PC Hardware Talk Megathread

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

I just don't buy any of it. Gaming performance is ALREADY not CPU bound, such that there is little reason to spend a bunch of extra money on a 12900k, for example, as compared to a 12400. You're barely seeing any performance difference, other than more power draw and more heat. So to the extent this new generation makes improvements in efficiency and thermal performance, that's fantastic... but suggesting that the actual performance will matter to anyone who's using their PC primarily for gaming? I am extremely skeptical.

Well GPU bound at higher resolutions.
That's why all the testing they are showing is done at 1080p where you will find bottle necks. 1080p is handle more by cpu

I definitely think people at any resolution will benifiet tho.
Halo infinite takes up 40% cpu with my 3090.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

So first of all, even at 1080p, the benefit of a better CPU is minimal to the point of not even being noticeable in most games, and a ~5% benefit at that resolution certainly isn't worth spending the extra money for even in this generation, if for whatever reason you're still using 1080p.

But we can leave that aside, because... What chance is there that anyone springing for a new 7000 series GPU and its accompanying DDR5 ram along with a compatible new form of motherboard - at the prices those things command - is playing games at 1080p? Sure, there are a handful of competitive FPS gamers and streamers out there who are playing at 1080p/240-300mhz, but that's a pretty small niche, it seems like. The vast, vast majority of people who are interested in the new hotness are looking to game at 1440p minimum, and if you're buying this stuff you're even more likely to be targeting 4k.

[calgarygeologist]

Maybe someone here can help me with an issue. I have an HP gaming laptop and for some reason I can't charge the laptop via usb-c. It has a usb-c that is supposed to be capable of power delivery but I can't get power. I've tried a power bank, a few wall chargers and two docking hubs. All of those options work with other laptops but not this one. When I connect to the docking hubs it will connect the monitors, USB devices and headphones but it just won't power the laptop. I've run through all the options I can find online for troubleshooting including resetting the battery, driver updates, etc but nothing has helped. Does anyone have any other suggestions to troubleshoot and fix this? Could it just be a bad port regardless of it working with the hubs?

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I would think that the issue is the connection between the port and the battery? Something internal downstream of the port that links up to power delivery seems likely. I have an ASUS laptop that has two USB C ports and only one is for power delivery, and if you plug power delivery into both at the same time that has been known to wreck the PD port I believe, so it may not be an isolated problem.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

I would think that the issue is the connection between the port and the battery? Something internal downstream of the port that links up to power delivery seems likely. I have an ASUS laptop that has two USB C ports and only one is for power delivery, and if you plug power delivery into both at the same time that has been known to wreck the PD port I believe, so it may not be an isolated problem.

If this is the case in my situation there isn't a simple solution without replacing the usb-c or replacing the connectors from the usb-c?

[photon]

Are those other laptops the same model? I had a dock and laptop from work where it wouldn't charge because the dock couldn't provide enough power. Would work fine on the adapter for the laptop. Got a newer dock then it worked fine.

Maybe your gaming laptop power requirement exceeds the power delivery capability of the things you've tried to use to charge it?

Even the cable matters, different USB-C cables can carry different amounts of power.

Could also try a can of compressed air in the USB port; maybe there's a bit of dust inhibiting it negotiating the proper connection for full power delivery.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by photon

Are those other laptops the same model? I had a dock and laptop from work where it wouldn't charge because the dock couldn't provide enough power. Would work fine on the adapter for the laptop. Got a newer dock then it worked fine.

Maybe your gaming laptop power requirement exceeds the power delivery capability of the things you've tried to use to charge it?

Even the cable matters, different USB-C cables can carry different amounts of power.

Could also try a can of compressed air in the USB port; maybe there's a bit of dust inhibiting it negotiating the proper connection for full power delivery.

I believe you may have solved my problem. My two hubs are only 90W and 100W. Apparently the power supply that comes with the laptop is 135W so it might be that the hubs are not supplying enough power to charge it. I did not enough think to consider this.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I believe you may have solved my problem. My two hubs are only 90W and 100W. Apparently the power supply that comes with the laptop is 135W so it might be that the hubs are not supplying enough power to charge it. I did not enough think to consider this.

That's not for sure though, often the laptop adapter is a much higher wattage than is actually required to charge over USB-C. That's certainly the case for mine - charges just fine on 65W via USB C, but the adapter for it (which has its own connector) is I believe 180W.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

That's not for sure though, often the laptop adapter is a much higher wattage than is actually required to charge over USB-C. That's certainly the case for mine - charges just fine on 65W via USB C, but the adapter for it (which has its own connector) is I believe 180W.

I'm definitely not skilled enough to deal with this stuff but the label on my machine says the input is 19.5V at 6.9a so just under 135 watts which is what the power supply offers. My other laptop is 19.5 at 4.62 or 90 watts which is likely that works with my hubs.

