LPX

will also give that a shot! thank you guys for the super quick support. awesome!

This is actually a very good point. That way I also don't have to unplug the 2nd monitor when using the SSD. Thank you for that tip!

no worries, I am happy for any input. Yes it does. But the port itself seems to work fine, as I also use it for my external SSD to copy loads of data back and forth. But now that you said this, I will probably try a USB-A to HDMI Graphics Adapter to see if the issue is resolved by this. I don't use my 2nd monitor for gaming anyway

Yes I physically switched the Monitors, and the issue stayed with the "2nd monitor". I also bought completely new cables. I use a NUCX i7 from Minisforum (RTX3070). Unfortunately this one only has 1 HDMI Out and the rest is all Thunderbolt. So I kinda have to stick with the Thunderbolt to HDMI cable. But also switched that one out too for an even shorter cable, but didn't help. Maybe I should simply use a USB-A Graphics Adapter for the second monitor.

I'm facing a persistent and baffling issue with my dual-monitor setup (both HP M27fq) and I'm hoping for some guidance. Here are the key details: Flickering Issue: My 2nd monitor sometimes starts flickering, especially under heavy GPU load like in gaming sessions I have the feeling. It's less of an issue during basic desktop usage. Triggered by Brightness: The flickering seems to intensify with very bright images on this monitor. Troubleshooting Efforts: I've tried swapping cables (using a 1m HDMI to Thunderbolt 3 cable) and doing a clean graphics driver installation, but the issue remains. Additional Observations: The problem stays with the second monitor even when I switch the positions of my primary and secondary monitors. I've also started noticing some strange artifacts appearing on the screen when the flickering begins. The only thing that always helps (for a while) is to unplug the HDMI cable on the monitor and replug it in. Any advice or insights from similar experiences would be greatly helpful. Here is a video of when it happens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhVwmTWcnt0

and I had to laugh so hard xD

Budget (including currency): 2500 CHF Country: Switzerland Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: 4K/60Hz Gaming with Super-Duper-Ultra-Extreme Settings *wink* and Plex Server which handles video transcoding. Hi all Here is the current configuration I plan to buy: Barebone: Intel NUC 12 Extreme Kit (i7 Variant) GPU: EVGA RTX 3080 (Once it is in stock again ofc...) RAM: 2x16 GB Corsair DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM SSD: Samsung 980 Pro Mouse/Keyboard: Logitech MK850 My questions: I've read that only the i9 variant has a 10 Gbe Port. The i7 variant "just" has a single 2.5 Gbe Port. Is that correct? Because on the vendor's page it says "1x 100/1000/2500 Mbps, 1x 100/1000/10000 Mbps" Will any RTX3080 fit into the case, or do I have to get the EVGA variant (took that one because on simplynuc.com this is the one they use). I'd rather prefer the RTX 3080 founders edition, as it seems to have better cooling. Is that correct? Regarding the SSD: Is there a cheaper alternative? I've only chosen the 980 Pro because it says everywhere it is "the best" Regarding RAM: Is it good RAM? I know there is some stuff to look out for (CL timings or sth) but I am not an expert. Any advice would be greatly appreciated Thanks in advance.

Thank you for your quick replies! Helped out a lot. In that case I will stick with my 1080 for now, and save some more until I can upgrade my whole rig, once 6th gen ryzen and GPUs become more available again. maybe 2026 =)

I am still rocking a 6700K and now think about upgrading my GPU. Right now I have a GTX1080 but for some games it just doesn't cut it anymore (1440p/75Hz Monitor). My question now is, what the 'optimal' GPU for the 6700K would be, before the CPU becomes a bottleneck. Was thinking about the 2060 Super. Or could I even go higher maybe? Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Yes I am having Plex Pass. That is what confuses me. I have read that there are two different types of transcodig (QuickSync and NVENC). If it uses NVENC, then my CPU performance should not matter. And with QuickSync it goes through the CPU, right? How can I check what my Plex server is using? Also I read that Plex is mostly CPU bound in most tasks, but I guess this is only true when transcoding with the CPU/Quick Sync. As I only see CPU usage when transcoding I must be using QuickSync, right? I can't find a Plex server setting where I could change that (for testing purpose). So you recommend not using a GPU at all? What is generally better for trascoding (performance-wise). NVNEC oder QuickSync? Because sometimes I have multiple family members streaming at once. Just want to make sure that I don't run into a bottleneck if it can be avoided. Here are my transcoder settings:

