PC Building Guide and Discussion #12

Commander Clueless

Hiya, hiya. Pleased to meetcha.
Sep 10, 2008
15,237
2,922
I honestly don't think I could go TN. I'm not a color snob or anything but I'd prefer a better looking picture.

I had a TN panel for a good while, but after going IPS I find it impossible to switch back. I didn't notice it before, but now even the best TNs look a little washed out.

It's one of those things that just ruins you on something you didn't notice before. :laugh:


Like trying to run Windows off an HDD after having an SSD.....barf.
 

SeidoN

#OGOC #2018 HFW Predictions Champ
Aug 8, 2012
30,796
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AEF
people rag on me for having a 27 inch TN 1080p monitor but im like "I want 144hz and im not rich soooooo"
 

Dick Sledge

The Tactleneck
Feb 11, 2009
9,647
1,694
I had a TN panel for a good while, but after going IPS I find it impossible to switch back. I didn't notice it before, but now even the best TNs look a little washed out.

It's one of those things that just ruins you on something you didn't notice before. :laugh:


Like trying to run Windows off an HDD after having an SSD.....barf.

My 4k monitor is IPS and they 1440p 144hz monitor I just ordered is VA.

I had a amazon gift card and then signed up for a store card so I haven't paid out if pocket yet lol.
 

Commander Clueless

Hiya, hiya. Pleased to meetcha.
Sep 10, 2008
15,237
2,922
My 4k monitor is IPS and they 1440p 144hz monitor I just ordered is VA.

I had a amazon gift card and then signed up for a store card so I haven't paid out if pocket yet lol.

I haven't seen a VA monitor in action, but I've heard they do a good job splitting the difference between the two.
 

Osprey

Registered User
Feb 18, 2005
27,090
9,350
Stop talking about awesome monitors! I'm still using a 24" 70Hz Acer that's not even 1080p (only 1680x1050) and that I bought 10 years ago. I'm trying to remain happy with it, but y'all are not helping ;).
 

Hammettf2b

oldmanyellsatcloud.jpg
Jul 9, 2012
22,489
4,610
So California

Dick Sledge

The Tactleneck
Feb 11, 2009
9,647
1,694
UPS says my monitor will be delivered Monday. Even though the tracking says it's only about 20 minutes away.
 

samabam

Registered User
May 3, 2006
586
202
Munich
I finally caved on a RTX 2070 for 450 Euros, my GTX790 got up there in age and was holding the ryzen back
In more demanding games it really is a significant difference in performance and what I really do like about the newer graphic cards is that they come in their own housing
 

Caeldan

Whippet Whisperer
Jun 21, 2008
15,459
1,046
They say that you shouldn't mix different types of RAM, but I've been doing that for over 20 years. If you buy two 8GB sticks, simply leave the 4GB sticks in there and you'll likely have 24GB total. If you want piece of mind, note how stable and fast everything is and maybe even a run memory speed benchmark, then remove two 4GB sticks and see if there's any difference.

The only caveat there is that, unless you actually physically damaged the two sticks, the problem could be with the motherboard. Perhaps it's a little flaky and the RX580 draws so much power that you can't use all four RAM sockets anymore. I recently had that happen with a motherboard (though not because I added a GPU), where I was using all four RAM sockets and, then, suddenly, it wouldn't boot up unless I removed either stick pairs. If that's the case with yours, you won't be able to attain 24GB and will just have to leave the 4GB sticks out.

Well so far so good. Found a good price for 2x8 sticks with same timings as my 4gb sticks. Running 24 total and no issues gaming yet. Also monitor issue seems to be fixed just by changing which one was the primary monitor.
Now let's hope this holds for the next 5-7 years! :D
 

Osprey

Registered User
Feb 18, 2005
27,090
9,350
Well so far so good. Found a good price for 2x8 sticks with same timings as my 4gb sticks. Running 24 total and no issues gaming yet. Also monitor issue seems to be fixed just by changing which one was the primary monitor.
Now let's hope this holds for the next 5-7 years! :D

Something that I forgot to mention before is that I think that people recommend not mixing RAM sticks because they'll all run at the timings of the slowest sticks. I don't see that as an issue, though, because it's always better to have more RAM than slightly faster RAM. Timing differences are negligible in benchmarks, especially game benchmarks. You bought new sticks with the same timings as the old ones, but, even if you'd bought faster sticks, getting the most out of them wouldn't have been worth giving up the chance to increase your RAM by 50%. No one, especially years down the road, ever wishes that their RAM were 1% faster. They wish that they had more of it ;).
 
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sabresfan129103

1-4-6-14
Apr 10, 2006
22,451
2,308
Amherst, NY
I've been using the same monitor since 2009, or 2010. It's this 23 inch Acer. I love this bad boy. I only game at 1080p 60fps, so I don't really need to upgrade to anything else.
 

Dick Sledge

The Tactleneck
Feb 11, 2009
9,647
1,694
My monitor came in the mail yesterday. Hooked it up the vesa mount nice and easy.

After playing a few rounds of black ops4 I could definitely tell it's a much smoother experience at 144hz. It kind of felt like things actually slowed down a bit if that makes sense.

