So I put everything together. Everything spins up and the PC boots up.

Before I install Windows, I wanna make sure I get this done. Thanks so much for the heads up, by the way. I would've had no idea otherwise.

So did you just mount the latest firmware ISO onto a USB drive and somehow updated the firmware from BIOS?

How did you go about it? Everything I am seeing is being done from Windows using the Samsung Magician.

You have to do it from Windows. Just install Windows and run the update from Magician once Windows is installed. It'll be fine.

The 990s had a firmware issue that could cause the drive to age faster than it should. Just do the firmware upgrade before you start tinkering a bunch.

The magician alone didn't do it for me. It wasn't seeing that the drive was out of date. I had to create a boot disk. FYI, you'll be fine updating firmware after installing windows.

I used unetbootin.

https://unetbootin.github.io/

Samsung has directions on their website.

Think I'm just going to go with the 13900k take the slight difference in performance to be able to have a better all around CPU

That bitch runs HOT. Do not skimp on cooling.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/...te?storeID=191

Was thinking about this

And my PC is in my basement which stays cold all year long

you don't have to do water cooling, but i'd drop $100+ on a good air cooler at minimum

https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-D15.../dp/B07Y87YHRH

That's definitely sexy. But an air cooler will give you very close to the same performance at over half the price. And if you have a mechanical failure with an air cooler, it won't leak liquid all over your system. I totally get it if you have the money to blow and want the awesome look though. Air coolers are freaking huge and take up tons of space, often covering up the other sexy components on the motherboard.

The Noctua NH-D15 linked above is definitely your best bet for air cooler performance. However, don't sleep on the Deepcool model I linked above, just because of the price. Price doesn't equate to performance all the time. Here's a sweet looking white Deepcool that is a Noctua clone for half the price, and about 95% the performance of the Noctua. It also gives you dual ARGB fans.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BMTM1X24?th=1

Here's a comparison of performance between the Noctua NH-D15, and the Deepcool AG620:

<iframe width="1200" height="800" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PyMoBQQnCeM" title="DeepCool AK620 vs Noctua NH-D15 (and others)" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Tom's Hardware review: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...620-air-cooler.

My system is as overclocked as possible, and my CPU temps are still super low. In the mid 30s at idle, while running at 5.3-5.4Ghz. While gaming, I haven't seen it top 60 but a couple times. Don't underestimate quality case fans and good airflow. You don't have to spend $100+ for max performance.

So the AIO won't cool it even more than air? I just figured the GPU blocks like half the air flow so having a smaller heat sink on the CPU would make everything cooler

It will be cooler than air, but AIO's only get you a couple a degrees C than the best air coolers and you spend a ridiculous amount of money for the couple degree when you are already 20-30 degrees below max temp, plus if the pump fails you are SOL versus just having to replace a fan on an air cooler. In most cases even the big dual tower air coolers are overkill and a good single tower cooler will be just fine like the Scythe Mugen 5.

https://www.amazon.com/Scythe-Cooler...09S3Y3BKZ?th=1

AIO's are mostly for aesthetics or if your working in small form factors and dont have room for a tower cooler.

As jd said, it will cool better, but the difference will be pretty marginal overall for the considerable price difference. Maybe ~10 degrees at best in high usage situations. Mostly irrelevant while not under heavy load.

Regarding the GPU, you actually want to direct that airflow up and away from the GPU. The GPU fans assist with this. But an air CPU cooler makes that easier since it's actually moving air instead of moving liquid. AIO just cools the CPU contact point. Air cooler actually assists in moving a shit ton of hot air from both the GPU and the CPU, which is then exited from your case with your top/rear exhaust fans. The AIO creates a dead spot where you would otherwise have dual fans pushing hot air up and away. Granted AIO keeps the CPU in particular at much cooler temps, but it actually can increase your overall case temps if your case airflow is not ideal. Airflow is key.

By the way, if you want a set of case fan recommendations...I'm looking at these.

