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

[ISee]

SeaSonic PRIME Ultra Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified

Prime Ultra Gold was near its end of life production cycle and getting cheap(er) because of that.
They are now called PRIME GX. Not sure if anything of substance changed or just a name rebranding happened tbh, but something like the PRIME GX-850 seems to cost around 280$ CAD now.

Both your choices seem to be the exact same PSU, but one is full modular, and one isn't. Now that barely makes a difference. You must plug in the CPU and MB power connections anyway. A scenario where this isn't the case doesn't exist in the ATX world.
The semi modular PSU has less connections for peripherals etc. But other than that: it's the same thing.

 

[ScreamingTrees]

The case I'm trying to get is the Phanteks P500A and if I can't get that the Lancool Mesh II. I haven't been able to find either of them for delivery to me.

I was considering the P400 as well, but I want to have a front USB-C and a top-mounted radiator which the P400 can't fit. So keep that in mind just in case. Otherwise the P400 looks like a very good airflow case.

I was going to get a Seasonic GX power supply as well but it was another thing I couldn't find in stock either! I ended up going for a Corsair RM850x which is also 80+ gold, is in Tier A of the linustechtips PSU tier list and was a reasonable price. It looks good in its box, I'll use it when the rest of the components arrive.

 

[Firewithin]

so i got my email from evga yesterday giving me my specific window for the 3080 ftw ultra and it worked perfectly. i should be getting it today!!!!

now i actually need to figure out everything else for my build lol

 

[Dandy]

Prime Ultra Gold was near its end of life production cycle and getting cheap(er) because of that.
They are now called PRIME GX. Not sure if anything of substance changed or just a name rebranding happened tbh, but something like the PRIME GX-850 seems to cost around 280$ CAD now.

Both your choices seem to be the exact same PSU, but one is full modular, and one isn't. Now that barely makes a difference. You must plug in the CPU and MB power connections anyway. A scenario where this isn't the case doesn't exist in the ATX world.
The semi modular PSU has less connections for peripherals etc. But other than that: it's the same thing.

Thanks again!

 

[Joe Spangle]

so i got my email from evga yesterday giving me my specific window for the 3080 ftw ultra and it worked perfectly. i should be getting it today!!!!

now i actually need to figure out everything else for my build lol

Nice. Congrates. I cant find a card anywhere. Doesn't look like there will be any stock available for a long time over here (UK). I did have an order with Overclockers but I dont like them taking my money without any date of delivery so i cancelled it and now im just waiting to try and catch one if i can get lucky.

 

[Rogue Agent]

ISee Thanks for recommending the FRITZ!Box 7590 router to me. It works like a charm and the Repeaters are great too. The interface is also easy to use. Overall great!

 

[PhaZZe]

Guys what do you think about this m2 future proof

Amazon product
thanks

 

[Copons]

I was merrily playing some Cities: Skylines when it crashed and the PC rebooted.
It hasn't happened in a while now, and the only hardware change has been the addition of a WD Blue NVMe SSD.

When restarted, keyboard and mouse where not recognized, and it immediately BSOD with the DRIVER_OVERRAN_STACK_BUFFER error (of which I can't seem to find any good clues on the interweb).
Any ideas?
I do wonder if I'm having temperature issues (sometimes my Ryzen 3600 seems to hit 75 for no apparent reasons), but I haven't really been tracking them.

 

[Pommes]

I was merrily playing some Cities: Skylines when it crashed and the PC rebooted.
It hasn't happened in a while now, and the only hardware change has been the addition of a WD Blue NVMe SSD.

When restarted, keyboard and mouse where not recognized, and it immediately BSOD with the DRIVER_OVERRAN_STACK_BUFFER error (of which I can't seem to find any good clues on the interweb).
Any ideas?
I do wonder if I'm having temperature issues (sometimes my Ryzen 3600 seems to hit 75 for no apparent reasons), but I haven't really been tracking them.

CPUs nowadays are okay with temperatures up to 100° Celsius. So 75 degrees should not be a problem.

May be a check with Blue Screen View (Blue screen of death (STOP error) information in dump files. -> Download is on the bottom of the page) might be helpful in finding the cause of the bluescreens?

 

[Li Kao]

Iiyama G-MASTER GB3461WQSU-B1 : The cheapest 34" UWQHD 144hz monitor
34" IPS

Test Iiyama G-MASTER GB3461WQSU-B1 : le moniteur 34 pouces UWQHD 144 Hz le moins cher

L'Iiyama G-MASTER GB3461WQSU-B1 est à date le modèle 34 pouces UWQHD 144 Hz le moins cher du marché. Il ne manque pourtant pas d'arguments (dalle IPS 1 ms, compatibilité FreeSync, pied réglable...). Une bonne affaire ? Réponse dans ce test...

www.lesnumeriques.com

In French !

