We have a couple of threads on “Help me build a PC” and I thought maybe we could have a general thread about building/maintaining/upgrading PCs and the new tech that can affect all of that? People can ask questions. We can share our builds. Discuss prebuilts vs. DIY. Share pics of our home builds. Etc.
What do you all think?
I built my first computer when I was about 17, circa 1995. Ordered all the parts online, 2 of each because I was also building one for my godfather, and the UPS driver asked if I was starting a computer business haha. I was happy with the result, but it ended up being pretty expensive, probably because I had expensive taste in parts. Subsequently I’ve ordered custom prebuilt computers mostly. My most recent was an in house custom built from Microcenter I bought this summer after my last machine died.
I just got a Kamrui mini (about 6x6 inches) and I am very pleased with it. Drives 3 displays and my usb oscilloscope. I use an old 37" Sony TV for the primary display. Came with windows 11. I got a wireless mouse and keyboard on the same order.
I’m in the market for a new Windows desktop computer. I’ve noticed that virtually all the new ones advertised now have 8 GB of RAM. Is this the ‘standard’ these days? (My 2017 Dell desktop has 4 GB.)
For typical office work and web browsing, that’s about all you really need.
As a gamer and video editor that looks hilariously low to me, but I realize my needs are the ones that are crazy.
This sounds like a fun thread idea, keeping all the build ideas in one place seems like a good idea.
Way back in the 90s I built a number of computers for myself, friends and family. Starting using laptops because I stopped playing video games. However, back in 2016 I got the itch and built an Intel gaming machine, due to a comedy of errors, I ended up with an I7-4790K build with a 1070 GPU. It was a good machine to return to PC gaming with.
Since then I have built a Theseus’s Gaming Rig, starting with an AMD 3800, and a 2070 Super, upgrading to a 5800X, and a 4080. Along the way hybrid spinner drives were replaced with SSD, then NVME for the main drive.
I started with 16 GB RAM in the Intel machine, then upgrading to 32 GB with the first AMD build and am currently running 64 GB. Which is completely overkill, even for DCS, but I don’t have to worry about closing open YouTube tabs before playing anything. I still do, because old habits die hard, but I wouldn’t need to 
FWIW, my rig is named Peaches, after the nickname given by Amos to Clarissa Mao, because my computer, like Clarissa, is a stone-cold, technology enhanced, killing machine Also, we have a tradition of naming devices based on science fiction characters, AIs, ships, etc.
That seems low. I would expect 16GB. Windows takes up a lot of RAM. Newer machines are fast enough and without intense application you could get away with 8GB but that it hiding the symptoms. With older CPUs or with software that use up a lot of resources you’ll see it slow waaaaaay down.
Mine is Leucocephalus. Why? Because it is a Raptor Lake build and what raptor is more awesome than a bald eagle? The parts are in to upgrade Mrs Cad’s computer from a Haswell to an Alder Lake. Might change its name to Alnus.
8GB is probably “fine” for standard PC stuff. For gaming, you’d want 16GB+ these days. I go over 16GB fairly regularly now whereas, a couple years ago, very rarely hit that mark.
The bigger issue is that pre-built places will give you a single 8GB stick of RAM rather than two 4GB sticks and modern motherboards/CPUs are expecting to operate in “dual channel” mode where they access two sticks simultaneously. A single 8GB stick isn’t the same thing and will run slower but, to someone just looking at a spec list, 8GB sounds like 8GB.
My typical computer will have a 10 year old case, five year old motherboard, and a two or three year old graphics card. I upgrade parts as I need them. I don’t think I’ve purchased a desktop class complete computer since the 1990’s.
I have boxes full of those old components. Video cards, motherboards, hard drives, floppy drives, etc. I just took several old computer cases to the recycling center. I suspect I could build five or six working computers out of the parts I’ve taken out of my machines over the years.
My current machine is pretty good. AMD 7000 series processor, 32gb of RAM, GTX 980 video card, 2 TB Nvme drive, and a water cooling system. I desperately need a new graphics card, but I can’t afford to pay the price needed to upgrade to something like an RTX-4070 - they are still over a thousand bucks around here.
General note:
I would avoid water cooling for most PCs. Good air coolers in a good case with decent air flow can do almost as well for less money and less hassle.
