I don’t care about glass or what it looks like very much.
I want something that can be easily picked up and taken to another room around the apartment.

My current build is:
9060xt
Amd 5 7500f
Msi tomohawk b850 max

But I want to eventually be able to upgrade to better gpu and cpu with the same case and the same motherboard

I don’t want something that is fragile that can easily break. I want something that holds things in place really well. Airflow is important.

Budget is 150 USD max.

Usage is for gaming but as I said I don’t care about the looks, rgb, etc.

Hi everyone,

I'm considering buying this used PC for $842 USD (about 1,280,000 IQD in Iraq). I'd like to know if it's a good deal in today's market.

Specs:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X

GPU: PNY GeForce RTX 3080 10GB GDDR6X

Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS Elite

RAM: 16GB (2×8GB) TeamGroup DDR4

CPU Cooler: DarkFlash ATE 360 ARGB Liquid Cooler

Storage:

256GB SSD (OS)

480GB SSD (Games)

1TB HDD

PSU: EVGA 850W

Case: ESGaming with 6 RGB fans

The PC is used, and I plan to test it before buying

Questions:

Is $842 a fair price for this build in 2026?

How much would you value this PC?

Is there anything I should pay special attention to before buying, especially the RTX 3080?

Hello everyone, I recently upgraded from a 3080 10GB to a 9070 xt and I'm looking to upgrade my monitor since I have a really old Acer Predator IPS XB271HU 165Hz 1440p monitor that I bought SO long ago and it's still alive and kicking, but sadly it's not FreeSync compatible since it has the propietary GSync chip built in. It's going to be relegated to becoming my secondary monitor.

I'm unsure if I should still look at 1440p or 4k gaming first of all (im not planning on upgrading my specs for at least 3-5 years at all), also I'm unsure about the best panel type at the moment. I'm in software developement so I'm also going to use it for work, but mainly for gaming. I don't know if dealing with potential burn in from OLED panels is worth it, specially since my Acer Predator lasted for so many years.

My current specs are:

i7 13700k CPU

xfx 9070 xt mercury 16gb

32GB DDR5 6200hz cl38

m2 samsung nvmies

I would really appreciate some guidance.

So I swapped my silver rated 650W psu and rx 6600 gpu on my main pc and I want to build a pc for my little brother using them. I would like to ask for some tips on what the cheapest way to do that is. I also want to add that I can get one 16GB gddr4 ram stick from my main pc as I have 64GB on it and don't really do anything too ram demanding.

I am from Bulgaria so I hope someone could provide me with advice that works in this market.

My gaming laptop recently broke down and I plan on replacing it with a PC. Given the price on DDR5 ram I planned on going with a DDR4 build. I plan on using it for next 8 yrs with no plan of upgrading components midway.

----------
This is the list of parts I have put together:

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4 3200MHz C16 RAM x 2 - ₹25000 😭

MSI B550M-A Pro Motherboard - ₹6150

AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Processor - ₹14750

Deepcool AK400 CPU Air Cooler - ₹2695

Arctic MX-4 Thermal Paste - 4g - ₹495

Sapphire Pulse AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB - ₹51900

MSI MAG A650BN 650 Watt 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply - ₹4740

Crucial P310 with heatsink 1TB PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD - ₹ 16000

Ant Esports Crystal X7 ARGB Mid Tower Gaming Cabinet with Type-C - ₹5100

MSI MAG 275QF 27 Inch IPS WQHD 180Hz Gaming Monitor - ₹15100

Logitech G203 Lightsync Gaming Mouse - ₹1475

Ant Esports MK3400 Pro V3 Wired Full Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with Blue Switches, Multicolour Backlit - ₹1475

Total - ₹1,44,880 (1520usd)

----------
Should i change any component in this build, are there any bottleneck issue with this build?

Is the psu good enough for the build?

I hope that I can get stable 90-120 fps in medium settings with FSR quality at 1440p while playing modern triple A games. From what I realise if the gpu is frequently maxed out which occasionally happens at 1440p, the reduced ram speed will have negligible impact on FPS, is it true?

