PC Sherdog PC Build/Buy Thread, v6: My Power Supply Burned Down My House

[BJ@LW&WW]

i dont really game much anymore, but want a pc capable of playing some modern games in the future.

was looking at this prebuilt for $879 before tax:

Victus by HP 15L Gaming Desktop TG02-0346st

• Intel® Core™ i5- 12400 (2.5 GHz up to 4.4 GHz , 18 MB L3 cache, 12 cores )
  
• 16 GB DDR4-3200 RAM (2 x 8 GB)
  
• 256 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
  
• No HDD
  
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 (12 GB GDDR6 dedicated) with LHR, Display Connectors HDMI*1, DP*3
• FLAG EPEAT
  
• FLAG ENERGY STAR Qualified
  
• 500 W 80 Plus Bronze certified power supply
  
• Realtek Wi-Fi 6 (2x2) and Bluetooth® 5.2 combo (Supporting Gigabit data rate)
  
• HP 310 White Wired Keyboard and mouse combo
• Omen Mouse Pad 100

Any thoughts? I don't really plan to play it, but I want a pc with specs that are able to play Warzone at ~120-165 fps on low settings 1080p, as that seems to be a modern game with moderately high hardware demand

its also upgradeable to an i7-12700 (+145$), 16 gb more ram (+200$), more storage, and better graphics (rx6600xt or 3060ti +230$)

but based on recommended specs, i feel those upgrades are overkill for the level of performance im looking for. Would I be wrong? I also feel 256 ssd is enough for the OS + a few games/programs, and I can store other things like media on an external HDD.

 

[PEB]

Side info for PC builders.

 

[Madmick]

i dont really game much anymore, but want a pc capable of playing some modern games in the future.

was looking at this prebuilt for $879 before tax:

Victus by HP 15L Gaming Desktop TG02-0346st

• Intel® Core™ i5- 12400 (2.5 GHz up to 4.4 GHz , 18 MB L3 cache, 12 cores )
  
• 16 GB DDR4-3200 RAM (2 x 8 GB)
  
• 256 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
  
• No HDD
  
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 (12 GB GDDR6 dedicated) with LHR, Display Connectors HDMI*1, DP*3
• FLAG EPEAT
  
• FLAG ENERGY STAR Qualified
  
• 500 W 80 Plus Bronze certified power supply
  
• Realtek Wi-Fi 6 (2x2) and Bluetooth® 5.2 combo (Supporting Gigabit data rate)
  
• HP 310 White Wired Keyboard and mouse combo
• Omen Mouse Pad 100

Any thoughts? I don't really plan to play it, but I want a pc with specs that are able to play Warzone at ~120-165 fps on low settings 1080p, as that seems to be a modern game with moderately high hardware demand

its also upgradeable to an i7-12700 (+145$), 16 gb more ram (+200$), more storage, and better graphics (rx6600xt or 3060ti +230$)

but based on recommended specs, i feel those upgrades are overkill for the level of performance im looking for. Would I be wrong? I also feel 256 ssd is enough for the OS + a few games/programs, and I can store other things like media on an external HDD.

Yes, that comp will easily hit your 120fps@1080p target in Warzone. But don't get that one with upgrades. Just get this one for $999:
HP Victus 15L TG02-0366qd (tech specs)

The 12400 meets your needs, but the 12700 is a significant upgrade. It doubles your cores (adds 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores), has much higher frequencies, and adds a lot of cache. It's only +$120 for the model I linked with the CPU upgrade, and it also doubles your SSD storage to 512GB, plus it comes with 1TB HDD storage. That's less than the price difference of the 12400 and 12700 on the open component market alone (~$150) for three upgrades.

i7-12700 vs. i5-12400: +16% in game fps average (this is large, you can see more comparisons below)
https://www.techspot.com/review/2392-intel-core-i5-12400/

 

[BJ@LW&WW]

Yes, that comp will easily hit your 120fps@1080p target in Warzone. But don't get that one with upgrades. Just get this one for $999:
https://www.hp.com/us-en/shop/pdp/victus-by-hp-15l-gaming-desktop-tg02-0366qd-bundle-pc#techSpecs

The 12400 meets your needs, but the 12700 is a significant upgrade. It doubles your cores (adds 2 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores), has much higher frequencies, and adds a lot of cache. It's only +$120 for the model I linked with the CPU upgrade, and it also doubles your SSD storage to 512GB. That's less than the price difference of the 12400 and 12700 on the open component market alone (~$150).

