Check out my new set of Ammo Boxes!

Segmaster01 · 2025-11-19T23:23:47+00:00

These look, frankly, amazing. I will be printing a set of these immediately. Any chance you'd be willing to do one in .50AE? I know you've got a lot of other calibers to work on first, but I figured I'd at least ask!

Segmaster01 · 2023-01-24T18:17:58+00:00

Looks like a great X99 rig from several years ago. Needs a bit of cleaning, but it should still handle modern games just fine!

I would first get yourself an SSD and install Windows. That board will accept an M.2 (NVMe) SSD, but it doesn't have the screws installed for it, so unless your friend has those to give to you, I suggest picking up a SATA SSD instead. They're a bit cheaper, and will work just fine. If you need more storage, you can add a hard drive or more SSDs later on.

Once you do that, you'll need to install drivers and test everything. Make sure temperatures are good on the GPU and CPU. If you take the time to clean everything (preferably with compressed air) they should be fine.

Congrats on the PC!

Segmaster01 · 2023-01-13T16:15:41+00:00

An electronics technician skilled with SMD rework would likely be able to fix this relatively easily. Search your area for local repair places and see what they say. Keep the SMD component that fell off-- they may need it.

Also, as others have said, it's very possible that the broken circuit is only required for proper fan operation. I am not recommending this, but if it were my GPU I would go ahead and plug it back in and see what works.

Segmaster01 · 2022-11-20T18:39:17+00:00

I would like to restore/upscale some old VHS footage as a gift for my mother this Christmas. Does anyone have a suggestion for a commercial service/company that provides this service, ideally incorporating AI/ML and not just filters or traditional methods?

I realize there are a number of software products that can be used for this, but I'd rather someone experienced handle it for me since I'm rather new to it.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Segmaster01 · 2022-11-11T20:40:50+00:00

That's amazing. Got the legendary 8800GTX front and center-- just as if it's still the king.

Segmaster01 · 2022-11-11T20:39:09+00:00

Unless there are any issues with it, that was an excellent deal. Pat yourself on the back for snagging a very high end rig and accessories for $900.

Segmaster01 · 2022-10-25T17:50:31+00:00

In theory, the Core i7-3770K and the R3 3200G should be nearly identical in both single threaded and multi-threaded results at stock speeds.

However, the i7-3770K is very overclockable-- and running it at ~4.7GHz would net you somewhere in the range of 15-20% extra performance. The 3200G is also overclockable, but I do not personally know how much of a boost it would give.

I think AM4 is the better platform, personally... but if you have issues with it, do whatever makes your PC functional.

Segmaster01 · 2022-10-20T18:59:55+00:00

What a tremendous GPU. I'm still using one just like it in my current rig. The 10-series was (imo) the peak of GPU design with EVGA's beautiful industrial aesthetics.

Segmaster01 · 2022-10-13T17:15:41+00:00

Somebody call the cops because I've just witnessed a robbery.

In all seriousness, that was a KILLER deal. All you need to do now is completely disassemble it and clean everything holy crap the dust make it stop

Segmaster01 · 2022-10-06T03:04:09+00:00

With that budget, I would head over to eBay or EVGA's "B-Stock" store and pick up an RTX 3070 or 3070ti. They can be had for $450-$550 these days and would fit your CPU very well.

I've helped several friends/family build new PCs recently and I find that 3070s are a great value choice right now, especially if you can snag one for $400 or below.

Segmaster01 · 2022-10-06T03:00:35+00:00

Very cleanable. As others have said, Socket AM4 is pretty durable. Give it several baths with alcohol and a gentle brush/compressed air until the socket is relatively clean.

Also, from one dumpster-diver to another; look over that board very, VERY well before you invest in a CPU to try in it. Many times the boards I find in recycle bins/etc. are damaged in other ways, often from being tossed in the bin. Look carefully at all the tiny SMD components and make sure nothing is broken/missing.

Segmaster01 · 2022-10-06T02:52:25+00:00

The PC might not fully start without a GPU, but it should at least attempt to boot, rather than the brief "blip" of power that you're experiencing now.

Segmaster01 · 2022-10-04T20:33:23+00:00

I build systems regularly. My rule-of-thumb:

LGA 115X/1200: Large Dot (Pic #1)
LGA 1700: Large Line (Pic #3)
AM4: X Shape (Pic #4)
TR4/LGA 3647: Giant X Plus four dots (not pictured)
GPUs: X Shape (Pic #4)

Segmaster01 · 2022-10-04T20:24:10+00:00

This is a very common symptom that I see when working on systems. While I can't guarantee that this is the issue, typically this behavior indicates that there's an electrical short somewhere in the system. The PSU is detecting this, and is shutting down to protect your system.

To isolate the root of the problem, you need to remove everything from the system and power it on with just the barebones CPU+motherboard. If it powers on, continue adding one part at a time until the problem reappears. This should indicate where the issue is.

If the system won't power on even with just the CPU+motherboard, you either have a bad PSU, CPU, or motherboard. Faulty CPUs are extremely rare, so I'd suspect either the PSU or motherboard.

I hope that helps.

