Simple Questions - October 12, 2025
Posted by AutoModerator@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 54 comments
This thread is for simple questions that don't warrant their own thread (although we strongly suggest checking the sidebar and the wiki before posting!). Please don't post involved questions that are better suited to a [Build Help], [Build Ready] or [Build Complete] post.
Examples of questions suitable for here:
- Is this RAM compatible with my motherboard?
- I'm thinking of getting a ≤$300 graphics card. Which one should I get?
- I'm on a very tight budget and I'm looking for a case ≤$50
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selticidae@reddit
I think I need to upgrade my CPU from a Intel-i7-14700F to something stronger, because I'm trying to edit videos in Premiere and it's not happy with me. My motherboard is an ASUS PRIME B760M-A AX6 II. Any suggestions?
No_Spare1827@reddit
I hate to say this but that motherboard is choking ur 14700F. That is a more thwn capable CPU but the motherboard lacks the proper power delivery for it and the proper cooling for it.
Even the a F skew of the 14700 consumes a fair amount of power, and this is all assuming u have an appropriate cooler as well
selticidae@reddit
Is it possible to replace a motherboard? If so, what would you recommend?
No_Spare1827@reddit
yes it is, and it depends on where u are in the world
selticidae@reddit
I’m in the Midwest USA, if it matters the base PC is an iBUYPOWER Y40 Gaming Desktop PC that I’m more than willing to customize to improve. It came with an Intel Core i7 14700F, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060Ti 16GB, 32GB DDR5 RAM, and 2TB NVMe. This is my first PC as well as my first customization so I’m not sure if you need any more info.
No_Spare1827@reddit
Ok, what part of the process does ur pc seem to struggle with?
WulfTheSaxon@reddit
Have a look at the rankings here: https://www.pugetsystems.com/solutions/video-editing-workstations/adobe-premiere-pro/hardware-recommendations/
You can also run PugetBench yourself to compare your score.
TehEpicGuy101@reddit
The only real option left without swapping motherboards would be an I9 -14900 (or one of its variants).
Subject_Pumpkin_9181@reddit
Guys what gpu should I upgrade to my current gpu is gtx 1660 super paired with a i5-9400f and I've got a p550 gigabyte 16gb ram
TemptedTemplar@reddit
Does your power supply have a single 8-pin (6+2) cable or two? The website isn't very helpful.
Newer GPUs require enough power to where you can no longer use a single cable with multiple heads to power something that has two connectors. You need a individual cable per connection on the GPU.
If you only have one you would limited to a 5060ti or 9060xt as your most powerful option.
If you have two cables you could bump that up to a 5070. But that's as power as you could get without updating other components.
Subject_Pumpkin_9181@reddit
It looks like it's only 8 pin connector and my mob is H310M
TemptedTemplar@reddit
Motherboard doesn't matter. PCIe slots are all backwards and forwards compatible.
The only thing you need to worry about is power and case interior size.
A 5060ti or 9060xt (the 16GB models only), would be a great fit and leave some performance on the table in some games where your CPU might be the issue.
Subject_Pumpkin_9181@reddit
So I should just buy a new cpu for now and then the gpu?
TemptedTemplar@reddit
GPU first, unless you want to shoot for a higher performance bracket with a new PC.
That 1660 super is likely hindering you now, it's just that a new GPU is going to leap frog the little performance your CPU has left in it.
There's nothing on the LGA 1151-V3 socket worth purchasing for an upgrade. Replacing the CPU will require replacing the RAM and Motherboard as well. 9th Gen CPUs are a crazy expensive and pretty awful performance wise.
Subject_Pumpkin_9181@reddit
Maybe you can suggest what to upgrade and should I tell you my specific mob and my budget would be 200 over
dirkdigglered@reddit
I believe I'm overdue for a CPU and MOBO upgrade. Wondering how to go about my decision for both, or if anyone has recommendations of where to start, what to look for etc.
CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-H170-GAMING 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory: 3x8 DDR4
GPU: GeForce GTX 1070 8gb -- (could use a GPU upgrade too but I like to think I won't be hindered if I'm okay with low settings for now?)