i7-12700 vs. i5-12400: +16% in game fps average (this is large, you can see more comparisons below)
https://www.techspot.com/review/2392-intel-core-i5-12400/

thanks, that does seem like a big upgrade for a low price. actually, the 999 doesnt include the promocode i used to get the 879 on the other pc, so it comes down to 949 or only 70$ more

 

[My Spot]

i dont really game much anymore, but want a pc capable of playing some modern games in the future.

was looking at this prebuilt for $879 before tax:

Victus by HP 15L Gaming Desktop TG02-0346st

• Intel® Core™ i5- 12400 (2.5 GHz up to 4.4 GHz , 18 MB L3 cache, 12 cores )
  
• 16 GB DDR4-3200 RAM (2 x 8 GB)
  
• 256 GB PCIe® NVMe™ M.2 SSD
  
• No HDD
  
• NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 (12 GB GDDR6 dedicated) with LHR, Display Connectors HDMI*1, DP*3
• FLAG EPEAT
  
• FLAG ENERGY STAR Qualified
  
• 500 W 80 Plus Bronze certified power supply
  
• Realtek Wi-Fi 6 (2x2) and Bluetooth® 5.2 combo (Supporting Gigabit data rate)
  
• HP 310 White Wired Keyboard and mouse combo
• Omen Mouse Pad 100

Any thoughts? I don't really plan to play it, but I want a pc with specs that are able to play Warzone at ~120-165 fps on low settings 1080p, as that seems to be a modern game with moderately high hardware demand

its also upgradeable to an i7-12700 (+145$), 16 gb more ram (+200$), more storage, and better graphics (rx6600xt or 3060ti +230$)

but based on recommended specs, i feel those upgrades are overkill for the level of performance im looking for. Would I be wrong? I also feel 256 ssd is enough for the OS + a few games/programs, and I can store other things like media on an external HDD.

Not bad, but you should always be wary of the PSUs that come with these prebuilds.

 

[Madmick]

Not bad, but you should always be wary of the PSUs that come with these prebuilds.

Could be. I figured a greater caveat with a prebuilt like this one, especially if you buy the more powerful variants with an upgraded CPU/GPU, is the thermals. Gamers Nexus has shown that in the recent past with the HP Pavilions:


Yet that doesn't seem to be the case. This random YouTuber shows you how to install one of the more elusive 92mm AIO liquid coolers from start to finish in this unit. Surprisingly, while the average temp differences were enormous, the peak temp under stress testing for the CPU with the stock cooler was just 77C (only ~5C hotter than the AIO). That's perfectly fine. Nevertheless, we aren't given a sophisticated breakdown of all relevant temps (GPU, motherboard hotspots, the internal chamber generally, etc).

 

[My Spot]

Could be. I figured a greater caveat with a prebuilt like this one, especially if you buy the more powerful variants with an upgraded CPU/GPU, is the thermals. Gamers Nexus has shown that in the recent past with the HP Pavilions:


Yet that doesn't seem to be the case. This random YouTuber shows you how to install one of the more elusive 92mm AIO liquid coolers from start to finish in this unit. Surprisingly, while the average temp differences were enormous, the peak temp under stress testing for the CPU with the stock cooler was just 77C (only ~5C hotter than the AIO). That's perfectly fine. Nevertheless, we aren't given a sophisticated breakdown of all relevant temps (GPU, motherboard hotspots, the internal chamber generally, etc).

I think the bigger issue is a casual will see that it's advertised as 80+ Bronze and think that actually means something.

 

[BJ@LW&WW]

I think the bigger issue is a casual will see that it's advertised as 80+ Bronze and think that actually means something.

bruh i think the average casual doesnt even look at the power supply specs in a prebuilt pc.

 

[Madmick]

FML, GamersNexus's takedown of HP's Pavilion series must have left them with a serious overabundance of prebuilt inventory because they are really trying to clear these things out before the Zen 4 CPUs and next-gen GPUs hit. The Omen's have actually received mostly stellar reviews.

