PC Building Guide and Discussion #13

[Osprey]

It looks nice but I feel it could be a bit bulky for my hands, to be honnest.

It doesn't look any bulkier to me than a PS controller, but I've never used either, so I won't pretend to be an expert. There's always the non-plus version without the grips if you'd prefer:

SN30 Pro G Classic or SN30 Pro SN | 8BitDo

 

[aleshemsky83]

FWIW, I hooked up a DS4 to my steam link system a couple years ago (using bluetooth). Connectivity was perfectly fine and it was fully functional. Where I ran into issues was twofold:

a) While Steam has functionality to map keyboard or xbox controller keys to the DS4, you often had to find mapping files for each individual game created by users or make your own. This was problematic, especially for many older titles where no one had created a map yet.

b) All of the ingame notification displays and configuration options will still show xbox buttons.

I tried for a couple months to get used to it and make it work for me. In the end those two annoyances were enough that I gave up and went with a xbox controller. Maybe the Steam mapping experience has improved since then, though I don't recall hearing of major changes.

I don't think this is true anymore. I'm pretty sure steam has full native compatibility for DS4 and switch pro controller as long as you turn it on in big picture mode just once. Maybe those are player configs that automatically turn on idk, but in my experience I've never mapped a controller or selected a configuration it always just worked.

As for DS4 controllers for non-steam PC, I would honestly just use the DS4 and use DS4windows. I personally don't use it and only use the DS4 for steam games, but I've heard great things about it and by all accounts it's legit.

 

[Knave]

I might have asked this before but anyone got suggestions for setting up a server vs. getting a disk drive bay that can plug into a PC via USB?

My dilemma is that my PC can't seem to handle a new hobby of mine (a program that uses machine learning) and it crashes - black screen, CPU pump goes nuts, case fans go nuts. A google search for most people the issue is the GPU. I'm not sure if that's the case for me (when I watch task manager the memory and the CPU seem to be drawing a ton of power and not so much the GPU thought it was being used).

I'd rather not give up the hobby. My GPU is 2 years old so it's pretty new. I upgraded to the 3700x also fairly new - but everything else is pretty old. The case is very old. So that got me thinking of an upgrade. Problem is my current case has 6 3.5" hard drives and an optical drive. I rip, store and watch movies & TV shows that I've accumulated over the years thanks to parents, family and friends gifting them and me growing up with physical copies... and I still purchase the occasional copy of something I can't find on Netflix or Prime Video. I'm a data hoarder. No doubt about it. I try to keep it all legal though (I buy it for myself and use it for myself and my family).

So now, what do I do? I'm going back and forth.
1) Buy everything new when it comes back in stock. Get a new CPU (IDK the 5900x?), get a new GPU (3080, 3090?), get some good RAM and not just the OK-ish RAM I have now, get a good and new motherboard, get a good cooler, set up a case with good airflow (seriously, the bay drives in the front of my current case probably block most air intake, the cable management is awful).
2) Cannibalize current parts and only upgrade here and there.

The first one would likely be a requirement to setting up a theoretical server. While the second one would have me looking at devices to hold & power hard drives that can plug into a computer via USB. Part of me likes the idea of a server so it's not USB wires and more USB wires. I can put the tower in the corner of some room and I could transfer new disc rips to it and manage it as needed. But when I look at FreeNAS and stuff it just looks alien. I feel like I would need an idiot's guide. I wouldn't be using it entirely for digital media either - I'd also like to store some of the machine learning stuff (file sizes can get large).

So anyone have any recommendations one way or the other? What worked for you?

 

[Starry Knight]

I might have asked this before but anyone got suggestions for setting up a server vs. getting a disk drive bay that can plug into a PC via USB?

My dilemma is that my PC can't seem to handle a new hobby of mine (a program that uses machine learning) and it crashes - black screen, CPU pump goes nuts, case fans go nuts. A google search for most people the issue is the GPU. I'm not sure if that's the case for me (when I watch task manager the memory and the CPU seem to be drawing a ton of power and not so much the GPU thought it was being used).

