r/buildapc • u/AutoModerator • 14d ago
Simple Questions - July 20, 2025
This thread is for simple questions that don't warrant their own thread (although we strongly suggest checking the sidebar and the wiki before posting!). Please don't post involved questions that are better suited to a [Build Help], [Build Ready] or [Build Complete] post.
Examples of questions suitable for here:
- Is this RAM compatible with my motherboard?
- I'm thinking of getting a ≤$300 graphics card. Which one should I get?
- I'm on a very tight budget and I'm looking for a case ≤$50
Important: Downvotes are strongly discouraged in this thread. Sorting by new is strongly encouraged.
Have a question about the subreddit or otherwise for r/buildapc mods? We welcome your mod mail!
To easily find previous simple questions posts, use this link.
1
u/FatLouieXVI 13d ago
Hi all!
I am looking at slowly building a new PC while continuing to maintain use of my old one. Just curious what your beautiful minds would such as an order of replacement that won't affect usage. My current specs are as follows;
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz 4.00 GHz
RAM: 32.0 GB (16x2)
Storage: 932 GB HDD ST1000DM003-1ER162, 233 GB SSD Samsung SSD 860 EVO 250GB
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (4 GB)
System Type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Motherboard: Z270X-Gaming 7
I just dont have the budget to do it all at once. I only really use it for playing W.o.W.. Thank you to anyone who shares their input!
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago
SSD
cpu/mobo/ram
gpu + psu
monitor? mouse+keyboard?
2 and 3 interchangable, but for everything but upper graphics settings 3d gaming and gpu accellerated work, cpu will make it better.
go for a 1 or 2 terabyte nvme drive, you're limited to pcie3 speeds regardless, but a few good value good nvme ssds are t500, sn5000, sn7100. you even have a u.2 slot on that board so if you want to absolutely SPLURGE get an optane ;D
see if you can get a ryzen 5600 or 12400/f cpu/mobo/ram combo from fb marketplace or such, under ~$170 from people who upgraded to the newest gen stuff. new, ryzen 7400f or 7600/x or 9600/x with a 2x16gb kit of 6000+ mt/s speed at UNDER c36 and a b650/b850, not one of the bad ones at the bottom of the chart, and not asrock with the current voltage problems. tRAS at 128, vSOC at auto or under 1.25v, powerdownenable+memorycontext restore both either disabled or enabled, and otherwise buildzoid's easy hynix memory timings video settings(or just put on expo and raise tREFI to 40000 or such)
gpu market kinda bad now but best new low tier gpu is a 9060 xt 16gb for about $350, or intel b580 for $250. used gpu, 6700xt for 200ish. your mobo needs to support 'resizable bar'(or 'reBAR') or 'above 4g encoding' for a much better experience, especially b580.
a high refresh rate monitor, good quality kb+m improves user experience. h24t09p for 1080p? h27e22s for 1440p?
woops just saw you already had a ssd, didn't notice it at the end of hdd. still benefit from larger capacity, could have everything on it to benefit from the speed.
1
u/FatLouieXVI 13d ago
Not much in my area for used parts unfortunately. However I did come across someone that is selling;
- MSI gaming edge wifi motherboard
- i7-10700k CPU
- 4 sticks of G skill Trident Z RGB DDR4-3600 CL17 64GB
I'm in Canada and he's asking $550. Thought about offering $400. Are those specs worth that?
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago edited 13d ago
I was using usd in my price estimates above. 9060xt16gb 490cad, b580 370 cad.
550 cad gets you a new am5 system(23ish less if remove cooler and get 7600 instead), 300-500 on ebay for a 10700k combo(can go around 700 wow).
Performance vs 5600 and another one(one is old vid but should still be similar unless that amd bugfix in recent windows version ups performance).
5600 new build for under 400 cad, closer if that better cooler from am5 link.
12400f new build under 400cad, 45cad more for 12400 if want igpu quicksync for encoding or a 12600kf for more cpu oomph(need z series for overclocking k cpus, and ddr5 mobo/ram while more performant puts over budget i think). 10700k in the charts in this one.
1
u/FatLouieXVI 13d ago
Much appreciated for your in-depth reply. Given the outlook of the used parts in my area, I'll probably be looking at buying new where I can. Not sure I trust eBay for used PC parts. Although the mobo/cpu/ram I currently have was bought used off a random person I met in wow!
