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

[EdwardTivrusky]

Yeah, i check maybe once a month just for laughs. I did ponder taking an RTX 3090 if they became available but yeah, there's even less chance of them turning up, lol.

I'm kinda resigned to not being able to get a Switch Pro either, well, not in any reasonable timeframe after launch anyway.

 

[Parsnip]

Going to be interesting to follow how the market moves with these new cards.

I've given up upgrading so now I'm just following.

 

[gabbo]

Going to be interesting to follow how the market moves with these new cards.

I've given up upgrading so now I'm just following.

Yeah, I[m starting to think I'll have to give up my goal of a 6800 for a while, probably by the time the 7X00 is out.

 

[Dinjoralo]

I am 100% gonna be waiting outside of that Best Buy for however long I can. Prolly gonna be there 1:30 AM, based on travel time. Anyone got suggestions for what I should bring with me?

Currently I'm planning to bring some Soylent with caffeine for sustenance, battery pack and laptop to power my phone, and a pack of tissues in the event my nosebleed problem rears its head. Oh, and water obvs. Never really done this before.

 

[Dinjoralo]

... Thinking about it, that's probably not gonna work. Apparently the lines fill up over 24 hours before the tickets are handed out. Ugh.

 

[Durante]

Back when I got my 3090 FE last year it was actually looking like the supply/demand situation was normalizing. Cryptocurrencies suck, hopefully the entire thing crashes and burns again.

 

[Parsnip]

Weren't there a lot of rumors about Samsung's yields being super bad on these, I wonder if there were any truth to those and if so, I wonder if that has improved any.

 

[Alextended]

My SteelSeries Rival 100's middle click started acting up recently. I thought it's a Firefox bug, I usually use my middle click to close tabs and it kept randomly closing two. It seems that if I press the middle button, especially while also moving the cursor around, it registers a double click instead causing that. But it didn't really do anything outside my browser so I didn't notice it until I tested it deliberately. For now I'm bypassing it with setting the middle button in the SteelSeries software to instead of play once, to play N times set to 123ms repeat of 1, which seems to work out so far without usability issues.

The mouse lasted pretty good, I got it just over 5 years ago and it was the cheapest SteelSeries mouse at the time. I liked it because it was like older Logitech mice, no frills with the two thumb buttons I wanted and no weird designs or anything, just the optional RGB lighting on the wheel and logo on its butt. If more buttons degrade and it becomes a problem I'll probably go for another by SteelSeries, again whatever is the cheapest (currently the Rival 3).

 

[Durante]

Weren't there a lot of rumors about Samsung's yields being super bad on these, I wonder if there were any truth to those and if so, I wonder if that has improved any.

I don't think that was ever true. NVs financials show that they sold a metric shitton of 30-series GPUs -- it's just that in 2020 the (gaming) demand was so high that it didn't help (much), and then mining happened.

 

[Valdien]

My SteelSeries Rival 100's middle click started acting up recently. I thought it's a Firefox bug, I usually use my mdidle click to close tabs and it kept randomly closing two. It seems that if I press the middle button, especially while also moving the cursor around, it registers a double click instead causing that. But it didn't realy do anything outside my browser so I didn't notice it until I tested it deliberately. For now I'm bypassing it with setting the middle button in the SteelSeries software to instead of play once, to play N times set to 100ms repeat of 1, which seems to work out so far without usability issues.

The mouse lasted pretty good, I got it just over 5 years ago and it was the cheapest SteelSeries mouse at the time. I liked it because it was like older Logitech mice, no frills with the two thumb buttons I wanted and no weird designs or anything, just the optional RGB lighting on the wheel and logo on its butt. If more buttons degrade and it becomes a problem I'll probably go for another by SteelSeries, again whatever is the cheapest (currently the Rival 3).

Rival 3 is a good budget mouse. It's what I went with myself. The side buttons will take some getting used to because of their small size, but not a deal-breaker, to be honest. I posted in this thread a few months ago about having problems with the scroll wheel on my Kinzu V2 pro and wanted to replace it with something similar in size. Decided to go with the Rival 3 over the viper-mini. Felt pretty much like a natural upgrade.

 

[Parsnip]

Seems like aftermarket prices are trending down, for the moment. If only it would keep going, but better not expect anything.

 

[C-Dub]

I'm planning to put together a mini PC for desktop work (mostly writing and some very light image editing) and I need a cheap Windows 10 license.

Does anyone know of a reliable site for keys?

 

[lashman]

Does anyone know of a reliable site for keys?

