Tech Gaming Hardware discussion (& Hardware Sales) thread

[Ibm]

AMD chips have always been the darkhorse of graphics cards. People assume cheaper means lower performance. But its not the case.

 

[My Spot]

They had driver and power consumption issues going back to the late 90s. Keyword had.
Also ironic that Nvidia was the underdog back then.

 

[CaulderBorn]

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/VTXgWc

how does this look to you high level thinkers out there. Wondering if I should bite the bullet and get it now or wait and see what black Friday opens up. I live in Canada so new tariffs could ruin all plans laid regardless.

 

[Madmick]

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/VTXgWc

how does this look to you high level thinkers out there. Wondering if I should bite the bullet and get it now or wait and see what black Friday opens up. I live in Canada so new tariffs could ruin all plans laid regardless.

Looks good, but is there a specific reason you chose that RAM kit? It's not B-die or specifically on the QVL list (if you care about that guarantee). I'm seeing better for less. I'd recommend two of these instead:

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/nxFCmG/patriot-viper-venom-16-gb-1-x-16-gb-ddr5-6000-cl30-memory-pvv516g60c30

 

[avenue94]

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/VTXgWc

how does this look to you high level thinkers out there. Wondering if I should bite the bullet and get it now or wait and see what black Friday opens up. I live in Canada so new tariffs could ruin all plans laid regardless.

I wouldn't worry too much about tariffs ruining black Friday or boxing day. Product can always be shipped direct to Canada.

 

[jefferz]

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/VTXgWc

how does this look to you high level thinkers out there. Wondering if I should bite the bullet and get it now or wait and see what black Friday opens up. I live in Canada so new tariffs could ruin all plans laid regardless.

Your PSU is way overkill, you don't need 850W for a 9600x and 9060. A 650w PSU will do you just fine.

 

[CaulderBorn]

This was built buy a friend of mine, I asked for something that will last but don't need top of the line graphics.

I can wait for black friday if it wont be ruined this year.

 

[My Spot]

This was built buy a friend of mine, I asked for something that will last but don't need top of the line graphics.

I can wait for black friday if it wont be ruined this year.

Get some CL30 RAM.
And the 990 Evo Plus doesn't have DRAM.

 

[Madmick]

And the 990 Evo Plus doesn't have DRAM.

At first I was going to suggest that WD SN850X which is almost identical in price for this reason, and is generally regarded as a superior SSD, but I threw out some quick Googles of actual performance to be sure, and it was quite a mixed bag. I didn't see other SSDs that were substantially superior until he was spending $25-$30 more, and the truth is, they'd probably make almost no practical difference to his computing life. But it is worth pointing out.

Oh, about the 850W PSU. IMO, you might as well snag that. You never know what you upgrade you might get down the line, and the premium for the overhead isn't much. What's the difference, $20-$30 CAD? If you do choose to be more frugal, unless you are absolutely certain you will never upgrade your GPU while still using that unit, because you're gonna run it into the ground on this hardware, just be sure you get a >650W PSU that has enough pins to supply power to a GPU of the class that you think you might eventually upgrade to. Easiest way to do this is to temporarily swap the GPU you're actually going to buy to this theoretical future GPU, like an RTX 5070 Ti, for example, and the PCPP's compatibility filter will take care of the rest. Because otherwise, it won't matter if the 650W supplies enough power in theory to run that prospective future GPU-upgrade. If it doesn't have the pins, it won't work.

 

[KaNesDeath]

This was built buy a friend of mine, I asked for something that will last but don't need top of the line graphics.

I can wait for black friday if it wont be ruined this year.

Spend $50 more on the CPU an get the 7800X3D over the 9600X.

Disagree with @jefferz on the PSU. If the intent is for long term use. PSU's if purchased properly can be used 10+ years. Only reason they need to be replaced is when power connectors change.

 

[jefferz]

Spend $50 more on the CPU an get the 7800X3D over the 9600X.

Disagree with @jefferz on the PSU. If the intent is for long term use. PSU's if purchased properly can be used 10+ years. Only reason they need to be replaced is when power connectors change.

Where are you finding the 7800x3d for $330 Canadian?

 

[KaNesDeath]

Where are you finding the 7800x3d for $330 Canadian?

Oh geez, i just saw the conversion rate : /

 

[Slobodan]

Y'all want a laptop/desktop hybrid thing?

 

[jefferz]

Y'all want a laptop/desktop hybrid thing?

No. No I do not.

 

[Unknown Pleasures]

Hey, wonder if you guys might have some insight.

Today I bit the bullet and for the first time updated my motherboard BIOS. I originally had a pretty new motherboard, it came out just a few months before I got my system, and my BIOS version was about 18 updates later than the version that came with my PC. There wasn't anything "wrong" per se with my system, outside of some RGB issues, I found sometimes my download speeds would be inconsistent, and reading that the audio of the motherboard had minor early issues and I plan on getting some high end wired earphones shortly. I'm really unsure if BIOS updates impact any of those, but I guess I wanted to do it anyways.

