Swoops McGee

I am proud to finally present my station after roughly 8 months of waiting and planning. A bit of story behind this build, but first, here are the pieces, from the ground up: Desk: DIY electric standing desk. I purchased a second-hand garage/workshop standing desk for a good deal, ripped the ugly top off, painted the motorized legs and stained an old desktop that I had lying around, and wahlaa! A standing desk for about $100 U.S. PC: I sold my GTX 1080 back in Dec, when I thought things were at their peak (boy was I wrong). Anyway, I used my laptop to work and play, and it was fine. Just late last month, I finally landed a 3060 locally for a fair price, so I jumped on it. As it sits: Ryzen 5 3600 (stock) Asus Dual RTX 3060 (OC'd @2150MHz) 16gb 3200MHz 1tb NVME, 1tb HDD Monitors: Xiaomi Mi Curved 34, 3440x1440 144Hz. I got very lucky and got this second hand for a GREAT deal. Acer 24, 1920x1080 144hz. Both attached to a clamp-mounted vertical stand from Amazon (amazed at how well it holds up with all the weight) The inspiration behind this rig was something to allow me to comfortably work from home all day, and transition into gaming at night seamlessly. The UW really does wonders for working from home. Highly recommended, if you have many windows to reference at once, as I do. The PC itself handles everything I throw at it at reasonable framerates, though I have my eyes on a 3070, when the time is right. However, I am very happy with how this sits, as it was a long time waiting on a GPU to make this possible (lots of us in this boat, I understand). Anyway, if anyone has questions about the process of putting this all together, or about any product they see here, let me know! I am happy tp share my experience.

Hey all, I have an HP gaming laptop that has a 144hz, 1080p built in display. I also have a 1440p, 144hz external monitor that I use with my desktop, running through a displayport cable. The issue I am seeing is, even though I have the external monitor set at 1440p, 144hz in NVidia control panel and in Windows' display setting, this configuration is not available in games that I run. I have tried Overwatch, COD Cold War and Valheim. I am only able to select 1080p, 144hz or 1440p, 60hz in-game. Now, I am using the exact same displayport cable that I use for my desktop through a USB C adapter - this problem actually did not exist prior to me sending my laptop back to HP for a bad NVME drive under warranty. But, since I have gotten it back, this problem persists. I have tried what I know and the only solution that I can find is only showing the display on the external monitor, ie. not duplicating the displays in Windows. This is fine I guess, but I like to use the 144hz, 1080p screen as a second monitor while I play (again, I used to do this prior to sending it to HP). What am I missing here? Thanks!

Hey all, I picked up an HP Pavilion Gaming Laptop 16-a0032dx (specs are in my signature) for work, school and a bit of on the go gaming roughly 7 months ago. It has been a great machine, up until this morning. I have upgraded the ram from 2x4gb to 2x8gb. This is the only modification I have made to it and I have been running with this upgrade for about a month now without any problems. Just this morning, before my Zoom class, I saw that Cold War was on sale, so I decided I wanted to finally try it. So, l booted Battle.net (ughhh) and began the download/install with more than adequate room spare on the SSD. I got about halfway through the download/install and was greeted with a Windows blue screen of death - Stop code: Inaccessible Boot Device. So, I thought it was a fluke and rebooted. I then uninstalled what had been downloaded of Cold War and tried again. This time, I only got to about 5% downloaded and boom, blue screen. I then rebooted and let it just sit a few times, ending in a blue screen after about 10 mins each time. So, I thought "Okay, this optane ssd is not communicating with Windows, obv." So I proceeded with these steps: - Uninstalled Battle.net completely and all affiliated files (no change) - Checked device manager and disk management in Windows to check for drive (showed up in both to be working properly, no change) - Attempted to revert to a previous recovery point within Windows (blue screened in this process) - Tried this a few more times, same result - Jumped into bios to check settings, primarily boot settings (not the same as desktop bios, so options were limited, though everything looked fine, no change) - Used HP's built in hardware diagnostic tools upon boot, outside of Windows (all hardware passed 100%, including optane SSD, no change) - Re-seated SSD and RAM (no change) - Re-installed Windows within the Windows reset tool (blue screened in preparation for this) - Reset bios to default settings (no change) - Reset CMOS by unplugging standard battery and power-cycling as there is no visible CMOS battery on the face of the board (no change) **At this point, I let the system sit for a few cycles of blue screening. After a few cycles, I was then greeted with an HP window upon boot (before Windows) stating "Boot Device Not Found".** So this is now where I sit. I am in the middle of building a desktop (just waiting for a 30 series to complete), so, this laptop is all I have as far as fully functioning machines go. I have a lot of work and school work to take care of, now without a competent PC. Like, what was in that Cold War download that would cause this? There is nothing else I can think of that I have changed that would initiate this hellhole of a cycle. I have reached out to HP, as I am still in warranty and they literally said "we are undergoing some system updates and will have to call you back." I have not received a call back (has been about 5 hours). I did not mention the ram upgrade or tampering under the hood to fix this but did mention all of the software attempts I made. So.... What the hell am I missing? The only other thing I can try is booting from a USB Windows image and trying to install that way (which I will do) or just buying a whole new NVME. What do you guys think?

