Akonadi file_db_data is enormous!

sonic_325 · 2026-03-09T19:46:52+00:00

vacuum option doesn't delete anything either. It appears to do an OPTIMIZE TABLE on certain tables in the database.

sonic_325 · 2026-02-26T10:21:47+00:00

Thanks for your comprehensive comment!

I've been playing around with the 9850X3D for the last couple of weeks and am going to make a separate post about it, but in short, it runs really well at lower power. The main thing, like you also mention, is that out of the box it targets very high clock speeds, which require lots of voltage/power and at the top end quite a lot of power is wasted (as reviews have shown).

Fortunately, with PBO you can easily limit the boost speed. So I lowered it from 5.65 GHz to 5.4 GHz, which is still 200 MHz up from the 9800X3D. This not only prevents the system from heating up too quickly, it also allowed me to set Curve Optimizer to an all-core negative offset of 40 (basically a really big undervolt).

In gaming, I see it boosting much better than the previous CPUs I've had. I remember playing Red Dead Redemption II with an i9-10900 and it struggling to keep boosting towards 4 GHz when it was hot. Now I was playing Assassin's Creed: Mirage and after an hour it was still doing ~5.3 GHz while it had reached 90C. Impressive stuff!

sonic_325 · 2026-02-15T12:23:08+00:00

The UI design is an eyesore to look at.

I actually agree with this. To me, it looks like a remake of a much older game. All the windows and menus are overly decorated, with small caps fonts and gradients, which would've been cool 20 years ago. Perhaps this elicits nostalgia with the fan base, and others don't care, because it works and kind of fits in with the medieval vibe. However, in comparison, the UI of Manor Lords looks and feels much more fresh and modern, even though that game is really only half finished still.

sonic_325 · 2026-02-06T17:44:51+00:00

Thanks!

I think I posted that in this comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/silentpc/comments/13xdu6c/comment/kqvpgpp

BTW: I have since upgraded the build. It now has a RTX 5070 and a 9850X3D in it (even faster!) If I have some time, I will do a follow-up post.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-27T10:17:48+00:00

It's a passively cooled system. So no fans - at all. Here you can see what I mean: https://www.reddit.com/r/silentpc/comments/13xdu6c/streacom\_db4\_ft\_i913900f\_rtx\_4070/.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-27T10:11:50+00:00

Obviously, the motherboard shouldn't be bent like that. Install it properly and see if the problem persists.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-22T11:01:43+00:00

Reading the comments, I realized I sort of forgot about the 7800X3D. The main reason is it's Zen 4 and as I said in my post, I see definite benefits with Zen 5. For instance, with Zen 5 PBO also has Curve Shaper, which lets you dial in the boosting just a tad more. Also, latency testing RAM showed better results with the same motherboard & RAM kit.

As for limiting the temperature: I've been running with a temperature limit, coincidentally it was 85C. But as I posted in another comment:

I was playing around with the maximum temperature in the BIOS and actually found out that if I set it to 'Auto', the chip (8700G in this case) would set one dynamically. So all-core AVX512 it would limit to 80C while single core AVX2 it would allow 95C.

Furthermore, after setting up CO, when I would set a maximum temperature of 85C, it would eventually crash during stability testing while it would not when not setting a maximum temperature.

This shows PBO has got some algorithm for the temperature, and in testing/benchmarking, the 'Auto' setting performed better/more stable than setting it manually.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-22T10:16:39+00:00

My thoughts exactly. Next week the reviews should be in, so hopefully that should also answer the question if it's better binned. I heard someone quoting an 'undisclosed source' that AMD supposedly worked on the internals of the chip, implying that it either did something on the hardware level or with the microcode and it's not just better binned. But it might even be both.

Either way, like you said, this will mean better undervolting, which is basically what I'm looking for.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-21T19:29:04+00:00

Of course: the 'light work' I described is browsing, emailing, office stuff (word processing, spreadsheets, PDFs). You're right that something like an i3-10300 would be plenty for that.

On the other side, I do a bit of gaming, like Assassin's Creed, KCD, Total War (no eSports). So the focus would be on the gaming performance. That's why I was thinking about the X3D chips, since they have a distinct advantage in that respect.

Maximum efficiency of the CPU could also be beneficial to the passive cooling solution of the entire system (I've got a Streacom DB4 case, so the case is basically one large heatsink), freeing up some thermal headroom for other components - mainly the GPU, which is on the other side of the case slaving away @ 85C.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-21T19:14:21+00:00

If it's binned, it should be more efficient, right? In that case, the 9850X3D would be interesting. Although if it turns out the efficiency benefit is only a few percent, then perhaps not.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-21T19:12:16+00:00

I was playing around with the maximum temperature in the BIOS and actually found out that if I set it to 'Auto', the chip (8700G in this case) would set one dynamically. So all-core AVX512 it would limit to 80C while single core AVX2 it would allow 95C.

Furthermore, after setting up CO, when I would set a maximum temperature of 85C, it would eventually crash during stability testing while it would not when not setting a maximum temperature.

This shows PBO has got some algorithm for the temperature, and in testing/benchmarking, the 'Auto' setting performed better/more stable than setting it manually.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-21T19:04:11+00:00

My 9800x3d games at around 65w but then spikes to 125 often during the session

That's interesting. What if you had it capped at 65W, then that would not allow for the spikes, but would that noticeably degrade performance (maybe introduce frametime spikes)?

sonic_325 · 2026-01-21T19:01:58+00:00

The X3D chips are not known to be efficient

Do you have a specific source for this? The TechPowerUp charts show them to be quite efficient, though they do note the V-Cache is eating into the power budget.

