electrosoft

Final verdict: "Too many points of failure" "Stick to something traditional" I'm trying to figure out how the card was damaged to that point. They said UPS damaged it, but the way its designed no way the core comes away like that without zero damage anywhere on the outside and zero damage on the PCIe external connector but clearly bent/damaged pins on the internal mating and core contact damage. My guess is someone messed up blocking it and/or trying to reapply LM. Best thing is Tony learned a lot from working on one to refine his process for future 5000 series FE work including knowing to charge more for those repairs due to the complexity and headaches. ------------------------ *Sigh* and another scam over on OCN...... https://www.overclock.net/threads/asus-tuf-rtx-5090.1817558/page-2?post_id=29509662#post-29509662 You have to understand with so many compromised accounts that many are still in the proverbial chamber of bad actors to try and get people to pay with Zelle or PPFF or VenmoFF. You should never, ever use these methods unless you absolutely know the person personally. I was in discussion for a few GPUs recently and the breaking point was payment. I'm not sending off FF no matter how good of a deal it is ever.... You suck it up and offer G&S like every other real business and entity offers.

Yup, and HUB dropped a nice, timely video revisiting and comparing all the models across every spectrum. King of the hill overall for cooling is yet again XFX Mercury OC, but that is also one of the largest. It is $809 right now down from a high of $929 but still crazy expensive. Best GPU and hotspot temps. It can fit in a Jonsbo Z20 though. Reaper is a good compromise of price and form factor along with a sub 1000g weight (~905g). Next closest in weight is the Asus Prime at 1100g. That puppy is asking for some seriously small SFF loving. $650 is icing on the cake. Toss in 5% off from Microcenter CC and you're looking at 617.50 + tax. Performance wise, they are all within ~6% of each other at most and usually much closer from the best to the worst. Steve also addresses the Reaper model specifically in this video as to why they went out of stock for so long (Powercolor, like many AIBs during the initial rush were focusing on higher prices, bigger margin models) and why everything is coming back into stock now. I might scoop up a Reaper. It checks a lot of the boxes for SFF builds and still gives you basically the same performance on the desktop overall.

The default RGB would drive me nuts. Having to run MSI Center and SteelSeries GG software irritated me more than just running AWCC along with a lot of other not needed software. Once I was done my eval, I blasted that and did a clean install and scores in TS and SN immediately went from "good" to "excellent" just from the clean install. I can live with just AWCC. It isn't nearly as crippling as Asus's AC on the two Strix 18 4080's I tried and returned. My next step is to try and get ahold of the newest Intel APO to give a whirl on this and the wife's 14900KS SP109 for WoW. --- Yikes, yeah that's not good at all on the Alienware. I know samples are supposed to be seeded like regular line models, but only an idiot would not assume samples sent for eval / reviews aren't perhaps double checked a bit to make sure they don't get dinged or even better performing samples make their way out the door. Here is a run I did on my Alienware 18 with the 5070ti. You can see the 5070ti is pulling ~175w. This is in balanced mode. If I switch to overdrive/performance mode, the 5070ti drops back to 140w to give the CPU more juice. CPU topped out at 80c and GPU at ~63c in Timespy run. Leaving fans on their default profile and they went to I think 50% max? I initially thought this was all they could do and went, "wow, that's quiet!" then I switched to performance later and thought to myself, "Ah, there they are!' Nowhere near as bad as the Raider or other laptops I've tested though. I'll be curious to try some overclocking given the 175w budget and already cool running temps later. --------------------------------------------------------- In performance mode, letting the CPU run free it pulled up to 170w and the fans were automatically aggressive and temps topped out at ~68c. In this mode the 5070ti takes a back seat in testing and tops out at 140w. ----- And just as a refresher, here is a 275HX in my Predator 16 OLED eval unit throttling like a champ and on an ice cold run clocking in at 33k which quickly reduced to 26k on run 3 whereas my Alienware stayed the same throughout.... It is a much smaller form factor though. I'm upgrading the wife with this one over her Asus Vivobook 16 w/ Ultra 185 and 3050 OLED for the back half of our travels this year. Even dialed down, WoW was crazy chunky on that Asus at 1080p. That was pre Tazevesh Ice cold run: 3 runs:

4090 vs 5090 @8k anywhere from 24 to 58% faster..... 4090 is running out of VRAM with DOOM Dark Ages so toss out that 67% difference. Overall average difference ~43% faster on the 5090. ------------------------ Nice! Breaking the 17k mark on SN. Are you going to push for higher numbers? Chilled 4090 vs chilled 5090. I'll be curious to see how the WireView works out for you too as @tps3443 alluded to, it is hit or miss for temps but so many variables are in play and as always PEBKAC is always a factor so let's see ... ------------------- Yeah, the noise levels (especially sitting next to my former Raider) were immediately noticeable. I also think it is an AMD issue with their mobile variants even back to AM4. They just boost super aggressively and are overly aggressive with their cooling profiles. I've had 4 AMD laptops in my possession and the fans are very present. Three Acers, one MSI. Overall, the cooling system is very good on the new Alienware 18. Looks like Alienware might be playing BIOS customization games depending on model color and theme. My teal model defaults to solid teal no matter what unless I override it with ACC. Not retaining settings is the new tactic by AIBs and OEMs to force you to use their data harvesting software at all times. Asus literally removed the retention mechanism in a BIOS update on the Z690 Strix D4 to try and force Armory Crate down our throats. Maybe SignalRGB will work. Glad to know I didn't crack it open and install those sticks just for it to not work. Score one for other projects and life keeping my attention atm. My Alienware was an eval review model so while not always valid, I do tend to think the OEMs tend to double and triple check their samples sent out so there's that. How are your temps and scores so far? 5090 is more powerful, but the 5070ti also pulls 175w too so the overall cooling scenario should be about equal unless your 5090 is pulling more.

In an ideal world, absolutely but Nvidia will eventually be brought kicking and screaming into more baseline vram both mobile and desktop from top to bottom. With that being said, are there actually any games that can't run on 1080p medium with 8GB of vram? I do think Nvidia shot themselves in the foot when they offered the 3060 with 12GB. They opened Pandora's box a smidge... 🤣 If Nvidia is moving the baseline with the 070 class on up now with Supers, and slowing orders of 8GB 060ti variants, eventually it would make sense to: 050 = 8GB 060 = 12GB 060ti =16GB 070 =18GB 070ti =24GB 080 =24GB 090 =32GB The only fear of course is when 6000 series drops they regress back to non Super configs.

Nvidia doubling down on AMD and at least finally admitting gamers want more vram. 18gb and 24gb variants along with the 5070 getting a performance boost. It will close the gap between the 5070 and 9070 and give the 5070 more vram. 24gb variants of the 5070ti and 5080 just put the nail in the coffin for ther 9070xt atm unless prices seriously change. 5060 8GB makes sense for budget minded buyers. 5050 is a farce. At least AMD and Nvidia give buyers a choice between 8GB and 16GB models of the 9060 and 5060ti. Recent market data shows buyers are greatly gravitating towards the 16GB variants....shocker. Yeah, Nvidia wants to lock down the market even more. We need AMD. They keep Nvidia on their toes at least a little bit. Only reason we're getting Supers with memory bumps along with maybe a bit of stagnant sales atm from those who want more vram. Future proof? I'm sure that is blasphemy in the halls of Nvidia.... "No one can out screw up a known boutique mash up like Dell and Alienware!!!" **HP and Voodoo have entered the chat** 🤣 w00t! Looking forward to it! Seeing results from stock, AC, water, chilled and now shunted shows a nice progression.