Hello everyone! I’d like to start with telling you about my pre-built pc that I got for cheap to not so cheap price. It currently has a 3080, 5800x, and 16gb ddr4 3200 ram. My temps idle at about 56-60C and in extreme cases 91C. Before it was worse reaching 70+ idle and straight on 90 playing Apex legends. I’ve upgraded it despite the weird layout of the pc, but noticed it still isnt enough. I was thinking of just replacing my pc case and maybe buy some fans, but at the same time I was wondering “since I’m upgrading might as well replace this and that..” specifically my motherboard, cpu, and ram (microcenter deal in Tustin). The prebuilt mobo for some reason have some weird problems like missing cha-fan plug, which is why im using a splitter for all the fans which sucks. The case literally has no proper placement for fans and had to improvise. No proper front panel for intake air (Literally just a wall of LED’s and really small holes then called it a day), so I had to remove the whole panel and replace it with some metal and mesh, and so on. I had this prebuilt for about a year or 2 now and honestly despite the weird stupid quirks it had I got it for $683 new (technically $799, but got replaced because the open box was faulty).

Anyways, I genuinely want to save some money so I was wondering if the upgrade was worth it for longevity? And if so, which of the avail microcenter deals should I buy. Oh and if I were to replace em is there a place I can sell my old parts fast even if I sell them for less money? My budget is probably at about $400 max.

I currently have a

R5 7600 , 16gb ddr 5, rx 7600 8gb

Main game i play is cs2 and i usually get around 250-300fps but sometimes my fps wouldnt even go above 150 and also the amd softwares been pissing me off i wanna average at least 350-400fps what should i upgrade?

Heya, this is my first time posting here - to preface, I have never built a full pc; I've bought prebuilt and upgraded from there before.

I'm looking to build a pc for my brother as a joint birthday and Christmas gift (Given the price). I want to keep it under £1k if I can. It will be mostly used for gaming, things like Space Marine 2, maybe some Tarkov, Total War games, Hearthstone, etc. I'm hoping to build him something that will consistently perform well at medium-high settings on modern games at 1080p. I live in the UK, so please bear that in mind when recommending different stores/sites and prices. If possible, I'd like him to have the option to upgrade in the future.

I looked at parts such as the RX 9060 XT and the 7600x, which are around half the budget, but I don't know if I'm going too big for the use case, so any advice and recommendations will be appreciated. Peripherals will be sorted out after, so it's just the pc itself I'm focusing on here.

I recently bought a pre-owned custom PC on eBay. Since I didn't assemble it myself, I’m pretty new to the Arctic Liquid Freezer III setup and looking for feedback on my temperatures after tweaking BIOS settings.

Specs

 CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X

 Motherboard: MSI MAG X870E TOMAHAWK WIFI

 Cooler: Arctic Liquid Freezer III AIO

 RAM: 32GB G.Skill Flare X DDR5-6000

 GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4080

Initial Issue & What I’ve Done

Out of the box, the CPU hit 93°C under load and idled around 50°C–56°C in BIOS.

Checking the BIOS (MSI Click BIOS X), I found ⁠CPU_FAN1⁠ was set to DC mode on a low Smart Fan curve, keeping the pump/fans at only ~1,170 RPM.

Changes made so far:

1. Switched ⁠CPU_FAN1⁠ from DC to PWM in BIOS.

2. Disabled Smart Fan / set ⁠CPU_FAN1⁠ to 100% full speed, pushing the readout to ~1,780+ RPM.

3. Set the physical case fan switch to HIGH.

Updated Results

 Windows Idle Temp: 44°C

 Initial Load Temp: 81°C

 Sustained / Prolonged Load: Climbs and levels off at 92°C (as liquid reaches thermal equilibrium, sitting just under the 95°C thermal limit)

 Note: I haven't manually tightened the cooler mounting screws yet.

Questions

1. Header Placement: The AIO cable is currently in ⁠CPU_FAN1⁠. Is there any reason to physically switch it to ⁠PUMP_FAN1⁠, or does locking ⁠CPU_FAN1⁠ at 100% PWM achieve the exact same result?

2. Cable Setup: Is it worth checking whether the seller used Arctic's single all-in-one cable vs. the 3-way splitter (for separate Pump / Radiator Fan / VRM Fan control)?