I'd rather not give up the hobby. My GPU is 2 years old so it's pretty new. I upgraded to the 3700x also fairly new - but everything else is pretty old. The case is very old. So that got me thinking of an upgrade. Problem is my current case has 6 3.5" hard drives and an optical drive. I rip, store and watch movies & TV shows that I've accumulated over the years thanks to parents, family and friends gifting them and me growing up with physical copies... and I still purchase the occasional copy of something I can't find on Netflix or Prime Video. I'm a data hoarder. No doubt about it. I try to keep it all legal though (I buy it for myself and use it for myself and my family).

So now, what do I do? I'm going back and forth.
1) Buy everything new when it comes back in stock. Get a new CPU (IDK the 5900x?), get a new GPU (3080, 3090?), get some good RAM and not just the OK-ish RAM I have now, get a good and new motherboard, get a good cooler, set up a case with good airflow (seriously, the bay drives in the front of my current case probably block most air intake, the cable management is awful).
2) Cannibalize current parts and only upgrade here and there.

The first one would likely be a requirement to setting up a theoretical server. While the second one would have me looking at devices to hold & power hard drives that can plug into a computer via USB. Part of me likes the idea of a server so it's not USB wires and more USB wires. I can put the tower in the corner of some room and I could transfer new disc rips to it and manage it as needed. But when I look at FreeNAS and stuff it just looks alien. I feel like I would need an idiot's guide. I wouldn't be using it entirely for digital media either - I'd also like to store some of the machine learning stuff (file sizes can get large).

So anyone have any recommendations one way or the other? What worked for you?

Have you successfully ran this machine learning program on your system before (or other algorithms that utilized the GPU parallelization)? Did it work then?

You might be able to limit the amount of cores that the program attempts to use (10% less than the maximum) if you can. You computer might be crashing because you trying to parallelize across more cores than are available on the GPU.

Also, how large are the data? If you are doing a complex task with a large dataset, you can max out the RAM fairly quickly, and your computer will freeze. When I have worked with sequencing data in the past, I have froze a server that had 128GB of RAM for a couple hours.

 

[Knave]

Have you successfully ran this machine learning program on your system before (or other algorithms that utilized the GPU parallelization)? Did it work then?

Yes to both. I have had it work. I've tried other algorithms as well and they worked (and one crash as well). And it seems to be varied in terms of crashing. I've had it crash on large input/output files but I've also had it crash on smaller ones too where it had worked before and the task should have taken minutes at most and been fairly easy even on a consumer PC. I've also gone through the same task with the same file multiple times and had it crash once.

 

[Starry Knight]

Yes to both. I have had it work. I've tried other algorithms as well and they worked (and one crash as well). And it seems to be varied in terms of crashing. I've had it crash on large input/output files but I've also had it crash on smaller ones too where it had worked before and the task should have taken minutes at most and been fairly easy even on a consumer PC. I've also gone through the same task with the same file multiple times and had it crash once.

If you're okay doing more troubleshooting before making a purchase, I would run the program while monitoring system resources. I don't think you can unambiguously say it's either the GPU (presuming that the GPU is handling the computation) or the memory being the issue.

If it's the memory, adding more sticks of RAM is an easy fix. If it's the GPU, I weep for you haha.

Regardless, it also boils down to an issue of those who wrote the program not writing safe enough code to not push past the boundaries of the system it is running on.

 

[Knave]

If you're okay doing more troubleshooting before making a purchase, I would run the program while monitoring system resources. I don't think you can unambiguously say it's either the GPU (presuming that the GPU is handling the computation) or the memory being the issue.

If it's the memory, adding more sticks of RAM is an easy fix. If it's the GPU, I weep for you haha.

Regardless, it also boils down to an issue of those who wrote the program not writing safe enough code to not push past the boundaries of the system it is running on.

Any suggestions for a program that can do this for me? I might have been overstating the frequency a bit. I was running a massive file and it went on for 12+ hours before finally crashing and that was my first crash experience. Since then it's kind of varied - crashing after minutes, crashing after an hour or two, sometimes things work fine and the idea of staring at task manager looking at usages waiting for a crash that could be minutes or even hours away (or not happen at all) doesn't sound particularly fun (and I'd rather just blow the money and start upgrading things).

