Posts by Anthony Hayes82

I’m pretty sure most of you have heard about this tech that’s still being cooked up in the labs. You probably already know the upsides, but more importantly, you know where it falls short compared to our current Wi-Fi setups. It got me thinking, though—once the idea finally clicked that we could actually transmit data using light, why aren't people working on ditching that clunky, outdated Bluetooth in our smartphones and just replacing it with Wi-Fi technology?
The thought hit me when I was stuck trying to send a 100MB video from a buddy's phone over to mine. Most people would probably ask, "Why didn't you just plug it into a laptop via USB and move it from there?" Well, in that specific moment, there was no laptop, no cables, nothing. Just us. Now, imagine if we had a dedicated Wi-Fi module you could plug into a USB 3.0 or a newer 3.1 port; you could just tap your phone against it and boom—your files transfer to the computer instantly.

At that price point, you aren't going to find a decent 500W power supply. High-quality units like that usually start at around $183 or even more.

Timothy Kim60 said:Based on that review roundup I posted, they aren't—they actually sound noticeably quieter than the Fortron Raider.

I’m running a Raider myself, and honestly, I can’t even hear it over my case fans. 😁

All I’ve got is that percentage... Is there something off between those two, or am I just missing something?

It looks like most of those parts are coming straight from Best Buy. Makes me wonder if they aren't actually pulling the strings behind the scenes. It’s presented as this independent site, but everything seems to lead right back to their doorstep.🤔

From what I can tell, this site is basically just showing off sample builds. They aren't selling pre-built, complex systems right out of the box; instead, they’re laying out virtual configurations that serve as templates. It's set up so a customer can swap out any component they don't like for something else, since you're ultimately picking exactly what goes into your online shopping cart. 🤷

Bradley Lewis59 said:http://www.konfa.cf/konfe-po-mjeri/preko-20-$0.00/

I honestly think this "Hipster" build is some of the absolute worst, most pretentious junk I've ever laid eyes on. The only part I don't have an issue with is the RAM. 🤣

People with deep pockets who just want to show off—but don't actually know a thing about PC parts—would probably drop a ton of cash on this garbage without thinking twice. Then again, it just hit me that we probably don't even have many people like that hanging out here. 😵

Give people some actual advice instead of just telling them what to do. 🙂
I don't know, I personally think the whole concept for the site isn't bad at all. But I'm with you on one thing—if they're charging those prices, the PC builds have to be top-tier to justify the cost.

Timothy Kim60 said:It's just one of those typical pre-built setups—total disaster because they don't even list the actual parts. It's basically a Radeon R9 390 paired with a cheap generic power supply. 😬

At the end of the day, the salesman just wants to close the deal and move the inventory, right? 😁

If anyone’s looking for some inspiration, check out http://www.konfa.cf. I’ve put together a handful of different builds categorized by price range so there’s something for every budget. It’s a pretty small list right now, but I’m working on adding more options all the time. Keep in mind the parts aren't set in stone—you can swap components around however you like. On the site, you'll see photos of the cases along with a full breakdown of the parts, including prices for both online orders and in-store pickup. You'll also see the total cost for the whole rig and a direct link to the shop to grab everything. I'm still looking into whether we can offer a service to actually assemble the builds for you, though.

Look, speaking from experience, I’d highly recommend going with a Microsoft setup powered by Intel. I’m running an f8300 myself, overclocked with liquid cooling to 4.0GHz, and it handles Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro quite well. You get those 8 cores that you can really push hard in those apps. Just a heads-up though: you really want at least 16GB of RAM for this kind of work. I’m currently sitting on 8GB, and whenever I’m deep in Adobe After Effects, I can feel that extra 8GB missing just to balance things out across the cores.

When it comes to the graphics card, try to pick one that the software actually supports so you can take advantage of GPU CUDA ray-traced 3D rendering. I'm not entirely sure how much of a massive leap it makes for video editing, but if the boost is only marginal, you might be able to get away without CUDA support.

EDIT: Just to clarify—when it comes to the actual final render, having more RAM doesn't change much, but it makes a huge difference when you're scrubbing through clips and playing back previews.

EDIT2: I almost forgot to mention—make sure you grab an SSD, even just a 120GB one. If you ask me, the best way to set it up is to boot macOS on your HDD and use it for permanent file storage, then use the SSD specifically for your disk cache and temporary scratch space for the clips you're actively editing. Using an SSD that way will seriously speed up your workflow in Adobe After Effects.

Alexander Moore67 said:How many people asking for buying advice are actually going to drop serious cash? And how much do they even know? In my opinion, less than 5% of those seeking help have any clue what they're talking about. That’s why it’s an Intel Core i5-4460 right now, but once the price on the upcoming Intel Core i5-6500 settles down, it'll be a great move.

Fair point. Maybe us 5% who actually know our stuff should just start a business and charge those people for helping them figure out how to overclock... 😁

Hey, why not? Might be a decent little side hustle. 👏

To prevent a pointless debate, I just put both builds together. When people are playing multiplayer, the i5 definitely eats the FX for breakfast.

Hmm, maybe if you're just running everything at stock settings. I have an FX 8300, and from what I've noticed, that CPU basically fights against itself when the BIOS is left on the default settings. For me, Grand Theft Auto V would stutter even on medium settings because of unnecessary CPU throttling. The load was only at 50%, and the gap to Tmax was only about 35°C. And don't even get me started on the voltage—it was hitting 1.4V per core.