• Very comfy Ultra Wide QHD resolution
• Native 144hz panel
• Freesync compatibility
• Ergonomics (can modulate height, inclination and rotation)
• Connectic
  
  
• Display lag is high
• Base calibration is not up to par
• Contrast

I don't have the funds so it's moot, but what about it ? Display lag is stressing me out but it doesn't seem too bad for 480 euros.
What do you people think ?

 

[Copons]

CPUs nowadays are okay with temperatures up to 100° Celsius. So 75 degrees should not be a problem.

May be a check with Blue Screen View (Blue screen of death (STOP error) information in dump files. -> Download is on the bottom of the page) might be helpful in finding the cause of the bluescreens?

Sorry I was very unclear: what I mean is that sometimes I see the CPU spiking to ~70°C when relatively idle (on desktop, light browsing), averaging ~50°C, which makes me wonder how hot it might get in game.

(I've also installed Blue Screen View, but it turned out my PC wasn't set to save minidumps, so I guess it will be useful for the next BSOD. )

 

[Joe Spangle]

Hey the Nvidia UK store had some FE cards in stock - it directed me to Scan. I missed out on a 3080 but think ive snagged a 3090.

 

[Dandy]

It's all here! Except a videocard, of course...

 

[Firewithin]

is that the phanteks case? ive been trying to decide between that or the Lancool 2 mesh

 

[ScreamingTrees]

Nice that most things have arrived for you! I've just ordered a bunch of things today. My P500A will be arriving on Wednesday, 3080 also on Wednesday. I have motherboard and power supply already. RAM ordered today as well. I'll reuse my old storage (already have NVMe drive). The only things I haven't ordered are the CPU and CPU cooler. I want to wait for 5000 ryzen.

Firewithin I don't know about Dandy, but I chose the P500A over the Lancool 2 mesh as it can take a 280mm radiator on top and it has a front usb-c built in (although you can add one of those to the Lancool 2 mesh). They both look like good cases and I would've been happy with the Lancool 2 mesh if that's the one that came into stock first!

 

[Dandy]

I just noticed that PCpartpicker is saying I won't be able to use the USB C port on the case because of my motherboard. It's not a big deal to me but is going to annoy me at some point I am sure

 

[dummmyy]

I have a msi x370 gaming plus. i bought ram that was on sale, DDR4 3200, should I be able to just plug and play? I can't find a straight answer, or maybe it's staring at me in the face and I don't realize it, hahaha either way, my goof, probably. Thanks!

 

[ISee]

I have a msi x370 gaming plus. i bought ram that was on sale, DDR4 3200, should I be able to just plug and play? I can't find a straight answer, or maybe it's staring at me in the face and I don't realize it, hahaha either way, my goof, probably. Thanks!

Depends more on the CPU you are using than the mainboard itself.

Ryzen 1000 - Can be a problem, best chance of success with Samsung B-die
Ryzen 2000 - Should be fine, some light tinkering might be needed.
Ryzen 3000 - Easy plug and play.

 

[Joe Spangle]

I'm draining down my waterloop in preperation for my new gpu.

What a faff. I dont think ill be watercooling a gpu again. Ive finally managed to get most of the water out but it cant get the last dribbles and so im going to very carefully take out the gpu and hope that i dont spill water all over my Mobo.

'Takes a deep breath and channels Henry Cavills spirit'

 

[dummmyy]

Samsung B-die

what's that?!
oof that's not good news. I have a Ryzen 7 1700. I was thinking of doing a full upgrade once BF came around this year, i have some money set aside, but was reaally hoping being able to use the ram now. Thanks, isee!

 

[ISee]

what's that?!
oof that's not good news. I have a Ryzen 7 1700. I was thinking of doing a full upgrade once BF came around this year, i have some money set aside, but was reaally hoping being able to use the ram now. Thanks, isee!

B die is a type of ram that is being produced by Samsung.

You can still use it now, worst case scenario you'll have to use it at 3000 or 2933 instead of 3200. Not really that big of a deal.

 

[Joe Spangle]

Hey so ive installed my new gpu and fired it up. I get 4 quick beeps and then 1 beep on post. Google tells me its a system timer issue but the computer boots up fine and ive had it on for about an hour running benchmarks. The clock is correct. Everything is working ok. Updated drivers for the new gpu. Ran cpu temp and the gpu one and both are fine.

Another google said it could be badly seated Ram but the system recognises it all and nothing is loose in the case.

Any thoughts?

 

[dummmyy]

B die is a type of ram that is being produced by Samsung.

