|OT| The PC Hardware Thread -- Buy/Upgrade/Ask/Answer
- Thread starter Durante
- Start date
if he can buy THAT then i'm pretty sure he can also afford to pay the billsThink of his 'leccy bill though!
lol
N
No worries, being in Canada, the US prices are always dreams for me anyway. I'll keep any eye out for ssd sales, hope I can find a couple of lower priced, decently reviewed 2.5s
I'm curious, do you guys have "rituals" for when you buy new storage devices? I guess not really rituals, more like, how do you test the storage? Do you trust it immediately and just start using it or do you have some stuff you do to it before you trust it?
lol yeah, i just use it. only had a few hard drives fail (and all of them seagate) and all of them failed after 1+ years so no point in doing anything special imo.
I always plug them in and trust them. I currently have an Samsung SSD in my Acer Nitro 5 and it worked wonders.
I haven't been keeping up on CPUs lately... and randomly decided to check performance for some of the more recent CPUs since I bought my 7700K. Found this:
Intel i7-7700K Revisit: Benchmark vs. 9700K, 2700, 9900K, & More
Curious about this chart specifically, since it seems to show that quite a few CPUs perform a good deal better at 1440p:
A stock 9700K seems to smash an overclocked 7700k (141 FP compared to 116 FPS is a BIG difference to me). I do game at slightly higher resolutions than 2560x1440 (my native is 3440x1440, and sometimes I play at 4K).
GamersNexus is pretty thorough with their testing too, so I tend to trust their results. Is the 9700K really that much better?
Intel i7-7700K Revisit: Benchmark vs. 9700K, 2700, 9900K, & More
Curious about this chart specifically, since it seems to show that quite a few CPUs perform a good deal better at 1440p:
A stock 9700K seems to smash an overclocked 7700k (141 FP compared to 116 FPS is a BIG difference to me). I do game at slightly higher resolutions than 2560x1440 (my native is 3440x1440, and sometimes I play at 4K).
GamersNexus is pretty thorough with their testing too, so I tend to trust their results. Is the 9700K really that much better?
The only thing this graph shows is that there is a difference between the 7700k and 9600k in Far Cry 5. Fc5 and New Dawn are strange beasts, I wouldn't read too much into it. If you take a look at the other games in the article the difference is rather minimal (as expected).
F1 2018
1080p
241 average fps vs 257 (+6%) average
1440p
221 average vs 230 (+4%) average
AC:Origins
1080p
100 average vs 105 (+5%) average
1440p
100 average vs 107 (+7%) average
FC5
1080p
114 average vs 139 (+22%) average
1440p
105 average vs 135 (+28%) average
The 9700k also doesn't start to perform better at higher resolutions.
It looses 10% going from 1080p to 1440p in F1 2018, stays the same in AC:Origins (2fps difference is deviation), and loses 3% in FC5.
The higher the resolution the higher the chance to be GPU and not CPU bound in the first place. The differences between the 7700k and 9700k will be smaller at 3440x1440 and minimal at 4k, even on a 2080Ti.
Based on this results I agree with GNs conclusion: The 9700k feels like a lateral upgrade, or a “sidegrade,” with measurable gains in different departments that aren’t game-changing.
Factor in the cost of a new mainboard for the 9700k (z270 isn't compatible) and I don't think it's a worthwhile upgrade. Even for unlocked gaming with VRR.
F1 2018
1080p
241 average fps vs 257 (+6%) average
1440p
221 average vs 230 (+4%) average
AC:Origins
1080p
100 average vs 105 (+5%) average
1440p
100 average vs 107 (+7%) average
FC5
1080p
114 average vs 139 (+22%) average
1440p
105 average vs 135 (+28%) average
The 9700k also doesn't start to perform better at higher resolutions.
It looses 10% going from 1080p to 1440p in F1 2018, stays the same in AC:Origins (2fps difference is deviation), and loses 3% in FC5.
