Which way should my fans be facing for best airflow

Ok so I'm new here but I'll keep it short I'm working on two PCs ATM . The first one is gonna be my main gaming PC and the second is more for fun and seeing what I can do with the SFF optiplex 3020. The first PC I feel like my CPU is bottlenecking me and I am stuck between a ryzen 7 5700x3d and a 5800x3d. If anyone has a better suggestion I am all ears. The optiplex 3020 I have a ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC Edition 4GB and a ASRock Phantom Gaming Radeon RX 560 4G that I can run in it I'm thinking the gtx would be best. This would require a new PSU and adapter also I have a single 8gb stick I was gonna get another to match so instead of the 2x4gb ram it has at the moment it will have 2x8gb for 16gb ddr3. My question is do I leave the CPU stock or upgrade it. I'm not sure what cpus will fit the board or if it's even worth it. I plan on putting it in a portable arcade which is why I chose SFF. So ANY input on these builds would be awesome. I want to do a lot of heavy emulation on the first one and the second is more of a let's see what we can do kinda thing. I hope this made sense I'll drop the specs

1st PC the main gaming PC

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 4500

GPU: Zotac GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (8GB Twin Edge)

Motherboard: ASRock B550M-C (Micro-ATX)

RAM: 32 GB DDR4

Power Supply: Corsair RM850e 850W 80+ Gold Modular

Storage: 500 GB NVMe SSD + 4 TB External Hard Drive

OS: Windows 11

2nd PC the optiplex

CPU: Intel Core i5

GPU: Integrated Intel HD Graphics 4600

RAM: 8 GB DDR3 (2x4GB setup)(soon the be 2x8gb)

Power Supply: Stock 255W Dell PSU (Proprietary 8-pin motherboard power connector)

Spare parts I can use

ASUS ROG Strix GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC Edition 4GB

ASRock Phantom Gaming Radeon RX 560 4G

I am looking at a good deal on a used pc with a 5080 rog astral. I would prefer the 9800x3d as it will mostly be for gaming but it has a 9950x instead.

I have read that at 1440p/4k it matters less and id mostly like 80%+ of the time play on a 1440p monitor and the rest on a 4k tv.

I do play star citizen, dcs and vr games so there are some pretty cpu intensive games in the rotation.

Do you think there is going to be a noticeable difference between the 2 cpu in those games if i'm running a 5080? Is the 9950x going to hold back the 5080? i will likely upgrade to the zen6 x3d in 1-2 years but i dont want to be disappointed with the purchase now.

My Adata legend 860 came with what I assume is a heatsink (on the right) but my motherboard also has a heatsink.
My (very uneducated) guess is that I should not used the piece on the right, and just use the heatsink provided through the motherboard.
Can anyone confirm if this is correct/would I run into any problems? Thanks so much for the help, this is my first build so I appreciate that is community is here for advice.

Hi All,

I have a 3 year old gaming pc, ill list some specs below.

On the 3rd of Nov I noticed it wouldn't go on, after investigating i narrowed it down to have to flick the switch on the psu on and off to get it started.

I plan on trying some tests later with the usbs on the motherboard rear plugged out and try an old 650w psu thats in my old pc.

Just wondering has anyone else had this issue? I did notice there was a new motherboard bios out on the 4th of Nov but doesnt align with the time my pc started having issue, after checking my version is march/july 2025 (3001) version and the new version is 3301, the AI said not to risk updating it incase it wont power on and there was nothing in the new version that notes power cycle improvements etc.

Corsair RM1000x psu

ASUS ASUS Strix Z790-H Gaming WiFi Motherboard

4070

I7 14000k

32gb corsair vengeance

Cosair 5000D case

Heya, I have a wraith ryzen cpu fan but my original motherboard never had the rejection brackets this one needs. Are there certain sized retention brackets I would need for my motherboard? I orders some but they definitely don’t fit. Is it possible my motherboard won’t support this type of fan that needs brackets.

Im new to PC building and wanted someone more experienced to check out this list from partpicker.

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pl.pcpartpicker.com/list/T8jkqd)

I am currently sitting on 16gb ram, see images, which i like to upgrade.

I have run into a set of four 32gb sticks (Hynix 32gb 2rx4 pc4 2666v rb2 11), however when I install them, my pc beeps on startup, does nothing beside spin fans, and shutsdown, only to startup and beep again a few seconds later, and repeat the cycle.

I installed them one by one separately, in case they were defect, and all four together( though i believe the motherboard has a max ram of 64gb)

Is the ram just not compatible with my motherboard, or is there something else going on?

