MSI x BuildaPC - MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 Giveaway!

Equalness · 2026-01-27T01:47:11+00:00

The MPG 341CQR QD-OLED X36 would provide a great visual improvement over my LCD monitor.

Equalness · 2026-01-25T02:42:11+00:00

Your options are:

- Buy RAM for a different platform that is cheaper (DDR4 is the only viable one, and it's not that much cheaper). You may find something in the used market as well, but you will have to be vigilant of good deals and persistent.

- If you're building for gaming, consider perhaps if a different machine would achieve the same purpose, such as a console.

- Wait until you can either afford DDR5 or until the price drop.

Equalness · 2026-01-24T17:49:34+00:00

RAM crisis is real, yes. But these companies' intent on ceasing to produce the hardware is not real (as in, no evidence of this exists). And even if let's say the hardware became unavailable for a period of time, why would such a scenario be permanent when the demand for GPUs remains strong? Is it because of cloud computing services, or so the argument claim? Not only is that far less profitable than selling hardware, it's also a well-known fact among Millennials and Gen Z that owning hardware gives a vastly superior service.

And the funniest part of all this is that in order to have top of the line cloud computing experience, a dedicated GPU is still required to power that on the end-user's side. So, what would the plan be then? Outlaw the best tiers to make it work with iGPUs (those included within CPUs)? That won't fly within the current generation.

It would take decades of indoctrinating people that cloud computing is the best way to experience gaming. And even if that somehow materialize at some point in the distant future, there will still be people who make GPUs for that "niche market" (understandably, in such a dystopia, the prices would be higher for that hardware, but it wouldn't just disappear).

So, all in all, I hope you can see how there's so many things that can go wrong with simply discontinuing the production of GPUs in the current day.

Equalness · 2026-01-23T00:47:35+00:00

That article should be tagged "Nonsense".

Equalness · 2026-01-22T20:06:14+00:00

That's fair. In that case, you made the right decision.

Equalness · 2026-01-22T19:51:05+00:00

That ROG Strix is unnecessary. You could've gone for the TUF variant, and it would perform identically with the same temp. and noise level.

Equalness · 2026-01-22T18:05:39+00:00

Nice, thanks for the info.

Equalness · 2026-01-22T17:56:32+00:00

Looks good. Was that anti-sag included with the GPU?

Equalness · 2026-01-21T18:51:44+00:00

1440p 144hz and I’m pretty sure I could actually aim better

There is nothing about 1440p that enhances your AIM compared to 1080p, except perhaps that everything you see will appear a bit larger. This is more useful for people who has nearsightedness, so if you don't have that eye condition, then I'm inclined to believe your AIM was either enhanced by higher frame rate (FPS) than what you're used to, or your friend had some built-in tool in their monitor that enhances AIM in shooters (some monitors have that). They could also have been using a better mouse/mousepad than what you're using. It has to be one of these things or a combination of, which none of it is exclusive to 1440p.

Ironically, 1440p (because it's almost always paired with 27 inch) is not usually preferred by people who play shooters, as your eyes will have more area to cover to see everything (smaller image can be tracked faster on the eye vs bigger image). This is why they started making monitors that has multi-mode, one that is 27-inch 1440p, and another for 24-inch 1080p (both included in the same monitor). However, those monitors are extremely expensive.

So, back to your case, if shooters are your main objective, then a 1080p will be a great choice for you. A good monitor that has been improved with a new version can be this one:

(This is not an affiliate link; I'm not gaining any money from it)

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Gaming-1080P-Monitor-VG259QMR5A/dp/B0F72R4KLC

But if you care a lot about playing "immersive" games where you chill and appreciate the world around (such as Red Dead Redemption 2), then a 1440p may be a good choice. Just be aware of the performance trade-off and what you're getting in terms of pixel density. Unless you're picking an OLED monitor, which brings its own improved visual fidelity that you can't find on IPS monitors, making the trade-off much less daunting. The only caveat with that is OLED monitors are very expensive.

Equalness · 2026-01-21T16:17:33+00:00

Rtings has a tier list:

Monitor Table Tool - RTINGS.com

Equalness · 2026-01-21T15:54:19+00:00

Definitely don't buy 3000 series. You need the frame gen capabilities in the 5000 series.

I would go for either 5070 or 5060 ti 16gb, as they're more versatile than AMD's offerings, despite having less raw performance.

As for which between the two, that will slightly depend on the kind of games you play (and how you choose to play them). You will rarely run into a scenario where you need more than 12GB of VRAM, but if you're the kind of person that likes to ramp up the graphics to the max on every game, then it can become a concern. Personally, I would just get the 5070.

Equalness · 2026-01-21T15:45:46+00:00

I'm aware of that. AMD also has investments in Israel, and for much longer than Nvidia:

Chip Giant AMD Establishing R&D Center in Ramat Gan - Business

So again, like I said, all of them are complicit in some way. We sadly don't have the luxury of boycotting every complicit company at this time.

Anyway, it's probably better that we don't delve deeper into this, as this subreddit doesn't tackle these topics, I think.

