Search the Community

In my continual journey to improve my pc I thought hey why dont I try making a wind chute/tunnel for my cpu air cooler just for a laugh, it'll take 10mins and then it will fail and I can laugh at myself for even trying. Turns out just using some roughly cut cardboard and some tape works extremely well. Not only is my cpu getting direct fresh air from the outside, it's seperated from the gpu's hot air. I now get idle temps of about 32-33 degrees. I knew this would have a positive effect of some kind. But an overall temp drop of 10 degrees+ is absolutely insane. My cpu barely touches 60 degrees now. Cinebench r23 it sticks around 70-74 degrees. Why on earth this form factor/idea fell away from popularity several decades ago in the pc enthusiast market I have no idea. This has severely improved my cooling by a level I didnt even think possible. Yes there is a screwgun drill bit holding up my gpu fight me

Budget (including currency): $500-$700 Country: US Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: AAA FPS Games like COD, Games with a lot of graphic overhaul options via modding (Skyrim SE for example), and countless others I would consider 'AA' games, like Chivalry 2, Simulation Games, Older CODs, etc... Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): Here is what I currently have: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZsL3zf , yes, my case is from 2015, and unfortunately was the only case out of 3 from around that time period I had laying around with everything still intact. When I built this in 2021 everything was way more expensive so I had to settle for the free option of using this janky Corsair artifact. The airflow of this case, and my lack of care about which screws from which of my 3 defunct cases I should use and where they should go, are what I believe are the main problems. My cooler I know is also very dingy, and when I upgraded from the stock heatsink (yes I know, I ran stock cooling for about 6 months with this build) to the aftermarket heatsink, my computer wouldn't post until I reseated the CPU about 4 times (about a year later and still have no idea what that was about). My plan was to maybe 'split' this computer and go intel, keep the GPU, RAM, and Storage for a new system and load up the 'old' (my current one) with parts I dont use anymore for maybe just a spare. I guess my main questions are: What mistakes am I making with this setup?, What should I transfer over into a new rig?, and What CPU, Mobo, etc.. I should get for the new build. The budget isn't definite, but I wouldn't pay over $200 for a MOBO, over $300 for a CPU, etc... As you can see I have about a 50% of destroying something. My hopes was for Intel I wouldn't have to worry so much about bending those darn pins (at least not the ones on the CPU lol). To this day I still think theres something 'off' about my CPU but I don't get into diagnostics very much. Right now it runs newer games at medium settings fine, and technically can do higher even max on some games, but my PC will start heating up my whole room. Oh, and water-cooling is not my jive, I'll have my PC swimming in a matter of seconds if I fool around with it.

Country: US Wanted to hear thoughts on this setup (disreguarding the reservoir). The pump is only from a 240 AIO but draws power from a sata power cable. It circulates through a 120, 240, and 360 radiator as well as the 2080 super waterforce gpu. It seems to push fluid fine but my main concern is the pumps longevity. Its been way cheaper to build with nonfunctioning aios (I have considered removing the guts of an aio to use as a heatsink and have an external pump). RYZEN 2700, Gigabyte 450 Aorus M, Aorus 2080 super, 16 GB T-Force Delta 3200, 512 GB XPG S7, 4TB Barracuda

