General PC Help Thread - OP updated with useful links - READ

[Kezzer]

How about a Microsoft Surface Pro ?

Don't know about the longevity, but for carrying around I'd say you would be onto a winner and Ideal for processor light task such as word or surfing the net.

[OldSoulCyborg]

Some time last year I did a dumb thing when putting my PC together and oriented the heatsink the "wrong" way (instead of taking air from the front of the case and moving it towards the back, it pulls in air from directly above the GPU and straight up). Wasn't a problem at the time, but now with my new, bigger and hotter GPU it means the CPU is taking in hotter air than before and it's causing some thermal issues.

The heatsink I'm using is a Noctua NH-D14. I know that the backplate on it is just held in place by the mounting bars, and I have to remove the mounting bars in order to rotate them 90 degrees (there's only two mounting holes for the heatsink). I'm wondering if it's possible to rotate the heatsink without having to go through the trouble of removing the motherboard from the case. I'm mostly worried that removing the mounting bars will cause the backplate to fall off.

[<]:^D]

you should be able to access the back of the motherboard (and therefore the mounting plate screws) through the 2nd (back) door of your case. if you cant then id guess youre out of luck.

[OldSoulCyborg]

you should be able to access the back of the motherboard (and therefore the mounting plate screws) through the 2nd (back) door of your case. if you cant then id guess youre out of luck.

Yep, there's a cutout in the back. Thanks.

[Green Gecko]

My girlfriend is after a new laptop in the new year. Her budget is probably around £600-£700. Doesn't have to be a brand spanking new model, but I know she'd like a lightweight one. Her current one is a real chore to carry around, so she wants something nice and portable. Mostly for Word and internet stuff, so doesn't need to be too high spec. Just a reliable laptop brand that will last her a good few years. Any recommendations? I don't really know what laptop makes are good.

That kind of money should net you something from Asus that will last years, although you could consider an Apple refurbished 13" Macbook Air: https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/product/F ... el-core-i5

In terms of reliability my Macbook has lasted about 6 years with a few repairs/upgrades but now the GPU is dead (this is because Apple used discreet hardware that ran too hot and their electronics were not built to cope with the excessive heat for so long). The last Asus I bought in a similar price range for someone in 2013, I've not heard of there being any problems (and this is someone who still emails me for passwords to their accounts).

[JimKT]

Quick question.

Bought a pre build machine in 2015. R9 270 and constantly cleaned insides dust free mainly and my graphics card is idling at 60c. I've got 3 X 24" monitors connected but surely even idle temps are too high for that

Compare it to my dads pc, which has a GTX 750ti and it idles at 36c on one monitor.

Is it worth getting this looked at??

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

[<]:^D]

check the heatsink - the thermal paste may need reapplying.
also check that the fan is actually spinning

[Green Gecko]

I'm not sure who runs hot these days but it used to be ATI/AMD (and I'm not confusing with AMD CPUs here), however generally power and thermal performance have improved a lot with GPUs mostly due to innovation in heatsink/cooler design and a lot more deviation from the reference design by the manufacturers, lots of 3rd party cooling solutions that are generally much better, etc.. I would expect an idle temperate around that and as much as 90 degrees at peak performance but that was quite a while ago.

The coolers on different assemblies like Asus, XFI, Gigabyte, MSI etc. etc. vary hugely in performance, with all sorts of solutions - 2 or even 3x fans, different fins on the fans or number of fins, size of fans, heatpipe designs, passive solutions, water cooling sometimes improving on the reference/stock GPU design by 10-20 degrees +. This likely explains it.

The "Ti" designation on some graphics card models often designates a more power efficient version, a smaller PCB (single slot design or shorter length or both), or a different cooling solution, underclocks etc. that don't necessarly impact performance but make them a better option for smaller, quieter machines like mini/mid towers or home theatre PCs. They tend to run cooler.

I wouldn't worry myself, GPU temps have always been much higher than CPUs. If you're worried about it, check the thermal compound and maybe replace it with an Arctic Silver 5 or Noctua NT H1. Check the manufacturer's specification - if the operating temps are normal, don't attempt this. You could make it worse by damaging the heat pads on the memory chips or the integrity of the copper contact areas, as well as potentially introducing dust, skin flakes, bubbles etc.

Myself, I've only ever once replaced a stock cooler because it was strawberry floating loud, otherwise I've never had any problems provided air intakes and exits remain clear - one GPU died in my family because it was literally packed with dust.

[Meep]

Seems reasonable enough, my GPU sits at about 41 when idle and it's only got one 27inch monitor to worry about. Although, this is passive cooling. It only turns on the fans when it is being used for games or something more demanding.

[Green Gecko]

I think my old x1800xt idled at 70, which is the only card I ever really knew anything about.

[Irene Demova]

How difficult is it to replace a case fan?

Replacing RAM and a graphics card are about the limits of my competence, I've screwed up anything more difficult than that

[darksideby182]

How difficult is it to replace a case fan?

Replacing RAM and a graphics card are about the limits of my competence, I've screwed up anything more difficult than that

3/4 screws and unplug/plug in a connector. 5 mins at most.

[Irene Demova]

How difficult is it to replace a case fan?

Replacing RAM and a graphics card are about the limits of my competence, I've screwed up anything more difficult than that

3/4 screws and unplug/plug in a connector. 5 mins at most.

I'll look into doing it myself then

[<]:^D]

yeah probably one of the easiest pc 'jobs' you can do

[OldSoulCyborg]

Took me like an hour to replace two case fans.

To be fair I made the mistake of trying to fasten them with the rubber thingies. Never again.

[Xeno]

My motherboard took the easy way out over xmas so I have had to get a new one. I have no clue if my 6700k has fried so I erm purchased a 8700......k. Just in case, can't be too careful. I mean I probably do need it and I'm not using it as an excuse to update.

[Death's Head]

My motherboard took the easy way out over xmas so I have had to get a new one. I have no clue if my 6700k has fried so I erm purchased a 8700......k. Just in case, can't be too careful. I mean I probably do need it and I'm not using it as an excuse to update.

Probably your GPU. Take no risks and get a new one of those to go with the CPU and motherboard.

[Xeno]

Oooo good call, it could also be the fact I only have 32gig of ram. I best go download some ram from https://downloadmoreram.com/.

I am currently looking at how much hassle it will be to get my win10 transferred to a new system.

[Death's Head]

I've never tried ghosting before but that is probably the most convenient option if you don't want the hassle of reinstalling everything. Given the hardware changes, fresh install is probably the best option.

[darksideby182]

Alot of SSD's come with ghosting software Samsung's was pretty easy to do it.