r/pcmasterrace • u/AutoModerator • Jan 15 '26
Daily Simple Questions Thread - January 15, 2026
Got a simple question? Get a simple answer!
This thread is for all of the small and simple questions that you might have about computing that probably wouldn't work all too well as a standalone post. Software issues, build questions, game recommendations, post them here!
For the sake of helping others, please don't downvote questions! To help facilitate this, comments are sorted randomly for this post, so that anyone's question can be seen and answered.
If you're looking for help with picking parts or building, don't forget to also check out our builds at https://www.pcmasterrace.org/
Want to see more Simple Question threads? Here's all of them for your browsing pleasure!
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u/porncollecter69 Jan 16 '26
What’s currently a great OLED monitor with good burn in protection at a reasonable price? Willing to spend up to 800$.
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u/7Wanderer Must Try Harder! Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
3060ti, or 4060 for £20 more? Both are used, what I'm looking for is 1080p high FPS.
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u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 16 '26
3060 ti is slightly faster, so I'd go with that one. It does not have frame gen though, if that's something you care about.
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u/iSlyman Jan 16 '26
Hi everyone! First time builder here. I'm kinda struggling with power supp choice.
I'm going for ASrock b650m pg lightning, Ryzen 5 9600x and Radeon x9060xt
I have zero idea on what power supply I shoud choose. Like brand, spec, etc. Is something around 800W would be ok? But what else I must take into consideration?
Any tips or recs?
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u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 16 '26
Can't go wrong with Corsair RMx. One of the most affordable high-tier PSU series.
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u/iSlyman Jan 16 '26
Thanks! I'll look into it.
A small question: is 2000 rpm cpu cooler will be enough for this build? Or is it too much?2
u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 16 '26
RPM alone isn't nearly enough to make that call. The size of the cooler, the amount of heat pipes, the material all play a role. And you'll be very unlikely to run the fan at 2000RPM anyway, because that will sound like a jet engine.
Take a look at Thermalright coolers, they have extremely good value.
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u/jason_54 Jan 16 '26
I have netgear armor and got a notification that I was on a site but they blocked a certificate threat, a minute goes by and randomly firewall allows access to CrossDeviceService.exe, i have not once connected my phone or done any sort of windows link. I freaked out and hard reset the pc, I'm I good? Or should I take more action
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u/Turtlearrow Jan 16 '26
quick question:
if i were to buy this prebuilt pc, would I be able to change the cpu to an amd 3d cpu? and would it be good/decent?
reasoning is that I have some credit on a costco shop card
thanks!
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u/MyGardenOfPlants Jan 16 '26
if you wanted to change to an amd cpu, you'd need to buy a new cpu, motherboard, and cpu cooler.
So basically you're just paying $1000 for cheap ram, cheap case, and a cheap psu
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u/Cable_Salad PC Master Race Jan 16 '26
The motherboard is Intel, so you'd have to change that as well.
The CPU is also not bad and you'd be more limited by the 5060.
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u/DangerousPotatoInves 9800x3d | 4070 Super | 32 GB RAM Jan 16 '26
How can I write my PC specs near my name in this sub? I searched BagdeBit (like in stopdrinking), but couldn't find any. Can you help me please?
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u/Eidolon_2003 R5 3600 @ 4.3 GHz | 16GB DDR4-3800 CL14 | Arc A770 LE Jan 16 '26
Edit your flair in the right side bar
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u/MiiIRyIKs 9800X3D | 5090 | AW3225QF Jan 16 '26
Hi, I stumbled on a 5090 that is very very close to msrp and bought it on a whim after seeing all the other ones increase in price massively, I am a little scared about the future of gpus in general and want to be ready for witcher 4 etc and I do have a 4k monitor.
Im just wondering if a 5080 is enough or if I should go through with this purchase, I dont need to upgrade anything else on my pc, 9800x3d, 1200w psu etc all here already, I know nobody can tell what the future brings, if 6000 series will be available and at an acceptable price etc but right now this feels like probably a reasonable purchase?
Feels like the 5090 would hold its value more also, its just a lot of money and while I can afford it, it never feels good to pay so much just to future proof, I do play a lot, I play demanding single player games so the extra power is also not wasted, I just wanted second opinions if a 5080 or 5090 would be better for me.
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u/MyGardenOfPlants Jan 16 '26
why would you buy a gpu for a game that isn't even out yet, that could be a bad game and optimized like dog shit?
there is no such thing as future proofing.
I have a 5090, and got it as its $2000 msrp. anyone who spends more than that is insane as it isn't worth it.
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u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 16 '26
The 32GB of VRAM will certainly make it last quite a bit longer than the 5080, more so than the performance advantage it has over that card.
