Rage Set

It's all clickbait at this point. For productivity, especially video editing, Nvidia is in the lead. On my "workstation", I am sticking with Nvidia for GPU and Windows. I will not let CUDA go until AMD has a GPU that can "translate" CUDA for proconsumer (I understand AMD is working on this tech currently). Gaming is a different story though. I game on my 6800 XT attached to my LG C2 all the time and I don't feel like I am missing anything. Some games I run at 4K while others, 1440P. I am at a crossroads though. I want to upgrade this all AMD gaming rig. I am not sure if I am going to stay all AMD (AM5 and 7900 XTX) or go 14 Gen and Nvidia 4090 TI. I am still waiting to see when (not if) Nvidia is going to release the top Ada GPU. At this rate, I may end up going all AMD again due to pricing.

LOL. I will not use one of those huge M.2 Gen 5 SSD heatsinks even if I had the space. At that point, I would go off the deep end and buy SSD waterblocks like these https://www.amazon.com/Barrow-Storage-Waterblock-PCIE-22110/dp/B07J1T66N2

I am speechless but I have more testing to do and I have a few more different SSD heatsinks coming in. My FireCuda 530 was idling at 58C and my SN850X idled at 56C when I was using the mobo's shared "heatspreader". The 530 would hit nearly 80C during use or throttle when I was using both SSDs at the same time. The only thing I changed was the unified heatspreader - with each drive using its own heatsink, no additional fans or anything else. Using a 7 dollar (link below) Thermalright M.2 heatsink, the FireCuda 530 idles at 33C and hits 42C max during CrystalDiskMark testing. The SN850X idles at 30C and never went over 40C during my testing. Before I start celebrating Thermalright, I want to test more heatsinks. I think the mobo's "heatspreader" aka heat retainer was the problem. I'll keep you guys posted. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HRN8QXY?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

I watched it this morning because he mentioned in a pinned comment on his previous video about the audio issues. The first issue is a valid reason and if AMD is going to offer screen recording via its driver software, it should have this option. The second issue is a non-issue for the majority of users and there are many third-party macro apps that would fix this problem. The third issue is never really going to happen. AMD is not going to help its competitor nor is Intel. Adobe is going to have to fix it and considering their track record (hence why I stopped using all Adobe products years ago and switched to Final Cut and DaVinci Resolve), good luck with that. The fifth issue has been a problem since the launch of the 7000 series. I don't think AMD cares at this point, lol.

Compare it to your custom loop - as it has advantages and disadvantages over the AIO. However, if I were reviewing it for a publication, I would have a $50 to $60 quality air cooler as the first point of entry. This vantage point gives consumers a look at what they currently have, versus higher end water cooling (AIO) versus the best in custom water cooling. No need to get into GamersNexus level of detail..."Out of Box" stock settings to a "Gamer boy" OC is really all you need. I have my own private database of all of the air coolers (not many entries), AIO's and custom watercooling parts I've used over the past three years. I created it so I could have reference when I was in the early stages of a review channel/website. I got the black RGB version. I was also going to get the white version so I could create an all white PC to mess with @Papusan and yourself, lol.

I picked up the EK-Nucleus 360 during the Newegg sale to test for myself, as it appears on top of the charts in most AIO reviews. Hopefully EK improved on its fan durability. I plan on using it during test builds and when they are complete, move to either an air cooler or custom loop. I eagerly await your review. I am going to test it first with AMD.

@electrosoft I guess you can do something similar with your SFF PC? I mean it kinda defeats the purpose and I think Brian should have used a larger case. But hey, he claims it works for him. Nothing like packing a 420 AIO separately when you travel.

I CAN NOT wait until it gets colder here. Even with the rain storms we have been getting, we are still averaging mid 80's or 29C. The humidity is kicking my butt.

I have multiple fans. I believe the problem is the mobo's built-in heat spreader becoming heat soaked from the two SSD's. An EVGA 3090 FTW3 Ultra Hybrid sits on top of the heat spreader. I got a few Thermalright heatsinks coming on Monday. This build is in my basement. Right next to my rack of servers. Normally, due to this being a basement, I don't need any extra cooling. The weather is causing what is usually a cool 60 to 65F to be in the high 70's. This case wasn't the best idea for this build. I am using the Corsair 680X (I love dual chamber cases) but I am either going to get a Define 7 XL or an actual server chassis to put it in soon. I am going to "retire" this build anyway and it will live out its days as a Proxmox server.

On the Asus Zenith II Extreme Alpha, I have both the Firecuda 530 and 850X under the same M.2 "heatsink" and I think that's the problem. While there are thermal pads to transfer the heat to this heatsink, I think it becomes heat soaked and traps the heat. It doesn't help that I have a Hyper M.2 x16 Gen 4 card with four NVMe drives producing heat of their own. I may have to look into a server chassis and put this build in a rack.

I have a Firecuda 530 4TB and WD 850X 4TB (got it on sale recently). I am struggling to cool them. The entire case is a furnace with 7 NVMe's in it with an air cooler attempting to cool my 3960X and 3090 Hybrid. I am going to have to rethink this build.

