Posts by Kimberly Gomez34

Austin Rodriguez5 said:Regarding the motherboard, yeah. I won't see a ch7 at this price point for at least a year and a half, and honestly, this thing is solid considering it’s a top-of-the-line board. For an X370, the only real downsides are the lack of high-speed RAM support (which is negligible) and PCI 4.0. I mean, I won't be maxing out 2.0 anyway, and I'm definitely not planning on getting an NVMe.

Older boards actually do support PCI-E 4.0; I previously linked some tests from Hardware News, though they haven't been verified specifically for this setup (SSD 4.0 speed tests on my X370 Prime Pro looked identical to X570 results). It seems they just disabled that support via newer BIOS updates—you can check the official sites to see which specific versions have it listed.

If you're buying right now, grab the RAM that crimsonstag84 linked...

Don't write off NVMe entirely, though; they've become quite affordable. For instance, the Intel 660p 512GB is a pretty great value

Unfortunately not, they only come in 31.5". While I'm at it, let me throw some newer models into the mix:

Timothy Kim60 said:On another note, some budget-friendly monitors featuring an IPS Panel and 144Hz have hit the market. It wasn't common to find a 24" 1080p setup with 144Hz before; usually, you'd only see those refresh rates paired with much higher resolutions for high-end builds:

https://www.amazon.com/search?q=24G2U

There’s also a 144Hz 1440p option (27" with a VA panel) that has popped up at a pretty reasonable price point.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/monitor-sample-link

I can't say for certain if they're worth it, but looking strictly at the spec sheets, these are incredible deals.

Something like this—similar to the one I linked for you earlier—would have been unthinkable at this price point just a year or two ago.

wanderingbison9 said:God forbid you get stuck with standard Amazon shipping that constantly ends up sitting at some random Eurodis warehouse—who knows whose computer it’ll end up in! I definitely wouldn't recommend it.

Personally, I haven't run into any issues yet. Using Amazon US, Amazon UK, and so on, has been smooth sailing.

@Austin Rodriguez5/">@@Austin Rodriguez5

That's exactly how I did it too. I grabbed my RAM first while the prices were low (it sat there for about two months, but I saved $167), then snagged the CPU during Black Friday, and finally, I think I picked up the motherboard last.

It’ll work fine if you aren't printing a massive volume. That model is really geared toward small businesses.

As for the monitor, it's been sent back; there was a technical glitch.

When it comes to pure gaming performance, the Ryzen 5 3600 outclasses the Ryzen 7 2700.

The ROG Crosshair VI Hero is basically a starship compared to an X470 Prime Pro. In fact, my X370 Prime Pro actually outperforms that one because they nerfed the heatsink design on the newer model.
Regarding the motherboard, I'm convinced there's nothing better out there—and there likely won't be for $333. Once the official ABBA BIOS drops (which is just a matter of time), we'll be all set.

By the way, voltage spikes hitting 1.5V are completely standard behavior for Ryzen 3000 series chips.

It is perfectly okay if your CPU is periodically using 1.4-1.5V to achieve boost frequencies, and you should see dips into sub-1.0V as the CPU goes into idle. These dips may be brief, and that's okay. Load voltages of around 1.2-1.3V are perfectly okay also. This is the processor working as expected. Ryzen is a highly dynamic system, with up to 1000 voltage and clockspeed changes every second. You will see a lot of bouncing around as you work with your system.

I anticipate that many people are now trying Ryzen processors for the first time (because they're awesome), and may not understand what to expect versus whatever CPU they had previously. You want to know if what you're seeing is "normal," but may not know what "normal" looks like. I get it! I want to assure you that the CPU needs voltages to boost, and voltages of 1.2-1.5V are perfectly ordinary for Ryzen under load conditions (games, apps, whatever). Even at the desktop, Windows background tasks need love too! You'll see the CPU reach boost clocks and voltages, too.

As for the other Navi GPUs, we might be waiting a while (check TechCrunch for updates). Because demand for 7nm is so massive right now, the 16-core version is likely delayed, and the rest of the Navi lineup and Threadrippers probably won't arrive anytime soon for that exact same reason.

It looks like there's a bright future ahead for $350. While the Ryzen 3000 series was a bit of a bumpy ride during those early BIOS days, things have smoothed out significantly now that the AGESA updates are out click

The only catch is that Future, and likely the local retailers too, are offering a 2-year warranty instead of the standard 3 years you'd typically get from ASUS. It’s probably just some third-party importer from overseas. Even so, we’re talking about a high-end board priced like mid-range gear. Plus, when you factor in those two GPUs mentioned above, ASUS has actually been dropping some pretty decent discounts lately.

nimblesurfer45 said:Hi there,

My cat absolutely wrecked my monitor, so I'm in the market for a replacement. My previous one wasn't anything special, so I'd appreciate any recommendations you guys might have.

I'm considering stepping up to a slightly larger screen, maybe 24-27''. I'm not a pro gamer or anything, but I enjoy gaming and would love at least 1080p resolution.