WulfTheSaxon@reddit
If that isn’t a typo, you might actually be better off taking one of those out so it’s symmetrical.
The general recommendation for the lower half or so of gaming rigs lately, excluding the very bargain basement tier, is an AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (6 cores) or 9600X (same but maybe 10% faster), a B650 or B850 motherboard (the latter of which is just B650 with mandatory USB4) unless you know you need more ports, and 32GB of DDR5-6000 or better. The main upgrade option from there is the same but with a 7800X3D, although there are some options in between as well.
It’s worth using the opportunity to get an NVMe SSD (likely PCIe 4.0) if you don’t already have one.
Do be aware that the 10-series is losing Game Ready driver updates this month, although security updates will continue until October 2026 for Windows 10 and October 2028 for Windows 11.
dirkdigglered@reddit
Thanks for the info!
After doing a bit of reading, I can see how 3x8 RAM doesn't make sense lol. My system info says I have 24 GB available, 16 installed so I guess that's what I have.
Regarding CPUs - is there going to be much of a difference between the ones you listed and other CPUs with more or less similar specs? A lot of those you listed aren't quite compatible with the memory I have, even if I get rid of two of them (definitely taking at least one of them out of course).
WulfTheSaxon@reddit
None of the latest CPUs are still compatible with DDR4 – RAM manufacturers are ending production of it this year. You’d have to go with the AM4 platform or Intel’s LGA 1700, both of which are dead platforms that won’t be getting any new noteworthy CPU releases, so you won’t have any upgrade path in the future without a new motherboard. The good news is, DDR5 prices have come down quite a bit – it’s normally ~$90 for a nice 32GB kit (e.g. 6000 MHz CL30, ≤1.35V), although prices are inflated a bit right now, possibly so that stores can make their Black Friday sales seem better.
Fall3n_Arcade@reddit
One of the main selling points for B850 motherboards are Wi-Fi 7 and 5GB LAN. Will gamers really benefit from this or is Wi-Fi 6E and 2.5GB fine?
WulfTheSaxon@reddit
No, not least because nobody should be using Wi-Fi for a desktop. Assuming your Internet service is (and will be for the life the board) 1 Gbps or less, there’s absolutely no advantage to a 5 Gbps LAN except for large file transfers between devices in your home.
Aleksanterinleivos@reddit
You benefit from it if you have the connection and router hardware to benefit from it.
Fall3n_Arcade@reddit
And if I do, will my internet/ping be better in multiplayer games and such?
TemptedTemplar@reddit
Faster speeds on your home network will not magically improve your ISP's service unfortunately.
If you aren't getting 2.5 -5 Gpbs delivered to your house, then the newer motherboard won't make a difference.
But if you have a home media server or move files between PCs regularly, that could be done faster.
Protonion@reddit
If you're using a wired connection then for gaming there's zero difference between a 20 year old network card and a fancy 5GB one from today.
If you're using WiFi then you might get a bit more stable connection with a bit lower ping, but if you cared about those enough to notice it, you wouldn't be using wireless in the first place.
Aleksanterinleivos@reddit
Speed doesnt really matter for games as long as it's enough, like you won't see enemies faster than they see you if you get a faster connection.
Lower latency is better, but that depends on what you're comparing. You can probably notice the difference between 100 ms and 10 ms ping. But dropping that down to 5 then won't really make any difference.
Jumpy-Seesaw9621@reddit
How do I check if new motherboard is gonna fit my pc case?,I got a IBuyPower tracer mr4 and I’m buying a ASUS Prime Z390-P LGA1151 (Intel 8th and 9th Gen) ATX
Protonion@reddit
Thankfully motherboard compatibility is one of the easiest things to figure out: there're only four common sizes, and cases made for the bigger ones will also fit all of the smaller ones.
Looking at pictures of the Trace MR4, it seems to be an ATX case that they've shipped with a smaller MicroATX board. So the ATX board you mentioned should fit.
Jumpy-Seesaw9621@reddit
Okay thank you so much!!,because I’m getting new stuff I’m also getting a xfx Radeon 7900 and also can my Corsair ram vengeance sticks work with the motherboard?
