Mr. Fox

I did not list the additional items. Only the 3090 Kingpin was listed there, and it sold almost immediately. https://www.overclock.net/threads/rtx-3090-k-ngp-n-hydro-copper-block.1805258/page-2#post-29170391 I did not list the NUC there for a couple of reasons. (1) doubted the people there would be interested in a NUC, but may not be an accurate assumption; and (2) @ryanhas expressed interest in it. He has been cash-strapped and selling it right away is not necessary for me, so I did not want to list it a bunch of places and have it sold out from under him. That being said, if someone else in this community wants it, because it is listed here it is fair game. He doesn't have exclusive dibs on it here. If he or someone else here doesn't grab it in the next week I will list it on OC.net, Mercari and eBay. Selling it here or on OC.net not only gives people a nice opportunity to get something at a great price, but also affords me the opportunity to avoid getting financially raped by Mercari or eBay and PayPal. When I list something on eBay or Mercari, I generally ask 15-20% more than I actually want to offset their punitive fee structure. That gives the buyer a bit of a cushion to "chisel" me down on price without me taking it in the shorts. @Rage Set might be interested in the Strix Z690-E mobo and 13900KF for a custom build. If his customer(s) are not interested, then I will post them here (combo sale) once that is determined. Like the NUC thing, my goal is always to show preference to friends first, community second, and strangers last whenever possible. I will likely throw in a 32GB Hynix M-die DDR5 freebie if the buyer is interested in that combo.

The headphones and docking station are gone. The NUC is still available unless @ryanis still planning to grab it on the 28th.

That looks really great, bro. Super clean. I'm not seeing the mess that you referred to LOL. Yup, trying to minimize dust was the reason I left the open bench and went back to an enclosed case. Had it actually worked out the way I expected, that would have been great. In reality, it didn't solve my dust problem at all. It might have even made it a little bit worse. It's hard to quantify that since there's no way to measure the dust. Ultimately, I ended up having more surfaces to clean that were harder to get clean due to having more nooks and crannies to get dirty. Everything on the outside gets dusty. Everything on the inside gets dusty. All of the surfaces seem to need an equal amount of manual cleaning.

The MSI Suprim is the same. The sensor pins are next to the PCB. Definitely going to be a nice chip once I delid and go to bare die. Using 1.341V static vCore at 58x on P, 46x on E, 50x on Cache, 8200 on Memory. The 13900K needed 1.350V for 56x on P-cores. It is insanely hot running without a delid and KPX paste on the IHS. Gonna fix that problem next.

Jay had some kind of surgery, so Phil did the video. Apparently, Jay is going to be out of commission for a bit while he recovers. No idea what the deal is, but he looks medicated in that video. Here is a comment that explained the situation. While buying an 8GB video card in 2023 is not very smart, and it was not smart for NVIDIA to offer one, I do not agree with the logic that buying a second hand AMD card for slightly less that offers similar performance is an equally good or better option. I think it is a bad option and I would buy a 4060 Ti before I would spend a similar or slightly lesser amount for an obsolete 6700XT / 6750XT. All things being mostly equal, I will always choose an NVIDIA GPU over a similarly priced AMD card if for no other reasons than better drivers and better features, and fewer bugs.

We need these emojis added to the button list in the lower right corner 💩 💢 💯 I would use the pile of poop for that one, LOL

