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This heatsink came with a MSI Z690 motherboard. It kind of looks like there is a protective film that should be removed, but I can't peel anything at the edge. So maybe this goes on the SSD just as it is? I bought this motherboard open box, so I guess it's possible the first buyer removed the...

You are correct, I just had to enable USB devices in the list of things that could wake the PC. Thanks.

New build running Windows 10. When PC is asleep, keyboard and mouse will NOT wake the PC. I'd like keyboard to wake PC. I have the usual settings correct: 1. in Device Mgr > keyboard > Power Management > check box "allow this device to wake the computer" 2. in Power Options > Advanced Settings...

Newb builder here. I picked up an open box MSI Z690-A Pro board from MicroCenter. Did a quick bench build and board does POST, I can enter BIOS and it will boot a Windows install USB. I've got a 2 week return window to find any dealbreaker flaws. What's the best way to proceed? I'm thinking...

OP here, picked up an open box MSI Z690-A Pro DDR4 for $154. The discount off new was large enough to give it a try. Will try to build/test this weekend.

Can Intel RST be used for this? Per post #3, Intel RST has been changed to be able to use optane with a secondary/non-OS HDD.

You should let Gamers Nexus know - maybe some Dells aren't near-term landfill bound.

Good points being made about Intel rapidly obsoleting platforms. As someone considering an Alder Lake build, I'm happy to see that Raptor Lake will use the LGA 1700 socket and may even support DDR4. So I might be able to start with i5-12400, then upgrade twice, first to i7/i9 Alder Lake, then...

People, including myself, always talk about CPU upgrade potential when looking at motherboards, but do we actually upgrade just the CPU? Looking back over a decade, I haven't upgraded the CPU alone even once. What usually happens is the PC performance is good enough and I don't bother and by the...

Looking to build an Alder Lake system running DDR4 RAM. I care more about maximizing stability than maximizing performance. When deciding on which RAM to get, should I ignore XMP frequency and just focus on SPD frequency, and plan on running in SPD mode? Does anyone even make DDR4 RAM that runs...

I noticed this as I was looking at cases. Seems most cases that fit mATX boards will also fit ATX, which means most mATX board buyers aren't really taking advantage of the board's smaller form factor. Which kind of flips the question in the OP on its head. If the case you're going to buy will...

Seems Intel RST has changed and now allows acceleration of a non-boot drive: https://proclockers.com/intel-optane-memory-data-drive-acceleration-review/ Previously, users could only experience the responsiveness benefits of Intel® Optane™ memory with a boot, or primary, drive (the drive where...

Yeah, that's about where I'm at. $40 to $50 discount isn't worth the hassle of combing over the board prior to purchase and the potential hassle if issues pop up during testing. For $100 savings, I'd do it though.

Thinking of buying an open box motherboard from MicroCenter to save a little money. Is there a risk that I'm buying a headache? Is returning open box items a nightmare?

I've got a i7-8700 system with 250GB SSD (where OS and apps are installed) and 1TB HDD (for data storage). The motherboard has a NVME M.2 slot. I've got a 16GB Optane SSD. Wondering if the Optane stick can be used to cache/accelerate the HDD?

Seems clear the easiest way to know whether the washer mod is worthwhile in any particular case is to install the cooler. Then remove the cooler and observe the pattern left by the thermal paste. If the paste is thicker in the middle across the axis where the CPU is being pressed down, then the...

Yeah, but I'd bet you are pretty far out on the usage distribution of PC builders. My point wasn't that the distribution's tail doesn't exist, but rather it's not the typical use case.

Looking at MSI's B660 boards, it looks like there are more mATX options than ATX.

It does. I'm left wondering how come ATX is still more popular than mATX? What are all these people doing w/ ATX boards that couldn't be done w/ mATX? I have to imagine the % of PC builders who need to run 4+ SATA drives or 3+ PCIe cards is quite small.

Maybe something like the Lian Li Lancool 205 Mesh.

The card is a Nvidia Quadro P620 - single slot, low power (TDP 40W).

Got it. Yeah, I wouldn't have thought of that until I put the board into the case! I think I need to spend some time checking out this stuff in MicroCenter instead of just looking online, so I can see the dimensions in person.

What fresh hell is this? My google-fu must be weak b/c I'm not seeing the difference between midi-towers and mid-towers.

