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Random Hardware topics
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Colif
On a Journey
Since i replaced my front fans, there is a trade off. They are quieter but they don't run as fast. So even though its -5c outside, my CPU cores aren't as low now as they were a few weeks back. I can''t hear them now so that is the upside.
Another upside to them is unlike my last fans, they have a zero rpm mode so in theory I could just have them turn off if PC got really cold, but its more useful to be able to run them slower. Last fans minimum speed was 350 and they really didn't like any speed over 400. Kind of pointless.
I have matched my two bottom fans to the PCH since its actually the hottest thing in my PC at the moment - apart from CPU but its got the attention of my front fans and the cooler.
PCH is right over their location and conveniently, so is my GPU and nvme. So it keeps those parts cool
PC not exactly hot right now.
So I have a winter profile set up, I can't hear the PC... need to wait 6 months to make a summer one now.
Another upside to them is unlike my last fans, they have a zero rpm mode so in theory I could just have them turn off if PC got really cold, but its more useful to be able to run them slower. Last fans minimum speed was 350 and they really didn't like any speed over 400. Kind of pointless.
I have matched my two bottom fans to the PCH since its actually the hottest thing in my PC at the moment - apart from CPU but its got the attention of my front fans and the cooler.
PCH is right over their location and conveniently, so is my GPU and nvme. So it keeps those parts cool
PC not exactly hot right now.
So I have a winter profile set up, I can't hear the PC... need to wait 6 months to make a summer one now.
Colif
On a Journey
So two weeks ago I swapped the front intake fans but not the bottom ones, as the bottom ones were fine. Fast forward two weeks and now one of the bottom intakes is starting to be loud at most volumes, so I swap the two bottom ones as well.
I knew from reading reports that there was a chance that the fans in my case would be bad, but 3 out of 6 is a pretty bad hit rate. I totally understand why there is a Noctua version of my case now, as the fans are the weakest point.
Apart from being quieter than the stock fans, the two new be quiet fans can also spin down to zero rpm so I could set them to be off completely at certain temps. That and they won't complain about running near their minimums. They probably not really necessary at lower temps.
Only other change I plan for PC after that is maybe custom cables.
I knew from reading reports that there was a chance that the fans in my case would be bad, but 3 out of 6 is a pretty bad hit rate. I totally understand why there is a Noctua version of my case now, as the fans are the weakest point.
Apart from being quieter than the stock fans, the two new be quiet fans can also spin down to zero rpm so I could set them to be off completely at certain temps. That and they won't complain about running near their minimums. They probably not really necessary at lower temps.
Only other change I plan for PC after that is maybe custom cables.
Zed Clampet
Community Contributor
Wow, that's amazing. I think I know what my next laptop will be.
Colif
On a Journey
Alienware Command Centre tried to install again today. So I looked into it and found my friend had attached his Alienware monitor to PC when we were building it and the PC still had its drivers onboard. That was enough for windows to offer program. I removed device from control panel.
I can't afford the triple lobotomy I would need to buy Dell hardware. Their monitors are good but they don't make the panels.
I can't afford the triple lobotomy I would need to buy Dell hardware. Their monitors are good but they don't make the panels.
Do you guys know of any way to improve an M2 SSD performance that is DRAM-less? My main drive is that way, and it wasn't until after I installed Windows to it that I noticed it's limitations. It's been since September 2023 since I've done a reinstall of Windows, so since then I've just kind of dealt with it. The main issue is it cannot handle large file download/transfers, it's cache gets filled up and drive performance slows to an absolute crawl.
I've been wanting to get a new SSD for installing Win 11 to it, but I can't justify the prices on the specific kind of drive I want. I have more than enough storage, just a single drive with bad write performance. Games on that drive actually run perfectly, so at the bottom of it all, only downloading large games to it is an issue, but it is a big issue. I want a specifically 2TB DRAM 3D NAND drive with fast speeds and the cheapest one with a high TBW was about $140. Would be a good investment for long term, but decided against it for now.
Is there a way to maybe limit it's speed, increase cache size, use RAM as cache, anything like that to fix this issue?
I've been wanting to get a new SSD for installing Win 11 to it, but I can't justify the prices on the specific kind of drive I want. I have more than enough storage, just a single drive with bad write performance. Games on that drive actually run perfectly, so at the bottom of it all, only downloading large games to it is an issue, but it is a big issue. I want a specifically 2TB DRAM 3D NAND drive with fast speeds and the cheapest one with a high TBW was about $140. Would be a good investment for long term, but decided against it for now.
