The Power PC Thread [f*ck off consoles]

[Usr117063]

My cpu is I5 6600k at 4.4ghz and graphics RTX 2070, so cpu is getting on now. It struggles a bit in certain areas on RDR2 and nothing I do to the settings changes that.

Here you can see what I mean in RDR2, theres about 2-3 pixels out of the 2 million odd on the screen where Im aiming at his head, unlike xbox/ps where theres 1 smooth movement. Im running minimum sens in game and 250dpi with 1000 (max) report rate. Ive made sure the computer mouse settings are set up for fps so no acceleration and the pointer speed set at 6/11. I played cod last year but had an awful time with aiming, as the hidden acceleration was enabled and my mouse feet had worn away so much.

 

[Mr Squashie]

250dpi

Pretty sure that's your problem. Try raising the DPI to at least 400 but leaving the sensitivity on low and see if it improves.

 

[Usr117063]

Pretty sure that's your problem. Try raising the DPI to at least 400 but leaving the sensitivity on low and see if it improves.

The sens in game is the lowest it can be thats the problem. Quite a few people talk about the unusually high sens and a low dpi required.

If I raise the dpi it just makes things faster, not any smoother.

 

[Jonnio]

Thinking of getting an M.2 SSD.

Has anyone used the Samsung Migration Tool to copy everything over, any good? Not sure I can be arsed with a full Windows/everything else reinstall at the mo' 😅

 

[Krarl]

Thinking of getting an M.2 SSD.

Has anyone used the Samsung Migration Tool to copy everything over, any good? Not sure I can be arsed with a full Windows/everything else reinstall at the mo' 😅

Just Clonezilla it mate, only takes 10 mins

 

[Jonnio]

Just Clonezilla it mate, only takes 10 mins

Will see how I get on haha, hopefully got a screw for it in the loft.

 

[Krarl]

Will see how I get on haha, hopefully got a screw for it in the loft.

I had to buy a bloody screw for my M.2😂

 

[boultonn]

I had to buy a bloody screw for my M.2😂

This was genuinely the worst part about installing a second M2 drive, mobo didn’t come with one and neither did the drive, had to bodge it (bodge worked and haven’t got round to order a proper screw yet haha)

 

[Krarl]

This was genuinely the worst part about installing a second M2 drive, mobo didn’t come with one and neither did the drive, had to bodge it (bodge worked and haven’t got round to order a proper screw yet haha)

I was gonna do that and bodge an M3 standoff into the board but then I found an old GPU with loads of M2 screws😂😂

 

[Ph1 Tom]

Thinking of getting an M.2 SSD.

Has anyone used the Samsung Migration Tool to copy everything over, any good? Not sure I can be arsed with a full Windows/everything else reinstall at the mo' 😅

I've used a different cloning software. I'll check which one but it worked faultlessly.

 

[Christopher]

I've had this week off so I've been prepping a home office for the new PC. For the time being, I'm just running my work M1 MBP and old Xbox for games (with huge horrible borders since it doesn't output UW) Love a fresh man cave, just need my GPU to arrive and built. Also need the blinds, artwork and lighting to come... supply issues with everything these days, not just silicon

 

[Jonnio]

Got the M.2 in and managed to get it visible in Windows. Will have a look at transferring everything tomorrow.

Managed to find the screw, after thinking it wasn't in the motherboard bags and placing an Amazon order for some. Too damn small!

 

[Ray Gin]

I've had this week off so I've been prepping a home office for the new PC. For the time being, I'm just running my work M1 MBP and old Xbox for games (with huge horrible borders since it doesn't output UW) Love a fresh man cave, just need my GPU to arrive and built. Also need the blinds, artwork and lighting to come... supply issues with everything these days, not just silicon

View attachment 1530529

View attachment 1530530

That looks mental. I wouldn’t even know where to look on the monitor🤣

 

[Christopher]

That looks mental. I wouldn’t even know where to look on the monitor🤣

1800R so it's no way near as wide as it looks when you're using it.

Can't wait to get the new PC running on it, it should be really immersive.

 

[Wilkeh]

The sens in game is the lowest it can be thats the problem. Quite a few people talk about the unusually high sens and a low dpi required.