Hey all, I am working on a rig but am running into some peculiar issues with GPU output. First off, this is is what the rig looks like: Z77 Extreme4 Pro I5-3570k 8gb 1600 mhz ddr3 MSI Armor 470 4gb 120gb ssd 1tb hdd Evga 400w psu I am able to boot and post using onboard video output with no issue, though cannot seem to get an output from the 470 4gb at all. Here is what i have tried: Made positive that the mobo prioritizes pci-e adapters for output I have tried all output options from the card as well as inputs on the monitor Swapped an old AMD R7 250 gpu in the 470s place, no problem with output through that card on the same pci-e slot Placed the 470 4gb in my main desktop with no problem with output from the 470 Cleared CMOS A few thoughts that I have had: may need to update the bios?, is 400w enough for the 3570k and a 470 4gb? I am all ears at this point as I am unsure how to proceed. Thanks

Haha, I mean, it will be perfectly functional. Just don't like the idea of selling a jank rig...

Hello all. I have been sitting on some older hardware that I would like to put together and get rid of. I ordered a brand new CPU cooler and SSD to complete the rig - but am having compatibility issues with the motherboard and CPU cooler. Parts: MoBo: Asrock Z77 Extreme4, LGA 1155 CPU: Core i5-3570k CPU Cooler: Hyper 212 LED RAM: 2x4gb 1800MHz DDR3 PSU: EVGA 400w GPU: MSI RX 470 4gb Boot SSD, Library HDD First off, I bought this motherboard something like 6 months ago and just realized that the dude didn't provide an io shield... My fault for not checking - luckily I have found a few for this mobo on eBay for cheap, just have to wait 2 weeks for shipping. My main problem is installing this damn Hyper 212 LED. The back of the motherboard already had a metal bracket installed. This metal bracket obviously secures the CPU socket latch in place so, it must stay. Though it is not the stock one that came with the motherboard as it is shaped differently than stock. This metal bracket interferes with the Hyper 212's plastic bracket. **Pics of both the Hyper 212 LED's bracket and the existing one on the back of the mobo are attached** I have tried: - Installing the Hyper bracket on top of the existing metal bracket - result: screws/hardware is not long enough to grab from the other side; ie. the screws/hardware are flush with the top of the mobo. - Removing the metal bracket - result: screws/hardware are the correct length but the CPU socket latch is no longer secured at all. - Using the Hyper screws/hardware with the existing metal bracket - result: screws/hardware are too long, not allowing the female hardware on top to completely grab and hold a snug connection. My only thought is to track down a different back plate that will work with the Hyper one, or just toss some washers on there with the existing bracket, making up for the excess screw/hardware showing up top. I feel like this is a simple issue... Must just be due to older/newer hardware incompatibilities… I know that all hardware here is compatible, just not was not expecting this snag. So any help is much appreciated here as I have wasted a few hours getting pretty irritated today! Thanks!