TL;DR? ^^^ What he said, LOL... ^^^

Definitely looks amazing. I was (and still am) torn between it looking incredible and losing the huge amount of space it consumes. If you remember when you offered it to me a couple of years ago, I got out my tape measure and started trying to figure out how it would work and decided it was too big to fit. I was thinking with my head instead of my heart and being pragmatic at that point. The reality is it will not fit anywhere comfortably, but I am still seriously considering moving the guts from my work computer into it and getting rid of the 5000D Airflow. It also looks amazing but it's too small. It's like the exact opposite problem LOL. The only thing that gives me pause is the fact that if I need to work on it I can easily, with one hand tied behind my back, spin the 5000D around or lay it on its back on top of my desk and it's no problem. I don't have to move other things out of the way or clear space to move it. Moving the DG-86 is definitely not something that can be done in a nonchalant manner. It requires strength, both hands, and a certain degree of planning (and moving other things), LOL. The empty chassis weighs more than the fully assembled 5000D. (I am only assuming this, but I suspect the gargantuan size and weight is why you are not using it instead of the Lian Li case you are using now.) The DG-86 is too large to fit under my desk. It's about 6 inches wider than my desk is deep. This is due to the rear IO chamber, which is also one of the features I like so much. So it's like a two edged sword in that respect. I wouldn't want it under my desk even if it would fit, because that is just way too inconvenient and inaccessible. And what's the point in hiding something so gorgeous under a desk where nobody can appreciate its beauty? That's kind of stupid. I have always absolutely hated the idea of putting a PC under my desk or in an enclosed compartment inside of the desk. It's so large that having it on my desk leaves me with no workspace, which is already at a premium. Going from the Level 20 XT to the DG-86 was jumping from the frying pan to the fire. The footprint is the same, but the DG-86 is a whole bunch taller and much heavier. The added height isn't as difficult to deal with as the amount of space the footprint consumes and the complexity involved in moving it. The one major advantage to the Level 20 XT is its 360° access, horizontal motherboard tray, it becomes the functional equivalent of an open bench with the glass side and top removed that is just as massive as the DG-86 in terms of desk footprint. What I really need is a larger office but that is never going to happen. If I had a larger office space I would probably do several things that I can't do now, including using both the DG-86 and Level 20 XT simultaneously and buying a second chiller or phase change system. Using external pumps and radiators contributes to the space problem, but I am not interested in changing that. The external pumps and radiators approach is the only way to fly, IMHO. The benching rig is still definitely staying open air bench like it should have stayed all along. Functionality trumps aesthetics in that respect. The space the open bench takes up is only 15x15 inches. It is so much more compact that I've even considered the idea of getting another open bench and not having any enclosed cases. The unrivaled convenience of using an open bench is absolutely compelling. Moving it is almost as easy as moving a milk crate. Just grab it by the side handles and move it (after disconnecting the wires and two QDC fittings, of course). Having used few enclosed cases, all of which have been stunningly gorgeous models, has made me more appreciative of the convenience of an open bench and less influenced by something because it looks nice. If I were a gamer that valued form over function and built something, set a modest overclock, then put the side panels on, left it alone and just used it, that would be different scenario. I would be using hard tubing and doing things that gamers do that valued style over substance. But, I am not a gamer and I can't put something together and just leave it alone. I am uncontrollably compelled by my mental illness as an enthusiast to mess with it. Constantly.

Thanks. My GPU is over those thresholds at idle. It is like 12.900V. That might be the 1000W vBIOS I am using though. Not sure if that affects input voltage or not. I will check with the stock vBIOS and see if it changes. So, I got the 13900KS from Germany. Exactly as advertised. It is in the buggy Z690 Apex right now. Needs a delid real bad, so I have it capped at 60 on all P-cores. Will do the delid and move it to the Dark mobo in a day or two. Looks like a strong CPU...

Hmm, I have not seen that. Which sensor is it in HWiNFO64?