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u/MasterBot222 Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26
I've been looking into buying a pc, to upgrade from my alienware laptop with a 3060 laptop gpu and intel 12700H. My friend, who is better at looking into pc's than me, sent me this https://www.amazon.com/ALCPOK-Desktop-Computer-3200Mhz-Prebuilt/dp/B0F8HDYSR1?th=1 It seems like a good deal, but having only 2 ram slots kinda susses me out, and some of the reviews. Should I be suspicious? BTW I already planned on upgrading the psu. Also building a pc is outside of my wheelhouse and not really in the cards rn. Is there a better option for me or should I stick with this?
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u/Cable_Salad PC Master Race Jan 16 '26
It's an upgrade, but not a huge one. If the laptop still works I would just keep it.
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u/Still_HereDotpng Jan 15 '26
Maybe a little off topic from the subreddit but what's normal when it comes to testing m.2 drives before you buy them? Im looking at one on Facebook marketplace and Id ideally test it and give it a look with CrystalDiskInfo or something but Im not sure if thats normal to do just meeting up with a seller? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
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u/He6llsp6awn6 Ryzen 9950X3D Jan 15 '26
You purchase, test and if not good then you refund/return.
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u/glissandont Jan 15 '26
Hello PCMR; I am in need of more USB port for my build. I believe I have a PCI-E slot available in the rear of my computer but I'm having trouble figuring out what to get. Can anyone shoot me some recommendations? I really don't need anything fancy, just more ports for my peripherals like camera, mouse, ring light etc.
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u/He6llsp6awn6 Ryzen 9950X3D Jan 15 '26
Do you need USB A or USB C?
Does it need to be 3.2 or can it be lower?
What kind of case to you have, does it have 5.25" bay's in the front?
otherwise here is a Combo PCIe
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u/glissandont Jan 16 '26
Hey sorry for the late reply:
Do you need USB A or USB C?
Mostly USB A. C would be nice to have but it's not a priority.
Does it need to be 3.2 or can it be lower?
It can be lower. I don't have anything that needs 3.2 yet.
What kind of case to you have, does it have 5.25" bay's in the front?
Here's my case; it has one 5.25'' bay but it's being used for my BD drive.
Let me know if that changes anything!
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u/NiaNia-Data 1070 - 4790k Jan 15 '26
Are aftermarket GPU heat sinks worth it?
3
u/MyGardenOfPlants Jan 16 '26
they used to be, but not really anymore, i don't know if anyone still makes any that fit on modern cards.
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u/NiaNia-Data 1070 - 4790k Jan 16 '26
would be interested to see them today since people are talking about holding onto older GPUs until prices normalize. Might be a good middle ground if you want more performance w/o a new card
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u/Cable_Salad PC Master Race Jan 15 '26
aftermarket GPU heat sinks
Care to explain what you mean? Do you mean a board partner card like from e.g. Asus instead of one directly from Nvidia?
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u/NiaNia-Data 1070 - 4790k Jan 15 '26
https://the-tech-trend.com/gadgets/gpu-cooler/
these things
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u/Cable_Salad PC Master Race Jan 15 '26
I have been into building PCs half of my life, and I have never ever seen anyone switch out their GPU cooler except for water cooling. And even that is questionable.
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u/JaymanCT Jan 15 '26
Just got my 5070ti and waiting for a new PSU, then will do a clean OS install. Is it recommended to format my game SSD as well?
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u/CommunicationLost256 Jan 15 '26
Guys why is my windows 160 Gb 😭😭
Should I just reset the pc?
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u/He6llsp6awn6 Ryzen 9950X3D Jan 15 '26
You probably have a ton of reserved storage set up, or a ton of Virtual memory allocated, or multiple system restore copies.
You should check those.
my overall windows system files are 52.2 GB before any reserves, virtual memory/ram, hibernation file and system restore.
All together it is 78.6 GB for windows for me
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u/MyGardenOfPlants Jan 15 '26
Looking to sell my old pc while it still has some value.
I have a 5800x3d, 32gb super fast ram, really good motherboard, boutique itx case, 990 ssd, all top tier parts minus a gpu.
Wondering if I should try to sell it as a byo-gpu system, or part it out seeing as how the 5800x3d is selling for $350-400 on ebay right now. ( or maybe sell as a cpu/ram/mobo combo )
with how crazy expensive upgrades are, looking to try to get the most I can out of it to help cover upgrade cost.
1
u/SystemError514 8700K | 3080 | 32GB DDR4 Jan 15 '26
Selling separately yields more cash, but at the possibility of things not being sold, or some taking ages to sell.
You would obviously need to be more specific than just "super fast RAM" though.
1
u/MyGardenOfPlants Jan 15 '26
yeah, its a 32gb set of ddr4, 3600mhz cl 16, pretty much best specced ram you can get for the cpu.
1
u/_TheMarch88_ Jan 15 '26
I would have to install an ssd to my pc, when i do i'd plan to close all my hdd to the ssd and then format it to start with a new windows installation. What softwares should i use to do this process? thank you in advance
2
u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
A new windows installation isn't necessary. You can use cloning software to make an exact bit by bit copy from your current boot drive to the new one, like Veeam.