I have used HWiNFO only minimally. Will it detail throttling/thresholds if it detects it?

I will revisit tomorrow, but if I remember, the gpu is hitting hard at 95-100%, I do not remember where the cpu sat.

That is what I am using to monitor everything. I forgot to mention, but my cpu/gpu temps do not pass 76c when this happens.

Hey all, I just picked up an HP 16-a0032dx today for work. I went for something that offered decent multitasking power with a hefty serving of gaming capability, to pair alongside my desktop. Specs: CPU: Intel Core i5-10300H 4C/8T @2.5GHz, up to 4.5GHz RAM: 8gb (2x4gb) @2933MHz GPU: GTX 1660ti Max-Q Design Storage: 512gb ssd w/ 32gb Intel Octane I downloaded and booted The Forest as it is a game I am very familiar with in benchmarking. It is a great experience; I get around 100-140fps 1080p, medium settings (on the tastefully included 144Hz screen)... for the first 3 minutes until the gpu/cpu fan(s) (not sure which) ramps up completely and my frames drop to 20-30 fps. I am new to laptop gaming and I am pretty convinced it has something to do with throttle thresholds, but have no idea where to start to diagnose. Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks! EDIT: Thank you, @Moonzy. I forgot to mention that I am monitoring all temps with MSI Afterburner; my cpu/gpu temps do not rise above 76 each when this happens.

Hey all, I just moved to a new house with a few roommates (HUGE upgrade, super stoked) but we are now faced with a few networking obstacles. We previously lived in an apartment that was quite plug'n'play for our cable provider. That is not the case here at the new house and am looking for some recommendations on effective ways of hardwiring and possibly improving our wireless capability. Our networking hardware: Motorola SB6580 (not the best but served us well at the old apartment, so we're sticking with it) Linksys Dual-band AC1200 (not sure of the model) Context: Our cable service plan allows for 300mb/s, our house is 2 stories, ~1500 sqft We had a cable technician come out to initiate service at the new location as well as setup our hardware. Unfortunately, our coax lines inside are not powerful enough to send the signal we are paying for, but the direct line in the garage is. So, our modem and router are currently located on our workbench in the garage. Sparklight stated that they would be coming out to re-run some lines to bring the setup inside, but due to COVID, this will be delayed for the foreseeable months to come. This wouldn't be the biggest issue if the router location was a bit more centered, and we did not have any hardware that requIres a hardwired ethernet connection. However, my rig's MoBo does not have WiFi built in as well as a few of my roommates' rigs. Additionally, I work from home and while my work rig does have WiFi built in, I am upstairs on the opposite side of the house, resulting in about 6mb/s.. So, the solutions that I have come up with are: A central Powerline Adapter to connect our router to inside and allow for a bit of hardwiring, leaving the modem in the garage Wireless adapters for everything hardwired and a range extender Another router inside to act as an extender/switch (idk how this works but I have heard that it can be done with some network tweaking...) I am looking for the most cost-efficient and effective way to enhance WiFi capabilities and to hardwire at least my rig inside. I am open to all suggestions as I am a bit of a noob when it comes to networking. Thanks in advance

That is what I have tried.. It is now running at 2800 and still crashing.. Losing a bit of faith

I have gone from 2400ish to 3200

Yes, in Bios at least.

Hmm, So it should be consitsntly closer to 1500, yes? Set to 3000MHz, it shows the same speed.

Attached as well.

@Pickles - Lord of the Jar, Yes XMP. @RedEvoPro Whoa, that's a bit confusing haha. @svmlegacy Pic attached. Interesting how no matter what I clocked them to in Bios, the active speed did not change, even from 1400-1500... Thanks for the timely feedback!

