PC Hardware and building thread

[DELTAprime]

Monitors are plug and play devices for the most part. No drivers needed.

The only monitors I've seen that need software is needed are ones we RGB which is normally controlled by the manufactures RGB software and the some of the latest Gigabyte monitors have a software control panel. In which case it can all be downloaded from the manufactures website.

[DELTAprime]

I ordered a 3080 at launch and was still way down in the queue to get one. By last week I'd saved up enough money to buy a 3090 instead. Since 3090s are far easier to get a hold of I swapped my card over from a 3080 to a 3090 and its already on its way to the shop I bought it from and it will be on it's way to me soon.

It really sucks that 3090s are easier to acquire than the better value 3080.

For anyone wondering I got the Asus 3090 TUF OC from PLE.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Yeah I noticed the 3070 and 3090 models were available. I guess people don?t want the ?too hot? or ?too cold? models and go for the ?porridge is just right? version.

[DELTAprime]

Two recalls have been issued in the last couple of days. First is the Corsair HX1200 and HX1200i PSUs. They say it's not dangerous, but given faulty PSUs, in general, can cause component death or worse, a fire, it's a good idea to get your PSU replaced if it falls in the production period.

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/co...00i-psu-recall

However, much more concerning is the recall of the NZXT H1 case. The PCIe riser cable in the NZXT H1 is poorly designed and is a real fire hazard that has caused around 10 house fires. If you have one of these cases, please get the replacement PCIe riser.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnDWxiFvUtE

[Fungal Infection]

Looking to buy a new desktop but since I've been out of the game for so long, I haven't got the faintest idea of what to get. Looking at a a budget of around $1500, used mainly for work, browsing and the occasional bit of gaming (rare). Open to building my own as I did with my current one (8 years ago!!!) but willing to get a pre-built unit if its within budget. Looking at 16GB of RAM, DVD/Blu-ray writer, mid-range graphics card, SSD drive and network card. Not sure about the processor - I've used Intel all my life but open to AMD. No monitor required as I'm intending on using my current one. Any recommendations for what I should be getting?

[DELTAprime]

Looking to buy a new desktop but since I've been out of the game for so long, I haven't got the faintest idea of what to get. Looking at a a budget of around $1500, used mainly for work, browsing and the occasional bit of gaming (rare). Open to building my own as I did with my current one (8 years ago!!!) but willing to get a pre-built unit if its within budget. Looking at 16GB of RAM, DVD/Blu-ray writer, mid-range graphics card, SSD drive and network card. Not sure about the processor - I've used Intel all my life but open to AMD. No monitor required as I'm intending on using my current one. Any recommendations for what I should be getting?

For prebuilts, I do not recommend Dell, HP or other big brands these days. They use non-standard parts so you can't upgrade, or fix them, in the future. PC Case Gear is a good place to go for a prebuilt. Ignore the 1650 systems, but the 1650 Super and above systems are ok. That said if you can stretch the budget the $1899 2060 systems are much more powerful and an Nvidia 2060 will get you Nvidia DLSS as a usable feature.

When it comes to the optical drive, very few cases these days support optical drives. That's why I recommend getting a USB optical drive. Given how important airflow is for a good case, I really recommend getting a USB drive so you don't sacrifice on the case.

The thing is, right now is a very bad time to buy a GPU. I bought a 1660 Super last year for $360 for a secondary PC. Right now the same GPU cost $700 because of the ongoing GPU shortage. If you decide to build, consider reusing your current GPU for now in the new system until GPU prices drop. Or maybe think about buying an Intel CPU that has the iGPU and using that until GPU prices drop. Let me know which direction you want to go, and if you want to build a PC I'll make you a build list.

[SharkyMcShark]

The GPU shortage is a real pain in the ass. I'm waiting for that to subside before I go for a new rig. Hopefully before Battlefield comes out at the end of this year, but I'm not keeping my fingers crossed on that one.

[Autocon]

Arent they artificially inflating prices by keeping stock low?

[Fungal Infection]

Did a bit of shopping today and here's the setup I'd be looking at:

AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel I5 or higher
16 GB RAM
512 GB SSD
Mid-tier GPU
USB Optical Blu-ray/DVD writer

Is this achievable on $1500? Pre-built units would suggest no, but I'd stretch out the budget a bit more for a computer I wouldn't need to upgrade for another 8 years!!

[DELTAprime]

Did a bit of shopping today and here's the setup I'd be looking at:

AMD Ryzen 5 or Intel I5 or higher
16 GB RAM
512 GB SSD
Mid-tier GPU
USB Optical Blu-ray/DVD writer

Is this achievable on $1500? Pre-built units would suggest no, but I'd stretch out the budget a bit more for a computer I wouldn't need to upgrade for another 8 years!!

Everything except the GPU is very achievable in that budget.

Here are a bunch of very good parts that are not unreasonably priced given the current global semi-conductor shortage. https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/9xc6bh

The issue is that GPU. Not only have GPU prices risen significantly over the past 8 years (as well as everything else in the system). 8 years ago a mid-range GTX 770 MSRP was $329 USD vs the current mid-range RTX 3070 with a $499 USD MSRP. You now have a global semi-conductor shortage affecting everything that goes into building a computer from the PCB on up to the GPU die its self. Fortunately, everything except the Ryzen 9 CPUs are easy to buy in the CPU space now as supply has recently met demand.

There is however no end in sight for GPU shortages and jacked up prices.

Nvidia is pumping out as many Ampere GPU dies as they can on Samsung's 8nm process. They are then selling them and the required memory to their AIBs like Asus, MSI and EVGA at the same price they did when the products launched. The issue with the price is either that the AIBs or their distributors (we don't know who) are then profiteering in multiple ways.

Nvidia might pump out X number of dies. Then the AIBs will sell Y number of cards to their distributors (there is a small difference in the number because of defects and review samples). However, only Z number of cards are making it to retail with Z being a much lower number.

For instance, Nvidia said they made plenty of 3060 dies to fill the supply chain before launch and hopefully end the shortage. AIBs said they made plenty of cards to once again hopefully end the shortage. Then the retailers said "we got jack all cards".

So we enter the realm of crypto miners and other shady people. We don't know who but either the AIBs or their distributors are doing back door deals selling their stock of gaming GPUs to crypto mining farms or to scalpers. We just don't know where all these GPUs are going, but it's really not good. Here's a guy that got his hands on 78 3080s right after launch for mining. https://www.techpowerup.com/276554/e...-cards-spotted

While AMD cards are not very good at mining and are seen as inferior by most consumers and here in Australia you can buy one easily, they are getting the same jacked-up prices that Nvidia cards are getting. A 6800 XT is supposed to cost under $1000 AUD. However, the cheapest you can buy is more like $1649 AUD.

I really suggest reusing your old GPU for now, or going with an Intel CPU with an iGPU and making do with that.