Tech Gaming Hardware discussion (& Hardware Sales) thread

[adam199]

The 980 Ti was only got that high because of the cryptosurge. It was more costly two years after its launch than on the day of release (as was all equitable GPU processing power). That was a historical first.

The launch MSRP was $649 in June 2015, and at its best, the following year, following an NVIDIA-sourced price cut, around the middle of June 2016, the entry variants were running $500 or so (not even talking sales).

Pretty absurd. It looks like Nvidia was trying to see if they could get away with charging cryptocurrency era pricing for the RTX series. The RTX cards didn't sell nearly as well as they anticipated. Part of it is because of cryptocurrency dying down, but I also think a lot of PC gamers knew a bad deal when they saw one. PC gamers in general are pretty good at passing on really shit PC component pricing until something reasonable comes along.

 

[Madmick]

EXCLUSIVE: AMD Is Working On A Monster 64-Core Threadripper, Landing As Early As Q4 2019

AMD working on ultra-HEDT X599 platform: Threadripper CPUs with up to 64-cores
The platform is called X599 right now although I am told AMD is considering changing the name to avoid confusion with Intel. This is not really surprising since both Intel and AMD HEDT platforms have the same nomenclature and it can get really confusion. I am also told that they they plan to retain the “99” suffix. AMD is planning to launch the 64-core Threadripper part and the corresponding platform in Q4 2019. In fact, that is when you can expect these motherboards to start popping up from various AIBs.

Now my source did not mention a new socket, so as far as I know, this should be socket compatible with the existing TR4 motherboards and only a bios update should be needed if you already own one. What I don’t know right now is whether this is a 14nm part or a 7nm part. Conventional wisdom would dictate that this is a 14nm part trickling down from their server space but who knows, maybe the company will surprise all of us.

This is pretty exciting news because knowing AMD, the 64-core Threadripper CPU will probably be priced in the $2500 to $3000 range, making it one of the most affordable workstation processors around with this many threads. Considering Intel’s 18-core retails for around $1800, this is going to be an absolute steal for the retail professional. This processor is also going to be great for homegrown server setups and computing clusters – the applications are practically endless.

Not really gaming hardware, but why not?

Their new $749 R9-3950X is the best processor in the world that has up to 18 cores now that it has trashed even the $2000 i9-9980XE.

I exaggerate, but it feels like supercomputing is becoming an obtainable home hobby.

 

[PEB]

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/samsun...H5UC4SL1On035wyNO1waAkoLEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Joe_Armstrong]

PSN is down here.

 

[PEB]

EXCLUSIVE: AMD Is Working On A Monster 64-Core Threadripper, Landing As Early As Q4 2019

Not really gaming hardware, but why not?

Their new $749 R9-3950X is the best processor in the world that has up to 18 cores now that it has trashed even the $2000 i9-9980XE.

I exaggerate, but it feels like supercomputing is becoming an obtainable home hobby.

I saw a YouTube video of someone trying to make a I think a 80 core setup work with multiple CPU's and 2 gpu's all where older model chips so trying to do it on a budget. Turned out to be a big unworkable mess when they finally got it working it was slower then almost all current processors even at midlevel. But the future for such monstrous CPU's could be coming but right now 8 core to 16 core seems to be the max but even then single core performance may lag lower cost chips. But I welcome our CPU overlords when they are ready.

 

[90 50]

I saw a YouTube video of someone trying to make a I think a 80 core setup work with multiple CPU's and 2 gpu's all where older model chips so trying to do it on a budget. Turned out to be a big unworkable mess when they finally got it working it was slower then almost all current processors even at midlevel. But the future for such monstrous CPU's could be coming but right now 8 core to 16 core seems to be the max but even then single core performance may lag lower cost chips. But I welcome our CPU overlords when they are ready.

That reminds me of the dual 486 cpu computer I built with my dad back in the day. It was the first board out to market(he brought it back from Hong Kong couldn’t even get it here at the time) we had a mess making that shit work for months.

