The PC Thread

[counter spell]

Saw the last PC thread died around 4 years ago.

I have some questions, maybe others have questions..

I use my PC mostly for gaming/editing, not the most PC savvy.

Currently running Windows 10 PC, 1660 Super, 32 GB DDR4 RAM, 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10400F, I still notice it takes a little bit to boot up more complex games/edit on AE. Thinking I have to upgrade my processor? Still satisfied as it is a slightly modded pre-built from about 6 to 7 yrs ago and does what I need it to

Anyone got funky peripherals? Cool monitors? Bazillion dollar keyboard? Water cooling?

[Theme For A Jackal]

I've got kind of a weird setup, I have a desk in my living room with a 49" Samsung ultrawide and an LG 77" C1 tv with my PC mounted on the wall in between, so I can play my mouse and keyboard stuff at the desk but also use the TV when I want to play 4k stuff with a controller. It's kind of a general media hub because I have an 8tb HDD of movies, shows, music and skate videos hooked up to Plex for streaming, but I also use it for recording music and some video editing. I have 4 PS5 controllers left over from when I had a console that all run great bluetooth so I have friends over to play stuff all the time, run a lot of emulators for classic stuff as desired.

Specs are EVGA 3080ti with an i7-14700kf, Corsair AIO for CPU cooling but I fucking hate iCue so I'm going to switch to Lian Li when I have the money, it's got the LED screen on the front you can put pictures and GIFs on though which is cool. I rigged up a little light up Dark Souls statue inside.

This picture is a little old, I've since moved the radiator to the front of the case for air intake instead of exhaust at the top like it is here. It also makes the case look less cramped. Can't tell by the picture but the LED's are orange to match the flame.

[counter spell]

that's a badass setup, yeah i have heard iCUE is required for the Corsair AIO, annoying.

i'm still running the OEM R11 Aurora Case that has programmable strip leds.

do you find yourself ever in a situation where you are working at your desk and you have friends gaming simultaneously? i have tried to run session with after effects open and my computer sounds like a 747 on the runway.

also what emulators do you run? I use Dolphin, Mupen64 mostly.

[Theme For A Jackal]

that's a badass setup, yeah i have heard iCUE is required for the Corsair AIO, annoying.

i'm still running the OEM R11 Aurora Case that has programmable strip leds.

do you find yourself ever in a situation where you are working at your desk and you have friends gaming simultaneously? i have tried to run session with after effects open and my computer sounds like a 747 on the runway.

also what emulators do you run? I use Dolphin, Mupen64 mostly.

I've never really tried to do anything intensive on two screens aside from streaming a game playing on the other or like having youtube on one while gaming on the other

Right now mostly emulating PS3 and Nintendo Switch with RPCS3 and Yuzu/Ryujinx, been playing this game Dragon's Crown which is awesome and I sold my Switch and just play all those games on my PC now. I have a custom arcade cabinet I had commissioned and I put a PC in it with Launchbox and I have a ton of arcade emulators and basically all consoles up to PS2 on it

In regards to you possibly upgrading what games are you playing that you're finding are pushing your setup to it's limits? Or is it mostly After Effects?

[Abyss1]

I got a HP Omen for work but updated almost all of components

Work PC: pretty much runs like a ferrari since I got the RTX2080ti...CPU is pretty fast without needed to OC
Intel i7
RTX2080ti
64GB ram
(2TB) SSD
Air Cooled...still not sold on AIO liquid cooling...plus don't think Ill see that big a difference in thermals
(3)1440p gaming monitors
Ergonomic Perrix keyboard


Custom built a PC for Music/Video editing/ gaming PC: perfomance overkill on purpose
INTEL I5
GSKILL RAM [64GB]
6TB SSD
RTX2060 Super
Also Air cooled
Lenovo ultrawide monitor
logitech gaming keyboard

The both run windows 11 that has been debloated

[Theme For A Jackal]

Air Cooled...still not sold on AIO liquid cooling...plus don't think Ill see that big a difference in thermals

I think for most builds it's unnecessary, however these new Intel chips run HOT and had those microcode issues coming out of the factory that they didn't catch right away so I wanted to be safe. Knock on wood everything has been fine but I've been getting every BIOS update they put out just to try to stay ahead of it.