The scary part is Q1, ok, I get it since AMD had not released the 9070xt and Nvidia was the only new game in town so 12%->8%, but Q2 when AMD was fully on the market brand new and Nvidia's market share grew yet another 2% while AMD contracted that same 2%. AMD has to get it through their thick skull that they will need to be better and priced super competitive to wrestle away customers because if not, why would they entertain switching? I mean, I held onto my 9070xt because it is an absolute 1440p WoW beast with the newest drivers and WoW updates. I am blown away at its performance and smoothness on the wife's 32" 165hz Asus display. Even back in the 5090 camp, I still stand by the 9070xt handling the lows better than the 5080 and 5090 in WoW. That hasn't changed. But those prices are going to continue to hold AMD back.

Well, this tracks with Steam Survey and AMD's new cards basically having no break through while NVIDIA continues to grow. They now own 94% of the market up from 88% last year this time. Insane.... but it makes sense considering how closely the 9070xt has been priced to the 5070ti. $599 vs $749 and the 9070xt makes sense. Any other pricing and it's a no brainer for the most part to go with a 5070ti. Other tiers are just too closely priced to make an AMD purchase a potential no brainer. AMD needs to compete on price and performance. Understand, for every 100 GPUs sold, 94 go to Nvidia and 6 go to AMD. I'd like to see numbers dialed down explicitly to gaming but those numbers are bonkers. Newest Steam survey released just yesterday shows the 5060 is the fastest growing GPU and yet again AMD has not made enough of an impact to enter the charts..... https://videocardz.com/newz/jpr-nvidia-discrete-gpu-market-share-reaches-94 ------------------------------------------------------- Insane gains, basically same price $299.99 (even cheaper with inflation calculations)....many will still complain because it's their nature....

So strange a few days ago to see 5090FE's available on Best Buy almost all day with the, "See Details" button blue before they eventually sold out. I didn't want one (explained below), but still good to see. Makes sense considering in the EU they are actually being discounted now a bit in certain regions. ------ I'm definitely locked onto the Jonsbo Z20 MATX portable case now after seeing it can fit even an Astral 5090 in it: Check out the temps which are great too. Astral has almost the exact same dimensions as a Vanguard 5090. This case was in my top 3 before but after seeing it can fit a Vanguard 5090 sized card and actually seeing it in action here at Quake Con from a gent in the BYOB line, I'm sold on it. It seems damn near perfect and checks all the boxes..... plus it's only $99.99 now. I especially like the no riser design. Timestamped with gent in line..... It can handle monster quad slot behemoths like the Astral, Vanguard and more. Looks like a fun case to play around with too. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chiller mode ACTIVATED... The Mrs. was ok with a living room benching session? 😁 My wife gives me deliberate side eye when I start to use the dining room table for projects..... Looking real good! Once that shunt is in place that Zotac is going to really start to sing full volume.... lol, me and shunting.... 🤣 Right after @Papusan and @Talon shunt theirs first. 🙂 Well, he clearly is talking the general (m)asses that didn't take the time to properly tune it. It is 13th vs 7800X3D all over again. Everybody screaming X3D superiority among the general end users and channels, and when I decided to tune them both up, guess what? 13900KS made massive performance improvements and the 7800X3D marginally so since its main strength lies in that cache. I'm not saying an Ultra 285k is going to slay a 9800X3D, but it can definitely gain a lot of ground when properly tuned. I'm just fighting the urge to do it all over again like before because that itch is picking up.....