Budget (including currency): around 500-800 CHF Country: Switzerland My current PC: Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VIII Hero - Z170 CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (Inno3D X3 iChill) RAM: 2x8GB DDR4-3200, Corsair Vengeance LPX Storage1: 256GB Samsung 950 Pro, M.2 PCIe Storage2: 512GB Gigabyte NVMe SSD, M.2 PCIe PSU: 850W BeQuiet! Dark Power Pro P11 Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (want to replace that one with a small-form-factor case) Cooling: Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H80i V2 + 2 Noiseblocker Programs or workloads that it will be used for: I don't game as much anymore on my PC, but I want to be able to have a "decent" gaming experience when I decide to game. I use 1080p/60Hz Monitors anyway, but things like supersampling are definitely features I'd like to enjoy. Nowadays I use my PC mostly as Plex Media Server and for transcoding/encoding video content. So, the latest NVENC version would be really nice to have. Backstory / Reason for upgrading: When trying to transcode 4K HDR content to 1080p with tone-mapping, my i7-6700K simply does not cut it anymore. Even with just one active stream the video is chuggy and buffering all the time because the CPU is pinned at 100%. For 4K HDR transcoding Plex recommends a CPU with a PassMark score of at least 17000. So I figured the Ryzen 5800X (PassMark Score: 28614) would give me enough reserve, in case I need the PC and my family is streaming content at the same time. The final goal is to have a quiet, power-efficient, small-form-factor power-house, which can handle all the hard work. Planned Build: Motherboard: ASUS PRIME B550M-A | AMD B550 - (Found for 103 CHF) CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5800X (Found for 308 CHF) Graphis: Reused from my old system unless there is a better recommendation regarding power-efficiency - GTX1080 RAM: Reused from my old system - 2x8GB DDR4-3200, Corsair Vengeance LPX Storage1: Reused from my old system - 256GB Samsung 950 Pro, M.2 PCIe Storage2: 512GB Gigabyte NVMe SSD, M.2 PCIe PSU: Reused from my old system - 850W BeQuiet! Dark Power Pro P11 Case: MasterBox Q300L (Found for 39 CHF) - Don't want that big of a case anymore like the Fractal I have now. But if someone finds an aesthetically more pleasing (and maybe even smaller case) I am open for suggestions. I really like the MSI Trident cases, but nowhere to be found as case only. Cooling: Noctua NH-L12S or Noctua NH-L12 (Found them for around 80 CHF) Which brings me to a total of around 530 CHF. And that would fit nicely in my budget. Questions: Does anyone see any obvious compatibility issues with my planned build? Do differenct GPU models ship with different versions of NVENC? What GPU do I need to get the latest NVENC version and which is also power-efficient? What is the difference between the Noctua NH-L12 and NH-L12S? Any better suggestions for the case? (like MSI Trident style) As my PC will be running 24/7, power-efficiency does play a role. I've read that my GTX1080 is not the most power-efficient GPU out there. What GPU would you recommend for my requirements mentioned above and power-efficiency in mind?

Nice! Thanks alot for the quick and helpful reply!

I am planning to upgrade my home network to 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet. The only thing I am not sure about is, if my plan will work as intended for my PC. My Configuration: Asus Maximus VIII Hero Intel Core i7 6700K GeForce GTX1080 running in 16x mode 1x M.2 SSD installed on Board 1x M.2 SSD installed in a PCIe slot running in 4x Mode - I highlighted the slot which I used for that M.2 drive on this picture: NIC I want to buy: https://www.amazon.de/StarTech-com-Port-PCIe-Netzwerkkarte-LAN-Karte/dp/B07ZZHGMKL/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_de_DE=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&dchild=1&keywords=StarTech+.com+ST2GPEX+PCI+Express&qid=1618211668&sr=8-1 My Questions: As I already use one M.2 drive in a PCIe slot (which is routed through the chipset I guess), will there be any performance issues if I add a 2.5 GbE-NIC when both devices are under heavy load (like file-transfers from that SSD to my NAS)? Is my plan even possible in regards to available PCIe lanes? The NIC would go in the 1x slot which I highlighted in the picture above. I know that each PCIe device uses up lanes, but not how they are utilized in my system right now and if I have lanes to spare for the planned NIC. I tried to figure out how my PCIe lanes are used but its not that to find out in the OS directly. Thankful for any advice

good to know. thx once again!

Now that I think of it, I should have probably just waited for a few reboots. As it was set to "Auto" I guess it cant change the PCIe speed on the fly and needs to reboot a few times to get the correct speed.