[Abyss1]

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Air Cooled...still not sold on AIO liquid cooling...plus don't think Ill see that big a difference in thermals

[close]

I think for most builds it's unnecessary, however these new Intel chips run HOT and had those microcode issues coming out of the factory that they didn't catch right away so I wanted to be safe. Knock on wood everything has been fine but I've been getting every BIOS update they put out just to try to stay ahead of it.

Yea current intel chips are running to hot and are oxidizing...been using intel since the 90s and last years debacle really sucked to see. Glad my current CPUs were the generations right before the overheating issues. 

If anything both my cases are giving me thermal issues, been trying to replace them for months but cant find cases that I like with good thermals for fans

[counter spell]

In regards to you possibly upgrading what games are you playing that you're finding are pushing your setup to it's limits? Or is it mostly After Effects?

I play Skyrim with mods, Rivals, CounterStrike, Session, The Forest, rarely i'll boot up COD. I run at 1080P with ray tracing turned off, smoother lighting, cloud/fog/mist effects enabled if applicable.

It's mostly AE though, it's difficult for my machine to render more than a few minutes of footage at times, it'll crash and I wont be able to continue working on the original file so I am constantly backing up to an external SSD to at least kind of pick up where I left off. Doesn't overheat or get loud with AE, the program just crashes.

Also forgot to mention I run Yuzu as well but only for BOTW or TOTK as I enjoy online with some Switch games.

Sick idea with the cabinet too. I modded my old PS Vita and 3DS for my partner to play GBA/Color games we can't find.

[rocklobster]

I have 3 PCs that I've been using outside my work laptop.

Asus ROG Ally
The first generation one I've been using while my other 2 PCs are still in a shipping container. Not the most powerful but it double as a HTPC and some light gaming on the go.

HTPC - was supposed to be a leftover parts build that I got carried away with
Ryzen 5600x
32GB DDR4
2TB of storage
A2000

Main Rig - went from the Fractal Ridge to a 5L case from China, realized I would never utilize the RX6800 to it's potential
Ryzen 5600x
64GB DDR4
7TB of storage
Gigabyte RTX 4060 Low Profile

Started getting into PC building in 2018 and I've always kept to the SFF / Mini ITX size, not a fan of massive desktops when the sub 10L case gets plenty of performance. Both the HTPC and Main Rig are under 5L each and are probably dead on upgrade paths especially the case + GPU combination since most AIB partners don't seem to bother with low profile or shorter GPUs anymore.

ITX-tax sucks and I can't get the biggest GPUs in there but still plenty capable for the minimal gaming I do (older AAA titles, indie games, Switch emulation). The new Ryzen APUs are extremely promising when the AMD Ryzen™ AI MAX+ 395 goes mainstream or used across different form factors like mini PCs.


Both HTPC and main rig look something like this.

[ferguu]

Saw the last PC thread died around 4 years ago.

I have some questions, maybe others have questions..

I use my PC mostly for gaming/editing, not the most PC savvy.

Currently running Windows 10 PC, 1660 Super, 32 GB DDR4 RAM, 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10400F, I still notice it takes a little bit to boot up more complex games/edit on AE. Thinking I have to upgrade my processor? Still satisfied as it is a slightly modded pre-built from about 6 to 7 yrs ago and does what I need it to

Anyone got funky peripherals? Cool monitors? Bazillion dollar keyboard? Water cooling?

If you wanna improve boot times you'd probably be better off moving stuff to a M.2 drive. Seriously these things will change your life haha. If you fork out a little cash you can get a 1TB one and move your OS, and all the software / games you use, then they'll boot in a flash.

For the lag during editing, yeah looks like your CPU is the bottleneck, could invest in a 10 series I7, would probably be enough to make the difference you need.

[TD]

Finally built a new rig midway through last year after my old faithful finally kicked the bucket after 10+ years.

Ryzen 7800X3D
32gb DDR5
1TB M.2
8TB HDD (two drives total)
4070ti Super
+ My extremely long-standing noctua air cooler / heatsink and a monstrous 4000D corsair case. No RGB because I am a grumpy manchild who couldn't be arsed

Will snap a pic later of how tight the noctua clearance is lol

[Natas_Fauxas]

Just ordered new parts again. I sold my rig that i just built like 2 months ago. I probably build a new PC every 6-8 months. I get bored with how it looks or something and i just sell it and get a new one. My last 4 builds were all AMD. And surprise my new build is all AMD again. 9800x3d and 9070xt 32GB ddr5 6400 case is being decided. Only thing i keep from old builds are the drives mostly nvme and sata ssd with a couple big spinning hdd for storage 2 10tb. I am hoping to see and uplift from the 9800x3d over the 7800x3d. I probably should have kept the 7900xtx but i wanted to try the latest and greatest.

