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

Dec 5, 2018
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The Lian-Li 011 Dynamic is very good. Also, what're you looking for in a mobo?
I originally was looking for one that would allow for a good OC, but that doesn't really seem doable.

So I'm more interested in one that will last me as long as possible.
 

madjoki

👀 I see you
Sep 19, 2018
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Personally I'm staying on my X470 CH7. Being able to hold on to a good board is refreshing :)
Lucky. I'm still on X79.

Check if your NH-D15 comes with the AM4 mounting kit.
Yeah, the shop where I'm planning on ordering comes with AM4 out of box. (3900X is expected to be on stock mid august, so there's still fair bit of waiting)
 
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ISee

Oh_no!
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With prices being equal, 2060s or 5700 XT?
That's a hard one imo.

5700 XT is often the faster card, sometimes it's equal. But with cyberpunk, the new Doom (rumours), and watch dogs legion getting Raytracing support? I'd probably go with Nvidia.
This really depends on the games you want to play in the future. Support still isn't phenomenal but with next gen consoles getting hardware based Ray tracing support I'm not sure if pure performance is the only reason to recommend a GPU or if we should also put some weight on the feature set.

But you have one recommendation for the 5700XT and one for the 2060S now. So get what your feel most comfortable with :)

(I know this isn't very helpful, but this isn't a straight forward situation either imo)
 
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ISee

Oh_no!
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My Ryzen 3000 order was supposed to arrive on the 15th, but was pushed back to the 26th. Now I received an email telling me that it will arrive on the 2nd of august.
But other AMD "partner" shops like Mindfactory are reporting that next shipment is on the 14th, so I'm not having high hopes.
That would be 1 Month and 8 days if you ordered on the 7th.
Frustrating.
 

JMTHEFOX

Planning to Be a Game Designer
Oct 4, 2018
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Anyone's thoughts on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero motherboard?


I am interested in getting it since MSI unfortunately screwed over the B450 Tomahawk owners yesterday
 
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Durante

Durante

I <3 Pixels
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My Ryzen 3000 order was supposed to arrive on the 15th, but was pushed back to the 26th. Now I received an email telling me that it will arrive on the 2nd of august.
But other AMD "partner" shops like Mindfactory are reporting that next shipment is on the 14th, so I'm not having high hopes.
That would be 1 Month and 8 days if you ordered on the 7th.
Frustrating.
That sucks. It seems to be the new norm for CPU launches, my current 9900k was also really hard to get around its launch (and for months thereafter!).

Anyone's thoughts on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero motherboard?


I am interested in getting it since MSI unfortunately screwed over the B450 Tomahawk owners yesterday
Looks good, the only thing I'd note (for me personally) is that it "only" has 2 M.2 slots. Personally, I'd want 3 of those on a new high-end board (but I need a lot of fast storage).
 
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JMTHEFOX

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Looks good, the only thing I'd note (for me personally) is that it "only" has 2 M.2 slots. Personally, I'd want 3 of those on a new high-end board (but I need a lot of fast storage).
Yeah, I'm getting it for the r5 3600. Hopefully, flashing it with the latest bios via USB flashback will have no issues. Wish me luck.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
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That sucks. It seems to be the new norm for CPU launches, my current 9900k was also really hard to get around its launch (and for months thereafter!).
Prices for the 9900k war also through the roof for the first couple of weeks because of the shortage (630€+). If you ask me, that was an even worse situation.

Anyone's thoughts on the ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero motherboard?


I am interested in getting it since MSI unfortunately screwed over the B450 Tomahawk owners yesterday
I guess I can say something, as I'm on that one.

Hands down, this is the best x470 board out there. But it also has some strange design decisions like just coming with Blue-tooth 4.2, both m.2 slots are sharing lanes with certain PCI-E and Sata Ports (common problem) and I was never able to make the DTS stuff work (software doesn't respond). Not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning.
VRM is excellent, memory compatibility was good for me too (3433cl14 on 2x8 and 3200cl14 on 4x8), and it's a feature rich mainboard. There is not much to not like, except for the price.

