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Speedbird

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    Is it worth upgrading i3 4th gen laptop?

    in Laptops and Pre-Built Systems

    Posted

    1 hour ago, dizmo said:

     

    I'd probably look at used RAM though, to help lower the cost. $70 seems high for what you're getting.

     

    $70 combined doesn't seem all that bad of a deal, at least where I live.

     

    As for the laptop, I agree with everyone else here. CPU performance hasn't improved a lot on mobile, and unless there's a specific feature that you want from a newer laptop, there's no point in getting a new laptop.

    1st build noob questions

    in New Builds and Planning

    Posted

    Just now, RONOTHAN## said:

    No, it's all their CPUs on chipsets other than Z490. B460 and everything else doesn't support it because Intel believes "XMP is overclocking, and overclocking is a Z series feature." It's BS and 100% a software lockdown, but a limit nonetheless. 

    I don't think I praised it quite right.

     

    I understand that everything above the Intel rated memory speed (2933 on i7 and i9, 2666 on everything else) is considered an overclock, and therefore won't run on non-Z motherboards.

     

    My question was whether an unlocked i5 on a Z series chipset would run memory faster than 2666, and whether a locked i7 would run memory faster than 2933 on a Z series chipset?

    Build Philosophy

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    When building systems for others, I generally aim for price to performance. Most don't care about what their case looks like or don't intend to overclock, so I can save a lot on a case and motherboard. For power supplies I get one from a reputable brand, but don't really go high on the tier. No one has had parts fail so far. With this methodology I was able to upgrade a friend's build from an i5 to an i7, with almost no change in price.

     

    As for storage, you can always expand that later, as with RAM. I don't put 32GB RAM in a system "in case they need it in the future", because they can always add more. Same with storage, I see no point getting a 2TB SSD for example if you currently only use 500GB or so, just get a 1TB one now and upgrade if needed.

    steam games unistalled but installed?

    in Troubleshooting

    Posted

    1 minute ago, iamlegs said:

    can anyone help me for some reason one of my steam games are shown as unistalled even though i can see it in my file explorer does anyone know how i can fix this? its installed on a ssd if it helps

    How large are the folders on file explorer?

     

    These are likely just leftover files. You can have a look inside the folders.

    Does 'big core, little core' actually make sense?

    in CPUs, Motherboards, and Memory

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, Sarra said:

    Would this offset the fact that you have fewer overall threads available, and that potentially half of your available threads are not exactly 'high performance'?

     

    Don't get me wrong, I would buy a BC/LC mobile device in a heartbeat. But for my video editing rig, I would never consider it, unless sources I trust showed that it made sense.

     

    I also have a slightly more unique take on this... I have a Ryzen 9 3900XT, and a 2016 era Xeon. 12 core 24 thread vs 4 core 8 thread. My Ryzen 9 system uses way less power at idle; From the wall, the R9 machine and it's monitor pulls around 100w. The Xeon, plus it's monitor, pulls almost 160w. Under full load, the R9 can pull more than the Xeon, but at absolute max draw, I would trust the Xeon to run for days at 100% all thread (and I did, 66 hours for a transcode project). I would consider a BC/LC to replace the Xeon, but not the R9.

     

    And I think that's the point. If Intel does BC/LC on everything, even HEDT, they're going to shoot themselves in the foot. I don't really care about idle power consumption, or I would shut my Xeon off when I'm not using it, but I never shut my PC's off, unless I'm working on them.

    The problem that the post brings up is that those big cores can't run at peak performance when all cores are under load. So why have so many big cores there if you can't use them all at once? Additionally, little cores have a much smaller die size, so instead of 10 big cores you currently see on Intel mainstream desktop, you could have 8 big cores and 8 little cores on the same die. 

    Building a AAA-title runnable PC, after 15 years. Help required

    in New Builds and Planning

    Posted

    3 hours ago, willbeenlightened said:

    Thanks again for your responses earlier.  Much appreciated.

     

    I have decided to wait and shift to Ryzen 9 5900X. I will also wait for the 3080 to be more widely available as well. Back to my Dell 7577 and 100 degree C game sessions :P.

     

    Most of my research so far was related to the Intel CPUs. I request you folks to advise on the following:

    1. Which Mobo would you suggest for the Ryzen 9 5900X? I am looking at the following criteria:

    - Upgradable. Most of the boards I have seen so far have PCIe 4.0. But I am not sure to what extent and what other factors I should consider

    - WIFI 6 onboard

    - Having onboard graphics as well so that I could configure my PC till the 3080 is available/more affordable

    Any suggestions/views on the above points?