Whoa! I see BB has them for $1k. Man, it does look sweet. Let me know if you're able to fully sort out the console controls to actually play because if not, then it still would make more sense to get a lower powered, but capable, laptop and use that while driving in the car. If console controls can actually translate to a real, valid gaming experience just even dailies, farming, WQ, etc... that is definitely something I would think of picking up. Crazy the latency is better than both my 275hx laptops lol. Man I wish they offered that in an 18" model. Right now, I plan on riding this free Alienware 18 for awhile. I might give the Raider 18 9955HX3D a try down the road once prices become less crazy or even the Raider 285hx + 5090 since it routinely drops to $2999.99. Wouldn't mind snagging an open box at MC then use their credit on top of it for another 5% off. The fan noise difference testing in store really caught me off guard and I'm not sure if MSI switched to slightly different fans or the 285HX is just boosting more sanely than AMD models tend to do in laptops which makes them harder to control even with extra bios functionality. Are you experiencing stuttering on your Hydroc G2 playing WoW? I really haven't had a chance to "play" on my Alienware 275hx + 5070ti to see if it stutters or has issues. I know that Raider 18 7945HX3D didn't stutter during raids or gaming on the newest BIOS. Ah, ok. I didn't know if you collected some data pre "AC to the face" of your 5090. Maybe ambient vs AC direct intake vs blocked and cooled ambient. I do think as node shrinks are insanely small and thermals continue to climb and the red line recedes, what is happening is the safety margins are getting tighter and tighter to the detriment of those of us who like to Overclock. Exploding AMD chips and 13th/14th gen issues aren't helping either to let enthusiasts....enthuse properly. Throw in natural boost algorithms and the difference between natural boosting vs hand tuned OCs gets closer and closer every generation. Once you shunt, you will quickly know if your voltage max is what it is now or if there is a little bit of extra in the tank that will open up once you give it that extra juice. I've long said that voltage matters even though only a few have argued against it and as time is passing, we are finding over and over the higher your voltage max the better your card will perform on average which is only logical in tandem with other factors of course. There is a reason most of the leader board members are using Elmore's to help pump up their voltage. Like I said weeks ago on the OC forums, "voltage matters." So an Elmore's might not be a bad idea if you're truly looking to push your card, but then again a chiller would also go hand in hand too. 🤣 But again, we won't know where it lands till after the shunt. Yet again, cooling is king.... it will definitely be interesting to see the shunt results exact same settings.... What were the results with AC blasting in? Have you entertained the thought of maybe moving back to a chiller?

Looking good! I'll be interested in your air cooler vs blocked results before the shunt mod obliterates both of them. Any pics of the bare PCB before block mounting?

I'll step aside so you can get it @Papusan. Maybe Asus will offer a5080 Dhahab Crocs Edition. 🙂 Sheesh, $3500 for a BTF edition of a standard edition Astral 5090 = $3731 in my neck of the woods $1900 for a 5080 is INSANE.....

Nice! I'll be looking forward to the results to draw some comparisons especially that 5090 stomping on the 5070ti in mine. I wouldn't mind either going back up to MC to play with that Raider a bit more at $2999.99 or picking one up to test drive. I think you'll be pleased with the thermals and noise especially compared to the Raider. And yeah, Tazevesh takes NO prisoners including the 5090. It hits harder than any other area overall in the game. Makes for good static testing without player data muddying the results. I still stand by Deus Ex Mankind Divided DX12 Max everything 4k runs also give some good, old fashion raster only results and caps out a 5090 too. Whew, all's well that ends well. It still boggles my mind when you're trying to get something solved and have to keep going through CSRs who should all know how to fix it and you finally stumble upon one who is competent doing their job. In the past, I would get their extensions or ask for a way to contact them directly to help resolve future problems too. Now the real fun begins! Bring on the results. 🙂