The biggest difference was during the AC Odyssey benchmark. With my 4k 60hz there was a lot of screen tearing. Hooked up to the new monitor it went a lot smoother with a lot less tearing.

Once I got Gsync all hooked up (I'm lucky my freesync monitor works well with the new driver) the benchmark went smooth as butter.
 

aleshemsky83

Registered User
Apr 8, 2008
17,797
424
Lots of articles about ARM server CPUs being competitive with or outperforming x86 chips nowadays, interesting to see how thats gonna affect the regular consumer market.
 

expatriatedtexan

Habitual Line Stepper
Aug 17, 2005
16,342
11,652
has anyone had any experience with single fan GPUs? i'm looking at replacing the RTX 2070 in my wife's PC (itx case) but am space limited. i can install a 120mm CPU AIO cooler but only if i use an ITX GPU.

Looks like MSI has one out now but i can't find any reviews. Just wondering how hot and loud those things can get.
 

SniperHF

Rejecting Reports
Mar 9, 2007
42,631
21,042
Phoenix
Looks like MSI has one out now but i can't find any reviews. Just wondering how hot and loud those things can get.

I don't have any experience with nvidia single fan models, but my AMD single fan generally runs about the same temps as a reference cooler. They aren't very noisy usually because the fan curves these days aren't terribly aggressive.

Why would you replace an RTX 2070 though?
 

expatriatedtexan

Habitual Line Stepper
Aug 17, 2005
16,342
11,652
I don't have any experience with nvidia single fan models, but my AMD single fan generally runs about the same temps as a reference cooler. They aren't very noisy usually because the fan curves these days aren't terribly aggressive.

Why would you replace an RTX 2070 though?

Thanks Sniper.

The reason would be the CPU heat. I built her PC in the Dan Case A4-SFX, which is like a 7.2L case...really tiny. She's currently got a Noctua NH-L9i cooling it but it is struggling with the boost to keep it cool. It is possible to mount a 120mm AIO cooler but in order to do so the max length on the GPU would be 173mm.

Alternately, I could disable to the boost feature on her i7-8700 and force it to stay at 65W but if I end up getting her a new GPU that means I can use her current one to replace my GTX 970. :)
 

SeidoN

#OGOC #2018 HFW Predictions Champ
Aug 8, 2012
30,796
6,445
AEF
I kinda wanna buy a Division 2 AMD code from the steam swap reddit, but the fact that you have to verify hardware (that I dont have) means the seller would have to activate the code and send me the AMD Rewards login info. kinda worried about scam tbh but the going price is so good D:
 

SniperHF

Rejecting Reports
Mar 9, 2007
42,631
21,042
Phoenix
I kinda wanna buy a Division 2 AMD code from the steam swap reddit, but the fact that you have to verify hardware (that I dont have) means the seller would have to activate the code and send me the login info. kinda worried about scam tbh but the going price is so good D:

Heh that's a new one to me, the codes just used to work in the past. The game publishers probably got annoyed seeing their keys up for sale.
 

SeidoN

#OGOC #2018 HFW Predictions Champ
Aug 8, 2012
30,796
6,445
AEF
Heh that's a new one to me, the codes just used to work in the past. The game publishers probably got annoyed seeing their keys up for sale.

yeah. sadly all my friends have nvidia GPUs and first gen Ryzens so I cant even ask any of them. it would be fine if I wanted a BF5 or Anthem key cheap but LOL at BF5 and Anthem
 

Natey

GOATS
Aug 2, 2005
62,287
8,427
Looking for a cheap portable PC solution. Anyway I can make a mini-PC that can run things like League of Legends (well) and Dota Auto Chess? Don't wanna spend much because it's only for a few times a month. I have a pre-built mini-PC now and it can run League, but it's not great. 40 FPS and the menu lags like crazy. I'd prefer to use something a little better, maybe even with a small dedicated gpu. Or at least maybe a Ryzen APU. Problem is, I want it as small as possible. At the VERY BIGGEST the size of a PS4, but I'd prefer smaller.
 

David Dennison

I'm a tariff, man.
Jul 5, 2007
5,940
1,444
Grenyarnia
Looking for a cheap portable PC solution. Anyway I can make a mini-PC that can run things like League of Legends (well) and Dota Auto Chess? Don't wanna spend much because it's only for a few times a month. I have a pre-built mini-PC now and it can run League, but it's not great. 40 FPS and the menu lags like crazy. I'd prefer to use something a little better, maybe even with a small dedicated gpu. Or at least maybe a Ryzen APU. Problem is, I want it as small as possible. At the VERY BIGGEST the size of a PS4, but I'd prefer smaller.
You should probably start with looking for a case and work out from there, there probably aren't too many as small as a PS4 (and I imagine you won't find anything as slim as a PS4). CPU and GPU probably won't be too much of an issue with those games. Cheap? Depends on your definition of cheap I suppose, usually you have to pay up for form factor with the case/Mobo/power supply.

I did buy an Alienware alpha a few years back, definitely small enough for you and has a dedicated GPU (2gb 860 equivalent IIRC, but I don't think it can be upgraded either). They are discontinued but you could probably find one used for ~$200. I use it for my HTPC and some light gaming on the TV and I love it.
 

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