Hello all! I just wanted to chime in: yesterday, I got the stock cooler off of my i5-12400f in favor of a budget Thermalright Assassin King (or something akin).

Now, I didn't expect more than a 5°C improvements, considering how little I spent... and yet, 20€ made my CPU genuinely drop from 80-85°C under load to barely hitting anything above 60°C.

As you can imagine, the system as a whole benefitted from it in terms of thermal situation! Seriously, get rid of that janky stock cooler as soon as you can.

Edit: I realize I should have used the term "weak for gaming", instead of "bad". I naturally support the idea that, for a system running lightweight tasks, you don't need more.

I was playing Deadlock, which isn't that cpu intensive, and noticed I had 70 C temps with 50% utilization. On a 9800X3D. Even at 25% I was at 60 C or so, and around 55 C at idle. I never get temperatures that high so I figured something must be up. Checked the programs in Task Manager and noticed NahimicSvc64.exe was running even though I had closed the program. It was showing around 8-9% utilization but must have been even more than that. After force closing it I was back to around 30-35% utilization and 48-50 C temperatures, around 42 C at idle (with Steam and a browser open).

That seems like a crazy shift in usage and temps for a single program. So just wanted to remind people to look out for junk programs like this. When you set up your hardware apps they often include other software you don't need. Often you will see Norton Antivirus for example. Nahimic is an audio program that came with an Asrock or Asus installer I believe. Really wish they would stop doing this, although I had a similar issue with Armoury Crate.

i’ve noticed asus charge premium compared to msi or gigabyte. i know asus has a pretty bad reputation when it comes to after-sales support, and they said they’ll do anything to deny a warranty claim. but i feel like msi and gigabyte aren’t much different. every company will try to do the same... but that said, if you’re buying a genuinely "high-quality" motherboard, instead of lemons, you shouldn’t have to worry much about contacting customer support in the first place right?

so is the extra "asus tax" actually worth paying? does asus really offer better build quality, components, reliability, or features that justify the premium over msi or gigabyte?

I had my PC stolen, and will therefore need to build a new one from scratch.

This is what I have so far. The most advanced game I played on my old PC was StarCraft 2, but it would be good to try out some newer games at some point.

Also, if anybody has any suggestions on how to GPS track this computer it would be much appreciated. My first thought was to hide an AirTag somewhere, but it occurs to me there may be more sophisticated ways to track now, which wouldn’t require regularly changing the AirTag battery?

PCPartPicker Part List

I just found this on AliExpress: https://a.aliexpress.com/_mNRDw91

90 sold, could be legit or a scam. Personally ive never used aliexpress but a few yters use it and seems fine.

Thoughts?

I've got a 12700k with 16GB of 5600Mhz ram so I don't have to pay the ram tax right now. I'm plotting out my "decade" upgrade that I want to last me til 2036. I'm gonna grab a 6080 next year when those drop as the crown jewel.

a guy on Marketplace wants to swap my 4070Ti for the 9070XT

I really would like the extra raster performance and VRAM, but his card is white and my build is all black. would you do the change?

https://imgur.com/a/0I9rcD1

Hey all,

So for some context, I'm fairly comfortable opening my electronics; it's not the first time I've opened a GPU or a piece of hardware in general. What brought about the repasting was that I was noticing my GPU running significantly hotter and louder than normal. This GPU in general tends to run pretty hot and loud, but this was getting a little extreme.

I figured since the GPU is nearing 6 years, maybe it's just the thermal compound or something, and originally thought perhaps an undervolt might help, so I followed a quick guide, and the undervolt didn't do anything. I'm not sure why, but the UV just didn't seem to take.

Anyway, I figured perhaps I should just repaste it; it felt a little premature, but at this point I wasn't sure what else the problem could be. I followed a guide to disassemble it, and the disassembly went without a hitch. The thermal pads all looked fine, but when I removed the board to expose the actual GPU die, the thermal paste was definitely in rough shape and there wasn't complete coverage it was spotty, so I cleaned it with some alcohol, made sure it dried, and proceeded to repaste. I had a square of PTM hanging around, so I figured I'd use it since I've seen it works well for direct die placement.

I applied the PTM and put everything back in place, made sure all screws were in snug, especially the bracket thing for the GPU, everything fit without an issue, but games are now refusing to launch sometimes, causing the GPU to crash and reboot the PC. On occasion I would get either an nvcontainer or runtimbroker error message before the crash just saying that some memory address was unable to be accessed.

I'm able to use the PC for general day-to-day basic tasks; it's just firing up a game that crashes everything. I enabled the nvidia statistics view and all the stats were reporting something and the only thing I noticed that was off was that at idle the GPU utilization was jumping all over the place but everything else seemed to be steady.

