If the TDP is locked in the BIOS, you're probably going to need to flash it. That said, there's a chance you can just override the TDP via Wattman since you can bump up the power limit there. The real question is how Wattman actually calculates it—is it 100W plus a 50% buffer, or does it handle the math differently?
My RX580 has a modded BIOS set up exactly like that, but honestly, performance is basically identical in games if you aren't messing with undervolting or underclocking via Wattman. (Same performance before and after the mod) Besides, flashing back to the original BIOS isn't the issue—it’s the risk of playing with the BIOS itself if the card doesn't have a dual BIOS setup. Mine has one, so if I brick one, I just flip the switch to the other one I haven't touched. But paying anything over $333 for a mining Polaris card is insane, especially with a blower cooler that's been running non-stop. Honestly, unless it's a total steal, I wouldn't buy a card right now. The crypto boom is the worst thing ever for gamers because we haven't seen a supply issue this bad in a long time.
Are those 4GB cards or 8GB? If they're 4GB, I'd rather grab a GTX970 that's less likely to have been mined on and actually comes with a decent cooler. We should start seeing a ton of 4GB cards hitting eBay soon since you can't mine Bitcoin with them anymore.
P.S. It's possible the BIOS is heavily modded, like someone set a low max TDP or something, but people don't usually do that since you handle power draw through undervolting and underclocking, not the BIOS. You mod the BIOS primarily for specific memory timings meant for mining. My card runs fine; I've got a mining BIOS from some forum, but there's no guarantee someone didn't go overboard when they were messing with it.
Honestly, there’s zero point in dumping money into an expensive motherboard just to support overclocking you won't even use. If you went with a cheaper board, you could have easily bumped up to an Intel Core i7-10700F within that same budget.
Timothy Kim60 said:Honestly, Intel will probably drop their new socket (rumored to be Intel LGA 1700 for Alder Lake this fall) before we see AMD Intel LGA 1700. That makes both LGA 1200 and LGA 1151 dead ends since they're just hitting the end of the line with whatever comes out later this year. It's a wash.
Exactly. And even if Intel's AMD Ryzen 5000 series manages to pull ahead, it won't be by much—especially if they're still stuck on 14nm. Both platforms are basically at the finish line.
If you don't have the cash right now, just wait. There’s zero point in overthinking things this far in advance. IMO, if you're planning on picking up something like an RTX 3070 down the road, then 1440p at 144Hz is the sweet spot, and you'll probably need about $833 for that. But by then, some new model will likely hit the market that offers way better value than what's out there today. 1440p/144Hz is slowly becoming the standard.
Aaron Evans2 said:I don't think this setup would hit $260.
i3 10100f $233 Motherboard $217 RAM $117 Case $83 Power Supply $117 SSD $150
Forget the DVD drive and whatever. This doesn't include a GPU, but let's be real—the i3 10100f is a massive step up. Even if you snag this for, say, $767, it's still not worth it. I'd rather just buy all new parts with an i3 10100f for a few bucks more. That 9100f is right on the edge of being useless for modern games, whereas the 10100f actually holds its own and is a solid choice for $233 too. It’s basically a de facto i7 7700.
rapidpuma59 said:Hey, everyone. We eventually decided we're definitely going with the Ryzen 5 5600X. All I've seen are some shy little teasers for the Ryzen 5 5600.
Budget isn't an issue, so I'm wondering what you guys think about these parts and the price?
Actually, it's pretty solid. You save about $100 compared to buying everything separately. The MSI B550 Tomahawk and that 3600MHz RAM would probably be total overkill for this build anyway, but hey, it's a nice bonus...
That said, $400 for a B550 board (even if the MSI B550 Tomahawk is top-tier) and $900 for the 5600X feels a bit steep, but the bundle makes it easier to swallow.
The RX 5700 XT has a 3-year warranty, which I bumped up to 5. I’m thinking about actually using that now and just grabbing an RTX 3070 through my company to dodge the sales tax. 👍 (The 5700 XT works fine for me, I'm just totally done dealing with these constant driver crashes)
With prices where they are right now, it’s barely worth it whether you pay sales tax or not. Did you try a clean driver install using the DDU removal tool? That fixes most AMD driver headaches.
For the motherboard, don't overthink it—maybe just go with $267. As for the GPU, it's decent. If you're actually looking to offload it, take advantage of the current shortages to get a better price.
Wait, you still have four and a half years of warranty left??
not about the curvature, just can't get used to it 😉
something like this? first time I've heard of this brand
Well, I don't know what kind of key feel you're after. That's a gaming keyboard, so maybe it's actually perfect for typing. Personally, I prefer mechanical ones meant for gaming when I'm typing. Either read some reviews somewhere (like on Amazon) or go find a place where you can actually try one out.
urbanheron4 said:Alright, thanks for clearing that up.
Anyway, do these miners actually factor in power costs? A rig like this can eat electricity for breakfast, and there's no guarantee they'll break even. Or do some people just have access to dirt-cheap power? I was just thinking, right now in a small town in the Midwest and the surrounding area, the power is basically free. It’s not exactly classy or moral, but someone could really exploit that. You grab some prefab or half-ruined house, cram 50 GPUs inside that are worth more than the building itself, and mine for free.
Look, if you're paying $0.33/kWh, a single RX580 pulling 100W nets you about $1/day. An RTX3070 has at least double the hash rate—not sure about the draw—so I don't know if it's even worth mining with these newer cards.
My gaming PC with an RX580 mines Bitcoin, bringing in roughly $3.25/day, while the CPU runs Folding@Home (WHO). I don't even count the power because the rig puts out enough heat to warm the whole room, so I don't need the heater. Back when I was staying in a dorm, the electricity was free, so I didn't even touch the radiator. The bottom line is during these mining crazes, if you snag cards at Ford, you make your investment back in a few months. After that, you just ride it out until you dump the cards in bulk once the profit hits the cost of power. Otherwise, electricity in America is relatively cheap.
David Morris13 said:If I'm building an upgradeable PC in the future to ensure I have enough headroom without needing to swap out the PSU again. So, at least 600W.
Depends on what you're planning. If you aren't sure, or if you think you'll jump to a new platform with beefier cards like an RTX3070 or better, then 600W is a smart move. Otherwise, 500W does the job.
But honestly, the real issue is that finding all those specific power supplies you listed can be a struggle here in $133.
The EVGA 650 G3 Gold, FSP Hydro, Hyper, CX600, and Seasonic S12 are all decent units, but you really need to look into their warranty coverage and stuff...
Because normally, the USA gets the lowest hardware prices thanks to a massive market and low taxes. Combine that with high purchasing power, and Americans just sweep everything up. Now that they’re stuck paying an extra $100 or $200 for a GPU, companies like Microsoft don't find it as profitable to prioritize US stock over the rest of the world. Look at it this way—if the US slapped a 200% tariff on Scotch whiskey, the rest of the world would see prices drop simply because it becomes too difficult to export it to America.
Everything is a mess right now. These tariffs are just a small factor on the global scale, and Biden will probably scrap them. But long-term? It means more hardware for us and less for Americans, since higher prices mean they can afford less within the same budget.