I'd say I have a pretty decent rig, the one people might say "it's just about all you need" with Ryzen 5 2600X and GTX 1070 Founder's Edition. With the current COVID-19 situation, I started folding@home to lend my computer power, but as you may have noticed, I have a Founder's Edition graphics card. I do really like the look of it, but it doesn't do as well in the cooling department with the single blower style fan. While folding, the temperature hangs out around 80 degrees, but has gone up as high as 83. Which reminded me of the very first LTT video I ever saw (and what got me into this mess): That video was a cringe to watch even when I didn't know anything about computer hardware and what a Titan was. However, that got me thinking. I'm not trying to make my card into a single slot card. Could I just take the cooling component of this video? This is my original rig without any "modifications" that was about to happen. I have 2 additional Riing 14 fans in the front of the case (not shown), 1 in the back, and 2 corsair ML 120 fans up at the top pushing air out. As you may have noticed also, I have 2600X with double fan setup of Noctua NH-U12S (in their best fan color) which is more than enough even under load. Especially since my GPU doesn't pump out hot air into the case, the fans at the top is practically being useless, so I decided to put them to use. For those with allergic reaction to jank, please hit the back button on your browser. This entire "procedure" took about an hour to complete and to "perfect," including the intake fan being held up by a spare SSD. The big question now is, was it worth it? I think so. It doesn't make it run any faster (since I didn't do anything to it to boost clock speed or anything) but it does run 6-7 degrees cooler. There is almost no air leaking so it is definitely pumping cool air into it, and the back fan pumps out warm air nicely. It won't be a permanent solution (or it might be if I get lazy to take it down) but it definitely works and I'll have it up for at least awhile to help my poor GPU even a little bit while it works to make the world a better place. Finally, going back to the title of the post... If LTT has taught me one thing... Thank you for reading this journey. Not sure if this belongs here or if it should be on the FAH page, but it is still related to air cooling so I guess it's fine here

I play super Smash Bros Ultimate but I just moved to University. I have to download an authenticator app on my phone/computer to connect to the main network which is not available on the switch. I have to connect to their weird secondary network with it. Due to this, every online game I try to connect to I cannot connect to the other console(s). I just got back the IT person and they told me that it is probably due to the restricted NAT type, they are not going to change it for me (understandable). But I would still like to play with my friends online. Is it possible, to run an ethernet from my desktop computer to my Nintendo Switch in order to connect it to the main network with an open NAT? (I can connect to games just fine on my desktop computer). I am currently using a Wifi card on my computer to connect to the internet, can I use the open ethernet on the mobo? Thank you for any help!

After watching We Built a CPU Water Cooler! and getting triggered, I thought I should make a waterblock with the machines I have at home. But as most internet haters I was lazy, I thought it seemed like a lot of work and shelved the idea. As often happens, things changed and I had to cool a thing for my internship. Instead of going out and buying a stock one (for at least $50) or waiting for one from China I decided to pick up the idea of making my own. The design is a simple take on the fin style waterblock. Since I don’t want to cut “slots” (full width cuts with the endmill) I decided on 7 thick fins with relatively large gap between them. The fin arrangement gives about 3 times the surface area compared to the ones used in the video. To simplify the machining, I just went with a basic acrylic lid with some threads and a chamfer on the top edge. I don’t have the money or time to get real fittings so I just drilled some holes. I started off with some 10mm aluminum barstock. Yeah copper would have about double the performance but I didn’t have any lying around. The first operation was just machining the holes in the aluminum block. Operation 1_1.mp4 To hold down the barstock I used some clamps. This is how it looked after the first operation. For the second operation I added some screw to the model before generating the toolpaths. This assures no collisions as I would need screws to hold the piece down. Operation 2_2.mp4 I used a tapered ballnose with a 0.75radius and 4mm shank, originally I was going to use a 1mm radius but it got clogged and broke. The coating (TiAlN) isn’t optimal for aluminum. This was my setup. Since I mostly machine wood, and plastics I really lack the stuff needed to do it properly (cooling, airblast, waterproof buildsurface). I used a spray bottle with a mixture of oil, water and dish soap(20%, 75%, 5%). The whole thing took like 4h, I could have sped it up dramatically by first roughing out with a larger endmill before the tapered one. This is how it looked before the final cutout pass. And this is the aftermath. This is the surface finishing after machining. I left the rough surface because it gives a larger area in contact with the water (not because it would be a big pain in the ass to swap tool to make the bottom surface flat). The acrylic lid was easy to machine. I used a 2-flute 6mm endmill and relatively deep cut per tooth to minimize the heating and risk of gumming up. Operation 3_1.mp4 This is how it looked after machining. This is the end result. By the time the photos were taken it has been running for a few days (until my crappy little pump died). Since I don’t have any real fittings I don’t want to actually cool my pc with it but if there’s any interest I can probably make a new one for a raspberry pi. I had to varnish the outside surface (not the cold side) too keep the aluminum from oxidizing. Thanks for reading, if you have any questions feel free to ask them, i'll try to answer everything. 3D model and files: https://a360.co/2JxkbUB

