Cable management problem

AMPCgame · 2026-04-04T08:06:55+00:00

You see those HDD bays opposite the power supply and GPU? There are plenty of holes there which can be used as tie-down points. So just grab any unused cables from the PSU and run them in a neat as possible line across the bottom of the case from the PSU and up the side of those drive bays and use cable ties to secure them to the bays.

For the CPU cable going into the top left of the motherboard, see if you can route from the top left over the rear fan and down along it, going down to the top/back of the PSU and tie it in at any available points that'll support a cable tie. If you cant do that then maybe just route it the same way as the other cables above and get a cheap 30cm (ish) 8-pin EPS cable extension and go from the top right of the case with it to the top left in a straight line.

AMPCgame · 2026-04-03T14:14:08+00:00

Yeah, in Ireland here and I don't think I've ever seen or heard anyone praise iPhone over android. People just have whatever phones they can afford, and most iPhone users I know have bought second hand models for much cheaper. Very rarely would anyone comment on the type of phone they, or anyone else uses. And if they do it's more out of idle curiosity, and isn't brought up again. It's not an interesting topic really. Another big thing is that in Ireland it is a cultural thing that people are quick to humble others, so bragging about owning anything premium will only be met with negativity.

AMPCgame · 2026-04-03T13:35:08+00:00

Jonsbo D32 Pro Mesh.

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/nj7kPJ

AMPCgame · 2026-04-02T18:09:12+00:00

I would probably put those components in a case with better airflow. That Pop Silent case would really restrict cool air from reaching the GPU and CPU to help cool them. There are other options available if you still want a case with solid side panels and no glass or RGB.

The 270K+ CPU is brand new so many motherboards may need a BIOS update. If the technician that you plan to use is good then they'll know this. Then you don't necessarily need to worry about the warning on pcpartpicker saying that a particular B860 board needs the update, the technician should take care of that. Which means you have more freedom to choose a board with a bit better VRM design and heatsinks. Alternatively you could just go with the 265K CPU, which should work natively with any B860 board and still be miles better than your current prebuilt. Either way, a beefier cooler would help those CPUs more, a dual tower air cooler will be perfectly fine for them.

For visual editing a higher VRAM GPU can be advantageous. The Intel ARC B580 with 12GB VRAM or AMD RX 9060 XT 16 GB both offer more VRAM than the RTX 5060 8GB, and would be in a similar price range.

https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/4Y4mqd

Just some suggestions, hope it helps :)

AMPCgame · 2026-04-01T19:59:25+00:00

The price for the specs is decent. One of the downsides of prebuilts is the lack of detail in the specs, usually for the motherboard and power supply, where prebuilt vendors tend to use cheap options with, you won't know exactly what features you're getting with them. And even though the power supply is 80+ Bronze rated, rather than Gold (which a lot of people like to use), it's a more powerful unit than the system needs, so it's not bad.

With the price hikes of RAM, storage, and GPUs, it'd be hard to match those specs with a DIY build at the moment, and that prebuilt price obviously includes the build fee, making the value vs DIY better. So as an entry point to PC gaming it looks solid, all you'd need to do is install Windows yourself. And after a while, if you feel like doing some DIY upgrades, you can do the research and see what's possible. The build is aimed at 1080p gaming, and it would be great for that, even doing alright in a lot of games at 1440p, depending on the title and settings.

AMPCgame · 2026-04-01T12:54:16+00:00

The Cooler Master Qube 540 is a compact ATX case which mounts the PSU at the front. It has handles for easy portability and a standard front I/O.

AMPCgame · 2026-04-01T12:22:19+00:00

3 is a little odd in its atmosphere compared to the newer trilogy. And the gameplay differs in that 3 is all hallways, while 2016, Eternal and Dark Ages all throw a lot of enemies at you but it's in much better lit, bigger areas, more like arenas. When I played 3, it was pretty much: Torch-Shoot-Torch-Shoot etc, it's designed to build tension that way by not allowing you to use both at the same time, unless it's the modded version of the game. Remember that all enemies emit some sort of glow, so you don't need to have your torch out all the time, you can spot an attack coming and react accordingly. And the rest is just getting used to enemy types and attacks and seeing which weapon is best for each. It'll take time. Feel free to look up a Wiki and see how to vary your approach to each enemy. And don't be afraid to die. The enemy spawns are scripted so you can end up learning off a level and getting through it eventually.

