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[demigod]

Does the amd expo or intel xmp chipsets on ddr5 matter? Can’t seem to find a 6000 cas 30 amd expo in white.

 

[drotahorror]

I have a thermaltake Toughpower GF3. It's been rock solid for me so far running a 4090 and 5800x3d.

The 1200w version btw.

I bought the 1000w a couple weeks ago. Hope it does well when I finally build a new PC when intel drops a new socket. First time I've bought anything other than Corsair for PSU since I started building.

 

[Leonidas]

Is the 3D in AMD 7800X3D really worth it in gaming?

Depends on what GPU and resolution you are using. If you're gaming at 4K it's probably not worth it.

7700X and 13600K are better in terms of value.

I'd only consider a 7800X3D if I had a 4090 and was gaming at 1440p at 240Hz. For 4K I don't think it makes much sense since you're only looking at maybe 4% better than the much cheaper 13600K, and that's if you had an RTX 4090.

 

[SF Kosmo]

Does the amd expo or intel xmp chipsets on ddr5 matter? Can’t seem to find a 6000 cas 30 amd expo in white.

No, XMP vs EXPO doesn't matter, but remember DDR5 memory isn't universally compatible, so you have to consult your motherboard's documentation to make sure you get compatible RAM. Sometimes RAM manufacturer's also offer their own compatibility lists (which tend to be a little more generous).

Frankly, DDR5 still has teething problems, it doesn't feel like the industry has hashed out compatibility standards in a good way yet.

 

[SF Kosmo]

Is the 3D in AMD 7800X3D really worth it in gaming?

In terms of raw performance potential? Yeah probably. But as far as today's games go, you're far more likely to hit a GPU bottleneck than to find a game that can really tax either one.

 

[V1LÆM]

Does the amd expo or intel xmp chipsets on ddr5 matter? Can’t seem to find a 6000 cas 30 amd expo in white.

It shouldn't, it can, and it depends. lol.

As I understand it, EXPO/XMP is just a profile saved onto the RAM for a quick and simple overclock. When you go into your BIOS and enable it then it tells the motherboard what speed, timings, and voltage to run at. So for example, 6000MT/s, 32-38-38-96, 1.4V (that's the kit I have). Of course, I could manually input that stuff myself and get the same experience. I could also try running at a higher/lower speed with looser/tighter timings and with more or less voltage. The RAM is rated/test for what's in the EXPO/XMP profile but if you can't be bothered manually testing and setting it then it's quicker to just enable it and forget it. That's what I do.

You could try buying an XMP kit but if you have an AMD system you're more likely to experience problems. The first two times I tried building an AMD system I used XMP ram. First time, I reused the RAM that I had in my old Intel build because I expected it to just work but it caused instability and my PC would randomly crash. Second time I had trouble with booting/restarting. I don't know if it was related to RAM but it could have been. Theoretically you should be able to stick XMP into an AMD board because XMP just means there is a profile saved on it. You might have some issues setting the profile and need to manually mess about with the settings but the RAM should work for better or worse in comparison to the specs of the XMP profile.

If you're going with an XMP kit on AMD then check it against your motherboards QVL list of supported RAM or check the RAM makers page for their QVL list of supported motherboards. My RAM isn't on my motherboards list but G.skill says they have tested the RAM on my motherboard.... and the RAM is working perfectly fine. Also, if you're going XMP then try give yourself some headroom in terms of specs. On AM5 you don't really need to go beyond 6000MT/s so if you can then get an XMP kit that is rated for something like 6200-6600 (which it should be stable at) and then set it to 6000 and try get tight timings. You probably could get a 6000 kit but you might need to turn it down to 5600. (5600 isn't bad if you have like 26 CAS, I think). When I was building my PC I was going to buy an XMP kit with 6600, CAS 32, and 1.4V. I ended up buying an EXPO kit with 6000, CAS32, and 1.4V. It was more expensive but I couldn't be bothered manually testing it for stability. I wanted something that just worked "out the box" or with a simple toggle on.

 

[Xyphie]

Is the 3D in AMD 7800X3D really worth it in gaming?

V-cache can be extremely worth it based on the games you play.

Upgrading from a 3700X to a 5800X3D gave me at least a ~100% improvement FPS improvement during WoW raids for instance.

 

[demigod]

It shouldn't, it can, and it depends. lol.