Jumpy-Seesaw9621@reddit
And it’s ddr4 I forgot to say that
R3alHumanBeing@reddit
I believe you can simply add parts to a list on pcpartpicker and it will tell you
Jumpy-Seesaw9621@reddit
Thats the thing I tried pc part picker and it didn’t show my pc case I couldn’t find it
R3alHumanBeing@reddit
Ah sorry idk then. It’s worked for me even with older, kind of obscure parts
111genericusername@reddit
What's the difference between wifi cards if they're all Wifi 5 and use 802.11ac? My wifi 5 disconnects constantly. If I get a Wifi 6 card but my router supports only Wifi 5, will I still see an upgrade in internet quality? Will my connection and speed be more stable even if the speed won't increase? Ty
Protonion@reddit
Some WiFi chips are more reliable/faster/more stable than others, regardless of what WiFi standard they support. But the connection quality is also affected by your router and your environment (for example how close your neighbors are and if all of them have their own routers screaming over yours). So whether a new wifi card would improve your connection depends on what the limiting factor currently is. Since you have an older WiFi 5 router, I'd say you're unlikely to notice much of a difference unless your current WiFi card is really crappy.
But then again, wifi cards based on the widely recommended and overall excellent Intel AX200 or AX210 chips only cost 20-30 bucks, so you might as well try it. Note that the actual WiFi chips are only made by a few companies (like Intel and Mediatek), so you can find hundreds of different cards from dozens of brands all using the exact same WiFi chip, and as long as the antennas are about the same, they should all offer the same connection quality.
blindfire187@reddit
I'm looking at possibly getting a new monitor. Currently I have 2 LG 4k 60hz monitors but thinking of getting a 3rd monitor that is 1440 that allows for a higher framerate. However I'm not sure what a good brand/model is, so I'm coming here for advice.
I'm mainly looking at whatever is higher than 60fps at this point, 120 or 180 is fine. 27"or 32". Flat not curved, I'm sure curved is great and all but being blind in one eye, I'm not sure if I'd actually notice most of the screen, though I never really tried one.
Side question: I'm reading about FPS and seeing how lower frames but consistent is better than higher frames but inconsistent. Is the consistency of frames generated a result of the monitor itself or the settings of the game in general? Also, at what level is frame generation considered inconsistent, if I am getting 60fps but it occasionally drops too 58-59 is that still "consistent" or are we talking about 5-10 frame drops?
utlk@reddit
So I'm looking to start upgrading my pc to make it stand up to harder to run newer games like bl4 and MHWI. I'm going to upgrade it piece meal and want to know which i part i should upgrade first.
My specs are: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 32GB DDR5 Memory NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
I know my ram is probably good to go but should I worry about my CPU before my GPU to prevent bottlenecks?
kwkcardinal@reddit
Hello builders! Current system: mobo Asrock Z390 Phantom Gaming 4S-IB; CPU Intel Core i5-9600KF, GPU Nvidia RTX 2060, RAM 16G at 3200.
Question: I wanna play come new games, and I'm just scraping by the minimums for Battlefield 6. Will my CPU and MOBO keep up with a big GPU upgrade, and some extra/faster RAM, or is it time for a major overhaul?
Please and thank you.
n7_trekkie@reddit
no, esp cause bf6 is very cpu demanding.
kwkcardinal@reddit
Overhaul time, tyvm. This system hung in there for a long time.
n7_trekkie@reddit
Yeah, may your next system last just as long
MissionCucumber6589@reddit
Very simple question, I'm wondering if it would be worth it to get the founders 5080 for the performance, or buy a vanguard 5070 ti. both are around the same price, the vanguard will run a lot cooler and use less power and stuff, but won't perform as well. Im mainly doing 1440p for gaming.
No_Spare1827@reddit
I mean if they are around the same price I would get the 5080 every time. Even if the 5070ti is cooler both in look and temps the 5080 is worth it over the vanguard model.