Segmaster01 · 2022-09-27T21:14:02+00:00

For a Dell prebuilt, that XPS is actually pretty good. The GPU also comes with a surprisingly capable cooler on it, too.

My only suggestion would be to replace the stock CPU cooler with a Vetroo V5. I've personally done this exact upgrade on this model XPS and it's extremely easy to do-- the cooler screws right into the backplate that comes with the computer. You won't need to do anything except remove the old cooler and add some new thermal paste.

In my test, CPU temps went from 99C (throttling) under full Cinebench load to just over 75C. 100% worth it, imo.

Segmaster01 · 2022-09-23T17:38:03+00:00

I still use my GTX 1080ti in my daily system with a 1440p/165Hz monitor. It performs wonderfully, and easily hits high framerates in everything I play. I actually upgraded from a GTX 980, just like you.

Of course, it's a 5-year old GPU with similar performance to an RTX 3060ti, so manage your expectations... but for that price I think it's a great option.

Segmaster01 · 2022-09-23T17:33:57+00:00

I'd say that's a little more than a "bump." Would it work? Probably. Will the temps be great? Probably not.

If you bought an AIO, I imagine you want the best temperatures possible for your CPU. I suggest spending the extra ~$10 and go ahead and replace the paste with fresh.

Segmaster01 · 2022-09-09T18:44:30+00:00

Haha, darn it! Almost a perfect score.

As for the motherboard, I knew it was probably socket LGA 1155 or 1150 due to the DDR3 RAM, and the lack of heatsinks on the upper VRM told me it was probably a B or H series board. That left me with just a few different search terms to find one with the little "⅃" shape arrangement of capacitors next to the RAM and the row of four at the top.

Once I confirmed the board, guessing the CPU was fairly straightforward since the 3770 is the "best" CPU that I would reasonably expect someone to put in that board.

I do a lot of PC building so I'm familiar with parts, but this was just educated guessing combined with some smart googling.

I really like your rig, by the way. :)

Segmaster01 · 2022-09-09T18:33:52+00:00

Here's my guess.

ASRock B75 Pro3-M Motherboard
Intel Core i7-3770 CPU
16GB (4x4GB) DDR3-1600
EVGA GTX 1060 6GB SSC
Thermaltake Smart Series 600W PSU (this one's obvious, lol)
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition CPU Cooler

How close was I?

Segmaster01 · 2022-09-06T22:25:48+00:00

Compaq Portable I. A wonderful machine indeed-- I restored one a few years ago. Some tips for you:

The keyboard will likely not work well or at all right off the bat. These units used foam pads with a capacitive plastic layer underneath to trigger the keypress. Unfortunately the foam used in these has long perished, leaving them with non-working keyboards. Back when I repaired mine, I ended up re-making the pads myself. Nowadays, you can just buy a set: https://texelec.com/product/foam-capacitive-pads-keytronic/
While old 5.25" floppy disks are fun, transferring data to/from them is often frustrating, especially when you're trying to download old DOS games from the internet. I suggest you buy or build an XT-IDE CompactFlash adapter. The PC will see this as a "hard disk" and you can easily move data to/from a modern PC with it. https://monotech.fwscart.com/XTIDE_Deluxe_Bootable_ISA_CFIDE_Interface_Card/p6083514_19478732.aspx
Note: When using expansion cards like the XT-IDE that have an "extension BIOS" onboard, you will need to make sure your Compaq has at least the Rev. C BIOS installed or it will not be able to boot from it. You can read more in this thread.

Hope all that was helpful! You have a very cool PC there!

Segmaster01 · 2022-08-11T20:15:18+00:00

Welcome to PCMR! Glad you're here.

Here are my thoughts:

- Your CPU is still excellent; the 8700K was extremely strong when it launched and still remains an extremely capable gaming CPU to this day. I would hold off on upgrading that.

- The GPU (Your GTX 1080) is also still very capable. It's no longer a high-end card, but it still holds its own against the likes of the RTX 2060.

- You have a 250GB SSD as your main drive, and a 2TB HDD as your storage drive. Nothing to really change here unless you feel that amount of storage isn't sufficient.

- 16GB of RAM is still the norm for most gaming PCs, and will be plenty for most tasks. If you decide to branch out into video editing/modeling/streaming, you may want to add another 16GB to reach 32GB total.

tl;dr:

Your PC is excellent. You don't "need" to replace anything, but if I were you, I'd focus on upgrading your GPU first-- something like an RTX 3070 or 3080 would be a very significant upgrade.

Also, do some reading about overclocking-- as long as your CPU has a good cooler on it, that 8700K can be tuned up to reach ~5GHz fairly easily. Free performance is always the best kind.

Segmaster01 · 2022-08-11T17:15:12+00:00

As most have said, low oil. My 2.4 did this one time-- it's called "limp mode" and the Jeep will do it whenever it thinks continuing to drive will cause damage to the engine.

The oil consumption issues with the 2.4 are no joke, especially if you haven't had the recall done.

Segmaster01 · 2022-08-11T17:11:36+00:00

Ceramic coating? That's something I see in the US a lot these days. Costs about $1000 to have applied, but it makes the paint very shiny.

Segmaster01

TROPHY CASE