As I understand it, EXPO/XMP is just a profile saved onto the RAM for a quick and simple overclock. When you go into your BIOS and enable it then it tells the motherboard what speed, timings, and voltage to run at. So for example, 6000MT/s, 32-38-38-96, 1.4V (that's the kit I have). Of course, I could manually input that stuff myself and get the same experience. I could also try running at a higher/lower speed with looser/tighter timings and with more or less voltage. The RAM is rated/test for what's in the EXPO/XMP profile but if you can't be bothered manually testing and setting it then it's quicker to just enable it and forget it. That's what I do.

You could try buying an XMP kit but if you have an AMD system you're more likely to experience problems. The first two times I tried building an AMD system I used XMP ram. First time, I reused the RAM that I had in my old Intel build because I expected it to just work but it caused instability and my PC would randomly crash. Second time I had trouble with booting/restarting. I don't know if it was related to RAM but it could have been. Theoretically you should be able to stick XMP into an AMD board because XMP just means there is a profile saved on it. You might have some issues setting the profile and need to manually mess about with the settings but the RAM should work for better or worse in comparison to the specs of the XMP profile.

If you're going with an XMP kit on AMD then check it against your motherboards QVL list of supported RAM or check the RAM makers page for their QVL list of supported motherboards. My RAM isn't on my motherboards list but G.skill says they have tested the RAM on my motherboard.... and the RAM is working perfectly fine. Also, if you're going XMP then try give yourself some headroom in terms of specs. On AM5 you don't really need to go beyond 6000MT/s so if you can then get an XMP kit that is rated for something like 6200-6600 (which it should be stable at) and then set it to 6000 and try get tight timings. You probably could get a 6000 kit but you might need to turn it down to 5600. (5600 isn't bad if you have like 26 CAS, I think). When I was building my PC I was going to buy an XMP kit with 6600, CAS 32, and 1.4V. I ended up buying an EXPO kit with 6000, CAS32, and 1.4V. It was more expensive but I couldn't be bothered manually testing it for stability. I wanted something that just worked "out the box" or with a simple toggle on.

Yeah that’s what i figured, i hate messing with the timings tho. Oh shoot i went for 6000 cas 30 , do you have a link for yours? White? This is the one im getting.

 

[Celcius]

V-cache can be extremely worth it based on the games you play.

Upgrading from a 3700X to a 5800X3D gave me at least a ~100% improvement FPS improvement during WoW raids for instance.

what videocard was that with?

 

[Xyphie]

what videocard was that with?

Same in both cases. A RTX 3080. The game is mostly CPU-limited.

 

[Soodanim]

The idea of building a new PC has been floating round my head lately, but I'm torn thanks to NVidia's approach to the 4060ti (and pricing/model renaming in general).

Currently playing on 4690k/1660ti/16GB DDR3, and it would be nice to be able to run Elden Ring at 60fps for when the DLC lands.

How's AMD for GPUs these days? I've never had their hardware and I haven't kept up with their side.

 

[Rossco EZ]

I changed my 5600x to 5800x3d, it's quite nice of improvement. In Witcher 3 DX12 novigrad square was dripping to ~40fps with RT, now 60 is minimum. Star wars Survivor works much better as well.

The best thing is that CPU can be undervolted to the max (-30 PBO2) and it works like i charm and temps dropped from 90 to 82C in R23.

Amazing.

thinking of doing the same in maybe a year, have 5600x at the moment. would you think it’d be worth it by then? and would my be quiet pure rock 2 be enough to cool it?

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

Depends on what GPU and resolution you are using. If you're gaming at 4K it's probably not worth it.

7700X and 13600K are better in terms of value.

I'd only consider a 7800X3D if I had a 4090 and was gaming at 1440p at 240Hz. For 4K I don't think it makes much sense since you're only looking at maybe 4% better than the much cheaper 13600K, and that's if you had an RTX 4090.

I personally only recently went from a 12400 to a 13900K, both paired with a 4090. My monitor maxes out at 165Hz and there's really not much of a difference at all in most games

 

[V1LÆM]

Yeah that’s what i figured, i hate messing with the timings tho. Oh shoot i went for 6000 cas 30 , do you have a link for yours? White? This is the one im getting.

Mine aren't white. They are g.skill 64gb (2x32gb) 6000MT/s with CAS 32/1.4V.

