Posts by Eric Brown78

Timothy Kim60 said:In my opinion, you can

Thanks, 🙂

Timothy Kim60 said:Fair enough. It’s not exactly top-tier hardware. For $200, you could have easily picked up a much more reliable power supply

It's too late now 😁. Can I actually run that GPU given the power supply situation?

Timothy Kim60 said:http://www.coolermaster.com/powersup...v-series/v700/

It’ll likely be a B-series unit (decent enough, if you don't expect miracles). My guess is he bought a pre-built PC—people love showing off those high-end rigs 🤣 . It should hold up, though. It’s got plenty of headroom. As long as it isn't one of those bottom-tier Elite or Thunder models from CM, it'll do the job.

I have the B-series

Timothy Kim60 said:It isn't necessary. It pulls about 200W during gaming, maybe hitting 250W under extreme stress. Manufacturers tend to pad those numbers. For an R9 290, depending on the brand, you'll see recommendations ranging from 500W up to 750 or 850W.

Got it. Thanks for the heads-up. I'll go with the 280x then, since it's new. 🙂

Timothy Kim60 said:It’s not really about the textures; it’s more about the heavy hitters like MSAA and various filters that cause blurring. You'll be able to run most games at max settings, though you might have to dial things back on the absolute heaviest titles.

The specs for this GPU suggest I'll need a 750W power supply, but I'm sitting on a 700W unit :/

crimsonstag84 said:@Eric Brown78

http://www.newegg.com/graphics-cards/product/

If I pick up this card, will I actually be able to run the heavy hitters on Ultra settings? I'm hoping this buys me a few years of peace.

Timothy Kim60 said:When you installed the GPU, did you plug the monitor directly into it, or are you still running off the integrated graphics on the motherboard?

Craigslist is a wasteland right now. There isn't a single decent deal to be found. Everything is either listed at full retail price or serves as nothing more than a benchmark machine. If you look closely, most of these listings come from the same individual. It’s pretty obvious they were used for Bitcoin mining—probably running at 100% load for god knows how long. They’re essentially glorified space heaters. Save yourself the headache and stay far away.

So, which one should I grab off the shelf?

I'm running a Cooler Master 700W power supply paired with an FX-8350 8-core clocked at 4.0 GHz. I'm wondering if a 290 model will be compatible, and which manufacturer you'd recommend. P.S. I can go up to $667 if I look for used gear on

I've been browsing used listings for the R9 290 4GB, and the sheer number of different manufacturers is a bit overwhelming. I'm trying to figure out which brand actually holds up. My main goal is finding a card that keeps temperatures within a reasonable range so I don't have to worry about it for a few years. For context, I'm running an FX 8350 x8 at 4.0 GHz.

fadedorca66 said:I assume you applied thermal paste?

I did.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Make sure you didn't accidentally leave the plastic film on the bottom where it touches the processor. It's also possible the cooler isn't seated properly.

As soon as it boots into Windows, it jumps to 80°C. It might be a faulty sensor. I didn't flash the BIOS when I put this rig together, so maybe the readings are just off. The CPU cooler itself feels fine—neither hot nor cold.

I just finished building a new rig, buying all the components individually. Everything seems fine, but I’m hitting a wall—the CPU hits 80°C under load and then the whole system just shuts down. I picked up a new N/A - 120 cooler, but I can't figure out where the bottleneck is. Any advice?

Thanks 👍

What should I be looking for when picking out a 120mm fan?
Thanks for the previous input.

So, where’s the sweet spot for that 120mm fan if I want peak airflow? I’ve already got one at the top and one in the rear of the case

I picked up a Zalman R1 case that came with three fans pre-installed. I noticed there’s room for three more, so I'm wondering if it's worth adding them. If so, what size should I look for?

I’ve picked up all my PC parts—motherboard, CPU, SSD, GPU, and everything else. Now I just need someone who can handle the build and put it all together in a new case without charging an arm and a leg.😛

Thanks for the quick reply. So, just to confirm, the GPU and power supply are a good match for this new build? Also, why go with the 8320 instead of the 8350? My budget is $1167, and I’m curious if the 8350 will actually work on the motherboard you suggested—specifically, if I'll be able to get the full performance out of it.

My current rig is getting pretty old, and modern games are starting to crawl. I’m looking to swap out some parts to breathe some life back into it. Here is what I'm running right now:
xfx Amd radeon 6950 HD 1gb ram (bought this two years ago)
intel core 2 E-8400 2x 3.0 ghz
Gigabyte EP-35-DS3R
OC zgxs 700w
Hard seagate 320 gb
6 gb ddr 2 ram
The plan is to keep the graphics card and the power supply, assuming they can handle the upgrade. I'm looking at picking up:
-AMD fx am3+ x8 8350 4 ghz-
-ASROCK 990FX EXTREME3, AMD 990FX/SB950, DDR3, sound, S-ATA, RAID, G-LAN, PCI-E, CrossFireX, SLI, eSATA, USB 3.0, ATX, S. AM3 / AM3+
-samsung 120 GB 850 Series Basic
-16 gb ddr 3 ram
My main question is whether this setup will hold up for a few years without issues, and if this motherboard actually plays nice with the CPU and the rest of the components. Thanks.😛