The higher the resolution the higher the chance to be GPU and not CPU bound in the first place. The differences between the 7700k and 9700k will be smaller at 3440x1440 and minimal at 4k, even on a 2080Ti.
Based on this results I agree with GNs conclusion: The 9700k feels like a lateral upgrade, or a “sidegrade,” with measurable gains in different departments that aren’t game-changing.
Factor in the cost of a new mainboard for the 9700k (z270 isn't compatible) and I don't think it's a worthwhile upgrade. Even for unlocked gaming with VRR.
Last edited:
If I had a robust raid I probably wouldn't worry too much, but alas. I also don't really have a ton of backups so better be safe than sorry I guess.
What I have usually done over the years is fill the disk to the brim with "real" data, check it and if it's all good I'll start using it. Takes fucking forever nowadays.
What I have usually done over the years is fill the disk to the brim with "real" data, check it and if it's all good I'll start using it. Takes fucking forever nowadays.
Yeah, I have a NAS in RAID5 so I can afford to just plug a new SSD or two right away since if anything happens I can restore my data without much trouble. A couple of months back I had one of my SSDs failed on me, but Samsung RMA was pretty painless and I got my PC up and running again in no time after restoring my backup.
NAS is a good investment though, I highly recommend it.
Can't be said often enough imo.
If you have any kind of data at home that's important to your existence (scientific data, client data, project data etc.) a NAS can and will save you at one point in time. Still, having more than one option is always recommended.
Don't do this to yourself. Invest in a backup solution (I use a server at home that handles all media and backup for all clients + cloud; a nas would be good enough and cheapish) and don't waste time with read write passes. Even if such a test is passed the hd/ssd/we can fail (don't buy Seagate!) and it just cost you time and you need backup anyway.
I mean obviously, but as it stands right now I just don't have the money. NAS is an eventual goal, but it's an investment that's just hopelessly out of reach at the moment.
I have a 4 slot enclosure that some of my drives are already in, but the extra step where I go through all of my garbage data and prune everything I don't need will take forever. I've needed to do it for ages but who has the time.
I recently switched my email provider and at the same time reorganized all of my email and it took me around 6 months. Doing the same with all of the stuff I have stored will take at least as long with the speed I'm going.
I have a 4 slot enclosure that some of my drives are already in, but the extra step where I go through all of my garbage data and prune everything I don't need will take forever. I've needed to do it for ages but who has the time.
I recently switched my email provider and at the same time reorganized all of my email and it took me around 6 months. Doing the same with all of the stuff I have stored will take at least as long with the speed I'm going.
So my heatsink is pretty old that the plastic bits broke off while I was replacing the paste (and a bad memory slot oh well lol).
Anybody use an AIO? I think thats the water one. How is it? Worth it? Which to get? I would use it for next build (if it comes).
Anybody use an AIO? I think thats the water one. How is it? Worth it? Which to get? I would use it for next build (if it comes).
How much mass discount are you getting if any?Today at work:
(That's just a subset
OP
- Thread Starter
- #170
None, as far as I know (I didn't order them though).
I used custom loop watercooling, AIOs, and of course air at various points in time. I'd say AIOs are only worth it if you want to get a very high-end CPU and clock it near its limits, and also doN't want to deal with the size of something like an NH-D15. The noise floor on most AIOs is somewhat higher than for a good air cooler.
Ah okay, so what air cooler heatsinks do you recommend? I don't really want these plastic connector parts (fan to heatsink and the pins that actually hold it on the mobo).
Any noctua you can fit in your case.
1. Noctua NH-D15
The strongest and biggest out there. This beast is able to challenge AIOs
2. Noctua NH-U12A
Noctuas newest design: It's relatively small, but nearly as powerful as the NH-D15.
3. BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 4
BeQuiets Top Dog: Nearly as powerful as the NH-D15, but a bit more silent.
4. Cryorig R1 Universal
Won't interfere with ram clearance, but is also a bit louder and your CPU will run a tiny bit hotter than on the NH-D15.
