My ups of nearly 4 years finally gave up, I have power cuts in my area only when there's really heavy rain, even though the backup generator starts working almost instantly. I'm going to replace the battery for my ups but I need a few days to do so, is it still safe to use my computer while it's plugged into the wall (for a few days) I don't really care about any data, I just want to make sure nothing happens to my hardware (if the power goes out in the few days I don't have a ups).

I couldn’t find anything recent on this which is why I decided to come on here and make a post myself.

I upgraded to 1440p from 1080p and my temp now peaks at 73C, compared to 60 or 61C back then. This is also undervolted, and when not undervolted the GPU peaks at 83C. Should this concern me? my gpu is a 3080

I just build new pc with i9 14900KF, 32 GB of DDR4 which I bought in 2024, 1 TB of storage only because I bought it too in 2024, but another 2TB would be even better. And before anyone come here and say: oh you’re got only DDR4 you should get DDR5, don’t even comment I’m not buying ram for 700€. I have EVGA FTW3 Ultra RTX 3070 Ti, MSI Tomahawk z690 wifi motherboard, DeepCool 850W psu and Arctic Liquid Cooler 360mm aio. I have this paired with 1440p 300Hz 27’ monitor. I build this built from AM4 platform because I wanted something more powerfull for gaming, editing, school, generally more powerful pc that can last me at least a few years. And I i want more powerfull gpu too. I’m looking for used 4080/4080 Super but there are literally none in my country right now. And prices of new 5080 are 1800-1900€, so my question is should I pull the trigger and go for 5080? The Black Friday will start in 3 weeks but everyone says that you don’t even save anything because the shops inflate the prices. From what I searched the prices of gpu’s, ram’s will go up before christmas and in february 2027 so they will go up regardless. A 2TB ssd would be nice too but the prices are through the roof. Tell me please, should I buy right now, or wait for black friday or wait, thanks.

Hello from the UK!

I'm looking to build a gaming PC for my son, which will primarily be used for Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite. Also Forza if I get the chance to use it...

I have a budget of around £2,400, and was thinking about these specs:

Am I barking up the right tree? Can anyone recommend some vendors for this?

I have lots of experience in building PCs and was active in the overclocking community for a good few years, but that was over 20 years ago. If anythng, I expect it's got a little easier to put them together, but I have never built a specific gaming PC, and graphics cards a just a little more evolved now!

I'm hoping this is a very good spec for the given games, which will last for many years before any upgrades are considered. My son is a serious gamer, albeit on XBOX and a low spec PC at the moment.

I would very much appreciate some good advice here. I need to get the build complete and tested before Christmas.

The only thing I haven't considered here is not a deal breaker, but maybe adding some RGB. I wouldn't know where to start with this. Actually, fan controllers too, again, wouldn't know where to start.

Thank you!

I’ve decided to build a pc and I know this is the worst time to build one lol but I don’t think the prices will come down anytime soon. I’m on a budget and my brother gave me a 1x16gb ddr4 3200mhz and I just found out about single channel performance losses after getting all the parts. I would really like to not have to spend an extra $130-$140 on ram so I’m wondering how bad it’ll stutter. I got a ryzen 5 5600x, ASUS b550m-a WiFi II, and a rtx 5050.

Hi! I've been fantasizing about building a gaming PC for nearly 5 years now and have been saving up for it.

This is my planned build so far, I've spent the past weeks ping-ponging between tons of sites and consulting with AI, I'd like to hear your thoughts on it.

About the individual price parts, I've compared them to other sites in my country, my country is just super expensive; these are prices if I buy from a VAT-free location.

Name --- Price (Converted to USD):

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D AM5 Tray --- $488
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK PRO 3 Black --- $56
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B850-PLUS WiFi --- $229
Memory: Klevv DDR5 32GB (2x16GB) 6000 CL30 BOLT V Grey --- $593
Case: Fractal Design Pop 2 Air - Black TG --- $125
Case Fan: Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 PWM 120MM Fan --- $39
PSU: Corsair RM1000e 1000W ATX 3.1 Gold Modular --- $193
GPU: Palit GeForce RTX 5080 GamingPro OC 16GB --- $1766
SSD: Samsung SSD 2TB 990 PRO NVMe M.2 --- $418

For a monitor, I was eyeing the Gigabyte 27" QHD 240Hz 0.03ms USB-C OLED Gaming Monitor but the site I'm using to buy the parts from stopped displaying any monitors larger than 24.5", so I'll buy monitors from somewhere else....

What are your thoughts? What should I change if my main goal is better performance at roughly the same price range?