What we do not know is how many have been sold versus suspected of failure. If CableMods sells volume of 10:1 or 20:1 compared to the other brands and 1 in 20,000 sold by CableMods results in a problem, it doesn't mean the other brands are better or that CableMods is worse. It just means we don't have enough data to speak with authority on the matter and have to resort to speculation. (I am just pulling numbers from the air for discussion. I don't think anyone has any real numbers.) That doesn't mean that anyone should think differently about one brand versus another, or feel more comfortable using FASGEAR or MODDIY instead of CableMods. The only thing we can be certain about is that we don't know what we don't know, LOL. As painful as it was to lose them in the GPU race, I think it might have been a smart thing for EVGA to do at this point. Putting myself in their shoes, I might have made the same decision. Other than it being a favor and an act of sacrificial charity, just because they want their customers to have better products available to them, there would be no true business reason for them to continue in a situation where the conditions were poor and profits too low. It is dangerous for consumers that EVGA might not be the last one to bow out and excuse themselves from the nonsense if things continue on their current path. There are a couple of things that don't make good sense to me relating to the 12VHPWR connector. The sensor wire is very thin and delicate. Why? Is there a reason it is not the same guage as the rest of them? Leaving it free-floating places it at risk to some degree for getting broken or cut. But, confining it also makes is susceptible to kinking or breaking because it can't lengthen or shorten itself at the same rate as the heavier wires when the cable bundle changes from being straight to having bends in it. (That is one advantage to the flat cables for sure.) The 12VHPWR connector itself is dainty and fragile. Why? I can't identify a legitimate reason it needs to be. They could make it 50-75% larger and stronger without losing anything, and it would still be smaller than three 8-pin connectors if a silly goal to make it smaller in size is what is driving the idiocy. (Which would fly in the face of logic looking at the rest of the GPU.) The wimpy design of the 12VHPWR connector seems especially out of place on graphics cards that are some of the most robust, high-powered and overbuilt GPUs the world has ever seen, yet they put a wussy baby-girl power connector on them. That's real stupid.

I have not seen any issues with my cables, end terminals or GPU socket either. All still look like new. I frequently check mine for heat by touch and using an infrared thermometer, and I have never seen anything unusual so far. All of the hyped crap on YouTube and tech web sites makes many people feel less than 100% confident, since we can only speculate on what is causing it. Some of the speculation is probably accurate based on logic, but without evidence. I really don't think it is happening because people suddenly forgot how to plug in a cable securely, especially after the first round of negative publicity. I suspect most people are cautious to a fault and still not feeling any warm fuzzies about it.

I have not seen one, but a cable with the terminal on the GPU end having the same variety of 90° orientations as the Cablemod adapter would be good. Having the cable connect to an adapter that connects to the GPU provides a potential additional point of heat-generating resistance, and in the worst case scenario, increasing the opportunity for failure/damage. Even the crappy stubby adapters that ship with new GPUs provide an additional point for possible failure. Those adapters would not be as undesirable if they had cables that were 12 inches long. Their stubby design is what makes them so stinking undesirable. They produce an eye sore in an otherwise clean-looking build. Maybe they made them ugly on purpose so people would want to spend money on new ATX 3.0 PSUs, better aftermarket adapters or 12VHPWR cables. (Yes, that would be collusion and a hybrid scalping technique to spread the money around to everyone that wants to have their hands in the Ada Lovelace profit jar.) What I meant was loose in the middle, but not disconnected at either end. I am not sure what anyone else meant if not that.

The thin sensor wires are always free-floating on every example I have seen so far. Even the factory 12VHPWR cable that comes with my Corsair PSU has it free-floating, but it is in the middle between two flat ribbon cables so it is protected pretty well. I think some of them that are sleeved put the sensor wire inside of the sleeve.

I am not sure there is any real evidence to show that Cablemod QC is universally bad or that their cables are causing it. The 90° adapter might create some resistance, but bear in mind that the adapter might be used to avoid bending the cable near the connector in tight spaces. The aesthetic improvement is nice, but it is not necessarily the motivating factor in all cases. It may be used in an effort to prevent the burning cable due to being bent sharply near the connector on the PCB in a case that is not large enough. Totally agree with that. The alternative to replacing it free of charge during the warranty period if the connector melts would be a recall and replacement of all GPUs sold so far with a new GPU using a better connector design, or a larger PCB with 8-pin connectors. I would like to see AIB partners do this on their own and start building 4090s with four 8-pin connectors and 4080/4080TI with three 8-pin connectors rather than following NVIDIA's lead on the 12VHPWR connectors. Any GPUs that are replaced under warranty would get the new design that does not use 12VHPWR connectors.

My Cablemod cable and 90° adapter show no signs of melting or heat despite the recent benchning with more than 600W getting rammed through it. Neither the cable nor the 90° adapter has ever felt hot during severe load. Slightly warmer than room temperature.

