Apollyon2020

off normally and 80% when gaming, manual, one of the versions of x1 had a janky curve that would spin the fans slowly, not using the curves.

Anything that keeps the things at a reasonable temperature while not being too loud for you is fine

no it cant damage the fan 

generally a bad idea, you shouldn't let the fans spin when cleaning,  for the above mentioned reasons, either hold them or use some tape thats easy to remove. 
 
well if *only* the fans were damaged that surely wouldn't require a total replacement of the gpu?? 🤣
 

You shouldn't let the fans spin when you're trying to blow them out, but not for the reasons you're describing as far as I know. Electric motors and generators are mechanically the same thing, and thus if you spin a fan real fast, it can send power back to the motherboard and fry the fan header. Most of the time, the fans don't give enough power to fry it, but it's still not something that you want to be doing. The bearings should remain undamaged.

https://www.evga.com/support/register.asp

-> Moved to Windows
 
Yes, pretty much standard behavior.

I still have an i7 5930k with a gtx 970 card in one of my computers and it still plays any game or program I throw at it just fine. Your CPU is far from outdated in my opinion.

Well I think you’ve answered your own question. If you are still happy with the performance of your 9900K then stick with it for now. After all, there is always something newer, faster and shinier around the corner isn’t there? 

Usually you wait for the software first...and try it.
With decent HW already I mean...
 
No point letting anxiety drive a purchase you didn't need to worry about.
Sure, games do get quite demanding with certain settings and instances in certain levels...
 
But id wait... for all you know it could be GPU bound on a 6core12thread chip.

I asked the same question recently- it is worth an upgrade from a 9900K to a 10850K. The overwhelming answer was no. I think the 9900K still has a good few years left of gaming in it and then you’d be ready to go to the next platform with DDR5. 

Not technically. Going from Intel to AMD or vice versa you can still use the same OS install, I've done it quite a bit, as long as you update the drivers to the current hardware and if necessary remove old ones it usually works just fine. In some cases an OS reinstall is recommended, and when doing a platform switch the user will need to reactivate Windows. However, in most cases as long as you update/setup the drivers correctly after the upgrade you can reuse the old Windows install if you don't want to lose any data. I usually try using the old one first only fresh installing if it has a problem.

The downsides to being an enthusiast...

Plus if she does game, I'll get her a decent video card. It should be fine playing games on high or medium. Maybe if I can get a 2080 cheap, that'll be good for her. Or the 3070, if I can get my hands on it lol

Your hardware is no good anymore when it doesn't meet your expectations and needs. Just because a newer shinier cpu releases doesn't render your old one obsolete.

yeah, hed also need a fresh copy of windows bc the 5900x and 5950x wont work with intel drivers

I guess I'll wait then. If DDR5 is around the corner, I'll wait for that. Basically I got a spare empty case, which will be for my girlfriend. So whatever parts I upgrade from this current system, it's going in hers. She'll have the i9 9900k whenever DDR5 comes out lol

Haha I know I know. Was just busting you up over giving hand-me-downs to your GF 😛. That'll serve her well for light games like that and on the internet for a couple years after you upgrade. 

I wouldn't say it's a "beast", but there's few options that would give you a significant enough upgrade to warrant the cost of replacement right now. The 10th gen is mostly iterative and 11th gen is a joke. Switching platforms entirely to something like a 5900X or 5950X AMD would be a fairly significant bump, but that would also be a $800-1000 investment, and not worth it.

It's like you ask:
Guys is it worth upgrading from Labourghini Hurriccane to Aventador.
Dude be happy with what you have,that is a beast of CPU,many like me have old FX-8120 😉

Man...I thought it would have been the other way around LOL. 
 
DDR5 will probably be readily available sometime next year since Alder Lake is introducing it sometime 2H of 2021, but expect supplies or brands to be low in the beginning before production really ramps up, also possible issues at first. 

I guess I'll wait then. If DDR5 is around the corner, I'll wait for that. Basically I got a spare empty case, which will be for my girlfriend. So whatever parts I upgrade from this current system, it's going in hers. She'll have the i9 9900k whenever DDR5 comes out lol

I would stick with the 9900K for now as Intel's current offerings are not a significant upgrade that is worth coughing up the money for. Waiting to see if Alder Lake will bring improvements or going with a Ryzen CPU in the future, whether it be 6000 or 7000 series nomenclature, will be your best option to actually see a performance upgrade. 

Zen 3 would probably be more worth it, you could upgrade to a 12c/24t or 16/32, when on 11th gen your stuck with 8/16

Yeah I never knew this case had this anti sag thing on the back of the case. I came across this when I searched around and someone mentioned about Phantek including an accessory. So I checked the manual to my case and I had it lol. It helped a lot actually. I had to make sure I snug up the thumb screws with a screw driver however. This card is heavy lol