Posts by wiredotter14

Keith Nguyen7 said:That second-to-last one might be a tough sell. I messaged the last guy, so we'll see.

Sent from my LG-M700 using Reddit

Are you talking about this GTX 1060?

I don't know why, but whenever I see someone post an ad for hardware and include "all paperwork included," as if they're selling a house or a purebred dog, it just feels gross.

There's at least a 33% difference between those two.

Games look at core counts and base clocks or whatever, but honestly? It's total bullshit.

You can run the latest, most demanding titles on that processor, let alone Konami games.

No way an i5-6400 is too weak for this game.

Must be some software glitch or something else entirely.

What exactly is the error message, and which game are we talking about?

Are you dealing with lag during gameplay or just getting hit with a random error code?

I would've included a photo, but this is just a budget Best Buy monitor meant for gaming (standard size + 1440p + 75Hz + Freesync?)

When I was digging through the reviews, people weren't exactly raving about the color accuracy. Doesn't matter much for gaming, sure, but if you're using Adobe Photoshop, color is way more important than resolution.

darkowl72 said:Oh sure, they'll just never release any games—not her, not her friends, not some descendant down the line... please. And Photoshop will run just fine on an HP, unless you plan on shoving your face directly into the screen.

The HP becomes a "retina display" at about 39 inches while the Dell is sitting at 28 inches from your eyes...

https://www.designcompaniesranked.co...s-this-retina/

Look, if a game ever does get dumped, the least you can do is drop the resolution or tweak the settings. Nobody's actually claiming they're going to play anything.

There's a massive gap between 28 and 39 inches. 39 inches is pretty standard for 1080p monitors, and you really feel the difference compared to higher resolutions.

That’s usually considered the sweet spot for gaming since the screen size and resolution/detail ratio works out well.

But for Photoshop, resolution is king. You need that sharpness for all the heavy lifting and precision work.
Besides, that sharpness actually gets used because you're working on high-res images; it's not like the pixels are going to waste.
An enormous 4K display would be ideal, but let's be real, that's way over budget.

darkowl72 said:HP. HD resolution is plenty for those specs. Plus, you get Bose speakers, so there's no need for external ones. That Dell screen is overkill for the average user—you won't be running any games at native resolution anyway. Sure, the Dell looks better and feels more premium, but for a budget build? It’s just wasted money...

We're talking about Photoshop and stuff here, not gaming. Running apps shouldn't be an issue.

I agree, the resolution might be high for a budget setup, but that's not necessarily a dealbreaker. Look, designers love the "Retina" standard on the iMac and Macbook Pro—which is even denser than what we're discussing. I think it makes sense; you can actually see the difference in sharpness compared to standard pixel density.

Look, the difference between 95W and 65W isn't actually real. It’s just marketing fluff and some "recommended" cooler wattage.
It's the same way Intel slaps the same TDP on 6-core chips as they do on 4-core ones—obviously, they don't pull the same power in the real world.

In reality, you're looking at maybe a 10% difference in energy efficiency if you keep the clock speeds identical.

Basically, the 2600 hits higher clocks by about 200MHz while staying at the exact same voltage and power draw.

True, you get a cooler with the 2600, but let's be real—it’s a F-35 Lightning II level nothingburger. It’s basic.

Picking one isn't easy.

The 1600 comes with the Wraith Spira, which actually beats the one bundled with the 2600. That’s a solid move. For roughly what you'd pay for a 1600X, you get a decent cooler, though out-of-the-box the clock speeds are lower. You'd probably want to overclock it to something like 3.8GHz (overclocking potential is basically the same as the 1600X).

The 1600X has higher clocks, but there's no cooler included. If you grab a Freezer 33—which is actually good and outperforms the Wraith Spira—you end up around $467. You can just run it at stock using boost or try to overclock.

The 2600 packs the Wraith Stealth. It’s mediocre, but fine if you're sticking to stock settings.
Also, the 2600 is a few percent faster at the same clock speeds, has speeds similar to the 1600X, and a slightly better memory controller. But it costs more than the first two and you're stuck with that thin little cooler.

It all depends on whether you plan to overclock or not. If you're going to do even some basic overclocking, the 1600 is likely your best bang for the buck.

