Show us your PC/Setup

Scannerman · Jul 19, 2024

pparks1 said:
Could is key, and "significantly" is also a key term here. What is a significant improvement? How can one prove a significant improvement?

Well, at least we agree on this much. And any over clocking enthusiast would agree that every bit counts. I'm not assuming that our friend is an over clocking enthusiast but I'm not assuming otherwise either. Either way, a little extra in the way of cooling — especially exhaust — can't hurt but it certainly can help.

pparks1 said:
In theory, yes every bit helps. But where do you draw a line? If you drop it by 10 degrees and it helps, should you go above and beyond to also try to get to 12 degrees. What if you could add a bunch more fans and get even 13 degrees? But if it's within operating spec, what could this significant improvement be?

Even with economics there is a law of diminishing returns. That said a couple of extra fans aren't going to break the budget (I hope). Being more of a hardware guy I tend not to lean too heavily on what the software is telling me and I know for a fact 'stuff' will happen. A little extra insurance can
(and often does) go a long way. It is not unknown for builds within operating specs to fail as a result of bad thermals. I remember Wendell doing a video on this concerning ThreadRipper and showing pictures of the discoloured contacts on the bottom of the chip even though it was supposed to be "within operating specs". So I might well imagine that the significant improvement, if it were to be measured, would carry a number of variables that people better equipped and trained to measure than you or I would be able to expound upon.

pparks1 said:
I think some people could read that and think, man if I don't take action i "might" only get 2 years out of my CPU. But if I just add more cooling, I could get 6, 8, 12 or even 22 years out of that same CPU. That would be significant. But I would bet dollars to donuts, if we are talking about a cpu running within range, that chances are HIGHLY LIKELY that the lifepan of the CPU without additional cooling is likely to be longer than you plan to keep it or actually use it anyway.

This is true. Some people could read that and think they might only get two years out of their CPU and if they were, for example, overclocking it without adequate cooling they might well be correct. Again, I was assuming nothing here. Another good motto is to plan for the best and prepare for the worst. I've had the PC I'm typing on here for well over 12 years and I'm not about to abandon it any time soon. Someone who spends a "significant" amount of coin on a PC generally wants it keep it running ship shape for an extended period of time. In this regard putting a couple of extra fans in the appropriate places might be a worth while consideration.

I'm not saying everyone else is wrong either. I merely made a suggestion that having a rear exhaust fan would be a good idea. I know that a push/pull configuration on Noctua heat sinks does make a significant difference from first hand experience. With respect to air cooling I've found it to be one of the more affordable ways of reducing thermals, but I'm not commanding or demanding that anyone do anything.

Mike1776 · Jul 19, 2024

Scannerman said:
Sweet. A work of art. What sort of CPU is it sporting?

Mike1776 · Jul 19, 2024

Scannerman said:
Sweet. A work of art. What sort of CPU is it sporting?

Thank you.

Scannerman · Jul 19, 2024

Mike1776 said:
Thank you.

Yes sir, I thought it would have the impressive performance of an Intel CPU and I was right. Thank you for sharing. :)

user1010 · Jul 20, 2024

Scannerman said:
Hej from Canada!

I was admiring your build. If minimalism is not the chief goal perhaps you might wish to attach an exhaust fan in the rear of your case. Evidently RGB is not a concern for you so any lighting that might be blocked as a consequence would be negligible. Those Noctua coolers work considerably better in a push/pull configuration and Noctua is an excellent choice. I've seen as high as 13% reduction in temperatures simply by putting an extra fan on the heat sink. These two measures could help to extend the life of your CPU significantly.

Please send another picture when you've finished your cable management. That case looks to have a lot of potential.

First thought was minimalism with the desktop but prioritized spaciousness because of a little better GPU.
When running Cinebench R23 - I got max temperature at 88C / 190,4F when running CPU (Multi Core). I ran two tests directly after each other because I forgot to check the temp on the first test (maybe little higher temp because of that). I'm not in need of any overclocking. Idle temp is 44C / 111,2F. It seems OK. Of course - it will not be worse with one more chassi fan for rear exhaust but I'm happy if I'm not in any danger zone. I need a silent computer so I can sit and read because the old 120mm fans were to loud - hard to concentrate. I thought it were some kind of problems with the fans because it were dissonance. I got new 120mm fans and same problem. Solved when I got 180mm. When playing games the graphic fans spins up but that is ok. There seems it is room for one smaller rear fan though.