But when we did , that thing rocked(for the day)

That machine had hundreds of thousands of hours of doom and Quake I bet over the years lol

 

[Madmick]

Wouldn't use this for a gaming build, but $17 for a new 128GB SSD from a major retailer is the cheapest I recall ever seeing:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyundai-...-3D-TLC-Flash-Internal-2-5-SATA-III/126446416

No DRAM, unsurprisingly, but if you were trying to build the cheapest Windows HTPC possible, for example, this would be the drive:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hyundai-sapphire-ssd,4948-2.html

 

[90 50]

Wouldn't use this for a gaming build, but $17 for a new 128GB SSD from a major retailer is the cheapest I recall ever seeing:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyundai-...-3D-TLC-Flash-Internal-2-5-SATA-III/126446416

No DRAM, unsurprisingly, but if you were trying to build the cheapest Windows HTPC possible, for example, this would be the drive:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/hyundai-sapphire-ssd,4948-2.html

Meh, it would be one thing if they were In the stores in the shelves.

Lately , that’s around the going price online average for a small ssd.

I would be more interested if I could walk into my Wally World and grab one , but it’s not showing an in stock item for my area, online purchase only.

Can get better, cheaper online from Newegg etc etc and buy better cheaper in store in person












At a microcenter near you

 

[Madmick]

Meh, it would be one thing if they were In the stores in the shelves.

Lately , that’s around the going price online average for a small ssd.

I would be more interested if I could walk into my Wally World and grab one , but it’s not showing an in stock item for my area, online purchase only.

Can get better, cheaper online from Newegg etc etc and buy better cheaper in store in person












At a microcenter near you

Cliffs-- the $5 just isn't worth it:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mP...0-128gb-25-solid-state-drive-asu800ss-128gt-c

 

[jefferz]

2tb Adata SU800 for $170 Amazon Lightning deal

Cliffs-- the $5 just isn't worth it:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/mP...0-128gb-25-solid-state-drive-asu800ss-128gt-c

If you're shelling out $23 for a 128gb, may as well spend the extra $7 and double the size

 

[PEB]

 

[PEB]

Well AMD may have a only a short time in the limelight because Intel letting it leak about 10 nm Sunny Cove performance numbers clocked a 3.7 ghz. Well it's putting a beatdown on the 5.3 ghz Intel 9700. This likely is a middle of the road chip to if Intel steps up we all benefit with new higher end CPU's that Jim Keller effect. AMD did say Zen 3 is already done an Zen 4 well on the way an a complete redesign. We all benefit from this change.





https://www.google.com/amp/s/wccfte...lake-amd-ryzen-3000-cpu-z-benchmark-leak/amp/

 

[rob mafia]

Well AMD may have a only a short time in the limelight because Intel letting it leak about 10 nm Sunny Cove performance numbers clocked a 3.7 ghz. Well it's putting a beatdown on the 5.3 ghz Intel 9700. This likely is a middle of the road chip to if Intel steps up we all benefit with new higher end CPU's that Jim Keller effect. AMD did say Zen 3 is already done an Zen 4 well on the way an a complete redesign. We all benefit from this change.





https://www.google.com/amp/s/wccfte...lake-amd-ryzen-3000-cpu-z-benchmark-leak/amp/

i'm not sure that's real, though. it's coming from an anonymous chinese source.

 

[Madmick]

Free shipping:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/OVERPOWE...40902618423888931256&affillinktype=10&veh=aff

So Overpowered got clobbered last year by the gaming press on quality concerns, and that's a fine condemnation for the AIO market, who in fairness is the intended target for this product, but for capable builders who fancy cleverly applying their skills to score value, this isn't a price that should be overlooked. This is the DTW2. The normal retail is $1899 as PC Gamer notes-- albeit for the 1080 Ti version:
https://www.pcmag.com/news/368847/save-800-on-this-walmart-overpowered-gaming-desktop

Here is a review of the DTW3 by PC Gamer which is a virtually identical unit that ultimately came down to a low of $1499 after the bad press before running out of stock:
https://www.pcgamer.com/walmart-overpowered-dtw3-gaming-desktop-review/

• GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
• CPU: Intel Core i7-8700 6-core/12-thread
• Motherboard: Gigabyte H370M DS3H
• RAM: Adata 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-2400 RAM
• Storage: Adata 512GB SSD, Toshiba 2TB HDD
• PSU: Great Wall 650W Gold
• CPU Cooling: CooNong
• Dimensions: W: 8.1" H: 17.5" L: 16.0"
• Warranty: 2 years

I put together a build that is about about as close to identical as possible, and it's $1268 before taxes in comparison to the $899 above; although it should be mentioned everyone will pay full sales tax on a Wal-Mart purchase while you are more likely to dodge a portion of taxes on the tender with this custom build. I also included a legit Windows 10 (apples-to-apples):
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yRDMLJ
Used a Vega 64 for the cheapest equivalent GPU, but NVIDIA gamers who want equal power will have to spend $60 more for the cheapest RTX 2070 (an upgrade, at least) if there are concerns like G-Sync, or simply a serious preference for NVIDIA drivers.