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

C-Dub I've used these for over 10 years for OEM keys for my builds. They used to be called SoftwareGeeks.

The Unity Soft - TheUnitySoft

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[C-Dub]

Thank you both, just ordered all my parts and I'll grab a Windows 10 Home license soon.

For anyone curious, here's what I went with:

Intel Core i5 11400 CPU
Asus ROG Strix B560-I Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 1x8gb DDR4-3000 RAM (with scope to add another stick at a later date)
WD SN750 500gb m.2 SSD
Fractal Design Era Mini ITX Case (Cobalt Blue)
EVGA 500W Bronze PSU

This should be fine for light desktop use. If I find I'm streaming a lot of Civ VI from my living room gaming PC to this device I'll grab a cheap GPU (something like a GTX 1660 or the 3000-series equivalent if it ever releases) and an extra 8gb RAM so I can game locally, but this should be more than fine for using large documents in Scrivener/Word and doing some light image editing in Affinity Photo for a website I'm working on.

 

[Knurek]

C-Dub Take note that if you currently have a valid Win 10 BOX (not OEM) licence, you can transfer it to your new computer.
I just did a build where the only thing I brought over from the old one was GPU and non-boot HDDs and it still worked.

 

[Alextended]

The other day I wanted to see if there's been any news on a Ryzen 5700 release and found there exists a 5700G APU since a couple months ago but with next to no information outside the official spec sheets and what not, is that related at all to such a potential release or nah, it's a completely different tier of products? Like, would a 5700 be just that without the integrated graphics card or something else altogether? Ed: looks like Gamers Nexus posted a bench after I searched.

 

[gabbo]

So question for you all:
Are there any quality 65-75% keyboards that aren't mechanical that are still good for gaming? All the ones I've found in research are mechanical or full size/tkl. And of course those wasd-hand shaped boards, none of which are what I'm looking for.

I'm guessing this might be a losing battle?

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

Wait, You actually WANT a membrane keyboard? Fetch me the salts, i've come over all light-headed!
I'm not sure because 65-75% isn't "normal" so there's no real margins in it for mainstream purchasers. I'd have a look at office supply places as they'll be the stores more likely to carry non-mechanical keyboards in a form-factor like that.

edit: i could go have a look about but i don't want to go back into the keyboard rabbit-hole just yet.

 

[gabbo]

Wait, You actually WANT a membrane keyboard? Fetch me the salts, i've come over all light-headed!
I'm not sure because 65-75% isn't "normal" so there's no real margins in it for mainstream purchasers. I'd have a look at office supply places as they'll be the stores more likely to carry non-mechanical keyboards in a form-factor like that.

edit: i could go have a look about but i don't want to go back into the keyboard rabbit-hole just yet.

It's not for me, wife wants the the form-factor doesn't like the sound of mechanical switches. My experience tends to be with [cherry] brown switches, and she finds those too loud. I suppose something with cherry red or quieter equivalent would work, I just don't know the 65-75% market or switch market well

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

It's not for me, wife wants the the form-factor doesn't like the sound of mechanical switches. My experience tends to be with [cherry] brown switches, and she finds those too loud. I suppose something with cherry red or quieter equivalent would work, I just don't know the 65-75% market or switch market well

Ahh, yeah. there's quieter switches and you can get soft o-rings that stop the clunk as they bottom out. I can't recall what switches are quiet as it's been a while since i had to check and there's new switch manufacturers out too that i know nothing about.
I had quick look about but search engines seem to love ignoring my keywords and searching for things they want to show me instead which is a pain.

edit: DOH! Cherry have a SILENT range of switches! I'm a muppet!

I know Topre and Matias have a good reputation for quiet switches and my old TKL Cooler Master Topre Hybrid is super quiet. Corsair have the K55 which is membrane but full size unfortunately. Microsoft, Trust, Perrixx all have cheapo membrane keyboards but again, fill-size unfortunately.

 

[gabbo]

Ahh, yeah. there's quieter switches and you can get soft o-rings that stop the clunk as they bottom out. I can't recall what switches are quiet as it's been a while since i had to check and there's new switch manufacturers out too that i know nothing about.
I had quick look about but search engines seem to love ignoring my keywords and searching for things they want to show me instead which is a pain.

edit: DOH! Cherry have a SILENT range of switches! I'm a muppet!