($699) HP Omen 30L [GT13-1114]
Product Specifications [Datasheet]

• AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 6-Core 3.9GHz CPU (w/Radeon Vega 7 iGPU) [compare ark to 5600X; also gaming performance]
• Wraith Stealth CPU cooler
• AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT 8GB GDDR6 GPU
  
• 16GB (2x8GB) Kingston HyperX 3200MHz DDR4 RAM
  
• 1TB NVMe m.2 WD Black SN730 SSD
• B550 Micro-ATX motherboard w/4 RAM slots
  
• 500W Bronze Cooler Master PSU
• Realtek RTL8822CE (WiFi 5 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.0)
• Realtek Audio Codec: ALC3866-CG (5.1 Surround & DTS-X Headphone support)
• OMEN Light Studio supported hardware (Advanced RGB sync/controls)
• Windows 11 Home 64-Bit
• Keyboard + Optical Mouse (USB black, wired)
  
• Ports:
  • Front Ports
    • 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A (5 Gbps)
    • Headphone/Mic Combo
    • Microphone-in
      
    • Power Button
  • Rear Ports
    • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port (10 Gbps)
    • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port (5 Gbps)
    • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port (10 Gbps)
    • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port (5 Gbps)
    • 2x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
      
    • 3x Audio ports (line-in/line-out/microphone)
    • 1x RJ45 Ethernet Port
  • Internal Expansion
    • 1x PCIe 4.0 x 16 Slot (unavailable; populated by GPU)
    • 1x PCIe 3.0 x 4 slot (available)
    • 3x M.2 Slots (1x available)
    • 2x Internal 3.5" Bay (2x available)

($1299) HP OMEN 30L [GT13-1154]
Product Specifications [Datasheet]

• AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-Core 3.8GHz CPU
• 120mm Liquid CPU Cooler
• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 10GB GDDR6X GPU
  
• 16GB (2x8GB) Kingston HyperX 3200MHz DDR4 RAM
• 1TB NVMe m.2 WD Black SN730 SSD
• B550 Micro-ATX motherboard w/4 RAM slots
• 800W Gold Cooler Master PSU [750W Platinum Cooler Master PSU also possible]
• Realtek WiFi Adapter RTL8822CE (WiFi 5 2x2 + Bluetooth 5.0)
• Realtek Audio Codec: ALC3866-CG (5.1 Surround & DTS-X Headphone support)
• OMEN Light Studio supported hardware (Advanced RGB sync/controls)
  
• Windows 11 Home 64-Bit
• Keyboard + Optical Mouse (USB black, wired)
• Ports:
  • Front Ports
    • 2x USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A (5 Gbps)
    • Headphone/Mic Combo
    • Microphone-in
      
    • Power Button
  • Rear Ports
    • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port (10 Gbps)
    • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port (5 Gbps)
    • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port (10 Gbps)
    • 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A port (5 Gbps)
    • 2x USB 2.0 Type-A ports
      
    • 3x Audio ports (line-in/line-out/microphone)
    • 1x RJ45 Ethernet Port
  • Internal Expansion
    • 1x PCIe 4.0 x 16 Slot (unavailable; populated by GPU)
    • 1x PCIe 3.0 x 4 slot (available)
    • 3x M.2 Slots (1x available)
    • 2x Internal 3.5" Bay (2x available)

Stock thermals are fine, but you can install an aftermarket CPU cooler and new fans to achieve top notch thermals if you like (though the 120mm and 92mm stock case fans appear to be Cooler Master, and the more expensive GT13-1154 unit comes with a liquid cooler, so I see no need to replace those). The Omen comps come with a Micro-ATX form factor motherboard meaning they're upgradeable on a universal standard. At the above prices even these additions will shit on the best value you can buy if building yourself from scratch. Hell, you could buy a whole new case, throw the stock Omen case away if you desired, not that this makes sense to me, and still come out hundreds of dollars ahead.

 

[My Spot]

The ones with the 3060 and 3070 instead of a 3080 are still $1450 and $1780 for some reason.

