Xcrysdale

I built a system with a x470 board and a Ryzen 2600 and had no real issues for a while, but I came across a Ryzen 2700 Engineering Sample and swapped it out and it's been making my system incredibly unstable. I've tried a lot, resetting the BIOS and Ryzen Master settings, updating to the latest revision for my board (ASRock Bios version 3.40) and have had no real success. The only real lead I have is the EDC in Ryzen master is pinned to 100% at all times, but no matter what power plan I use it goes poorly. The only exception is when I use Power Saver, but then performance is seriously reduced. Windows is pretty stable, only stuttering when the CPU is being hit hard, but running any Linux distributions the system will lock up completely. I can swap the 2600 back in for testing, but I'm not sure where to go from there.

Hey guys really stupid question, but upon installing Windows 10 Pro Edition after completely wiping my main drive, the OS installs already activated. I have purchased Windows 7 about 3-4 yearsa ago, and upgraded for free to Windows 10 about 1 year ago, but I'm baffled by how I'm able to get Windows 10 Pro Edition completely free every time I mess up my system and want to reinstall. Is it somehow tied to the hardware in my system, therefore knowing it's been activated before? It's genuinely confusing, and makes me curious because upon installing from USB (Media Creation handled by the Windows 10 Setup Helper on another completely different computer) it prompts me to insert a key, but instead I select "Not right now" and am presented with a list of Windows Versions I can install (Ranging from Educational to Pro - No Enterprise). Proof that I'm somehow activated has been shown below, if anyone has any insight I would love to know how this keeps happening. Thanks all!

Good point. I'll most likely decide between a cheap monitor or a cheap video card. Thanks for the help!

Good point. Maybe I don't need that upgrade, looks like I'm monitor shopping!

Good point. Maybe I don't need that upgrade, looks like I'm monitor shopping!

Alright I'm just going to settle for a monitor then. Seems like my fantasies of bottlenecks are not a good reason to upgrade my CPU and GPU haha Thanks again for all the help!

Yes frustrating haha Should I consider this or this? Or should I stick to looking for a monitor? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012M8LXQW/ref=s9_top_hd_bw_bxcb_g147_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=4MHDX92PCZ42A7G65W66&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1381e980-855e-537b-94df-b4f4d642d410&pf_rd_i=229189 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FJLAITC/ref=s9_zwish_hd_bw_bxcb_g147_i4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-8&pf_rd_r=4MHDX92PCZ42A7G65W66&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1381e980-855e-537b-94df-b4f4d642d410&pf_rd_i=229189

Yes frustrating haha Should I consider this or this? Or should I stick to looking for a monitor? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012M8LXQW/ref=s9_top_hd_bw_bxcb_g147_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-4&pf_rd_r=4MHDX92PCZ42A7G65W66&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1381e980-855e-537b-94df-b4f4d642d410&pf_rd_i=229189 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FJLAITC/ref=s9_zwish_hd_bw_bxcb_g147_i4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-8&pf_rd_r=4MHDX92PCZ42A7G65W66&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1381e980-855e-537b-94df-b4f4d642d410&pf_rd_i=229189

I know I'm starting to sound spoiled but I already have these Laptop: https://www.amazon.com/Dell-15-6-Inch-Quad-Core-i5-6300HQ-Processor/dp/B015PYYDMQ/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1472411132&sr=1-3&keywords=Gaming+Laptop Phone: https://oneplus.net/3 It seems like the current best looking solution is a new monitor

Yes the 1080 is tempting indeed haha! One thing I noticed is when I was playing the Star Wars: Battlefront demo I was getting stutters and my CPU was constantly maxed out which makes me think it's not enough am I correct or just upgrade-happy? I will look into more monitors as well thanks for the suggestions!

Thanks for the suggestions! Regarding the graphics card, the truth of the matter is I really have no reason to upgrade as all I play these days it seems is BFBC2 and Counter Strike GO. The most taxing game I play is heavily modded Skyrim and even that is handled with ease so I see no true reason for even more power. And the monitor is a tempting suggestion but the room I have is very limited as to what I can do unfortunately.

Thanks for the suggestions! Regarding the graphics card, the truth of the matter is I really have no reason to upgrade as all I play these days it seems is BFBC2 and Counter Strike GO. The most taxing game I play is heavily modded Skyrim and even that is handled with ease so I see no true reason for even more power. And the monitor is a tempting suggestion but the room I have is very limited as to what I can do unfortunately.

Hello all, So due to a huge error on Amazon's part, (don't ask me how) they have given me a single use coupon for %80 off of any item $800 or less! I was curious as to what others think my PC needs upgrading. I obviously can afford the $800 limit and was thinking about upgrading my CPU but wanted other opinions on the matter. My current build is listed below. Thanks to all the recommendations! (Monitors and Peripherals are not out of the question, but I don't want to waste an opportunity like this on a $50 keyboard haha) CPU: Core i5 4690k (OC'd to 4.5 stable) CPU Cooler: Cryorig H5 Ultimate Motherboard: MSI Z97 Gaming 5 Graphics Card: MSI R9 390x (OC'd) Ram: 2x8gb Corsair DDR3 Power Supply: EVGA 750w Modular Montior: Dell 24" 1080p Monitor 2: Acer 19" 1080p // Mouse: Logitech G300S // Keyboard: Logitech G105 If any more info is needed please feel free to ask! Thanks to all who help

Hello all, TL;DR - Looking for an alternative or equivalent to Geforce GTX 970 4gb within $400 price range. First of all I wanted to thank you for taking the time to stop by, and taking the time to read about my dilemma. Well to begin I purchased a EVGA GTX 970 4gb card in late 2015 for my first ever PC build, and as of late discovered the 3.5gb VRAM issue (While I was aware of it it never truly effected me) and took the opportunity to make a complaint to customer support of Amazon. Amazon, bless their hearts, agreed to fully refund my order as a "One time exception" and give me the full $350 (US) I had originally payed. Now with the GTX 970 priced at $100 less than my original I was looking for advice on a new card to purchase with the extra cash, possibly from AMD this time. I was looking into the Radeon 480 8gb but at the moment there doesn't seem to be any available, but I am willing to compromise. I understand that switching from Nvidia to AMD will certainly be a bumpy transition with drivers etc. But I am certainly willing to do a full system reinstall if needed. Thanks to all recommendations! My current build: CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K Processor 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646I54690K Motherboard: MSI ATX DDR3 2600 LGA 1150 Motherboards Z97 GAMING 5 Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 80+ GOLD Ram: Corsair Vengeance Pro Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1866 MHZ (PC3 15000) Desktop Memory CMY16GX3M2A1866C9 Storage: Samsung 250gb SSD + 2TB Western Digital Black Hard Drive CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Universal Mid Tower Cooler