F5-6000J3238G32GX2-TZ5N - Overview - G.SKILL International Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Trident Z5 Neo series DDR5 memory is designed for ultra-high overclocked performance on DDR5-enabled AMD platforms. Featuring AMD EXPO overclocking technology for easy memory overclocking on supported AMD platforms, the Trident Z5 Neo series is the ideal choice for building high-performance systems.

www.gskill.com

After buying them I found the "same" kit except with CAS 30 for like £110 cheaper lmao. I did consider returning my sticks but honestly don't think it's worth it performance wise. I could have saved myself about £100 (assuming I'd need to pay for return shipping) which would have been nice but I'm too lazy.

Always wanted some g.skill RAM as i've heard people talking about them. I've always went with Corsair but the best Corsair EXPO RAM i could find at 64GB was 6000MT/s with CAS 40. I suppose even that wouldn't be bad but felt like I was leaving performance on the table by not getting sticks with lower timings. There is only one store here in the UK (as far as I'm aware) that sells g.skill so I thought fuck it i'm going g.skill. No issues so far. Didn't really care what colour they were. I like the all black look I kinda have going on. I mean my GPU has silver and white LED so it stands out but it still looks good. White RAM would've been a nice highlight but whatever.

Your ram might need to loosen the timings to hit 6000 or you might need to go to 5600 with something like 28. I'm no RAM expert. I do hope your RAM works without any hassle!

 

[Jordoon]

Built my first PC in 2015. Been using it with a 32" 1080p 60 Hz display since then. I haven't been too read up on new hardware since I put that one together but I'm thinking to maybe build a new PC this year. Not sure if I'll be able to get away with just upgrading the old one. I want to also get a 1440p monitor at least 120 hz as well but not sure which one to go with.

I'll list my current build and a quick new one I just made, looking for any advice or tips, thanks.

Existing build from 2015

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $359.99)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For $64.99)
Motherboard: MSI Z170M Mortar Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (Purchased For $159.99)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2133 CL14 Memory (Purchased For $74.99)
Storage: Samsung 850 Evo 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $88.99)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $176.26)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $59.99)
Video Card: EVGA FTW ACX 2.0+ GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6 GB Video Card (Purchased For $879.99)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV MicroATX Mini Tower Case (Purchased For $159.99)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $169.99)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit (Purchased For $144.99)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link Archer T6E AC1300 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCIe x1 Wi-Fi Adapter (Purchased For $57.61)
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Chroma RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard (Purchased For $185.99)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse (Purchased For $69.99)
Speakers: Logitech Z523 40 W 2.1-Channel Speakers (Purchased For $84.99)
Total: $2738.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


Potential new build

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor ($312.17 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($119.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570S AORUS ELITE AX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($194.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB Video Card ($599.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650 GT 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($117.94 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1768.01
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

[rofif]

Buddy replaced his 3080 asus strix with 4080 zotac amp.... HOLY SHIT THAT THING IS HUGE. That is 500ml energy drink can for comparison !
Strix 3080 is already WAY bigger than my 3080fe. That 4080 is even bigger.
It is running very cool though.
And the card is of course very fast. 120fps in quake 2 rtx maxed out 1440p.
70fps in portal rtx ultra, quality dlss at 1440p and of course 140 with dlss3.

One thing to note - I have to apologize for doubting dlss3. The thing really don't feel like it adds any lag. It feels like genuine higher fps. Aside from artifacting on some ui in hogwarts legacy, I couldn't feel any lag but it looked like 140fps.

I am still using my 3080fe. I am too emotionally attached to it (how hard it was to get and how much of an achievement it was) and 4080 is still more than double if I sold it.
But yeah. 4080 is good

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Buddy replaced his 3080 asus strix with 4080 zotac amp.... HOLY SHIT THAT THING IS HUGE. That is 500ml energy drink can for comparison !
Strix 3080 is already WAY bigger than my 3080fe. That 4080 is even bigger.
It is running very cool though.
And the card is of course very fast. 120fps in quake 2 rtx maxed out 1440p.
70fps in portal rtx ultra, quality dlss at 1440p and of course 140 with dlss3.

One thing to note - I have to apologize for doubting dlss3. The thing really don't feel like it adds any lag. It feels like genuine higher fps. Aside from artifacting on some ui in hogwarts legacy, I couldn't feel any lag but it looked like 140fps.

I am still using my 3080fe. I am too emotionally attached to it (how hard it was to get and how much of an achievement it was) and 4080 is still more than double if I sold it.
But yeah. 4080 is good

I have been super impressed with the 4080 in this Alienware Aurora R15 vs my 4090 PC

Have been playing on the utrawide and the 4080 doesnt fall all that far behind the 4090 between the 2 systems.

