wondering about is anything I could add to improve temperatures.

Just wondering if maybe I should invest in a more powerful fan that'll fit the case, or any other cooling options. I prefer not replacing the case for now, so anything additional that I can stick in there for optimal cooling, I'd like to know about it.

The case does have a single 120mm fan with liquid cooling mounted on top right? if there is a place to fit a 240m AIO or 280m AIO on top, temps should be improved but I don't know if it would be a worthy upgrade or how much it would improve the temps, because the case is a bit closed so the intake is limited. I also remember that the 120m fan you had didn't fit in the back unfortunately.

The easiest way right now maybe is to remove the side panel and use the case in open air and see how it goes? I tried to do this in the summer and my card temps went down from 73-74c to 69c. right now in winter, it doesn't go above 67c with the case closed. but I didn't watch how the CPU temps improved at the time.

edit: you can also undervolt and this can improve your temps for sure.

Skel1ingt0n · Jan 29, 2022

Smokey said:
It sucks but according to this chart even $1700 is a deal lol. That's what I paid for my MSI 3080ti (technically $2000+ since Newegg put in a bundle behind the Shuffle which I had the "privilege" of winning).

So, I hit up my local Microcenter today and two things happened: they had a 12GB Asus 3080 on the shelf for $1500... but then I realized it's NOT a TI... just a plain ol' 3080. For 1500+ tax... and I just couldn't do it. Then, secondly, I felt myself disappointed that one of their TI barebone kits that had been on sale for $2,000 was now no longer on sale and cost $2300.

Compounded with your observations above - I just said "screw it" and ordered an EVGA 3080 Ti FTW3 off StockX for $1770/shipped.

Figured MSRP is $1429. Everyone, even Best Buy, is selling it for $1479. $1479 + 9% sales tax = $1,612.

Effectively, I just "wasted" a smidge over $150 to not be chasing this thing for weeks (months)? No wasted trips in my car. No frantically checking my phone. My peace of mind and time are both worth something. If I just happen to stumble into an amazing deal or somehow land a FE - then great, I can sell this guy probably for near what I paid. But truth? I don't really wanna go with a FE anyway - I despise the power placement and my buddy's 3090 (which funny enough, I got him) runs hot as hell with fans on high pretty much non-stop. I think the design of the FTW3 is gonna be really appreciated in my Torrent, and from everything I can tell, it trades punches with the 3090 on performance.

Excited!

darkslayer101 · Jan 29, 2022

How good in terms of thermals are the Founder's Edition cards with ITX cases?
I have a 3080ti FE and wondering if there are ITX cases out there are fix the thermals

Polyh3dron · Jan 29, 2022

darkslayer101 said:
How good in terms of thermals are the Founder's Edition cards with ITX cases?
I have a 3080ti FE and wondering if there are ITX cases out there are fix the thermals

The Optimum Tech YouTube channel has done a few RTX 3000 series FE ITX builds.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

youtu.be

You may want to consider water cooling if the thermal performance in ITX builds isn't satisfying you.

super-famicom · Jan 29, 2022

darkslayer101 said:
How good in terms of thermals are the Founder's Edition cards with ITX cases?
I have a 3080ti FE and wondering if there are ITX cases out there are fix the thermals

I have a 3080 FE (non Ti) in a FormD T1 and it idles around 25-35C and goes to around 75C at load. I did undervolt it but can run any game at 1440p with any settings.

jonjonaug · Jan 29, 2022

Got my new build setup.

The GPU wasn't responding for some reason and I was worried that it was busted despite getting it to display stuff in one boot, but not afterward after updating Windows and drivers.

I tried a bunch of stuff like cleaning drivers (did nothing), reinstalling drivers/GeForce Experience (wouldn't detect video card so it told me to screw off), doing a System Restore (this bricked Windows and I had to reinstall everything from scratch).

When I went to reseat the card though I noticed that I neglected to push one of the wires to the MB back through its hole to remove slack, and it got caught in one of the fans. I guess the video card doesn't like to boot up if the fans can't all spin on startup. After removing the wire and reseating the card everything worked just fine, so now I just feel like an idiot.

On a more positive note, holy shit @ the benchmarks I'm seeing. And a 1440p monitor is a huge step up from a 1080p one (maybe a little too huge, I booted up FFXIV and the realization that I'll have to realign stuff for every job is soul crushing).

Only thing that bugs me a little is that the fans that came with the eVGA liquid CPU cooler are a little loud. Not so loud that they're noticeable if I have anything with sound running, but loud enough that they're a little distracting if everything else is quiet. I could replace them, but that takes effort that I'm not willing to spend right now after the stress of putting together a PC for the first time in 7 years with 3 thousand dollars worth of equipment in it.

Dreams-Visions · Jan 29, 2022

glad your system is good

TheDestructiveSquirrel · Jan 29, 2022

jonjonaug said:
Got my new build setup.

The GPU wasn't responding for some reason and I was worried that it was busted despite getting it to display stuff in one boot, but not afterward after updating Windows and drivers.

I tried a bunch of stuff like cleaning drivers (did nothing), reinstalling drivers/GeForce Experience (wouldn't detect video card so it told me to screw off), doing a System Restore (this bricked Windows and I had to reinstall everything from scratch).