You can still use it now, worst case scenario you'll have to use it at 3000 or 2933 instead of 3200. Not really that big of a deal.

Ah, and I have to do that manually, right? I'll have to figure that out! Thanks so much for the help.

 

[ISee]

Ah, and I have to do that manually, right? I'll have to figure that out! Thanks so much for the help.

Just load up the DOCP or XMP profile for your memory in bios. (docp and xmp is the same thing, some vendors call it differently for a couple reasons that are irrelevant). Should the pc run into problems lower the memory frequency from 3200 to something lower.
No need to further tinker around with timings if you plan to upgrade your CPU anyway this year.

Any thoughts?

I'd reseat the GPU, maybe it's not 100% fully in.
Check if the GPU power cables are plugged in fully (both on the gpu and psu)
Reseat the memory...
Reset the bios to default and reboot.
Maybe check for a newer bios version. Unlikely to help but who knows.

Put in your old GPU and see if the problem persists.

 

[Joe Spangle]

I'd reseat the GPU, maybe it's not 100% fully in.
Check if the GPU power cables are plugged in fully (both on the gpu and psu)
Reseat the memory...
Reset the bios to default and reboot.
Maybe check for a newer bios version. Unlikely to help but who knows.

Put in your old GPU and see if the problem persists.

Cheers.

Its weird. Ive been playing games for a couple of hours. Played Control to stress test it out. Everything seems ok. Game runs great. PC seems fine.

 

[C-Dub]

Finally made a decision about PC upgrades. A bit of background: Going to be building my new system in the new year. I'm going to be recycling my GPU (2070 Super) into this new build along with some of my SSDs, and turning what's left of my old PC and mechanical drives into a Plex server running Unraid, but what's got me stumped is what to do regarding the case.

My current PC has a Fractal Design R5, which is a nice case that really fits into my living room setup. Both me and my partner hate glass panels on PC cases, and even worse we don't like LEDs and all that stuff, so this case has served me well for the last four years. A nice sleek case goes a long way for us.

But now I have the problem that I'll need a new case regardless of what I do. If I leave my old motherboard and CPU in the R5, I'll need to firstly decide where to put it in my flat. But that's something I need to consult my partner on. The other problem I'm asking here about is what new sleek ATX case I get for my new build. Any recommendations there?

The other option is to put my new PC inside my R5, and then find a new case for my old PC/Plex Server. I currently have a Hyper 212 Evo cooling the CPU, but I'm willing to replace that with a smaller cooler compatible with LGA 1151 motherboards/CPUs if it means I can use a more compact ATX case. What are my options regarding compact ATX cases? All it needs space for is the ATX motherboard, any decent cooler, and preferably internal 3.5 inch hard drives.

 

[Dandy]

I got a notification from Amazon that a 3080 was available to order... And they want $2,999.00CAD for it.

 

[gabbo]

I got a notification from Amazon that a 3080 was available to order... And they want $2,999.00CAD for it.

I'm starting to think I should build a new pc but keep my GTX970 in it because the new RTX line is ridiculous and I have doubts RDNA is going to come in at a customer friendly price itself

 

[ScreamingTrees]

It has arrived, ordered Monday!

It's nice not constantly checking for stock anymore! Cancelled my original order from launch day. I'll finally play Control.

 

[gabbo]

It has arrived, ordered Monday!

It's nice not constantly checking for stock anymore! Cancelled my original order from launch day. I'll finally play Control.

if you don't mind, what did it come to in total?

 

[Li Kao]

It has arrived, ordered Monday!

It's nice not constantly checking for stock anymore! Cancelled my original order from launch day. I'll finally play Control.

Where did you get it from ? Useless question, but hey.

On a related note, is there hope that the FE will be restocked one day or are we now forced to buy a more expansive manufacturer card ?

 

[ScreamingTrees]

Where did you get it from ? Useless question, but hey.

On a related note, is there hope that the FE will be restocked one day or are we now forced to buy a more expansive manufacturer card ?

I got it through Scan in the UK. Nvidia gave them stock of the founders edition and they put it on sale Monday.

Was £649, came to about €740 with the exchange rate.

 

[Stevey]

I got it through Scan in the UK. Nvidia gave them stock of the founders edition and they put it on sale Monday.

Was £649, came to about €740 with the exchange rate.

How did you go about that?

Their website says pre-order is the way to go to get a 3080, but I cant see an option to pre order any 3080 on there.

 

[ScreamingTrees]

How did you go about that?

Their website says pre-order is the way to go to get a 3080, but I cant see an option to pre order any 3080 on there.

They put them on sale for a few minutes on Monday, no preorders. If you went from the Nvidia site it redirected to Scan so I guess that's how they decided to sell founders in UK/Ireland. I had an alert from discord on my phone that let me know.