If I raise the dpi it just makes things faster, not any smoother.

What FPS is the game running at?

 

[Usr117063]

What FPS is the game running at?

60 but in towns it goes lower, doesnt matter what settings it always goes lower in towns.

 

[Christopher]

Anyone have experience with the Fractal AIO coolers? Specifically the Celcius

 

[charltjr]

Alienware R10 is on it's way back to Dell, I returned it.

Honestly in a lot of ways it's a really nice bit of kit, case is really easy to work on etc, but bloody hell the noise levels are bad and it's all down to them using a chassis which will never cope with the thermal load without ramping the fans right up.

It's basically a fairly small form factor chassis in a nice looking plastic surround and the cooling is frankly b****cks. There is one 120mm intake fan at the front of the case and one at the top of the case for the AIO CPU watercooler. They have to run fairly quickly to shift enough air to keep things vaguely under control, but it's the graphics card and PSU which is the real problem.

The PSU sits over the motherboard on a swing arm. There's only a couple of inches of clearance under the PSU for the air to get over the motherboard and out of the top vent.

The backplate of the graphics card has next to no clearance to the PSU - they are literally only about 5mm apart. The card is a basic two fan design which just blows air over the cooler and lets the case airflow deal with the rest, but because the ambient temp inside the case is so high and the airflow is so restricted they have to run fast and noisy. There's also a large case vent with no fan on the side of the case directly over the bloody thing which just lets noise out and will mess up the airflow a treat.

Honestly, for the components it has in it I just think it's staggeringly poor thermal design. It desperately needs some decent ducting and higher quality fans. It's the same chassis they used to use for an earlier XPS desktop with much lower end components in it, I'm sure it's fine for that application. I seriously considered transplanting all the hardware into my existing case, because that would have made one hell of a nice system, but it uses bespoke connectors for the front panel I/O (really, Dell? Really?!) so screw that.

So all in all it's fairly decent if you don't mind noise, but personally I'm not paying a fortune for a Dell in a posh frock which sounds like a hoover when you're gaming. Sad to see how Alienware have fallen really, they've just not got the basics right. Bit mystified about how good the reviews of it are TBH.

 

[sburrell93]

Anyone have experience with the Fractal AIO coolers? Specifically the Celcius

I looked seriously at getting the S28 Dynamic a couple of months back and done a lot of searching through written reviews, youtube etc. They're up there with the best AIOs if I remember rightly.

The only reason I was put off buying one is the rad size. It's slightly thicker than most and the full thickness including the fans wouldn't fit into the top rad slot in my case without hitting the mobo.

 

[Christopher]

I looked seriously at getting the S28 Dynamic a couple of months back and done a lot of searching through written reviews, youtube etc. They're up there with the best AIOs if I remember rightly.

The only reason I was put off buying one is the rad size. It's slightly thicker than most and the full thickness including the fans wouldn't fit into the top rad slot in my case without hitting the mobo.

Ah okay, I'll have to see what I have for clearance then! Cheers. It'd be a 360mm I went for and have the case length at least (Fractal Meshify 2)

 

[sburrell93]

Ah okay, I'll have to see what I have for clearance then! Cheers. It'd be a 360mm I went for and have the case length at least (Fractal Meshify 2)

That might just have been a limitation of my case tbf. It's a Fractal Define R5 I've got and it's only limited on 140/280/420mm because they take up the full width of the case. No issues on the narrower 120/240/360 sizes so I'd imagine you'll probably be fine!

 

[adamlstr]

I've had this week off so I've been prepping a home office for the new PC. For the time being, I'm just running my work M1 MBP and old Xbox for games (with huge horrible borders since it doesn't output UW) Love a fresh man cave, just need my GPU to arrive and built. Also need the blinds, artwork and lighting to come... supply issues with everything these days, not just silicon

View attachment 1530529

That monitor is begging to be hung from the wall, no?

I've just moved mine from swing arm at the side, to dual wall mounted with the top bezel at eye line. It's much more comfortable!

 

[Christopher]

That monitor is begging to be hung from the wall, no?

I've just moved mine from swing arm at the side, to dual wall mounted with the top bezel at eye line. It's much more comfortable!