((Cue Paul's Hardware News Intro lol)) ------------------------------------------------------ Newest round of 5090 price cuts old and new: * = new Gigabyte Windforce 5090 was $2639 now $2199* MSI Ventus 5090 was $2449.99 now $2299 Zotax Solid OC 5090 was $2399.99 now $2249* Zotac AMP Extreme 5090 was $2599 now $2349* MSI Vanguard ($2669) and Gaming Trio ($2559) now $2499 Gigabyte Gaming 5090 was $2919 now $2599* MSI Suprim 5090 was $3199 now $2699 Gigabyte Master 5090 was $2999 now $2799 MSI Liquid 5090 was $3279 now $2999* Finally the mighty MSI Liquid 5090 drops in price and the Windforce drop is pretty substantial along with Zotac trending down back towards MSRP. Gigabyte Gaming finally became more realistic in light of Master prices already trending down by $200. Watched a 5090FE take longer than it should to sell over on the OC forums (and Reddit and elsewhere) which was surprising as it was priced at $2250 shipped. Insane markups, market uncertainties, slowly still teetering on a recession along with many realizing the pricing is just stupid on these cards are all in play and other factors. 6000 pro's everywhere (literally) and usually you can call and get a good discount even over the $8k (down from initial $10k). --------------------------------------------- Again, Intel quietly making nice inroads with the Ultra series chips. Handhelds they are really coming into their own..... Ultra desktop processors are actually well rounded if you don't fixate on "gaming brah!" and even then we're seeing properly tuned they are actually pretty decent. ------------------------------- I'm trying to decide if I want to go for a super cheap 265k + MB combo since I have these KB sticks on the shelf atm. Microcenter has some sub $500 combos with memory, MB and chip. I would just use the 6000 sticks in an AM5 buildout with a 9600x + B650 ITX board sitting on the shelf atm. Still haven't had a chance to get to it yet on the Alienware with other stuff on deck atm, but soon. 🙂 Are you going to try and re-order it in a different config? What was the config issues with your particular order? ------------------------------------ Yes, your Mac Studio can be a monster power hog pulling 300w+ and also why I always recommend a wall meter to see how much you're actually pulling. Remember, the PSU in the Mac Studio M4 is rated at 480w. There's a reason for that.... ---------------------------------- New testing spot in WoW as you step right into Tazevesh and a little bit forward to remove the gate blur off screen. Hits almost 50% harder than the Oribos spot and routinely many places in Tazevesh cap out the 5090 to 100% utilization easily at 4k Ultra 10 RT high (max): Same spot with the Ventus with both OC settings to each card's stable OC (+300 Vanguard, +350 Ventus) capped out at 130fps. PL100 vs PL104 made no difference here for comparison to the Ventus at PL100.

Sheesh, a little mini monster! ------------------------------------------------ @win32asmguy that Intel Ultra itch is growing lol.... Doing a shootout with all tuned chips 265k vs 9600k vs 9700k vs 9800X3D and at 4k the 265k draws with or slightly beats a 9800X3D in his testing along with fantastic gains in power and cooling efficiency vs 14th gen. It does make you wonder how it would perform with proper desktop bios tuning at our disposal for WOW....

It comes down to offshoring everything in pursuit of the all mighty dollar. At a certain point, unchecked capitalism is a problem from proper corporate and top percent earners taxation on down to outsourcing anything and everything to maximize profitability. Something isn't adding up here..... Glut of cards, Nvidia ordered AIBs to lower prices to move product yet not enough to make a Noctua edition? Most logical answer is Asus has numerous 5090 models in the fryer atm and the natural flow of GB202 dies is nowhere near on the level of 5080 dies. *IF* Nvidia slowed production of GB202 dies for 5090s, that would be the only other reason. I do think that certain resellers have been keeping prices inflated and holding back on stock to maximize sales but it has now reached a point of overstock so they need to pare that down sooner vs later. You can only give the illusion of scarcity so long before your warehouses are full to the brim and you have to move that product. Even 5080s are not moving like they were and prices are coming down quick closer to MSRP. What I have seen is that as soon as 5090s get close to $1999.99 they sell out fairly quick so that is the next tier of customer (like myself) that will only pay at or near MSRP pricing. You also have that tier that once prices slid under $2500, that made it viable too. But I will reiterate if you're going to buy a 5090, September will most likely be your last target window. I do expect prices to creep back up for the holidays and as production slows for the Super variants early next year too. I wouldn't be surprised if Nvidia ceases normal chip production in the next month or so to switch over for ramping up for the Supers and over the holiday season into January stock will dry up of the normal cards.