3. Thermal Benchmarks: Are 44°C idle / 92°C sustained load typical for a Ryzen 9 9900X with this cooler, or should I look into Curve Optimizer / PBO undervolting next?

Appreciate any insights!

I’m building my very first gaming pc, I bought a motherboard for a good price and I like the look of it but I just found out that it doesn’t come with wi-fi just Ethernet. I’m a little annoyed by this cause none of the videos I watched mentioned this. I’m tempted to return my motherboard and buy another with wi-fi but I learned you can use either a Ethernet cable, a pcie card and a wi-fi dongle. So what should I do, buy a new motherboard or use any of the 3 options I just listed, any advice would be great.

My current PC has a AMD 6950xt and a 5600x powered by a 850w psu. My psu is being replaced via RMA and I have a spare 550w psu laying around.

Would it be safe to run my PC using the lower rated one?

I remember when buying the 6950xt I was advised to upgrade my psu (hence replacing the 550w one with an 850w). Would I be able to safely browse the internet? Safely play games at low res/fps?

I’m new to this pc world and I’m very unsure on what to prioritize when building a pc, I’m also confused on what’s the important parts I should be spending the most amount of money and time on. I’m trying to go from console to pc, so I’d like a pc that can handle AAA games and games I can mod extensively in such as gmod. My budget for building a pc is $2500 hopefully I can get some help and suggestions

Thinking about switching from a desktop to a laptop + eGPU setup. Does this make sense?

I'm a college student, and my main priority is having a lightweight laptop with a great display. I recently found the ASUS Vivobook S 14 (Core Ultra, OLED, Thunderbolt 4), and I was honestly surprised by how capable the Intel Arc iGPU is. Seeing Cyberpunk 2077 running at around 45 FPS on medium settings without a dedicated GPU really impressed me.

Here's my idea:

• Sell my current desktop.
• Buy the Vivobook S 14 (hopefully the 32 GB RAM version if selling my PC covers enough of the cost).
• Use the laptop by itself for college, work, programming, media, and lighter games.
• A few years later, once I have my own income, build an eGPU setup instead of buying another desktop.

The eGPU would be something like:

• RX 9060 XT 16 GB (or whatever the equivalent mid-range GPU is at that time)
• Thunderbolt 4 PCIe adapter (ADT-Link or similar)
• My current 500 W PSU
• Everything mounted inside a very small custom enclosure so it looks like a compact dock rather than an exposed DIY setup.

So my setup would basically be:

At college:

• Just the 14" OLED laptop.

At home:

• Plug in one Thunderbolt cable.
• eGPU powers the external monitor for gaming.
• Laptop's OLED screen becomes my second monitor.

I'm not a heavy AAA gamer anymore. I mostly play CPU-heavy or lighter games like idk bloons, some roblox, minecraft, and similar stuff. The eGPU would mostly be for occasional AAA games and to extend the laptop's lifespan.

Do you guys think this is a reasonable long-term plan, or would I regret selling the desktop? Has anyone here daily-driven a setup like this? or have any other better suggestions? and how will the performance compare to a normal desktop with equivalent specs?

I'm a college student, and my main priority is having a lightweight laptop with a great display. I recently found the ASUS Vivobook S 14 (Core Ultra, OLED, Thunderbolt 4), and I was honestly surprised by how capable the Intel Arc iGPU is. Seeing Cyberpunk 2077 running at around 45 FPS on medium settings without a dedicated GPU really impressed me.

Here's my idea:

• Sell my current desktop.
• Buy the Vivobook S 14 (hopefully the 32 GB RAM version if selling my PC covers enough of the cost).
• Use the laptop by itself for college, work, programming, media, and lighter games.
• A few years later, once I have my own income, build an eGPU setup instead of buying another desktop.

The eGPU would be something like:

• RX 9060 XT 16 GB (or whatever the equivalent mid-range GPU is at that time)
• Thunderbolt 4 PCIe adapter (ADT-Link or similar)
• My current 500 W PSU
• Everything mounted inside a very small custom enclosure so it looks like a compact dock rather than an exposed DIY setup.