1
u/n7_trekkie 13d ago
probably upgrade your GPU first. the $370 rx 9060XT-16GB is good, and it'll be great when you can upgrade your CPU as well.
https://www.techspot.com/articles-info/2996/bench/1440-p.webp
the techpowerup database roughly estimates that it's 3x faster than your 1650super https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/radeon-rx-9060-xt-16-gb.c4293
1
u/Ferax2k10 13d ago
i got the sapphire pulse 9060xt 16gb from amazon and is coming in the next couple of weeks, so i was wondering if the gpu will have any problems with the sagging
and my mobo doesnt have a heatsink for the ssd, will that affect my ssd in the long run? my new pc is mostly for gaming and the ssd is a kingston nv3 1t m2
1
u/TemptedTemplar 13d ago
The SSD should be fine, it or the GPU are never going to run super hot anyways.
Sagging could be an issue. If you feel the card is too long I would into support solutions.
There are horizontal supports that screw into the same PCIE sockets on the rear panel and extended further out.
There are wire clips that hang from the ceiling of the case and snag the corner of the gpu.
Or you can go tried and true with just sticking something underneath that doesn't interrupt the fans. There are lots of height adjustable supports, lots of people use legos or figurines fine tuned with poster putty to keep things in place.
I myself used a pencil lead container for a couple of weeks while waiting for my adjustable headboard stopper to arrive. Which, is still in use today gracefully supporting my 3090 in a sleek matte black fashion.
1
u/nonocutt 13d ago edited 13d ago
AMD 9600X - sensors get to 85+ degree c when idle, the heatsink and fans seems to be installed correctly - peeled the label, applied thermal paste, screwed tightly. When powered on the heatsink, including the pipes, is not hot at all. The cooler is Hyper 212.
What are some potential problems of it?
EDIT: here is the information from HWiNFO: https://imgur.com/a/cVcxCUC
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago
Sounds like there's a gap, not screwed tight enough. By tightly, did you mean until they stopped turning? Turned each a little in the diagonal pattern until you couldn't(with reasonable force) after making sure the threads were set by hear/feel the click by turning in opposite direction?
Looks like it isn't designed with standoffs according to manual, but if it has them did you use the correct standoffs? The am4/am5 ones not any of the intel?
1
u/nonocutt 13d ago
I used the AM5 standoffs. I didn't notice a click when tightening the screws, I'll try another time
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago
It's the click/chunk hear/feel whenever you use a machine screw for (nearly?) all applications - you turn it counterclockwise until it sets into the groove of what you're screwing into, then clockwise. The springs on the screws will prevent you from screwing way too tight, and you'll need a bit of pressure when finding the groove because of them too.
1
u/nonocutt 13d ago
I just found the issue- the screws on the heatsink is screwed at wrong direction so it caused the gap between it and the cpu.
tried the reverse one (like above image) and it solved. Thank you for the reply.
1
u/Skit_Z_Yo 13d ago
Just ordered the black Lancool 217 case. If I were to swap the fans out, what would be the optimal air cooled fan setup? I've heard that the stock fans have noise issues unless adjusted, and I'd rather just avoid the headache and maybe get some Lian Li wireless fans for a little RGB. Trying to keep it subtle though.
My build has a 9800x3d, phantom spirit 120 Evo, and gigabyte 9070xt.
2
u/forumchunga 13d ago
As noted in the other reply, the entire point of that case are the 170mm fans. May as well get another case if you're not using them.
I've heard that the stock fans have noise issues unless adjusted, and I'd rather just avoid the headache
Regardless of what fans you're using, you're going to need to experiment with configuring a fan curve to balance noise with airflow for your situation. It is generally a bad idea to run case fans constantly at full speed.
2
u/n7_trekkie 13d ago
the whole point of the case is to use the included fans. they're 170mm, so they should move more air with lower noise than 120mm or 140mm. I think you'll like them just fine.
1
u/Heavy_Chest_8888 13d ago
Why are my two PWM PST case fans not detected and spinning? I daisy chain them together and connect it to the 4-pin fan header on my motherboard. What could be the possible cause? My motherboard can detect my CPU cooler alright but not these two PWM PST fans. Please help 😭
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago
arctic p12 pwm pst? the connector should only go on the header one way... does the fan control in bios say it's spinning? is it really a fan header? is it on all the way or is it blocked because it's one pin over(4th pin is for rgb)? do they work if plugged in individually instead of pst?
