electrosoft

I'm living rent free in @Papusan's mind! 🤣 As for Intel, that is classic Intel offering the exact same chip with an extra bin or two or tacking on more e-cores and either calling it a new model # or appending an S on the K...... 290k Plus = 285KS 🤣 ----- When you are shopping for a new system, really want a 5090 based desktop and score a fully kitted out 285k + 5090 CyberPC open box for $2999..... Even included the KB/M and with a Gigabyte Gaming 5090 currently going for $2900 on its own.... (Timestamped at the "score"): --------- I'm kicking myself for selling off multiple sets of redundant 6000-6400 kits back in July but then I realized they all sucked badly. Right now I have the TG 8200, KS 8400 and a set of G.Skill 8200 I sniped locally. All 2x24GB kits. I think I should be good for my personal use. Any build outs for friends and family, well, they are in for a world of hurt when they see the price of that memory..... Oh damn! It's here already. Definitely hoping it turns out to be a better bin. Good luck!

Exactly. I always reserve judgement till I see the testing parameters then adjust accordingly. I think the 285k gets a bad wrap too: Frame Chasers and Blackbird Tech are two of the few who tune their CPUs and memory for testing to at least show Intel in the proper light for those who truly care where the chips fall when optimized. ----------------------------- FE / 6000 connector fragility strikes again and the problem is unable to source the part.....

Same, a function to import old BIOS settings would be nice. I've just gotten used to screen shotting my settings at this point and then manually re-entering them. Doesn't take too long (~10min tops if that) but still a nuisance. Hmmmm, I'll have to give this a true next time on the z690 D4 strix w/ SP109 14900KS and x870e Hero.... Didn't even know they basically offered the 9950X3D in Epyc form. Looks like the few reviews and look ups say it is better binned than the 9950X3D and the price is now down to basically 9950X3D levels. Tempted to try one myself! Unfortunately cheaters and cheat suppliers have gotten so good that EA has implemented their version of "The Final Solution" and it works. It wipes out any and all chances of cheats sitting in any memory space without being detected but it requires you to basically give up just about every aspect of protection on your system to do it. It is insane watching cheaters lose their minds in threads because they are being banned left and right trying to run updated paid for (!) cheats that have always worked getting them permanently banned on a hardware level. Just like with the Switch2, buyers have to be wary buying second hand hardware that could be banned from the gaming networks or games they want to play. I am not a fan of the level of access that is required to play some of the newest competitive games, but I also understand why in such a hyper competitive environment. When I used to play competitive Quake the sheer amount of cheaters was ridiculous and was always refreshing at gaming cons to suddenly see many of those same players under observation during matches suddenly get "less good" real quick. Only way I would entertain this level of intrusion to play would be a separate, games only install of Windows with zero Windows login or any other type of logins anywhere and use it to game exclusively on its own drive and I'm not willing to go to that level yet. Next WoW xpac, Blizzard is basically taking security to the next level and locking out mods and assists in what appears to be an attempt to heighten security. Remember, Blizzard via Activision was purchased for almost 70billion from Micro$oft. The Midnight xpac is supposed to be another major overhaul so we will see. ----------------- I like Testing Games to a degree, but the fact they still test the 14900k unoptimized at 6000 memory vs the X3D running the classic sweet spot 6000 just doesn't work for me. The way they run their DDR5 my tuned DDR4 B-die setup with the 14900KS will decimate their results each and every time let alone when I was running it tuned w/ 8400 DDR5..... -------------------- In the same vein of Socket 1700 and BF, if the 12 core Bartlett-S drops and is tunable, I'm still definitely interested in it too depending on where we can go with it. I'd pick up an extra board and slap these 8400 kingspecs in there and see where it goes....

I expect no less from Meta and similar corporations, but on the other hand human stupidity has reached an all time high and things that are obviously a scam or at least questionable are just accepted by many and they click away. Human gullibility in accelerated mode online.