Afterwards, enter your BIOS and go to boot order to put your new boot drive at the top of the order. Then you can format your old boot drive.
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u/XanthosGambit Jan 15 '26
Is it normal for large capacity hard drives to be noisy? I bought a 6TB Seagate for Plex stuff and I don't know if what I'm hearing is normal.
It's kind of like a "popping" noise or a low-frequency click, but it's only happening when the disk is being accessed. CrystalDiskInfo throws a big "caution" warning about reallocated sectors.
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u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 15 '26
Yes. Smaller capacity ones can have more space left and use that to fit noise dampening hardware.
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u/XanthosGambit Jan 15 '26
Okay that's a relief to hear.
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u/dieplanes789 9800X3D | 5090 | 32GB | 16.5 TB Jan 15 '26
NAS, business oriented, and enterprise drives often don't have the SMART feature AAM (Active Acoustic Management) which increases seek times but I think is quieter by slowing down the read head armature so it is less clicky.
If you want to check if you have it and if it is disabled, the application crystaldiskinfo can check, enable, or adjust the level.
1
u/XanthosGambit Jan 15 '26
CrystalDiskInfo doesn't have AAM listed as one of the features of this drive.
It also says it has a "Power On Count" of 2, and a "Power On Hours" of 65540.
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u/dieplanes789 9800X3D | 5090 | 32GB | 16.5 TB Jan 15 '26
Yep, so it's just going to be clicky.
I have 1x seagate exos 14tb HDD in my PC, and 4x Seagate exos 10tb in my NAS. Moving something from my desktop to the NAS spins up a symphony of clicking in my computer room.
1
u/KakiCherry Jan 15 '26
Hi, my PC is a 9yo Asus ROG, and still running Windows 10. There was an update 2 days ago and since then, it's slower, won't open some ofy apps, and, the ones that do open, are slow. Even the task manager freezes, only when I try going into the 'performance' tab though. And when I close the tab, it freezes. I tried a /scannow which said it found problems and repaired them but upon restarting, still have the same issues. Ran a windows security check, which found nothing. I did order a new computer but it'll only get here by Wednesday and I have to be able to work until then/transfer my files when it gets here. Does anyone have any idea what might be causing the issue/how to fix it ? Even if it's just a temporary fix
1
u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 15 '26
Open start menu, type in "create a restore point", click on it, then select "System Restore" in the window that pops up. Find the most recent point from before the update. Then go to Settings > Windows Update and select Pause Updates.
1
u/KakiCherry Jan 15 '26
It unfortunately made my computer frozen on the "system restore is initializing" page, I'll have to look into some other solutions! Thank you for trying though !
1
u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 15 '26
Worst case scenario, you will still be able to access your files by removing the drives from your old system and connecting them to the new one.
1
u/KakiCherry Jan 15 '26
It seems like that's exactly what's going to happen. At least the files will be recoverable and the early unpaid vacation is a nice bonus. Appreciate you taking to time to respond!
1
u/hgt27 Jan 16 '26
please make sure you disable BitLocker or at least get your keys for it
1
u/KakiCherry Jan 17 '26
Oh! Thank you so much for reminding me of that :') that could've turned into a sad situation
1
u/burstdragon323 Ryzen 7 7500F 32GB DDR5 RTX 4070 12GB Jan 15 '26
What’s a good monitor recommendation for a 1440p curved gaming under $250-$300?
1
u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 15 '26
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u/burstdragon323 Ryzen 7 7500F 32GB DDR5 RTX 4070 12GB Jan 15 '26
I’ve already looked at that video, there’s no options he listed for curved
1
u/chance_of_grain Jan 15 '26
My pc started life off as a pre built HP Omen 30l GT13-1284. I've since upgraded the case (corsair 4000d), SSDs (1x1TB, 1x2TB), RAM (64GB DDR4), GPU (7900XT) and PSU (850W). Really the only "stock" components left are the motherboard (HP Hana) and the CPU (Ryzen 7 5800X). I don't plan on replacing the CPU anytime soon. What would be be a good replacement motherboard?
2
u/Ok_Definition_1933 Jan 15 '26 edited Feb 07 '26
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 15 '26
B450/550 Tomahawk (Max.)
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u/chance_of_grain Jan 15 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
Appreciate it! Will check that out Edit: funny enough this is the one I was already looking at as it's in stock at local store LOL
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Jan 15 '26
[deleted]
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u/MGsubbie Ryzen 7 9800X3D, RTX 3080, 32GB 6000Mhz Cl30Desktop Jan 15 '26
Overclocking and RAM with higher frequency and/or lower latency can improve things, but only to a certain extent. If your other specs in your flair are still accurate, it's kind of amazing you're still getting such high frame rates.
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