I was praying very hard for no power outage, and the bios had a series of various firmware updates included LED, Thunderbolt, and some other kinds that escape me now. Took about 15 minutes in all, and probably 5 or so restarts.

I started up again.... and well, I:

1) realized my RAM was reset to 4800 I/S, so I changed that in the BIOS back to the old version of 6000,
2) the update changed my configuration for PCIE, so it wasn't recognizing my hyper m2 card, so I fixed that.

But now I'm "worried" that the folks that set up my system might have made some good settings tweaks that I'm not aware of. Whether it's to the CPU, or fans, or whatever.

So wondering if you guys have any advice of like the major settings someone should be aware of an update their BIOS with after then install a newer bios? And can I jack up my RAM speed over 6,000, or am I risking destabilizing hte system?

 

[JBSchroeds]

Hey, wonder if you guys might have some insight.

Today I bit the bullet and for the first time updated my motherboard BIOS. I originally had a pretty new motherboard, it came out just a few months before I got my system, and my BIOS version was about 18 updates later than the version that came with my PC. There wasn't anything "wrong" per se with my system, outside of some RGB issues, I found sometimes by download speeds would be inconsistent, and reading that the audio of the motherboard had minor early issues and I plan on getting some high end wired earphones shortly. I'm really unsure if BIOS updates impact any of those, but I guess I wanted to do it anyways.

I was praying very hard for no power outage, and the bios had a series of various firmware updates included LED, Thunderbolt, and some other kinds that escape me now. Took about 15 minutes in all, and probably 5 or so restarts.

I started up again.... and well, I:

1) realized my RAM was reset to 4800 I/S, so I changed that in the BIOS back to the old version of 6000,
2) the update changed my configuration for PCIE, so it wasn't recognizing my hyper m2 card, so I fixed that.

But now I'm "worried" that the folks that set up my sister might have made some good settings tweaks that I'm not aware of. Whether it's to the CPU, or fans, or whatever.

So wondering if you guys have any advice of like the major settings someone should be aware of an update their BIOS with after then install a newer bios? And can I jack up my RAM speed over 6,000, or am I risking destabilizing hte system?

You may want to check that Resizable BAR is enabled. It can go by different names (resizable bar, re-size bar, smart memory access, etc) and can hide in any number of sub-menus (usually something PCIE related).

Default fan profiles are usually fine.

If you're on AMD you may want to check that PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) is enabled.

 

[Dinkin_Flicka]

Mouse is starting to go out and need to upgrade. Have had the mouse for years and definitely before I started migrating over to PC for primary gaming.

Looking for some recommendations on a good gaming mouse. Not really sure what makes a good gaming mouse and what sets them apart other than throwing on a bunch of extra buttons.

 

[avenue94]

Mouse is starting to go out and need to upgrade. Have had the mouse for years and definitely before I started migrating over to PC for primary gaming.

Looking for some recommendations on a good gaming mouse. Not really sure what makes a good gaming mouse and what sets them apart other than throwing on a bunch of extra buttons.

Unless you're a super try hard or play games with lots of hot keys, mostly weight and feel. Doesn't hurt to go into BBY to see what ergonomics you prefer. Other than that, doesn't hurt to use the same brand as your other peripherals to keep software management easier.

I've had a couple Razer mice and an Hyperx pulse, but those wore out within two years. The pulse was nice but take it with a grain of salt since itbwas a production sample. Current mouse is a Logitech, no complaints for the gaming I do these days.

 

[GtehMVP]

I have a query about forcing resolutions on a tv for my pc, and the inconsistencies around it. I've never been able to find help online, as I think it's a unique case, but maybe I'm searching with the wrong key words.

I'm going to post this somewhere on reddit, but i thought I'd ask here too.

I prefer to game on my ultrawide 21:9 1440p monitor, but sometimes I'd rather sit on the couch and use my tv. It's a 75 inch Samsung Q90T.

My PC is hooked into the monitor and tv.

If I use 16:9 resolutions, which a lot of games only support, my tv works perfectly at 4k, 2k etc...

I prefer the 21:9 aspect ratio of monitor though. I'm able to often force 3440 by1440 on my tv in most cases with games that support borderless widescreen. In fact, I use a custom res of 3440 by 1600, just to fill in the vertical space a bit more.

For games that support ultrawide and borderless widescreen, 9-ish times out of 10 I'm able to have a giant ultrawide monitor with my tv.

However, in rare cases it doesn't just work. It either forces 16:9 resolutions, or warps the image.

This is the strange case with the Mass Effect Legendary edition. For ME1, it worked perfectly in those custom ultrawide resolutions on my tv.

ME2, despite being in the same engine/package (I believe) just won't work.

Anyone familiar with this have any ideas? I've tried just about everything i can think of.

I want to play in a similar res across both screens, not just for the wider aspect ratio, but for consistency with screenshots resolutions. I have a giant folder of images I've taken from games I've played/loved in a screen saver photo gallery.

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[GSP_37]

Probably should use Uninterruptible Power Supply when doing firmware update stuff.

I wish the UPS had the model # easily visible so I can try to order a backup/replacement battery. Now I have to unplug everything and flip it around to look for the #.