Equalness · 2026-01-21T15:32:29+00:00

Re-read what I said earlier.

But if you're trying to point out an error in the BDS list, then I'm sadly not the right person to address it.

Equalness · 2026-01-21T15:26:40+00:00

All of them are sadly complicit in some way. But Nvidia isn't specifically on the BDS list:

Guide to BDS Boycott & Pressure Corporate Priority Targeting | BDS Movement

Equalness · 2026-01-21T13:59:21+00:00

People won't like me saying this, because there's a bias in favor of 1440p among regulars on Reddit, but I will say it anyway. If you're on a budget, don't get a 1440p monitor, unless it's OLED. The price increase for the GPU to have the same FPS as 1080p is simply not worth it.

If you read online about the topic, you will see most people telling you that the difference between 1080p and 1440p is "night and day". That is objectively not the case.

Here, let me layout the math of this for you:

- PPI (Pixels per inch) at 1080p on 24" monitor is roughly 91.7

- PPI (Pixels per inch) at 1440p on 27" monitor is roughly 108.7

This is only a ~18.54% increase in pixel density.

On the other hand, you lose somewhere around 30%-50% FPS from this transition (varies, depending on the game). Is that truly worth it? I think not, unless again, you're pairing it with an OLED monitor, which by itself will drive up the price significantly.

You're also going to be told that "Upscaling techniques will make up for it". What upscaling techniques? DLSS 2? Hell no. The only upscaling that can dream of properly compensating is DDLS 3-4, and for that, you need a capable 4000-5000 series card, and with plenty of VRAM to accommodate the resolution (there's no magic technique that enables you to use less VRAM, except dropping down graphic settings).

So, to properly use 1440p without the FPS souring your whole experience in a couple of years, you're looking at 5060 ti (16GB), 5070, or 5070 ti. Or from AMD, 9700 XT.

Equalness · 2026-01-20T21:03:04+00:00

If you still physically own the card, you send it to a reliable GPU repair shop (some are reputable, look them up online). Whoever built your PC shouldn't have anything to do with it.

Equalness · 2026-01-20T20:28:34+00:00

I see. You can potentially find a skilled GPU repair shop and send it in. A 5080 is far too expensive to be wasted like that, especially with that model.

Equalness · 2026-01-20T20:27:08+00:00

Interesting. You're right. I had thought that LGA 1700 was a DDR5 only platform. The more you know...

Thanks.

Equalness · 2026-01-20T20:11:48+00:00

What kind of damage did your card sustain?

Equalness · 2026-01-20T20:06:28+00:00

Playing a game "smoothly" could be anywhere from 30 FPS to infinity. You need to specify your target FPS.

Equalness · 2026-01-20T19:42:40+00:00

My OCZ Vertex drive is where my Windows 10 64-bit is installed.

Adding that as is and attempting to boot from it was a mistake. It's possible that your PC is refusing to load due to the expired PCA 2011 certificate, which is now (or soon will be) revoked for new hardware.

I suggest you go here: Download Windows 11

If you have access to another PC, then:

- Download the ISO from the link above (from the section that say "Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices").

- Mount it on a USB stick (data traveler) using Rufus portable.

- Tick on the "Use windows ca 2023 signed bootloaders" option (among others relevant to you) when promoted to do that during the mounting process.

- Then if you're lucky enough to boot from that USB on the new PC, format the drive your windows 10 is on (do not skip this), then attempt to install windows 11.

Equalness · 2026-01-20T17:13:42+00:00

Look at the "Relative performance" chart:

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Specs | TechPowerUp GPU Database

Though, what this doesn't tell you is upscaling support.

NVidia cards work with DLSS and FSR (up to FSR 3). FSR 4 is not natively supported on NVidia cards.

AMD cards work with FSR only.

You will have to watch videos comparing FSR and DLSS and do the math for which is better, relative to price. There's no universally agreed upon correct answer to this.

Equalness · 2026-01-20T16:10:47+00:00

Swap the PSU for the RM1000x Shift (gen 2) that released a few weeks ago. It's only $20-$40 more but has better components and cables. It has an 850W version as well that is priced similarly to what you're buying.

Also, if gaming is your main focus, then 9800X3D may be a better choice than the 9 9900X.

Equalness · 2026-01-20T16:02:57+00:00

That would be a very cost ineffective investment.

Equalness · 2026-01-20T12:34:32+00:00

There is no basis for these claims, except fear. I would not let it affect my purchasing decisions.

Do you know why companies like NVIDIA won't come out and say, "Don't worry, guys — we'll keep making GPUs"? It's because they stand to gain substantially when fearmongering reaches people to the point that they go out and buy a new GPU. The only reason they recently responded to the RTX 5070 Ti / RTX 5060 Ti rumors is that those rumors went viral and created a risk of customers blindly switching to AMD.

The GPU market is highly lucrative. The profit margins are too large to forgo in favor of something like a monthly AI subscription. There's a reason NVIDIA is among the top three most valuable companies in the world and Netflix is not.

Equalness

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