[ohtight]

Just ordered new parts again. I sold my rig that i just built like 2 months ago. I probably build a new PC every 6-8 months. I get bored with how it looks or something and i just sell it and get a new one. My last 4 builds were all AMD. And surprise my new build is all AMD again. 9800x3d and 9070xt 32GB ddr5 6400 case is being decided. Only thing i keep from old builds are the drives mostly nvme and sata ssd with a couple big spinning hdd for storage 2 10tb. I am hoping to see and uplift from the 9800x3d over the 7800x3d. I probably should have kept the 7900xtx but i wanted to try the latest and greatest.

isnt the 7900xtx better because of more VRAM?

bought a prebuilt in 2020 right before covid at the perfect time. loved it for years but decided i wanted to upgrade my GPU. got a new 9070XT on launch day at MSRP and just plugged it in and everything worked fine. but i wanted more. so, i started looking into upgrading the CPU which lead me into upgrading the mobo which lead me to etc etc so i just decided to build an entirely new one which ive never done before. heres what i ended up going with

RX 9070 XT
9800x3d
2x16g DDR5 6000 CL28
gigabyte b850 aorus elite wifi7
samsung pro 990 4tb
RM850x
Peerless Assassin 120se

I have been absolutely loving it. Runs so quietly and can play anything i can throw at it. recently finished god of war ragnorak and just started up on expedition 33.


as for OP, you definitely want an SSD hardware to faster boot/game loading times. seems like both your CPU and GPU are pretty out of date but should be fine for 1080p gaming. what are you trying to play? in what resolution?

[InternetDaddy]

I upgraded like two years ago:

intel i7-14700K
MSI pro Z790-A max wifi
64 gigs (2x 32) DDR5 RAM
3070ti
2 tb m.2 SSD

Pretty much no RGB this time around, except for a little logo on the graphics card. I usually play on 1080p and this handles everything just fine. Air cooled, the only upgrade I might make in the next year or so is more fans or switch to AIO, it does get a little warm sometimes.

[Theme For A Jackal]

I bought a Lian Li Vision case and Hydroshift 360 AIO for dirt cheap from a local auction. The case is completely mint and the AIO looked brand new but the threads on the mounting bracket were completely stripped so I couldn't install it. Scoured the internet for a way to just buy a mounting bracket but couldn't find anything. Another AIO came through the same auction but apparently they switched bracket styles and it wouldn't work for me. Finally messaged Lian Li about possibly purchasing just the bracket and they decided to just send me a whole brand new AIO for free. Took like a month to get here but they didn't charge me for shipping or anything, just asked for a picture of my receipt and I just sent them the auction invoice with the price and auction name cropped out.

[rocklobster]

I bought a Lian Li Vision case and Hydroshift 360 AIO for dirt cheap from a local auction. The case is completely mint and the AIO looked brand new but the threads on the mounting bracket were completely stripped so I couldn't install it. Scoured the internet for a way to just buy a mounting bracket but couldn't find anything. Another AIO came through the same auction but apparently they switched bracket styles and it wouldn't work for me. Finally messaged Lian Li about possibly purchasing just the bracket and they decided to just send me a whole brand new AIO for free. Took like a month to get here but they didn't charge me for shipping or anything, just asked for a picture of my receipt and I just sent them the auction invoice with the price and auction name cropped out.

Sometimes, PC part companies are a-OK.

The A4-H20 case looks good for an easy to buy sub 15L case, even though I'd swore off AIOs.

[Natas_Fauxas]

I stopped using them a couple years ago as well. Just recently saw a deal on one that was too good not to at least buy and test. Im talking the same damn price as a good air cooler. It really is only for my Plex/ File / Dayz server. So far its working fine but who knows. Been checking on it every couple days. I just dont see the need besides looking cool.

[Theme For A Jackal]

Been having some trigger finger issues when using a controller so been slowly transition to playing all my games on mouse and keyboard but my WASD game just is not as strong as on a joystick and kills my in-game mobility, so I finally broke down and bought one of these Azeron Cyborg II controllers and the thing is really sick. Gonna spend a ton of time fiddling with different button mappings but so far it's just what I needed.