I'm running an Intel graphics card with 2GB of VRAM, if that matters for anything. My budget is around $1500-$667.

Thanks a lot,

wearystag57 said:Hey!

I need a new monitor, budget up to $833. It's for graphic design and some single-player gaming. Image quality is my top priority—ideally 1080p, 24", and ideally with a response time of 2ms or less.
I'm not an expert, so does it even make sense to look for a 75Hz or 144Hz monitor when I'm pairing it with a Core i5-8400 and a GTX 1050Ti?

Right now I'm using an IPS Panel: Dell UltraSharp, and honestly, the picture looks worse than my old TN: Samsung Monitor. Plus, after two years, white spots started appearing behind the screen, so I'd rather avoid Dell or Samsung.

I still maintain that this Dell is the best overall value, especially if you want a larger display.

https://www.amazon.com/search.php?q=Q3279VWFD8

The only downside for you two is that those GPUs are a bit weak for 1440p resolution, though it'll be perfectly fine if you're playing older titles or newer, less demanding games.

If you're sticking with 24" and 1080p, you should definitely go for 144Hz regardless of whether you think you need it—they just aren't expensive anymore.

You can even find them with an IPS Panel now.

https://www.bestbuy.com/mo...m_medium=click

For a VA panel option—C24G1, lc24fg73fquxen

nimblesurfer45 said:Hey there,

My cat absolutely trashed my monitor, so I’m in the market for a replacement. My current setup isn't anything special, so I'd appreciate any recommendations you guys might have.

I'm thinking about stepping up to something slightly larger, maybe 24-27''. I'm not a pro gamer or anything, but I enjoy playing games and would definitely want at least 1080p resolution.

I'm running an Intel graphics card with 2GB of VRAM, if that matters at all. My budget is around $1500-$667.

Thanks a lot,

wearystag57 said:Hi!

I need a new monitor, looking to spend up to $833. It'll be used for graphic design and gaming (mostly single-player titles). Image quality is my top priority, so I'm looking for 1080p, 24", and ideally a response time of 2ms or less.
I'm not an expert, so I'm not sure if it makes sense to go for a 75Hz or 144Hz monitor when paired with a Core i5-8400 and a GTX 1050Ti?

Right now, I'm using an IPS Panel: Dell UltraSharp, and honestly, the picture looks worse than my old TN panel: Samsung Monitor. Plus, after two years, some white spots started appearing behind the screen, so I'd prefer to avoid Dell or Samsung.

It still seems to me that this Dell is the best value overall, especially if you're looking for a larger screen.

https://www.amazon.com/search.php?q=Q3279VWFD8

The only downside for both of you is that those GPUs are a bit weak for 1440p resolution, but it'll work fine if you stick to older titles or newer, less demanding games.

ASUS Radeon Strix RX 56 - $708is the total price for shipping within the US

ASUS TUF Gaming GTX 1660 - $690

Some pretty solid deals here.

This looks like a solid option. In my opinion, if you’re running high-volume color jobs, a setup like this is the only way to go.

https://www.staples.com/printer-deals

It’s a multifunction unit with duplex printing and Wi-Fi. Perfect for heavy color workloads and actually makes sense for your budget.

All right

Benchmarks have exploded in popularity lately, which has unfortunately led a lot of people on YouTube to build entire careers out of faking their data. They don't even own the hardware; they just slap some flashy graphs over cool music and hope for the best. Some of them look convincing—likely just ripping charts from legitimate sites—while others are obviously fabricated nonsense. For instance, there was once a claim that an i5 4460 was twice as fast as an FX-8320 in The Witcher 3, which no actual testing would ever support. Even when the numbers aren't outright lies, you still can't really trust the source.

In my opinion, if you want reliable gaming benchmarks, you should stick to Hardware Unboxed, TechSpot, or TechPowerUp because they actually know what they're doing.

Go with that Dell. Those games aren't exactly heavy hitters; a 1070ti will crush them at 1440p easily. Plus, since you're just a casual gamer, you really don't need 144Hz.

I might eventually look into switching to a different GPU vendor—maybe someone offering a 3-year warranty—but I’d definitely swap out the motherboard. Based on the Hardware Unboxed tests, that Gigabyte board runs a bit too hot around the VRMs for my liking. For instance, check out this link for the B450 gaming K4; it actually works out to be even cheaper.

I’d also throw in a Freezer 33 or 34 for cooling.

That specific model practically conquered the entire country. Honestly, you just can't beat that kind of value.

Alpina isn't any better

Well $267...

We'll see what kind of offers come your way.

It’s finally at the point where a 32" monitor is actually affordable

I'd honestly pay more for a 27", but only if I wasn't stuck with a TN panel or a basic 60Hz refresh rate without FreeSync. This AOC model you're looking at hits 75Hz, which is a step up.

ROG Crosshair VI Hero AMD X370 ATX - $363

Ethan Wilson27 said:Fair enough, but is this version without the (Ti) still decent?

It’s fine, honestly. It just doesn't feel worth the premium price tag to me (anything over $667)