 

[Starry Knight]

Any suggestions for a program that can do this for me? I might have been overstating the frequency a bit. I was running a massive file and it went on for 12+ hours before finally crashing and that was my first crash experience. Since then it's kind of varied - crashing after minutes, crashing after an hour or two, sometimes things work fine and the idea of staring at task manager looking at usages waiting for a crash that could be minutes or even hours away (or not happen at all) doesn't sound particularly fun (and I'd rather just blow the money and start upgrading things).

I'm not sure the best way to do this. My intuition would be a script that will print system usage at regular intervals to see what the last data point would be, but I'm not sure how that would be done on Windows.

 

[Knave]

I'm not sure the best way to do this. My intuition would be a script that will print system usage at regular intervals to see what the last data point would be, but I'm not sure how that would be done on Windows.

I took a look this morning and I'm reasonably confident one of the two groupings of pin connectors was slightly loose and was becoming 'looser' over time. Hopefully I didn't damage anything.

I was fiddling around earlier in the month looking to see if I had room for dual GPU in my case and I didn't. I guess reseating everything - looking for space - I didn't fully plug in for a full click on all the pins on the two connectors needed.

The GPU gets hot ~60 degrees when I put a game on or run a 3D mark test or something but the airflow in the case is awful and longterm I still need to figure something out for all my hard drives.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Got myself a Gigabyte 3080 Aorus Master... $918 from BB. Man that's a tough pill to swallow.

 

[Soedy]

Not really a PC building question since it has to do with controllers.

I'm looking for a new PC controller (yes, I hate using mouse+keyboard!). I don't really play FPS games, but some games I play do have some sort of aiming (Genshin and WD Legions right now).

My current controller, Logitech F310, which despite being cheap has served me well over the past few years, is starting to have some responsiveness issues sometimes.

I was thinking of going with the DualSense 5, which I've heard has some highly precise joysticks. However, I have 3 pet peeves with it :
- Compatibility. I've read Steam is already offering near flawless compatibility (besides the controller's gimmicks that I could not care less about), but unsure about where the development of that 3rd party driver for Sony Controllers is. I'd like to be able to use the controller right away without having to switch whether I'm on Steam or another launcher. I'm also wondering whether the PS button in the center of the controller can bring up the Steam Overlay (I like to take screenshots sometimes), and whether the Create button works as a "Back" button on PC, since it's used in some games I've played,
- The name of the buttons. I know this is dumb, but when I used to use my PS3 controllers years ago, I would always get confused since games use the ABXY buttons, while my controller would have X, O, Square and Triangle.
- I've read that for the moment (a Git fork from the DS4Windows driver), it only works via bluetooth, not wired. I tend to prefer not having to deal with charging and stuff, so I'd at least want to be able to plug it at all time.

If anyone has tried the DS5 on PC already (and preferably on games outside of the Steam Launcher), any review would be greatly appreciated.

Otherwise, any suggestion of controllers would also be appreciated. My criteria would be as follow :
- Precise joysticks
- PlayStation controller layout (that is, for the position of the left joystick and of the D-pad - I just hate the Xbox layout, and any controller with that layout is a big no)
- Can be wireless, but at least possible to play wired
- Quality build and comfortable grip
- Ideally less than $100 (CAD), but I could live with up to say $125.
- I want to avoid gimmicky controllers with stupid stuff like Turbo options.

I've found the SteelSeries Stratus Duo controller, but I feel like the ABXY buttons might be a little too big. And it's like the only one I've found so far - outside of the DS5 controller.

Of course, the DS4 could be an option, but considering its price and the price of the DS5, and considering the DS5 just looks 100 times better, I'd rather go with the DS5 assuming the compatibility is there.

The Logitech F310 (and it's wireless more expensive version) is also an option, but having used it for a while, I often get hand pain after extensive use because it's so bulky.

Thanks!

tl;dr : looking for PC controller suggestions that have the same layouts as the PS controllers

DS4Windows announced they want to support Dual Sense and are already working on it. DS4 Windows and Dualshock 4 worked flawlessly on a bluetooth dongle for me.

 

[Kairi Zaide]

DS4Windows announced they want to support Dual Sense and are already working on it. DS4 Windows and Dualshock 4 worked flawlessly on a bluetooth dongle for me.