There is always the option of a cheaper 5070ti as well
Aleksanterinleivos@reddit
For the same price I would see no reason to not get the 5080. Assunming of course other 5070 Ti's won't be even cheaper.
Even if the power draw actually matters you could just undervolt and/or power limit it.
Resale price will be higher later on too.
Summer4Chan@reddit
Looking to “downgrade” my Dell 34 Curved Gaming Monitor – S3422DWG to get better frames with some new games.
I currently have some Dell 3440x1440 144hz I think it’s a VA panel, dynamic framerate ultrawide monitor I bought a few years ago for Black Friday.
What is a good 1440p 144hz G/Free sync monitor that isn’t OLED? I’ve always skimped on color / panel quality but might use this opportunity to get a nice panel that is 1440p
TemptedTemplar@reddit
Why not OLED?
It's popular right now because of its ability to produce better and brighter colors, upwards of 5x the brightness of anything normal LCD is capable of and 3x to 4x deeper blacks; so less light bleed too. Mini LED is getting there, but true-blue LEDs were only invented recently so they still have another year or two before they catch up.
Your existing monitor is already using a top of the line VA panel.
Brightness 400 cd/m² Contrast Ratio 3000:1 / 3000:1 (dynamic) Color Support 16.7 million colors Color Gamut 99% sRGB, 90% DCI-P3
An IPS display might be able to do ~105% sRGB and 95% DCI-P3 (Color measurement standards). But you're looking at ~$400 for something that can match or barely surpass your existing display.
To get something worthwhile you would need to make the leap to an OLED or Mini-LED display.
LG just had one of their first Tandem-OLED displays on sale for prime day, this was only $600 a few days ago.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FLLNVXFG
MSI now has the cheapest option, but it also doubles the refresh rate up to 500hz when used at 1080p;
https://www.newegg.com/msi-mag-272qp-qd-oled-x50-27-qhd-500-hz-metallic-white/p/N82E16824475501
Summer4Chan@reddit
No OLED Mostly due to price. When I last monitor shopped from my understanding they seemed expensive and prone to burn in?
If OLED is comparable to IPS then I’m fine with that if it’s the best panel out of the 2 at a similar price point for 1440p Gsync.
TemptedTemplar@reddit
Pixel burnout is a thing. But it has been much less of a issue with each new generation. These tandem-OLED panels are using two fourth-generation OLED displays stacked on top of each other. So each panel can run at a lower brightness and still generate a brighter image.
They also have a built-in IR sensor to detect when you are sitting in front of or move away from the display and you can set them to auto-dim or turn off after periods of time.
I would highly recommend giving them a visit and see the difference for yourself.
The prices have dropped considerably in just the last few months, there is very likely to be an option within a reasonable price range for you.
n7_trekkie@reddit
https://youtu.be/dDOybDnJ9cM?si=-HC1bDBAgMgncLAn
https://youtu.be/56EPH-MibMM?si=iP6FW-r9FHUHtEsb
FreshStartLoser@reddit
Anyone has a recommendation for a wireless microphone I could use for whenever I am gaming and for regular work meetings?
Been using the Blue Snowball mic with an arm stand for like 5-6 years, but would like to switch to something small I can just put on the table or on my shirt or whatever and not deal with any wiring.
Came across Hollyland Lark M2, which seems like it could get the job done? I know nothing about mics so any help would be great. I want to the most minimal set up possible. Just connect to my PC (WIN 11) and never think about it again.
Jimmeh20@reddit
I've been needing an upgrade for quite a while now. I saw this second hand Predator Orion PO3 540 for about 250 euro. It seems like a steal to me since it is less than 3 years old and the specs are:
i5 12400f
RTX 3060
32GB Kingstorm Fury RAM
256GB NVME
1TB HDD
Is this too good to be true? What are the downsides of getting something like this?
buildapc-ModTeam@reddit
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Nhakos@reddit
Is the 1-year “free” Win 10 ESU for EU users only available for accounts that have their Windows activation keys linked to a Microsoft account?
And what about PCs that don’t have an activated key at all? Would those still be eligible for the free ESU period?
mostrengo@reddit
y
lol n