If you don't care about the price gap, the 2600 is probably the path of least resistance. It won't perform worse than the other two, even with that stock cooler.

Prices aren't identical. At Los Angeles, for instance, you're looking at 1600X for $400, while the 2600 is almost $500.

Definitely steer clear of that A320 motherboard. You can't overclock on it, and even if you don't plan to push the CPU, a B350 or B450 will hold those boost clocks much better.

If they were the same price, I'd go with the 2600. But since the gap is tiny, the 1600X still makes sense because its boost clocks are decent—and if you do decide to overclock, you're only looking at about a 200MHz difference anyway.

You can easily overclock the 1600X to 3.8GHz all-core, or just leave it at stock and let XFR handle the clock speeds.

What resolution are we talking about?

Basically, go with a Ryzen 5 1600 or a 1600X and whatever beefy GPU you can actually afford.

No way you're buying an i3 8100 at those prices. $467 It’s total hype. Before Intel's prices went through the roof, it used to sit under $333.

If you're set on a quad-core, grab a Ryzen 3 2200g for <$300 since the performance is basically neck-and-neck with that i3.
Or, if you want to actually spend some money, go for a Ryzen 1600/2600.

What are you even planning to use the PC for?

P.S.

Doesn't matter if the case supports SATA III or just SATA II for an HDD. An HDD is naturally way slower than even the SATA II limit anyway. Just make sure you grab one with USB 3.0.

Adam Williams2 said:haha, thanks man 🙏

If professors actually put this much effort into teaching me, I might’ve actually become a doctor by now. 🤣 🙏

🤣🙂

Adam Williams2 said:I grabbed it while it was still available. So, we’re good for a desktop setup, right?

Look, we’re clearly talking past each other here. I’m asking about the drive caddy. My question is: once you pull the old HDD out of the laptop—like that friend of yours you mentioned earlier—can you just slide an SSD right into that same slot? You get what I'm asking? 😁

Yeah, that SSD looks solid. You scored a killer deal on that.

As for that tray... honestly, I have no clue what it's actually for.

All you need is a basic 2.5" SATA external enclosure that plugs into your computer via USB.

They're everywhere. You can find them a million different ways.
Looking for 2.5" USB enclosures. Check this out: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=usb+2.5+enclosure

For example.

I don't know what you guys are looking at here. This case? It’s just a box. A plain, basic chassis for a TV setup. If you're trying to build something specific, this might work, but there isn't much to say about it. It's just hardware. Nothing special.

Looking at this listing for TV cabinets. Prices seem all over the place. Hard to tell if any of these are actually worth the money or just overpriced junk. Typical.

Adam Williams2 said:you guys recommended this one, but is it actually the same thing as that one? Just trying to clear things up here 😁

and would this be that little enclosure where you swap out the old hard drive for an SSD? Did I get that right?

They aren't identical. The MX500 is a newer version, though there isn't a massive difference.
The real headache is that it shows as out of stock, otherwise, it would've been a great deal.

No, that's not the enclosure you're looking for. That's just for turning an SSD into an external drive. You need one specifically designed for internal laptop installation.

So, something like these.
I can't tell you exactly which one fits your laptop without knowing the specific model.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=2.5+laptop+hard+drive+caddy

Just grab the 120GB one then; if you're just using it for random junk, you don't need anything bigger.

I'm telling you, check how much extra that caddy option actually costs. You don't want to end up paying more for the tray than the actual drive, so decide if you really need both inside.

It's way easier to just swap out the existing HDD instead.

36 months is fine. On those older machines, you won't even notice the difference between the cheapest model and a high-end one—you'll get a massive speed boost regardless. That's why we suggested a better SSD for a desktop PC, but for this, it's not that critical.

Just grab whichever one has the longest warranty.

Otherwise, check which repair shop offers cleaning or thermal paste replacement. You might be able to bundle the SSD swap into that service—it should run you about $67, and honestly, getting the thing cleaned out isn't a bad idea anyway.

Or just ask a local shop about those drive caddies and what they’d charge for the job you want.

One piece of advice: if you go with a 120GB drive, you’re going to need to keep the HDD, otherwise you'll run out of storage space immediately. That means you'll definitely need the caddy option.

