Posts by wiredotter14

Saw he meant a GeForce RTX board. I thought he was talking about something cheaper like $333, but clearly not 😁😁😵

ROG Strix is the move for an Intel Core i5-10400 👍

Also, 32GB of RAM is overkill for most people. Better to stick with 16GB and just upgrade later if you actually need it

@Timothy Kim60/">@@Timothy Kim60

I remember that video about using four sticks—you know, the whole dual rank memory thing.
I didn't quite wrap my head around the full story back then. The general rule was always that faster RAM might squeeze out maybe 5% more performance, though on Ryzen you get a bit more since it bumps up the Infinity Fabric clock. Now it turns out that in plenty of scenarios, you're actually looking at 10%+

What did I miss? Is it just the testing methodology or what? Like you said, it's similar to the i7 7700 k situation where everything is measured on basically the same CPUs, and the "common wisdom" has always been that the performance gain is just a few percent.

Anthony Jackson2 said:Regarding this i3—anything specific I should look for when picking a motherboard and RAM to get the most out of it? I know Ryzen chips love boards with solid power delivery and fast RAM speeds; does this Intel setup have similar demands?

Not really. If you're looking at an i3, you're likely sticking to an H410 board to keep costs down anyway (buying a high-end Z490 makes zero sense here), so your RAM speed is basically capped at 2667MHz. Not that Intel is overly sensitive to that. Just grab a cheap 2x8GB kit and call it a day. Capacity matters way more than frequency in this bracket.
Maybe hunt for a board with decent VRM heatsinks if you actually care about longevity.

Look, 3070s are sitting at around $700 now (over in Germany), which isn't quite as insane compared to the MSRP as the 3080 was. I'm thinking things might stabilize a bit early next year. But honestly, that doesn't change much when you're trying to offload a used card for the price of a brand-new one. Buying an RTX 2000 series at its original MSRP right now is just madness—just like how it was total insanity to grab an i7 7700 k for $833 back when Coffee lak first dropped, regardless of whether you could actually find the latest tech on the shelves.

Kenneth Harris3 said:I don't buy that logic because not every model or brand is the same. It's just like an RTX 3070—you can find one for $500 or as high as $700. They're all technically an RTX 3070, but are they identical? No...
So you're basically implying that if I bought my card for $500 or a premium version for $700, I should be able to sell them both for the same amount. That's absurd.

That's like trying to sell a used car and demanding full price for the sunroof, the custom rims, or the premium upholstery. Sure, maybe it helps move the car, but buyers look at the make, model, and mileage first. You can't expect to sell used gear for the same price—or more—than a brand-new, boxed unit.

P.S.

Anyone dropping $700 on an RTX 3070 is a fool when they could get a much better deal on an RX6800 or an RTX3080 once things settle down—right now, prices are a complete circus.

Kenneth Harris3 said:I’ve never sold anything relatively new—only old junk once the warranty expired—so I have no clue what someone would actually pay for a GPU. It seems like they hold their value pretty well still.

I’ve still got over two years of warranty left from Lockheed Martin. Here's the specific model:
https://www.gigabyte.com/Graphics-Ca...-8GC-rev-20#kf

Checking Best Buy, the cheapest brand new one is around +$1333. I looked at used RTX 3060 Ti models on eBay and everything is hovering around +$800, but none of them come with a warranty. As far as I can tell, this is one of those top-tier RTX 3060 models, which usually go for more.

What’s a realistic asking price? 🤔

Used RTX 3060 Ti units start at about $1000, so you can't ask for more than that. Doesn't matter how "premium" your specific model is $1333.
With new cards hitting the market (like the RTX 4070) that are nearly twice as fast for a similar price, people are going to be dumping their 1000 and 2000 series cards constantly. If I were you, I'd just be happy to offload it for $833 right now.
https://www.bestbuy.com/search.php?q=rtx+3060+ti

P.S. It's unlikely they wouldn't have a warranty if the card is less than two years old; any decent seller should have at least a few months of coverage left.

Alexander Moore67 said:https://ibb.co/K2zvTPw
That's the deal on gaming with an Intel Core i3-10100 versus an R5 1600AF.

Like I said above, that i3 is a solid short-term pick and generally fine for gaming. But don't call it "futureproof." It's basically in the same spot as those old quad-core chips without hyperthreading—think the Intel Core i5-7400—that were great for gaming back in the day but are getting absolutely crushed now by 4c/8t or 6-core processors (though they still hold up okay in lighter titles). The difference is the i3-10100 is actually a better value right now than the i5 was then because the price is decent, making it a "good buy," just not the "best buy."

Alexander Moore67 said:I wouldn't just call it a budget build, I'd call it the Best Buy gaming starter pack for 2020... emphasis on Best Buy.

Look, to actually call something a "best buy," it needs to be somewhat future-proof. A quad-core processor in 2020? Doesn't cut it. It's fine if you're strictly looking at budget options, but that's it.
Ryzen 1600 and 3600 are the real best buys for their price points.

1) If you're leaning toward Intel, don't sweat the 3200MHz RAM. Intel isn't nearly as sensitive to speed, and with that specific CPU and motherboard combo, you won't be able to push past 2667 or 2993 MHz anyway.

2) The 2700X is basically twice the processor compared to an i3 10100f. It's much better for futureproofing.

3) Between those two motherboards, I'd go with the Gaming X.

4) Honestly, the i3 10100f looks like the smarter move over the R3 3100. You're looking at a pricier B450 board which is overkill here, so the i3 10100f just makes more sense for the money.

5) For immediate gaming gains, your best bet is grabbing the i3 10100f and a new GPU. You can probably flip your old card for maybe 200-$100.
Long-term, though? Better to grab a Ryzen 1600 or a 2700X and just add a GPU later once you've actually saved up the cash.

