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Greetings, fellow forum members!
Here are my specs:
motherboard: ASUS B350-F motherboard + Ryzen 3
cpu: Ryzen 3 1200
PSU: Corsair VS550 (I know this is garbage, I'll be replacing it soon)
GPU: RX 460 (an RX 470 or GTX 1060 is coming soon)
storage: Kingston 256GB SSD + 1TB WD Blue HDD
Purpose: gaming
The question is which RAM kit I should grab. I've been reading online about speeds—2666 MHz versus 3200 MHz—especially since I know Ryzen loves faster RAM. Honestly, looking at the benchmarks, I don't feel like messing around with pushing RAM to 3200 just to squeeze out an extra 2 or 3 FPS. It obviously depends on the specific game, but still.
Looking at the ASUS QVL, the list is all over the place. I browse eBay or local marketplaces, find something that looks good and fits my budget, then check the QVL, only to find it's hit or miss. It's frustrating when they're listed as supported, but only in an 8GB configuration (like 2x4GB) or at 2400MHz. I have a few questions:
1. Can I run them as a single 1x8GB stick if the QVL says 8GB is supported via 2x4GB?
2. If the QVL states they work at 2400MHz, can I still overclock them in the BIOS to, say, 2666MHz? I don't want to push it any higher than that. I saw someone on Reddit pick up the exact RAM I was looking at; the QVL said 2666MHz, but the guy commented he couldn't get them above 2400MHz. To be blunt, I couldn't care less about that kind of limitation. With DDR3, in my experience, if the motherboard supports 1333MHz, you just plug in 1333MHz sticks and you're good to go.
3. Does anyone here own this motherboard and have some RAM installed so I can check something specifically?
4. Is the ASUS QVL updated regularly alongside new BIOS releases? I chose an ASUS board specifically because of the BIOS support and a decent deal I found.
That's all for now. I hope someone is willing to weigh in. 🙂
best regards and thanks in advance!
crimsonstag84 said:I was looking at this Kingston drive on the website today. It’s a standard Kingston unit. Honestly, I don't see why anyone would bother with these basic models when you can get something much more reliable for a few extra bucks. I remember back when I was trying to limp my old desktop along in Indianapolis using an ancient Hard Disk Drive, and the lag was absolutely infuriating. You just can't deal with that kind of bottlenecking anymore. If you're going to upgrade, do it right. Don't settle for mediocre hardware just because it's cheap.
Why that specific one? I was browsing around online looking at some of those cheaper Kingston models, and while people claim they’re great, there's this recurring warning that a certain percentage of them fail incredibly fast. That definitely made me hesitate and keep digging. Do you think that's just a bit of an exaggeration?
And thanks for all the responses! 😁
Greetings. Here are my current specs:
MSI 770-c45 Motherboard (SATA II)
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650 Processor, stock 3.4ghz
EVGA GeForce RTX
CORSAIR VS550, 550 W, 80+ White
2x Transcend JetRAM 4GB DDR3 1333 DIMM 9-9-9 =8gb
CPU cooler: coolermaster Air master pro 4
OS: Windows 7 SP2 (unlicensed version, I know, don't ask...)
The title says it all. I am looking to pick up a cheap SSD to install Windows, Microsoft Office, and perhaps a few games I play most often.
I have been browsing online, but honestly, I don't know much about drives, so I figured it was better to post here.
The motherboard only has a SATA II connection, so I realize I won't hit maximum SSD speeds, but it will still be an improvement over my old, cluttered, and partially failing Hard Disk Drive (it's some 500GB WD model, if I recall correctly; I don't know the exact model). I have an extra PCI-E slot available, but frankly, I don't feel like dealing with the hassle of buying and installing an adapter just to squeeze out slightly more speed than what the SATA II port offers.
My budget is around $200. Looking at the sites for Hard Rock Cafe and Links, I considered a SanDisk Plus 128GB, but since that is SATA III, it wouldn't really benefit me.