I know Topre and Matias have a good reputation for quiet switches and my old TKL Cooler Master Topre Hybrid is super quiet. Corsair have the K55 which is membrane but full size unfortunately. Microsoft, Trust, Perrixx all have cheapo membrane keyboards but again, fill-size unfortunately.

Thanks for the info, it's a good jumping off point

 

[gabbo]

After some searching and my wife further refining her requirements, I think the Corsair K57 wireless might be a winner, with a Ducky Mecha SF/One Mini using SiIent Red as her small size option. I wore her down on mechanical, so I have some more room to work with

 

[EdwardTivrusky]

gabbo
I'm jealous of people who can get along with those tiny layouts. I think they would take me too long to adapt to.
If you want a "quiet" mechanical kb i would say definitely have a look at Cherry "Silent" switches or buy a pack of soft o-rings with whatever you choose so you can add them and dampen the "thock" as the key bottoms-out.

Guaranteed you'll find a nice membrane keyboard that suits your needs a month after you buy the new kit.

edit: The K57 sounds like a winner, i'd forgotten it was a membrane kb!

What about a nice retro keyboard?

 

[dummmyy]

What about a nice retro keyboard?

Man, I just got the Spacesaver M from Unicomp and everybody at the house is pissed at me for using it, hahahaha.

and I won't ever stop using it....

 

[undu]

I've been using a model 01 exclusively for around a year... It's a bit tough to get used to it, now it's so much better than using a regular keyboard. Although I miss the clickety clackety of the IBM M

I've enjoying so much I'm getting its rehash for working in the office. It launches this next week on kickstarter.

 

[Durante]

The new Gigabyte OLED monitor has a system literally called "ASS".
It's in the manual.

 

[gabbo]

The new Gigabyte OLED monitor has a system literally called "ASS".
It's in the manual.

I feel like someone should have done another pass on the final edit for that one, especially when it's actually just to prevent ghosting

 

[C-Dub]

Turn on ASS to stop your screen looking like ass.

 

[d00d3n]

My Asus ROG Swift PG35VQ stopped working yesterday. The display is dark and unresponsive when I press the buttons on the plastic enclosure. I guess there is not much more to do than checking that the power cable is connected correctly and to a power socket that works? Warranty still applies, because I bought the display last august

 

[kio]

What is everyone's recommendations for a 27'' 144Hz display? My 1080p60 display is over 10 years old and, while still perfectly functional, I feel like checking for upgrades.
Cheers

 

[d00d3n]

My Asus ROG Swift PG35VQ stopped working yesterday. The display is dark and unresponsive when I press the buttons on the plastic enclosure. I guess there is not much more to do than checking that the power cable is connected correctly and to a power socket that works? Warranty still applies, because I bought the display last august

This was premature. When I actually tried disconnecting and reconnecting the power cable from the display, it started working again.

 

[didamangi]

What is everyone's recommendations for a 27'' 144Hz display? My 1080p60 display is over 10 years old and, while still perfectly functional, I feel like checking for upgrades.
Cheers

 

[Li Kao]

Uh, I'm bored and thinking about upgrades that I shouldn't think about but...
Are there PC NVMe drives equivalent or better than those on PS5 available ? How much ? And are they reliable ?

 

[didamangi]

Uh, I'm bored and thinking about upgrades that I shouldn't think about but...
Are there PC NVMe drives equivalent or better than those on PS5 available ? How much ? And are they reliable ?

Depends if your motherboard/cpu supports nvme gen 4 or not. I think PS5 is using a gen 4 nvme but before microsoft directstorage is out and games are using it, there's no point to buy one now just for games.

Most good nvme drives offers 5 years warranty and state their endurance ratings (how much data can be written to the SSD over the life of the drive)

 

[TheTrain]

I started building my new PC, i've already bought and assembled the case (I had to invert it before starting with anything else) and PSU. I'm ready to buy the MoBo, i want to go with a Ryzen 5950x so i was looking at the Crosshair VIII Formula or Dark Hero, I want to finally enter Asus Bios because i'm tired of gigabyte and their half hassed bios.
Is there anything better than this 2 choice or I can safely choose whatever I prefer between the Formula and the Dark Hero?

 

[Shahem]

Specifications of Intel Core i9-12900K, i7-12700K and i5-12600K Alder Lake CPUs leak out - VideoCardz.com
Alder Lake 12900K & 12700k specs leaked.

Potentially interested in the 12700K. 8C with hyperthreading alone will be good enough for a while, then you add 4 very decently clocked small cores and you have an impressive package.
Now as per usual in recent years the concern lies in the power consumption. A PL1 of 125W gives me pause, and certain motherboards will allow the CPU to be pushed to PL2 for short bursts.

