Random Hardware topics

[Colif]

People always think they can get a good deal.
Buy 5090 for $2k, who cares if it doesn't have a core or any ram.

The 4090 with no core/ram are meant to be for spare parts, I wonder if these are the same.

 

[Colif]

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.

 

[Colif]

mines real or I wouldn't be typing this now

 

[Colif]

Maybe if they were all like this I would have 1 less reason to avoid them

 

[Colif]

I didn't expect to be able to watch the complete assembly of my air cooler
I also didn't realise the two towers on my heatsink weren't the same size

 

[Colif]

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.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Maybe if they were all like this I would have 1 less reason to avoid them

Wow, that's amazing. I think I know what my next laptop will be.

 

[Colif]

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.

 

[neogunhero]

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?

 

[Colif]

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:

1. buy more ram as it seems the cache is 1/16th of your ram size at its maximum size. No idea what yours is
2. You can (possibly) make it bigger - depends on its current size

before you make it bigger, back up the registry first

To do a backup of the registry, press Windows key + R and then on the run box type in there regedit and press Enter or hit OK and when the Registry Editor opens click File > Export > Select the location of the registry save file > click Save
and to restore it from your saved registry file, locate the file that you have saved and then right click on it and click Merge and a confirmation message will appear and then click Yes and this should restore the registry
and another way to do it is via the Registry Editor and then go to File > Import and locate the file that you have saved and click Open to restore it from there.

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

 

[neogunhero]

Hidden downside to its price I guess.

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.

 

[Colif]

how full is the drive? SSD will slow down if you don't have say 10% empty space.

 

[neogunhero]

how full is the drive? SSD will slow down if you don't have say 10% empty space.

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

Why do all new GPUs come with 1 HDMI, 3 DisplayPort ports? HDMI seems to be the leading champ over DP, but then again I'm not very well versed on what the main differences between each is. I've been seeing people online making memes dissing DP in favor of HDMI.

 

[neogunhero]

https://www.pcmag.com/opinions/nvidia-geforce-rtx-5050-dominating-budget-graphics-card-market

$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]

Why do all new GPUs come with 1 HDMI, 3 DisplayPort ports? HDMI seems to be the leading champ over DP, but then again I'm not very well versed on what the main differences between each is. I've been seeing people online making memes dissing DP in favor of HDMI.

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?

HDMI and DisplayPort are two of the most common media interfaces with TVs and monitors. But when comparing HDMI vs DisplayPort, there's no clear winner.

www.rtings.com

https://www.anker.com/blogs/hubs-and-docks/usb-c-vs-hdmi

 

[Zed Clampet]

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.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Okay, I got the fans sorted finally.

 

[neogunhero]

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'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]

Literally who is this for, I am struggling to find out. It makes more sense for budget laptops, not budget PCs.

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]

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.

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]

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.

 

[neogunhero]

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.

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.