# PC Gaming general discussion (Gaming PCs, game sales, news, etc...) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** video-games-e-games\ **Created:** [October 21, 2021, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885 "2021-10-21T07:39:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/101 "2021-11-06T14:20:22Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > OK, so what is it? I don’t remember the details. Lots of memory and two graphics cards. It’s an AMD chipset, I know that. The price was not jacked up by peripherals. It’s just the box. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2021, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/102 "2021-11-06T15:15:38Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Am I supposed to be able to get more than one perk when I take my first levelup? No, just one every level. Idiot Savant is best taken as early as possible. There’s a unique melee item you might want stashed away in Jamaica Plains. Just follow the quest that triggers when you start investigating corpses. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/103 "2021-11-09T02:11:05Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > I remembered last night that the 2 TB games drive I covet, which is now $240, was $330 when I bought my computer in January. That’s a pretty nice price drop so far. Less than a week later and it’s dropped another $24, now showing $215 in my [PCPartPicker list](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mGjvgt). That’s starting to get tempting, but I think I can hold out until it gets under $200. I just have to keep reminding myself what a massive PITA it will be to install. Is prying a cooler off a cpu difficult, and/or likely to cause damage? I’m very worried about it. Related question: Is re-applying thermal paste a thing you should do every couple years as a form of maintenance and upkeep? Or does it essentially last forever once applied? ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/104 "2021-11-09T02:46:28Z")
I have never re-applied thermal paste and I had a 2500k running for like 8 years. I did have to dial back my overclock at some point though as the temps did increase over time. So there’s a small benefit to it, but most people don’t have to worry about it, it won’t degrade much, and so it will only impact you if you’re squeezing every last bit out of the system. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2021, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/105 "2021-11-09T03:15:43Z")
I do it every couple years on average. If you’re not overclocking, you might never need to do it. I tend to run some heavy overclocks so I probably roast mine more. Also, if you never move your case then it probably lasts longer than someone who is putting the case on it’s side semi-regularly for other upgrades just in case the dried paste cracks from the movement. I figure it’s just a couple of minutes and I have several tubes of paste rolling around so even if it’s a small benefit, it’s also minor effort. You shouldn’t need to “pry” the cooler off the CPU unless something went very wrong. Unscrewing the block from the mount and mild pressure should be more than enough to remove the cooler from the CPU. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/106 "2021-11-11T06:37:17Z")
If you own PC Building Simulator (was free from Epic a few weeks back) they added a free expansion where you work in a business’s IT department. It plays about the same as the base game but, thankfully, the little bit I played didn’t include the onslaught of “Make my PC get a 3DMark score of 4173” requests which I always found tedious. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/107 "2021-11-11T15:56:48Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > “Make my PC get a 3DMark score of 4173” requests which I always found tedious. [Here’s a very helpful site for that.](https://jacobwklein.github.io/PC-Building-Simulator/HTML-Calculator/Current-Version/PC-Building-Simulator-HTML-Calculator.html) Be aware that it can arrive at numbers slightly higher than in the game so you might still need to do a bit of tweaking with the virtual PC. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/108 "2021-11-11T16:59:39Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > “Make my PC get a 3DMark score of 4173” requests which I always found tedious. I’ve come to just reject those jobs outright. I’ve got a blanket “we don’t do that here” store policy. Half the time they are asking for something that is either only possible with parts that won’t be available to you for a long time, or they are just literally impossible to achieve. The game updates fairly often so maybe that’s been addressed, but I’ve just gotten burned on those types of jobs too many times. Pain in the ass to do anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/109 "2021-11-11T17:22:43Z")