Agreed, AI has totally shifted priorities this gen along with Nvidia exerting more and more control each generation along with pricing is getting painful. Jensen little man syndrome is in full effect unfortunately. I would hate to pick up that Asus 5090 (as beautiful and well crafted as it is) and be locked into certain motherboards going forward. I can't imagine not being able to test it in other systems easily which is also one reason I moved away from AIO based GPUs to air cooled this generation having previously used the 3090 Kingpin, 3090ti Kingpin and then Suprim 4090 Liquid. Swapping into open frame MBs was a nightmare with that AIO. I saw where they are now saying Super cards aren't coming till Q3 2026 which does not bode well for the 6000 series launch. If that is true, then yeah 6000 series won't launch until well into 2027. If rumors of greatly reducing or ceasing production and shifting the top end to the 5080 comes true that is even a darker portend of things to come for us mere consumers....

On paper, the WV2P basically makes the other model DOA unless it comes in much much cheaper but if you've already ponied up for a 5090.....With the ship dates so far out, we don't know what the status of Tariffs or FedEx shenanigans will be so this should be a "fun" ride. 😞 Oh yeah, MC openings are a major event/spectacle in the NerdWorld. As a general rule of thumb I tend to avoid all grand opening types of events (eateries, stores, etc...) or when events/movies premiere in theatres. I usually wait a full month or so before checking them out. I've even cut back on my normal convention hopping a bit because the crowds are ridiculous. I kind of get where TG is coming from since the recipient many times can formally open a claim and they are correct in the delivery status. You have to follow up on your own end. I've had this happen with several shipments over the years delivered to the wrong recipients and having to follow up with the local PO or UPS/FedEx. With most delivery services now taking pictures of the deliveries for verification, it makes it pretty straight forward to submit proof that clearly isn't your domicile. On the other hand, that six week wait is unacceptable. Don't forget you also need to get one of their aux powered MBs to go along with it..... Crazy pricing but one of the few out of the box aux powered 5090s on the market and sad to say with only 1000 being made, these will sell out pretty quickly. Exactly. With the WV2P, I will move away from the MSI tentacle. For my own edification, I do plan on running it for at least a week so I can monitor what's going on. How are 5090 stock levels there? They are drying up so quickly over here and back up to high pricing in rapid fashion.

With Microcenter offering 9070xt reapers on the regular for $599.99 aka MSRP, that's the way to go for bang:buck. All other 9070xts have dropped in price including the mighty Asrock Taichi down to $679.99 and Sapphire Nitro+ regularly down to $719.99. Plus Newegg has added black friday protection to Asrock cards even at $679.99 for the Taichi and $619.99 for the Steel so I am expecting even further price drops probably to $649.99 for black friday on the Taichi and $599.99 for the Steel. The gains in RT and FSR are very very good for AMD. They are here to play and with early reports of next gen GPUs showing a major architecture overhaul again with UDNA on the level of their move to RDNA. AMD is competing very well right now with the 5070ti on down with their stack. Of course AMD continues to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and those series of micro failures keep them from capturing the mindshare from Nvidia fans. Nvidia has its issues, but it continues to deliver on most fronts including the most important, performance and AMD is not afforded the luxury of Nvidia missteps like Intel to finally conquer. Steve went on a little too long about it but the points are sound. Ray tracing is definitely the future along with DLSS making massive inroads but I'm afraid so is FG but if Nvidia can make the same performance increases like they did with RT then FG may reach a day where it has zero latency penalty. If we reach that point, I welcome it too. As for the connector, unfortunately it is here to stay. All we can hope for is line protection/balancing mechanisms enacted to keep them balanced properly on both ends. I look forward to my WV2 Pro. I'm thinking of picking up the Asrock 1600w on sale that is populated with not only 2x 12v-2x6 connectors but also 8x 8 pin PCIe connectors. $199.99 is a good price. It also has Newegg's black friday protection I said it before and I'll say it again. 🙂 5090FE is a SFF engineering marvel but that's where it ends. In every other category I'm going any other card and depending on SFF size you can even fit an Astral in there but the perfect compromise is the Ventus 5090. Coming off an Astral, I literally opened the box to check if it was in there when we left MC because it was so much smaller and lighter and a true 3 slot card vs the Astral and the Vanguard which is similar in size to the Astral. But the Jonsbo Z20 can fit all of them in a mATX SFF form factor. Well, depending on games especially with RT the 5080 can definitely provide a tangible uplift. Even if you wait for the Supers the 5080 and 5070ti aren't really getting a legit performance uplift just an increase in tdp which you can do on just about any 5080 flashing the astral vbios (sans 5080FE). Checking Newegg, the only 5080 they have with Black Friday price protection is the PNY 5080 which is already down to $999.99. This will probably drop to $899.99 or $849.99 for Black Friday so you would be refunded the difference from NE if you're looking to minimize your "cost to play" with something new and better. But I can completely see holding onto your 7900xtx which is nice and blocked up already running the Aqua vBIOS. As much as I loved that Astral, it had to go back for almost $3600 after tax. Waiting paid dividends and I snagged this Vanguard for $1971 open box and even that is a stupid amount of money for a GPU so I get the cost factor too but the uplift from your 7900xtx, especially in RT, would be massively substantial.