If you NEED that extra cooling (overclocker or other reasons) you almost certainly know it. Most will be perfectly fine with an air cooler. (be sure to check and see that the cooler you want will suffice)
I’ve tried it and it was more expensive and hassle than it is worth. Went back to air cooling and have had zero problems.
That said, if the aesthetics of your build are important, water cooling can look really cool.
I was using exclusively laptops since like 2000, Macs until about 2010, then I switched to PC. I was buying high-end gaming machines that performed very well, if very hot. Then one day I realized my main laptop hadn’t actually moved more than a few feet in years, so what the hell did I need a laptop for?
So I went online and chose some parts, then went to a computer place I’ve been going to my whole life and had them order the parts and put it all together because I couldn’t be bothered. I went low-end on some components for budgetary reasons and just to get the thing built and running. That machine ran great for about 2 years then I shorted the motherboard somehow.
I got the short repaired and it worked fine for another few months before I started experiencing the same issues, but luckily I had come into a bit of money so I decided to just gut the thing and 80% start over. I kept the CPU (i7-11700), my storage drives, the case (Corsair Crystal 570X RGB), and the fans the case came with, and upgraded everything else.
Have 2x 1TB M.2 SSD drives and 2x 1TB SATA SSD drives installed inside the case, plus another 24TB worth of external drives hooked up to a powered USB hub. Loaded up the case with as many fans as I could fit into it. Got idling temps down to the mid-30sC from about 50-60C. I really have to push it to even get anything up to 60C.
I’m happy with it for now, but I’d love to have an LGA1700 socket. There’s an upgrade to be made on the LGA1200 socket from the i7-11700 but not enough to be worthwhile.
I’d say that was the best thing you did. It may not be noticeable but it’s a great upgrade (I am not sure why they even bother shipping CPUs with stock coolers anymore).
Thing is freakin’ humongous. It’s almost the only thing you notice if you looked inside my rig. 
I was planning to reuse the CoolerMaster Hyper212 to go from the 4th Gen to 12 Gen. I know Noctua makes a great air cooler but is it worth it to upgrade the Noctua? What do you all think?
Semi-recent (last year) testing from Gamers Nexus led to the conclusion that, although the Hyper212 was the go-to cheap & efficient cooler for years, it doesn’t stack up well against modern coolers. Especially if you’re using an old legacy cooler you’ve had for years versus the newer iterations.
That’s been true for 10 years now and it was never a good cooler. It was a better-than-stock cooler.
The current champ is the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120. That thing performs way above its price level.
That’s what I’m getting her
Noctua performance for 1/3 the price. Can’t really go wrong there.
Is there some kind of trade embargo with China going on as of a couple weeks ago? It’s really pissing me off that prices recently jumped.
I’ve been saving up for a 4070 for the past few months. I pretty much only care about noise, power draw and heat, in that order. My dream card was the MSI Gaming Trio but it is 370 mm long and my case only has 371 mm clearance. That’s just too close for comfort, so after watching this YouTube video comparing 46 different 4070s I got all excited for the Gigabyte Gaming OC. It’s comparable to the MSI Gaming Trio in terms of noise and heat but is only 300 mm long. Perfect!
The Gaming Trio was always around $650, but then jumped to over $700 months ago, so the Gigabyte Gaming OC for $600 was doubly attractive. While I was saving for the past few months the price dropped to $580, so I was practically salivating. Then a couple weeks ago it jumped up to $640 and has stayed there ever since. I have $540 saved, which means I can essentially buy it for $100 right now, no problem. But I’m pissed and feel like that’s a $60 rip-off.
So now I’m not sure what I’m going to do. And the game I’m currently playing was released in 1992 so it’s not like I would see any immediate difference anyway.
EDIT: My system is 1080p because that is my preference. But my EVGA 3050 XC Black runs more modern titles like RDR2 and God of War (and even Raft!) around 50 to 70 FPS with high settings. While that is fine and totally playable for me, I’d really rather max out my monitor with 144 FPS at ultra settings. I figure a 4070 has a fighting chance to get close to that. Alternative choices all draw way more power. With a 750 watt PSU, I can just drop a 4070 right in without a second thought, no changes needed.