Good, cheaper options
Cryorig H7
Scythe Mugen 5b (though mostly known in europe)
11 years later I'm still using the Noctua NH-U12P, gotta love a good customer support that provides new mounting kits for new sockets for 11 year old coolers. Recently swapped new fans to it.
Only issue with it that I only recently noticed is that if I point towards the top of the case, the ram clearance isn't enough in my current setup. No idea if newer models are better in that very specific case.
Only issue with it that I only recently noticed is that if I point towards the top of the case, the ram clearance isn't enough in my current setup. No idea if newer models are better in that very specific case.
Last edited:
Alright. This is the final, final part list for the HTPC rig for the living room. Chosen Nocuta for the CPU cooler as suggested by someone from the Newegg discord server, though I heard that the Ryzen Wraith cooler is decent.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($145.88 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.84 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($118.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($77.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB XC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone - RVZ02B HTPC Case ($81.84 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA GM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech - K400 Plus Wireless Mini Keyboard With Touchpad ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $936.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-05 13:31 EDT-0400
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($145.88 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-L9i 33.84 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX AM4 Motherboard ($118.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($77.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB XC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone - RVZ02B HTPC Case ($81.84 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA GM 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply ($85.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Logitech - K400 Plus Wireless Mini Keyboard With Touchpad ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $936.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-05 13:31 EDT-0400
The closest that I can think of is MEGA for 50GB of cloud storage. Also, Google Drive and OneDrive.
So i managed to salvage an ssd from my fiance's broken Surface Pro 3 (and I do mean salvage, had to cut the screen out).
I want to use it as secondary OS drive to goof around with Linux. Problem being it's tiny, 64gb I have a shell for it, since I dont have any mSata cables around, but I'm curious if it'd even be worth the time?
I want to use it as secondary OS drive to goof around with Linux. Problem being it's tiny, 64gb I have a shell for it, since I dont have any mSata cables around, but I'm curious if it'd even be worth the time?
Having a backup of your files on a cloud service like OneDrive is the most simple and stress free way for most people. You can also back up stuff on a second drive of your own, either though manual copy or a raid setup.
I'd recommend a combination of raid + automated cloud storage if you are really stressed out.
It's at least not worse. If it fits, you can probably go for it.
Did the same for some time with my old 64GB Samsung 830 SSD. I I didn't use a bootmanager bye the way, I just wanted to test linux and I was not interested in a permanent solution.
Another option is to use a VM with the SSD, though that's not the same if you want to test out gaming.
Last edited:
I use Backblaze as a cloud backup service, and I do intermittent manual backups to HDDs and occasionally other storage.
I consider all my family photos, videos, etc important and I have other important files as well.
Reaching higher or even the same all core overclock? No way. The 9600k can reach 5GHz, sometimes even more. Zen2 won't do that.
Being more effective at the same clockspeed? That would be a sensation,
We will know in a couple of weeks. We only have AMD published numbers and some leaks that might or might not be true. And who knows, Microsoft improved the scheduler in windows1 10 - 1903 for ryzen (new amd chipset drivers needed for zen1 and zen+), zen2 has a lot more cache (which was always helpful in the past) and other improvements.
There is at least some hope.
Looking into upgrading my PC this year again.
Thing I definitly want to upgrade is my CPU. Currently rocking a Ryzen 1700. Thought about the 2600x as an upgrade at first but depending on the price also considering a 3600x. The only thing I am unsure about the latter is if it is compatible with my motherboard which is an ASRock AB350 Pro 4. Can anyone answer that?
Another thing I was lookign at are the nVidia Super RTX cards. Sadly, my only price option would be the Super 2060 and I don't know if that is a big upgrade compared to the 1080 Mini which I currently have if it even is one. A Super 2070 would depend on the price and for how much I can sell my 1080 Mini.