Is there a way to maybe limit it's speed, increase cache size, use RAM as cache, anything like that to fix this issue?
Colif
On a Journey
Hidden downside to its price I guess. it could be its got an slc cache of about 26gb and then it slows down to 615mb/s if its similar to this one. https://www.techpowerup.com/ssd-specs/western-digital-sn570-1-tb.d467 which is also dramless
Two choices:
I would also create a system restore point
type "restore" then open "create a restore point"
create a new Restore Point now for C-drive
Here's how to increase the HMB size:
Open Registry Editor: Press the Windows key, type "regedit", and press Enter.
Navigate to the key: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorPort.
Create or modify the DWORD value:
If the HMBAllocationPolicy key doesn't exist, right-click on StorPort, select "New", then "DWORD (32-bit) Value", and name it HMBAllocationPolicy.
Right-click on HMBAllocationPolicy, select "Modify", and enter the desired value.
Valid Values:
0: Disables HMB.
1: Sets HMB to the minimum size specified by the SSD firmware.
2: Sets HMB to the maximum size, potentially up to 1GB or 1/16th of system RAM.
3: Enables device-based usage, allowing the SSD to manage its own HMB allocation.
Restart your computer: Changes to the registry require a restart to take effect.
above is from Google AI
HMB already uses ram as cache
How full is the drive?
mine need to find a purpose
seems the cache size of my 4tb model is approx 442gb
Two choices:
- buy more ram as it seems the cache is 1/16th of your ram size at its maximum size. No idea what yours is
- You can (possibly) make it bigger - depends on its current size
link
I would also create a system restore point
type "restore" then open "create a restore point"
create a new Restore Point now for C-drive
Here's how to increase the HMB size:
Open Registry Editor: Press the Windows key, type "regedit", and press Enter.
Navigate to the key: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorPort.
Create or modify the DWORD value:
If the HMBAllocationPolicy key doesn't exist, right-click on StorPort, select "New", then "DWORD (32-bit) Value", and name it HMBAllocationPolicy.
Right-click on HMBAllocationPolicy, select "Modify", and enter the desired value.
Valid Values:
0: Disables HMB.
1: Sets HMB to the minimum size specified by the SSD firmware.
2: Sets HMB to the maximum size, potentially up to 1GB or 1/16th of system RAM.
3: Enables device-based usage, allowing the SSD to manage its own HMB allocation.
Restart your computer: Changes to the registry require a restart to take effect.
above is from Google AI
HMB already uses ram as cache
How full is the drive?
mine need to find a purpose
seems the cache size of my 4tb model is approx 442gb
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Definitely so. I'll try your suggestions next time I get the chance.
Again, the main issue is just downloading large files to it. Running games and programs/OS on it works just fine, it's read speed hits the maximum 3500MB/s.
I've heard more recently released DRAM-less SSDs have improved this dramatically. I guess I just got an older/weaker drive.
Not full at all, less than half of its 1TB capacity.
The HDMI 2.2 specification supports 16K video at 60Hz
Is there such a thing as too much resolution?
www.theverge.com
$249 for a RTX 5050 vs $299 for the 5060??? When prices stabilize closer to MSRP, who is buying the desktop version of the 5050?? Literally who is this for, I am struggling to find out. It makes more sense for budget laptops, not budget PCs.
Colif
On a Journey
it can depend on which version of each is on the cards
I don't think many have HDMI 2.2 yet as it only came out in 2025
Display port was a better choice until 2.2 came out. Probably why most cards have 3 of them.
judging by release dates, might be due for a new DP version soon.
hdmi doesn't seem to always work with VRR on Nvidia cards.
HDMI vs. DisplayPort: Which One Should You Use With Your Monitor?
When comparing HDMI vs. DisplayPort, you'll notice that most multimedia devices only have HDMI ports. Computers and monitors tend to have both ports.
www.rtings.com
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Zed Clampet
Community Contributor
Tomorrow I'm going to experiment with my fans. My wife fell asleep in the living room (where I have my computer), and I was doing something and my fans turned off for just a second, and she woke up and said, "What just happened?" 🤣
I haven't really messed with it in Fan Control because I can't hear the fans thanks to ANC on my headphones.
