Random Hardware topics

[neogunhero]

Cant find any reviews for that one either, but again its really cheap. VA panel this time so wont be as fast but probably better than your TV anyway.

I dont know man, I dont keep up with all the new releases I just read reviews of some stuff occasionally when Im dreaming. User reviews of the Asrock also seem fine. Sorry Im not all that much help.

Nah man don't apologize, I'm the exact same way. Just dreaming of a new screen now, whenever I get serious about picking one up I'll do more research. I like to keep my stuff for a long time so I'd hate to spend a lot on a screen that will die on me in a few years. The black friday deals are just tugging at my wallet though.

I used to have a 32 inch, 1080p, 75hz curved Philips monitor just a few years ago. Back then that was a huge upgrade to me. I broke it on a move, stacked it on top of some boxes and carried it up three flights of stairs, I must have placed too much pressure on the screen and it had a huge black inky splotch on it after. Since then I switched to a spare TV I had laying around and that's what I've been using ever since lmao. Anything would be better for me at this point

 

[Colif]

only ones I find are on Reddit and when one was shown as the cheapest monitor in the country they were in. it doesn't scream quality to me. But that is just me... I wouldn't get it as likely has unmentioned weaknesses.

there are too many monitor options...
It might be like MSI where they have 147 monitors listed on website, different colors and different stands... same panels. Too much choice, no reviews as where do you start?

There must be a better way. Having different model numbers for Black or White monitors makes sense when you only make a few... same maybe for the different stands but not when you make lots of them. Too much choice. Need an effective search screen on the website so it filters them.

Don't cheap out on monitors... you likely be using it for a few years. Why not pay more for one you enjoy using? Its like keyboards and mice to me, pay a little more and get a nice one that will last 10 or so years and you get moneys worth.

mine is about 5 years old. table space is what stops me seriously looking for another one as I don't have enough for two monitors and there isn't anything wrong with my current one. Maybe I buy one when I get my next PC... 5 years time.

 

[neogunhero]

I wouldn't get it as likely has unmentioned weaknesses.

Very true. KTC seems to be a relatively newer brand. I've seen a handful of reviews of their monitors online (TechPowerUp among the reputable sources), but they're for totally different monitors. The ones I'm looking at in particular seem to be new, and online user reviews tend to review the item after only a short time, typically not going back to edit their review if something bad happened.

there are too many monitor options...
It might be like MSI where they have 147 monitors listed on website, different colors and different stands... same panels. Too much choice, no reviews as where do you start?

Another problem with buying monitors online, each manufacturer seems to have hundreds of different models to choose from. How is that even financially viable to have to make so many different plastic shrouds, panels, lights, everything?? Probably don't make much of each model I'm sure. Some brands will have multiple of the same spec'ed monitor, 1440p 120hz 27inch, but they come in different colors, shapes and sizes of shroud, various arrays of ports, it's bizarre.

You only tend to see the most popular monitors get reviewed. On the other hand, there could be lesser-known, lesser reviewed monitors with great performance still.

Don't cheap out on monitors... you likely be using it for a few years. Why not pay more for one you enjoy using? Its like keyboards and mice to me, pay a little more and get a nice one that will last 10 or so years and you get moneys worth.

I completely agree with this as well. I'm the same way about my mouse and keyboard, paid a good amount for them back when they were both new and I've been using them for at least 5-6 years each. Razer DeathAdder v2 for the mouse and Corsair K95 RGB Platinum for the keyboard. Mouse is getting scuffed up and starting to make me consider replacing it, but 5 years of use is a great value to me.

I guess I'm only looking at budget monitors because for one, it's more realistic to my budget, and two, seriously anything would be better than what I'm using now. While that may be the case and I could dish out $90 for this 1080p 100hz LG monitor and I'm seeing on Walmart and be contempt, it would be the smarter to invest in something that will be better for longer.

I just spent a wad of cash on Christmas gifts and not even done yet, so it's looking like next year is when I'll get around to looking seriously.