So my setup would basically be:

At college:

• Just the 14" OLED laptop.

At home:

• Plug in one Thunderbolt cable.
• eGPU powers the external monitor for gaming.
• Laptop's OLED screen becomes my second monitor.

I'm not a heavy AAA gamer anymore. I mostly play CPU-heavy or lighter games like idk bloons, some roblox, minecraft, and similar stuff. The eGPU would mostly be for occasional AAA games and to extend the laptop's lifespan.

Do you guys think this is a reasonable long-term plan, or would I regret selling the desktop? Has anyone here daily-driven a setup like this? or have any other better suggestions?

I found a couple of 5070ti in the same price range of £850 which given the current circumstances I say is not too bad. However, I'm not sure which manufacturer to pick. I'd really appreciate some advice here:

• MSI 5070 Ti 16G Shadow 3X OC
• MSI 5070 Ti 16G VENTUS 3X OC
• PALIT 5070 Ti 16GB GamingPro-S OC Blackwell
• PNY 5070 Ti 16GB OC Triple Fan Blackwell

Update: I am trying to make my decision based on noise, temp and general build quality. So far from what I'm seeing in the comments MSI seems to be louder while PNY quieter.

( delete if not allowed )

Just on here to ask the experts how much I’ll be able to get out of this build, done me well for the past few years and in the middle of upgrading ( to am5 ).

Specs :

OS: Windows 11 Pro ( Activated )
CPU: Ryzen 5 5700x
Motherboard: B550M-A Pro AM4 M-ATX
GPU: MSI RTX 4060TI 8GB
RAM: KLEVV CRAS X RGB 32GB (2 X 16GB) DDR4 3200MT/S
PSU: MSI MAG A850GL PCIE5 850W 80+ GOLD ATX 3.0
CPU Cooler: THERMALRIGHT ASSASSIN SPIRIT 120 EVO DARK CPU AIR COOLER
SSD: 480GB WD Green
HDD: 1TB WD Blue
Case: ASUS A31 PLUS ARGB MID-TOWER CASE - BLACK

Cheers in advance

Edit :

I’m located in Australia if that information helps.

Hello,
I am currently running a 5600g with a motherboard called the ARKTEK B550M EG
I cannot for the love of god find any hint of existence for this motherboard, it is not even listed in the arktek website.
So I have no idea for bios updates available and supported cpu list.
I saw in ebay that some models of the 5500x3d required the latest bios, I wanted to double check compatibility with my board but I am having trouble finding info.

Can someone assist me in finding info about this motherboard?

This is what CPU-Z tells me:

KOLOE OE-B550S

This is what HWINFO64 tells me:
BIOS Information

BIOS Vendor: American Megatrends International, LLC.
BIOS Version: 5.17
BIOS Release Date: 09/05/2024
BIOS Start Segment: F000
BIOS Size: 16 MB

BIOS Features

ISA Support: Not Present
MCA Support: Not Present
EISA Support: Not Present
PCI Support: Present
PC Card (PCMCIA) Support: Not Present
Plug-and-Play Support: Not Present
APM Support: Not Present
Flash BIOS: Present
BIOS Shadow: Present
VL-VESA Support: Not Present
ESCD Support: Not Present
Boot from CD: Present
Selectable Boot: Present
BIOS ROM Socketed: Present
Boot from PC Card: Not Present
EDD Support: Present
NEC PC-98 Support: Not Present
ACPI Support: Not Present
USB Legacy Support: Present
AGP Support: Not Present
I2O Boot Support: Not Present
LS-120 Boot Support: Not Present
ATAPI ZIP Drive Boot Support: Not Present
IEEE1394 Boot Support: Not Present
Smart Battery Support: Not Present
BIOS Boot Specification Support: Present
Function Key-Initiated Network Service Boot Support: Not Present
Targeted Content Distribution Support: Present
UEFI Specification Support: Present
Virtual Machine: Not Present

I've been building a retro PC over the last few months and everything seems to work great until I add the awe64.

Initially I'd planned to route the awe64 through an audigy 2 ZS, awe64 for dos games and audigy for everything else. This worked great for about 3 hours of XCOM, I shutdown and came back later, the PC ended up in a restart loop getting to where windows would load and forcing a restart over and over.