I actually got a PS5 controller to try. Works perfectly on Steam without DS4Windows. I downloaded a fork of DS4Windows to use it to play Genshin Impact (because if I use Steam with it to launch it, the controller is still detected but it doesn't work). It works... but it's weird as hell. The connection also seems to be whacky.

In the end, much to my surprise, I might return it because I actually don't find it... as comfortable as I thought it'd be. It's also very unfriendly to people with wet hands like me, I find. ;_;

 

[TJ21]

Hey guys, a quick question since I'm completely new to this. I'm in Canada, and have a budget of about 1600-2100 absolute max. I'd like to somewhat future proof it, and in general would like to try and pick up a 3070 or so. Do I need to surround that with top of the line components in order to take complete advantage, or can a build with a 3070 or even 3080 if possible be done for around that budget? I know I'll need to pick up a solid monitor for it as well so that's another extra part. I'm always willing to drop down to something like the 2080 or 2070 if absolutely needed, but would like to see if the former is a possibility first.

For reference, getting around 100-120 fps for shooters, with a consistent 60 fps or more for more intensive games would be around what I'd like. 1440p would be great, but I'm also willing to stick with 1080p if necessary to bring the quality of gameplay and FPS up.

 

[Kairi Zaide]

Hey guys, a quick question since I'm completely new to this. I'm in Canada, and have a budget of about 1600-2100 absolute max. I'd like to somewhat future proof it, and in general would like to try and pick up a 3070 or so. Do I need to surround that with top of the line components in order to take complete advantage, or can a build with a 3070 or even 3080 if possible be done for around that budget? I know I'll need to pick up a solid monitor for it as well so that's another extra part. I'm always willing to drop down to something like the 2080 or 2070 if absolutely needed, but would like to see if the former is a possibility first.

For reference, getting around 100-120 fps for shooters, with a consistent 60 fps or more for more intensive games would be around what I'd like. 1440p would be great, but I'm also willing to stick with 1080p if necessary to bring the quality of gameplay and FPS up.

You would definitely need a good CPU to take advantage of the 3070's performances.

I spent around 2800 CAD (but picked relatively large hard drives, both SSDs and HDDs) for a custom built (still pre-built) shipped from the US (so import duties included, which were around 350) for a RTX 2080 and a Ryzen 5 3600. I'm not a shooters guy, but with ray tracing on and all the settings maxed, I get 35-45 FPS (depending on the amount of action) on Watch Dogs in 1440p, slightly more in 1080p. I haven't tried without ray tracing (it's too beautiful to desactivate it), and haven't tried overclocking either. I think my CPU is the main limiter however. My understanding is the RTX 3070 is better than the 2080, and also much cheaper. If you're not dumb like me, you would also avoid having something prebuilt shipped from the USA. I assume there are now CPUs with better performance than the 3600 while also being cheaper, with how fast technology evolves.

I think your budget should be fine (especially if you don't want 2 TB of SSD storage + 10 TB of HDD storage lol), but I'll let more experimented people suggest parts.

 

[Osprey]

Hey guys, a quick question since I'm completely new to this. I'm in Canada, and have a budget of about 1600-2100 absolute max. I'd like to somewhat future proof it, and in general would like to try and pick up a 3070 or so. Do I need to surround that with top of the line components in order to take complete advantage, or can a build with a 3070 or even 3080 if possible be done for around that budget? I know I'll need to pick up a solid monitor for it as well so that's another extra part. I'm always willing to drop down to something like the 2080 or 2070 if absolutely needed, but would like to see if the former is a possibility first.

A top-of-the-line motherboard or RAM isn't necessary--and, in fact, might be a waste of money--but the CPU can make a difference. For example, the new AMD Ryzen 5000 CPUs get ~8% higher framerates than Intel's best and ~18% higher than the last generation Ryzen 3000 CPUs. Also, for the most part, the number of cores doesn't make a significant difference in games, so the 6-core 5600X is just about as good as the 16-core 5950X and better than last generation's 16-core 3950X. The Ryzen 5600X is really the ideal CPU option right now for future proofing a gaming rig without spending too much... if you can find one to buy, that is.