 

[Colif]

How is that even financially viable to have to make so many different plastic shrouds, panels, lights, everything??

choice. Throwing things at walls and seeing what sticks. The Samsung model... tons of variety, something for everyone. Be the next big thing....

colours and stands should be options on one model, on the customer facing website. You can have many different model numbers on back end but make it simple for customer to just pick from a basic model which they can set options for. Different stands shouldn't mean more choices on initial search.

seriously anything would be better than what I'm using now.

some times its better to leap over some steps and buy best. Save up and like that mouse it will last longer

Paying more doesn't always work. Some times the item still breaks... but I refuse to buy cheap. Unless its a special. I haven't looked recently as I have been distracted... looks at foot

 

[Colif]

I had a mystery, at certain angles I can see a blue light on my ram... i couldn't work it out as the rgb on them is gold and if I moved my head it would be solid gold with no sign of blue...
Answer is its the led on my Air cooler reflecting on the sides of the chrome heat spreaders on my ram. Ram is a fingerprint magnet, I forget its chromed as well.
I can't change colour on air cooler light or turn it off. I can make it duller but its the indicator for what mode the fans are in and it being summer its best to let them run faster.
I assume its light is actually pointing back towards motherboard or its just bleed. It doesn't show on the inner side of the air cooler. only one side... the outer.

Its obvious what it is from the photo - it looks more green from a distance but that could be colours merging

I can also see the same light reflecting off motherboard components at a different angle.

 

[Colif]

for it being summer, my PC still running pretty cool. If I could walk I would clean its fans but provided I run the cpu cooler fans slower, I can't really hear the PC - I do hear it in performance mode but that is nature of beast so the fans may not be that dirty... it might just be normal. I only run them in that in games in summer... so far

• 31c on cores is not that far off the winter temps
• 43c on package, still lower than last PC
• 42c on nvme is still pretty good
• 38c on GPU without its fans ever spinning in PC is pretty good too.

that is at idle, Slormancer hardly stresses PC out so still to play a hard to run game.

Fans not really running fast, no need with 140mm and the other 2 120mm running about the slowest they can

this is why I would never buy a PC from this store.

I only use them to buy peripherals and even then if I can't find them elsewhere. Most of the things they sell are over priced,
Its sad that the store only stocks Intel as its not a good choice for gaming... labelling these gaming PC is one way to sell them...
MSI AI Gaming - throw in all the buzz words
the case has no fans apart from CPU and GPU ones, and they are used as intake and exhausts.

Cleaned CPU Cooler and intake fans today and yet temps haven't really changed. Its easy to tell if CPU Cooler is dusty, its front starts to turn grey. Intake fans were a little dusty and the intake on side of case needed a clean as well.

 

[Colif]

This

Nvidia plans heavy cuts to GPU supply in early 2026 - OC3D

Nvidia reportedly plans to axe as much as 40% of its GeForce RTX 50 series GPU production in early 2026. Why? Memory costs...

overclock3d.net

Leads me to look at

XFX Mercury AMD Radeon RX 9070XT OC White Magnetic Air Edition with RGB

RX-97TMARGW9

www.xfxforce.com

I let you know if it goes past looking

I got one of those on special for $895 when its normally 1400

https://www.techspot.com/review/3015-amd-radeon-9070-xt-roundup/

also performs well

Funny how Nvidia plans made me buy an AMD GPU but there you go.

2 things about my link...
1. glad I didn't buy it at all at once. I can't afford it lol
2. I can't believe my ram is now worth $700, I know I didn't pay that

https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/xxG63w

I paid $273 in May

 

[neogunhero]

I got one of those on special for $895 when its normally 1400

I've been very happy with the XFX Mercury version of my 9060 XT. When I bought mine, it was on sale for the same price as the Swift version, but according to the XFX website, the Mercury version is designed for better airflow and has a larger heatsink.

It really shows. It's winter here, currently hovering around 30-50F here throughout the day, and my GPU doesn't go above 45c in most games I play. We do keep it slightly chilly in the house so ambient temps play a role. Granted I don't have the best case for airflow, it's a pretty basic old-school style black case with metal mesh panels, it's still a lot better than my old card.