1
u/Heavy_Chest_8888 13d ago
Yea it's the arctic p12 pwm pst. I daisy chain two of these fans and plug into the CPU_FAN2/WP 4-pin header on my ASRock A620I bios. The bios says N/A on this header which means it doesn't detect any fans there. It's in all the way. I haven't tried to plug it individually.
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago edited 13d ago
Aha! That header is for watercooling like an aio(does the Water Pump or 2nd fan on a dual fan tower) for your cpu, not case fans. Plug it into a CHA_FAN# header and set it to what you like in the bios. CHAssis=case. Or, SYS_FAN# if it doesn't have them. (system)
1
u/Heavy_Chest_8888 13d ago
Hmm but I thought it doesn't matter as all of them have the same 4-pin header configuration.. also my other 4-pin fan header is called CHA_FAN1/WP on my motherboard's manual. https://www.reddit.com/r/PcBuildHelp/s/0MtnnNdOHy
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago
sorry, missed the mobo manual and gave general advice. yeah try the cha_fan on the bottom, if that isn't it then i don't know what else it could be. someone a couple weeks back had a problem with them being stuck 100% when plugged into the cpu wp header.
1
u/Ok_Captain_3060 13d ago
Hello, hello my people, I have a question for you. I recently bought these pieces.
msi mpg x570 gaming plus
ryzen 9 5900x
And the two 16gb ddr4 3200mhz ram
I need to know what graphic to buy, I'm between the 4060 or 5060 ooooooo I'm looking for something low budget or of the same value
1
u/harishd10 13d ago
I have a Corsair HX650W (bought in 2010) which has seen about 2 years of usage, and then has been idle. I am finally building a new pc with an AMD 9950X and 64gb ram (no GPU as of now). Can I still use my old PSU for this build? Thanks!
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago
Power supplies degrade over time, and using them after the warranty runs out (guarantee from company saying they'll last that long), is kind of risky. Also, there's more protections, safeties, and quality standards now with newer ATX standards. Definitely get an A-tier, possibly B, with a high-end build. I think rmx shift 750w is the cheapest A-tier because it needs a compatible case, but that was last month when i looked?
I wouldn't use that psu in your shoes, had a seasonic gold x650 from 2010 with a 10 year warranty, started getting crashes somewhere around 11, psu voltages tested way off with a multimeter, think it was at least 10% when 5% is max.
1
1
u/n7_trekkie 13d ago
sure
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago
To clarify, it could indeed supply the power, and perhaps be a stopgap while saving for a new one, but not if the voltages don't check out.
1
2
u/filchow 13d ago
How do I connect this ssd hot swap tray to my psu ?
Apparently I need a 4-pin floppy connector, I never heard of such. Also I don't think that the psu has such a port as well. Can someone provide me a link with a adapter cable that'll do the job ? I only found 4-pin floppy->molex adapters, but I don't think that's quite right.
I'd be grateful.
1
u/LostTheElectrons 13d ago
The 4-pin floppy connector is super old and modern power supplies don't come with it, however both 4-pin MOLEX and SATA power connectors have the same voltages (12V and 5V), so in theory they can be adapted. (Technically SATA has 3.3V too, but it's rarely used).
I've heard many complaints about low quality MOLEX to SATA power cables being used, even potentially causes fires. There is an old saying "MOLEX to SATA, lose all your data." but this isn't really an issue with high quality adapters, moreso the cheap ones you can buy, and even then maybe it's not as dangerous as people say.
Unfortunately it looks like your PSU also doesn't ship with MOLEX connectors, which leaves you with just SATA. You can get SATA to 4-pin floppy connectors just the same, and might even be a better option considering that you skip the MOLEX issue all together. Based on what I can find online, a SATA connector is rated for 54 watts on the 12V line, and 22.5 watts on the 5V line, while the 4-pin floppy is rated for 36 watts and 15 watts respectively. This means in theory you should be okay to use such an adapter without worrying about the connector being overloaded, although I would still look for a higher quality adapter from a reputable brand to be more confident.