[Abyss1]

Been having some trigger finger issues when using a controller so been slowly transition to playing all my games on mouse and keyboard but my WASD game just is not as strong as on a joystick and kills my in-game mobility, so I finally broke down and bought one of these Azeron Cyborg II controllers and the thing is really sick. Gonna spend a ton of time fiddling with different button mappings but so far it's just what I needed.

That looks sick...I am looking into that for my carpel tunnel...

Also kind of bummed that a 2080 Ti that I got 2yrs ago is shitting the bed...Had to buy a 5070 Ti to replace it and reluctantly got it because the next generations of GPU are definitely going to be unaffordable.  NVIDIA and AMD said their market is no longer computer gaming so I doubt new GPUs will improve gaming experiences that much if any at all over these current cards.

Also very good piece if you can watch while working or driving

[phlap]

Also very good piece if you can watch while working or driving

Love Steve, but it's just depressing constantly hearing how fucked everything is.

I managed to grab a 2nd hand machine with a 3080 on the cheap recently, though. I plan to run the thing into the ground, because buying ANYTHING new past this point is going to be impossibly expensive, I fear.

[Abyss1]

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Also very good piece if you can watch while working or driving

[close]

Love Steve, but it's just depressing constantly hearing how fucked everything is.

I managed to grab a 2nd hand machine with a 3080 on the cheap recently, though. I plan to run the thing into the ground, because buying ANYTHING new past this point is going to be impossibly expensive, I fear.

Yeah I  get you but its better to have a good idea where things are going and he's got a pretty good idea that hobby PC building and Gaming PC building is likely fucked.   

One thing I can't get myself to do is buy used tech...I just don't feel comfortable buying a used GPU so I reluctantly bought a new GPU using my credit card and will be slowly paying it off over the next 18month, but I did not want to drop $1000 on the card... I  also had to buy a new PSU because these new cards have a notable watt draw

[rocklobster]

Used GPUs are OK, I've bought a few 4070 and 4070S off ebay and made sure there was buyers protection in case the card was faulty. The biggest challenge with used GPUs is models with 8GB of VRAM, I'd look at 12GB minimum and turn down the settings to keep a consistent framerate.

Used PSUs are hit or miss, reliability aside most older ones don't provide enough juice to or ports to power modern GPUs without the 16pin cable which has shown to melt on 9070xt and above.

I've been on AM4 for forever and the release of the 5500x3d is a tiny bit of good news.

[DNTRODDEN]

A new editing rig is my next purchase
Damn this stuff is expensive, I want a Mac Mini Studio, but no way I can afford it!

[Abyss1]

Used GPUs are OK, I've bought a few 4070 and 4070S off ebay and made sure there was buyers protection in case the card was faulty. The biggest challenge with used GPUs is models with 8GB of VRAM, I'd look at 12GB minimum and turn down the settings to keep a consistent framerate.

Used PSUs are hit or miss, reliability aside most older ones don't provide enough juice to or ports to power modern GPUs without the 16pin cable which has shown to melt on 9070xt and above.

I've been on AM4 for forever and the release of the 5500x3d is a tiny bit of good news.

Yeah I’ve been hearing that about the used gpu market but even some of those prices are ridiculous…some interesting stuff that is being made in china that I want for my itx setup but will have to wait since this last purchase

The card that died was a 2080Ti, that I had for only 2 yrs… probably going to send in to see if it can be saved

I picked up the 5070Ti almost got a 5080 but backed off since I don’t push graphics to hard when gaming.  Computer also splits as work computer for CAD rendering

[rocklobster]

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Used GPUs are OK, I've bought a few 4070 and 4070S off ebay and made sure there was buyers protection in case the card was faulty. The biggest challenge with used GPUs is models with 8GB of VRAM, I'd look at 12GB minimum and turn down the settings to keep a consistent framerate.

Used PSUs are hit or miss, reliability aside most older ones don't provide enough juice to or ports to power modern GPUs without the 16pin cable which has shown to melt on 9070xt and above.

I've been on AM4 for forever and the release of the 5500x3d is a tiny bit of good news.

[close]

Yeah I’ve been hearing that about the used gpu market but even some of those prices are ridiculous…some interesting stuff that is being made in china that I want for my itx setup but will have to wait since this last purchase

China has some really cool ITX cases and accompanying PSUs, coolers etc. When I lived in Asia the shipping costs were very manageable, was able to get some premium cases for under 100 USD. Never took the gamble expensive Taobao GPUs.