That 4080 would be a great card if priced better

 

[V1LÆM]

Since upgrading my PC i have been curious how much energy it's using. My home smart meter shows I'm using quite a bit more electricity the last 5 weeks since I built my PC and I thought surely my PC isn't using that much more than my old one? I don't know what my old PC was using so can't compare it. The smart meter is showing the power consumption of the entire house so that's no use to me and using HWinfo on my PC doesn't show the full picture. It shows CPU, RAM, and GPU power consumption but I can't see how much the fans (6 fans) use, the SSDs (3x NVMe), and the motherboard as a whole.

I bought a wall meter to measure power from the wall.

the parts I've change are my CPU, motherboard, RAM. went from a 9900K, z390 board, 32gb ram, and 2x PCIE3 nvme to 7950X3D, b650e board, 64gb ram, 2x PCIE3 nvme, and 1x PCIE4 nvme.

My monitor/speakers haven't changed and according to this meter they use ~27W. It doesn't seem to change much. My monitor is a 1440p 144hz gsync (don't use HDR on it).

These numbers are rough, quick, and dirty so not 100% accurate (the meter itself is only accurate within 2%). With the wall plug on and the PC off it uses ~2.4W. My motherboard has an LED that turns on. During boot up it uses anywhere up to 200W but mostly around 70-90W and once Windows loads it's north of 100W.

Booted into Windows with Firefox and Spotify running (which I consider my normal usage when not gaming) it can use anywhere between 94-180W. Mostly 95-115W but when loading new pages, refreshing tabs, or opening a program it can go up to 150-180W for a few seconds. Scrolling the YouTube page uses 160-180W but actually watching a YouTube video is about 110W.

I played a bit of Rocket League (1440p 141fps max settings) which was about 150W.

Based on all of that my PC costs (GBP) anywhere between 3.88-6.57p an hour to run. My maths suck but I got an average of about 5.18p an hour so assuming I was using my PC for 8 hours a day then it'd cost about 41.5p per day or £2.90 per week (8hours a day). I don't use my PC for 8 hours a day and of course I'm doing heavy gaming then my PC will use more. Based on this I would guess that my PC shouldn't use any more than about ~470W so even if I was gaming and my GPU was going balls to the wall for a 3-5 hours each day that would cost about £3.13-5.23 per week.

That doesn't seem a lot to me but if my PC is the reason my electricity has went up then I can only assume that it's using more power at idle or low loads. My 9900k would sit at bout 26-34C during idle/normal usage but the 7950X3D is 40-45C. According to MSI afterburner it is using 40-50W. Not sure what my 9900K was using.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Since upgrading my PC i have been curious how much energy it's using. My home smart meter shows I'm using quite a bit more electricity the last 5 weeks since I built my PC and I thought surely my PC isn't using that much more than my old one? I don't know what my old PC was using so can't compare it. The smart meter is showing the power consumption of the entire house so that's no use to me and using HWinfo on my PC doesn't show the full picture. It shows CPU, RAM, and GPU power consumption but I can't see how much the fans (6 fans) use, the SSDs (3x NVMe), and the motherboard as a whole.

I bought a wall meter to measure power from the wall.

the parts I've change are my CPU, motherboard, RAM. went from a 9900K, z390 board, 32gb ram, and 2x PCIE3 nvme to 7950X3D, b650e board, 64gb ram, 2x PCIE3 nvme, and 1x PCIE4 nvme.

My monitor/speakers haven't changed and according to this meter they use ~27W. It doesn't seem to change much. My monitor is a 1440p 144hz gsync (don't use HDR on it).

These numbers are rough, quick, and dirty so not 100% accurate (the meter itself is only accurate within 2%). With the wall plug on and the PC off it uses ~2.4W. My motherboard has an LED that turns on. During boot up it uses anywhere up to 200W but mostly around 70-90W and once Windows loads it's north of 100W.

Booted into Windows with Firefox and Spotify running (which I consider my normal usage when not gaming) it can use anywhere between 94-180W. Mostly 95-115W but when loading new pages, refreshing tabs, or opening a program it can go up to 150-180W for a few seconds. Scrolling the YouTube page uses 160-180W but actually watching a YouTube video is about 110W.