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-P12-Pa...98&sr=1-6&th=1

Look at it this way. These days, your NVME drives come with a heat sink because they're used at such high levels that they produce excess heat. RAM modules now have little heat sinks, because RAM is being overclocked and producing much higher levels of heat. The motherboard chipset itself has a huge heat sink on most motherboards these days. AIOs transfer CPU heat only via liquid cooling. Air coolers help to move hot air from GPU/CPU/RAM/NVME/etc all at the same time.

No offense HP, but I would recommend this instead. At the least get these to make as your upper exhaust fans, and use the non LED for front/bottom/side intake cooling:

Asus TUF ARGB 120mm. 1900 RPM. 29dB. 76CFM. (CFM = cubic feet p/minute air movement) Really quiet for the level of airflow.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B6D2CLB5?th=1

For reference, the non LED fans HP linked above have a 1800 RPM and CFM of 56.3. 56 CFM is pretty weak. Again, don't cheap on case fans or cooling when going with Intel. Air flow is key for overall performance. I would highly recommend fans with airflow rated well above 60 CFM. Ideally over 70CFM like the Asus I linked, so it can really kick into gear and move lots of hot air when needed. Especially for power hungry Intel bitches. Don't buy fans if they don't directly advertise the CFM rating. Air movement is all that matters. Within acoustics that you can deal with at least.

Upgrade to 2000RPM and 66CFM, same 5 pack. This would be much better performance for the price.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X1FCTJL/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1

Or... if you have room, just get these fat cheap bitches that would give you 2200 RPM and 80+ CFM, LOL.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN61J31N/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1

Sorry, linked the wrong fan. You want the P12 Max.

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-P12-Ma...s%2C122&sr=8-1

Yeah, that's more than fine actually. Up to 3300 RPM fan and 81 CFM. Better than the Asus I linked, minus ARGB. That fan ****s. Get a bunch of those.

Here is what i have

https://www.microcenter.com/product/..._MZ-V8P2T0B-AM)

2 of those

https://www.microcenter.com/product/...x-power-supply

https://www.microcenter.com/product/...r_Case_-_Black

https://www.microcenter.com/product/...er_Build_Combo

might buy a different ram kit but might wait on it as well

I have a 3090 already

That looks sexy. The price on those 980s is ridiculous. I initially went with the Asus TUF z690 motherboard for my last upgrade, but decided for the Prime-A instead for the ease of AI overclocking.

The only thing about your build that I would mention is the case fan RGB. It's got non-addressable RGB, and will not have the capability to connect to the ARGB on your motherboard to control lighting. That might not be a consideration for you at all, but just in case. It has a little remote connected to the fans instead and will not sync with any other lighting.

I would also recommend adding some additional case fans. Especially in the top of the case if you're not installing a radiator there. It makes a big difference in overall temps.

Note the ~12:50 point where he talks about thermals:

<iframe width="1200" height="800" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uNN8FYDJF1o" title="Thermaltake View 71 Review: Unique Thermal Behavior" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Regardless, that system should beast. Good luck!

I'm not completely sold on the case, they just don't have a whole lot of full towers. I personally like the full towers have had them for my last two builds.

It's one of the coolest looking cases available for sure. I love the all glass panel look while still allowing airflow. But I think it would require some additional case fans to really make the airflow work. And if you removed the top glass panel, it would probably drop your temps by 20 degrees with upper fans.

I agree with full sized towers. Having a cramped case is a frustrating PIA to work with, and really shits on your air flow potential.

How old is your full tower? I have an old ass NZXT full tower and it's smaller than the Lian Li Lancool III mid tower I got.

Bought it in 2017

Alright. Finally got everything set up.

Went with a clean white build this time.

Case: CORSAIR 4000D
PSU: CORSAIR RM750E
CPU: Intel Core i9-12900K
Mobo: MSI PRO Z690-A
Cooler: DEEPCOOL AK620
Mem: CORSAIR Vengeance 64GB DDR4 3600
HDD: SAMSUNG 1TB 990PRO

https://i.imgur.com/GxtKNgW.jpg

Migrated old hard drives. Probably get another 4 TB down the road to fit into that other slot, once prices on SSDs drop.

https://i.imgur.com/10UIWus.jpg

Oh wait, we need A ****ING VIDEO CARD.