@Papusan When you're right, you're right. Brother Pap has been preaching almost all of the adapters out there are trash. Now you got Jay, always a few days late, going on and on about it. He also threw a small jab at GamersNexus.

Linux can be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be. There are no "right or wrong" distros, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Experiment and have fun. Trying distros is a drug though...you can't stop once you start.

You're not planning on buying one, bro? 😂 At least you will get some kind of resell value out of it. lol

I was looking for an AM5 CPU block, as we know that the majority of AM4 custom blocks will not work on AM5 mobos. I started looking at Optimus again. Then I remembered I have the Optimus Foundation CPU block that @Mr. Fox gave me installed (along with the rad/fans I got from him) on the EVGA Dark X570 with the 5950X. After a bit of research, the block will work natively on AM5. Going through the Optimus website, they mention the Foundation block was "made" for AM5 but I don't see any differences between the one I have and the one pictured on their website. I am going to contact them and see if they will tell me if there was a revision of any kind. @electrosoft I have know you've tried at least two Ryzen 7000 series CPUs, but if you had to choose one 7000 CPU for 30 to 40% gaming and 60 to 70% productivity, which one would you choose? @Raiderman Same question to you but I know you have the 7950X, which I am thinking might be the direction I am heading. If you had to do it all over again, would you get an X3D chip or stick with the standard chips?

Steve from GN, in his latest HW News video, basically admitted that EVGA will be shutting its doors. This is why their new XC PSU's have a 3 year warranty. So with that information, does that mean EVGA will be gone within three years - only offering support for their remaining products? I get why the owner won't sell the company but to let the company simply shut down is an injustice. Steve did mention there were personal elements involved and perhaps that's why the owner is willing to let EVGA die. I hope, one day the full story comes out. Now I have to think about the decision to buy a Z790 Dark. Will it support Intel's 14th gen? If it does but issues arise, who's going to support it with BIOS updates if the BIOS devs are leaving?

One of my colleagues traded me a 7600X, DDR5 32GB 5600MT kit and cash after he damaged his mobo trying to install the 7600X. I gave him a 11900K, 16GB of RAM and MSI Z590 Gaming Force mobo. After two weeks of research and a tiny bit of push by you, I purchased a MSI MEG 670E ACE. I know it is quite the overkill board for a 7600X but I do plan on buying a 7950X when they drop to $400 or AMD's next gen processors. I got the mobo for $512 from Amazon in "acceptable" condition (it was only missing the box, otherwise it was brand new). I need 10G built into the mobo. I never used MSI before, so it is taking me some time to adjust. It's a good mobo though. No complains so far. I think I may go MSI in the future now as I won't touch Asus unless it is dirt cheap.

It's ironic that Nvidia fans are attacking AMD about FSR exclusivity after all of the Nvidia exclusive features and programs that Nvidia tried to push on developers and their partners over the years (Nvidia's GPP and CUDA come to mind) that can't be used on AMD or Intel products freely and natively. Yet, FSR works on Nvidia and Intel GPUs...can't say the same about DLSS or XeSS. Tim from Hardware Unboxed has stated for some time now that FSR 2 and DLSS 2.X look nearly the same. I really don't understand the uproar. Exclusivity has been a thing for a while now and there is still far more Nvidia DLSS titles than AMD FSR 2 titles.

I still have my EVGA 1600W P2 that is going very strong. It has powered multiple builds with SLI and the only one that could truly push it was the 7980XE and KP 2080 TI SLI build. I was going to build a 3090 SLI rig to see if I could punish it, but that never materialize. It lays dormant now, as I have nothing to really push it.

I will likely add to the site suggestion threads, but I would love a "front page" where members can provide valuable tutorials, reviews and more. Add some areas where you can display ads and that could provide a small revenue stream.

WOW...who knew Acer was going to come out and challenge everyone. The heatsinks are a bit large but it does come with a fan for the RAM. Thinking of picking up a Z790 Dark for the refresh CPUs even though I still have my Z690 Dark.

@Mr. Fox I guess this means EVGA is out of the Mobo market. Crazy to see such a great brand die. Get well bro. I guess you and I are the same, as I am still getting over a persistent cold. Always happens in the summer for some reason.

I have been daily driving three Linux distros. Vanilla OS, Nobara and PopOS. I think I am going to make the switch to Linux full time on ALL of my PCs (except for my job's workstation) this summer. Outside of the same Microsoft BS we all know, I love the tinkering aspect of Linux. My favorite so far is Nobara, as I have all of my film/video creation tools working alongside gaming. However, I LOVE the security focus of Vanilla OS and if you don't require anything outside of the common FOSS, it is a great OS.

His shots at Steve of GamersNexus and Steve of HUB are funny and ironic. FC claims they took their issues with these companies personally, but it almost seems he has a personally problem with AMD. That commenter hit the nail on the head.

While Jay and Steve are big youtubers, if Linus joins the fray against Asus, then they may feel the heat. He ended his video "and you don't care". Jay is right, Asus won't care about losing Jay or Steve. I do think Jay's video feels personal. He went into a bit of detail over their sponsorship and the pessimist in me believes he is using this saga as public leverage in those negotiations.