Simple Questions - May 29, 2026
Posted by AutoModerator@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 22 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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Objective-Note-8095@reddit
So, my father-in-law wants a new PC. He's picked out a case and it's a low profile, mATX one. So, the best deal right now is at Microcenter with a 7500X3D, Asrock B850M-C and 16GB RAM combo. None of those parts are optimal, but it's a really good deal given the circumstances.
So, the motherboard doesn't have a DisplayPort and that's what he wants. Should I get a different motherboard and resell the bundled one? Get an ARC A310? Is there a USB-C adapter which won't cause headaches?
Objective-Note-8095@reddit
he's just going to be web browsing.
VoraciousGorak@reddit
Is DisplayPort necessary? Most if not all modern displays have an HDMI connection.
Objective-Note-8095@reddit
That's not helpful.
kaje@reddit
Is he going to be gaming on the PC? No point in getting an X3D if not. If so, you should have a dedicated GPU in the build, a DP connector would be on that.
Buttermilk_Surfer@reddit
Hello, I am lookin for a SSD for my laptop. 1 or 2 tb. For gaming. System will be on another SSD.
PCIe 4.0, NVME 1.4 or 2.0. It's going into a Lenovo LOQ laptop with a Raptor Lake i7, 24 GB DDR5 RAM and a 8 GB RTX 5070.
I'd like a SSD that is power efficient and doesn't get too hot. I won't be copying large files and it is solely to run games from, so I am not sure DRAM is beneficial? As I understand it, SSD's with DRAM run hotter/consume more power too.
There's no room for a proper heatsink either (the Corsair MP600 Elite PS5 SSD with a slim heatsink won't fit).
What are some decent budget recommendations?
Thank you.
TemptedTemplar@reddit
Not really an issue with PCIE 4.0
Not by any real amount. It might add a single degree of difference compared to a drive running the same task at the same speed. But it is just more components using power, hence, more heat.
Buckle up, because they're all two to three times more expensive than they should be.
Normally I would only recommend these if you were on a crazy limited budget and just needed the cheapest Terabyte of storage possible. However these days, there really isn't another choice.
https://www.newegg.com/patriot-1tb-p400-lite-nvme-2-0/p/3C6-00HW-000N0
https://www.newegg.com/kingspec-1tb-xf-series/p/0D9-000D-00153
https://www.newegg.com/kingspec-1tb-xg-7000-series/p/0D9-000D-00171
https://www.newegg.com/kingston-1tb-snv3s/p/N82E16820242902
https://www.newegg.com/team-group-1tb-nv5000-nvme/p/N82E16820985343
https://www.newegg.com/sandisk-1tb-wd-blue-nvme/p/N82E16820173682
Solid NVME performance ranging from high end 3.0 speeds to topping out 4.0 speeds.
That last one, the WB blue offers ~twice the longevity of the others with 600TBW capacity, most are closer to 300TBW.
DataSurging@reddit
I want to get a 2TB or 4TB SSD SATA, but thanks to AI and the stupid people who use it, the prices have skyrocketed on the Samsungs and Western Digital. Nearly $1k USD! What other brands are good? I would be using this for Steam game installs and other game installs, not as my boot drive (I already have a NVME for that).
TillSpecialist8149@reddit
Crucial and Seagate are both great options and won't burn a hole in your wallet like Samsung does at that capacity.
The Crucial MX500 4TB is sitting around $180-200 right now and honestly gets overlooked a lot. It's not quite as fast as the 870 EVO on paper but for storing games it genuinely doesn't matter at all. When you're loading a game you're waiting on the engine, not the drive.
Seagate Barracuda 120 is worth a look too, a bit cheaper but slightly lower endurance. Nothing to worry about for game installs since you're not writing to it constantly.
One thing worth thinking about though, have you considered a large HDD for this? A 4TB WD Blue or Seagate Barracuda is around $80-90 and for games that are just sitting installed the load time difference is honestly like 2-3 seconds. That's a lot of money saved for something that just holds your Steam library. If you're constantly installing and uninstalling games then yeah go SSD, but if games mostly just sit there once installed a HDD is hard to argue against at that price.
If you do go the SATA SSD route the Crucial is the one I'd pick. Just double check your case has a free 2.5" bay before ordering, or grab a cheap mounting bracket if not!
VoraciousGorak@reddit
The inferior BX500 is $350 at its lowest listing as of this comment. The price you quoted will get you 2TB of used MX400, not 4TB.
They're twice that right now.
Even so, using mechanical storage for modern games is just asking for pain on the load times. They're fine for secondary stuff but for games that you'll be playing regularly I'd move them to the SSD.