We looked at that specific processor because it’s the right call for this budget. If you had a little more cash to play with, an Intel Core would be the better move. wiredotter14 sent you a link to Best Buy so you can check where it's in stock everywhere.

wanderingbison9 said:Right-click a YouTube video, hit "stats for nerds," and check if the codec is avc1 or H.264. If it's showing H.264, just grab the h264ify extension for Edge.

What's the actual benefit there?
Isn't H.264 supposed to be natively supported in Edge anyway?

Timothy Kim60 said:Honestly, I think your internet is the bottleneck here...

Ever checked your CPU load in Task Manager while running 1080p video? (Hit ctrl+shift+esc then check the Performance tab)

Yeah. Also, try switching browsers and make sure hardware acceleration is enabled. Google Chrome is the best for YouTube

boldpilot5 said:Could use some help here. Which stores should I be looking at for the best deals? I've scanned a ton of shops and keeps hitting walls—prices are high, and finding a Ryzen 5 1600 AF is surprisingly tough since most places don't even have it in stock. Also, I'm lost on which motherboard to pick. I was mostly looking at ASUS, but I'm confused by these labels:

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I know you mentioned B450 and the other is B550, but the price difference $3.25 makes me wonder if pairing a Ryzen 3 with a B550 board is a waste. One is ATX and the other is mATX. Also, is the Ryzen 5 1600 AF actually better than the Ryzen 3 3100?

Thanks in advance 🙂

1) Always check PriceGrabber to see who has what in stock. Amazon and Best Buy usually have similar pricing for credit card purchases, otherwise, you have to hunt for stores offering cash discounts.
2) The difference isn't $3.25, but it's an apples-to-oranges comparison because B550 boards for the "same model" are beefier and significantly more expensive.
Take the ASUS example—the ASUS B550 DS3H is a much more robust, "beefed up" board compared to the B450 DS3H, and it costs more.
3) If you're sticking with ASUS, the B450 DS3H is a perfectly fine choice and won't break the bank.
https://www.nabava.net/maticne-ploce...-ddr4-92851951
You don't need a high-end board for those CPUs; there's zero point in trying to overclock them anyway.

4) The 1600AF is basically a rebranded 2600; it has 6 cores, while the R3 3100 only has 4. Personally, if the money is similar, I'd grab the 1600. You can find it at a few places—just make sure it's the AF version and shop around for the best credit card price.
https://www.nabava.net/procesori/amd...ijena-41853411

5) 1600AF vs. 3100—you won't lose out if you go with the 3100. It has slightly better single-threaded performance, but fewer cores.

6) If you aren't buying a GPU right away and it fits your budget, you could snag a Ryzen 7 2700 X. It's much stronger (8 cores and higher clock speeds than the 1600AF) and it's a steal right now—under $400—plus it comes with a decent cooler. It works on the same motherboard.
https://www.nabav.net/search.php?q=2700x

So, let's say you get the motherboard, CPU, and RAM for about $2000-$733. For $333, you could grab a GTX 1050 Ti if you absolutely need a new card immediately, but honestly, I’d hold off and wait until you can scrape together enough for a real card closer to $500.

Ryzen 3 3100 and a B550 board just aren't worth it.

If you're sticking to that budget, the smart move is a Ryzen 5 1600 paired with a B450 board. But here's the real question: what exactly are you running right now, and are you planning on picking up a used GPU?

Also, you could easily grab much faster RAM of the same capacity for way less money. That shop you're looking at doesn't have great prices.

P.S.

My bad, I missed your reply about your current specs.

Look, if that's the case, just hang onto the GPU you've got. Grab a Ryzen 5 1600 AF, 2x8GB of 3200 RAM, and some kind of B450 board instead.

$3,000 on a payment plan is actually pretty low for a rig that can handle Doom Eternal on decent settings, especially once you factor in the cooler and the case.

First off, what’s your current full setup look like?
Second, would you consider picking up a used GPU?

With $833, you could pull off a solid platform upgrade without touching the graphics card, and then grab a decent used GPU for about $500-$$333.

Alexander Moore67 said:It's not just about that—it proves the GPU is the most critical part...

That's like running benchmarks on CS:GO where everyone gets basically the same FPS, and then you try to claim one card is better than another based on some tiny, meaningless difference...

Timothy Kim60 said:Look, the point isn't some breakthrough in tech. It's just that Apple is squeezing every last cent out of us. 😁

Of course, they aren't exactly Catholic Charities.
For a casual user, it could be great. Longer battery life, optimized apps, better long-term support. Personally, I wouldn't touch an x86 MacBook right now—support is only going one way.
Look, for basic stuff? It doesn't matter. Apple will definitely keep supporting it from a security standpoint for a long time. If you're happy with the device right now, there’s zero reason to swap it out.

Alexander Moore67 said:read what Games says—that i3 has 4 cores/8 threads at 4.4GHz

Look, I get it's a quad-core, but using a benchmark where that CPU (basically on par with an i7-7700K) hits the same level as a 9900K isn't a valid test, even at 1440p. Saying a 10900K is only a few percent better than that i3 or a new Ryzen is total nonsense.

On that same list, they’ve got the i3 10300 sitting right next to the 9900K and the 5900X, supposedly beating out the 9600K... clearly, this is some benchmark that fails to actually measure CPU performance properly.

Alexander Moore67 said:At higher resolutions, Intel still beats out the Ryzen 5000 series.

Got any actual sources for that? Ryzen has PCIe 4.0, which could give it a slight edge at higher resolutions when you're pairing it with high-end GPUs. Otherwise, they should be performing pretty much the same.