Simple Questions - May 20, 2026
Posted by AutoModerator@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 17 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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To easily find previous simple questions posts, use this link.
will_jojo@reddit
Just built a PC with a 5600GT, single stick of 8GB ddr4 3200MHz and a SATA SSD (no GPU). I knew going into it that it's not gonna be stellar but it's way slower than I expected. Booting up and getting to the password screen takes like 30 seconds, then once in the desktop it takes another 30s for the taskbar to load. Loading even simple programs like Firefox takes a while as well. From all the tests I've watched, SATA is shown to only be a few seconds slower than NVMe in booting, and I have a couple of 5600 PCs booting up in less than 10s. Is it the lack of a GPU or do I need a 2nd stick of RAM?
TemptedTemplar@reddit
Because you're only using half your possible memory bandwidth. The NVME speeds aren't going to be noticeable when Windows is choking itself on your single channel of RAM.
You DEFINITELY want a second stick of memory.
will_jojo@reddit
That's what I feared =/ prices are insane right now. Would getting 2x 4GB be better than keeping the single 8GB? Might be able to make such a trade...
TemptedTemplar@reddit
It would be faster, but you want the capacity. Windows alone eats a ton of memory.
Browsers and even the MS office suite can easily use 8 -12GB these days.
will_jojo@reddit
hmm, testing on my own PC with a single firefox tab and Word open it's just under 7gb. Would probably be slightly lower on a fresh windows install and my mom probably won't be doing multiple tabs at once. Think I'll take my chances with 2x4...I simply refuse to pay almost double what I paid for 2x16GB a year ago for a single stick of 8GB. Thanks for the help.
Stilltomanyquestions@reddit
After troubleshooting Bluetooth and WiFi issues for months I decided to replace the wifi card on my motherboard. I have a Asus TUF b650m+wifi (am5). I don't have an extra pcie slot available so I'm going to replace the chip under the I/O shield and wanted to see if I was overlooking anything.
I ordered an Intel ax210 since it seems it's the most compatible with am5.
I already downloaded the ax210 wifi and Bluetooth drivers but will there be anything I'll need to do other than uninstalling the old wifi and Bluetooth drivers?
Quiet-Dragonfly870@reddit
I currently have 2 sticks of Patriot Viper Steel PVS432G320C6K 32 GB RAM installed in my PC, and I would like to expand to 64 GB by adding 2 more RAM sticks.
I found a used kit at a reasonable price, but its model is Patriot Viper PVR432G320C6K (as far as I understand, the only difference is the RGB lighting).
My motherboard is the GIGABYTE B550 AORUS ELITE V2.
Will these 4 RAM sticks work properly together?
TemptedTemplar@reddit
Should be fine. The only major differences you need to worry about are CL timings and Speed.
If those are the same, you shouldn't have any issues
VergoVox@reddit
I have gigabyte's B850 Aeorus Elite Wifi 7 ICE edition. Was thinking of upgrading my 3070 KFA to Acer Predator Bifrost 9070 XT, but I cannot visualize whether the heatsink for m2ssd alot is too bulky with the 2.6 slots taken. Length-wise it should fit fine, but my main concern is getting a GPU with 16gb RAM for a smart price(and the Bifrost edition is one atm)
kaje@reddit
If you're talking about the mobo's stock heatsink, you're worrying about nothing.
Recodes@reddit
Is there a (preferebly budget) way of covering my case's AIO panel? Since I use a cpu air cooler the thing is just another way for dust to get into the computer. I looked into making three 3D printed panels I got from here (bottom of the page), supposing they'd work as I thought it's just a standard measure but they asked me 60 bucks for it, which to me seems like a risk, not knowing yet if they will fit. I even looked for some nylon covers for the whole case but the measure don't fit, they are either too small or too big, in which case I'd have to cut and sew them.
jamvanderloeff@reddit
For just covering up some flat square holes there's lots of options, most basic DIY way could be just duct tape from above and below, for slightly nicer looking could do some black foamcore board.
PhantomWolf83@reddit
Is the Samsung 860 QVO still a good buy if you can find a brand new one for cheap? I'm going to just use it to store media and as a gaming drive.
jamvanderloeff@reddit
Their main weakness (like a lot of other cheapo QLC drives) is they get real slow at writing after the SLC cache portion of the drive gets filled, down to ~80MB/s if you're looking at the 1TB 860 QVO, so for big write activities like initially dumping a big media library on it or even some big game installs that can get annoying.
Some games now do get some noticeable benefit from reading off a faster NVMe drive but that's still fairly rare and usually not huge.
If those don't bother you and the price is still significantly better than anything faster, I'd still go for it.
hi9580@reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/s/fCvVd6lGjx
Fights_with_Coyotes@reddit
My 1TB NVMe hard drive I was using as the main storage for my PC just died. I have an old 500gb HDD and a 120GB SATA SSD sitting around. Will the computer be serviceable if I install Windows on the SSD and use the HDD for storage? How much of a difference will I notice in terms of speed?
TemptedTemplar@reddit
Depends on how fast your NVME was.
SATA SSD's usually average half or less the speeds of a Gen 3 NVME drive. Gen 4 or 5, you're looking at possible a tenth of the speeds.
Depending on how you are using it, it may not be super noticeable outside of the Windows boot times. Games only began taking advantage of or out-right requiring NVME speeds very recently.