Mr. Fox

This is very sad. I have purchased EXCLUSIVELY the EVGA brand in video cards since I ceased having an interest in AMD GPU trash. Not sure what I am going to do because ASUS, Gigabutt and others produce garbage with absolutely HORRID warranty service. Buying defective junk likely to fail, and difficult to get replaced is a bad way to live.

Looks like the seller I bought from now has two more sticks of SK Hynix M-die for sale Here is more info on A-die. Generic SK Hynix HMCG78AGBUA081N module part number. The memory IC part number for A-die is H5CG48AGBDX018. The JEDEC clock speed for A-die is 5600 versus 4800 for M-die and it seems like the increase in overclock headroom is similar. A-die is not in full production yet and modules using the IC are difficult to find and very expensive. https://www.igorslab.de/en/second-generation-ddr5-ic-sk-hynix-16-gbit-a-die-2x-16-gb-modules-review-with-overclocking-and-gaming-benchmarks/

I am eager to see Brother @Papusantemps as well. While not convenient, my Velocity2 block does every bit as good a job, perhaps slightly better, than the OptimusPC CPU block in terms of keeping the CPU cool. I am impressed with the appearance and results, but slightly put off by the inconvenience of the rear mounting hardware, much like I was with the Crosshair EK monoblock and the pain that was. However, I say that the monoblock was far worse because you had 4 additional screws for the VRM area that COULD NOT be accessed unless the motherboard was removed. The Velocity2 hardware is easily accessible as long as the hole in the motherboard tray is large enough. Both of mine are, but I have seen cases where the hole in the tray would not be large enough and difficult to access.

I find the mounting arrangement very inconvenient. Accessing the back of the motherboard while it is installed is easy on either of my cases but I know for some people that may not be true. Some motherboard tray are poorly designed and in some cases other things get in the way. But it is not convenient having to access both sides to remove the water block even when access is not impeded by other things. That being said, it looks good and the temperatures are very good. Then convenience is less problematic given that I'm using it on my work computer and I'm not frequently taking it apart and experimenting with different things like I am my benching rig. Did it help temperatures in your case? Same answer as Fire Strike. Buggy software and spastic laptops. Swings in scores and inconsistent results are expected and normal. K5 Pro offers no resistance to compression when used in place of a thermal pad, so it will not interfere with contact in any way. As long as you apply enough that it squishes out between the contact surfaces you'll be good to go, and the contact pressure would be the same or better (expect better) at the die when using K5 Pro versus thermal pads. K5 Pro is not better than pads as a TIM, and in some cases not as thermally conductive, but using it eliminates the possibility that thermal pads are interfering with contact and it maximizes contact on the surfaces where it is applied. That is the reason it is a good option. Given the haphazard and sloppy manner in which laptops are manufactured it covers a multitude of sins. Using shorter screws won't change anything. On the GPU you tighten the screws until the tension arm bottoms out against the X bracket. It's not going to get any tighter than that unless you increase resistance to tightening the screw by making the tension arm resist being pressed down against this standoff on the X bracket. Getting rid of the springs on the CPU and using ordinary screws will let you increase contact pressure on the CPU die. You have to pay attention to what is happening and not break anything, but you'd have to be kind of reckless to create a problem with over-tightening.

Buggy software. I have seen overstated Fire Strike scores that were totally impossible to achieve or replicate using the hardware they are run on, but validated by 3DMark due to glitches in the benchmark that skewed the results. Sometimes the overall score makes no sense, but it is calculated based on an algorithm that gives the most weight to one of the component sub-scores and ignores or discounts stellar performance to another component. Fire Strike is guilty of that. You can get a better overall score on a less powerful system with a strong GPU because Fire Strike doesn't give much credit for having a monster CPU. The combined score can bring down the overall score. You can have an insanely good graphics score and a sucky overall score if the combined test glitches out, and the combined test often glitches and can vary widely by GPU driver version. A laptop that "balances" power draw when the CPU and GPU are both under heavy load will commonly suffer in the combined test, which makes a big hit on the overall score.

