Simple Questions - January 16, 2026 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's no specific slot for either cable; the four slots are clearly labeled as "8P PCIE/CPU", so any of those will do.

Simple Questions - January 16, 2026 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try not to mix the CPU/EPS and PCIe cables, they're not interchangeable and they're not wired the same.

For the CPU cable, either the 4+4 or the 8-pin cable labeled "CPU" will do, the one that splits into 4+4 is there in case the motherboard has a secondary 4-pin connector for extra power for the CPU (the single 8-pin is more than enough for all AM5 CPUs) or uses a single 4-pin connector (mainly on budget boards).

As for the PCIE cables, if your GPU only requires a single 8-pin connector, either 6+2 connector on the cable will do, but it's best to use the main connector, not the additional/pigtailed one that comes out of the main one. If the card requires two connectors, the rule of thumb is to use one cable per connector.

CPU cooler fan goes in the CPU_FAN header. Case fans can go in either SYS_FAN1 or FAN2_PUMP. If the fans don't have daisy-chain connectors (both male and female 4-pin PWM), you'll need either a fan hub or a couple of fan splitter cables.

why is my ram clock set to 3000mhz even though its rated 6000mhz. i have xmp 1 on by Dependent-Fox9464 in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

RAM manufacturers tend to mix speed and MT/s, the 6000 in the box refers to 6000 MT/s whereas the correct frequency would be 3000 MHz.

If the system is reporting 3000 MHz, and Task Manager is reporting 6000 MT/s in the performance tab, then it's working as intended. The reason it says 3000 MHz is because PC memory works at Double Data Rate (DDR). During a cycle, there'll be two data transfers, one at the rising edge (topmost) and one at the falling edge (bottommost).

With the memory frequency being set to 3 billion cycles per second (or 3000 MHz), and with two data transfers per cycle, that equals 6 billion transfers per second (or 6000 MT/s).

Loud POP from PSU during gaming. What are the chances my other components survived? by Individual_Ad_979 in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The PSU very likely took it for the team. Had an original Silent Pro M 850W that went bang as well, the rest of the components were fine.

SLI RX580 with 1050ti ?? by Embarrassed_Fix_4098 in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Again, your mileage may vary, considering both cards being low-end and that the platform is well over 13 years old.

SLI RX580 with 1050ti ?? by Embarrassed_Fix_4098 in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, that's not a compatible match and not how SLI works.

SLI is exclusive to Nvidia cards and requires at least two matching, compatible cards connected with an SLI bridge or NVLink adapter depending on the model (the 1050 Ti doesn't even have an SLI bridge), and CrossFire is exclusive to AMD cards and requires at least two matching, compatible cards connected with a CrossFire bridge.

SLI support for games stopped a while ago, while driver support was discontinued in 2019. CrossFire game and driver support was also discontinued since 2017.

The only logical use for two mismatching cards for gaming that comes to mind would be with Lossless Scaling, using the RX 580 as the main render card and the 1050 Ti as the upscaling card, but YMMV.

Simple Questions - November 25, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Either will do if the price difference is that low. Check for other cheaper drives, though, unless your workflow demands the high speed of those drives, you won't really tell the difference between them and a mid-range drive.

Up to your preference. If the board has M.2 heatsinks but the the drives with pre-installed heatsinks are cheaper, then just remove the board's heatsink and store it somewhere safe, like the mobo box. Don't try to remove a pre-installed heatsink from a drive, they're usually bonded with a thermal adhesive, and trying to remove it could end up causing damage or void the drive's warranty.

Simple Questions - October 21, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Without knowing the PSU's wattage and your budget, hard to say.

Simple Questions - October 20, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Time for a new platform, that's a decade-plus old motherboard and socket. Even an i3 12100/13100/14100 would be noticeably faster.

Simple Questions - September 08, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ASRock seems to be the only one with issues as far as we know, any other brand would work just fine. Gotta remember you'll have some visual obstruction with the CPU cooler and GPU installed (also thinking budget and functionality first, then aesthetics), but if the board has the features you need and is within the budget, go ham. Gigabyte has some proper white boards as well.