Yeah, the best bet might be to hang onto the 7900xtx unless you have a specific need you're targeting for upgrading outside a new fun toy. 9070xt, depending on use case, is a side grade at best as is a 5070ti. Anything worth the squeeze is going to be a 5080, 4090, 5090. 4090 and 5090 are very expensive. So as you've found it is all about the 5080. I'd still wait and watch sales heading into black friday. I've been tempted to pull the trigger on a few pieces including another 9070xt for my SFF build but I know there will be some decent sales coming up.

LOL, that would be the sane move. I think we should count our blessings we got in on the 5090s when prices were low. Your Zotac Solid OC is out of stock everywhere and the cheapest price atm is $3279.99+ on Amazon. Even open box used is going for $2612.... New base price on Newegg when in stock is back up to $2899.99 It is better but won't give you that massive upgrade uplift you like to experience true. With black friday specials starting to activate earlier and earlier now, keep an eye out for a good 5080 sale which is bound to happen or do as @Papusan suggests and hunt down a used 5080 on the $750-850 range depending on model. Which model(s) did you have in mind for the 5080?

5090 Stock is severely drying up and base prices are up These are all sold and shipped by vs BB and Egg having their "marketplace" BS. BB is new to the game but they need to have an option to tick "Sold and shipped by BB" as you have to now wade through everything to find which models are sold by them. MC has 4 models in stock. Cheapest = $2999.99 Egg has 4 models in stock. Cheapest = $2849.99 BB has 3 models in stock. Cheapest = $2999.99 Amazon is all over the map as always. Cheapest = $2649.99 (Master) I'm sure those Masters will sell out just like they did on BB. If anyone is in the market for a 5090 atm, sooner than later is at hand.... --- Memory prices are absolutely bonkers stupid right now. So glad I bought that backup set of Kingspec 8400 M die 2x24GB sticks in June on the recommendation of @Mr. Fox for $140. They're actually a hair better than my TG 2x24GB 8200 sticks I picked up in July 2024 for $278.99 which are now $329.99..... The Patriot 8200 sticks I bought and returned because they couldn't even do 8000 without erroring out on TM5 were $189.99 and now are $274.99. --------------------------------------- Just placed my order for the WireView Pro II. Only FedEx is available for S&H no DHL so this should be fun when it eventually ships..... I'll switch my wiring up then to bottom run cable versus the top/over style I use now since the Vanguard uses the normal clip (non reverse) WV2

There is definitely some user error in the equation along with inherent balancing issues. Luckily with something like the WireView Pro II we now have a proper tool just in case to monitor balancing AND it can handle higher loads along with a serious warranty. Once shipped, it definitely dims the light on the Astral a bit. AMD made a major mistake and damage control is in overdrive. The sad part is if the tech media and users hadn't responded so negatively they would have continued with this business as usual. They may change course but the destination is still set and that doesn't bode well. Like Steve said in the video, "I said earlier this year don't %*%*% up AMD!" That's all they had to do. They had the momentum and actually sold way more 9070xt/9070 cards than expected and had their best sales ever in quite awhile then proceed to make dumb mistakes like this.