 

[Fuzzybabyducks]

New warzone works like shit on my pc ….
What would be a good website to see what would be a good upgrade? Or do any of you guys know? I’m still on my first gaming pc ( use to be console only) trying to get away from consoles and just go pc.
Here what I have

Looking for something that would be in stock and won’t cost 900 bucks

 

[Madmick]

New warzone works like shit on my pc ….
What would be a good website to see what would be a good upgrade? Or do any of you guys know? I’m still on my first gaming pc ( use to be console only) trying to get away from consoles and just go pc.
Here what I have

Looking for something that would be in stock and won’t cost 900 bucks

That's still a good PC, Warzone 2.0 is really that demanding? Fuck me. Okay, found the official recommendation page.
https://support.activision.com/warzone-2/articles/pc-system-requirements-for-warzone-2

Recommended Specifications
The recommended specs to run at 60FPS in most situations with all options set to high:

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K / Core i7-4770 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400
• RAM: 12 GB
• Hi-Rez Assets Cache: Up to 32 GB
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580
• Video Memory: 4 GB

Competitive Specifications
The competitive specs to run at a high FPS for use with a high refresh monitor:

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
• RAM: 16 GB
• Hi-Rez Assets Cache: Up to 32 GB
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700XT
• Video Memory: 8 GB

Your PC almost entirely meets the "Recommended" specification criteria. The i7-7700 is superior to the i7-6700K & i7-4770. Your 16GB of RAM exceeds the target, and in fact meets the target for the "Competitive" criteria (though it would be nice if it was faster RAM). The one major component that isn't meeting these requirements is the GPU. While the GTX 1060 is specifically named as the NVIDIA GPU, you can see it also recommends "4GB" Video Memory aka VRAM. There were two variants of the GTX 1060 released: a 3GB and 6GB variant. The latter doesn't just have more VRAM, but it's the more powerful card. Obviously that is the one they mean.

So you might be able to resolve your issues without buying a new PC. You could simply purchase a new GPU as an upgrade.

If you consider that option, additionally, I'd advise you to check your your temps if you haven't done that. That PC looks like you probably bought it in 2015 or 2016. It could be that you simply need to apply a fresh dab of thermal paste to the CPU. Take the time to figure out if it is still performing as it should. Download this free software to monitor your CPU and GPU temps.
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/
Then download these free benchmarks, run them, and see how hot everything gets when you run them:
Cinebench R23.2
Unigine: Superposition

Cleaning your PC can help withe temps. You can find many YouTube guides on how to clean your PC. Don't use the one iBuyPower themselves posted on YouTube with their official channel. More like this:



Because meeting the "Competitive" criteria in a brand new PC for under $900 is going to be rough. As far as prebuilts are concerned, I'm really impressed with HP's new Omen offerings (i.e. 25L series, 30L series). Skytech is a solid brand for prebuilts. About the closest I can get to that budget is this. This heartily exceeds the "Competitive" requirements:
($999) CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme GXi4700W Gaming PC: Intel Core i7-12700F, 16GB DDR4, AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB, 500GB PCI-E NVMe SSD, 802.11AC WiFi, Win 11 Home

But you could find something cheaper that is still far superior to your current computer for well under $900. Just don't expect to hit the "Competitive" target.

 

[Fuzzybabyducks]

That's still a good PC, Warzone 2.0 is really that demanding? Fuck me. Okay, found the official recommendation page.
https://support.activision.com/warzone-2/articles/pc-system-requirements-for-warzone-2

Recommended Specifications
The recommended specs to run at 60FPS in most situations with all options set to high:

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K / Core i7-4770 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400
• RAM: 12 GB
• Hi-Rez Assets Cache: Up to 32 GB
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580
• Video Memory: 4 GB

Competitive Specifications
The competitive specs to run at a high FPS for use with a high refresh monitor:

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
• RAM: 16 GB
• Hi-Rez Assets Cache: Up to 32 GB
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700XT
• Video Memory: 8 GB

Your PC almost entirely meets the "Recommended" specification criteria. The i7-7700 is superior to the i7-6700K & i7-4770. Your 16GB of RAM exceeds the target, and in fact meets the target for the "Competitive" criteria (though it would be nice if it was faster RAM). The one major component that isn't meeting these requirements is the GPU. While the GTX 1060 is specifically named as the NVIDIA GPU, you can see it also recommends "4GB" Video Memory aka VRAM. There were two variants of the GTX 1060 released: a 3GB and 6GB variant. The latter doesn't just have more VRAM, but it's the more powerful card. Obviously that is the one they mean.

So you might be able to resolve your issues without buying a new PC. You could simply purchase a new GPU as an upgrade.