https://i.imgur.com/4ktPzGa.jpg

Awwww shit yeah son. So large she needs 8+8+6 pin power connector. ROFL Added two more case fans for good measure. Check out that tiny penis of an OTA Video Capture card underneath the 3070 Ti LMAO

https://i.imgur.com/fVbZ8gu.jpg?1

HAS IT'S OWN LCD SCREEN ROFL

https://i.imgur.com/AhBMwrW.jpg

Fat bitch saggin so we picked up one of these.

https://i.imgur.com/pNzUSzp.jpg

My baby.

https://i.imgur.com/9w3Q2V7.jpg

ALSO picked up one of these. It's an external sound card. Speakers are much more balanced and powerful now.

https://i.imgur.com/aDdegoI.jpg

RIP i7 4930k/1660 GTX system. You can sit in the living room and decode HEVC H.265 now.

https://i.imgur.com/Oaj4kSO.jpg

Dont lie, you went with white because you were set on getting an Apple.

It's easier to see screws you drop, my man. :D

Plus, literally ALL my pc builds have been jet black, time for something different.

Very nice setup, even if it's racist..

Upon a sober look... I would recommend putting another exhaust fan in that top left corner. That's an important thermal point. For only $9/fan, it would lower temps if you put another exhaust fan there. Heat rises, and there will be a lot of heat at that location. At the least, I would move the upper current fan to the back corner placement instead. But dual fans there would be an improvement. That upper case fan should be exhaust as well, I can't tell from the pic. And your lower front fan is backwards. LMAO. Turn that shit around. All front fans should be intake. You've got your front fans fighting each other in that pic. The 4-bar brace point of the fan indicates air flow direction.

Those come in white too. ;)

Wait.. you didn't pay Microcenter for that fan config, did you? Please tell me you at least changed your mind on the Microcenter build and these are your own noob mistakes... :D

I installed the two extra fans myself. I just had them laying around and figured I'd add two more when I put the GPU in. If temps become an issue I might add an extra one at the top. TBH that fan is tiny anyway and should be replaced.

Everything is pointed in the right direction, you're blind or something.

No, it's ****ing not.

https://i.imgur.com/8R29lLK.jpg

The arrows indicate the direction of your fan airflow. Front lower fan is pointing the wrong direction, you potato.

The front lower fan was installed by corsair, moron. It's literally sucking in. I tested it myself. Thanks for playing.

OK, you're right. I can see the text on the back of the fan in the pic.

You should still address the top left corner though. It's a thermal dead zone. You could be moving 80CFM there up out of the case for $9....

WARP CORE :D

<div style="width:50%;height:0px;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/47kax3" frameborder="0" width="50%" height="50%" allowfullscreen style="width:75%;height:75%;position:absolute;left:0px;top:0px;overflow:hidden;"></iframe></div>

That screen is for hentai, you trekkie nerd.

What was I thinking...obvious choice is obvious. :D

<iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/9ri8ju" width="1280" height="720" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Yeah, OK. That's badass.

****. That is badass, man. Where did you find the LCARS? I have to rethink my build now. That's how cool I think that is.

i just google image searched for LCARS gifs

So here's some pics of my new baby (don't judge the hot mess all around it):

First boot and post (crazy enough, everything worked on first attempt):



Here are the guts:



Guts powered up:



Full frontal:



I'm a huge fan of the case. It's wide open for air flow but thankfully the PC is pretty freaking silent most of the time. It's to the point where I can hear the constant whine of the pump. Once the rad fans spin up, though, you can definitely hear them. It's still probably, no bullshit, 4 times quieter than my previous one.

I did a super modest OC to 5.5Ghz on the 13700K. I'm sure there's a lot more headroom but I want it cool and it already draws absolutely insane voltages at times. I didn't know 1.4+ v was okay these days. ****ing LOL.

I tried to undervolt but was not successful and decided since the temps are straight $$$ under gaming load at 5.5Ghz, why even bother? So I gave up on that shit after about two days of reading a bunch of guides, trying my hand at it and failing.

Biggest thing I was not looking forward to while building was figuring out all of the RGB shit, which, in hindsight, was actually super easy but seemed like it would be pretty intimidating before I actually started doing it.

