First off, you don't have multiple UEFI versions on a motherboard; there's just one 😁
I guess I'd start by booting from a Linux live USB to check those frequencies, just to rule out macOS entirely. If the frequency is still low there, maybe try resetting the UEFI to "optimized defaults" or whatever that setting is called and disable Cool'n'Quiet.
Having a bad connection at the power supply input isn't exactly ideal. It might be worth trying a different cable, or maybe just having an electrician take a look at the PSU.
Intel isn't really worth it right now. For that kind of money, you could grab an i5 with four cores, whereas this Ryzen gives you four cores plus SMT (4+4). Plus, you can actually overclock the Ryzen a bit, which you can't really do with Intel.
If you're dead set on Intel, I guess you should just wait until around October. They’re dropping a new series then where the i3 will have four cores and the i5 will jump to six, so they might finally fix their pricing. Right now, compared to Ryzen, what they're offering just doesn't make much sense.
Maybe try resetting your BIOS to defaults before running that stability test again. If things freeze up while the CPU is pinned at full load, it’s usually just an overheating issue. I guess you should keep an eye on the thermal margin while that test is running.
You could also just pop the side panel off and get a feel for it—you know, the old hand-and-finger method—to see how hot it's getting around the CPU and the heatsink.
Where exactly is the CPU struggling? It’s an older chip, but I wouldn't call it a complete disaster.
Honestly, the Skylake i7 feels like a bit of a missed opportunity right now since you're getting way more bang for your buck with Ryzen, specifically an R5 or R7. Plus, Intel is dropping that new Coffee lake platform around October, which should hopefully step up to the plate against Ryzen by bumping up core counts—think i3 moving to quad-core, i5 to hexa, and i7 hitting hexa with SMT. I guess it might be worth waiting to see what Intel actually delivers, because planning anything right this second seems a little premature. Then again, even if you decide to grab a Ryzen tomorrow, you probably won't regret it.
Faster memory and bandwidth won't really save you if the chip itself is garbage. You might see a slight bump in performance, but I guess you shouldn't expect any miracles.
I wouldn't mess around with OC if you don't actually have the card in your hands; it just invites trouble later on. Plus, getting decent airflow in a tiny case is a nightmare, and those low-end cards usually come with pretty pathetic passive coolers anyway.
mellowtiger83 said:I couldn't find a review for the GeForce GT 710 with DDR5, even though I really wanted to see one.
I guess if there isn't a review out for a card, it's probably garbage and nobody thought it was worth their time to review it anyway.😁
Maybe just go for the GT 1030. It costs a bit more, but it's newer and has better tech—like HEVC and H.264 encoding, plus a newer HDMI port and stuff. You'll probably have an easier time using it for an HTPC later or just reselling it.
As for the Quad, we'd probably need to check what the motherboard actually supports first.
At that price, once you factor in the customs fees, you’re basically paying the same amount we do here. I'd probably just hit up a reputable shop and check if they have a return policy in case the fit is off. Or honestly, maybe just go into the store, test out a few modules on the spot, and grab the ones that actually work.
mellowtiger83 said:Then I’ll just toss it in the oven on some foil for maybe 5 minutes. Seriously, I’m not kidding—it actually works to revive dead cards. Mine isn't totally dead yet, but I guess it won't hurt.
🤦
It's definitely gonna hurt it; baking a perfectly fine card makes zero sense. Maybe try fixing your cooling setup first, or test it in a different PC. I guess the oven should be your absolute last resort, like when you've got nothing left to lose.
It’s a pretty decent setup, honestly. Even if you went out and bought something new right now, you probably wouldn't see a massive difference, so don't sweat it too much.
The issue is that crypto miners basically wiped out the GPU market, so there's a shortage. It's hard to find those mid-range cards like an RX470 or 570 that actually fit a reasonable budget.
The best thing you can realistically grab at the moment is a 1050 Ti, but even then, it isn't a huge leap over the 750 Ti. Plus, your CPU could definitely handle a bit more muscle...
If I were you, I'd just pick up an extra 8GB of RAM to bring your total to 12GB. See how games run after that. I think PUBG lists 6GB as a minimum requirement, so bumping up the RAM might actually get it playable for you.
It’s probably got the best ROI for mining and pays itself off the fastest, I guess.
GPU manufacturers tried to grab a bigger slice of the pie, but they jacked up prices so high you can't even use them for gaming anymore. Plus, their warranty is only three months 😁. Not sure how many people would actually jump on that, doesn't sound too great to me.
ASUS Prime H110M-E motherboard, s1151 Intel Pentium G4560 processor 4GB DDR4 (1x4GB) PC4-17000 2133MHz CL15 Crucial, CT4G4DFS8213
Maybe just head over to Newegg and grab this setup; if you pay cash, you might get it for around $383. Just make sure to tell them to flash the latest BIOS onto the board, otherwise, it probably won't even recognize the CPU.
It's a decent, modern platform with plenty of room to upgrade later. I doubt you'll find anything better used—if you do, the price will probably be about the same as buying it retail since these parts are still pretty current.
You can actually ditch your old graphics card because the integrated graphics in this CPU are likely better than what you're running now. It should handle some games on low settings just fine (let some kid test it out).
Obviously, once you swap everything out, you'll need to reinstall macOS. You could probably save about $100 by skipping a new power supply for now (that should be your next move), then maybe grab a GPU or an SSD down the road to really speed things up. You could also look into a new case later since you mentioned those front USB ports aren't working.
What's the deal with those case ports anyway? If they're totally trashed, don't even try plugging them into the motherboard; you might cause a short and fry something.
It's way overpriced for what you actually get (probably worth closer to $83), plus you should keep in mind it's pretty weak compared to the Pentium Gold. That one is basically just an i3 under a different name since it has two cores plus Hyper-Threading, which gives you those two extra virtual cores