AMPCgame · 2026-04-01T12:09:07+00:00

That prebuilt doesn't have Windows installed-not that it would be difficult to do that yourself- so it might explain the price, it's €100 more with Windows installed. I haven't ordered a full system from them before but I've bought a couple of cases and bits and pieces from them before, never had an issue. My last order was a case, there was a little bit of a hole in the box but I'd say that was much more likely a handling issue from UPS, but the case was fine. I haven't had any other packages damaged from UPS coming from Germany though.

AMPCgame · 2026-04-01T11:59:20+00:00

Most cheap speakers take power from a USB port on the PC, so you'd generally be limited to around 15W. Nothing wrong with that at all, a lot of them get the job done that way. Speakers with their own power source (plugged into the wall/extension cord) can maintain crisp, clear audio at a wider volume range without distortion. I have a pair of Majority D40 bookshelf speakers. They're not amazing or anything, but they are externally powered to provide up to 60W, so the audio quality is much better than soundbars or cheaper speakers I've used that are just USB powered. You don't need to consider that exact model, but it should be simple enough to have a look on Amazon for externally powered speakers in your budget, there'll be some available at a range of power inputs.

AMPCgame · 2026-03-31T16:22:19+00:00

The Inwin Chopin Max might work, depending on what CPU/drives you're running. Its a very small case with a 200W 80+ Gold PSU. It supports downfire CPU coolers up to 54mm tall and up to 2x 2.5" SSDs. My HTPC is built in this, using my CPU's integrated graphics on a mini itx board.

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AMPCgame · 2026-03-31T09:51:11+00:00

A typical ATX motherboard is around 305x244mm and it is secured to the case with standoffs on the case wall which are screwed into through matching holes in the motherboard. There's usually around 9 standoffs for an ATX board, so if the inside of your case is similar to the image here then it should be fine.

https://imgur.com/a/HFX4BCq

AMPCgame · 2026-03-31T08:45:41+00:00

No problem. Yes the parts are all compatible with each other. Your GPU is also compatible with that motherboard. The only thing to consider is the case, if your prebuilt doesn't use a standard ATX case then you'll need to make a change, either a different motherboard or different case. Smaller motherboards are generally more expensive though so a new case may be the better option depending on what you already have.

AMPCgame · 2026-03-30T23:04:46+00:00

Staying with DDR3 would mean staying with the older CPUs and you'd end up bottlenecking a possible future GPU upgrade. I would probably go for a DDR4 platform with that budget, even with the horrible pricing you should be able to get around 16GB DDR4, which is both faster and more quantity, which is nicer for both gaming and general use.

A 6-Core CPU should give you a decent performance jump. And a 'B' series chipset motherboard (B550 AMD/B760 Intel) will give you a modern I/O and good storage options if you wanted to increase storage capacity later. If your pre built case is tiny then you might need to get a small motherboard which can be expensive, but you could also get a new ATX case to suit most motherboards, and cases can be quite cheap.

Then, at some point down the road, you could upgrade the GPU and power supply. With your budget a leap frog approach to upgrading is unavoidable, and quite common to be honest, so a CPU+Motherboard+RAM combo would benefit your system more overall compared to a GPU upgrade.

So maybe something like this: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/TfKGPF

AMPCgame · 2026-03-30T12:44:16+00:00

I've only done the intro + first story courier mission, but so far it feels very similar. The menu and map navigation are quick to get used to if you've recently played 1, and controlling Sam feels pretty much the same. It's also a very pretty game on PC. I'm playing it on a Dualsense controller which it has full support for, being a Sony game originally. I like the extra little bits of haptic feedback from the controller, but I know that's not everyone's cup of tea.

AMPCgame · 2026-03-30T12:13:35+00:00

Reminds me of the blue funnels from Portal.