KPx still bringing the high heat overall.... (at least in this large batch of thermal pastes)

Yeah it was odd. I scoured the entire store. Played with the Raider, soaked in tons of hardware and still couldn't find anything of note. I have a pile of hardware here now to fully build out another AM5 PC. I might just build it out and sell it locally on TheBookOfFaces. I just upgraded our wifi situation earlier last year so we're good to go for awhile but it is fun when a legit problem presents itself allowing you to go shop and install new tech. 🤣 That is crazy they can't fix the simple error they can all readily identify..... And that 9070xt elite is a banger of a card especially with the upgraded cooling. Now if only UPS could get their act together so we can get that 5090 shunted and blocked.....

Returned the Ventus today to MC and as others have reported, as soon as I walked up to the return counter the sales associated said, "oh! that's a 5090, those have to be returned and checked at the service and repair counter." Walked over to the S&R counter and after a small wait, service dude (real cool dude) asked why I was returning it. I explained the Vanguard situation and he was like, "I would have done the same. I did the same thing except with a 7900XT. 7900XTX open box popped up for $50 more and I returned the 7900XT for the 7900XTX" and then he said, "ok, just have to pop it in real quick to validate it's in working condition" They have a few rigs set up just to test certain high cost returns to verify their status (Begs the question, what happens if I return it for not working / black screen?) I also saw a few people bringing in their non working PCs to have them checked/repaired. One dude brought in a B450 + 2600x PC.....dude.....just get a new one..... After that, easy peasy. Then the wife took the car and went to the ginormous TJ Maxx in the same complex and off to really look at everything commenced. Much smaller and tightly packed than the Microcenter other Microcenter in MD. Crazy small case selection. This was the biggest disappointment after seeing videos of the Tustin MC. I'm thinking of moving my components into a slightly smaller or better designed case that supports 3-4x 140mm fans top, bottom and front. I think they had maybe 3 ITX cases on display. Tons of open box motherboards along with "MC refurbished" models. Open box / clearance items everywhere. They clearly have a wonderful relationship with der8auer and TG because I've never seen such a high concentration of his stuff anywhere like this in my life. Awesome DIY robotics/raspberry area. I had a chance to try out the Raider A18 285HX + 5090 laptop. I don't know if it is a combination of AMD chips boosting too much and/or a change in the fans on the newer version, but it was whisper quiet and when I ran a few benchmarks the fans didn't kick up anywhere near the older AMD Raider. While the Raider is now listed at $3699.99 online, it is $2999.99 in store and $2849.99 after Microcenter Credit Card discount. Saw an open box EVGA 3080ti waterblocked edition in the case in generic wrapping still marked down to $469.99. I've made the 70 min trip now three times in the last 8 days. I'm good for awhile. I scored the Vanguard for a good price and scoured the entire store to my hearts content and found nothing I wanted/needed with my current collection of hardware on my shelves.

I didn't know Xeon's allowed G1 DDR5. That is a nice feature to have. Yeah, even the best 12th gens tapped out around low to mid 7000's. Every 12900k/ks I tested, the best I ever hit was ~7200. If you pick up a pair of 8000+ sticks, they not only usually tune nicely in the 6000's but they also do not limit you in finding what is giving up the ghost, the MB or CPU. @Mr. Fox recommended these 8400 sticks and I picked up a pair and they are really nice and cheap. They cost about $10 more than when I picked them up but still priced nicely. These would make a great set of "dual role" sticks. And that is my #1 pet peeve with some reviewers when they run around starting or old content zones and go, "wow! look! WOW runs on a tin can!" I always tell them at a minimum go take a quick flight through Ardenweald and watch those fps go away real quick. Now we just have to tell them to give Tazevesh a whirl and watch their performance tank on any meaningful settings.