And that's why I wouldn't recommend getting one, when building a new AM4 system. The CH7 WiFi still costs ~300€ over here and you can get a nice x570 board for that. Take a look at the x570 Strix-E, in many ways it is very similar to the CH7 but just more modern. If I'd build new now, I'd get the new Strix-E.

Unless there is a good deal for the CH 7. 200€ or less? And you got an excellent MB.
 

JMTHEFOX

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Prices for the 9900k war also through the roof for the first couple of weeks because of the shortage (630€+). If you ask me, that was an even worse situation.



I guess I can say something, as I'm on that one.

Hands down, this is the best x470 board out there. But it also has some strange design decisions like just coming with Blue-tooth 4.2, both m.2 slots are sharing lanes with certain PCI-E and Sata Ports (common problem) and I was never able to make the DTS stuff work (software doesn't respond). Not a deal breaker, but worth mentioning.
VRM is excellent, memory compatibility was good for me too (3433cl14 on 2x8 and 3200cl14 on 4x8), and it's a feature rich mainboard. There is not much to not like, except for the price.

And that's why I wouldn't recommend getting one, when building a new AM4 system. The CH7 WiFi still costs ~300€ over here and you can get a nice x570 board for that. Take a look at the x570 Strix-E, in many ways it is very similar to the CH7 but just more modern. If I'd build new now, I'd get the new Strix-E.

Unless there is a good deal for the CH 7. 200€ or less? And you got an excellent MB.
Hmm, that's really interesting. I live in the United States and the Strix-E is $329.99 on Newegg.

I will ask my mom about it if she'll be okay with it despite the price.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
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Hmm, that's really interesting. I live in the United States and the Strix-E is $329.99 on Newegg.

I will ask my mom about it if she'll be okay with it despite the price.
And how much is the x470 ch7?
 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
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$274.30 on both Amazon and B&H
Ok that's 55 bucks and not "just 25".
If those $55 exceed your budget and you have to make a sacrifice on another part because of it, get the x470 CH7. As said, it is a good board. The x570 strix e is just more modern.
 
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JMTHEFOX

Planning to Be a Game Designer
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Ok that's 55 bucks and not "just 25".
If those $55 exceed your budget and you have to make a sacrifice on another part because of it, get the x470 CH7. As said, it is a good board. The x570 strix e is just more modern.
Will do.

BTW, i updated my first PC build just now and I was trying to test my new Corsair HS 35 headset. However, the PC froze after I inserted the jack into the blue Audio port. I pressed the reset button and now it's into a boot loop. I am such a dumbass.

RIP first PC 2013 - 2019. At least my r9 380 build is still kicking despite being slow now.
 

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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For some reason my PC isnt detecting my K95 when it boots Windows. The LEDS turn on when I turn it on but then it disconnects on the login screen. Maybe a bad driver?

Also, I want to engage in some capitalist debauchery on my birthday and I want a 2070, will a EVGA Bronze 500w psu suffice?
 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
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TW, i updated my first PC build just now and I was trying to test my new Corsair HS 35 headset. However, the PC froze after I inserted the jack into the blue Audio port. I pressed the reset button and now it's into a boot loop. I am such a dumbass.
That should not have damaged anything on your system.
But ¯\(ツ)
I'd try turning off the PSU and remove the CMOS battery for 15 minutes or so and than try again. You can also just try to reset the bios before that.

For some reason my PC isnt detecting my K95 when it boots Windows. The LEDS turn on when I turn it on but then it disconnects on the login screen. Maybe a bad driver?

Also, I want to engage in some capitalist debauchery on my birthday and I want a 2070, will a EVGA Bronze 500w psu suffice?
Maybe a bad port?

I'm always using the BeQuiet PSUcalculator... for no special reasons but it seems to do a good job imo.


Why no 2070S? or is there a really good 2070 deal?
 