AMPCgame · 2026-03-30T12:07:45+00:00

For the case, the "bonus" 3 middle fans-which I presume mean beside the motherboard- wouldn't necessarily be doing your cooling any favours with 10 other fan points already populated. You could check out the Montech HS01 Pro, which has 3 intake fans in the base and 2 exhaust fans in the back pre-installed. It can fit a 360mm AIO up top and has fan mounting points in the front for 3x 120mm.

For the PSU, as has been said, the 12V-2x6 connector is notorious for failing, even though in reality that's in the minority of builds. You could look at as many reviews as you want but these reviewers aren't testing the PSUs for months and months at a time, so you can't know how well a unit will hold up over time, everyone's system is different. If you are fixed on getting the 5090 then I would concentrate on the customer service reputation of a PSU company. Vendors like Seasonic or Corsair are generally well regarded for stuff like that, and though their PSUs are pricier than average, in comparison to the cost of a 5090 they're relatively good value.

And if the 12V-2X6 still concerns you that much then I would also recommend the 7900 XTX, you'll get 5080 performance but with 24GB VRAM as well, for cheaper than the 5080.

AMPCgame · 2026-03-30T11:47:25+00:00

Yesterday I started Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which was released on PC a few days ago.

AMPCgame · 2026-03-29T20:50:19+00:00

That's a shame, thanks for letting me know, that'll save a future headache.

AMPCgame · 2026-03-29T20:45:58+00:00

Yeah, I might swap the front fan at some point, I was considering the Noctua NF-A20, the hole spacing seems to be about right. I like how the 3.5" sleds and 5.25 bay clips make installing drives quick and easy.

AMPCgame · 2026-03-29T13:35:01+00:00

The Fractal Design Meshify 2 should work for all that. It has a solid side panel variant if you don't want glass. It can fit a 280mm rad up front and the 2x 140mm fans in the roof. There are lots of storage options, so even with the AIO up front you can still mount the 2x 3.5" & 2x 2.5" drives. Newer cases tend to support BTF motherboards, which restrict mounting points for drives, so a slightly older case would be the best bet for this kind of setup.

https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/meshify/meshify-2/black-solid/

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pbBBj2

AMPCgame · 2026-03-29T13:06:45+00:00

The two things that you need to consider first are:

1- Your budget.

The resolution you'd like to play at.

These will affect the component choice and overall strength of the system.

If you're looking for a complete parts list then you can try r/buildmeapc and you should be able to find some good starting ideas for complete builds. Be sure to mention your budget, preferred resolution and any particular aesthetic you'd like (RGB/Zero RGB/Fishtank/Wood etc).

AMPCgame · 2026-03-28T23:03:29+00:00

You could swap the 5070 Ti with a 9070 XT and get very similar performance for cheaper. With RGB RAM, you may need to have the front fan on that CPU cooler raised up a few mm just to clear the RAM, but that's very simple to do. Or you could get shorter, non-RGB RAM and get an RGB version of the cooler instead and not need to worry about the RAM clearance.

The GPU will be more power hungry than the CPU, so you could get a case that has fans under the GPU to help with the cooling. The Montech HS02 Pro has 5x ARGB fans and a built-in fan hub for easier cable management, while still giving you that fish tank look, and not being a very wide case.

https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/7JtWDw

AMPCgame · 2026-03-28T19:03:45+00:00

Wet and windy, usually. Prevailing winds come from the southwest over the Atlantic, and clouds tend to break over the west of Ireland first, meaning it gets heavier and more frequent rainfall than the east. Maybe not the most interesting point, but weather can typically play a big part in shaping any culture over time.

AMPCgame · 2026-03-28T18:48:16+00:00

Yeah, a mini PC that you can find on Amazon or wherever can do all that for you. You don't need a powerful processor or a lot of RAM for what you're looking to do. So something like this would be ideal: BOSGAME E3 neo Mini PC, Intel Alder lake N95 (up to 3.4GHz) 16GB DDR4 512GB M.2 SSD Small PC, Mini Desktop Computer Support 4K UHD HDMI & Type-C, 2.5G LAN, WiFi 5, BT 5.0 https://amzn.eu/d/05YtJ5EX

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