I haven't really messed with it in Fan Control because I can't hear the fans thanks to ANC on my headphones.
Zed Clampet
Community Contributor
Okay, I got the fans sorted finally.
I'm glad my living room is a bit loud, we have fans and AC running all day so I can crank my PC fans up really high and keep temps down, especially since it's starting to get really hot outside.
Colif
On a Journey
no one... better deals 2nd hand
My fans are mostly silent, its why I can hear when one plays up. Its been okay the last two days.
Zed Clampet
Community Contributor
Oh, I just adjusted the fan curve so that under normal load you can't hear the fans. If things start to get hot, the fans kick in.
Colif
On a Journey
Once I swap out the two bottom fans I will set up a curve for them so that they only really run fast if some parts of the PC are at a high temp. Most of the other fans are set up to track the CPU temps.
I thought I had a sensor under the GPU socket but on inspection its actually under my 2nd nvme - I guess knowing the temps of an area where 3 nvme could be, makes sense.
Since its not on the GPU, I probably match the bottom two fans to either the VRM temp which is what they on now, or rear of case under GPU. I may set them up to only come on if temps rise, I have that choice now new fans have a zero rpm mode. I will have to experiment to see what temps are like without them on all the time.
Right now, I doubt I would miss them too much as nothing in PC is above 35c, Every time I think I won't go below certain temps on the CPU, I am proven wrong.
I thought I had a sensor under the GPU socket but on inspection its actually under my 2nd nvme - I guess knowing the temps of an area where 3 nvme could be, makes sense.
Since its not on the GPU, I probably match the bottom two fans to either the VRM temp which is what they on now, or rear of case under GPU. I may set them up to only come on if temps rise, I have that choice now new fans have a zero rpm mode. I will have to experiment to see what temps are like without them on all the time.
Right now, I doubt I would miss them too much as nothing in PC is above 35c, Every time I think I won't go below certain temps on the CPU, I am proven wrong.
I think mine idle around 50% usage at all times, even at low temps, and crank up as temps rise. I know that's not great practice, but I've never had a fan die on me, and with the living room AC going I can't ever hear it. One aspect of PC gaming that I never paid much attention to is noise levels since all my life I have at least a floor fan running all year long. I suppose white noise is more preferable than silence to me.
Colif
On a Journey
All of mine are different as they all different sizes.
The air coolers minimum speed is 20% but it rarely idles at that unless its freezing outside. Its normally between there and 27%
The front 140mm fans run at 30% minimum but normally between there and 36%. Run them too fast and I start to hear wind noises. 140mm fans don't need to run fast to do their jobs.
The bottom two 120mm fans are both on 20% speed but they are both being replaced so that might increase again, once I have fans that aren't noisy.
Ask me in 6 months when its not at the coldest time of the year.
Most days the only noise in my room is from any video I happen to be watching. I don't listen to music on PC any more... much to Youtubes disappointment.
The air coolers minimum speed is 20% but it rarely idles at that unless its freezing outside. Its normally between there and 27%
The front 140mm fans run at 30% minimum but normally between there and 36%. Run them too fast and I start to hear wind noises. 140mm fans don't need to run fast to do their jobs.
The bottom two 120mm fans are both on 20% speed but they are both being replaced so that might increase again, once I have fans that aren't noisy.
Ask me in 6 months when its not at the coldest time of the year.
Most days the only noise in my room is from any video I happen to be watching. I don't listen to music on PC any more... much to Youtubes disappointment.
Zed Clampet
Community Contributor
From my experience of house fans all the time, it's probably better to let them always run than to have them turning off and on again.
Zed Clampet
Community Contributor
The temps that Fan Control gives me seem to be wrong. Just sitting here on the forums with nothing else running, it thinks my CPU temp is 73. Meanwhile, Afterburner is giving me 32 degrees.
If I go into open-world game V-Rising (I have my FPS locked to my monitor refresh rate of 120, so my components aren't working at 100 percent), Fan Control shows my CPU temps dropping to 55 while MSi Afterburner shows them rising, as expected, to the low to mid 40s.`
If I go into open-world game V-Rising (I have my FPS locked to my monitor refresh rate of 120, so my components aren't working at 100 percent), Fan Control shows my CPU temps dropping to 55 while MSi Afterburner shows them rising, as expected, to the low to mid 40s.`
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