Help me build my PC: 2024 Catch-All

Follow up question: Should I enable XMP in BIOS for my RAM?

It came off by default, I changed it, to Enabled "Profile 1"

gamerparent wrote:

Follow up question: Should I enable XMP in BIOS for my RAM?

Yes, unless you want your RAM running at only 2133 (or 2400 or whatever your platform defaults to).

It came off by default, I changed it, to Enabled "Profile 1"

Then you should be good.

Yes, xmp is the "overclock" function for ram that's binned above stock. Without that enabled (make sure its the stats on your rams packaging) you'll just have higher priced stock ram.

Okay, weird issue here. I upgraded to Win 11 the other day, and now my OneDrive is not automagically updating with file changes. I checked, and the reason is that my Ethernet connection has been changed to "Public" from "Private".

Can I just allow OneDrive through the Firewall with it's own rule, or will the fact that the system is not discoverable on the network screw it up?

I also can't find instructions or options in Settings to change my Ethernet back to Private. Is this by design? Part of the default hardening of the system under Win 11? Should I worry or just keep it in place.

Note that system security is very important to me.

Trying to keep that Trump pr0n stash secret eh Robear?

lol Trying to back up my files Mr. Bone (if that *is* your real name).

As far as you are concerned, comrade? Bone, Fang Bone.

We all make sacrifices for the Party, I get it. But some are more boned than others, I guess.

So 30 minutes into Elden Ring the PC just dies. Black screen, no fans, nothing. When I try to turn it on I get two clicks from the PSU and no other response. No lights, fans, nothing. Fast forward to tonight and it looks like it turns on just fine with my backup GPU (good ol' 970!).

So I'm thinking my brand new GPU is dead, but I've never had one die like this where it just refuses to let the system turn on. Anyone have any experience with this and am I correct that an RMA is in order?

It's a 3080 Ti connected to a 750w Seasonic Platinum that's about a year old.

stupidhaiku wrote:

So I'm thinking my brand new GPU is dead, but I've never had one die like this where it just refuses to let the system turn on. Anyone have any experience with this

That's exactly the behavior I got when my GTX 770 died. System would not power on with the card installed, period. It's unusual, but not unheard of.

Oh no!

I got some CPU temps creeping near 90C and warning me today, so I took my case apart and cleaned everything. Been about 3 months since I did that and some heavy dust buildup. Hopefully everything will run smooth for tonight's sessions.

stupidhaiku wrote:

So I'm thinking my brand new GPU is dead, but I've never had one die like this where it just refuses to let the system turn on. Anyone have any experience with this and am I correct that an RMA is in order?

It's a 3080 Ti connected to a 750w Seasonic Platinum that's about a year old.

If you search on "Seasonic" and "3080", you'll find some posts about possible issues. Something about power spikes causing the PSU to trip, maybe. Probably doesn't help, but if you do manage to successfully RMA the card, you may want to check on whether the PSU is up to the job.

Really liking the form factor for this new Lian Li case, might push me over the edge to build something new before the new AMD chips come out this year.

https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/lian-l...

I'd also consider 750W to be a minimum spec for a 3080 Ti. NVIDIA recommends 750W for the base model 3080, and the Ti has higher power draw than that, especially if there's factory overclocking happening.

If it were me, I'd probably want to step up a bit for running a 3080 Ti.

Stele wrote:

I got some CPU temps creeping near 90C and warning me today, so I took my case apart and cleaned everything. Been about 3 months since I did that and some heavy dust buildup. Hopefully everything will run smooth for tonight's sessions.

Yep... 2+ hours of Elden Ring and everything stayed in the 70s. Good grief. Maybe I should put a calendar reminder to do that every month.

Yeah the 3080 Ti was more graphics card than I ever really planned on putting into this computer. But 750w was within the minimum spec and it was running just fine maxed out in benchmarking tests so I figured it was fine. Elden Ring, being capped at 60 fps, wasn't even hitting 75% utilization. Regardless, it should still at least boot with that PSU if the card was still good, and that couldn't have been what killed it, right?

it might have reduced it's reliability and lifetime from running too hard, but it's hard to tell. keep an eye on it and try not to run it to it's limits. no overclocking, that sort of thing.

I got the top of the queue for an EVGA 3080 ti, so my EVGA 3070 XC3 needs a new home. Figured I would let GWJers get a first shot at it.

What do you like to use to keep tabs on temps while playing games? I have HWInfo but it's more of a check it after I'm done kind of thing.

Hwinfo has been my go-to, but gpuz isn't bad either.

gamerparent wrote:

What do you like to use to keep tabs on temps while playing games? I have HWInfo but it's more of a check it after I'm done kind of thing.

MSI Afterburner + RTSS.

I have a guide for setting this up linked in the top post.

*Legion* wrote:
gamerparent wrote:

What do you like to use to keep tabs on temps while playing games? I have HWInfo but it's more of a check it after I'm done kind of thing.

MSI Afterburner + RTSS.

I have a guide for setting this up linked in the top post.

Thanks, I followed it and set it up, works great!

kazar wrote:

I got the top of the queue for an EVGA 3080 ti, so my EVGA 3070 XC3 needs a new home. Figured I would let GWJers get a first shot at it.

The 3070 found a home.

It is coming to Alameda, right?
I don't have a home or even a nice apartment. But my apartment does have four walls, a roof, a heater and the cutest puppy you've ever seen

Is NewEgg/ABS still a top choice for pre-builts? Alternatives?

ABS and CyberPower would probably be the first systems I'd look at.

*Legion* wrote:

ABS and CyberPower would probably be the first systems I'd look at.

Thanks - as much as it pains me after six DIY builds, cost and GPU availability seem to be forcing my hand at this point.

Lent wrote:
*Legion* wrote:

ABS and CyberPower would probably be the first systems I'd look at.

Thanks - as much as it pains me after six DIY builds, cost and GPU availability seem to be forcing my hand at this point.

Yep. Same reason I had my brother buy a prebuilt that I just tweaked, rather than building a system for him.

For a lot of these prebuilts, the weak link is cooling. The CPU coolers are often OEM stock level junk, and fan configurations can be... interesting. And quite a lot of these prebuilt PC cases have absolutely terrible levels of ventilation.

As long as you make sure to avoid that last one, though, you can fix the others. My brother's CyberPower had sufficient case ventilation, but a terrible CPU cooler and also had ALL fans configured to exhaust. Once I flipped the front fans back to intake and slapped a budget tower cooler onto his CPU, the Cinebench temperatures dropped literally 40 degrees C, from 100 (and thermal throttling) down to 60.

I would go in with the expectation that you will swap out the CPU cooler. If the collection of parts are good, and the case actually has pathways for airflow, then you as an experienced builder can tweak it into a DIY-caliber build.

And yet I've been building my own computers since 1996, have always used the cooler included with CPU and never had one die. Hm

The YouTube algorithm showed me a stock tracker stream, and darn if Newegg didn't have a few 3070ti cards in stock. I guess it's time to start figuring out the rest of a new system...