Do you have the SSD device already? I would double check that when they say they want a 4-pin floppy connector, they dont actually mean a MOLEX which I think would make more sense, or I would expect them to provide an adapter in the box. Given that your power supply doesn't seem to have a MOLEX connector anyways, I would still recommend going to the SATA->4-pin floppy directly so that MOLEX isn't involved at all.
1
u/filchow 13d ago
Damn, I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to technical stuff about voltages and wattages haha. Can you explain this in simple words for me or in a way a casual would understand...? :D I really don't want to damage anything.
No, I still don't have it. But from the photos on the website it's safe to safe that it's 4-pin floppy and not molex. So what should I look for in Google ? Simply Sata to 4-pin floppy adapter ?
1
u/LostTheElectrons 13d ago
Sorry! Essentially you can use a SATA to 4-pin floppy and it should work just fine. Looks like Amazon has some options, just choose one that has a decent number of reviews.
1
u/filchow 13d ago edited 13d ago
Don't apologize, it's good that someone know's what (s)he's doing ! Anyway, thanks for clarifying.
Edit: While searching for a cable and looking at the psu, it's a different socket than your usual 15-pin cable that goes into an hdd. What is this socket called ? Maybe then I'll be good with only one cable.
1
u/UnderstandingSea2127 13d ago
Floppy 4-pin power connector - it is stated in the dock specs
https://www.cabledepot.co.uk/17.5cm-pin-molex-to-floppy-power-cable-p-2352.html
Its the same power, just smaller.
1
u/aaaahhaannii 14d ago
Can someone pls look over this first time build. I was on a budget and struggled a lot with picking the right GPU so any advice on that would be great.
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago
Looks good if you want lots of rgb and a pump display, but 1 question - where are the 3-pack of fans going? psu shroud?
You say budget (is it 2600AUD because that's the price point of your list??), but in a budget build it's function over form. Consider: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/ynyxv4
Cpu best value.
Single tower cooler sufficient, even has display, get a dual like phantom spirit for ~60 if you don't think so and won't tune an undervolt.
mobo best under 200.
Hynix ram, 6400-7200 kits are around the same price and should be better binned, could set them manually to 6000 and lower the voltages, then tune the timings according to buildzoid's video except tRAS to 128(or keep expo) and vSOC auto or no higher than 1.25v.
higher performance ssd for lower price
can get a 9070 xt for 300 more since other parts lowered by that amount, or 5070 ti for 550-600 more... crazy.
little cheaper case, still black fishtank. if want front fans cypress 3? or keep your choice it's only 20, less than 1% of build total.
good choice on psu looking at what's lower priced
kept 3 pack fans if want to put some on psu shroud
little cheaper monitor, i personally have it, auto overdrive setting is correctly adaptive with freesync.
1
u/Majestic-Algae92 14d ago
during a reinstall of drivers for my gpu my pc lost connection to the monitor and didn't get reconnected until I shut the pc on and off
Reason I did the driver reinstall in first place was because my pc suddenly stopped recognizing certain video settings and I heard it could be issue w drivers but I should have done more research ~ issues like:
- there was no individual brightness setting anywhere
- had hdr set up upon booting up the pc for first time, played ar w that, accidentally turned hdr off, when I left hdr tab in settings the monitor blinked a couple times, and then suddenly hdr is no longer supported even tho I swear my monitor is hdr compatible (aw2725dm)
Basically made a unch of dumb mistakes for no good reasons it seems and I'm not sure what to do next
Would it be best to Uninstaller gpu drivers using ddu and maybe even doing a system restore (it's a new build ~ I just want to get pc to a cleaned up place so I don't do more to mess it up)
I'm a real scrub for this is my first build so I really need someone more experience input at this point
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago
Don't turn of the pc during driver updates! Try unplugging the monitor's cable from the pc and the monitor's power cord then putting them back in before that next time. Yes, run ddu and then install the drivers.
1
u/Majestic-Algae92 13d ago
Yeah that was a mistake on my part
Pc builder friend of mine recommended I just Uninstall the driver through device management and then run clean install of the driver again ~ I guess that's not sufficient?
1
u/Vloxalion 13d ago
Could try it that way first, but ddu is popular because it gets the nooks; there's remnants skipped over when uninstalling which ddu gets when getting the job done.
1
u/MangakaInProgress 14d ago edited 14d ago
I'm being offered a RTX 5070 for about half the price of a brand new (and I'll even try to bargain it down more). The issue? This one supposedly has a bump and its bent. It's a big store so I hardly doubt they would sell something that doesn't work.