I don't mind that reviewers highlighted some of the cheap parts, but careful observers will notice, for example, that as hard as he tried the most meaningful performance deficit Linus could find for the unit he reviewed was 15ms vs. 9ms average frametime rendering for the in-game benchmark on Tomb Raider. The temps didn't throttle performance during his hardiest synthetic benchmarks. Nevertheless, my gripe is that you go to Wal-Mart, read all the negative reviews, and realize that it's almost certainly a bunch of neophytes regurgitating dogma who likely don't own the unit, and are trolling the brand. It's like a copy/paste job off an assembly line. Feels good. Feels good to know so much because of a 10-minute YouTube video. I think Wal-Mart might need to add a "verified purchase" to their review section.

Fortunately, Reddit has plenty of vets who can recognize real value, and that's why this trended #1 on the sales sub this morning. The irony to me is that I would presume AIO buyers who just want to plug and play don't watch gaming press reviews. First, if concerns for hardware longevity are the problem, then ride til you die inside the 2-year warranty window. Second, if looking beyond that window, or still concerned about temps and throttling, builders who do watch the gaming press videos ought to notice there is a lot of budget headroom there. Gut the parts. Throw the Case, PSU, and CPU Cooler in the garbage if you don't want to Craigslist them. Buy superior replacement parts. You'll still come out hundreds ahead, and you'll also have an interesting transplant project on your hands.

Definitely looking a little long in the tooth with Ryzen 3000 so near, but at that price it's worth a look at least.

 

[My Spot]

Free shipping:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/OVERPOWE...40902618423888931256&affillinktype=10&veh=aff

So Overpowered got clobbered last year by the gaming press on quality concerns, and that's a fine condemnation for the AIO market, who in fairness is the intended target for this product, but for capable builders who fancy cleverly applying their skills to score value, this isn't a price that should be overlooked. This is the DTW2. The normal retail is $1899 as PC Gamer notes:
https://www.pcmag.com/news/368847/save-800-on-this-walmart-overpowered-gaming-desktop

Here is a review of the DTW3 by PC Gamer which is a virtually identical unit that ultimately came down to a low of $1499 after the bad press before running out of stock:
https://www.pcgamer.com/walmart-overpowered-dtw3-gaming-desktop-review/

I put together a build that is about about as close to identical as possible, and it's $1268 before taxes in comparison to the $899 above; although it should be mentioned everyone will pay full sales tax on a Wal-Mart purchase while you are more likely to dodge a portion of taxes on the tender with this custom build. I also included a legit Windows 10 (apples-to-apples):
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yRDMLJ
Used a Vega 64 for the cheapest equivalent GPU, but NVIDIA gamers who want equal power will have to spend $60 more for the cheapest RTX 2070 (an upgrade, at least) if there are concerns like G-Sync, or simply a serious preference for NVIDIA drivers.

I don't mind that reviewers highlighted some of the cheap parts, but careful observers will notice, for example, that as hard as he tried the most meaningful performance deficit Linus could find for the unit he reviewed was 15ms vs. 9ms average frametime rendering for the in-game benchmark on Tomb Raider. The temps didn't throttle performance during his hardiest synthetic benchmarks. Nevertheless, my gripe is that you go to Wal-Mart, read all the negative reviews, and realize that it's almost certainly a bunch of neophytes regurgitating dogma who likely don't own the unit, and are trolling the brand. It's like a copy/paste job off an assembly line. Feels good. Feels good to know so much because of a 10-minute YouTube video. I think Wal-Mart might need to add a "verified purchase" to their review section.

Fortunately, Reddit has plenty of vets who can recognize real value, and that's why this trended #1 on the sales sub this morning. The irony to me is that I would presume AIO buyers who just want to plug and play don't watch gaming press reviews. First, if concerns for hardware longevity are the problem, then ride til you die inside the 2-year warranty window. Second, if looking beyond that window, or still concerned about temps and throttling, builders who do watch the gaming press videos ought to notice there is a lot of budget headroom there. Gut the parts. Throw the Case, PSU, and CPU Cooler in the garbage if you don't want to Craigslist them. Buy superior replacement parts. You'll still come out hundreds ahead, and you'll also have an interesting transplant project on your hands.