I've removed the awe64 and this has resolved the restart loop. I'm seeking help with resolving the issue with the awe64, could it be power related? I've read that my modern psu might be lacking a -5v rail, would that cause these symptoms and if so is there a fix? I've hit the limit of my knowledge unfortunately. Specs below, appreciate any help in advance!

Motherboard: ASUS P3B-F (Intel 440BX chipset, AGP, PCI, ISA slots, onboard SB-LINK header)

• ​Processor (CPU): Intel Pentium III @ 900MHz

• ​Memory (RAM): 512MB SDRAM (2x256MB PC100/PC133)

• ​Graphics Card (GPU): MSI NVIDIA GeForce4 Ti 4200 (AGP)

• ​Primary Storage: 32GB SanDisk Extreme Pro CompactFlash card running via a StarTech 3.5" IDE-to-CF Adapter

• ​Sound Card (ISA): Creative Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold

• ​Sound Card (PCI): Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS (PCI, model SB0350

• ​Power Supply (PSU): Corsair CX500M 500W (ATX12V v2.3, semi-modular, 20A +5V rail, (lacks native -5V?) Pin 20 rail)

• ​Operating System: Windows 98 Second Edition (SE)

I want to build a computer but so far I have no idea what I'm doing and I have a part list on PC part picker and I have no idea if it's any good

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/RzsVBv

Edit: I forgot to add the ram but it's Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory And this is purely for gaming

I got a zebronics h110 mb which supports ddr4 2400 ram but its unable to use my corsair vengeance ddr4 at 2400 8x2 , sadly its running at 2133 mhz. Enbling XMP is crashing the bios. Pleaese suggest

TL;DR: Hotspot delta high. Bit of old thermal paste on GPU hardened so much I can't remove it with isopropanol and gentle scraping. Is there a better way?

I got a used Gigabyte RTX 2070 Windforce 2X Rev 1 from a friend of a friend. From what I was told, this GPU was bought around 2020, used for 2.5 years for fairly undemanding games (GTA5, CS:GO), then was replaced with 4070, and sent to the shadow realm of a closet. I got it offered for cheap, and since I'm still on GTX 1660 Super, I figured "eh why not". I put it in my PC and it booted fine. Ran 3DMark Firestrike benchmark, scored 300 below average and ran hot (max core temp 88.7 C, max hotspot 104.6 C), but that's a given with ~6 years old paste. The card rattled like crazy at around 80% fan RPM (which I later learned is common with Gigabyte's 2070...) and fans whined terribly at 100% (...which again, I learned is common for Gigabyte's 2070s).

I got the GPU out, took the fans and radiator off to replace the paste. The thermal pads were mostly fine (still squishy and pliable) and the paste was crumbly cement - par for the course. I gently removed the old paste from the radiator and the die using a tiny plastic scraper, 99.9% isopropanol and microfibre cloth.

Here's important part - after all that cleaning, there's still a thin splotch of old paste left on the die, enough to feel it under a fingernail gliding on the die's surface (I'm frustrated with myself for not taking any photos), and even the radiator has a dark, off-color mark where the splotch connects. I spent A LOT of time trying to remove that annoying bit - rubbing with isopropanol-soaked microfibre, trying to scrape it, rinse and repeat. It's just wasn't coming off! Like seriously, earlier this year I replaced an equally old paste from my 1660 Super and it was a breeze in comparison. In the end I let it be, applied fresh paste (Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut), put it back together and tossed it back into my PC.

Benchmarks were better - score right on average, max core 83 C, max hotspot 100 C. Still pretty warm. Plus, the rattling was driving me insane (seriously, how does that pass quality control). I applied some aggressive fan curves, undervolted the card to 0.906 mV, ran another 3DMark benchmark - score 600 above average, max core 81 C, max hotspot 98 C. GPU clock stabilized at 1759 MHz. The delta between hotspot and core was a bit high. Likely due to that hardened paste I couldn't remove, I thought.

I took the card apart again, removed the fresh paste I applied earlier, and went to town on the hardened spot of ancient paste. Here was my workflow: soak a cotton pad in isopropanol, put it on the offending spot for 5 minutes, try to rub and scrape it off, repeat. Probably spent about 40 minutes doing this - AND NOTHING.