If you consider that option, additionally, I'd advise you to check your your temps if you haven't done that. That PC looks like you probably bought it in 2015 or 2016. It could be that you simply need to apply a fresh dab of thermal paste to the CPU. Take the time to figure out if it is still performing as it should. Download this free software to monitor your CPU and GPU temps.
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/
Then download these free benchmarks, run them, and see how hot everything gets when you run them:
Cinebench R23.2
Unigine: Superposition

Cleaning your PC can help withe temps. You can find many YouTube guides on how to clean your PC. Don't use the one iBuyPower themselves posted on YouTube with their official channel. More like this:



Because meeting the "Competitive" criteria in a brand new PC for under $900 is going to be rough. As far as prebuilts are concerned, I'm really impressed with HP's new Omen offerings (i.e. 25L series, 30L series). Skytech is a solid brand for prebuilts. About the closest I can get to that budget is this. This heartily exceeds the "Competitive" requirements:
($999) CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme GXi4700W Gaming PC: Intel Core i7-12700F, 16GB DDR4, AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB, 500GB PCI-E NVMe SSD, 802.11AC WiFi, Win 11 Home

But you could find something cheaper that is still far superior to your current computer for well under $900. Just don't expect to hit the "Competitive" target.

Thank you

 

[Madmick]

Thank you

No problem. If you do choose to merely upgrade the GPU in your current comp, and you discover your CPU temps are poor, here are some guides on removing and reapplying thermal paste.

Per removal, I suggest you run the computer for 5 minutes before turning it off, disconnecting it from a the wall, and holding the power-on button for 3+ seconds to discharge any residual charge. This warms the paste so that it's easier to gently twist the CPU cooler once you've unfastened its locking mechanism, and thereby remove it from the CPU with as little force as possible, so that you don't bend or otherwise harm the CPU pins. You may need to Google a video for how to unfasten your cooler without damaging your motherboard. It's usually not too difficult, just be careful with how you proceed, make sure you understand how the Intel stock cooler locking mechanism works. You don't need the anti-static wristband. You also don't need fancy solvents, rubbing alcohol will do (preferably the highest % isopropyl you can find).


Per which paste to use when you apply a new one:
Best Thermal Paste for CPUs 2022: 90 Pastes Tested and Ranked
Where to get the one you choose:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/thermal-paste/#sort=price&page=1

Per the best method for applying fresh thermal compound-- either of these vids show it doesn't really matter, just don't use too little:



I will suggest a few other purchases in addition to the GPU. Here is your Trace 930:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypo...hard-drive-gray-black/6032004.p?skuId=6032004
I noticed a Reddit discussion about its components.


As that iBuyPower employee frankly admits, the cooling in the Trace 930 wasn't great. If you take the time to remove the thermal paste from the CPU, I suggest you throw out that Intel stock cooler, and replace it with a more powerful CPU cooler. This unit offers extraordinary value-- I see none better on the market:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XX5K7RR

And for case fans, you can add 1-2 of these for better airflow, cheaply:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GB5JRTZ

 

[Fuzzybabyducks]

That's still a good PC, Warzone 2.0 is really that demanding? Fuck me. Okay, found the official recommendation page.
https://support.activision.com/warzone-2/articles/pc-system-requirements-for-warzone-2

Recommended Specifications
The recommended specs to run at 60FPS in most situations with all options set to high:

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K / Core i7-4770 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400
• RAM: 12 GB
• Hi-Rez Assets Cache: Up to 32 GB
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 or AMD Radeon RX 580
• Video Memory: 4 GB

Competitive Specifications
The competitive specs to run at a high FPS for use with a high refresh monitor:

• OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest update) or Windows 11 64 Bit (latest update)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 7 1800X
• RAM: 16 GB
• Hi-Rez Assets Cache: Up to 32 GB
• Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700XT
• Video Memory: 8 GB

Your PC almost entirely meets the "Recommended" specification criteria. The i7-7700 is superior to the i7-6700K & i7-4770. Your 16GB of RAM exceeds the target, and in fact meets the target for the "Competitive" criteria (though it would be nice if it was faster RAM). The one major component that isn't meeting these requirements is the GPU. While the GTX 1060 is specifically named as the NVIDIA GPU, you can see it also recommends "4GB" Video Memory aka VRAM. There were two variants of the GTX 1060 released: a 3GB and 6GB variant. The latter doesn't just have more VRAM, but it's the more powerful card. Obviously that is the one they mean.

So you might be able to resolve your issues without buying a new PC. You could simply purchase a new GPU as an upgrade.