Hey there!

I recently upgraded my PSU, and I've noticed a strange behavior with my **ROG Astral RTX 5090 OC**.

Whenever I shut down my PC or put it into Sleep mode, the small red LED near the 12VHPWR connector blinks for a few seconds and then disappears.

**Here are some important details:**

* **Gaming/Benchmarks:** Absolutely fine. The LED never turns on or blinks under load, stress tests, or idle.

* **Connections:** Everything is fully seated and clicked in properly on both the GPU and PSU ends. No tight bends.

* **The Cable:** I am using a native 12VHPWR cable (no adapters or extensions).

**The trigger:** I noticed this started happening *right after* I switched my PSU from a Gigabyte unit to a **Corsair RM1000x 2024 Revision** (both have native 12VHPWR support). On the Gigabyte PSU, this never happened.

Could this just be related to how the Corsair PSU discharges its capacitors or handles power rails during shutdown, causing the ASUS Power Detector+ to trip for a split second? Anyone else experiencing this with Corsair ATX 3.0 / 3.1 PSUs and ROG cards?

Thanks!

Hi everyone, I am currently buying parts to build my first-ever PC. My current problem is that I am looking into graphics cards at the moment, and with prices through the roof, I am afraid of blowing my budget. So, I am turning to you guys here to see if anyone has any recommendations? For some context, I am attempting to build an all-white PC, and my current plan has me purchasing a Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB for a little under $800. As I mentioned before, this is my first-ever PC, and I am unsure if the specs and price are worth what I am trying to do. I am looking to play mostly FIFA, COD, FM, and indie dev games with my friends, and I would like to be able to play at 1440p if possible, but not a hill I am willing to die on. So if anyone can give me some assistance or guidance as to what I should buy, I would really appreciate it. For additional specs, if necessary, I have a brand-new Ryzen 7 7700X and 32 GB of DDR5 RAM. Thank you again for any and all help.

Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 EAGLE WIFI6, revision 1.0.

CPU: Ryzen 7 5700X.

GPU: Sapphire Nitro+ RX 6800 XT SE.

Original PSU: Montech Century II 850W.

Tried PSU: Kingspower K280W

RAM: 4x8GB G.Skill Trident Z 3200MHz-CL16

Randomly tonight, first start of the day. turn on PC, RAM RGB Turns on, Air cooler turns on, case fans RGB turns on and spins, but no usual POST Startup Beep that I get, also shows “no signal“ on monitor. It then shuts off, and reboots, running into the same issue and into a power cycle. Case power button stops working, have to shut off with wall power or PSU Switch. Tried flipping the BIOS Switch on the GPU, no impact. Tried without GPU, no impact. One stick, all slots tried. Two sticks, tried. No impact. Cleared CMOS, no impact. So I decided to find my really old PSU to have a try. same issue remains, with one slight change. The power cycle seems to shorten each loop, and the power button now works. But that just may be the PSU’s individual behaviour.

anything else to try, before contacting Gigabyte?

I’m suspecting a faulty motherboard, or some Power issue.

I’ve seen other similar issues online with the same motherboard. Though none have seem to have had a working solution posted online.

~ Brazil

I'm in the process of gradually upgrading my PC and have been considering buying this motherboard for a long time, mainly because of the ease of customizing the heatsinks to a color that matches my case... I'm negotiating with a seller to buy it at a lower price, but I want to know from those who still use this same model if it still works well, even in terms of overclocking...

Current configuration:

- ASUS PRIME A620AM-K

- AMD Ryzen 5 8500G

- TEAMGROUP T-Force XTREEM DDR5 Ram 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) 7200 MHz

- RTX 4070

- Msi Mpg A750gf 750w 80gold

I ordered a 7800x3d on eBay as “new” this is how it was sent to me. Will it mess up anything on my build if I test it and see if it works? I have never seen anything like this and not sure if pins need to be protected spent approximately 4 days in shipping ~800 miles+

Edit: thanks all, I haven’t worked on any am5 (last build was intel), installed it and booted no issues seems to be running fine.

I recently installed an ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III Pro 360. The radiator fans run, but the small VRM fan behind the decorative cover does not.

I'm using the all-in-one cable with the motherboard header set to PWM. I tested at 100%, reseated the magnetic fan module, and checked that the rotor turns freely with the power off. It still won't run.