Yeah, this one has outpaced the other two cards by far (within the tight margins of 5090land where a "bad" 5090 is still a freakin 5090). Over on the OCN forums, motivman posted the gigachad vBIOS he is using to smash into the upper echelon with his Ventus 1.11v 5090 (noticing a trend here for top tier cards. They all seem to be >=1.10 vmax cards), but it is the waterforce vbios so a no go for us mere air cooled mortals. I attached it to this post for anyone blocking their card and can flash it. I'll definitely test them in WoW (dunno if you know, but it's a game I dabble in 🤣) and Fallout 76, thanks! I remember you posting and yet again Gigabyte seems to be bringing the heat. Supposedly actually binned and limited to 1,000 cards. You also need a BTF motherboard for 800w. Wonder what these will command? I absolutely love the throwback look though. Only way I'm getting one of those is to luck up and win a contest! Just a general tuning top to bottom on the DDR5. Your best bet if you want to take it to that level is get a decent set of 8000+ sticks and tune them down to cl26-30 or pick up a set already in that range. For WoW, turning off e-cores is a must not only for general performance but opens up more overclocking. Yeah, the A18 was an absolute beast wrecking this 275HX+5070ti and I know most don't care about the fan noise but it was the ultimate nail in the coffin. Temps were really good across the board but those fans..... especially using the Alienware 2025 18 variant. Lights out temps, fantastic noise levels and even setting both to overdrive modes for max fans, the Alienware had not only better dB levels but better pitch. The Alienware defaults to solid teal now and the overhaul on the design is nice. Hopefully the Pro Max 18 Plus (say that 10x in a row) also inherits some of the new design language. Looking forward to your review. GigaChad.rom

You learn something everyday..... I did not know Newegg would do an in store credit within the window if the price drops outside of their "price protection" pre Prime Day / Black Friday price protection (which is them basically saying this item is definitely going on sale). I know Amazon just throws you the birds and says to return it. --------------- Glad you were able to sort it all out and we can get that blocked up and ready to go. Luckily it's a good sample so that adds weight to wanting to hold onto it too. ---------------- @jaybee83 before I start to potentially vBIOS hop around again on the Vanguard, what vBIOS did you settle on for your Suprim as the "one to rule them all?"

Well, at least it was (or will be) corrected. Holy moly I know that first glance had to be a, "WTF?!" Zotac's at MSRP $1999.99 at the Zotac store. Is your return window still open @Mr. Fox? There must be a crazy glut of 5090s if TUFs and SOLIDs are dropping to $1999.99 and fully back at MSRP. I expect more to follow sooner than later in pricing but $1999.99 is finally in line.

Hopefully you collected some fps data from your HEDT rig to collect some on the 12900ks rig to get a set of points to compare. I'd tune up the memory as tight as possible for a before and after comparison with 12900ks. Luckily Tazevesh is the new GPU slayer zone so it's easy to find spots (at least at 4k) to max out the 5090 on the regular at Ultra 10 RT High with no other players around to taint the data. I remember when he was all about WoW benchmarking, hardwarenumb3rs really went in depth with memory scaling showing nice gains with the 12900k in various configs: ----------------- Yeah, I pulled my 2TB and those Fury sticks from the MSI and put back in the original parts and gave it a proper clean install for the new owner. It clearly was better than the Alienware (275hx + 5070ti), but the Alienware is quieter (understatement), better display and plays well enough and that is before I dive into tuning it up as much as possible. I also prefer the stock keyboard more than the Steel Series on the A18....oh and as always, it was free. Alienware already has a clean install now as that stock install had too much crud. TS and SN went from good to excellent just from the clean install alone.

Yeah, the scalpers were all over those still trying to hold onto the last gasp of scalping..... I hope they get caught with a metric ton of stock but alas the holidays are right around the corner and I expect prices to soar right back up..... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Finished collecting some OC Deus Ex Mankind Divided runs. I like Deux Ex and the Dawn Engine. DX12, no RT and can cap out the 5090 to 100 right from the jump to the end with all the eye candy and setting jacked to max (aka, every setting clicked/slid to the right) Astral vs Ventus vs Vanguard.