Yes, Sabrent is a newcomer to market with RAM. They are the same M-die chips as what is found on my TG Delta and generic OEM modules and they overclock the same. It seemed odd at first, but I actually like not having any XMP profiles better. This was common on laptops, most of which couldn't benefit from XMP, but the generic Hynix sticks are the first desktop sticks I have owned with no XMP profiles since XMP was invented. Manual overclocking is always better because the XMP programming is usually half-assed, and the added cost of memory with XMP profiles added seems like a waste of money now. The Sabrent modules are my second pair without XMP. In light of how that sucks, as does the pathetic fake heat sink/no cooling garbage, on retail gamer memory trash, there is no point in leveling up with a brand name. You're actually leveling down and flushing your money down the toilet on nothing.

Here is some Sabrent Rocket DDR5. More to follow on this in a week or so. Another example of Hynix M-die overclockability. Note the DRAM:FSB ratio.

This fella has some hella electronics repair skills. Most people would have taken one look at it and decide it was over.

I always wanted a GTX 590 or 690.

I am not sure if I have seen an example of the stains you mention, but the issue I have always had getting a keyboard (desktop or laptop) to look like new is the fact that the keys are polished and have shiny spots from use. Nothing can be done to make it look new again on a laptop other than replace the keyboard. Same for touchpads, but mine generally stay looking like new because I refuse to use them unless I have no other alternative available. I loathe touchpads. I wish they sold laptops with a solid palmrest and no touchpad.

Everyone would be using a simple die frame, like a Rockitcool or der8auer die frame, built to specs provided by Intel, just like the ILM. Should be simple, easy, cost effective, produce superior results and be better for everyone involved. The fact that they haven't already done that is a little bit mysterious. The concept of having the IHS is kind of stupid IMHO. It is an impediment to heat dissipation and using one contributes to the thermal management woes of everyone that owns an Intel or AMD CPU built with an IHS. User-induced damage is not covered by warranty, so it wouldn't (shouldn't) matter to Intel (or AMD) if stupid, careless or inexperienced people crack the dies, etc. It wouldn't be their problem, nor should it be.

As long as they continue with sockets and not move to BGA filth, bare die should be the norm. It is the norm on laptops and there is no reason it can't or shouldn't be for desktops. It would not only work better, but it would reduce the cost of production and eliminate the hassles associated with delidding.

Bummer. I wonder how much AMD and/or NVIDIA paid them to stop competing? We didn't need them to be the best. We needed them to help keep the other two honest and keep the heat turned up on the quest to maintain market share. I was actually considering supporting them with my wallet once they got their driver issues sorted because I wanted them to stay engaged in the process.

I think the bigger issue for people that are keenly interested in overclocking is the fact that nobody makes extreme performance SFF products. That makes sense because it would be counter-intuitive to even pretend otherwise. SFF, by its very nature, is founded on a concept of compromise in one form or another... price, size, performance... all the above. Some people want that. For a person such as myself, the concept is totally incompatible with my interests.

All dressed up again.

What originally drew my attention was the generic Hynix A-die @Splave was selling on HWBOT. The module (not IC) part number was HMCG78AGBUA081N BA. These are DDR5-5600 16GB modules. I have requested he take a photograph of the actual memory IC so we can see the printed part numbers on the modules. If he is kind enough to do that, I will repost the image here for reference. See image of the part number decal in spoiler below. I searched for HMCG78AGBUA081N on eBay. By accident, I ordered module part number HMCG78MEBUA081N, which is DDR5-4800 16GB. It appears these have the same IC as the common good quality SK Hynix modules we are buying under branded names like G.SKILL, TeamGroup, Corsair and others that will overclock to 6800+ depending on silicon quality. So, while it wasn't the A-die that I intended to order, it was still a truly excellent buy at $80 USD per stick. It overclocks extremely well and will be better than paying more for a branded module that needs to have the heat sink (beauty shields) removed and replaced with legit heat sinks or run naked with a cooling fan to control the thermals. Unless you're into in, paying extra for RGB is a total waste and ultimately an unwelcomed physical impediment if you want memory modules that do not overheat with crappy original equipment "heat sinks" trapping the heat. Below are images of the modules and IC close-ups of the memory in my possession for anyone that wants to search for these or the A-die DDR5-5600 variant. As you can see from the Thaiphoon Burner data, the generic modules I bought on eBay look to be the same IC as what is on the far more expensive TeamGroup Delta RGB modules, and probably other brands like G.SKILL and Corsair.