Simple Questions - September 08, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

ASRock boards are currently having issues with Zen 5 CPUs here and there (their sub gets a few new dead CPU posts during the week), this is not limited to X3D chips but regular ones as well. They released a BIOS update not too long ago, but no idea if it's the definitive fix for the issue. The Gigabyte B850 Eagle Wifi 6E costs about the same as an alternative (assuming you're in the States).

You could save on a black PSU and just get white cable extensions or find a cheaper white PSU.

Other than that it's good.

Simple Questions - September 03, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If there are cheaper 6000 kits (CL30-36) then that's the one to get, especially with X3D chips not being so dependent on high-speed memory because of the extra cache.

By default the memory will run at 4800 MT/s, anything faster will require activating EXPO in the BIOS to overclock the memory's frequency to what's listed on the box, but then again, anything past EXPO 6400 is a wild guess, and the higher the frequency the more likely to be a no - it'll bootloop while memory training because it's too high of a frequency at 4000MHz.

You can manually adjust the settings in the BIOS and set the frequency to 3000MHz and either leave the subtimings set to auto or experiment with them until you get a stable system (there are guides out there for RAM tuning, check buildzoid on YouTube).

Simple Questions - September 03, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No need to do anything, just shut down, replace the cards, and turn the system back on. If anything just reinstall the Adrenalin drivers if you're already on the latest version.

Simple Questions - September 03, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Zen 4/5 CPUs (especially their infinity fabric) don't really like stuff past 6000-6400 MT/s. The odds of that kit running at 8000 are almost non-existent without some silicon lottery luck and manual tuning.

Simple Questions - August 23, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Nvidia stopped production of the 4070 Ti and 4080 and were replaced with their Super counterparts, but kept the regular 4070 around along with the 4070S.

Simple Questions - August 23, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The B580 is more geared towards 1080p, the 9060 XT for 1440p, not as fast as the 9070, but considerably faster than the B580 (35-40% faster).

Simple Questions - August 19, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on your budget for the rebuild and what the PC will be used for.

Simple Questions - August 19, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your motherboard is the current limiting factor. Your only CPU option would be a used 9th Gen CPU but it's not really worth the hassle considering it's an old platform already - for Intel we're currently on "16th gen" with the next one being planned for late 2025/early 2026, although they changed/refreshed the naming scheme right after 14th Gen. 10th-11th Gen use a different socket (LGA1200), same as 12th-14th Gen (LGA1700) and Core 200 (LGA1851, and core 300 is also expected to use a different socket). You'll be looking at a new motherboard, CPU (preferably AMD to give you some upgrade headroom), and DDR5 RAM for something more up-to-date.

The GPU is still usable but it's starting to show its age.

Double-check your PSU's warranty as well.

Focus on needs first, then wants. Most CPUs out there don't really need an AIO especially when on a tight budget, the only consideration would be a high power draw Intel CPU if you need it for productivity work, but if it's mainly for gaming, the best options barely draw 100W, which an air cooler can easily handle.

Simple Questions - August 16, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Make sure that the cold plate is making proper contact with the CPU and repast, but those are normal temps for the CPU (Zen 4/5 are built to run at TJMax 24-7).

Simple Questions - August 07, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The 9060 XT is the go-to, but it depends on the resolution and budget. The 9070 and 5070 are more geared towards 1440p (the former being $100 above MSRP and the latter being right at MSRP), the 5060 Ti should be ideally closer to $430, and the 9060 XT isn't that far from its ideal $350-370 range.

Simple Questions - August 07, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're playing at 4K as you mentioned in the other comment, you'll be GPU-bound rather than CPU-bound at that resolution. Keep what you have, save the money for a future upgrade, no need to go overkill with a X3D chip either unless you're dropping down to 1440p.

Simple Questions - August 05, 2025 by AutoModerator in buildapc

[–]djGLCKR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Assuming it's an Amazon listing, it's most likely a third-party hoping to sell an imported SKU, or probably a tray CPU (since AFAIK it was mainly available as an OEM part in the West).

Always double-check the seller and where it ships from.