I was just thinking that during the RAM crisis it'd make sense for 24gb RAM to become more common as a viable in-between as 16gb is often not enough but 32gb costs your first born child, but I looked into it and it's just kind of a pain to find 24gb plus I've never seen anyone talk about it

I’ve been “about to build a new PC” for probably a year now.
Current system is a Ryzen 5 3600, RTX 2070 Super, 16GB DDR4 and a couple of SSDs. I built it in 2020 and at the time I assumed I’d get maybe 4-5 years out of it before something started feeling painfully outdated.
Well... apparently nobody told the PC.
I play at 1440p. Most of what I actually play is stuff like Baldur’s Gate 3, Helldivers 2, older RPGs, strategy games and whatever random indie game steals two weeks of my life. I’ve had to turn settings down in newer games, obviously. I’m not pretending a 2070 Super is secretly a 5080. But I launch a game, change a couple settings, and then... it works.
And that’s the problem.
Every few months I get the upgrade itch. I watch benchmarks, build a parts list, convince myself that this is finally the year. New CPU would be nice. 32GB would be nice. A modern GPU would be REALLY nice. Then I look at the total, go play something on my current PC, and within five minutes I’m thinking “wait, what exactly am I trying to fix?”
Well...kinda funny that I can afford a new build now much more comfortably than I could when I built this one. I actually want to build one. Half the fun for me is picking parts and putting the thing together.
But spending a few thousand dollars just to turn settings from “high” to “ultra” and watch an FPS counter become a bigger number feels harder to justify than I expected.
I always thought upgrading would happen because my old PC became unusable. Instead it’s slowly turning into this weird negotiation where the old bastard keeps doing just enough to survive another generation.
I’ve even caught myself almost rooting for something to finally struggle badly enough that I can upgrade without feeling stupid about it.
For now I keep closing PCPartPicker tabs and telling myself “maybe next generation,” which is exactly what I said last generation

So I’m planning on building a PC in the near future (I know, market is terrible right now) and I’m contemplating between the R7 or the R9. I know the R9 is overkill in most games, but one of the games I’m really excited to play is Cities Skylines 2. I know it’s horribly optimized but I’m wondering how much better does it really run on an 9950X3D? Considering it’s a very CPU demanding game I’ve heard. To me the price difference isn’t that big of a deal but I’m wondering how big the difference in performance is in CS2 and other sim games?
Planning on pairing it with either a 5080 or a 5070ti. Also it might be a good while before I actually get to building, maybe up to a year, so would it be advisable to wait for the next gen chips?

I put off buying additional storage and now I'm regretting it. However, I had a kernel error and realized I needed reliable backup.

However, an M.2 2tb drive I bought for $120 two years ago now goes for $215?!?!?!?

Should I still buy the Silicon Power 2tb or are there better options for that price?

I'm growing a little concerned with CPU prices following the trend of RAM and memory prices exploding due to AI horseshit. My original plan was to wait until end-of-life AM5 and upgrade to a -800x3d at that time. However, after playing RE4 Remake for the first time on a 7500f w/ 9070xt, I have finally experienced the single digit 1%-lows that I see folks (understandably) complaining about.

I see a couple listings for 7800x3ds on AliExpress around $285-ish vs. Amazon at $350, but they don't appear to currently allow shipping to the US (due to tariffs?).

I purchased a 7500f via AiiExpress last year and it arrived without issue. My overly optimistic hope is to catch a coupon-stacking/Rakuten deal and walk out the door with a $225 (or less) 7800x3d. I'm aware of the risks of getting a dead chip, but I've never had an issue with credit card chargebacks for similar online purchase issues.

Just curious if anyone has had recent luck going this route?

Hello, I'm looking to build a PC to pair with a 360hz monitor to play competitive R6 on 1080p with lowest settings.

I know R6 is a pretty CPU heavy game I first wanted to go with the Ryzen 7 7700X since it does well on benchmark on low 1%.

But since it requires an AM5 and DDR5 I think it's cheaper to get an Intel CPU that has similar performance but take DDR4 RAM instead to lower the overall cost, here is the math :

i5-14600K + 16Go DDR4 = ~250€
i7-14700KF + 16Go DDR4 = ~370 €
Ryzen 7 7700X + 16Go DDR5 = ~530 €

Does it work like that and should I do that?

Current setup: (2021)

Ryzen 5 3600, CR-1000GT cooler

RTX 3070 Ti

Gigabyte B450M DS3H WiFi

16GB (2x8) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3600

500GB NVMe + 2TB HDD

Antec NE650M 650W Bronze

I play at 1440p and want 60+ fps at max settings. Path tracing and/or 4k gaming would be a bonus. I'm worried prices will keep rising, so I want to buy the right parts now without creating bottlenecks.