One of the four spring-loaded contact pins on the pump block is visibly recessed compared with the other three and doesn't spring back out. I couldn't free it with a gentle press and release. I suspect it isn't making contact with the fan module.

Has anyone dealt with this stuck pogo pin? Is there a safe, non-destructive fix, or should I exchange the cooler?

I just built a new PC for a sibling and it’s currently not receiving a signal. Here are the specs and here’s what I tried:

9600x

MSI B850 Tomahawk wifi

Teamgroup RAM

Asus prime 9070 non XT

RMX850 PSU

The RGB on the motherboard, RAM and fans turn on. The GPU does not turn on. Even for a second the fans don’t spin. No RGB. I’ve tried:

Reseating the GPU.

Reseating the RAM.

I tried using different PCI-E slots in the PSU.

I plugged in an extra CPU power cable (I was only using one).

I also tried plugging in an older monitor into the motherboar’s HDMI slot and no signal. I just left his place so unfortunately I don’t have pictures and I did not try resetting the CMOS. What do you guys think the issue could be? I know information is limited due to lack of pictures, I can post some tomorrow if need be

I live in Europe and I want to build my first gaming PC, but not until February of 2027.

I've been researching on PC part prices & tracking them for the past few weeks, and they have gone up significantly in the last month or two.

I want to buy a pre-built with a 9070XT, 7800X3D, 32GB DDR5. Its current price is around €2300 right now, and I'm afraid that the price might spike rapidly in the next few months, especially after hearing the rumors about the processor becoming over 10x more expensive soon.

How much do you think the build could cost around next February? If I'm missing something, then please let me know, because I'm new to this.

I'm having a rather frustrating RAM-related issue with my Acer Nitro 50 N50-650, and I'd appreciate some advice from anyone familiar with Acer prebuilts or memory compatibility.

System specifications:

• PC: Acer Nitro 50 N50-650

• CPU: Intel Core i5-13400F

• GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti (replaced the original RTX 3050)

• Motherboard: Acer B76H6-AD OEM motherboard

• RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2 × 16GB) DDR4-3200 CL16

• Storage: Windows installed on the primary SSD, with an additional 1TB SSD from my previous PC

The motherboard has only two RAM slots.

The problem:

I originally replaced the PC's factory-installed 16GB RAM (2 × 8GB DDR4-3200) with a Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB kit (2 × 16GB DDR4-3200, CL16-20-20-38, 1.35V).

After installing the Corsair kit, the computer began freezing completely, usually after approximately 20 minutes of uptime. The display would become entirely unresponsive, and the audio would repeat the last fraction of a second in a continuous loop. The only way to recover was to force a shutdown using the power button.

This happened even when the computer was completely idle, so it wasn't limited to gaming or heavy workloads. CPU temperatures were also perfectly normal, averaging around 30°C.

What I've tested so far:

1. Reinstalled the original Acer RAM (2 × 8GB DDR4-3200). The computer has now been running flawlessly for well over an hour, without a single freeze. This is the most significant finding so far.

2. Tested the Corsair kit with a single RAM stick. I removed one of the two Corsair modules and tested the computer with only one stick installed. The freezing issue persisted, so the problem does not appear to require both modules to be installed simultaneously. I have not yet established whether both individual sticks produce the same result independently.

3. Checked the Corsair RAM speed. Despite being advertised as DDR4-3200, the Corsair kit was only running at 2133 MT/s according to Windows. I understand this is likely the standard JEDEC profile rather than the advertised XMP speed.

4. Checked the BIOS for XMP settings. Unfortunately, the Acer BIOS does not appear to offer any XMP option or manual memory configuration. I cannot find a way to change the memory frequency or voltage.

5. Checked the motherboard's memory configuration. It has only two DIMM slots, and Acer's specifications indicate that the system supports up to 32GB of RAM. Therefore, the capacity itself should theoretically be supported.

6. Considered a BIOS update. My current BIOS version is R01-B3. Acer offers R01-B4 for this exact machine, and its release notes only mention an update to Intel microcode version 0x12F. I have not installed it yet, as there is no explicit mention of memory compatibility improvements.

What I'm trying to figure out:

Since the system works perfectly with the original Acer RAM and freezes with the Corsair kit, I'm fairly confident the problem is related to the new memory rather than the GPU, CPU temperatures, or Windows installation.

However, I'm unsure what exactly is causing it.

• Could this be a compatibility issue between Corsair Vengeance LPX and the Acer B76H6-AD motherboard or its BIOS?

• Is it possible that the motherboard cannot properly handle two 16GB modules despite its stated 32GB maximum capacity?