When I went to reseat the card though I noticed that I neglected to push one of the wires to the MB back through its hole to remove slack, and it got caught in one of the fans. I guess the video card doesn't like to boot up if the fans can't all spin on startup. After removing the wire and reseating the card everything worked just fine, so now I just feel like an idiot.

On a more positive note, holy shit @ the benchmarks I'm seeing. And a 1440p monitor is a huge step up from a 1080p one (maybe a little too huge, I booted up FFXIV and the realization that I'll have to realign stuff for every job is soul crushing).

Only thing that bugs me a little is that the fans that came with the eVGA liquid CPU cooler are a little loud. Not so loud that they're noticeable if I have anything with sound running, but loud enough that they're a little distracting if everything else is quiet. I could replace them, but that takes effort that I'm not willing to spend right now after the stress of putting together a PC for the first time in 7 years with 3 thousand dollars worth of equipment in it.

Could be worse, I tried to install my 3080 with the plastic cover still on and couldn't figure out why it wasn't fitting in the slot lol

Or forgot to take the plastic film off the AIO cold plate after locking it down on the CPU with thermal paste applied....I wanted to make sure I could get it installed right a couple times before doing it for real and then wondered why my CPU was 53 degrees at idle lol

darkslayer101 · Jan 29, 2022

super-famicom said:
I have a 3080 FE (non Ti) in a FormD T1 and it idles around 25-35C and goes to around 75C at load. I did undervolt it but can run any game at 1440p with any settings.

I am thinking of use my FE on the ITX HYTE case, but most reviews are showing high temps.... I am tempted to undervolt and go with HYTE

ChitonIV · Jan 29, 2022

darkslayer101 said:
How good in terms of thermals are the Founder's Edition cards with ITX cases?
I have a 3080ti FE and wondering if there are ITX cases out there are fix the thermals

Don't put them in a sandwich case which relies on a riser card, and you will be fine. **sandwich cases usually result in the blow through Fan blowing onto a solid wall = incubation**

Look at something with traditional mounting of the GPU, like the Sliger S620.

ChitonIV · Jan 29, 2022

darkslayer101 said:
I am thinking of use my FE on the ITX HYTE case, but most reviews are showing high temps.... I am tempted to undervolt and go with HYTE

GPU Temps in the Revolt 3 are pretty good. But the CPU gets incubated because 1. One of the radiator fans is just shy of being completely backed up against the power supply cage and 2. If you install the mesh on all of the panels, it drastically restricts intake air. So the CPU cooler is mostly using air from the GPU exhaust.

darkslayer101 · Jan 29, 2022

ChitonIV said:
GPU Temps in the Revolt 3 are pretty good. But the CPU gets incubated because 1. One of the radiator fans is just shy of being completely backed up against the power supply cage and 2. If you install the mesh on all of the panels, it drastically restricts intake air. So the CPU cooler is mostly using air from the GPU exhaust.

appreciate the info, what about the meshilicious? I might look into the S620

ChitonIV · Jan 29, 2022

darkslayer101 said:
appreciate the info, what about the meshilicious? I might look into the S620

The Meshlicoius is a "sandwich" style case. And in this particular case, an FE's blowthrough exhaust would be nearly completely blocked by.....the back of the motherboard.
Additionally, the other fan in an FE, which exhausts out the rear panel: in a Meshlicious, that fan will be exhausting downward. Which is not optimal for thermals. Optimally, that fan should be exhausting sideways or upwards.

The S620 is a really good case with excellent quality. However, it is very expensive. If its too much, You can find more economical cases with similar layouts, such as the NR200 (the NR200 is a bit taller, however. And it has some quirks), A couple of Silverstone cases, etc.

Personally, I have a Sliger S610 with one of the front USB swapped for a USB-C. Its basically a less wide S620. So....you can't fit giant air cooling, like you can in the 620. You pretty much have to use a be quiet! Shadow Rock TF 2 for air cooling. Or mount an AIO on the side panel.

I have used it with the be quiet! Shadow Rock TF 2, a 240mm AIO, and just recently put an 280mm AIO into it. getting the 280mm AIO in there was a giant PITA and probably isn't worth the trouble.

super-famicom · Jan 29, 2022

darkslayer101

yukiiinobattlegaiden · Jan 29, 2022

hnnngh, I've started to look at getting a second pc, as I have my current one hooked to my tv and I'd like to have a separate, not necessarily as beefy of a rig for desk use. like, 3060 ti / 3070 + 12400 in ITX-type stuff.

feels like the worst possible time to have such thoughts, not only because of the GPU prices but also considering the upcoming 40xx-cards and whatever AMD is cooking on the CPU-side of things. trying to put this thing on the backburner mentally but also scouring "deals" for parts damnit.

super-famicom · Jan 30, 2022

FYI, we do have a SFFPC thread:

Small Form Factor "Gaming" PC Thread (AKA HTPC) OT

Here are some useful resources that could be included in the OT whenever OP is unbanned and decides to update: SFF List - Google Sheets: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AddRvGWJ_f4B6UC7_IftDiVudVc8CJ8sxLUqlxVsCz4/edit#gid=1459265577 A well curated spreadsheet with separate sheets for...

www.resetera.com

The PC Builders Thread ("I Need a New PC") v3

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