If you consider that option, additionally, I'd advise you to check your your temps if you haven't done that. That PC looks like you probably bought it in 2015 or 2016. It could be that you simply need to apply a fresh dab of thermal paste to the CPU. Take the time to figure out if it is still performing as it should. Download this free software to monitor your CPU and GPU temps.
https://www.hwinfo.com/download/
Then download these free benchmarks, run them, and see how hot everything gets when you run them:
Cinebench R23.2
Unigine: Superposition

Cleaning your PC can help withe temps. You can find many YouTube guides on how to clean your PC. Don't use the one iBuyPower themselves posted on YouTube with their official channel. More like this:



Because meeting the "Competitive" criteria in a brand new PC for under $900 is going to be rough. As far as prebuilts are concerned, I'm really impressed with HP's new Omen offerings (i.e. 25L series, 30L series). Skytech is a solid brand for prebuilts. About the closest I can get to that budget is this. This heartily exceeds the "Competitive" requirements:
($999) CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme GXi4700W Gaming PC: Intel Core i7-12700F, 16GB DDR4, AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT 12GB, 500GB PCI-E NVMe SSD, 802.11AC WiFi, Win 11 Home

But you could find something cheaper that is still far superior to your current computer for well under $900. Just don't expect to hit the "Competitive" target.

Ended up ordering new graphics card . Asis geforce 3060 12gb

 

[Fuzzybabyducks]

No problem. If you do choose to merely upgrade the GPU in your current comp, and you discover your CPU temps are poor, here are some guides on removing and reapplying thermal paste.

Per removal, I suggest you run the computer for 5 minutes before turning it off, disconnecting it from a the wall, and holding the power-on button for 3+ seconds to discharge any residual charge. This warms the paste so that it's easier to gently twist the CPU cooler once you've unfastened its locking mechanism, and thereby remove it from the CPU with as little force as possible, so that you don't bend or otherwise harm the CPU pins. You may need to Google a video for how to unfasten your cooler without damaging your motherboard. It's usually not too difficult, just be careful with how you proceed, make sure you understand how the Intel stock cooler locking mechanism works. You don't need the anti-static wristband. You also don't need fancy solvents, rubbing alcohol will do (preferably the highest % isopropyl you can find).


Per which paste to use when you apply a new one:
Best Thermal Paste for CPUs 2022: 90 Pastes Tested and Ranked
Where to get the one you choose:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/thermal-paste/#sort=price&page=1

Per the best method for applying fresh thermal compound-- either of these vids show it doesn't really matter, just don't use too little:



I will suggest a few other purchases in addition to the GPU. Here is your Trace 930:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypo...hard-drive-gray-black/6032004.p?skuId=6032004
I noticed a Reddit discussion about its components.


As that iBuyPower employee frankly admits, the cooling in the Trace 930 wasn't great. If you take the time to remove the thermal paste from the CPU, I suggest you throw out that Intel stock cooler, and replace it with a more powerful CPU cooler. This unit offers extraordinary value-- I see none better on the market:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09XX5K7RR

And for case fans, you can add 1-2 of these for better airflow, cheaply:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GB5JRTZ

Ok good to know will order this as well

 

[Madmick]

Ok good to know will order this as well

Sure thing. Since I'm inferring that you're going with the GPU upgrade, FYI, the best bang-for-your-buck GPU right now that satisfies the "Competitive" requirement is the AMD RX 6600 XT. But you still get a really strong value with the RX 6700 XT or even the RX 6800.

On the NVIDIA side, the 3060 Ti narrowly offers a stronger value than the 3070.

 

[Fuzzybabyducks]

Sure thing. Since I'm inferring that you're going with the GPU upgrade, FYI, the best bang-for-your-buck GPU right now that satisfies the "Competitive" requirement is the AMD RX 6600 XT. But you still get a really strong value with the RX 6700 XT or even the RX 6800.

On the NVIDIA side, the 3060 Ti narrowly offers a stronger value than the 3070.

I had ordered the Asis geforce 3060 12gb, should be here monday. I also ordered 140 mm case fan. Thanks for all of your help man.

 

[Joe_Armstrong]

Anyone tried K-Lite codec pack on Windows 11 ?

I need a good codec pack for when I get W11.

 

[My Spot]

I had ordered the Asis geforce 3060 12gb

<[analyzed}>

6600 xt $280 78 fps @ 1080p ultra
3060 $370 70 fps @ 1080p ultra
6600 $210 67 fps @ 1080p ultra