I played a bit of Rocket League (1440p 141fps max settings) which was about 150W.

Based on all of that my PC costs (GBP) anywhere between 3.88-6.57p an hour to run. My maths suck but I got an average of about 5.18p an hour so assuming I was using my PC for 8 hours a day then it'd cost about 41.5p per day or £2.90 per week (8hours a day). I don't use my PC for 8 hours a day and of course I'm doing heavy gaming then my PC will use more. Based on this I would guess that my PC shouldn't use any more than about ~470W so even if I was gaming and my GPU was going balls to the wall for a 3-5 hours each day that would cost about £3.13-5.23 per week.

That doesn't seem a lot to me but if my PC is the reason my electricity has went up then I can only assume that it's using more power at idle or low loads. My 9900k would sit at bout 26-34C during idle/normal usage but the 7950X3D is 40-45C. According to MSI afterburner it is using 40-50W. Not sure what my 9900K was using.

I know a lot of people hate on solar powering your home but thrilled we did and haven't paid a dime for electricity in years plus it charges my electric F150 free so for me the ROI was worth it

 

[xVodevil]

So I've jumped after all for 4070 Ti, clearly one could argue it is overpriced, but...
Basically I got my 1440p 144hz monitor right back in September before the anticipated 3080 launch
Then of course shit hit the fan, and I was stuck with my GTX 970 on that monitor that is clearly not the best match
Eventually next year I went ahead and got an AMD 5800x CPU in March with a nice boost, that was much more in line with my plans for a new build, but yeah without the GPU still far behind my plans
Later that year eventually went for 3070 Ti still horribly priced, but at least best price for the months before and still the next couple of months coming, it was a real bummer..
Now I know this was not desperately needed, I've had a good couple of months wondering whether to go for it or not.. but since these weeks it came with the Diablo 4 bundle that's - 70€ and I've also had about -175€ with coupons at the retailer, I couldn't help but go for it... Now after 1-2 days of testing I think I feel pretty happy about it! Of course I could have stick to my build and have some fun but with the current 8 GB VRAM concerns it's clearly a nice boost, free Diablo? Hell yeah got my preorder refunded right away! And the performance boost is still nice, not even mentioning the bonus of DLSS 3 features at much better efficiency
At the long run I think I'll feel better with the decision down the line, and probably I'm gonna try to sell the old card as well... and yeah well I'm no Oracle, hard to predict the future these days, time will tell.. Anyway right now I feel pretty good about this, hopefully this build will hold up well for the coming few years! Though now I need to resist not going for the 7800X3D with some juicy 32GB DDR5 RAMs

 

[hinch7]

So I've jumped after all for 4070 Ti, clearly one could argue it is overpriced, but...
Basically I got my 1440p 144hz monitor right back in September before the anticipated 3080 launch
Then of course shit hit the fan, and I was stuck with my GTX 970 on that monitor that is clearly not the best match
Eventually next year I went ahead and got an AMD 5800x CPU in March with a nice boost, that was much more in line with my plans for a new build, but yeah without the GPU still far behind my plans
Later that year eventually went for 3070 Ti still horribly priced, but at least best price for the months before and still the next couple of months coming, it was a real bummer..
Now I know this was not desperately needed, I've had a good couple of months wondering whether to go for it or not.. but since these weeks it came with the Diablo 4 bundle that's - 70€ and I've also had about -175€ with coupons at the retailer, I couldn't help but go for it... Now after 1-2 days of testing I think I feel pretty happy about it! Of course I could have stick to my build and have some fun but with the current 8 GB VRAM concerns it's clearly a nice boost, free Diablo? Hell yeah got my preorder refunded right away! And the performance boost is still nice, not even mentioning the bonus of DLSS 3 features at much better efficiency
At the long run I think I'll feel better with the decision down the line, and probably I'm gonna try to sell the old card as well... and yeah well I'm no Oracle, hard to predict the future these days, time will tell.. Anyway right now I feel pretty good about this, hopefully this build will hold up well for the coming few years! Though now I need to resist not going for the 7800X3D with some juicy 32GB DDR5 RAMs

Nice one. Its a great GPU. Don't need to sweat it, have fun playing the latest games for some years at max settings.

I recently upgraded to a 4070Ti (from a 1070) and its amazing at 1440P HFR. DLSS 2/3 works great with super demanding stuff like RT and Path Traced games. Have to try CP 2077 with Overdrive if you have it, and also Portal RTX.

