>Advice on building or upgrading
Post your build list or current specifications, including a monitor: https://pcpartpicker.com/
https://userbenchmark.com/ is ran by a huge Intel shill / AMD hater. We don't know his review autism, but now you know his, the numbers are accurate otherwise.
>Motherboards
Don't pair a K CPU with a B Mobo chipset, but pcpartpicker should auto-warn you about compatibility.
mATX / iTX is "cheaper" but are still ultimately gimmicks that fill a niche, and have less room for different parts / cabling (especially if you're a new builder). ATX is the preferable as the default.
>CPUs
Intel is limping along, AMD is the name of the game. AMD X3D CPU's aren't mandatory if you're looking for an area to save money, you can still get a most of the performance for a notably lower price with a non-X3D CPU.
>CPU coolers
Avoid liquid coolers with a single 120mm fan. Recent chinky AIO's have undercut the market while still being good quality, but the number of models has flooded the market - make sure you're getting the exact one that reviewed well, since many sound the same but have lower performance.
>RAM
It's not lookin' good. Bite the bullet and get scalped, or wait and hope the economy collapses (2 more weeks bro), flooding the market (at which point your paper money is worth nothing anyways).
RAM that hasn’t been made yet, bought with money that doesn’t exist, for data centers that haven’t been built yet, that can't be plugged in because national infrastructure can't handle the load, powered by fuel that hasn't been extracted yet, all to make unprofitable slop and jeetscams that your gramps will see on Faceberg and send you thinking is real, and paid for by the taxpayer at every step, because if it doesn't succeed, the economy hasn't grown in a decade, but is built on promises that all fall through at once, and all the moneyprinter printing hits us like the ground hit Wall Street Bankers during the crash.
SNAFU, the trillionaire CEO said it's not a bubble, so it's not a bubble.
>SSDs / HDDs
SSD for files / programs you're actively using, HDD for cheaper and higher-capacity long-term storage. Just a 1TB SSD is pretty standard, but SSD prices have also hit by the RAM squeeze. Avoid outdated Samsung 970 Evo Plus & cheapest poorfag NVMe SSDs.
https://ssd.borecraft.com/
https://serverpartdeals.com/
>GPUs
The prices are never going back down bro. Keep in mind what games you actually play and what resolution you're targeting, before overspending on an overkill GPU. The name of the game right now is VRAM, with many vidya releases starting to ask for (but not requiring) over 8GB for texture stability, even at 1080p.
NVidia aka NJewdia aka NJudea aka Team Green aka NGreedia aka Jensen Huang's Wild Ride aka Le Chateau de Merde aka nvidia still reigns supreme in terms of high-end performance and AI genning, but their products have definitely taken on a premium, even before scalping and supply shortages, even before their drivers getting worse, and even before them acting like they have a monopoly they haven't got. DLAA is alright, Fake Frames are cancer that should be avoided, Upscaling slowly isn't a meme but should still be avoided (it might also be taking steps backwards if they keep using AI code; Preset L is still the best). The 50 series finally have PhysX now, but is still less of a hardware leap over the 40 series due to NVidia's overreliance on AI.
As of writing AMD / Team Red finally got their shit together and released GPU's that aren't unstable, sub-optimal embarrassments - the 9070 & 9070XT are extremely efficient and competitive for gaming at their upper-midrange hardware grade and are much less scalped, but do keep in mind that if you're planning on using it for AIslop, AMD is still lagging behind heavily, and while FSR4 isn't a joke like FSR3, it's not DLAA.
Intel is a newcomer with the Arc line of GPU's, aiming at competing at the ultra-budget level.
Avoid: GPUs that were used for shitcoin mining, NVidia 40Ti-non-Super's and NVidia XX50's, NVIDIA GPUs in general if you're a Linuxfag.
>PSUs
Not worth buying a new PSU unless it's ATX 3.0 compliant. Avoid Untested / Bronze / Silver units like the tech-waste cancer they are. Aim for 50-75% PSU utilization at full system load.
https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/ (archive: https://archive.is/jzJ2L )
https://hwbusters.com/best_picks/best-atxv3-pcie5-ready-psus-picks-hardware-busters/ (archive: https://archive.is/QrPHX)
>12VHPWR
DO NOT USE ANGLED 12VHPWR ADAPTERS
Fully seat a 12VHPWR connector in its socket, otherwise the connection can melt. Be careful with them on principle.
>Case (from $ to $$$)
mATX: Lian Li DAN A3, Gamdias Athena M4M
ATX: Lian Li Lancool 216 / 207, Fractal Torrent / Meshify 3
AVOID: 'Silent' cases, fanless cases, Corsair 4000D airflow, Montech AIR 903 Base (awful stock fans).
>A Smile
Good luck faggot
>Monitors
Avoid: panels with less than 120Hz refresh rates, without a single DisplayPort input and Variable Refresh Rate technology (G-Sync/FreeSync). Check professional reviews for any monitor before you buy at sites like TFTCentral, pcmonitors.info, Monitors Unboxed, or RTINGs.
The bottom tier monitor for any decent gaming build has a 144Hz+ 24" 1080p IPS panel, of which there are many on market for around $125 (some great ones go even as low as $100). Aim for a panel with low response times and perceived motion blur mode (Black Frame Insertion). Decent 2160p (4K) gaming monitors start at around $500.
TP has the best refresh rate of any panel, but shit image quality (weak contrast and colors). The cheapest if you're looking for a ultrabudget pick, but IPS has caught up and isn't much more for much better. Ultra-high ends have decent color accuracy, but are ultra-overkill.
VA has good contrast and blacks, but shit viewing angles, better for TV than gaming.
IPS has good colors, but cheaper ones suffer from IPS Glow, where the corners / edges are slightly illuminated at all times, making them vaguely lighter / non-perfect blacks. Currently the general standard.
OLED has good HDR (including infinite contrast / le inky blacks) and nearly instant pixel response times. However, potential burn-in if any area is kept static gives them a lifespan, and 27" and up is your only choice.
MicroLED has near-comparable quality to OLED, no burn-in and lasts much longer until it dims with time, but is still new to the market and are extremely overpriced (as in, 5 figures starting range, 6 figures high end - enough to buy a high-end OLED, let it burn in, then get a non-ripoff MicroLED years down the line once the tech is there).
tl;dr: They all suck in some way. IPS is the standard, OLED if you've got money to spare.
>OS
- Linux: You're dead kiddo
- Windows: Win10LTSC + debloating software / scripts to reclaim performance. Do not use Win11. Install Ventoy / Rufus on a flash drive, then transfer the iso files to it. Activate with https://github.com/abbodi1406/KMS_VL_ALL_AIO/releases
- Mac: ishygddt
Last Thread:
There was some news about the AI cartel that ((( they ))) tried to kill.