I also had to remount the cooler due to not ideal orientation after I initially mounted it. I also had to take the radiator out to reorient the little pump cable to go in the back of the case for cable management. Thankfully, the case was a dream for doing that. It would have been a massive pain in the ass with my old case.

All in all a pretty smooth journey.

First thing I tried was running RDR2 on it. I knew it was such a massive hog on my old PC. That shit runs at 120 FPS at 1440 with literally every setting set to the highest level possible. That's with DLSS set to Quality, though. The game looked great even on lower settings, but is just straight up stunning now.

I'll probably try Cyberpunk 2077 next just to see the eye candy I missed out on when playing compromised on my old PC.

That's also a really ****ing sexy build, my friend. I like the tiny little test BIOS monitor.

If you can undervolt and still get stable, by all means. You win better temps. But I'm in the same boat with my mobo auto OC. It will dynamically adjust OC on the fly, and I'm running every game I have at <70C with it maxed out. While running at 5.1-5.3Ghz. If your cooling and airflow is good enough, it doesn't really matter...

Have you tried the new "Path Tracing" option for Cyberpunk 2077? That's a good hardcore test for your system. Path tracing is the future, but it taxes the shit out of current hardware.

I actually managed barely 60FPS with path tracing enabled in CP 2077 benchmark. Surprising with my limited VRAM.

https://i.imgur.com/eSgBwj1.png

Thanks, man! Appreciate the kind words. That's a 24-incher WFH monitor there, haha. It finally got to experience being the real deal for a few moments instead of being chained to a shitty laptop once in a while.

Re: undervolt, that's exactly where I am at with it. I'm sitting at sub 70 while gaming too but I haven't had a CPU heavy gaming load yet.

Since I have that 360mm AIO, I feel like my temps should be fine. The airflow for me is mostly for the GPU and for the mobo to a smaller extent.

I ended up getting a 2TB 980 Pro from Best Buy for like $80 after a giftcard to go with my 990 Pro main.

4TB in M.2 SSDs is so affordable now, it's hard to believe my first M.2 SSD was a 250GB 970 Evo. I was so stoked when I first got it back in the day, haha.

Anyway, the point is that it's nice having zero SATA cables and mounted drives to worry about. MB's with M.2 heatsinks are standard now and that comes in super clutch.

Crazy what a difference 6 years make.

Haven't tried it yet. Gotta find the hard copy of the game code and install it.

I don't think my 4080 is going to fare well in that mode. I heard 4090's can't cope.

2TB 980 Pro from Best Buy for like $80? ****ing jerk. LOL. That's basically theft. Recent prices, and recent gains in performance make it a pretty magical time, as compared to the last 3 years...

Latest upgrade, with synced RGB.

what's that thick bitch running at the back of the wall?

Just cable management sleave with added LED lighting. I route all my cabling through that so it looks a little more clean.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FW3535S/

Sick set up. Wow.

Has anybody tried the Odyssey 49" G9? I don't do much gaming so Im sure it would be a waste of money for me I just live the aggressive curvature. As far as I can tell 1000R is the most aggressive curve for a monitor of such a size.

So I have the Corsair mid atx case and it has a light controller for fans, syncing them up with ram and AIO is fun.

Windows bout to have RGB control.

No more shit apps on our PCs, boys.

I'd upgrade the work area (desk) before anything from this point forward.

Yeah, my desk is admittedly a self-made mess, and not ideal for my PC setup. Jerk comment. :D I'm moving soon though, so it will no longer be an issue.

Here's an excessively silly Doom Rgb config setup I made.

Boom.

https://i.imgur.com/ybWO9p4.jpg?1

I believe GamersNexus did a video on fan locations and they found that if they had an exhaust fan before the CPU fan it actually increased temps because the exhaust fan is stealing air from the CPU. Might want to keep an eye on that.

**** LMAO

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eNedCSpkcqQ?start=451" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

LMAO

**** it, moving all that shit back 8 inches

I've always just stuck with the standard 2 front intake, 1 exhaust in the back, and 1 exhaust on the top behind the CPU tower (all 140). I can't remember what video I watched when I started building my own stuff, but the conclusion was that additional fans beyond that configuration was just marginal or no gain.