Would also recomment some undervolting.. Can get these cards running sub 200W with little to no loss to performance, which will be nicer to run during the upcoming Summer months.

 

[demigod]

I know a lot of people hate on solar powering your home but thrilled we did and haven't paid a dime for electricity in years plus it charges my electric F150 free so for me the ROI was worth it

How much did you pay for Solar?

Also does anyone have a steelseries arena 7 speakers? Im wondering how it fares with Logitechs G623/625.

 

[Chiggs]

Hey, PC GAF, just another reminder that Gigabyte is an awful company that doesn't know how to write a BIOS or secure its platform.

Millions of PC Motherboards Were Sold With a Firmware Backdoor

Hidden code in hundreds of models of Gigabyte motherboards invisibly and insecurely downloads programs—a feature ripe for abuse, researchers say.

www.wired.com

Researchers at firmware-focused cybersecurity company Eclypsium revealed today that they’ve discovered a hidden mechanism in the firmware of motherboards sold by the Taiwanese manufacturer Gigabyte, whose components are commonly used in gaming PCs and other high-performance computers. Whenever a computer with the affected Gigabyte motherboard restarts, Eclypsium found, code within the motherboard’s firmware invisibly initiates an updater program that runs on the computer and in turn downloads and executes another piece of software.

...

Smith acknowledges that Gigabyte probably had no malicious or deceptive intent in its hidden firmware tool. But by leaving security vulnerabilities in the invisible code that lies beneath the operating system of so many computers, it nonetheless erodes a fundamental layer of trust users have in their machines. “There’s no intent here, just sloppiness. But I don’t want anyone writing my firmware who’s sloppy,” says Smith. “If you don’t have trust in your firmware, you’re building your house on sand.”

Hundreds (271!) of different models are impacted.

Here's the original post from the research company that has exposed the issue:

Supply Chain Risk from Gigabyte App Center Backdoor - Eclypsium | Supply Chain Security for the Modern Enterprise

Eclypsium Research discovers that Gigabyte motherboards have an embedded backdoor in their firmware, which drops a Windows executable that can download and execute additional payloads insecurely. The backdoor affects gaming PCs and high-end computers.

eclypsium.com

We recommend exercising caution when using Gigabyte systems or systems with affected motherboards. Organizations can also take the following actions to minimize the risk:

• Scan and monitor systems and firmware updates in order to detect affected Gigabyte systems and the backdoor-like tools embedded in firmware. Update systems to the latest validated firmware and software in order to address security issues like this one.
• Inspect and disable the “APP Center Download & Install” feature in UEFI/BIOS Setup on Gigabyte systems and set a BIOS password to deter malicious changes.
• Administrators can also block the following URLs:
  • http://mb.download.gigabyte.com/FileList/Swhttp/LiveUpdate4
  • https://mb.download.gigabyte.com/FileList/Swhttp/LiveUpdate4
  • https://software-nas/Swhttp/LiveUpdate4

Remember, if you buy Gigabyte, you have nobody to blame but yourself.

 

[GreatnessRD]

271 motherboards is pretty wild. For my personal experience, MSI board I've liked the most. I think their BIOS is the best of the brands I've owned. Though I do prefer the EZ Flash from Asus where you can download and install the BIOS through the BIOS menus. I've owned Asus, Asrock and MSI boards.

 

[StereoVsn]

Gigabyte being shit, take 3. After the PSU fiasco and various RMA issues I was done with them. Such a terrible company.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Watch Dogs Legion is on steam sale. Does anyone know if this requires you to install uplay alongisde it? They used to force you to install and use uplay when playing any of their previous games through steam.

 

[Soodanim]

Watch Dogs Legion is on steam sale. Does anyone know if this requires you to install uplay alongisde it? They used to force you to install and use uplay when playing any of their previous games through steam.

I recommend installing Enhanced Steam and using a browser for the store. Among other things, it will let you know if 3rd party DRM is needed when playing any given game.