Maybe yeah, with the desk being 850mm deep you really don't notice it too much. I'd gain about 300mm back from arm-mounting it though.

The trouble is finding an arm that's rated to hold the thing! There are a few but they're not cheap... no maybe something I'll sort down the line once the PC is sorted.

 

[charltjr]

I’ve done it again.... ordered another pre-built. It’s an Acer with a much better spec than the Alienware but only a little bit more expensive.

Not sure I can cope with the “teenage gamer” look of the thing, but I can always hide it 😂

i7-10700K, 3080, decent sized case with plenty of big fans and an AIO water cooler for the processor. Hopefully way better than the Alienware for thermals and noise.

 

[N0ddie]

Link?

 

[charltjr]

Currys, of all places!

12 months interest free with no repayments too, just make sure to clear the balance in time to avoid getting stung.

Gaming PCs - Cheap gaming PC deals | Currys

Experience stunning graphics and lightning fast gameplay with a gaming PC from Currys. Check out the latest gaming heavyweights from Alienware and Acer today.

www.currys.co.uk

it should be here tomorrow, so I’ll know then if they’ve done anything particularly stupid such as the memory being single channel.

Is it wrong that I find it amusing that the model number almost reads “POS” 😂

 

[charltjr]

OK so this is better.... a lot, lot better.

Things I like:
16Gb of dual channel 2400 DDR4 - bit stingy on the speed but at least it's not a single stick.
A proper full length three fan 3080.
PSU isolated from the rest of the case inside it's own shroud with a dust filter on the intake and the case designed so that the PSU can easily pull in air.
Way, way, better airflow than the R10, and it's even externally slightly smaller than the Alienware Aurora R10 despite having a ton more room inside.
USB C.
Free 12 month XBox game pass included.

Things I'm not sure about:
The AIO cooling for the CPU is nice and chunky, but there's quite a small top exhaust fan which looks like it might get a bit loud. It will be easy to swap for something quieter if there's a problem.
Bit of bloatware to remove but nothing too offensive - Norton, some VPN guff.
Bizarrely, they include a separate tempered glass side panel with thumbscrews in the box on top of the glass side panel with metal mesh which is fitted as standard. I'd rather they just supplied one or the other and spent that money elsewhere TBH!

Next update will probably be me bitching about how fan noise is still totally unacceptable

 

[Christopher]

Nice spec for Curry's tbh, hopefully you won't need to rebuild/tidy it all up!

Unless you're really lucky, prebuilt is the quickest way to get a 30 series atm. I've done the same with Scan since they're local to me.

 

[N0ddie]

Better fans can make such a difference to the noise and performance of a PC. Fingers crossed you don't need them but a simple retrofit if required.

 

[charltjr]

I had a good poke around it yesterday, overall I’m really impressed.

The cables are managed really well, everything is sleeved, and the components they’ve used are decent enough they’re just not retail branded. For example, the M2 SSD is a de-badged western digital part and the graphics card is a de-baged Zotac.

in terms of noise, it’s pretty decent. With a 3080 in it, it’s never actually going to be quiet as such but overall it’s all kept under control nicely. The one thing that is annoying is that sometimes the fans just spin up for about 10 seconds before ramping back down again for no apparent reason. I’ll do some temperature monitoring to see if it’s actually reacting to a genuine spike or not.

I do like a nice quiet PC, so what I might actually do is water cool the whole thing.

 

[Pistachio]

I had a good poke around it yesterday, overall I’m really impressed.

The cables are managed really well, everything is sleeved, and the components they’ve used are decent enough they’re just not retail branded. For example, the M2 SSD is a de-badged western digital part and the graphics card is a de-baged Zotac.

in terms of noise, it’s pretty decent. With a 3080 in it, it’s never actually going to be quiet as such but overall it’s all kept under control nicely. The one thing that is annoying is that sometimes the fans just spin up for about 10 seconds before ramping back down again for no apparent reason. I’ll do some temperature monitoring to see if it’s actually reacting to a genuine spike or not.

I do like a nice quiet PC, so what I might actually do is water cool the whole thing.