This really makes you think with everything done right, and oodles of power slammed through the connection, it is just fine. I would say it is human error coupled with potential QC, but I also believe after the 4090, OEMs/AIBs definitely test their connectors under high stress conditions including MSI. I also still stand by the fact lighter colored connectors will show scorch marks much easier than black connectors and to see if a black connector is degrading you will need to either get it to a point of melting and/or have the actual pins scorched too. I would posit that there are probably equal parts black connectors scorched out there as there is lighter color connectors. You just can't detect it as easily with the naked eye. I do not subscribe to the "yellow tip disaster" theory quite yet. We are talking anecdotal meets the potentially lowest level of confidence. It just doesn't fly. I do subscribe to the "a very small segment of connectors in general burn but we just quite don't know why yet" theory which applies to both Nvidia and AMD cards that have adopted this connector and includes MSIs cables along with other ones. In that line of questioning and wondering about cable/tentacle QC, how many founders edition 5090s / RTX 6000 pros have burnt up using the supplied Nvidia adapter cable? You would think their adapters would be the gold standard in all of this....

At least AMD suffering the problem lets us know it is a spec issue and not an Nvidia GPU side issue but still.... Score another for a lighter colored connector showing clear and visible scorch marks..... The blessing and the curse is my closest MC is ~60min away in St Davids. Close enough to where if I really want to go it isn't that far away yet far enough away to keep me honest and not habitually dropping by "just to look" (translation: Coming home with new goodies more often than not). An hour is a medium sized commute. Very doable. Your poor wallet AND you get access to a newer store vs ours which opened in 1991.....

With the newfound relationship between Jensen and trump sky is the limit now for selling AI hardware so might as well re-direct those 5090s to the AI segment. AMD has zero answer for Nvidia this time around and next time is looking to potentially "match" the 5090 which is nice but what about the 6090? 5080 beats everything AMD has to offer, period. This makes sense too as 5090s are not only going back up in price but drying up at all the sellers atm from newegg to BB to amazon and even MC. St David's MC is down to only 4 models of 5090 in stock atm. I've never seen stock so low except during the initial launch drought. Cheapest model in stock atm is $3k Newegg only has 4 models in stock and cheapest is $2850 Best Buy actually has the most in stock, 9 models, and the cheapest available is the Aorus Master on sale actually for $2599.99. That's actually a decent price for a Master and actually in stock if you wanted to go big time @Raiderman Were they both 550w EVGA models or two different variants? I'd jettison the 7900xtx especially with the head games AMD is playing atm. I'm pretty disappointed in them and they're only back tracking because of consumer outrage but the damage is done. They can't stop kicking their own ass..... Like @Mr. Fox said, go for the cheapest model that has a block available you like if you're focused on the 5080. It does offer the best bang/buck if you can get one fairly cheap (IE MSRP) or a touch below. You could also wait for the Supers next year as @Papusan said, but in the here and now either: Go for the cheapest 5080 that has your block du jour or Go ham and grab a Master from best buy for $2600 There are several 16GB 5080 models available from several sellers for $999.99. I can't imagine paying 30-50% more for a Suprim

The crazy part to me is how they have disabled the powered USB-C port on 7900xt/x reference designs too. This was one of the primary reasons I was thinking of one to power an external 18-24" USB-C LCD display a few years ago. Imagine suddenly losing that to stay somewhat current with drivers on a card that is still being sold by many vendors including Best Buy? I know if I was a 6000 series card owner I would be pretty salty over de-prioritizing a card that was launched less than 5 years ago and being sold new as recent as three years ago and sooner....