Did AI use old data for your post?
BrewingHeavyWeather@reddit
Where are you seeing a $200 MX500 4TB?!
Qverlord37@reddit
I'm not a pc builder, so I used AI to help me pick the parts for my new pc build. I know, crucify me if you must, but this is why I'm here, to make sure ChatGPT wasn't full of shit.
I wanted a no-frills workhorse for me to play games and watch movies. I'm not here for benchmarking or flexing; I just wanted to build a future-proofed pc that will last me for the next decade. Did the AI understand the assignment, or are there any problems that I don't see?
PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/J72Dqd
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor ($374.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital WD_Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 9070 XT 16 GB Video Card ($769.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair RM850x 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($219.98 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - USB 64-bit ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: LG 27GP850-B 27.0" 2560 x 1440 165 Hz Monitor ($359.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $2390.82
OolonCaluphid@reddit
What are you doing for ram?
It's a functional build besides that but can probably be optimized a bit. Try a post either here or on /r/buildapcforme and see what you get back.
Wolf-Rayet-Wrangler@reddit
I've been running single channel 3x8GB of 3200MHZ DDR4 ever since one of my DIMMs started erroring like crazy. I was gifted 2x16GB of DDR4 2666MHZ DIMMs from a friend. Should I just fully swap to the 2x16 set up, or is there some advantage of running with the 8GB DIMMs as well?
Aleksanterinleivos@reddit
You are not running single channel. Two of those modules are in dual channel, the third one is on its own.
TemptedTemplar@reddit
You could run 8-16-8-16 and give each channel 24GB.
The 16GB sticks are slower, so if you wanted to use them you would be forced to drop your speeds to 2666Mhz anyways.
Leeoliao@reddit
If you're wondering whether to get DDR4 or DDR5 for a new build right now, it really depends on your budget—DDR5 prices have dropped a lot, but for a mid-range gaming rig, good DDR4 still peIf you're wondering whether to get DDR4 or DDR5 for a new build right now, it really depends on your budget—DDR5 prices have dropped a lot, but for a mid-range gaming rig, good DDR4 still performs nearly identically and saves you a solid chunk of cash.rforms nearly ide
Wonderful_Courage233@reddit
I wanna upgrade my pc
I currently have a 1660ti with a i5-11400
I got a budget just wanna hear some ideas $400-700$
DZCreeper@reddit
Start with a GPU upgrade. RX 9060 XT 16GB at $450 or RX 9070 at $600.
Motherboard/CPU upgrade would be ideal but DDR5 prices are high. If you live near a Microcenter get one of their X3D bundles.
https://www.microcenter.com/product/5007384/amd-ryzen-5-7500x3d,-asrock-b850m-c-am5,-gskill-flare-x5-series-16gb-ddr5-6000,-computer-build-bundle
https://www.microcenter.com/product/5007394/amd-ryzen-7-7800x3d,-asus-b650e-max-gaming-wifi-am5,-corsair-vengeance-rgb-32gb-ddr5-6000-kit,-computer-build-bundle
koelol@reddit
Running FanControl and individually maxing out the fans to label them.
For the CPU fan, I'm using a low profile Thermalright AXP90-X53, but I swapped the fan with a noctua.
I maxed out the CPU fan for fun, and when I put my hand over it, I felt hot air blowing.
Did I install the fan upside down?
I know for a standard tower it should suck in cool air from the front and exhaust through the rear, but what about a low profile?
Am I supposed to feel hot air pushing out the top, or should it be sucking air in and not really feel anything?
My 11400 idles around 60c.
Protonion@reddit
Fan airflow can get pretty weird and counterintuitive when covered (by your hand) because it induces all sorts of turbulence and backflow, and hands are surprisingly bad at sensing airflow anyways. Those low profile coolers should generally have the fan blowing air through them towards the motherboard, so your Noctua fan should be installed with the X shaped brace against the heatsink, same as the original fan was.
damnyouusername@reddit
So I made a bit of a booboo it seems.
Tried doing a fresh install of windows on my pc, so I downloaded the installation media on my usb, restarted PC changed biot priority to usb and loaded into the installer. When it came to deleting partitions, the tutorial I saw said to delete everything until I see it saying unallocated space, so I did. I selected the drive as a drive for windows to be installed on and clicked next, only to encounter an error. Can't remember what exactly it said, but after refreshing that window, DISK 0 disappeared completely.
I went back to the start of the installer thinking it's just gonna let me exit, but it didn't, so I clicked the X top right of the window and it closed, entered the bios later and tried again, but it would always put me back into bios, so I cant even retry to see if the drive is visible now.
What should I do?