It is also a matter of strength and load distribution. The small connector with thinner pins soldering to the PCB not only will get hotter because they are thinner, they are weaker because they are thinner. You can see it just by looking. If I compare the size of them to what the 3090 had and the 6900 XT have on the 8-pin connections, you can instantly tell the diameter is smaller. Remember, NorthridgeFix also showed at least one video where those posts/pin were physically broken. It places too much stress on a weaker/smaller part physically and electrically IMHO. Stupid... the "thinner, lighter, smaller is better" approach always sucks and only dumb-dumbs believe it is true.

Agree. 4080 and 4090 should both have dual 12VHPWR connectors. There is too much current getting pushed through a small connector with fewer pins. If you look at the guage of the pins that solder to the PCB, they are also thinner, which further increases the heat on the connection. It would dramatically reduce the heat load on just one if they distributed the current on two connectors, even if you didn't utilize their full capacity. My 3090 KPE had zero issues with 900W+ running through three 8-pin connectors.

I went ahead and got another 1200W SHIFT PSU. I really like the flat cables and side ports. It is so much easier to manage the flat cables versus round sleeved cables, and the side ports free up usable space. The space they occupy on the side of the PSU is normally unused. The cables on a conventional PSU consume space that can be used for something else, like a drive cage or basement pump for a custom loop. All things considered, the volume this PSU and its cables consume is probably about half what my 1600W Supernova PSU consumes. Maybe the fact that it is native ATX 3.0 and has the factory 12VHPWR cable will help avoid socket melting.

It might have turned out better had they used two instead of only one of these dainty little connectors, but that probably would have cut into their profits by at least $1.75 per graphics card, so perish the thought. Comments on that video... all spot on.

I believe it is the connector socket design and NVIDIA's fault for forcing change where change was not necessary and illogical. Instead of the power being spread out over three 8-pin connectors that uses 24 pins and ~2.5 inches of PCB it is a crammed into 12 pins (not counting the sensor wire and three empty sockets) funneling into one inch of PCB. Same principle as using a small guage wire where a larger guage wire is indicated. More power than the small connection can comfortably and reliably manage. Another example of "smaller/thinner/lighter is better" reflecting engineering stupidity.

I like the simplicity of both the EVGA and HyperX keyboards. Not a lot of fluff and gimmicky stuff, just a no-nosense mechanical keyboard with a metal frame and good backlighting. I really like that EVGA has not made any off its software UWP filth. Everything is the vastly superior legacy win32 applications. Keep an eye open for the same price on NewEgg. That is where I bought both of mine for the same price at EVGA's current out of stock price. Maybe set a price alert for $60.

EVGA Z15. They have a clicky type and a not clicky type. I have one of each and wish both were the non-clicky type. You use EVGA RGB software to set the colors and they save to the keyboard NVRAM so the software only needs to run when you want to change something. The EVGA software (like always) is a win32 application, not UWP filth. This is a link for the non-clicky version: https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=821-W1-15US-KR

Nah, they're not going anywhere. Honestly, it doesn't matter what brand you choose there are TONS of things to hate and complain about. There are also some things to be glad about. The universal problem that seems to apply to most things, all brands, is poor quality control and abusive overpricing. The people selling things are more dishonest and greedier than ever before, and the people that are buying things are more stupid than they ever have been before.

The 12VHPWR cable is an inferior design in general, unnecessary and has offered nothing more that a reduction of cable clutter as an advantage. And, that is assuming you're not using 8-pin cables with the crappy short pigtails that new GPUs include. It would have been better to have stuck with the legacy 8-pin adapters and made the PCB a few inches longer to provide space for them. The fact that some GPU manufacturers and/or NVIDIA are not providing warranty coverage for a failure that virtually never occurred before introduction of the new flawed/weak/failure-prone 12VHPWR connector is pretty scummy. The notion that exactly the same problem could occur with a PSU cable made by Cablemod should not be surprising, and it seems unrealistic to suggest that one brand would be less prone to failure than any other. That is kind of ludicrous. The fact that Cablemod is covering the cost of GPUs when it is clear the failure occurred when a customer was using their cables show they are an honorable company that cares more about doing the right thing than the companies that sold the GPU. It makes me want to support them even more.