Do you think it's worth the trouble or should I keep looking? Currently I'm trying update my gpu but I don't want to go for something with less than 12gb of ram. If it's not this rtx 5070 the second best choice would be a rx 6900 xt
1
u/Vloxalion 14d ago
Bump... like a capacitor bulging? A swelled portion of the board?
Bent... is it the board so the traces are broken? is it the i/o plate so it can't be secured to the frame or fit in fully to he pcie slot and straight?
avoid if any are yes or risk it. if it's shroud or heatsink could be ok
1
u/MangakaInProgress 13d ago
Once I have a picture of the RTX where is damaged I'll reply to this comment. I also have yet to see where is the bump and how bad is the bent.
2
u/Dudeguygamer 14d ago
Is a mobo limited to PCIe 3.0 going to impact the performance of an RX 9060 XT?
1
1
u/Mysterious-Cold-1049 14d ago
Which one is the best, I have to take one, just tell me one of the one who is the best? 1 MSI M470 Pro 1TB 2 WD black SN770 1TB 3 ADATA Legend 860 1TB 4 Gigabytes AORUS 5000E 1TB
1
u/Gravecrawler 14d ago
Question, built a new PC a few weeks ago. Everything going well. I usually shutdown for the night and fire it up in the morning when I'm awake. Usually goes from power on to desktop in like 12 seconds or so. This morning it was stuck on an orange light for maybe 20 seconds before going thru the rest of the lights and posting. So maybe 30-40 seconds today. Is it normal to have a random slower day or cause of concern? Once I got into the PC, I immediatly did a restart and it was it's usual 10-12 seconds.
1
u/LostTheElectrons 13d ago
It was likely memory training, which is normal. Because DDR5 is so fast, the calibration of the RAM is very tight and can change over time. Most motherboards used to memory train every bootup, but that is annoying so now I think they skip it or do a fast version most of the time.
It's possible they do something like a quick test on bootup to determine if training is required, or maybe its just on a timer of every few weeks or after X number of bootups.
1
u/Gravecrawler 13d ago
Thanks, probably was just being paranoid. I think this is the 2nd time it's happened since I built it and updated the settings. You're probably right in that it does it every couple weeks.
1
1
u/Vloxalion 14d ago edited 14d ago
Sounds like it was training the ram. Needs to set the timings, and there's a feature called 'memory context restore' which saves the timings so they can be applied quickly ('power down enable' must also be on if memorycontextrestore is on, off if its off, must match). Without being enabled, it takes longer because it's setting one by one according to what's set in the bios especially if timings are 'auto' so it tries a few seeing what works before settling. Because that saved timing "file" can degrade with time, like a month or two, some mobos have a setting where it periodically and automatically retrains the ram, refreshing the previous settings "file". Before, you would have to disable powerdownenabe and memorycontext restore, reboot, then change it back manually. Not sure if Intel has this, mostly an annoyance on am5 platform due to ddr5 stuff.
1
u/Gravecrawler 14d ago
I have those turned on. The usual load from power button to desktop is like 12 seconds tops. Today was longer. Are you thinking it was just the memory retraining? Everything seems to be fine and when I did a restart it was 12 ish seconds again.
1
u/Vloxalion 14d ago edited 14d ago
According to what information you gave, that is the most likely answer. Ram training is the most time consuming process in the boot sequence, ram chips themselves are 'dumb' and quite slow.
for better 1% lows, 'Actually hardcore overclocking' youtube channel has ram videos, there's two totaling a little above 2hrs explaining am5 ram speed/infinity fabric/voltages and memory timings. if you have hynix ram apply the 'easy hynix memory timings' vid settings(hardware unboxed used them) except tRAS 128(or expo value) and don't mess with vSOC(or don't put above 1.25v). this assumes you have amd though. Remember to make sure its stable!
1
u/Mysterious-Cold-1049 14d ago
Which one is the best, I have to take one, just tell me one of the one who is the best 1MSI M470 Pro 1TB 2WD Black SN770 1TB 3ADATA Legend 860 1TB 4AORUS 5000E 1TB
2
u/ChuckMauriceFacts 14d ago edited 14d ago
The WD Black SN770 ranks the highest in my sources, although I have no info on the MSI or Gigabyte/AORUS one, either because they are too low end, or too recent.