My 3070 was doing that. I'd just browse to a different website and it would rev up then down. Just totally unnecessary. I changed the fan map to completely flat until 70 degrees

 

[Steven103]

Everyone's moaning about mining & scalpers, but presumably there's a lot of prebuilts being bought purely to break for parts.

Sounds like you can buy a prebuilt pretty much at your own discretion. Lobbing the graphics card on ebay for 1-3k depending on model easily covers compensates the hit you'd take selling the unused CPU, memory, PSU etc at a loss.

 

[charltjr]

Yep, you’re not wrong. I could probably shift the 3080 for at least £1500 on eBay and just break the rest for parts over time to turn a profit. I honestly thought about breaking the Alienware for parts but couldn’t face the hassle.

Had a bit of a benchmark session this morning and tracked the temps etc with RivaTuner. The Acer absolutely murders the Alienware, it is just so much quicker. I’m actually starting to wonder if there was something wrong with the Alienware as on paper it should be fractionally quicker than the Acer - certainly not 20-30 FPS down on it in RDR2!

In retrospect I wish I’d done the same monitoring on it before I sent it back, because I’m willing to bet it was thermal throttling that was killing it.

I’ve been over the fans in the system too, the “surging” fan noise is from the AIO cpu cooler fan. I’m guessing it’s reacting to the coolant temperature which is why it lags behind load. The top fan never seems to do much and nor do the front fans, they stick at under 1000 rpm. That’s a good thing, because the front fans are just nasty sounding when I force them to run quicker and I can’t see an easy way to replace them. Bah. Anyway, they’re not a problem. I’ll probably stick a Noctua on the AIO cooler and top fan and see how it goes.

 

[Christopher]

Yeah, a LOT of systems on eBay without GPUs would suggest that's what people are doing.

My build slot with Scan is still fixed for the 23rd collection. Ages off still but better than taking the risk in the open market atm.

 

[Christopher]

I've got the office/cave pretty much where I want it now. Added some artwork, ambient lighting and a few other bits. Managed/routed all the cables neatly underneath, so satisfying to work here now. Just waiting for my new PC to arrive now.

 

[boultonn]

I've got the office/cave pretty much where I want it now. Added some artwork, ambient lighting and a few other bits. Managed/routed all the cables neatly underneath, so satisfying to work here now. Just waiting for my new PC to arrive now.

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I’m kind of amazed more people don’t have ultra wides, they’re a game changer.
Where is the desk from? I’ve been searching for a simple super wide one but drawn a blank with IKEA, JL etc.

 

[Christopher]

I’m kind of amazed more people don’t have ultra wides, they’re a game changer.
Where is the desk from? I’ve been searching for a simple super wide one but drawn a blank with IKEA, JL etc.

Yeah same, they're immersive for gaming and incredible for productivity too.

The desk isn't a desk, I had to order a kitchen worktop and mount legs to it! It's the only thing that was long enough for what I needed. It's 2200mm x 900mm, I had that size so it'd be the full length of the wall and fit into the nook in the corner of the room.

Worktop Express if you Google them, really good to deal with and decent prices. Mine's walnut block but they do loads. The legs are from Hairpin Leg Co. Not cheap but they're super solid.

 

[Pistachio]

Do many games support that aspect?

 

[boultonn]

Do many games support that aspect?

Everything I’ve played on 21:9 has supported it natively except Fall Guys.
there’s a website that catalogues support for 21:9 and 32:9 and whether it’s native or has to be hacked.
For CoD for example

Call of Duty: Black Ops II | WSGF

www.wsgf.org

 

[The Psychedelic Socialist]

Everything I’ve played on 21:9 has supported it natively except Fall Guys.
there’s a website that catalogues support for 21:9 and 32:9 and whether it’s native or has to be hacked.
For CoD for example

Call of Duty: Black Ops II | WSGF

www.wsgf.org

Some stuff's a bit funny about it though IIRC which put me off last time I was shopping.

I was playing a lot of Overwatch at the time and that has a fixed FOV which meant they decided the only ultrawide support was by effectively cropping the top and bottom of the frame, reducing the FOV to lower than that of a 16:9 / 16:10 player. On wsgf.org they label those games as VERT-.

Not so much of a problem on a lot of other gamestyles like RTS / driving etc., but for FPS not all ultrawide 'support' is equal.