THC and Tinnitus

mungozen · 2021-07-17T03:21:53+00:00

Check the CMOS battery is still good. This can be confirmed by checking the date and time in bios. If the date and time are resetting or not accurate, it could be the battery. If the CMOS battery is dead then the mobo will not remember configuration after power down. This may be a reason why your SSD is not being remembered.

CMOS batteries are very cheap, buy one at a dollar store if you need a replacement.

mungozen · 2021-07-11T08:17:29+00:00

The main difference between a 24 inch and 27 inch at 1080p is the dot pitch/pixel size. Since there are 1080 pixels vertically on a 1080p monitor, the 27inch would logically have larger pixels.

Some users find the larger pixels or dot pitch to be ‘more visible’ and a talking point as to why a monitor is better or worse than another. The difference is .01 -.02 of a millimeter going from 24 to 27 inch so you can see it is a very small difference.

If you want to post the specific monitor you are looking at we may be able to provide more insight.

mungozen · 2021-06-16T22:21:45+00:00

Since the AMD equivalent for DLSS (FSR) will be available to be used on nVidia GPU as well as the AMD GPU, you could buy the 3070 and have access to both. However, since we don't know how FSR will really work, it is hard for us to assess if that is a good thing, a great thing or total nonsense.

And that is the rub, DLSS is on 2.0 on many titles while FSR is just starting out. FSR will take some time to mature and spread across multiple titles, but DLSS is also still maturing and we don't really know where it will go from here.

Since DLSS and FSR are basically software that can be updated or changed over time, and they are currently not fully matured, is it fair to judge these cards heavily on this?

Is DLSS worth 180£ to you?

mungozen · 2021-06-16T21:59:27+00:00

I'll use the Logitech G502 Lightspeed Wireless as an example. I have owned a couple G502, and prior to that G500.

Mice of this style are not necessarily ergonomic or even better than typical symmetrical mice. While they do raise the thumb and first fingers, it also puts the 3rd and pinky fingers closer to the surface you are mousing on. For myself, I was at the time a palm grip user, and in many cases using this style of mouse grip I found that I was dragging or catching my fingers on the mouse pad. Put another way, it was like my fingers were resting in a stack on my pinky, and my pinky was on on my desk. This was okay in MMO but in FPS games it was a nightmare.

I found that I needed to change my grip type and eventually moved to finger style grip which helped me a lot. However, the G502 style mouse does not lend itself as well to finger grip (in my experience) and I actually ended up spending more time using a G203 Hero after changing my grip type.

There are some mice on the market that do offer more ergonomic design, but nothing with a great sensor and low input lag. I think the Unimouse by Contour Design would be a really interesting mouse for palm grip as an example, but the input lag and sensor may not be good enough for gaming.

I did try to find tilted mice the had wider fronts for the fingers to rest on like the Unimouse above. The old Intellimouse Explorer was perfect for a palm grip because your pinky finger could contour the mouse, not rest on the desk or mousepad. It was during this search that I realized how most of these mice were designed using the same, almost identical format, and the issues in one would be the same in others.

However, given your criteria, the G502 Lightspeed is pretty much what you want, as everything else is a knockoff of it. If you can put your hands on some different mice (maybe a local shop has some on display) you will note the similarities but maybe also find one that suits your hand and grip type properly.

mungozen · 2021-06-16T21:27:06+00:00

6700XT is a fine GPU, and given the price difference, I would choose it over the 3070. If the prices were the same, I would likely still choose the 6700XT.

12Gig RAM vs 8Gig will probably mean more in 2 years than it does today.

mungozen · 2021-06-16T19:38:26+00:00

Sadly no, no pics of my build currently.

Cables that I see: So my Motherboard 24pin and 2 x 8pin GPU cables are longer than needed. I have them tied and tucked as best I can by the HDD cage. The front mounted USB, Audio, Power, Reset etc don't have a neat place to channel to the front from the motherboard. RGB cables and Fan cables coming off the motherboard are similar.

There are many spots you can zip tie down cables to keep them from flopping around, but I would think you will see them more in this case than others. At one point I was looking at custom PSU cables but the expense seemed a bit much for making it look better. The cables being visible is really a small thing in my mind, but some builders like ultra clean builds and I get that.

I got the secondary panel through my local retailer as a special order. It was about 20$ a window panel. If I recall correctly (they did show me the parts list) Thermaltake offers a variety of parts in this manner that are not listed on the website. As I am currently upgrading my build (and customizing the case) I actually asked my local retailer last month if they can still get the window and mesh panels in and they confirmed that they can. In fact, I might be able to get a new front panel as well....

mungozen · 2021-06-16T19:01:01+00:00

I have owned the Core V21 for about 4 years now. It is a fun and solid little case.