 

[TJ21]

Appreciate the responses! I'll definitely look into the CPU's, and if I absolutely have to spend a couple extra 100 to properly utilize it I will, since it'll double as a workstation and I'm not planning on upgrading it for a few years unless a component breaks on me. If anybody else has any tips or anything as well, feel free, I'm a complete noob to the PC thing haha.

Thank you!

 

[GreytWun]

Appreciate the responses! I'll definitely look into the CPU's, and if I absolutely have to spend a couple extra 100 to properly utilize it I will, since it'll double as a workstation and I'm not planning on upgrading it for a few years unless a component breaks on me. If anybody else has any tips or anything as well, feel free, I'm a complete noob to the PC thing haha.

Thank you!

use PC part picker to find compatible hardware that you select and will give you some prices from different companies. There is also custom builds that people post on there to give you an idea or help in making your choices.

https://pcpartpicker.com/

Edit: just remember the prices are in USD.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Got a shipping confirmation from BB! 3080 Aorus Master is on its way .

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

My card was going to originally be here on the 30th. It'll be here Wednesday .

So f***ing excited!

Now I'm on the hunt for an ultrawide screen monitor (I know which one) and getting the right monitor mounts.

 

[Commander Clueless]

My card was going to originally be here on the 30th. It'll be here Wednesday .

So f***ing excited!

Now I'm on the hunt for an ultrawide screen monitor (I know which one) and getting the right monitor mounts.

Nice!

Which monitor are you going for?

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Nice!

Which monitor are you going for?

This is basically the go to:

https://www.amazon.com/LG-34GP83A-B-Inch-Ultragear-Compatibility/dp/B08DWD38VX

 

[Theosis]

My card was going to originally be here on the 30th. It'll be here Wednesday .

So f***ing excited!

Now I'm on the hunt for an ultrawide screen monitor (I know which one) and getting the right monitor mounts.

Nice. I purchased my MSI 3080 Trio from Amazon on launch day, still hasn't arrived. Expected date is apparently Dec 2, but I expect it to take longer than that.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Nice. I purchased my MSI 3080 Trio from Amazon on launch day, still hasn't arrived. Expected date is apparently Dec 2, but I expect it to take longer than that.

Man that really f***ing sucks. I got lucky to even order one, but had no idea it would be here 5 days before it originally said it would.

 

[mouser]

Still thinking through my new PC build, will probably be at least a month before I pull the trigger if not longer.

One of the interesting challenges is what to do with monitors. My current gaming rig has dual 24” matched BenQ gaming monitors. It’s located in a nook where I could go slightly larger on screens but not too much. Could relocate it to my home office where I have infinite desk space, but kinda like having the gaming rig in its current location.

The BenQ monitors have been incredible, but they are aging and not up to modern gaming standards at 1200p but only 60Hz and no HDR. Will probably move them to my work systems for other use.

I don’t want to have a smaller desktop on my gaming rig, so that means doing something in the 40” range on a single screen. But I also don’t really to be gaming on a monitor that large and ultra wide. Thinking that means going dual monitors again, but I want them matched as best as possible for the extended desktop, which likely means a new pair of gaming monitors. Think I’d be okay squeezing a pair of 27” monitors into the nook space, will have to sort out my speakers though.

So looking for ideas on 27” gaming monitors with a good price/value point since I’d be buying two. Believe I’m looking for 1440p, 144-165Hz, some level of HDR and NVidia sync. I am not an esports gamer looking for the absolute top response and refresh performance specs.

Not sure if I’d want I a curved monitor or not, the nook location for my gaming rig might be very good for that though. One possible intriguing candidate I found was the Gigabyte CV27Q AORUS CV27Q Gaming Monitor Key Features | Monitors - GIGABYTE U.S.A.

A pair of those with the curved extended desktop looks good from the pictures I’ve found. That monitor is about the top end of the price point I’m looking for (~$400/each). Any suggestions on other good price/value 27” monitors, either curved or flat? Or any other suggestions on combining a gaming monitor with a good extended desktop companion monitor?

 

[Theosis]

Man that really f***ing sucks. I got lucky to even order one, but had no idea it would be here 5 days before it originally said it would.

Yeah, I'm just glad I have one ordered at least, even if it takes a while to arrive. Seems almost impossible to get one from what I've read on reddit.