hello everyone, i am considering an external gpu setup as im getting my main pc in a few months but the thing is i have a dell inspiron 3521 With Bios A14 do i have to install modded driver? or can i just disable the integrated Nic in bios? thanks

Hi, I have a Sony Vaio PCG-TR3A laptop from 2004. It has 1GB of RAM, and a 1GHz Pentium M which doesn't support PAE (It actually does, but it's not set in the CPU flags, so for all purposes, it doesn't). Looking for a lightweight distro that will run on non POE 1core CPU that I could possibly still get some work done. Thanks

Hi, I have a Sony PCG-TR3A laptop which uses a Toshiba MK4004GAH hard disk drive. I'm looking for an 1.8" SSD alternative, which should have a "CF 50PIN" connector. I haven't been able to find an SSD, per se. I know I can use a CF card with an adapter, but will that be bad because of the write cycles of an operating system? Thanks!

Hey, I have this old desktop that I wanna throw an old low-power gpu in. However this motherboard looks like a hybrid between a laptop and desktop board as it's powered by a barrel connecter, uses laptop ram, doesn't have a power supply, etc. However it does what seems to be a spot for a 24 pin connector, so my thought is that if I were to solder a 24 pin connector to the board and then plug my gpu in, it should work as it only requires 75watts. But is this a safe/good idea?

Hello, I recently have opened my old DVR that I no longer have a use for. Inside I found some goodies including a good length SADA cable. But the gem of the entire thing was discovering it has a functioning hard drive. After a bit of digging through windows, I discovered that it is a 1TB HDD from unknown (possibly Western Digital?) The HDD DOES show up in boot menu but doesn't show up in file manager, I have not figured out a way to get it to show up in file manager and am seeking assistance. Is there anyone that would be willing to help? Pictures below:

So, kind of a weird question, but I don't think it's impossible to jank in a new display on a laptop. Is there any info on modding stuff like this? My current laptop monitor got a little fried after a Conductonaut mishap, and while it still works, it's quite literally physically burnt across 95% of the display. Everything has a smoky tint now. The easy solution is find a mobile display on eBay, open, splice, and it's good to go. But would it work if I found a better one? Instead of a 60Hz, a 144Hz?

Hello All. I was looking into buying a new desktop for my shack (Austrailian for beach shanty house). I already have a beast setup at home but but would like another one as I dont realy want to lug that around. I do alot of simulation work and mild gaming along with a fair share of video conference calls. So naturally I looked into purchasing a new laptop.. But new laptops are super $$$. Then I realised I already have a laptop, sure it is 5 years old, sufferes from severe overheating, has no disk space and the webcam is super grainy. but these are all things I can fix right. My notebook is an Acer Aspire V5-571G has 8gb of ram and a nice onboard graphics card.. but thats it. So heres my plan.. Purchase new 120gb ssd for OS and such Remove disk drive bay and replace with a caddy to hold the current 500gb drive. (nobody uses cds anyway) Buy a bigger battery pack. as the current batteries are dead. Portable Usb powerd screen for the light weight dualscreen sensation. Usb mounted webcam to replace the crappy onboard one. Usb powered Air Vac cooler to help cool the thing. Here's a picture describing what I want to do. Has anyone tried anything like this before and can offer any advice? Am I better off buying a chep laptop instead? General thoughts?

My solution for fitting a full-size graphics card and a drive cage in the fractal design core 1000...