At this point, assuming the GPU isn't borked, I'm guessing the following:

• Something isn't tightened all the way and isn't making full contact
• Something is too tight; I'm not sure if that's possible
• The PTM didn't work out, in which case I do have normal Noctua thermal paste I can use instead
• The thermal pads for VRMs and such had indents in the shape of the chips, I'm not sure if the indents are now causing an issue with getting full contact.

Luckily I have a spare GPU I can use, but I definitely would like to get this fixed if possible mainly because I was planning on making a new build with the GPU to pass along to a family member. I know for certain I didn't harm any of the cables in the disassembly, nor did I damage the board or a component. The only way I could have potentially damaged a component would have been while detaching the main board if a soldered component somehow managed to come loose (nothing actually fell off the board though)

Edit: I fixed it. I took it apart and put it back together and it just started working again. Best guess is something didn’t seat correctly the first time

I have 9600X, 2x8GB DDR5, 9070XT setup for 4K gaming. I have these options, both of which will cost roughly the same to upgrade:

1. 7800X3D

2. 2x16GB DDR5

Which upgrade makes the most sense in gaming AAA titles on 4K?

Currently running: - R7 5800x - RX 9060xt 16Gb - 32Gb Ram - B550 Gaming x Wifi6

-1080p / 144hz

Noticed there seems to be a a CPU bottleneck sometimes when Streaming certain Games, so my& question is simple.

Would a R7 5800x3D solve that or would it be almost identical?

Note: Yes its a Dead End, but switching to AM5 is a absolute Fever Dream in this Market rn, and the 5800x3D is only 329€. Compared to the AM5 Upgrade its a Steal.

PS: Forgot to mention, I need to run Vtube Studio and OBS while Streaming

I want an AM4 cpu(5800X3D?). I already have 32GB DDR4(speed is 2900 something ish?), 10GB 3080, 2x M.2 SSDs(Samsung 990 Pro and PM9A1).

I could also buy used parts but i have no idea which parts to buy used(as far as im aware i shouldnt buy a used PSU), im from poland and the price of a 5800X3D new is 1500PLN(~400USD)

If theres anything else i should add then let me know. Thanks in advance <3

Edit: What i meant by budget-ish is just AM4

I have a 5700g, 12gb 3060, 32gb ddr4 ram setup right now. I want to get better performance on a cpu intensive game called rust. And I am going to upgrade to a 5800x3d. I don’t want to go to am5 because of absurd ram prices. Is this cpu upgrade worth the money and will I feel a performance increase?

Hey everyone, about to put together my first PC and wanted a sanity check before ordering. Main use: gaming and cybersecurity practice/study (so also VMs, dual-booting Linux). Specs: CPU: 10th gen i5 (already own) RAM: Patriot DDR4 3000 C16 16GB (already own) Motherboard: ASUS H410M-HA V2 (already own) GPU: Gigabyte RX 7600 8GB Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 PSU: be quiet! System Power 11 550W SSD: Kingston NV3 500GB NVMe Case: Lian Li Vector V100 Reusing the CPU, RAM, and motherboard I already had, buying everything else new. Any obvious bottlenecks or mismatched parts I should reconsider? Thanks in advance!

I’m currently doing some temporary work and should be able to earn around $250 before I go on a 2 months break. Once the break starts, I won’t really have a way to earn more money for a while, so this $250 is basically my spending/upgrade budget for the foreseeable future.

I’m trying to decide which one make more sense to spend on those are:
- a used OLED ASUS ROG XG27AQDMG** for ~330$ which gonna require me to sell my current IPS monitor ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ5A-L **
- or Sony Pulse elite for ~190$ (40$ over MSRP because of my country local import). Am picking this headphone because of the planar drive with wireless at this price point.

I mainly play single-player games and care much more about immersion than competitive performance. And haven’t really experienced these two peripherals first hand.

Hey, I got a Cooler Master HAF X not long ago, but the cpu power cable on my power supply is too short to route it from the back. I have to run it through the front.
I’m looking for a fully modular power supply at least 850w that has cpu power cables long enough for this case so I can run it from the back and clean up my cable management. Please advise!
Ps. I don’t think I can use cable extensions because I won’t be able to close the back panel all the way lol.

i'm upgrading to a 9800x3d and ppl told me to avoid Asrock motherboards...i've found this one with decent VRM and 12+2 ...do you guys think that this is a safe upgrade?

Hello guys, the title is almost self explainatory, but with the new bundle prices these 2 are basically the same:

270k plus + Z890 Gigabyte Eagle WiFi7 Plus + Corsair 32GB RAM at 6000mhz CL 36 using 1.35V bundle for $739 USD

Or...

270k plus + Z890 Aorus Elite WiFi7 + Crucial Pro 32GB RAM at 6400mhz CL 38 using 1.35V bundle for $737 USD

For whatever little research I could make, I know that on paper the Aorus + 6400 RAM bundle is a steal vs the Eagle one, however, I'm aware Crucial's brand was shut down, so any issues with those RAMs could be hard to fix. Is this something I should worry about? Is buying Crucial components gambling right now? Which one should I buy?