Definitely looking a little long in the tooth with Ryzen 3000 so near, but at that price it's worth a look at least.

They have another one too for $699. 1070 instead of 1080 and 16 gigs instead of 32.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/OVERPOWE...26345549054085767543&affillinktype=10&veh=aff

 

[Madmick]

They have another one too for $699. 1070 instead of 1080 and 16 gigs instead of 32.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/OVERPOWE...26345549054085767543&affillinktype=10&veh=aff

Retail for that one was $1399, but it's definitely a step below the DTW2 and DTW3, and has more serious caveats.

Nevertheless, wonderful case in point on how unreliable reviews are. The first 1-star review:

As someone with their own pc business... Why? Cheap bare bones motherboard with only 1 slot for memory, ram stick looks like it's from the year 2003. Poor cable management. Missing screws. Poor quality power supply that would probably short within 6 months. Who designed this PC? Which QC person passed this? It's shocking. I had a customer bring one of these in for repair and I was shocked. I recommend they scrap it. 0/10 would NOT recommend.

https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3401-walmart-gaming-pc-overpowered-dtw3-not-worth-it-review

Criminally Incompetent
Focusing on build quality today, we start with component selection. Walmart’s double-outsourced and once-subcontracted PC builder elected to instantly enfeeble the sum of parts by using an Intel H310 chipset, heralding from the Gigabyte H310M S2 motherboard (which is somehow ~$70 retail). An instant reaction might be that this doesn’t matter, seeing as the CPU is an Intel i7-8700 non-K, locked CPU, but further inspection betrays this belief. The H310 chipset runs a bus speed of ~5GT/s over DMI2, whereas any other Intel chipset – like the equally cheap B360 variant – runs 8GT/s over DMI3; in fact, the H310 chipset was recently the top candidate for re-awakening the 22nm fab that Intel uses. If that doesn’t tell you how low-end this chipset really is, nothing will. Intel deemed it weak enough to not even need 14nm production, and elected to save dwindling 14nm fab space by pushing some of the H310 production back to 22nm.

That isn’t a good chipset.

Further still, H310 can only peel-off 6 lanes for PCIe from the chipset, whereas B360 can pull 12 PCIe lanes. H310 can’t host as many USB ports, particularly Gen 3/3.1. More critically, it also can only host 1x DIMM per channel (1DPC), limiting boards to just 2 DIMM slots. Assuming the actual DTW3 uses the same motherboard, because it probably does, that means a 32GB Walmart system probably rocks 2400MHz memory in two slots.

We don’t have to guess, though, because we have the DTW1, and it does run 2400MHz of 16GB in a single slot. Further, Walmart’s own support staff clearly have no damn idea what they’re talking about, because the product lists the memory as “2400GHz.”

That’s giga, as in about 1000x wrong.

Gigabyte H310M S2
https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Motherboard/H310M-S2-rev-10#sp

The rando moron who obviously didn't buy the unit can't even parrot a negative review properly because he's too stupid to comprehend what he's reading, or worse, he did buy it, and he doesn't even know what a RAM slot looks like. Because we all know how common 1-RAM slot motherboards are. But he's someone "with their own PC business."

 

[My Spot]

Yeah, I swear I've seen one of those in Walmart with a Z370 mobo. I think it was the $1400 one I linked.

 

[90 50]

Retail for that one was $1399, but it's definitely a step below the DTW2 and DTW3, and has more serious caveats.

Nevertheless, wonderful case in point on how unreliable reviews are. The first 1-star review:



https://www.gamersnexus.net/hwreviews/3401-walmart-gaming-pc-overpowered-dtw3-not-worth-it-review

Gigabyte H310M S2
https://www.gigabyte.com/us/Motherboard/H310M-S2-rev-10#sp

The rando moron who obviously didn't buy the unit can't even parrot a negative review properly because he's too stupid to comprehend what he's reading, or worse, he did buy it, and he doesn't even know what a RAM slot looks like. Because we all know how common 1-RAM slot motherboards are. But he's someone "with their own PC business."

Even my a320 mini mobo has two slots lol

What f I ing idiot

 

[ssBaldy]

So here come some rumors about AMD video card plans. I am mildly curious about that Navi 21. Ray tracing and 16 GB memory.

 

[rob mafia]

holy crap @ those overpowereds.

not bad. i'd think those were unbelievable deals if it weren't for intel's woes.