Looking to do an Alder Lake build. Is there any reason to not go mATX these days? I need to run 2 graphics cards, and the second x16 slot is usually fairly low on the mATX boards, but it seems like I'd be able to fit the card (small card, low power, uses only PCIe for power). Other than that, a...

Looking at mid-tower cases with a "basement" for PSU, it looks like the PSU intake fan faces the bottom? For the PSU I have, if I orient the fan to the floor, the exhaust vent faces the rear and the side the cables come out from points toward the front. Is that the way PSU's are designed to fit...

Guys, you sold me on the i5-12400. As you noted, since I'll have to buy a motherboard regardless, might as well go LGA 1700 since the price diff between 11400 and 12400 is so small, plus a nice additional bump in single thread performance. So my next question - what are good motherboard...

Thinking about building a PC around the i5-11400 to get a bump in single thread performance over my current i7-8700. I don't do any gaming; I'm only going for reliability and single thread performance. A few questions about this prospective build: 1. The other CPU I was considering is the...

Got it. Yep, leaving face off is no problem. For this situation, would you go with PWM fans that ramp up with the CPU load or 3-pin fans that run constantly? The exhaust fan has a 4-pin header on the mobo, so maybe I'll get a BIOS error if I don't have at least one fan plugged in there?

Gotcha. If I go with the idea in second post to just leave front cover off, then I would go with an "airflow" fan instead of a "static pressure" fan since airflow wouldn't be obstructed? Or am I not understanding how case fans are supposed to be used?

What would be the point of cutting out the grills in these areas? Just more 'clear' area for airflow? Or to make it easier to fit 120mm fans? Rather than cut out the sides of the front cover, I'd rather just leave it off since a disfigured front cover might turn off prospective buyer when I...

Why only 30mm? Seems there is room for 120mm fans at exhaust and at lower front. Cool on zipties, wasn't sure that would work. Yep, I can sand or file down sharp edges where zipties attach.

Another idea. Maybe I could mount an "airflow" style fan to the lower front chassis and run PC w/ front cover off. I don't really care about the aesthetics; I care about the noise (constant low level noise is preferable to periodic jet engine acoustics under CPU load). And without the front...

Recently bought a Dell XPS 8930. I've used Dell XPS towers for many years, and have never seen such a poor design with respect to airflow. Let me introduce you to this mini oven. To orient you, the top of pic is top of case, the right side of pic is the front of case. The case PSU is upper...

Nobu pendragon1 thank you both. I'd have never guessed it. The PC was running normally today, but after you mentioned the caps, I went back and looked. It's close, but there is clearance, as verified by sliding a piece of receipt paper (very thin) between the caps and the heatsink...

Dell XPS 8930 - Intel Core i7-8700 @ 3.20GHz - 32GB RAM - NVME SSD - 2 Nvidia Quadro cards The stock cooler runs so loud that it's not practical to use under significant load. So I replaced it with the Arctic Freezer 11 LP Intel Low Profile Cooler. Cleaned off the CPU with a little isopropyl...

I picked up a PC with a HDD and Optane in the M.2/NVME slot. I'm going to replace the Optane stick with a NVME SSD. I've seen some complicated procedures for this, as described here: https://www.dell.com/community/XPS-Desktops/XPS-8930-upgrade-HDD-to-SSD/td-p/7686271 and in particular around...

Thanks. I've got a Microcenter near me, so I don't have to wait for shipping. Think I'll go get a 500gb 970 Evo Plus tomorrow.

Recently picked up a Dell XPS 8930, which has a mobo with a M.2/NVME slot. It comes with 16gb Intel Optane in that slot paired with a HDD. I'm going to install either a 240GB NVME SSD or a 240GB regular SATA III SSD for OS and apps, and use the HDD for data storage. My question is which of the...

Possibly. But I prefer having one driver for both cards since I'm looking for max stability, not max performance. I'll see how the current setup operates over the next week, and if there are stability issues, I'll try your suggestion and see if the second driver will install while leaving first...

I've run 2 x Nvidia NVS 510 cards simultaneously, but they use the same driver. I replaced one of the cards with a Nvidia Quadro P620 (x16 slot), uninstalled the NVS 510 driver, restarted, did a clean install of the P620 driver, restarted. The monitors connected to the NVS 510 card (x16 slot...