But looking at the cost—if the caddy and the labor end up costing you, I don't know, an extra $67 compared to just swapping the old HDD out—I’d rather just buy a bigger drive and replace the current HDD entirely. You'll be limited to the SSD capacity, but unless you're hoarding movies and stuff, 240GB is plenty for a laptop. Personally, I’d take that over a 120GB SSD paired with a 500GB HDD any day.

Adam Williams2 said:Is there a shortcut to see the exact model right on the machine, or am I stuck digging through old paperwork? 🤷

So, regarding the memory—you mean even if I build a complex rig myself, or if someone else puts it together for me, I’m still going to have to mess around with BIOS settings? Fine. We'll deal with that when the time actually comes to get it running. 😁

If the shop puts it together for you, they might set it up, but honestly, don't count on it. Usually, when they do an install, they just leave everything on the defaults because... well, that's just how defaults work.
You could just ask them to set the memory frequency to whatever is actually printed on the sticks.
Look, honestly? It’s nothing special. Literally just a few clicks.

Adam Williams2 said:Found it.

One's a Dell Inspiron 5558, the other's an Acer Aspire e1-570g.

So, if I can snag an SSD on sale while this deal is still live, I might as well grab one for them too. It wouldn't hurt to know which one to pick. 😁

These are your classic-style laptops—you get a 2.5" HDD plus an optical drive.

You’ve got two choices: swap out the HDD for an SSD, or just tuck an SSD into the optical drive bay.
The second one is the better way to go—you end up getting the best of both worlds.
I might even swap them—put the SSD where the original HDD was since that's the first SATA slot, but honestly, it probably doesn't matter.

Bottom line: just grab a standard 2.5" SSD and shove it in there.
Look, if you're pulling it out of the drive bay, you’ll need a replacement tray. You're gonna have to track one down somewhere or check in with a repair shop to see if they can find one for you.

If you're in Washington, D.C., I can point you toward a solid repair shop.
http://www.laptoprepair.com/
Check out this laptop repair shop over in Washington, D.C.: https://www.facebook.com/servislaptopazagreb/
I took my laptop down there, and then later brought my buddy's over too, just to get them cleaned up—basically just to have the thermal paste swapped out.

They charge you for that. $50 It’s not a bad idea to do that after a few years anyway—dust builds up, and you eventually need to refresh the thermal paste on the CPU.
A buddy of mine got an SSD upgrade through that service they offer. He swapped his old HDD out for an SSD right in the laptop, then grabbed a USB enclosure for the old HDD so he can just use it as a portable drive.
Once they pop that laptop open, it’s a five-minute job to swap it out.

Give them a call and ask how the hell they handle things when ordering a drive bay.
Probably easy enough to find.

If you think you don't need much storage, you could just do what my buddy did and stick with nothing but an SSD in your laptop.

Adam Williams2 said:Honestly, I'm confused. Why is the more expensive one 2800 MHz when this other one is 3000, and the AMD one you suggested was also 3000? That’s why I went with the 3k one. 😬

So the MHz thing doesn't actually determine what's better or worse. 🤷

@wiredotter14, how am I supposed to know what fits in my laptop? Do I just check the motherboard? Oh, and someone told me it can go where the CD drive used to be.

Check the laptop specs, the user manual, or just crack the case open.

You can swap it into the DVD slot since it uses a SATA connection, but don't assume that works for every laptop. Even if SATA is standard, I'm not sure the physical dimensions always match up. Plus, you'll need a caddy to hold the SSD instead of the optical (DVD) drive.

I haven't really thought about it much since most modern laptops don't even have a DVD drive anymore.

Just tell me which specific laptop model you're working with.

P.S.

Regarding the RAM—like Smartic mentioned—the frequency isn't physically baked into the chip itself; it's just how it's configured. Basically, chips within a 200MHz range are pretty much similar.
If one stick has better latency, it might perform similarly to a 3000MHz stick at 2800MHz.

But whatever, once you boot the PC, the frequency will likely default to 2133MHz anyway, and you'll have to manually bump it up.
You do that in the BIOS with a few clicks. There are already profiles set up for those frequencies, so you don't have to type in settings manually; you just select 3000MHz and the BIOS handles the rest.
So, most likely, that 2800MHz stick will work fine even if you select 3000MHz.