My plan so far:

CPU: Ryzen 7 5700X3D (BIOS update first, this board has no flashback)

RAM: add a matching 2x8 3600 ddr4 kit for 32GB or sell the 2 8gb sticks and get 16x2 3600 ddr4 kit

PSU: 850W Gold, ATX 3.1

GPU: RTX 5070 Ti or RX 9070 XT

India prices I've found: 9070 XT about 95k, 5070 Ti closer to ₹1.6L, 5700X3D ₹18k to 24k.

5070 Ti or 9070 XT? I care about path tracing and DLSS, but the gap is ₹50k or more.

Is the 5700X3D still the right call, or should I save for AM5 despite DDR5 prices?

Will a second matching kit run at 3600 on this board with all four slots filled?

Which Indian retailers do you trust for these?

I am in Pune India.

So long story short, my SSD basically got fried a couple months ago, the computer tech I took it to reinstalled windows onto my hdd, wiping everything like a complete moron, and now my computer is pretty much handicapped.

So, I picked up a new ssd (crazy expensive now btw) and I plan on putting Windows onto it. So, what I was going to do is turn off my computer, unplug everything, then unplug both of my hdd's, then install windows onto the ssd, then plug the hdd's back in.

My question is, is this the best way to do it? And also, will all my programs function like normal after plugging back in the hard drives?

So 2 days ago I asked you if going AM4 till AM6 is good idea and you told me that going Intel is better cause more upgrade options and both DDR4 and DDR5 support.

I am planning to go with 13600k (don't want to gamble with motherboard's BIOS support for 14600k at the beginning) with possibility to go for 14900k in 5+ years if RAMpocalipse is not over.

The problem: there are no decent DDR4 LGA1700 motherboards (Asus Prime B760-Plus D4 is the best option) where I live. I am pretty sure it can handle 14600k, but have doubts about 14900k, so I'll have to import this TUF motherboard from Romania. I don't want to do it unless I am absolutely sure that it will support an upgrade

I want to build my first PC, i don't really like RGB fans, but people tell me that I need a fun hub because motherboard have to little fan slots. I will probably have 2-3 intake fans and one exchaust.

So my monitors wont connect to my pc and my fans rgb turn off after a minute. Ive reseated my ram and im fairly sure my gpu is fine considering i disconnected it and it still wouldnt show any video

Have all the parts; just want someone to really put this thing together the right way. Anyone have someone or a friend they've worked with that they'd recommend?

I wanted to get a new pc since my old one is quite slow. I've got a budget of 4000-5000R$(Reais). Since it's my first time building one(plus the ram shortage) I don't know where I should buy the parts, if I should buy rn or in one year (maybe the prices will go down) or of I should try importing it from other countries.

Since it's a gaming pc I was thinking of getting all the ordinary components(GPU, CPU, ram, motherboard) plus I think it would be nice to have a ~200gb SSD for the operational system and a separated HDD(~1T) dedicated to my games.

My English is kinda bad(sorry)

Thank you for reading :)

I've had the same core parts for about 6 years and just did my first big refresh: I moved everything into a new case, added new fans and lighting. Now I want to slowly start replacing most of my original components so this PC can last me another 6 to 10 years before I need to upgrade again.

This is going to be a slow process, one or two parts at a time, but I'm willing to keep upgrading until most of the original parts are replaced.

Current specs (the original parts):

- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (stock AMD cooler)

- Motherboard: MSI X470 Gaming Plus Max

- RAM: 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3200 CL16

- GPU: Gigabyte RTX 2070 Super Windforce OC 8GB

- Storage: Kingston A2000 500GB NVMe, Crucial P3 1TB NVMe, Seagate Barracuda 2TB HDD

- PSU: Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W V2 (fully modular)

- Monitor: Acer, tops out at 75Hz

- OS: Windows 11

What I just upgraded:

- Case: Antec C8 (black), moved over from a be quiet! Pure Base 600

- Fans: 7 Thermalright ARGB fans (3x TL-M12QR-S reverse on the side as intake, 3x TL-M12Q-S on top as exhaust, 1x TL-M12-S in the rear)

- Lighting: Nollie 8 ARGB controller + an ARGB/PWM fan hub, running SignalRGB

Thanks!

I am attempting to build a PC, any alternatives, part swaps, I am trying to stay in the range of 1500-2000.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/24Rxxf

Which one do you guys think is better?

Personally, I think the RX 7600 is the better choice. What do you guys think?

Hello. I think I more or less have decided on a build for a PC. This will be my first one, and I'm new to the whole process, but I've had some help so I'm fairly certain in my choices (I will be buying them on the Black Friday or Cyber Monday coming up).

Here is the PC: My PC.

I want something that can last, mainly for programming and job searching use, with light gaming considered. Right now, however, I need a way to get audio in and out of the PC. It does not have to be fancy, but it should be able to last for as long as I need to.