After messing around with the BIOS, I managed to bump it up nicely from 3.3GHz to 4.0GHz. I set the voltage to 1.32V, and under load, it even dips down to 1.296V. I ran Prime for an hour, and it stayed perfectly stable. The gameplay improved significantly, giving me about 15 extra FPS, which actually let me turn the graphics settings up a bit. Not to mention the boost in performance during multi-threaded tasks like After Effects.

And speaking of heavy lifting, I can play a multiplayer game and record in 720p simultaneously with the FX without any noticeable FPS drops. I think the FX still holds an advantage with those 8 cores, since roughly 4 are handling the game while the other 4 stay free.

So, it isn't enough to just cram a good processor into a build; you have to know how to squeeze out the best performance possible.

As for the 95W TDP, honestly, at 4GHz and 1.32V, my LC-CC-120 handles it easily, provided the room temperature is around 68°F and the case has decent airflow—which is way more important.

Now, as for whether the actual power draw of the processor hits 125W? I haven't a clue. 🤷

Timothy Kim60 said:If you just want to chill and keep things cool and quiet while idling, go ahead and turn that on. You’ll probably want to switch it off, though, when you start overclocking—basically whenever you're hunting for stable voltages or running a stress test.

You didn't mention Load Line Calibration (LLC), but that’s what you use to stabilize voltages under load. Just keep in mind it does bump up your temps a tiny bit too. Generally speaking, though, it's usually worth switching it to ON.

Aha, okay. I totally misread the translation from English earlier. I thought "Cool and Quiet" had to stay turned off constantly whenever you're running overclocking settings. My bad. So, what you're saying is it only needs to be disabled during the actual clock searching and stability testing phases. Got it.

As far as the LLC goes, I haven't actually stumbled upon that setting on my motherboard yet, but I'll definitely dig around a bit more and see if I can find it.

I've got my AMD FX-6300 clocked at 4.0GHz running on 1.3V right now. When I get a chance, I'm going to try and dial that voltage down to find a more stable, lower setting.
What I'm really trying to figure out is which specific settings I need to tweak in my Gigabyte GA970a-DS3P BIOS to make sure the CPU automatically drops its voltage and frequency while idling, but then kicks back up to full speed whenever there's a heavy load. Or, is it actually better to just leave everything locked at 4.0GHz and 1.3V? 🤔

Here’s what my current BIOS settings look like:
CPU clock ratio x20
Turbo is off
CPB is set to auto
CPU unlocked
C&Q is off
C1E is off
SVM is off
Core control is on auto
I have HPC mode turned ON because otherwise, when the system is idling, it stays at 4.0GHz and 1.3V, but as soon as even one core hits a 30-100% load, it drops down to 3.3GHz and 1.25V.
APM is off

darkowl72 said:On Gigabyte boards, that's basically just a safety protocol. It kicks in if you push your overclocking too far or mess up some BIOS settings. If that's what's happening... say you crank up the speed, multiplier, or memory settings too high, the system tries to boot, realizes it can't, resets the BIOS, and then loads the OS. Timothy Kim60 was asking a good question there...

Take a close look at your settings and compare them against the official specs for your processor, RAM, and FSB... maybe try different RAM slots, or even a different GPU slot if you have two running at the same speed...

Look, I already went through my BIOS settings and that's not the issue. I actually tried intentionally messing with the overclocking—specifically trying an undervolt—just to see how the system would react. Instead of just shutting down immediately, it cycled twice. Before, it was just ON, OFF, ON, and then it booted into Windows. But during this test, it went ON, OFF, ON, OFF, and then back to ON with a "boot failed" message, giving me the option to either reset to BIOS defaults or enter the BIOS manually.

I'm not sure, maybe it’s some kind of short circuit check? Like, it sends a quick pulse of power to make sure everything is stable before committing to a full boot.

I'm going to try moving the RAM from slots 2 and 4 over to 1 and 3. Hopefully, the CPU cooler won't be in the way.

I have two PCI Express x16 slots available, but one is running at full x16 where the GPU is currently seated, and the second one only runs at x4.

It’s just reassuring to know that something like that isn't going to just snap or fail on me.

Timothy Kim60 said:Does that stuff stick around even if you reset the BIOS to factory defaults?

Yeah. After it happened the first time, I actually went ahead and reset my BIOS to defaults, even though everything had been set to default from day one.

fadedorca66 said:What kind of setup are we talking about here? I’ve seen that mentioned on some motherboards before, but I never really gave it much thought.

Motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-970A DS3P
Intel Core i7 processor with motherboard
AMD Radeon RX series

I’ve also got some LED strips, one 140mm fan, three 120mm fans, and a Corsair H120 cooling my CPU

On the motherboard, I have one CPU fan header and three case fan headers, and they're all currently occupied. It might actually be smarter to plug those three 120mm fans into an NZXT fan hub instead, since that gets direct 12V power from the PSU.

Quick question here. I tried digging through Google, but I can't find anyone dealing with this exact same headache.
It happened once right after I finished the build and hit the power button for the first time. I press the button, everything spins up—fans, LEDs, hard drive—and then about two seconds later, the whole thing just dies. Then, it immediately kicks back on and boots into Windows perfectly fine. After that initial hiccup, it ran smoothly for maybe three or four restarts. But today, it did the exact same thing again. Even when I tried to restart just to jump into the BIOS, it went through that same "power on, kill, power on" cycle before finally stabilizing.
I’m starting to suspect my power supply is acting up. I'm running an EVGA 650 w 80 + Silver.