Only if you have negative air pressure in the case. Which he would not. Just maintain more intake fans than exhaust fans, and it's not a problem.

Every case is different. But with air cooled CPUs, airflow is incredibly important. With my recent upgrade, I prioritized this. Using the same case, I reduced my temps by ~20+ degrees, just using better quality fans and smarter air flow. While using a CPU with noticeably more power draw that's overclocked to 5.4.

Why don't you test each configuration? Benchmark that shit.

:shrug:

You are welcome to take it up with GamersNexus. I'll side with the former Dell engineer that now runs his own company and has infinitely more resources than I do to test bench thousands of products.

I watched the video. He's right that in the wrong configuration, too many fans can be detrimental. But only if you install them in a reeruned configuration that results in negative air pressure. Which lots of idiots do.

More fans in proper configuration will give you more airflow and cooler temps though. The only reason it wouldn't is messing up the airflow directions. Clay's CPU/GPU are producing 150W/300W+ alone. That produces a lot of heat that needs moved. More fans move more heat. The newest hardware is super power hungry. If you want to push performance, you can't skimp on fans and you have to be smart on placement.

I guess you specifically missed the part where he talked about if you wanted to install 3 intake fans and 3 top exhaust fans that the exhaust fans towards the front of the case will pull air directly out before reaching the CPU and that he recommends installing fans behind the CPU cooler.

So is he right or wrong? Because that's not a negative pressure configuration like you are claiming.

I guess I'm not understanding where you get your belief that a fan infront of another fan is or isn't going to be taking air out of a certain area of the case based on negative, balanced, or positive pressure.

He's right. You should not have exhaust fans at the front of the case. That's an example of a bad airflow setup. The frontmost top fan should be intake in that config. Which would give you more intake fans than exhaust. Which provides positive air pressure that you want.

That doesn't mean more fans are bad for airflow. That simply means 6 fans in the wrong config can be bad for airflow.

So then your first reply to my comment where I tell Clay to look out for that is what exactly?

Because now you are saying the opposite. Before it was not a problem. Now its the fan should be intake.

OK, my bad. I didn't even notice Clay's fan config. Apologies. I didn't realize he installed 2 top case fans.

I would put his rear exhaust fan all the way to the back of the case. Then flip the front exhaust to intake and move it as far toward the front of the case as possible.

Yeah we good now.

I haven't built a pc in forever.
Can somebody give me their thoughts on this build?

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/K34vLs

The GPU will be replaced later this year once I know a bit more for work related needs. Originally I went with the i7, but the i9 appears to have dropped in price so...

I'm not big on rbg, and prefer the cleaner look of this case as it matches my home aesthetics more than a clear flashing box.

I'm going to be using this for d&d and porn mostly, but when required by work, I will need to process some point clouds. I know this isn't a threadripper with 128gb RAM, but I'm hoping to stick a 4080 in it later and hope it handles small batches.

edit: more storage will be added/paid for by out company.

edit 2: I left in a 3060ti from when i was considering an all white build. Swapped for a 4060 ti.

looks good to me, don't forget to update the firmware on the 980 Pro, it's vital

Thanks, man. This is the shit that scares me. I'm so ootl on from scratch builds.

Anyone ever heard of these guys?


https://www.clxgaming.com/promos


Good? Bad? Indifferent?

MicroCenter is having a bundle special; Ryzen 5600X3D+550MB+16GB DDR4 for under $350. This CPU is exclusive to MicroCenter. Also has a similar Intel 12700K bundle for about that price. Seems like a good time to buy myself a birthday present and bring my home computer into the 2020s...

Amiga!!!

I spent hundreds of ours flying this thing:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9Whw4E2qpm8" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Is there a place I can buy everything but the video card. I already have a very nice GPU(Nvidia 4070ti) but just looking to upgrade the rest of the tower now. That clsgaming website looked promising. Says it is fully configurable but you can't completely remove the video card. I have built my last two computers from scratch... just want easy now :)

Do you have a MicroCenter in your area?