By the way, I am located in Indianapolis, so if anyone happens to have something "in stock" locally, let me know. 🙂
Thanks for the help. Regards! 🙂
Thanks for the input, everyone. I stayed quiet because I finally sorted out the issue. Turns out my motherboard didn't even support the 125W version of this processor. My 945 actually comes in two different specs—one at 95W and one at 125W—and I happened to be stuck with the high-draw version. I ended up picking up a used motherboard on eBay for $83 and everything is running perfectly now. It's clocked at 3.4GHz, and temperatures sit around 44-47°C at idle, never crossing 60°C while gaming. I’m planning to grab a new cooler soon, and then I'll be 100% set. Thanks for the help; feel free to close this thread! 😁
Greetings.
To get straight to the point, here are the specs I am working with:
MSI Motherboard 760GM-P34_(FX)
Intel Core i7 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX equivalent
Radeon Saphire HD7700 1GB
Chicony Hipro Active 80Plus 400W ATX PSU
Transcend JetRAM 4GB DDR3 1333 DIMM 9-9-9
The issue is this: my processor speed refuses to budge from 1.4GHz, even though it should be hitting 3.4GHz. This happens during stress tests (prime95) and while gaming (mostly Overwatch). I have checked multiple programs—cpuid, core temp, Intel overdrive, and HWMonitor—and they all report the exact same thing. It stays stuck at 200MHz with a multiplier of x7 and will not move. I bought this machine back in 2012. I just reapplied thermal paste today, but prior to that, my idle temperatures (and even under load) were sitting constantly at 69C for quite some time—maybe even a year.
While browsing online, I read that it is possible the motherboard sensors have fried, sending incorrect data to the CPU, but I suspect that isn't the culprit here. Before I applied the new paste, the speed was usually around 800MHz and would occasionally climb to 1400MHz under load. Now that the paste is on, it sits dead at 1400MHz and won't go any higher or lower. I have already checked the UEFI settings; Cool n Quiet is disabled, along with that other option right below it—I forget the name. In the macOS control panel, the power management is set to High Performance. I am at a loss. Do I need to replace the motherboard or what? Currently, after the repasting, my idle/browsing temps are around 44-48C, and it hits about 58-59C during a stress test, so I am confident the temperature is no longer the issue. I am genuinely bothered by whether something has actually burned out.
Furthermore, the power supply could be a factor. I hadn't powered this PC on for about a year. When I finally tried to boot it up, it seems I used a slightly damaged cable, and the computer wouldn't start; instead, there was a faint wisp of smoke coming from the PSU. After swapping the cable and dealing with the absolute mess of wiring inside the case connecting the power button to the PSU (white and green wires on one side, yellow, black, and red on the other), the PC runs. Sometimes it won't even trigger, and I have to unplug the power cord from the case, wiggle it left and right until I hear that electrical sound—like it needs to "make contact"—before it finally kicks over. Looking at the UEFI and the aforementioned software, the PSU is outputting about 1.4V, which, from what I have gathered online, seems quite high given how poorly the processor is performing.
In terms of attempted fixes, I have tried adjusting the macOS settings, uninstalling the latest macOS update via the control panel and system restore, disabling Cool n Quiet and that second UEFI option, applying thermal paste (which lowered the temps), and even looking for that "Slow switch" found on some motherboards, though I doubt mine has it since it is an older model. Right now, I am just sitting here, smoking a cigarette, wondering what else to do. Should I buy new parts? If so, which ones? The CPU cooler is functioning (spinning at roughly 3450rpm according to Intel overdrive), and the paste is applied. As I mentioned, the temperature is currently 47-48C while idling—exactly as I type this post.
By the way, in the UEFI, the Base Clock Speed is 200MHz, and the multiplier is either set to Auto or 7; I have tried testing both. I wonder if I should simply manually set the multiplier to a specific number (like 17, to force the CPU to its 3.4GHz)? That doesn't seem particularly wise, though, because in the UEFI, every multiplier value above x7 is highlighted in red, indicating "Not safe." I am hesitant to just force the multiplier to x17, as that would essentially run the processor at max capacity constantly, wouldn't it?
Additionally, ThrottleStop won't work; it keeps throwing an "CPU not supported" error every time I try to launch it. I was hoping that might be my saving grace, but unfortunately, it has been useless.😢
That would be the gist of it. I’ve kept this relatively brief, though I tried to pack in as much detail as possible to preempt any follow-up questions. I am genuinely hoping someone here can offer some insight; if I can't get this sorted soon, I am going to lose my mind with this machine.
Greetings.
P.S. If you need logs or reports from specific software, just say the word.