Well... as luck would have it, these naked generic DDR5-4800 SK Hynix modules with no XMP that I purchased brand new on eBay for $80 each overclock better than my TeamGroup RGB sticks, LOL. And, totally naked with nothing but a fan blowing on them they run a good 15-20°C cooler than memory with stock trash heat sinks beautification covers on them. What a wonderful find at an affordable price. Using exactly the same manual settings they perform better. @johnksss This is actually as cool as the stick were running on water. It seems like the stock heat sinks we are getting on the overpriced brand-name memory are actually trapping heat rather than shedding it. Conclusion: If you are looking for performance rather than aesthetics, then don't waste your hard-earned money on branded sticks with worthless beautification covers inappropriately labeled as "heat sinks" LOL. $80 each, brand new... what's not to love? And, no need to fart around with buggy nightmare RGB trash software messes just to kill an RGB rainbow puke parade. Next Steps: Back to the water cooling so I can see how far these sticks can go.

Have you done the washer mod? That should help. Or, get one of these. I have one on both systems. Screws only need to be snugged, not tightened. Also makes a nice barrier for liquid metal. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B8GHWHNP

Quantum Magnitude 1700 should also be good. I have not tested it. But, it would probably be more expensive than an OptimusPC Foundation block. https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-quantum-magnitude-d-rgb-1700-nickel-plexi I think even a Corsair Hydro X block would be a big improvement over what you have now. It is made with a cold plate very similar to what you had on your AIO. That would likely be the most inexpensive option. Heatkiller Pro for 1700 may also be a good option. https://www.titanrig.com/watercool-heatkiller-iv-pro-cpu-water-block-intel-lga-1x00-03-20-wc-0192-00-xx.html?color=335

I have eight Koolance QD3 fittings and two Barrow QD fittings on Wraith and three Koolance QD2 (smaller) fittings on Banshee. Banshee has two EK D5 pumps and Wraith has two EK D5 and one Swiftec D5. What kind of QD fitting are you using? Even with 10 fittings on Wraith, I still have over 200 L/h flow rate. They certainly can affect the flow rate, but the impact doesn't seem significant in my situation. If I had to take a best guess, I would suspect the water block is the issue on your system. This is a newly introduced variable after moving from the AIO to the custom loop, and it is probably the weakest link because it is designed for much older CPUs.

I recommend either EKWB Velocity2 or OptimusPC Foundation block for the CPU. XSPC Raystorm was a good block for older CPUs but I noticed it was less effective on 10th Gen, Ryzen 9 and 12th Gen than it was on X299 for some strange reason. The Velocity2 block works very well, but is less than convenient because of the rear mounting mechanism. It is inconvenient having to access the back of the motherboard for block removal and installation. It looks excellent, but results are similar to the OptimusPC Foundation block and the OptimusPC block is far more convenient to manage. The OptimusPC Signature block is more expensive than the Foundation block, but doesn't perform better. The main design and cold plate are identical. The Signature is more expensive only because it is a solid metal CNC milled "unibody" block without the acrylic top. Performance is the same. The advantage to the less expensive Foundation block is you can view any debris or sediment accumulating and have a better awareness of when cleaning is needed.

Yes, the ASROCK tool has never provided any functionality for me other than displaying current memory timings on any system. I do not know if it provides any functionality on an ASROCK board. There are some minor differences between what is displayed in ASUS Mem TweakIt and the ASROCK Timing Configurator. EVGA motherboards can use ELEET X1 or the ASUS Mem TweakIt utility for realtime memory changes. MSI can use DragonBall or the ASUS Mem TweakIt utility. ELEET X1 won't launch on an non-EVGA system. DragonBall will not launch on an EVGA system, but it worked well on MSI. DragonBall also worked on my Strix Z490 mobo and it works on my Strix Z690 board. My preference in terms of software utilities is MSI DragonBall. I wish it worked on the EVGA motherboards. I like the minimalist experience and no-nonsense GUI that it provides. MSI Dragon Ball(1.0.0.10)-intel.zip

Probably only need to tighten up a couple of things. Here are more details on the timings I am using. I can run 6800 32-40-40-28 1T but there is no performance benefit that I can identify because some of the timings need to be loosened for stability which reduces read/write/copy/latency performance. It is terribly unfortunate to see such incompetence. That guy is right. Alienware is a distaster. Dell's mainstream consumer rubbish is status quo for the industry, so there is nothing to talk about in the realm of trashbooks. We expect nothing less than a dumpster fire in that space and it makes no difference who the molester of idiocy is.