 

[Colif]

coincidence then

The Mercury 9070 XT has one ace up its sleeve compared to the 9060, it has a vapour chamber that means it runs cooler as well as being faster than the standard 9070 from XFX

I got it as @anort3 had just bought one so I went looking, and found the Magnetic Air version in white. Exactly the color I wanted

My GPU hovers around 45c now, in summer. When PC is idling... normally in winter its 10c cooler
That is without its fans running. Well, on card anyway... case has 2 mounted under GPU so I don't know if its fans ever run apart from at start up. They were matched to the PCIe 16 slot, but I moved them to CPU now... all it means is they run faster and try to keep CPU cooler. But as they under GPU it gets the benefit.
Really, all my fans now monitor CPU so I might just swap them back... pc is quieter that way too.

so your card being around same in a not ideal case makes me think I might get a reduction too.

I don't have benefit of A/C though. But everything else is in my favour

edit: changed link for my new GPU in previous post as I had wrong one listed. They make one with Mag lev fans and one with normal. Its so confusing I had to check which one I ordered a few times, to be sure.

 

[neogunhero]

The Mercury 9070 XT has one ace up its sleeve compared to the 9060, it has a vapour chamber that means it runs cooler as well as being faster than the standard 9070

It's massive. I'm not sure how big your current card is, but when I unboxed the 9060 XT it surprised me. The old RTX 2060 I had was only dual fan, this one is triple but I think the fans themselves are also a bit larger. It's a great looking card. The magnetic fans is very interesting. It should make cleaning dust much easier, as well and cleaning beneath where the fans sit.

I bet you'll definitely see a reduction in temps. XFX did an amazing job with the cooling on this card, I'm seriously impressed. I think the 9070 XT has an even better cooling solution than the 9060 XT.

This is my current fan curve. 0% at 0c, 100% at 100c.

This is about how I had the curve set when I had the RTX 2060.

That card would get to 70c + easily. I cleaned it regularly, replaced thermal pads and thermal paste with high end Arctic ones, and still it ran hot. When Skate was in closed playtest, I think it was hitting close to 80c constantly.

I don't hear my PC, it sits in the living room and we have fans and the heater running so there is lots of ambient noises. Laundry room rumbles, hearing cars drive outside, pets walking around, it's never quiet enough for me to care about noise. Because of that I had no problem running the fans that fast on the old card. Now with this new card, I'm keeping them low because for it still stays very cool. Playing Arc Raiders at almost full maximum settings 1080p 60fps, it barely goes above 40c.

This is after playing Oblivion Remastered for about 30 minutes, perhaps the most demanding game I own. Almost maximum settings, 1080p 60fps. Mostly ran around outside in the open world, often the most demanding areas of the game. Inside the house it's maybe about 70F/21C.

 

[Colif]

Your card:
Card Dimension (cm) 32 x 12.7 x 5.3

XFX Mercury AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT OC Gaming Edition 16GB

RX-96TMERCB9

www.xfxforce.com

Mine:
Card Dimension (cm) 36 x 15.5 x 7.2

XFX Mercury AMD Radeon RX 9070XT OC White Magnetic Air Edition with RGB

RX-97TMARGW9

www.xfxforce.com

Mine not that much bigger, your cooling is op for the card. Looks like they use same set up on a lot of their cards, I think the fans are 100mm,

you know, looking at the specs of both, I have to wonder... did you get better card:
Game clock: 2780
Boosts up to 3320

Mine:
Game clock: 2570
Boosts up to 3100

both have same amount of ram and same speed ram

clearly more to it than that...
apart from

• the magnetic fans that are easily removable
• Vapour chamber
• RGB (that is it, it distracts me with lights)

the big difference is in the render config area

XFX Mercury RX 9060 XT OC 16 GB Specs

AMD Navi 44, 3320 MHz, 2048 Cores, 128 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 16384 MB GDDR6, 2518 MHz, 128 bit

www.techpowerup.com

XFX Mercury RX 9070 XT OC Gaming Edition Specs

AMD Navi 48, 3100 MHz, 4096 Cores, 256 TMUs, 128 ROPs, 16384 MB GDDR6, 2518 MHz, 256 bit

www.techpowerup.com

2 9060 XT = 1 9070 XT ( not exactly, my card only has 24 million more transistors which isn't exactly half. )
so speed difference isn't exactly as obvious as it first looks

Your card is also cheaper which does help too. And a nice improvement on a 2060.
mine isn't that much of a jump from my last card, in some ways (memory) its backwards). RT is better from what I hear.