[photon]

Yeah sometimes the lower power will still work, just slower. That wasn't the case with mine though it just acted like it wasn't even plugged in.

With the different cables that look the same and have the same connectors and aren't even marked different but carry different power it's pretty annoying.

[indes]

Hey guys, I'm looking for a new lower range gaming laptop. I'd like to keep it under 1200$ if possible. Is it worth it to jump to the 3060 from the 3050?

Right now I'm using a 4? Year old Asus Nitro 5 with a 1050 and it's starting to freeze up on me. The only thing I really play is Dota 2 but would like it if the new laptop could run TGC2019 in 4k (gtx1080 min requirement)

Does AMD vs Intel matter at this price point?

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

There is a significant jump from the laptop 3050 to the equivalent 3060 - basically a 50% performance increase (or more depending what you're doing). The 3050 is a pretty entry level GPU. If you wanted to split the difference, the 1660ti mobile is in between the two for performance and you might be able to swing a deal on something older or used with one of those cards.

But if you need to be able to run something in 4k I would think the 3060 is bare minimum and even there your FPS might not be what you want. I'm not familiar with how that TGC title runs though.

[photon]

For AMD vs Intel I think AMD had a pretty good efficiency lead over Intel's 12th gen, if I was buying I'd lean towards AMD.

But Intel should be launching 13th gen mobile CPUs soon, so that may change.

[indes]

Ugh, disappointed I missed out on this one:

https://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX00120676

Will probably just keep prowling to get a good deal on something in the 3070 flavour

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

You're definitely better off with an AMD CPU in a gaming laptop. Intel's gaming stuff was super power hungry until the most recent gen and even then it's not a match for the Ryzen equivalent in that area.

I'd sell you my 9750-based 2019 Razer Blade 15 that I barely use and never take out of the house, but you'd probably want something with better battery life.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

I'd sell you my 9750-based 2019 Razer Blade 15 that I barely use and never take out of the house, but you'd probably want something with better battery life.

Is battery life really that big of an issue for anyone buying a gaming laptop? I've always figured that it's more the portability than the wireless gaming that people look for with one. That's the main reason my wife still has a gaming laptop and not a desktop.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by indes

Ugh, disappointed I missed out on this one:

https://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX00120676

Will probably just keep prowling to get a good deal on something in the 3070 flavour

It's a Gigabyte; consider yourself lucky because those things don't even make it to the 3 year mark on average.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Is battery life really that big of an issue for anyone buying a gaming laptop? I've always figured that it's more the portability than the wireless gaming that people look for with one. That's the main reason my wife still has a gaming laptop and not a desktop.

For some people who have the outlook that it's just a portable desktop, no, for others who are looking for a gaming laptop that is just going to be their main laptop, battery life often matters. We're getting to a point where you can have a reasonably capable gaming laptop that will also last 6+hours in web browsing etc., which is an obvious perk for people who are traveling a decent amount.

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

It's a Gigabyte; consider yourself lucky because those things don't even make it to the 3 year mark on average.

Do you find your laptops lasting longer than 3 years? I think if you use it daily and travel around with it in your bag all the time, that's about how long it's going to take to start getting pretty beat up. For my Razer Blade which has been basically a desktop that's always been hooked up to an eGPU to reduce heat and mileage on the on-board hardware (and frankly has not even been used very much in that capacity) obviously it's pretty much brand new, but my G14 which goes everywhere is definitely pretty rough, has plenty of battery wear and has had the fans replaced. I should probably re-paste it...

[AltaGuy]

Originally Posted by indes

Ugh, disappointed I missed out on this one:

https://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX00120676

Will probably just keep prowling to get a good deal on something in the 3070 flavour

Are you looking for a gaming laptop?

The absolute best bang for your buck right now is the Strix G15AE. They've been going on sale for around $1500 a lot recently. The 6800M GPU is somewhere between a 3070 and 3080 mobile and the 5900hx CPU is more than enough. I almost bought one, but ended up with a 3070/Intel instead. But the AE is an amazing deal when on sale.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by indes

Hey guys, I'm looking for a new lower range gaming laptop. I'd like to keep it under 1200$ if possible. Is it worth it to jump to the 3060 from the 3050?

Right now I'm using a 4? Year old Asus Nitro 5 with a 1050 and it's starting to freeze up on me. The only thing I really play is Dota 2 but would like it if the new laptop could run TGC2019 in 4k (gtx1080 min requirement)

Does AMD vs Intel matter at this price point?

Would this be suitable?
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0BDD6QM8P/...v_ov_lig_dp_it

Edit: nevermind the sale on that laptop is done. At $960 it seemed like a good deal but around $1400 it is probably not worth it.