Posts by Kimberly Gomez34

driftingwalker17 said:Yeah, I have RAM.

Are we talking about modern DDR4, or are you thinking of some old DDR3 pulled from a rig back in 2011?

This is top-tier RAM (it uses micron e-die, clocked at 3000MHz CL15)

https://www.amazon.com/crucial-16gb-k...product/250537

I’m not sure which GPU you’re planning to pair this with, but honestly, it won't matter much. No matter what you pick, you can easily get away with the cheapest 3000MHz CL16 kit on the market.

Warranties apply to individual components regardless of who puts them together. Those sticker schemes you see on the cases are just internal shop policies. It’s hard to say exactly how they work, though—some retailers used to offer their own comprehensive warranty on the entire build (like Best Buy), while others just provided free diagnostics as long as the seal remained unbroken, meaning the sticker wasn't actually tied to the warranty itself.

Check out this pretty decent bundle here: Ryzen 5 3600 + B450 Tomahawk MAX + 16GB 3200MHz - $933plus Serious Sam 3

Even without counting the game, you're saving about $60 compared to the cheapest individual prices you'd find on Best Buy.

Somewhere around New York City

On paper, looking strictly at the components, you’re getting more value—it just means you'll deal with more headaches and likely spend way longer trying to flip everything for a profit.

Plus, prices are trending down. For instance, the 3600 was $333 on sale today, and we can expect GPUs to drop in price soon enough too.

This isn't an active sale, but rather a heads-up based on past trends. It’s a reminder that we need to keep a close eye on these deal links. For instance, the Ryzen 5 3600 was previously $333, and not too long ago, the RX 5700XT (challenger) was $833, among other things.

https://www.amazon.com/processor-amd...alth-050600100

Of course it’s going to be an exclusive deal; you know how Big Nvidia operates 😁

I’m recommending YouTuber Moore Law is dead right now—he’s easily the top source for all the latest Nvidia leaks

As for AMD, I expect them to stick with a 7nm+ (EUV node) for Big Nvidia's RDNA 2.0 competition. Regarding Zen 3 (Ryzen 4000), it’s still anyone's guess whether they’ll land on that specific node or just stick to the standard 7nm

According to the most recent leak, both AMD and Nvidia are dropping their GPUs in September. Previous rumors suggested AMD would hit in October with Nvidia following later in Q4, but this changes things

Either way, this fall and winter are looking pretty exciting

True, that goalpost keeps shifting every time a next-gen title drops. Look at it this way: you might need a beast of a rig just to hit 1080p for something like RDR2, then maybe 15% of games demand 1440p, and eventually, we'll reach a point where over 80% of everything out there is built for 4K...

That’s exactly why there's such a massive push for tech like DLSS 2.0 to make 4K gaming actually playable, and word on the street is Big Nvidia is going to go all-in on pushing DLSS 3.0 in the next generation.

If next-gen GPUs actually deliver the leap everyone is talking about, 1440p might just take over from 1080p as the standard.

Word on the street is that the new Nvidia flagship is going to be massively bottlenecked by the CPU at both 1080p and 1440p resolutions, meaning it’ll basically have to be a 4K card. There simply isn't an American consumer CPU out there powerful enough to unlock its full potential at 1080p or 1440p—it would honestly be a waste of money if you didn't push it to 4K. According to some "

Crucial BX500 Internal SSD 2 TB https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...99ff538fd15326

They say a $20 coupon applies automatically, bringing the total with shipping down to $187. That’s about $133 in savings compared to what we'd see with local US options
.

I’d probably lean toward the first option because of the G-Sync support (essential for gaming). Aside from that, they’re basically identical on paper. It might be worth checking out some customer reviews on Amazon or Newegg if there are any available.

cosmicotter13 said:My main priority is printing costs (since I run a small business handling invoices, labels, and correspondence, plus some home stuff), which is why I switched from inkjet to laser a long time ago. However, I’ve just seen an ad for those EcoTank models claiming that ink is actually more cost-effective now?!
Does anyone know if this is legit, or is there a catch somewhere else (like poor device durability, hidden extra costs besides the ink, etc.)?

Thanks

Yeah, that's the big trend right now. The printers themselves have a higher upfront cost (I don't think you can find anything under $400), but you make it all back on the toner savings... you can print significantly more pages, making it much cheaper than traditional color cartridges. Plus, you don't have to worry about printing regularly to prevent the printhead from clogging—that's a classic headache with cartridge systems.

That second one uses a TN panel, so I’d skip it at that price point...
The first option is decent enough, but if you're actually serious about gaming, you can easily grab a 144Hz VA or even an IPS panel for just a little bit more money.

I haven't come across any direct head-to-head comparisons yet, but if I had to make an educated guess, it shouldn't perform any worse than the Challenger; after all, the Challenger is basically their entry-level cooler.

VA monitors at 144Hz usually run into certain issues (I can't recall if it was a timing glitch or ghosting specifically), but since that ASUS model has solid reviews, it should be a fine alternative if you can't track down that AOC one. Honestly, if you start overanalyzing every single display—even those $1,000 high-end units—you’ll find flaws everywhere. It’s just part of the territory.

Look, if you're sitting close to the screen, there’s a real chance it’ll feel way too big. You might be better off looking at a 27" 1440p model instead.

This one fits right within your budget—it's an IPS panel with 75Hz and FreeSync support.

https://www.amazon.com/search.php?q=275E1S

Just make sure you grab a DisplayPort cable; otherwise, you won't be able to use FreeSync (which works as G-Sync compatible via NVIDIA drivers) on an NVIDIA setup.

As for the build quality, I'm not entirely sure. It might be worth checking out some customer reviews on Amazon or Newegg before you pull the trigger.

In my opinion—and I think a lot of people agree—you really need at least a 27" screen if you're aiming for 1440p. Some folks even find 27" to be too small.
The Best Buy deal I was talking about is that AOC model I linked a couple of posts ago. Just a heads-up: if you go with a 31.5" screen, the pixel density ends up feeling about the same as standard 1080p full-hd.

Because of how demanding modern titles have become, I don't consider the RTX 3060 to be a true 1440p GPU anymore, though it still holds its own for older games or newer, less intensive ones.

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/c...dia-rtx/5.html
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/k...ce-test/4.html
https://www.guru3d.com/articles_page...chmarks,7.html
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/a...ce-test/4.html
https://www.guru3d.com/articles_page..._review,6.html
https://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/...ance_review/10

It really depends on how old the article you were reading actually is. 😁
The specific games you have in mind matter just as much. If we’re talking about titles like Fortnite or CS:GO, you'll be perfectly fine at 1440p.

However, we're seeing a surge in modern titles that would struggle to even hit 60 fps at 1080p on high settings, and honestly, that trend is only going to accelerate as tech evolves.

Are you asking specifically about gaming performance? Just keep in mind that higher resolutions demand more from your hardware, which usually leads to a noticeable drop in frame rates. Right now, an RTX 3070 serves as a solid 1080p GPU for most titles, but trying to push to 1440p would be a real struggle in many games—you'd likely end up having to dial back your graphics settings or settle for lower FPS.

If you decide to go the 1440p route, I'd recommend looking at this 31.5" model (provided you aren't sitting right on top of it, like within six inches of the screen) https://www.nabava.net/search.php?q=Q3279VWFD8

Alternatively, you could stick with a 24" 144Hz IPS monitor. Having that 144Hz refresh rate can be a massive advantage if you play a lot of multiplayer shooters.