    2. I am planning to get a cooler master setup or the arctic liquid freezer. I believe I can still go ahead with other parts as mentioned above with some expanded storage. I will still check with the compatibility check sites. Is the build process different for the AMD chipsets? I would assume that it should not differ much. Kindly advise

    3. A silly open-ended question - Based on my limited research and as you folks suggested, I understand that availability of the processor is limited. Any idea about when it is expected to be more widely available

    For AMD motherboards, you can check out the tier list for suggestions:

     

    The build process is generally the same, the main difference is that the CPU has pins that go into the holes on the motherboard, there are plenty videos that explain how to install one.

     

    As for availability, it is really hard to say due to high demand of 7nm chips, and can be anywhere between 1-4 months until they're readily available.

     

    CPU Choice for budget Plex server: iGPU and hyperthreading useful?

    in Servers, NAS, and Home Lab

    Posted

    1 minute ago, W.D. Stevens said:

    Hi all,

     

    I have currently been using a very old NAS for my storage which has actually been running fine but it can't run a media server which is really something I'd love to be able to have it do so I thought about building up a real budget server box for it using some used parts. I've looked at the Plex recommendations and looking at the used market there seem to be decent options for i5-6500, i5-7400 and i7-6700. The latter two are more around the AUD$200 mark where I can get a 6500 for about $110-$130.

     

    I'm wondering whether for this kind of a use case, how important having the 7th gen version of Quick Sync would be or if 6th gen would be more than enough. And if so (or more importantly perhaps), would having 8 threads as opposed to only 4 be worth the extra $70-$80?

    The Kaby Lake Quick Sync adds support for full H.265 encoding, so if you have a lot of HEVC content you could consider that. In terms of raw CPU performance the 6500 and 7400 are very similar, and the 6700 performing slightly better, as you would expect. However, the difference in transcoding comes mostly from having more cache, although SMT also helps.

     

    Ultimately it comes down to how you use Plex. Do you watch content on the local network a lot, or is it mostly over the Internet? What's your upload speed? What kind of content do you have (resolution, bitrate, framerate)? What devices do you watch on (4K TV, computer monitor, tablet, phone)?

    Rtx 2060 or 3060

    in Graphics Cards

    Posted

    5 minutes ago, _lucalink said:

    I am putting together a new pc for 1080p 144hz gaming and am trying to work out what gpu to get. I have about £850-900 for the pc itself so I’m looking at Gpus around £300. There are a couple of rtx 2060’s that I’ve spotted in stock and I’m wondering whether I should get one of them or wait for the 3060 or possibly rx6700 cards (I don’t know when they’re expected to come out). I will probably change my gpu again when rtx 4000/ rx 7000 cards come out if that changes anything.

    If you're upgrading after the next product cycle anyway, I would get the 2060. It is a very decent card for 1080p.

    Building a AAA-title runnable PC, after 15 years. Help required

    in New Builds and Planning

    Posted

    14 minutes ago, willbeenlightened said:

    Questions

    1. I have never built a PC with liquid cooling before. Could you folks suggest a cheap but good cooler? I have selected the ASUS ROG Strix LC-240. Alternatives are welcome

    2. I am also trying to minimize cost as much as possible. So, if you feel any of the parts listed below have better and cheap alternatives. Please suggest

    3. I have read reviews of the ASUS Z490E Mobo as well. It seems to be a straigthforward build. Any advice on handling this mobo and am I going to face any BIOS issues that I have to play with settings for?

    4. I already checked the compatibility of the parts in PC part picker. I am particularly nervous about the Corsair 275R case. Any views on it?

    1. The ASUS cooler seems to be good, but the go-to brand has been Corsair for all-in-one coolers. I personally am a firm believer in air cooling because of reliability and ease of upgrading parts.
    2. Since you mentioned video editing, going with an AMD CPU would be a great way to lower cost on both the CPU and motherboard. However, since the 5000 series is not easily available yet, I would wait. Same applies for the RTX 3080, those are priced well above MSRP at the current moment.
    3. It is compatible with the 10850K so should be no issues there, as long as the power delivery is stable enough to handle the processor. Current Intel CPUs can draw up to 230W under load.
    4. Corsair cases are generally easy to work in and should be unproblematic. If the lengthy RTX 3080 fits and your AIO cooler as well, I see no reason not to go with that.

    I would suggest upgrading your PSU though to a 1000W unit. The 10850K and RTX 3080 are both very power hungry, so it would be good to have a PSU that can handle all of that.

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