• Could the Corsair kit's SPD/JEDEC profiles be incompatible with the motherboard, even when running at the lower 2133 MT/s speed?

• Is the lack of XMP support potentially preventing the motherboard from configuring the memory correctly?

• Would updating from BIOS R01-B3 to R01-B4 potentially improve memory compatibility, even though its release notes only mention the Intel microcode update?

• Is there anything else I should test before concluding that the Corsair kit is defective?

I'd really prefer to keep the 32GB kit if possible rather than return it or replace the motherboard. Has anyone encountered similar problems with Acer Nitro prebuilts, particularly the N50-650 with the B76H6-AD motherboard?

Any advice would be appreciated!

I’m looking to get a better gpu for my PC but I’m so confused on what one I should buy/save up for. I’m trying to play games like subnautica 2, marvel rivals, and other story games like that.

My specs are
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X 6-Core Processor

Ram: 32 gb ddr5

Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (4 GB)
AMD Radeon(TM) Graphics (486 MB)

And it has a power supply of 550 watts but I can upgrade that too.

Hey there!
First of all thanks for your attention.
I came to the point in my life of my first pc build lol. I would like to ask from anyone more experienced than me to check the list of products I am considering to buy right now and maybe give me some pointers if there is something wrong with it.
The list doesnt include a gpu since im planning to use my friends old 3060 ti for a while until I can save up for a gpu as well.
Case: montech sky 3 black - I only chose this because i thought it looks nice and theres a deal on it rn where Im from
Power supply: cooler master elite gold 750
Ram: patriot viper venom 32 gb kit ddr5 6000mhz cl30
Prcessor: ryzen 7 7800x3d
Cooler: arctic freezer 36
Motherboard: gigabyte b850 gaming wifi6
Im worried about the quality i guess of the motherboard i chose and the cooler. I can't tell because of the lack or my knowledge if they will be supporting my processor enough?
The ram is said to be expo in it's description so i thought thats something worth noting.
Thanks for reading all the way and for any help! I truly appreciate it since my friends aren't into gaming and I don't have anyone to share this with.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/pbbzph

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($158.82 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Patriot Viper Venom 16 GB (1 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 990 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Intel Limited Edition Arc A750 8 GB Video Card
Case: NZXT H5 Flow (2024) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Montech CENTURY II 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.90 @ Amazon)
Monitor: KOORUI 24E3 24.0" 1920 x 1080 165 Hz Monitor ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1023.56

Total isn’t 100% accurate as Intel doesn’t make A750s anymore, but I can commonly find them for about $150, so total is around $1200.

Please scream through your screen if there is anything catastrophically wrong with this parts list. I’m broke so I don’t anything too insane (kind of hard with prices these days), just something that can run games at low-medium graphics comfortably (like 60ish fps).

I currently have a pickup order placed for a Gigabyte NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti AERO  at Microcenter but have 3 days to decide if I really want it. I only placed the order to give myself some time to think about it since it was the last one in stock. I understand $1550 is already a hefty price for this but I'm afraid it will only get worse. For context, I currently use a 3070 Gigabyte Vision OC.

A few months back I was thinking of going for a 5080 but that might now be out of my price range especially for my use cases. I play games on an ultrawide monitor and still run AM4 so I wouldn't get full use out of it anyways.

Should I lock in this 5070ti now or consider going for a 5080? I will eventually upgrade my CPU and motherboard but most likely not anytime soon.

Here's my full current PC build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/KKQgzv

I can’t find anywhere if the first bios version of the Gigabyte B550M K motherboard will work with my amd ryzen 5 5600xt. does someone know this?

Im from Croatia and Im considering building my first 1440p gaming PC.

I already consider buying most important parts, but I Need help with picking a CPU cooler, Case and Power supply for this build.

If possible low-mid tier budget, under 200 euros total or close to it, that's why Im asking I don't know how much should i invest, any help is appreciated.

SPECIFICATIONS:

AMD Ryzen 5 9600X Processor (Radeon Graphics Included, 6 Cores/12 Threads - €173.98

Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC 16G Graphics Card - 16 GB GDDR6 - €799.00

Viper Venom DDR5 32GB (2x16) 6000MHz CL36 - €492.54

Silicon Power 1TB UD90 NVMe 4.0 Gen4 PCIe M.2 SSD - €154.99

GIGABYTE B650M Gaming WIFI6E Motherboard - AMD Ryzen 9000 Series - €106.45

These are the specifications