Hello all, I have recently upgraded my rig due to some future plans. I currently run: AsRock B450M Pro4 AM4 MoBo Ryzen 5 1600AF Stock Msi 1080 Armor SSD, HDD Seasonic 520W 16GB Patriot Viper DDR4 (4x4) 3000MHz Just today I went from 8gb RAM to 16gb. I bought the exact same 2x4 set, to match my existing RAM and popped into the available DIMM slots. Windows recognized the RAM right away and detected 16gb. Easy. I then decided to check the Bios to see what speed it registered at. I adjusted the RAM to run at 3000MHz as I know my Mobo and RAM could handle it. Windows had a few hiccups in applying this, but in the end, it booted. Upon checking the RAM speed in Windows, I was left sitting at a measly 1400MHz... I then went back to the Bios and bumped the speed down a few times, incrementally, til' I landed at 2666 MHz... Windows still detects the RAM running at 1400MHz. Not sure what I am doing wrong here as this is my first time messing with RAM upgrades and speeds, so any input here is helpful. Thanks in advance!

Hello all! I have played FarCry 4 and 5 so I figured I should play through the most popular installment in the series: FarCry3. I can run 4 & 5 on high setting and sit at a fairly stable 70 fps. Though, even on medium settings, I am dipping below 60 often on FarCry3... My rig (all @ stock speeds): Cpu: Ryzen 3 2200g RAM: 8gb 3000mhz DDR4 GPU: GeForce 1060 6gb PSU: Seasonic 520w Cooling is all adequate, GPU/CPU never top 78 degrees. I also have the game saved on my SSD instead of my HDD. Am I missing something? Or is this game just optimized differently? Thank you!

So far, I have. I have tried many combinations of on/off different buffering settings, no luck.

Hey all, I decided to play through FarCary 4 again as it is such a great game and I was craving this kind of gameplay. My problem is, is the game will drop to 36 FPS fairly often (exactly half of my 72 FPS limiter) and I am not sure why. I do not see how to de-limit the frames in game, so I keep it at the max, 72. Specs: Cpu: Ryzen 3 2200g oc'ed to 3.85 Gpu: Gtx 1060 6gb slightly oc'ed Ram: 8gb ddr4 3000mhz I have played with gsync settings and tripple buffering and no combination seems to change this. I find it pretty suspicious that it cuts my max frames In half and stays there for a while when it decides to. I feel that this happens after a mission has been completed and I get some ui interfering, but it then lingers and I cannot figure out why. What do you guys think? Thanks!

It is unfortunate. I was in a much better place financially upon building my PC but things have changed for the worse! Currently shooting for some change in that department though. So, yes until then, I will stick to what I have unless a massive sale is available, which is unlikely. I will look into Divinity - have heard about it, but not heard much about it.

Well, ideally $15 max. I have heard great things about Skyrim - and have played with it very minimally, but wish I could just buy the base game for around $10-$15. The base game apparently never goes on sale though.

Hey all, I have played through a handful of RPG's recently and have not gotten my fill. I didn't play many of them growing up so I am now diving in and understanding all the hype! Not to mention I am now playing them on a much more capable machine than my PlayStations were growing up. So, a bit of background - within the past year, I have played: - FarCry 4,5 and a bit of New Dawn - Fallout 3, NV and 4 - Began playing ES: Morrowind - Runescape (have been playing this since 07) - Diablo 3 - Path of Exile - A few others that do not come to mind I have really enjoyed most of these with the exception of Morrowind. Morrowind was a bit too finicky to me - I understand it is a very old game, but the luck aspect played too big of a role to me. Though, this is the kind of RPG I am shooting for right now. NieR Automata I have heard great things about, but out of my price range. I have dabbled with Skyrim, but it is still a bit too expensive for my taste through Steam and I am avoiding G2A and other third party sellers as I have some Steam credit I am looking to use for this. I know this sounds pretty specific, but I know there are so many RPG's out there that I don't know about so I thought I'd turn to you guys! I have had my eyes on a few - the Gothic series, Mount & Blade, and the Witcher series. I don't mind the games being old as long as they don't look horrendous and the gameplay is still great. So what recommendations/experiences have you guys had?

Hmm, interesting. when monitoring the CPU using afterburner and CPUID, it showed a constant 3.75GHz clock. I will have to check that video out tonight, finishing up some hw right now. Thank you for the quick response.