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JMTHEFOX

Planning to Be a Game Designer
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Alright! I have gotten the rest of the parts. I had to get the ASRock X570 Phantom Gaming 4 WIFIm 1660 Ti and an 1TB HDD to lower the price since my mom is very budget strict. Maybe the 5700 xt custom have to wait for now.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X570 PHANTOM GAMING 4 WIFI ax ATX AM4 Motherboard ($168.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Team T-Force Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX500 250 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card ($259.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks ECLIPSE P350X ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS Plus Gold 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($116.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Corsair K55 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse Wired Laser Mouse ($50.99 @ Newegg)
Custom: ASUS RT-AC66R B1 Dual-Band 3x3 AC1750 WiFi 4-Port Gigabit Router ($95.60 @ Walmart)
Custom: Xbox One Play N Charge Kit
Custom: Panasonic Eneloop AA 2000mAh 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable ($31.15 @ Newegg)
Total: $1203.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-27 08:37 EDT-0400
 

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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I'm always using the BeQuiet PSUcalculator... for no special reasons but it seems to do a good job imo.
Supposedly I would use 348W, hmmm.

And Supers are stilll not available on my country.
 
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JMTHEFOX

Planning to Be a Game Designer
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Alright, the CPU, sad, ram and motherboard are coming today. The 1660 ti is coming tomorrow and the HDD is coming this Friday.

I was wondering if I should build the PC right away after the GPU arrives and wait for the HDD to come or build the PC after everything has arrived.
 

JMTHEFOX

Planning to Be a Game Designer
Oct 4, 2018
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Trying to install the sma wifi antenna connectors into the motherboard. My hands are trembling as if I am afraid to damage the board. 😰

I wonder if there is a way to insert the connectors without the heatsink getting in the way.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
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Starting to build the PC today and I just finished installing the fan.


I really hope that I did it right.... 😰
I am scared that the motherboard is already damaged after some trial and error.

Hard to tell from a pic, but "hand tight" is the way to go.
Both for the antennas and the cooler
 

JMTHEFOX

Planning to Be a Game Designer
Oct 4, 2018
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Ok, just installed the motherboard into the standoffs.


I will try to install the antenna later. In the meantime, I will use an USB wifi adapter.
 

Futaleufu

Laughing Chojin
Mar 14, 2019
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Starting to build the PC today and I just finished installing the fan.


I really hope that I did it right.... 😰
I am scared that the motherboard is already damaged after some trial and error.

Not trying to jynx your build but I dont think holding a MB barefoot over a carpet is a good idea.
 
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NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
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Unless you're going for 4000+ kits I wouldn't even worry about QVL on Zen 2. The memory controller is an absolutely massive improvement.
Allrighty then. I was thinking about buying RAM since it is quite cheap now.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
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Waiting in line just isn't an option over here.
We once had multiple DIY PC stores in my city, but only one survived (Arlt) and Ryzen 3900x stock never arrived there. The rest either died or moved on to Internet distribution.
The DIY market is now being dominated by Alternate.de, Mindfactory,de, Amazon.de, Caseking.de. The only big vendor still having stores is ARLT(.de) and K&M, but K&M went bankrupt a while ago and no idea what bought them. Our Best Buy equivalent (Media Markt) doesn't even sell DIY products, but for SSDs, modems, mice etc. You can buy prebuilds there though.

So yeah, that's the german DIY situation for you. No idea how big the PC market is here, but retail barely exists in the first place.
And this isn't a small, underpopulated region either. At least from a german pov.
 
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NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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I want start buying parts little by little for my new Ryzen build, by I'm afraid something wont work when I put it together and it would be too late to return it to the store.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
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I want start buying parts little by little for my new Ryzen build, by I'm afraid something wont work when I put it together and it would be too late to return it to the store.
That's understandable.
And look at it that way: prices are more likely to go down than up. So once you're able to buy everything at the same time you'll probably pay less.
 