 

[Jack Videogames]

I'm on a 10400F with a 3070 and I'm not really happy with the performance of my games. What would you upgrade first if I was me, GPU or CPU? I would like to switch to AMD but I'm fearful as I've only had bad experiences with them

 

[rofif]

I'm on a 10400F with a 3070 and I'm not really happy with the performance of my games. What would you upgrade first if I was me, GPU or CPU? I would like to switch to AMD but I'm fearful as I've only had bad experiences with them

What resolution you play at?
10400f should be fine but looking more sus to me than the 3070.
I have 3700x and it certainly needs an upgrade. Both are quite similar in performance

 

[Jack Videogames]

What resolution you play at?
10400f should be fine but looking more sus to me than the 3070.
I have 3700x and it certainly needs an upgrade. Both are quite similar in performance

Even 1080p gives me issues sometimes. I used to think it was just memory leaks but I think it's something else. For example in Jedi Survivor I get similar performance with Epic settings than High and Medium and that doesn't sound right

 

[Bojji]

Even 1080p gives me issues sometimes. I used to think it was just memory leaks but I think it's something else. For example in Jedi Survivor I get similar performance with Epic settings than High and Medium and that doesn't sound right

With Jedi it's CPU limiting your performance. But sadly even the best CPUs aren't smooth in this game, it's just a mess.

3070 is enough for Jedi but in many new games it will be VRAM limited.

You should change both parts to get all around better performance in games.

AMD CPUs are amazing and as good as Intel, there are no features differences. For GPUs, you lose DLSS and relative RT performance but they offer plenty of VRAM and raw raster power.

 

[Jack Videogames]

With Jedi it's CPU limiting your performance. But sadly even the best CPUs aren't smooth in this game, it's just a mess.

3070 is enough for Jedi but in many new games it will be VRAM limited.

You should change both parts to get all around better performance in games.

AMD CPUs are amazing and as good as Intel, there are no features differences. For GPUs, you lose DLSS and relative RT performance but they offer plenty of VRAM and raw raster power.

I've taken the plunge and ordered a 7800X3D. I understand this should last a while. I'll try to get the 3070 to last until the next generation (which should be next year anyway)

 

[Bojji]

I've taken the plunge and ordered a 7800X3D. I understand this should last a while. I'll try to get the 3070 to last until the next generation (which should be next year anyway)

This CPU will last you for years! Great pick, if I had money I would switch to AM5 but I don't (lol) so I maximized my AM4 build with 5800X3D recently. In Jedi you will see huge boost but don't expect completely locked framerate.

3070 has enough raw power and if you menage your settings it should still be ok for some time.

 

[winjer]

That 3DVcache in some games is an absolute game changer.

 

[Ocean Dweller]

I currently have:

i7 9700k
3070ti
Gigabyte Aorus Pro MB
32 GB RAM DDR 4

I see this combo deal which SEEMS like a decent upgrade...

The combo bundle

Intel Core i7-13700K, ASUS Z790-P Prime WiFi DDR5, G.Skill 32GB DDR5-6000 Kit, Computer Build Bundle - Micro Center

Get it now! Find over 30,000 products at your local Micro Center, including the Intel Core i7-13700K, ASUS Z790-P Prime WiFi DDR5, G.Skill 32GB DDR5-6000 Kit, Computer Build Bundle

www.microcenter.com

thoughts?

 

[draliko]

After some thought I think I'll wait the ms showcase, if starfield doesn't have a 60fps mode on console I'm probably gonna buy a GPU again and move back to pc for good... I'm still waiting to buy diablo4 for the same reason... This week will be lit for me

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

Watch Dogs Legion is on steam sale. Does anyone know if this requires you to install uplay alongisde it? They used to force you to install and use uplay when playing any of their previous games through steam.

EDIT: Ignore me. Fucking idiot

 

[amigastar]

Was planning to upgrade my RTX 2060 with an RTX 4070 but what can i say, for now the 2060 gives me enough frames with current games. Maybe in 2-3 months i will upgrade.
I get 150+ frames with almost all max in D4.

 

[Raphael]

I currently have:

i7 9700k
3070ti
Gigabyte Aorus Pro MB
32 GB RAM DDR 4

I see this combo deal which SEEMS like a decent upgrade...

The combo bundle

Intel Core i7-13700K, ASUS Z790-P Prime WiFi DDR5, G.Skill 32GB DDR5-6000 Kit, Computer Build Bundle - Micro Center

Get it now! Find over 30,000 products at your local Micro Center, including the Intel Core i7-13700K, ASUS Z790-P Prime WiFi DDR5, G.Skill 32GB DDR5-6000 Kit, Computer Build Bundle

www.microcenter.com

thoughts?

Are you planning to keep the gpu? If so i would pass on upgrading, you probably dont have any or a big bottleneck.