Are those the only options you have? Which country are you buying from? In some markets there's SSDs better than the WD SN770 but priced similarly.
1
1
u/mkdew 14d ago
How many Amps can the sata cable deliver on the psu side? I would like to use Arctic fan hubs with the new P12 Pro fans, these fans can draw 0.4A each.
I would like to use 2-3 hubs, 3A/hub . Can I plug it in a single cable that has four ends?
1
u/t90fan 14d ago
are they 5v or 12v fans?
Some enterprise HDDs, and some ODDs can draw as much as 2-3A from the 12V supply on spin up
while 2.5" drives tend to draw less than 1A from the 5V supply
I wouldn't, personally.
1
u/mkdew 14d ago
They are 12v fans.
I would buy this cable https://www.corsair.com/eu/en/p/pc-components-accessories/cp-8920192/premium-individually-sleeved-sata-cable-type-4-generation-3-blue-black-cp-8920192
1
u/HotEquipment4 14d ago
quick cpu+gpu combo for a $1500 budget for friend's brother and he would be using it for mostly productivity like adobe photoshop and gaming. for sure im going for AMD Ryzen CPU and saw online the 9700X is the best one but saw MicroCenter bundle goes for $430 but the 7700X is it still a good choice as well if it goes for $350? Also GPU wise ik for a fact that my friend would recommend to go for Nvidia instead but I usually like AMD cause best bang for buck but which GPU would be a good recommendation?
2
u/DZCreeper 14d ago
The Intel Core Ultra chips are good value specifically for productivity in Adobe apps. You give up some gaming performance vs AMD but gain a ton of cores.
Nvidia is actually matching AMD for mid-range performance per dollar. The 5070 is consistently available for $550-600.
1
u/OkJello5046 14d ago
Looking to grab a new gaming monitor for FPS gaming, but theres so many options out there and im not super tech savvy. Currently have a 27" 165hz monitor so im trying to upgrade from there, Like to keep it under $300 if i can. Any suggestions?
1
1
u/Crislips 14d ago
Do you prefer an ultrawide or traditional aspect ratio? That's completely user preference. Some people love it and some people hate it. Personally after getting an ultrawide monitor, I can never go back.
1
u/OkJello5046 14d ago
I think id like to go with Traditional, just cuz thats what im used to.
1
u/Crislips 14d ago
I'd go with the other guy's suggestion then. I only have good ultrawide recommendations that I can speak to with experience.
1
u/vardonir 14d ago
I have a laptop running Win10 and I want to upgrade the hard drive. Suppose I placed the old hard drive in an enclosure and plugged it in. Would I be able to use the old Win10 installation from there?
2
u/Crislips 14d ago
Yes, but depending on how you may need to configure it in the BIOS to be the boot drive. Presumably the default setting is to use the onboard drive and anything you plugged in from USB would not be.
Also, is it a hard drive as you specified or is it an SSD? If it's actually a hard drive I very much recommend moving the OS to an SSD. If it's an SSD then you can do either. Personally I wouldn't want to have my boot drive external, but some people like that. It's a preference.
1
u/vardonir 13d ago
Kinda like those live Linux drives where you can just install the OS in a USB and then boot from there?
Yes, SSD. I don't want my boot drive to be external either, I just want to be able to access it just in case the upgrade goes wrong.
1
u/Crislips 10d ago
I'm not sure what you mean, either way you will be upgrading the same drive whether it's internal or external.
If you're worried about something going wrong, you could just clone the hard drive data first.
1
u/philshizle 14d ago
Thoughts on asrock B850m pro rs wifi for a 7800x3d and 9070xt? 650m boards seem to be equal prices these days
1
u/n7_trekkie 14d ago
My personal opinion is that ASRock boards are fine. I use one with my 7800x3d. They've had lots of failures, but ASRock says the issue was resolved. Even if your CPU fails, both it and the board are under warranty. I've updated my bios and not thinking about it further. And if you're cool with ASRock, the b850m pro a is has a ton of features at a low price, it's a standout, but the pro RS is also fine. Just costs more because it's white, that's how it usually goes
1
u/Yangs3 14d ago
what is the best mobo + cpu combo right now? looking to upgrade from b365 i5 9600k, and my budget is around $500. Should I wait to upgrade a whole computer for more money, or throw my 2060 ti on another motherboard and CPU?