For the audio out, I have a pair of headphones with Bluetooth connectivity. I think that'll be fine.

For the audio in, I am looking for a microphone. This will be used for interviews mainly, not games, so something with decent noise canceling and probably with a USB-C connection point (to make use of the port on my casing's front) would be good for this. I plan to put the monitor on a desk and the casing below it (if possible), so there should be some desk space to mount or place a mic on it. As this will mainly be used for job interviews, it does not need to be active all the time or have the best sound quality.

My price point would be 100-200 US dollars, but as I am new to what a good microphone would cost, I could go a little higher if needed, or lower if possible. I have a max comfortable budget of 2500 US dollars for the entire PC, and a true max of 3000 dollar. More money is worth it if the part lasts longer for it's cost.

I am mainly looking for resources someone could provide me to get me started on selecting microphones. I couldn't find any in this subreddits part selection resources, so I'd like to ask you on this if possible. I'd be grateful for any kind of help.

Thank you.

Allow me to flesh this out.

Its really easy to put all your parts into a psu calculator, go +50-100w above that, get a gold or better psu at that wattage and call it a day.

Im not talking about that part of the process.

Im more talking about when all the parts are actually in my case under load in use. Is there anyway without buying secondary hardware to see if my PSU is meeting all requirements? Not necessarily in real time either, im ok with running something and then getting a report afterword. But real time would be great for obvious reasons. It also doesnt have to be like scientific grade accurate. Just looking for a ballpark.

It seems like a good health check up you should run every now and then especially as your PSU gets older.

I have an 850w psu and a 5070ti and a 7800x3d. I recently upgraded that 5070ti from a 7800xt, and boy let me tell you. My room is WAY warmer. So its pretty obvious the 5070ti is pulling a lot more. My psu isnt exactly new and I was just wondering if it was 100% suppling or not.

I dont have any stability issues or crashing so its most likely fine. But its just something I want to know.

Hi everyone!

I'm having a serious issue after recently upgrading my GPU from an RTX 3050 to an RTX 5060. I suspect my CPU might be bottlenecking the GPU, but I'd like to get a proper diagnosis before buying a new processor.

My PC specs

- GPU: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5060 WINDFORCE MAX OC 8G

- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4500 (6 cores / 12 threads)

- Motherboard: ASUS Prime A520M-K

- RAM: 32 GB DDR4-3200 MHz, dual-channel

- Storage: HP EX900 Plus 1 TB NVMe M.2 SSD

- PSU: UNYKAch Courage 750 W, non-modular

- Case: UNYKAch Courage (exact model unconfirmed)

- OS: Windows 11 26H2

The problem

In many games, I experience frequent FPS drops. For example, the game runs at 60 FPS, drops to around 52–58 FPS for a moment, and then immediately returns to 60.

I cap my FPS at 60 because my display is 60 Hz, and I'm happy with that. I've also tested without an FPS cap and with V-Sync disabled. The same drops still happen: for example, going from 130 to 110 FPS at the same moments when the capped FPS drops occur.

What I've already tried

- Reinstalling GPU drivers using DDU.

- Downgrading to an older NVIDIA driver to rule out a driver issue.

- Letting games finish shader compilation.

- Changing NVIDIA shader cache settings.

- Updating the chipset drivers.

- Testing different resolutions and graphics settings.

None of these has solved the problem.

Why I suspect a CPU bottleneck

1. Similar performance at different resolutions and graphics settings

In many games, I get almost the same FPS at 1080p and 1440p, and changing from low to ultra settings often makes little difference, unless the GPU reaches 100% utilization.

1. Cyberpunk 2077 performance

In Cyberpunk 2077, I get approximately:

- 70 FPS while standing still.

- 60 FPS while moving the camera.

- 53 FPS while walking around.

Crowd density also has a significant impact: I get around 35 FPS with high crowd density and around 50 FPS with low crowd density.

During these tests, CPU utilization is roughly 70%, while GPU utilization is often 40% or lower.

Also, a wierd thing is that in the in-game built simulation says I should be getting 90 fps.

1. Uneven CPU thread utilization

In CPU-demanding games, I've noticed that one CPU thread is often much more heavily utilized than the others. This sometimes coincides with FPS drops while GPU utilization remains relatively low.

I understand that overall CPU utilization can be misleading because a game may be limited by one or a few threads without using all the CPU's resources.

My question

Does this sound like a CPU bottleneck caused by the Ryzen 5 4500, or could something else explain these recurring FPS drops?

I'm considering upgrading to a Ryzen 5 5600, but I don't want to spend money on a new CPU if the problem is actually caused by something else.

What would you recommend checking to identify the actual cause? I'd especially appreciate advice on distinguishing a CPU bottleneck from frame-time issues, background processes, or other possible causes.

Thanks in advance!