Scannerman · Jul 20, 2024

user1010 said:
I need a silent computer so I can sit and read because the old 120mm fans were to loud - hard to concentrate. I thought it were some kind of problems with the fans because it were dissonance. I got new 120mm fans and same problem. Solved when I got 180mm. When playing games the graphic fans spins up but that is ok. There seems it is room for one smaller rear fan though.

Noctua provides a line of specialized quiet fans in addition to noise limiters. There are other brands that do the same. These tend to cost a bit more but they are all effective and run very quiet. My finding was that a push/pull double fan on the heat sink produced the best cooling results. Now it is standard practice of mine to use this system of cooling on all air cooled systems that can be fitted with dual fans. The heat sink in the following picture isn't even made by Noctua but that extra fan resulted in a 13% reduction of temps on the CPU.

The good thing about larger fans is that they tend to run much quieter and push larger volumes of air in a shorter time frame. Such is the case with my ThermalTake Level 10 GT which uses two 200mm fans. Yes, it's old but it's tried, tested, and proven. Plus with a large number of drives this is an added benefit.

Everything about building your own PC is contingent upon user preference. My personal view is that just because a CPU can run @ 80+C this does not necessarily mean that it should. If temps can be brought down effectively and affordably this is a worthy consideration IMO. Again, user preference prevails. Some people are not that concerned about stressing a CPU if it runs fine for 5 or so years. Other folks want to maximize their efficiency. Some folks even under clock their CPU to increase the life expectancy.

Sqrly · Aug 7, 2024

My next build is going to look something like this albeit with a piece of stained and finished wood behind it and a square of acrylic on 4 stand offs to protect it from being bumped as I plan to mount it on the wall.

I'm thinking machine screws with flat washers through the wood to hold the mobo stand offs. I'll have to custom make some brackets for the GPU and PSU. That's really all the parts (the actual parts except the mem and a pcie wifi card) as it will only be used to output video to a screen. OFC it will need power cables from the PSU to the MOBO and GPU as well as a PCIe riser cable for GPU.

I've looked for a chassis to purchase and everything I've found is too much. I only need bare minimum.

rawintellect · Aug 27, 2024

Scannerman · Aug 27, 2024

Blue is beautiful.

BLUE BEAUTY (2017_06_02 08_05_11 UTC).png

TairikuOkami · Aug 29, 2024

After 5/10 Years, finally a little upgrade. My previous GPU is no longer supported, so it had to be done anyway.
It is not perfect yet, there are several issues like EXPO profile for RAM can not be set, but that is just my luck.

On top of it, my internet has got bumped from 400/40 Mbps to 500/100 Mbps. A nice bonus.
My mom sponsored this PC and she has just passed away, so it is a little reminder of her.

Fabler2 · Aug 29, 2024

Sorry to hear about your mum @TairikuOkami . My condolence.

A Guy · Aug 30, 2024

My condolences as well @TairikuOkami. My best thoughts to you and your family

A Guy

IownAmoneyPit · Aug 30, 2024

My condolences to @TairikuOkami and family for your loss.

Scannerman · Aug 30, 2024

@TairikuOkami

When my father passed I inherited a Dell Inspiron that I rebuilt for him and it was a pretty snappy unit by the time I was done with it. I seriously gave it a good modifying, new system board, graphics card, SSDs and gaming RAM. I didn't really want to give it up because it reminded me of him and how happy he was to have a smooth running PC. Then one day a young lad came over (one of my daughters online gaming buddies here in town) and he didn't have a PC and although his parents were good and honest hard working people, they really couldn't afford to buy him one. TBH it felt like Dad was right there, telling me to give the lad his PC so that is what I did. The joy and happiness this generated was priceless. I'm sure Dad wouldn't have wanted it any other way. His memory lives on in the joy and happiness of a young immigrant child just as he was when he first came to Canada.

pparks1 · Sep 1, 2024

Scannerman said:
@TairikuOkami

When my father passed I inherited a Dell Inspiron that I rebuilt for him and it was a pretty snappy unit by the time I was done with it. I seriously gave it a good modifying, new system board, graphics card, SSDs and gaming RAM. I didn't really want to give it up because it reminded me of him and how happy he was to have a smooth running PC. Then one day a young lad came over (one of my daughters online gaming buddies here in town) and he didn't have a PC and although his parents were good and honest hard working people, they really couldn't afford to buy him one. TBH it felt like Dad was right there, telling me to give the lad his PC so that is what I did. The joy and happiness this generated was priceless. I'm sure Dad wouldn't have wanted it any other way. His memory lives on in the joy and happiness of a young immigrant child just as he was when he first came to Canada.