 

[xinek]

I had a PC adventure over the weekend. I managed to get a 3080 ti, and with my 750W PSU, I figured it would be fine. After using the card for a few hours, my PC would occasionally lock up with a black screen, even when the GPU wasn't under any load. There was no video signal, and even the integrated graphics wouldn't work. I had to hard reboot. After a LOT of debugging turns out one of the pins in the PSU was melted? I replaced it with a new PSU, and things are working fine now. Nothing seems permanently damaged. I really have no idea why it happened -- hwinfo showed the wattage never got even to the specced maximum power draw for the GPU. Maybe the cable was bad?

Lessons learned: look to the PSU even if it doesn't seem like power is an issue, and invest in a good PSU -- something went pretty wrong, but all my hardware seems to have been protected. Whew.

 

[Stevey]

I'm seriously tempted to give up on getting a 3080 and just get a 3070ti which are actually in stock.

Would still be a massive upgrade from my 1080

 

[Joe Spangle]

I wonder if anyone can explain this weird issue i get with my controller....

I use a Dualsense via Bluetooth and every now and then (often enough for it to be a pain) the controller will become unresponsive but the game will act like im holding a thumb stick at full tilt ie if im in a FPS the camera will pan round in a circle and i cant do anything about it, i have to tab out and turn off Bluetooth and then turn the controller back on. Its weird and i dont know what triggers it.

 

[TheTrain]

I've almost completed the new build, i'm really proud of what i've accomplished so far

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Its been the most challenging build in 15 years of pc gaming but i really wanted to take care of every single detail. Tomorrow I'll be ready to install ram, x1 Sata SSD and x1 nVME. After that I'll use, for now, the 1080Ti that I still have to power up the machine. By the end of the year I want to buy a 3090 so let's hope that it become widely available, at its MSRP, by then.

 

[gabbo]

Two questions:
1st - how beefy a cooler would I need for a 5600x - looking to keep it below $75 CAD if I can. something like the Scythe Mugen 5 RevB or Pure Rock Slim. Those that generally fall in the mid range/ entry category cost wise.

2nd The subwoofer on my old Logitech G51 surround system is starting to go (static in one of the rear speakers ports on from the sub itself. I've had it a good 10 years, easy so I've got my money out of it. I don't think it's cost effective to just replace the sub, so I'm looking for recommendations for decent speakers (2.1 would be fine or soundbar perhaps, which are apparently a thing even for pc now)

 

[fearthedawn]

Two questions:
1st - how beefy a cooler would I need for a 5600x - looking to keep it below $75 CAD if I can. something like the Scythe Mugen 5 RevB or Pure Rock Slim. Those that generally fall in the mid range/ entry category cost wise.
...

When i read this i remembered my youtube recommendations over the weekend:

 

[Parsnip]

I wonder if anyone can explain this weird issue i get with my controller....

I use a Dualsense via Bluetooth and every now and then (often enough for it to be a pain) the controller will become unresponsive but the game will act like im holding a thumb stick at full tilt ie if im in a FPS the camera will pan round in a circle and i cant do anything about it, i have to tab out and turn off Bluetooth and then turn the controller back on. Its weird and i dont know what triggers it.

Maybe the BT receiver is dying.

 

[Joe Spangle]

Maybe the BT receiver is dying.

Hmmm. Its fairly new, probably got it within a year or two ago. Could be that though i guess. Maybe ill try a new one.

 

[gabbo]

When i read this i remembered my youtube recommendations over the weekend:

Watched this video three times over the weekend for this very reason. Thinking if I can find one of the Freezer 34 eSport Duos or a Mugen 5 rev b for decent CAD prices ( i know the Scythe isnt in the video, but it comes up on enough other lists for midrange) I'll be grabbing one.

 

[NarohDethan]

My 1440p 144hz Gsync monitor should be arriving today, I wonder how my 2070 Super will fare with RDR2 with DLSS

 

[Stevey]

My 1440p 144hz Gsync monitor should be arriving today, I wonder how my 2070 Super will fare with RDR2 with DLSS

You'll be fine, it looked great on my 1080 with no DLSS

 

[NarohDethan]

It's here and it is excellent

 

[Parsnip]

Hmmm. Its fairly new, probably got it within a year or two ago. Could be that though i guess. Maybe ill try a new one.

At least it's cheap to test and replace. Hopefully the controller isn't faulty.