Got my refund for original order from overclockers, just noticed it was £666.00 including shipping. That order was cursed from the start.

 

[Joe Spangle]

Yeah i got mine from Scan but by going through the Nvidia website (in UK). They are using Scan as sort of a warehouse for the FE to try and curb the bots i think.

I just got lucky, was randomly refreshing the Nvidia site throughout the day and it suddenly was available to buy, re-directing to Scan.

 

[Li Kao]

So is there a 'best' 3080 card not FE ? What should I aim for ?

 

[Mivey]

So is there a 'best' 3080 card not FE ? What should I aim for ?

In terms of performance, I wouldn't expect any big difference between these version, to be honest. Some might be already over-clocked, but you could match the performance by doing the OC yourself.

I personally like ASUS ROG Strix models for their super quiet performance, but from the looks of it, the new FE models are probably quite good about that already.

 

[Li Kao]

ASUS ROG Strix

Welp, the 1000 euros card

 

[Mivey]

Welp, the 1000 euros card

They are not cheap, yeah. Asus like to price in their branding as well, but they do deliver GPUs with great thermals. My 2080Ti Rog STRIX basically never goes above 60, usually hovers at mid 50s during load, and idles at low 30s.

 

[Parsnip]

The Asus TUF cards are also pretty silent this time around, it was the reason why I ordered it.

 

[ISee]

My 3090 order is still in the endless void of unknown delivery time and I'm currently in the process of losing interest.
Rumors about NVidia moving ampere to TSMC's 7nm process early next year are getting denser, my current GPU is doing still fine, and I'll be honest with you all: The current spikes in covid infections and the outlook of a second curfew is killing my hardware enthusiasm by a lot.

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Arrggghhhh! I've inherited the MetaCouncil PC Bad Luck it seems

Since windows 10 updated to 2004 i've had more frequent BSOD with different messages each time, sometimes 2 or 3 a day and sometimes i go days without an issue. I tend to do the same things on the PC each day so i don't think it's an app i run.

I think i'm going to backup my profile and reset Windows. does anyone know if i need to dig out my Windows 10 key if i do that?

Next thing is to try a new mobo as i suspect it's dying. The inbuilt intel wifi doesn't work but i never use it so i didn't notice if it ever worked. I was hoping to hold out for a bit longer but it looks like i'll have to spend some savings on an X570 mobo and i'll pick up a new PSU at the same time. Dammit.

 

[ISee]

does anyone know if i need to dig out my Windows 10 key if i do that?

Not if you are using your Microsoft account to login.
Just do not forget to deactivate your current windows 10 device before reinstalling.

https://account.microsoft.com/

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Not if you are using your Microsoft account to login.
Just do not forget to deactivate your current windows 10 device before reinstalling.

https://account.microsoft.com/

Nah, i'm using a local account. I'll dig out my Windows 10 key from my email somewhere before i reset then.
Thanks!

 

[Arulan]

LG CX OLED Review - TFTCentral

LG's popular CX OLED TV range including a 48" sized model suitable for monitor/TV cross-over. With 120Hz and G-sync

www.tftcentral.co.uk

Just thought I'd share this excellent TFTCentral review.

I've been using it for the past couple months or so, and it's just incredible. I should finally be getting my RTX 3080 in a few days to fully utilize it. 4k120 here I come!

 

[Joe Spangle]

Any recommended free benchmarking programs? I'm going to try and undervolt my new gpu as it seems like the done thing to do and i could stand for it to be a bit cooler/quieter.

 

[C-Dub]

If I were to buy an X570 board in anticipation of Zen 3 next month, what can I do about the bios? I won't have a Zen 2 chip to install any bios and I don't know anyone I could borrow one off, so I'd either need one that is Zen 3 ready or a motherboard that can be updated without a CPU (if that's even possible). I've tried searching online but there's not a lot of info out there at the moment.

 

[ISee]

Any recommended free benchmarking programs? I'm going to try and undervolt my new gpu as it seems like the done thing to do and i could stand for it to be a bit cooler/quieter.

- 3D Mark, though I'm not sure what benchmarks are included in the free version.

- Unigine heaven and Unigene superposition.

While benchmarks are okay, you want to test with games anyway. The amount of times I thought an overclock is stable only to find a game crashing and having to adjust clock speed a tiny bit is surprisingly high.

 

[Li Kao]

Hmm, I really would like to go 1440p / 120+ hz, but I'm scared my 2060 super won't be up to it at high detail.

 

[ISee]

that can be updated without a CPU (if that's even possible).

There are plenty of x570 and b550 board with that option.
It's called BIOS FLASHBACK on most boards.