Thing I definitly want to upgrade is my CPU. Currently rocking a Ryzen 1700. Thought about the 2600x as an upgrade at first but depending on the price also considering a 3600x. The only thing I am unsure about the latter is if it is compatible with my motherboard which is an ASRock AB350 Pro 4. Can anyone answer that?
Another thing I was lookign at are the nVidia Super RTX cards. Sadly, my only price option would be the Super 2060 and I don't know if that is a big upgrade compared to the 1080 Mini which I currently have if it even is one. A Super 2070 would depend on the price and for how much I can sell my 1080 Mini.
I’ll give you you my take since I agree with him. While you might not see immediate downgrades in the performance of many games due to going to less cores, as soon as games designed around next gen architecture are released (or games designed with next gen development in mind) you will see inadequate performance. Next gen consoles will have 8 CPU cores and 16 threads. I suspect these sorts of games will begin to appear next year (probably from Ubisoft first as they are a dev that is already pushing cores beyond console numbers).
When a game is designed around 16-ish threads (rather than even a range of threads) you end up with constant task switching even on a very fast CPU with less cores. The game is designed for a certain process “route” and suddenly some processes have to take numerous detours, continually. This generation the vast superiority of PC CPUs over console have mitigated the fact that the current consoles have 8 physical cores (but 8 threads, same as a 4 core 8 thread CPU). Example is Monster Hunter World, a game with poorly designed (much greater than 8 / too many) threads, the task switching alone is why the game runs so poorly on PC. Properly utilizing 4 or 8 threads the game would probably run hundreds of FPS on a high end PC.
When we are introduced to games designed around adequately fast CPUs utilizing 16-ish threads, the margins will become much smaller, and unless a game is given significant optimization work, or it simply isn’t a very high spec game, you will see some pretty disappointing performance out of a <16 thread CPU.
Since I have no space for the HTPC in the home theater cabin and with Ryzen 3rd generation, I have decided to rework it into a new Work/Heavy Gaming build instead:
PCPartPicker Part List
Motherboard: MSI - B450 GAMING PRO CARBON AC ATX AM4 Motherboard ($139.50 @ Walmart)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($66.85 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.74 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card ($264.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P350X ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer - GN246HL 24.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($179.99 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Corsair - K55 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard ($49.88 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech - G600 MMO Gaming Mouse Wired Laser Mouse ($29.50 @ Amazon)
Total: $986.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-23 11:01 EDT-0400
Took some advice from the PC Gaming Era discord server. Not only is it cheaper, it will also have me prepared to overclock it in the future.
PCPartPicker Part List
Motherboard: MSI - B450 GAMING PRO CARBON AC ATX AM4 Motherboard ($139.50 @ Walmart)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX500 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($66.85 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.74 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card ($264.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P350X ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.88 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer - GN246HL 24.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor ($179.99 @ B&H)
Keyboard: Corsair - K55 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard ($49.88 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech - G600 MMO Gaming Mouse Wired Laser Mouse ($29.50 @ Amazon)
Total: $986.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-23 11:01 EDT-0400
Took some advice from the PC Gaming Era discord server. Not only is it cheaper, it will also have me prepared to overclock it in the future.
The Asus PG35VQ is 3050€.
Was hoping for it to be less expansive than the 4k variant, but nope. It's even 500€ more.
Certainly a nice display, good amount of local dimming, 35" 3440x1440, 120Hz at 12bit 4:4:4 (up to 200Hz at 8bit), 1000nits peak, 700nits sustained.
Maybe 2020
Was hoping for it to be less expansive than the 4k variant, but nope. It's even 500€ more.
Certainly a nice display, good amount of local dimming, 35" 3440x1440, 120Hz at 12bit 4:4:4 (up to 200Hz at 8bit), 1000nits peak, 700nits sustained.