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NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
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That's understandable.
And look at it that way: prices are more likely to go down than up. So once you're able to buy everything at the same time you'll probably pay less.
Maybe I'll just buy the case (Meshify C)
 

Cordelia

MetaMember
Jun 10, 2019
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Anyone has any recommendations on what b450 board best paired with Ryzen 3600? My good old i5 4460 has shows it's age really bad.
 

JMTHEFOX

Planning to Be a Game Designer
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Anyone has any recommendations on what b450 board best paired with Ryzen 3600? My good old i5 4460 has shows it's age really bad.
Most people usually recommend the MSI B450 Tomahawk for its USB bios flashback feature, though it is hit and miss. Some were able to post successfully, others had lots of issues.

Also, be aware that if you update the bios for the Tomahawk, the UI is downgraded to an older interface due to limited ram for the BIOS.
 
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ISee

Oh_no!
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Anyone has any recommendations on what b450 board best paired with Ryzen 3600? My good old i5 4460 has shows it's age really bad.
B450 boards that will have trouble to run a r5 3600:

-ASROCK B450M HDV
-ASUS Prime B450M-A
-ASUS Prime B450M-k
-MSI B450M Pro-M2


B450 boards with bios flashback

Asus: Nothing

Gigabyte: Nothing

Asrock: Nothing

MSI:
-B450-A Pro
-B450 Gaming Plus
-B450M Gaming Plus
-B450 Gaming Pro AC
-B450 Tomahawk
-B450 Mortar Titanium


Explains why MSI b450 boards are "hot" right now. But as JMTHEFOX mentioned there is a downside. All those MSI boards have just a 16mb eeprom chip for the bios. The newest AGESA version with zen 2 support is to large for that and MSI had to cut out old APU support and make their uefi look a bit less flashy. Not the end of the world. But there are new MAX versions of those boards out there, or at least should be soon. They come with a larger, 32mb eeprom chip and should run zen 2 out of the box. My recommendation: Get that.

For more information
 
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ISee

Oh_no!
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My wishlist. What do you think?
You're paying $135 for RGB fans. Just get one for the beginning, and invest the now free $108 into a better GPU.


In my opinion RGB should come last and if I'd have to choose between a better, 7% faster GPU and cool fans. I'd go for the better GPU, without hesitation.

Just get those fans down the road. They're just $26, you can get them one by one and end up with a much better PC in 2-3 months. Yes your total price will go up by $100, but that's just ~5.8% of your $1720 budget and you're getting 7% more performance.
Always look at total amount spent and the performance you are getting, not just the GPU price / vs performance when building new.
 
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Cordelia

MetaMember
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Most people usually recommend the MSI B450 Tomahawk for its USB bios flashback feature, though it is hit and miss. Some were able to post successfully, others had lots of issues.

Also, be aware that if you update the bios for the Tomahawk, the UI is downgraded to an older interface due to limited ram for the BIOS.
B450 boards that will have trouble to run a r5 3600:

-ASROCK B450M HDV
-ASUS Prime B450M-A
-ASUS Prime B450M-k
-MSI B450M Pro-M2


B450 boards with bios flashback

Asus: Nothing

Gigabyte: Nothing

Asrock: Nothing

MSI:
-B450-A Pro
-B450 Gaming Plus
-B450M Gaming Plus
-B450 Gaming Pro AC
-B450 Tomahawk
-B450 Mortar Titanium


Explains why MSI b450 boards are "hot" right now. But as JMTHEFOX mentioned there is a downside. All those MSI boards have just a 16mb eeprom chip for the bios. The newest AGESA version with zen 2 support is to large for that and MSI had to cut out old APU support and make their uefi look a bit less flashy. Not the end of the world. But there are new MAX versions of those boards out there, or at least should be soon. They come with a larger, 32mb eeprom chip and should run zen 2 out of the box. My recommendation: Get that.

For more information
So if I want to upgrade now, the best thing that I should do if I don't want to have any problem is buying an X570 board? Welp I'll wait for new B450 board then, X570 boards are too fancy for me, I don't need most of their added features.
 
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