Need more of this in the world. Thanks for sharing.

Scannerman · Sep 2, 2024

pparks1 said:
Need more of this in the world. Thanks for sharing.

My pleasure. That lad is now asking me to show him how to build PCs in case something goes wrong with his he will know how to fix it, he said. Looks like I got me a little buddy now. My daughter retorted, "Hey, I know how to build computers too! How come I can't show him?" Oh, dear. What have I wrought? :winkt:

Roadrunr · Sep 5, 2024

Do I need pictures? Anyway, try not to laugh at the specs.

Specs:
Case: NZXT H6 Flow with Lian Li AL120v2 fans. I guess mistakes were made here too. the daisy chain feature of the fans does not work because the cable interferes with the case panel clips...and I failed to notice the bottom only supports 140mm fans (it was a spot decision, I had narrowed it down to 4 cases but wanted to actually see them).
Motherboard: MSI Mag B650 Tomahawk wifi
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700X (I debated between this and the 7900 but when I priced things out before heading to microcenter, the package deal had this cpu at $191 so...)
RAM: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo 2x32gb (ok, ram compatibility is one of those things that changed. QVL lists seem incomplete and inconclusie between RAM manufacturer and mobo manufacturer.) In the end, this choice made me raise one of the CPU cooler fans about 10mm to clear the RAM.
CPU Cooler: ThermalRight Phantom Spirit SE 120. I debated the EVO but the reviews I found seemed to indicate the SE was more quiet and just as good.
GPU: Sapphire Pulse RX 7800 XT. originally this was probably going to be a 6750 XT but the CPU cost less than expected so I spent more here. It's overkill but...
SSD: (2) Samsung 990 Pro 1TB (one OS/programs, the other documents/media/downloads)
Power Supply: Corsair RM850x
OS: win 11 Pro DVD (downloaded an iso, rufus'd it to a USB-C flash drive and used that).

In the end I was about $80 over budget and I attribute that to not bothering to add in sales tax (which ended up being like $120)

This was my second build this year, the other being a TrueNAS box with an MSI B550, 5600G, mirrored 128gb ssd for boot drives, mirrored 500gb ssd's for applications and mirrored 8tb drives for storage. The half dozen prior builds were all 20+years ago and a lot has changed.

Anyway, I made two mistakes that I am aware of: 1. forgot to take the plastic sticker on the bottom of the CPU cooler off before mounting it (I realized before I got too much farther along and corrected the issue but still...) and 2. apparently did not seat the second stick of RAM well because when I tried booting for the first time, fans turned but nothing else, it booted after I reseated it.

I've also discovered my cable management abilities are trash and I dislike the cables for the GPU (because they split and have an extra connector and it looks like ass).

I got EXPO enabled so the RAM is running at 6000. 64gb might be overkill but it was like $100 more and I always say I'll upgrade later and never do.

This is going to be an "everything" system, handbrake, MakeMKV, some AutoCAD/Revit (just trying to learn some things that I don't have time to play with at work), maybe a little gaming (but I like my PS5, big tv and recliner for that).

CPU temp hit 72C in Cinebench R23.2 single core but only 66C in multicore (single 10 minute runs each) so offsetting the cooler fan doesn't seem to have had a lot of impact.

Now if I can just get a new system at work, I'll be all set (that will be a Dell, less headaches for me that way).

no1yak · Sep 11, 2024

Black is good and no RGB.

hdmi · Sep 11, 2024

no1yak said:
Black is good and no RGB.

I can see nothing wrong with it.

Roadrunr · Sep 11, 2024

no1yak said:
Black is good and no RGB.

Are the fans on the top or just the two intake/one exhaust? How are temps?

(your cable management is way better than mine)...

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