Maybe 2020
Currently I have:
Intel Core i7 6700K
ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING DDR4
Kingston HyperX FURY 2x8GB DDR4
EVGA 1080 TI
some old af fuck power supply and case
A bunch of SSD's and harddrives
I want to keep my 1080 TI, and my SSDs and Harddrives. But everything else could use an upgrade I think, my case is also old and some parts of it broken. I do some light editing at times, but mostly play vidya games. One of my most played games is however Football Manager, which is one of the few games that does multi threading well.
Thinking about going:
Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor
ROG STRIX Z390-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
Corsair - RMx (2018) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Is there any of this that doesnt make any sense? I am really unsure about the CPU. Also I love having a lot of USB ports free, so if you got some tips on a motherboard with lots of USB ports, go ahead and tell
Intel Core i7 6700K
ASUS Z170 PRO GAMING DDR4
Kingston HyperX FURY 2x8GB DDR4
EVGA 1080 TI
some old af fuck power supply and case
A bunch of SSD's and harddrives
I want to keep my 1080 TI, and my SSDs and Harddrives. But everything else could use an upgrade I think, my case is also old and some parts of it broken. I do some light editing at times, but mostly play vidya games. One of my most played games is however Football Manager, which is one of the few games that does multi threading well.
Thinking about going:
Core i9-9900K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor
ROG STRIX Z390-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Corsair - Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
Corsair - RMx (2018) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Is there any of this that doesnt make any sense? I am really unsure about the CPU. Also I love having a lot of USB ports free, so if you got some tips on a motherboard with lots of USB ports, go ahead and tell
Exclusive: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pictured - VideoCardz.com
The first picture of NVIDIA SUPER RTX series graphics card is here. NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER The new RTX SUPER series is just around the corner. The news and reviews of GeForce RTX 2060 and 2070 SUPER series will be published next week. For now, the majority of samples that were delivered...
videocardz.com
It all makes sense. We are just 10 days away from ryzen 3000 launching though.
x570/x470 + ryzen 3900x might become a more worthwhile longtime investment over the 9900k. That said, I expect the 9900k to keep the performance crown in games. But when buying new anyway a bit slower 12c might better in the future than 8c... At least wait the 10 days for reviews before deciding.
Cool. Wasnt going to order just now anyway, so will look out for reviews for those first.
An added bonus for waiting: There are also rumors that Intel may cut prices on there processors as a reaction to the Ryzen 3000 launch.
I think it's worth a shout that if you're anywhere near a Micro Center, you can get a very good 1TB NVMe SSD for $93. $98 for the Inland Premium -$5 with a RetailMeNot coupon.
I know a lot of folks are planning to upgrade their CPUs for Zen 2, might be a good excuse to do a fresh install of Windows + get a stronger boot drive.
I know a lot of folks are planning to upgrade their CPUs for Zen 2, might be a good excuse to do a fresh install of Windows + get a stronger boot drive.
The best indicators for a CPU bottleneck are:
1.) CPU running at very high loads (on all or on a couple threads)
2.) You aren't reaching the desired performance
3.) Your GPU isn't operating at max load (95%+)
But yes: 4 cores, 4 threads at 3.3GHz sounds like a bit of a problem for 60+ fps to me. Getting something new should be worthwhile.
You'll need a new mainboard, CPU and RAM though which won't be cheap.
Wait for benchmarks, but the new AMD r5 3600 (~220€, release on the 7th of july) could be a nice upgrade. It's a 6 core, 12 threads CPU with around 4 GHz (probably more, but we don't know the all core boost yet).
If you want something cheaper the r7 2700x and r5 2600x are going to be dirt cheap in the next weaks (probably).
So I just had some insect (i think a tiny ant) die behind my screen. Will these fuckers dissolve over time, is my monitor forever stuck with what looks like 10 dead pixels? I am so fucking pissed right now. This is a 240 Hz zowie that I love for cs...
It's bio-matter. It will of course dissolve to a degree, but it probably won't go away completely.
Also: How the f* is an insect able to crawl in between your glass front panel and the pixel panel?
That's scary.