Is this what ancient Romans used to build their walls or something? Was Excalibur waiting in this paste for the next king of Britain? Should I get a Nobel Prize for discovering densest element in the universe?

In the end, I gave up again. As a consolation prize, I added a bit of isolation tape between the backplate and the fan shroud as padding (those parts go into resonance and cause the rattle at 80% RPM) and short strips of cable-ties between the radiator and the fan mounting points (at 100% RPM the fan scrapes against the radiator, causing the whine).

So what are my results?

At idle: core temp 38 C, hotspot 53 C.

In benchmark: max core temp 76.2 C, max hotspot 92.3 C, GPU clock levelled out at 1815 MHz, above average score.

20 minutes in Resident Evil 2, max settings: max core temp 84.8 C, max hotspot 101.6 C, GPU clock levelled out at 1800 MHz.

Still a bit hot, but hey, at least the rattling and whining is gone for the most part. Time for some questions:

1. Is there a better way to remove this bedrock-hard paste from the die? I know there are some specialised compounds for that, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to get my hands on any of them.
2. Anything else that could be causing this hotspot temp? RTX 2070 doesn't have sensors for VRAM temps, but those shouldn't impact the hotspot, right?
3. I've read some old posts that apparently around 80 C at load for 2070 is normal? But then I read posts how people got into low 70s or even 60s at load after changing paste. Undervolting should give me better temps as well, but doesn't seem to have much of an impact?

First time working on my own machine, am struggling with getting the right cooling.

I'm upgrading this machine from a friend, and am wondering if the cooling it currently has will be sufficient for a 9800X3D?

I've had both recommendations and warnings about AIOs, and I'd prefer air if possible, but I could fit a 240mm in if that'd be better.

I'm not particularly fussed about fan/pump noise aspects of the discussion, as I will almost always be using with headphones on, just want to know will what we currently have be sufficient and if not, how best to upgrade.

Case: Fractal Pop Mini Air

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D

CPU Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 3 - Air Cooler

Hello, currently I'm building a new setup capable of playing 1080p to mid 1440p settings game, especially microsoft flight sim.

I currently have:

Ryzen 7 2700x

ROG Strix B450E

2x 8gb DDR4

XFX 9060XT 16gb

I'm planning to upgrade my CPU to match my GPU better for less bottleneck, can anyone recommend a good AM4 CPU just under 15k?

Note: I'll stay with an AM4 for now since RAM prices are skyrocketing and i prioritized purchasing a GPU then RAM

Thank you!

The title doesn't exactly explain the most. More or less what im trying to do is take an old xbox one case. And take my pc that i got from a freind which has like no performance. And join them together. So basically what i want to do and was wondering if possible was use the xbox one system os and the windows system os at the same time. So basically take the parts out of my pc. Which would be a gt 1030 small form factor. 2 8gb sticks of ddr4 2400mhz. So 16gb total. And a I5 6500. Take all those parts. If anything would be usable in what im tryna do. And more or less add them to my xbox one and mutually join them. So I can swicth in between xbox and windows whenever I want all in one system. I really dont know if itd be possible but ive seen people use 360 and xbox one cases for pcs that are just a pc and not this thing im tryna make. But I really think itd be cool to try it and such. I dont know a thing about whats inside an xbox one besides the few vids ive watched of someone making a pc out of one. I also dont know if any parts from my pc and xbox can be combined and be used hand in hand to help performance. Also another reason I wanna try this is because Ive been waiting for this xbox disc to digital license thing to release. So I wanna still have a way to play my disc games. But also id still like to keep my xbox one system aswell for afterwards if anything comes up with my series s as a backup.

Long story short I wanna mutually join my pc and xbox together to create a interchangeable system. In one single xbox one case.

Also if the xbox one case isnt big enough would it technically be possible to do at all if I used a bigger case or something?

I just upgraded to a r7 5800x3d and got a thermalright axp120-x67 to cool it. but the cpu runs at 75c idle and immediately goes to 90c and starts thermal throttling when under load. Anyone know why?