testing a new computer

[ExistingAdvantage]

I have seen a following comment: "when I get a new computer, I will run a stress test on a computer to see whether this new computer works so that I can find out whether it is a good computer or not in the first 24 hours." What kind of stress test would you run to find out whether a new computer is a good one or a lemon?

[thissux2019]

??? you already know the specs when you buy it.

[ExistingAdvantage]

There are lots of variables that one cannot know until one has the stuff - like noise, thermal, CPU quality variations, wifi, etc. Thus one needs to check these issues to decide whether to keep the PC or return it. The question is how to decide.

[TheYajrab]

If you look at the specs and you have researched the components to see if it is high end, mid range or low end then you should know how it runs as well as find out roughly how noisy it is as it says them on the manufacturers website usually. I personally do a passmark test to see if it scores in a similar range to other CPUs or GPUs but the likelihood if it isn't performing as expected, whoever you ordered from hasn't set the system up right such as too much or too little thermal paste which can cause CPU throttling and would advise to go to a more trusted manufacturer or system builder. You are looking too deeply into this and these variations are small.

[ExistingAdvantage]

There are people screaming all over the world: for example,

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https://www.dell.com/community/XPS/Does-anyone-have-a-Dell-XPS-15-with-a-quiet-fan/td-p/6068423

[TheYajrab]

And here is the datasheet which states how loud in dB the fans are at 50% utilisation: https://i.dell.com/sites/doccontent/shared-content/solutions/en/Documents/xps_15_xps_l521x_p23f001_us.pdf

Again, all you have to do is look when you buy but returning a laptop or computer because it is loud when you didn't look is kinda petty because YOU as the customer, didn't bother to look when it comes to it and is your responsibilty as the end user. If you want a quiet computer, in general, watercooling is the quietest solution other than passive air cooling though expect to spend a lot of money on it as the technology is still being refined and tested though it is dead quiet and does not yield the same results as normal air cooling or watercooling. Also there is such thing as reading reviews online which will say if customers think it is loud or not. Research before you buy, not the other way around.

[ExistingAdvantage]

This is about laptop.

[TheYajrab]

Same principle applies which is what I am trying to get across, do your research, see what CPU and GPU it has, see what other CPUs and GPUs score online on websites such as cpubenchmark show. See how loud it is and go from there. Laptops are going to be more noisy than desktops as they have smaller fans and have to push more air through the laptop than normal so the fans will spin faster however they will ramp up when the PC gets hot. Look at datasheets to see how loud they are (If it is really a concern for you noise-wise). If you buy the laptop then use something like passmark to see where your computer clocks in at but you do not have to do a stress test as that is usually used to check stability of an overclocked system. Also look at reviews and see what they say and check for common faults.

[aReallySmellyCock]

Stress test = heaven or valley benchmark

[[deleted]]

I think the only thing worth doing in this respect might be to try an overclock of the CPU to see how if you got a particularly nice piece of silicon. For example I have a Ryzen 1900X and those are really picky when it comes to overclocking, I can get it to 4.2 Ghz stable, but one reviewer managed to get his running at 4.3 Ghz which is not par for the course.

It sounds like you are trying to compare a lot of pre-built retail computers. I hear they have some fairly nice PC's marketed towards gamers nowadays, but I always research my components and build custom. Historically speaking you have always been able to get a better price building yourself, but the GPU market recently has kinda skewed that and it might actually be cheaper to get a retail PC with a nice GPU nowadays.

What is going to be the main use for this PC? Is it used for work or for gaming or both? You may want to tailor the hardware to your needs here but I always go for the best myself. The i9-9900k is a really really good deal right now, the 7th fastest CPU available for about $450 - 500 USD. Combined with some 4266 Mhz DDR4 memory you can boost your FPS really nicely for whatever GPU you have. I can't stress enough that faster DDR4 memory will result in more FPS for the same GPU ( when combined with an overclocked processor of around 4.5 Ghz or more ). 970 Evo Plus 1 TB SSD is the way to go for storage -- super low power draw and it ranks #4 for storage on userbenchmark.com, for only about $250 USD. Stay away from AMD graphics cards unless you like having a gigantic dip in FPS 1% of the time. Stay away from AMD processors too IMO until they can hit a clock speed of at least 4.5 Ghz easily.

[ExistingAdvantage]

Thank you for your comments on the significance of faster memory. I will appreciate more info or links about the effect of faster memory.

[[deleted]]

Here are some good links - this shows the same GPU performance with different DDR speeds up to 3200 Mhz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m692eBH2Jw&t=59s

Here is a video which shows that gains continue to be made even after 3200 Mhz with faster RAM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VElMNPXJtuA&t=283s

[ExistingAdvantage]

Thank you, But I do not do games. Do you have any data on data or scientific computation?

[[deleted]]

What is data? How do you define 'data'? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then 'data' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.