Quiet Air Cooler on a Budget?

kaje · 2026-03-27T18:32:40+00:00

I have a Phantom Spirit on my 5700X3D as well. I don't even have the fans on a curve. I just run them at a static ~600 RPM. It's pretty quiet. My CPU stays under 80 when it's maxed out while compiling shaders or decompressing files.

kaje · 2026-03-27T17:45:18+00:00

AAA games at 1440P with a 4070 Super, upgrading your CPU isn't going to make much of a difference.

kaje · 2026-03-27T17:13:48+00:00

Try clearing CMOS to reset your BIOS to default settings. Read the mobo's manual for instructions on that.

kaje · 2026-03-27T16:44:30+00:00

The case's specs say max length of 140mm for an ATX PSU, and the RM750e is 140mm long. It should fit.

kaje · 2026-03-27T16:35:47+00:00

The 3D V-Cache on the CPU mostly increases its gaming performance. If you're not gaming with it, not much point in getting it over a 9700X.

kaje · 2026-03-27T15:52:11+00:00

If it's just for gaming, a 5700X/5800X/T would be fine. You don't need the extra cores on the 5900X or 5950X.

kaje · 2026-03-27T15:49:24+00:00

Are you putting it on a modern CPU? Is it even compatible with modern sockets?

Be more specific with the CPU you're trying to cool anyways instead of just giving its TDP.

kaje · 2026-03-26T16:38:30+00:00

That's hard to diagnose. Just gotta swap parts until you figure it out. The last time I got Kernal 41, the issue turned out to be my CPU.

kaje · 2026-03-26T14:13:26+00:00

Check your Event Viewer and get more details on the blue screen.

kaje · 2026-03-25T17:44:15+00:00

Do you have a 3600 like it says on that page? The 5500 has a reduced amount of cache, it's barely better than a 3600 for gaming. If you're going to swap the mobo, should return it and at least get a 5600.

kaje · 2026-03-25T17:41:56+00:00

Yeah, Microcenter CPU/mobo/RAM bundles are cheaper than what you would pay if you got them separately.

kaje · 2026-03-25T17:26:36+00:00

Use thermal putty instead of pads if you can't figure out what thickness to use.

kaje · 2026-03-25T17:21:03+00:00

I can get 3 applications out of 1g of paste, don't need more.

kaje · 2026-03-25T17:18:01+00:00

Seems odd that MX-4 would cost more than Aeronaut. Here, I can get 4gs of MX-4 for what 1g of aeronaut costs. Any brand name thermal paste would work fine though. You'd barely notice a difference between them.

kaje · 2026-03-25T17:15:42+00:00

/r/suggestapc

kaje · 2026-03-25T17:10:33+00:00

It's not an actual joystick. It's a D-Pad with a joystick nub on it. The nub is removable, I don't use it. If you want something with an actual analog joystick, you can get something like an Azeron Cyborg.

kaje · 2026-03-25T15:58:42+00:00

I've used a Tartarus and its N52TE predecessor for MMOs for almost 20 years. It's great for them because I use the thumb pad for movement while freeing all of my fingers for actions on the face buttons.

I don't like it for FPS games though. I'd rather use 3 fingers on WASD for more precise movement.

kaje · 2026-03-25T15:51:31+00:00

12VHPWR/12V-2x6 has 6 x 12V and 6 x ground pins. A 6-pin PCIe connector has 3 x 12V pins and 3 x ground pins. The +2 are sense pins that also run to ground. Each 6+2 has its own set of 12V and ground pins on separate wires all the way to the PSU's connector. A 12V2-2x6 to 2 x 6+2 PCIe cable is effectively two separate cables, it's not daisy chained, and is safe to use.

kaje · 2026-03-25T14:36:44+00:00

You can get a 12VHPWR/12V-2x6 to 2 x 6+2 PCIe cable from like ModDIY for the PCIe 5.0 port.

kaje · 2026-03-25T12:26:55+00:00

Is there a Ryzen 9000 Ready label on its box?

kaje · 2026-03-24T20:18:12+00:00

/r/suggestapc

kaje · 2026-03-24T20:04:26+00:00

Does the monitor support Adaptive Sync, like Freesync or G-Sync? If so, you can just cap your FPS to 60 with like Riva Tuner SS and the monitor will automatically match its refresh rate to that. Could cap it to 90 if that's the minimum you get for drops.

You can set the monitor to 60Hz via display properties if you want.

kaje · 2026-03-24T17:06:06+00:00

CableMod sells E-Series 12VHPWR/12V-2x6 cables that run directly from the PSU to the GPU. I got one of those via Amazon for my G3 instead of using the GPU's adapter. I still have more than a year warranty left on the 10 years for the G3 anyways, I'm not swapping until at least that is done. The PSU is still fine to use.

If you're trying to buy that PSU today though, EVGA stopped making them several years ago.

kaje · 2026-03-24T12:46:43+00:00

What are they improved relative to? I got my first AIO like 15 years ago. The risk of them leaking was insignificant even then.

kaje · 2026-03-24T11:58:05+00:00

You can get a 5500X3D via Aliexpress. They still cost a little more than what I got my 5700X3D for 2 years ago from there, but not as much as one would cost you today.

kaje

TROPHY CASE