Unless you actually do. Did you check if there is one? Depends on your needs and expectations - what you play, at what resolution/settings and what your fps expectations are.

 

[Raphael]

That 3DVcache in some games is an absolute game changer.

Nice. Is there a list somewhere which games benefit majorly from the 3d cache?

 

[SF Kosmo]

Built my first PC in 2015. Been using it with a 32" 1080p 60 Hz display since then. I haven't been too read up on new hardware since I put that one together but I'm thinking to maybe build a new PC this year. Not sure if I'll be able to get away with just upgrading the old one. I want to also get a 1440p monitor at least 120 hz as well but not sure which one to go with.

I'll list my current build and a quick new one I just made, looking for any advice or tips, thanks.

Existing build from 2015

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $359.99)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC12DX_BK 68.5 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For $64.99)
Motherboard: MSI Z170M Mortar Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (Purchased For $159.99)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2133 CL14 Memory (Purchased For $74.99)
Storage: Samsung 850 Evo 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $88.99)
Storage: Crucial MX300 525 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $176.26)
Storage: Seagate BarraCuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $59.99)
Video Card: EVGA FTW ACX 2.0+ GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6 GB Video Card (Purchased For $879.99)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV MicroATX Mini Tower Case (Purchased For $159.99)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $169.99)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit (Purchased For $144.99)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link Archer T6E AC1300 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCIe x1 Wi-Fi Adapter (Purchased For $57.61)
Keyboard: Razer BlackWidow Chroma RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard (Purchased For $185.99)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Chroma Wired Optical Mouse (Purchased For $69.99)
Speakers: Logitech Z523 40 W 2.1-Channel Speakers (Purchased For $84.99)
Total: $2738.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available


Potential new build

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor ($312.17 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler ($119.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570S AORUS ELITE AX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($194.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($139.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB Video Card ($599.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 650 GT 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($117.94 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1768.01
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

You want a stronger PSU. A little headroom will help with stability and efficiency.

Windows 11 is a free upgrade from 10, so don't buy it retail, just transfer it to the new computer and upgrade it (or don't because Windows 11 is awful). You also don't need to ever buy Windows retail, it's much cheaper to just buy license keys off ebay for like $20.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Holy fuck i want one!

 

[GreatnessRD]

That bitch tough! I'd actually consider this even though I despise tenkeyless boards.

 

[kvltus lvlzvs]

I found a used PC for sale. 32gb ram, Intel i7, rtx 3070, 1tb SSD. It's for 900, is it worth it?

 

[Ocean Dweller]

for gaming, whats a good CPU upgrade from a 9700k?

 

[GreatnessRD]

I found a used PC for sale. 32gb ram, Intel i7, rtx 3070, 1tb SSD. It's for 900, is it worth it?

That doesn't seem too bad, to be honest. Which i7 is it?

for gaming, whats a good CPU upgrade from a 9700k?

A full platform upgrade? What resolution are you gaming at? What's your plan. Could be 12th gen Intel, 13th or even something from Zen4 if you want forward compatibility.

 

[kvltus lvlzvs]

That doesn't seem too bad, to be honest. Which i7 is it?

A full platform upgrade? What resolution are you gaming at? What's your plan. Could be 12th gen Intel, 13th or even something from Zen4 if you want forward compatibility.

Not sure, but it's a 10th gen i7.

 

[rofif]

Buddy asked to make an example build for his nephew or something....
3060ti, 13400kf, 32gb of ram, 2tb nvme. All rather mid parts. Nothing above mid grade...
Came up to 1400$... so many compromises but a fully functional, good pc of course. +monitor and mouse/key but we are not counting that.

Then I entertained a thought of building new pc for me.
4080 and 13900k and z690. Top end stuff. Came up to 3500$ jesus christ

 

[OverHeat]

Buddy asked to make an example build for his nephew or something....
3060ti, 13400kf, 32gb of ram, 2tb nvme. All rather mid parts. Nothing above mid grade...
Came up to 1400$... so many compromises but a fully functional, good pc of course. +monitor and mouse/key but we are not counting that.

Then I entertained a thought of building new pc for me.
4080 and 13900k and z690. Top end stuff. Came up to 3500$ jesus christ

3500$ is not that bad for the specs

 

[SF Kosmo]

I found a used PC for sale. 32gb ram, Intel i7, rtx 3070, 1tb SSD. It's for 900, is it worth it?

Sounds decent. What's model i7?