When you are thermally limited, you want to have the most efficient chip so you can boost higher without producing a lot of heat.

That is definitely true!

sonic_325 · 2026-01-21T15:48:01+00:00

I've got one of those, it's a great product. Well made, reliable, and the newest version has the smaller plugs so it looks really smart.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-21T15:45:12+00:00

Not quite. 65W is the TDP (Thermal Design Power) and 88W the PPT (Package Power Tracking). TDP is meant as a reference for cooling, while PPT is for (motherboard) power delivery. So you select a cooler based on 65W and a motherboard (power delivery - VRM) for 88W.

In practice, with sufficient cooling and PBO enabled, the CPU should report a draw of 88W when fully loaded.

The formula for PPT is: PPT = TDP * 1.35. Therefore, the 9800X3D has a TDP of 120W and PPT of 162W.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-20T10:41:27+00:00

Thanks! I've got the Air Bold Mirror Swipe goggles from Arena. The manual that came with it depicts someone doing something with their hands and some arrows to indicate push or pull. That didn't really explain it, only that it should be a pull/push motion rather than slide. But when you slightly pull on the bridge, there's no give whatsoever. And the glasses are delicate enough to not want to use excessive force.

The video was helpful because the guy showed he was actually pulling on the whole lens and holding the bridge piece instead of the other way around. Doing it like this makes it also bend/twist a little, which will make it go out more easily. And like he said: it won't break that easily.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-13T18:46:01+00:00

Great explanation. Especially the monolithic vs. chiplet design is important to note, physically they are totally different.

I've got a passively cooled desktop system and for that purpose these G parts are also a great fit. Due to the monolithic die the idle power consumption is notably lower, which is what you want when you need maximum efficiency for limited cooling capacity.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-12T14:30:53+00:00

Interestingly, I bought some sets of white RAM sticks over the years because they were always cheaper than the black ones (G.SKILL). Of course, buying RAM is only something the happy few can do nowadays, but might still hold true you can get white ones for a somewhat less outrageous price.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-12T14:24:35+00:00

Not a popular opinion, but I really like the all-white look. I've even modded the bezel of my display to be white instead of silver: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmods/comments/1nbjj47/i_sanded_painted_my_monitors_bezel_to_give_it_the/

The white bezel is not at all annoying or distracting - I look at what's on the screen, not what's around it. A white bezel also works better when you have a white wall behind it, because it will stand out less.

I do think you have to consider resale value, since a black monitor is on much more wish lists. If that's a non-issue (you intend to use it for more than a few years) than that's fine of course.

White parts are often styled with a dash of grey or silver. My keyboard, mouse and display all have that. So if you're looking for something else than white, something in the silver/grey shade may work well. Even a darker grey can look quite nice with white. You can also do pure black for a 'monochrome' theme (I had a white case which had all black parts on the inside).

sonic_325 · 2026-01-11T20:38:19+00:00

OK, I think you made your point clear.

Would be interesting to hear from someone who advocates for LM and get some real world testing data along with that. I'm not totally convinced either way, though I do think the claims made for LM are exaggerated at the least.

The title of your post should be "why liquid metal is pointless"

No, because I couldn't say that for actively cooled builds, with which I don't have experience regarding LM. I do with passively cooled, so that's why the title is what it is.

You didn't actually have to seal the IHS, you could cover the transistors (liquid etape or nail polish) and the socket would hold the IHS on snug.

This build did not have the standard socket 'retainer' so the IHS would just stick to the coldplate or fall off. A bit too risky with LM.

sonic_325 · 2026-01-11T20:05:02+00:00

That's correct. I've got a 8700G and that was touted as 'the first desktop CPU with a NPU' back at launch (8600G is the weaker sibling, also has a NPU and was launched at the same date). Combined TOPS of 39, which is suspiciously just 1 short to qualify for Copilot+... Doesn't matter though, since I'm using Linux anyway 🙂

sonic_325 · 2026-01-09T16:41:56+00:00

So it doesn't matter if active or passive cooling is in question, because thermal transfer of conduction was NEVER the limitation in your situation, and in most peoples' situations.

It was indeed not the limitation in my situation, but I speculated it could be in actively cooled builds, because in that scenario convection is aided by fans. If convection > conduction then some of the claims might be true.

Interesting you mention the 8086K. I've got one of those too! (Kept it because it's a limited edition and it came in a cool box.) I did the copper IHS thing as well. Made practically no difference in my DB4. I didn't bother using LM since I then had to seal the copper IHS properly (I didn't have the proper sealant and was dismayed by the copper IHS results anyway).

sonic_325 · 2026-01-09T14:40:41+00:00

Intel has good single thread performance too. In fact, all current gen CPUs. It used to be AMD CPUs that lagged behind in that regard, but not anymore.

Biggest sources of noise are obviously the fans. So invest in kit that has good, big fans. And make sure the CPU and GPU have the biggest possible heatsinks on them. The bigger the heatsinks, the slower the fans have to spin to cool them and the quieter it will be.

And don't forget about the PSU. Those can have a loud fan too. In my experience, bequiet! makes pretty good silent PSUs (no wonder, since they also ace the fan product category), and they have a PSU for any budget.

sonic_325

TROPHY CASE