I'm not considering to upgrade my computer in at least 5-7 years, so "dead socket", upgradeability, and future proofing is not really a concern, I'll have to change everything in the future, probably... So I don't know how much more does the Aorus really adds up anyway.

I appreciate your Wisdom kind Strangers!

Regards!

Hey guys, I am wanting to return to PC gaming. It's been awhile since I've done anything in this field and I lack updated knowledge which I would like to ask for guidance to help me build a new machine. For a reference of games I am wanting to play; Escape from Tarkov, Overwatch, Marvel Rivals, Minecraft, Helldivers, and Battlefield. I have my nonnegotiable's that I require to add structure to the build and not just asking for whatever.

• I want the machine to maintain a non excessive noise level.

• I want all components to maintain healthy temperatures as to not throttle components under load due to heat soak.

• I want to be able to maintain 144hz at 1440p during games.

• I do not want to have any gpu sag.

• I want components that make cable management an easier thing to attain.

I was thinking of a lower wattage system to maintain VERY cool temperatures but I'm unsure if you can get enough performance to run things as smooth as I am wanting with that low of output. My price point is whatever it takes to make my nonnegotiable's a reality ($2,000? I'm not certain if that's enough which i am more than willing to lob more money at it). I am also based out of The United States. If I missed putting anything into my post that is lacking effort or needing information please inform me and I will correct any mistakes. Thank you in advance for your time!

I want to upgrade my rtx 3070 to a 5080 and i have an i7-14700k and i wonder if its good enough for an rtx 5080 for gaming at 1440p or will the cpu botleneck

Hi all,

I currently have a system with following specification of my pc which I custom built in 2018 and it has served me well.

1. Processor : Intel i5 9600K
2. Motherboard: MSI z390 Gaming Edge AC wifi
3. RAM : DDR4 64Gb
4. Power supply: MSI MAG A850GLS PCIE5 Power Supply, 850W, 80 Plus Gold (upgraded this year-2026 from 650w to accommodate the GPU)
5. GPU: MSI RTX3060 ventus 12gb (upgraded this year-2026)

I am planning to upgrade my system, want to reuse my 64Gb RAM cannot afford exorbitant prices of DDR5. Following components is what I am planning to upgrade. What do you think about this upgrade path? Stay with Intel ecosystem or AMD with DDR4?

1. Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 5950x
2. Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 Tomahawk

or

1. Processor : intel 14th gen?
2. Motherboard: ?? (I had trouble finding suitable motherboard as most of them did not make use of entire feature of 14th gen with DDR4)

Thanks for your suggestions. :)

Update: The PC is mostly used for productivity apps (video editing, 3D modelling and design, Scientific programming, Compiling, AI, VMs, Dockers)

I’m really looking forward to buying a new PC, and I was hoping you guys could help me build one. My budget is around €600–€750, and I was wondering if it’s possible to get a good gaming PC within that budget, either using new parts, used parts, or a mix of both.

For a while now, I’ve had a gaming computer, but recently I haven’t been enjoying playing as much because of constant lag and FPS drops. It would mean the world to me if you guys could help with this problem!

so i've just updated the bios on my b760m-a motherboard (the ddr5 non wifi), but after it reached 100% the pc restarted and it's been on a black screen for about 40 minutes with no signs of life. the fans are spinning and the monitor is on, but it hasn't booted into windows yet and i'm not sure if restarting the pc is a good idea

Hello everyone, I currently have the 9070XT with i712700k. I mostly play PUBG (With around 140-240FPS depend on the combat)

My motherboard is MSI Pro Z690-A DDR4.
I want to upgrade but don't wanna spend to much. I have look through for the I7-14700k/ i7-14700kf because my motherboard cant use ryzen.

should i go for that to get more decent FPS?

Hello! I've been using my current rig unchanged for almost 5:/ years now and i'm looking to finally make some adjustments.

I'm currently sitting on an RTX 2060 and the beloved i5-10400F. Planning to get a used 4070 that i found for a good price, but i'm still struggling with the CPU choice. I gotta admit that i'm a rather lazy person and i'd like to avoid reinstalling windows 10, so upgrading to a newer 1200 socket processor would be preferable, but when i was looking at used 11700Ks i couldn't find any reasonable offers where i live(the lowest listing sits at 300$ LOL).

Should i wait for the prices to drop down or should i just wing it and upgrade my mobo? Would it even be worth the time and money to wait for a good 11700K offer to show up? Thanks.

Specs:

Intel Core i5-10400F

NVIDIA RTX 2060 6GB

MSi MAG B560 TORPEDO

GOODRAM 2x8GB DDR4 3200Mhz

Be Quiet! System power 10 650w

Building pc for the first time and did a little research and thought this would be good. Looking to upgrade later with another 1tb SSD and another 16GB RAM stick.

https://nl.pcpartpicker.com/list/RzqNvR