Microsoft is [dropping its “walled garden”](https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/11/22776024/microsoft-xbox-app-windows-folder-install-uwp-options) approach to game installs and going to make them more “Steam like” in user accessibility. > Microsoft will finally allow Windows users to install PC games from the Microsoft Store or Xbox Game Pass for PC to any folder of their choice with unrestricted access. The move will allow PC gamers to access the folders of games and mod them freely, or let Windows users move games freely to any folders or drives of their choice. > > Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell _The Verge_ that the changes are part of an Xbox app update for Windows that’s currently being tested internally. The Xbox app update will finally address a big pain point of installing games from Xbox Game Pass for PC, where players would run into issues with the Microsoft Store, the restricted WindowsApps folder, or just the inability to fully control where games were installed. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2021, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/110 "2021-11-11T22:26:21Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > > [@Jophiel](#): > > > > “Make my PC get a 3DMark score of 4173” requests which I always found tedious. > > I’ve come to just reject those jobs outright. That’s what I was doing, until I found the site linked in the post above yours. Utilizing that, I noticed that often only a video card or faster memory is needed. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/111 "2021-11-12T01:54:52Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Microsoft is [dropping its “walled garden”](https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/11/22776024/microsoft-xbox-app-windows-folder-install-uwp-options) approach to game installs and going to make them more “Steam like” in user accessibility. Nice! Thanks much for both the heads-up and the link. Good news. ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/112 "2021-11-12T05:41:03Z")
Battlefield 2042 early release drops tomorrow with hype access already given to streamers. Seems to be getting very good reviews so far. I was trying to remember if it was with posters here that we use to run with a squad on BF4, but it’s been so long I couldn’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/113 "2021-11-12T06:12:16Z")
Do real people actually want a machine above a particular score? That would make the game seem artificial to me. Why not the more realistic “needs to run X game at Y fps”? Sure, I know they can’t really include real games, but they could let you run “benchmarks” to check them. My best guess is that PCMark paid for in-game advertising. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/114 "2021-11-12T06:40:44Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Do real people actually want a machine above a particular score? No, that’s not a thing that happens. Even among enthusiast friends I have, you use 3DMark to get a relative idea of how much your upgrades/overclocking/tweaking helped (or hurt) but no one says “I want a score of 16,950”. The one exception would be people trying to break records but they’re obviously not sending their rigs to a PC repair shop for that. I also found those jobs cheesy and fake even for a PC building game. Plus you actually have to run Time Spy which I resent doing even on my real life PC much less on a pretend PC on my real PC. It doesn’t ruin the game for me but it is my least favorite part. Happily, it hasn’t come up in the IT expansion yet. You have the opportunity to side-hustle some PCs you make out of spare parts to some other guy and the value is based partially on 3DMark score but you don’t have to run it or hit a select score. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/115 "2021-11-12T15:11:21Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Sure, I know they can’t really include real games, but they could let you run “benchmarks” to check them. It actually does include real games. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/116 "2021-11-12T16:06:58Z")
What I meant is that they don’t let you actually play the real game inside the PC builder game to get the benchmarks. Surely they just simulate that part. At least, I presume they don’t. I guess in theory they could include some games (or at least their demos) for free, and simulate bottlenecks on them. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2021, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/117 "2021-11-12T16:30:21Z")
Yeah, it includes NAMES of real games (and some fakey ones) as files you can install or look up on a system requirement database but you can’t actually fire up the Rise of the Tomb Raider in-game benchmark run. Which is what 95% of PC users care about more than an abstract 3DMark score anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/118 "2021-11-13T07:15:30Z")
I’ve been playing Forza Horizon 5 a bit. Anyone interested in a Horizon 5 SDMB car club like we had in previous versions? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/119 "2021-11-13T13:26:46Z")
I’m interested in this game(I have a PC). It’s…an open world racing game? What the heck do you do? I guess enter races and stuff? ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885/120 "2021-11-13T15:42:19Z")
I would be interested but I’m far too cheap. Maybe when it goes on a deep discount. > [@BigT](#): > > What I meant is that they don’t let you actually play the real game inside the PC builder game to get the benchmarks. Surely they just simulate that part. Any real benchmark of an actual game would only benchmark your actual machine, not the in-game machine the game wants you to benchmark. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-gaming-general-discussion-gaming-pcs-game-sales-news-etc/952885.md?page=7)