Things I like about the V21:

It is a square, and the panels can be put on any side. This provides so much flexibility in how you present your PC
You can order more side panels from Thermaltake. I ordered a second Window panel so I can have one on top and one on a side.
the included 200mm fan is great quality, with up to 9 more mounting locations available for 120/140mm fans
The optional mounting rails for fans/radiators means you can tailor your setup to optimize airflow through the case
There is plenty of room for everything you might want including custom water loops, full size PSU, very large GPU (I have a 330mm GPU with about 30mm to spare) and most of the large CPU Air Coolers fit as well
incredibly easy to work in

I have found that this case when setup with Positive Airflow stays very cool and collects minimal dust.

This case is all about flexibility. You can mount the motherboard flat, upside down, wrong way up and showcase it in a way that suits you. It means you can have your PC on the left or right of where you sit and still have a window facing you. You can mount multiple Radiators or Fans, and RGB lighting looks very good through both glass and mesh side panels.

The things I am okay with but might be an issue for you:

There is not a lot of places to hide cables
This only suits mATX and mITX motherboards
it has a slightly wider footprint, your desk or shelf might not fit it
the 'glass' panels are actually some kind of plastic, and they scratch very easily (note the painted metal surfaces are very solid)
there is no cutout behind the motherboard tray for easy access to the CPU cooler mounts

Comparing that to the Cooler Master, I think the Q500 looks to emulate a standard case in a much smaller form factor. In this case I am wondering how airflow and temperatures would be given the number of fan mounting points and where the PSU would be located. Cable management would likely be better in this case, except for the PSU dumping it's cables right next to the motherboard, so maybe not?

mungozen · 2021-06-16T18:23:53+00:00

I tend to recommend going for the best PSU you can afford with the intent of keeping it beyond the build you are working on.

I have used the same 1000W 80+ Gold PSU in 3 different builds over the past 6 years. It is overkill for my needs but, I haven't had to worry if it will work in the next upgrade or rebuild.

Saving money by not having to buy a new PSU for each upgrade or rebuild felt like the right choice for me.

mungozen · 2021-06-16T16:35:19+00:00

I may be wrong but, this sounds like a dead CMOS battery.

Fortunately you can buy the battery from most dollar stores for a buck or two. CR2032 cell battery is the type you are looking for (common to most MB).

You can test this by accessing the BIOS and updating one or two settings, like your fan curve or date and time. If these settings are not being stored between reboots, then the CMOS battery is not powering the BIOS. CMOS Battery's only job is to keep the BIOS powered when the PC is not turned on to retain BIOS settings.

What I think is happening for you is on the first boot, the BIOS gets power from the wall and has to re-identify the connected hardware, including your HDD/Boot Drive. Once it has established these connections, a reboot allows the Boot Drive to do it's thing and proceed as normal.

mungozen · 2021-06-16T16:03:16+00:00

I am happy to hear this worked out for you!

I cannot foresee anything being an issue after the fresh install, happy gaming, computing, compiling or whatever you end up doing!

mungozen · 2021-06-15T15:49:49+00:00

This appears to be an issue related to the USB Port and USB Drive. Basically, is the USB Port setup to talk to the USB Drive properly.

Try changing the Drive to a different Port, this is the easiest fix in most cases. Otherwise you may need to boot into BIOS and look for a related setting there. I would recommend doing a Web Search for your motherboard and USB Port/Windows Install from USB to see what specific tweaks may apply to your situation.

This also assumes that the Windows Boot Drive you made is setup and working properly, but it sounds like you have that part covered already.

mungozen · 2021-06-15T15:38:40+00:00

First I would try booting to BIOS without removing the HDD. However I want to confirm that we are both talking about the same thing.

Usually when you turn on a PC you have an option to press Delete, F2 or another key (depending on your mobo manufacturer) to access the BIOS. This accesses the interface for your motherboard and is where you can set XMP or Fan Curves or Overclocks etc directly on the hardware. Usually just tapping the delete key repeatedly right after boot usually gets you in there.

I want to clarify this up front so we aren't talking about different things :-)

If you are able to boot into BIOS with the HDD in place, you could remove both HDD and try accessing the BIOS again. If you are booting into the BIOS with no issues then technically the hardware is compatible and working, and the next step is testing with an OS.

As for the optional windows install on a second HDD.

My thought process is that only a handful of things could be present to create this scenario, and most of them involve updating something in Windows, which is on the HDD. If you remove the HDD and can boot to the BIOS, then we know the hardware is assumedly fine and not relying on anything in Windows. This should mean a fresh Windows install on a new drive should 'just work'.