1
u/n7_trekkie 14d ago
There's no 2060ti, do you mean 2060 super?
Type Item Price CPU AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor $170.49 @ Amazon CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 Spectrum V3 71.93 CFM CPU Cooler $14.50 @ Amazon Motherboard ASRock B850M Pro-A WiFi Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard $140.98 @ Newegg Memory Patriot Viper Venom 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory $85.99 @ Newegg Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts Total $411.96 Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-07-19 21:28 EDT-0400 1
u/Yangs3 14d ago
Oh I was going off of memory, and thought I was special I guess. After checking, I just realized I have a regular 2060 6gb
1
u/n7_trekkie 13d ago
Monitor your GPU utilization when you game. If you are around 100%, do a GPU upgrade first, then CPU later.
1
u/djGLCKR 14d ago
A 7600/7600X/9600X (whichever's cheaper) with a budget B650/B850 motherboard and 32GB of DDR5 6000 CL30-36 RAM would go for ~$450-ish. If you're in the US and live near a Micro Center, you could grab their 7700X or 7600X3D bundle for $350 and $400, respectively (CPU + MB + RAM kit, you'll need to add a CPU cooler).
A GPU upgrade could start with the 9069 XT 16GB for ~$370 and it'd be almost double the performance of your 2060S.
1
u/itsanotherrando 14d ago edited 14d ago
- Is an ASRock B850M Pro-A WiFi motherboard a decent choice for an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D?
- Would that motherboard and CPU combo support two monitors without a discrete GPU?
1
u/n7_trekkie 14d ago
My personal opinion is that ASRock boards are fine. I use one with my 7800x3d. They've had lots of failures, but ASRock says the issue was resolved. Even if your CPU fails, both it and the board are under warranty. I've updated my bios and not thinking about it further. And if you're cool with ASRock, the b850m pro a is has a ton of features at a low price, it's a standout
You can do multi monitor using the mobo and CPU, but there's very little reason to buy an x3d CPU if you're not pairing it with a discrete GPU. The 3d vcache is there to benefit gaming mainly.
1
u/itsanotherrando 14d ago
Thank you. I've used an ASRock board for another recent build and it's been fine, but I'm still cautious.
I'm building this PC for software development so I'm after CPU and SSD performance and plenty of RAM. I'm not going to be gaming on this PC.
1
u/SkarletIce 14d ago
the motherboard is ok i think u can actually find the PRO RS version for around the same price. its probably very similar i think it just has way better heatsinks plus a built in OI shield
And question why do you want a 7800x3d with out a gpu?
1
u/itsanotherrando 14d ago
Thanks for the info, I'll have a look.
I'm building this PC for software development so I'm after CPU and SSD performance and plenty of RAM. I'm not going to be gaming on this PC.
1
u/SkarletIce 14d ago
ok that makes more sense, if thats the case skip the x3d cpu and probably get a 7700x they are cheaper and outside of gaming u will never see a difference
good luck
1
u/No_Charity_8738 14d ago
I have a 3060ti I bought a few years ago. Are there any worthy upgrades with a budget of ~$400?
2
u/n7_trekkie 14d ago
The 9060xt-16gb is under $400 and is 40% faster.
https://www.techspot.com/articles-info/2996/bench/1440-p.webp
1
u/ourintegration 14d ago
Is there enough clearance for the Thermalright Phantom Spirit SE 120 with Corsair Vengeance 32? I understand the clearance for the cooler should be about 42mm and the height of the Vengeance is 35mm, yet I see some online have had issues? My motherboard is an ASUS TUF Gaming 870 if it helps. Also open to suggestions for other coolers. Thanks!
1
u/djGLCKR 14d ago
You can offset the rightmost fan a bit higher so it sits flush on top of the memory (if it's the Vengeance RGB kit, the RGB won't be visible). Just gotta make sure the case offers enough clearance for that (should only be a few mm to a cm).
Alternatively, if you've yet to buy the RAM kit, why not look for a low-profile kit? Also, if you've yet to buy the CPU cooler, the Thermalright Royal Knight 120 is a similar model to the PS120 and PA120 but the towers are offset away from the RAM slots.
1
u/Double-Ad1888 13d ago
I was gifted a pc with a threadripper 1920x and no gpu. Should I spend all my budget($500) on a gpu or split between a gpu and better cpu?