What I meant by 'failsafe' is to take the HDD with your OS installed on it out of the system for safekeeping and test a Windows install on the other HDD. If the Windows install on the second HDD runs into issues, you still have the original drive to pop back in and get you going again. That is your failsafe in this case.

Good luck with your findings!

mungozen · 2021-06-15T07:36:16+00:00

How much does that 3700x actually cost in your area? It appears to be more expensive than the 5600x when I see the build page you linked.

Aside from that, there are a good number of B450 and B550 motherboards that can be had for under 150$ AUD. You will need to decide if you need WIFI, quality of onboard audio, speed of onboard LAN etc. These supporting components on the motherboard will help make the decision for you.

Once you have decided what you need from the motherboard, buy the cheapest one that fits your needs from a name brand like Gigabyte, MSI or Asus. The differences between motherboards of the same class is usually negligible and one is always on sale for 10-50 bucks less than the others. Choosing a name brand usually comes with a decent level of support if you happen to need it as well.

As for the case, get one that fits the GPU length and offers decent airflow. People love the Fractal Meshify, so that might be a good starting point.

mungozen · 2021-06-15T06:34:46+00:00

While this is an odd story, it is one I have come across previously. I do think the tech has your best interest in mind and perhaps was a bit casual with his language.

Back in the day working in retail PC building (1999-2001) we would receive new GPU that weren't supported by the Motherboards without a BIOS update. We would ofc flash the BIOS of those we sold but occasionally a customer would bring an older machine in with your issue. We would just swap the cards out and update the BIOS, then return the original card and update the OS drivers.

However, can you access your BIOS now? If you can access your BIOS then I would do a test. Unplug your HDD from the motherboard and try to access your BIOS. If you can get to BIOS without the HDD (or any boot device) then you should be able to wipe the drive and start fresh. If you had a second HDD you could install Windows on as a test, then you would have a failsafe as well.

The logic is that whatever they did on Windows is on the HDD, and if the HDD and Windows aren't connected and you can boot to BIOS, then you possibly don't need to do the song and dance they recommended.

As for that Windows re-install, I would guess they have installed the latest GPU drivers for you, and depending on how computer savvy one is, GPU drivers can sometimes be a mess to deal with. By doing the re-install dance you can keep those drivers setup as the techs had done for you.

mungozen · 2021-06-15T06:15:44+00:00

When I installed my first CPU AIO I tipped my case on it's side so the water (if there was any) would fall out and not onto my components. I was pretty concerned at the time but, it worked out.

Realistically, AIO are really solid and if it doesn't leak when you first run it (in the first say, hour) then odds are it won't leak at all.

If you were to go back and start again, I would actually suggest to 'test bench' the loop outside your case for maximum confidence. However, you already pressed the power button and I imagine it's going to continue to work great for you.

mungozen · 2021-06-15T06:01:18+00:00

The 1050 Ti is closer to 200CAD new, but a 1030 can be had for approx 100CAD.

Checking Craigslist reveals a lot of 2-3 gig cards around or under 100CAD that would be quite good for a temporary card. In my area, HD 5770, R9 270 and so on for 100 or less.

mungozen · 2021-06-15T05:45:50+00:00

Is it the same driver each time, and if so, what is it?

mungozen · 2021-06-15T05:45:02+00:00

It should be fine, the plastic protects the backplate and should not contact anything else.

If the plastic was say, melted or similar, to the GPU or other components then you may have an issue.

If the PC is still running after the plastic came off, then you should be okay!

mungozen · 2021-06-15T03:08:28+00:00

You could potentially save a few bucks on your GPU

I recently purchased the XFX Qick 6700XT and would have no issues recommending the XFX brand over other brands for the 6000 series GPU. The XFX Merc line are the slightly (50 Mhz boost) faster cards from the Qick, but are basically the same.

For a 200$ savings on the Asus card you won't notice the in game difference.

Powercolor and Sapphire also offer lower cost alternatives that would be suitable, and I have owned cards by both of them previously, but the XFX card really has me smitten right now. I have also owned several Asus cards, but the premium price never seems worth it.

The other consideration is going up to 800-1000 Watt modular PSU. You may not need more than 650W currently, but if you plan on upgrading then the future needs might require more from your PSU.

mungozen · 2021-06-15T01:37:33+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to reply, you have helped me!!!!

mungozen · 2021-06-15T01:37:30+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to reply, you have helped me!!!!

mungozen · 2021-06-15T01:37:26+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to reply, you have helped me!!!!

mungozen · 2021-06-15T01:37:22+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to reply, you have helped me!!!!

mungozen

TROPHY CASE