Ask the Experts - Page 7

What should I upgrade my AMD Radeon R9 280X to for improved gaming?

Question by Ares from United States | Answered by Tyler Bernath | Video Cards & GPUs | Oct 9, 2020 5:46 PM CDT

Hello, my current build consists of:

ASRock P67 Pro3 SE
Intel Core i7 2600K
32GB DDR3 1600
XFX Radeon R9 280X DD

I'm specifically looking for an upgrade on my graphics card, but I'm also open to other suggestion upgrades. Many thanks for considering my request.

Thoughts on my AMD parts selection for video editing system

Question by Michael from France | Answered by Tyler Bernath | Computer Systems | Oct 5, 2020 5:42 PM CDT

Hi.

I'm considering building a PC that will sit on a shelf under my desk instead of a tower, so I'm looking at a Micro-ATX setup. The PC will be mostly for video editing, no gaming, so I'm thinking onboard graphics with an AMD Ryzen 5 3400G, MSI B450M Pro-VDH motherboard, and Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB single stick. I need the two PCI slots on the board for my sound card and Wi-Fi card.

Any thoughts on this setup before I buy it? Thanks.

Which AMD Ryzen CPU should I buy and should I buy a CPU now or wait?

Question by Navin from United States | Answered by Tyler Bernath | CPUs, Chipsets & SoCs | Sep 26, 2020 4:28 PM CDT

Due to the world's current state, PC component prices have been fluctuating like crazy. I have already purchased a GIGABYTE B450 DS3H motherboard, and plan to buy a Ryzen 3 3200G or one of the vastly superior Zen 2 Ryzen 3 CPUs.

Is it worth waiting for prices to normalize, or should I get whichever is the cheapest as of now?

What should I upgrade to be able to play Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077?

Question by Simon from Canada | Answered by Tyler Bernath | CPUs, Chipsets & SoCs | Sep 22, 2020 5:05 PM CDT

In anticipation of Cyberpunk 2077, I wanted to go back and play Witcher 3, but it seems to me my CPU is too weak. I currently have an MSI H81M-P33, Intel Pentium G3258, 4GB of memory, and a GTX 760. What should I do? I really want to play this game!

Intel or AMD for best performance with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090?

Question by Victoras from Greece | Answered by Tyler Bernath | Video Cards & GPUs | Sep 18, 2020 7:16 PM CDT

I want to build the fastest gaming PC possible for 4K HDR single-player games. Bang for a buck is not a concern, looking to get an NVIDIA GeForce 3090, and I want to get the most out of it. Productivity is not a concern whatsoever; talking about gaming performance ONLY. Your expert advice would be much appreciated. Should I get:

a) an i7 10700K and overclock it, giving me the fastest FPS by today's standards (on par with i9 10900K)

b) an AMD processor and a X570 motherboard hoping that PCI 4.0 Express will give a bit of extra performance to the 3090 and overall match the speed of the system above?

c) Wait until Ryzen 3 CPUs arrive, hoping they are on par with Intel and combined with PCI 4.0 Express that will be the fastest combination of components?

Finally, do you think there's a benefit to using a Ryzen CPU for games since most next games will be designed for consoles using the same architecture? Thank you so much. Any help would be much appreciated.

FPS drops with Lenovo Y520-15IKBN laptop, what could be the issue?

Question by Edy from Romania | Answered by Tyler Bernath | Laptops | Sep 14, 2020 7:07 PM CDT

I have a 1-year-old laptop, the Lenovo Y520-15IKBN, with I7-7700HQ overclocked to 3.5GHz, GTX 1050 Ti 4GB, 8GB RAM, and an MP510 Force SSD and 2TB HDD.

My Windows and my games are on my SSD, and I have gaming problems, like FPS drops, and I don't know why? I undervolted my CPU to -0,75V because at 0V [default] my temperature throttles and FPS drops a lot. I also have an external cooling pad under my laptop and can turn on Lenovo Nerve Center to turbo my fan speed and still have lag problems. Why?

Issues with Intel AX201 Wi-Fi module compatibility and ASUS Z490

Question by Timmy from United States | Answered by Tyler Bernath | Networking | Sep 10, 2020 10:08 PM CDT

I installed an Intel AX201 Wi-Fi 6 and BT on m.2 key E slot on motherboard ASUS Prime Z490-P.

I've updated the driver from Intel, but it never sees any Wi-Fi networks. I have a D-Link AC-3200 router, and I thought the device should see 802.11ac. Does that mean I need to buy an AX router?

Would a GPU upgrade on my old gaming PC be enough for 1440p gaming?

Question by Leonardo from Norway | Answered by Tyler Bernath | Video Cards & GPUs | Sep 3, 2020 6:06 PM CDT

Hi.

I have an old gaming computer with an i5 750 that I have overclocked to 4GHz. I also have 4GB of RAM and an HD4870. Is a GPU upgrade all I would need for some gaming at 1440p?

What gaming PC specs should I consider for a Sim Racing build?

Question by Fernando from Mexico | Answered by Tyler Bernath | Gaming | Aug 31, 2020 6:20 PM CDT

I'm about to build my first PC, been gaming with a ROG G Series laptop, but it does not support triple monitor gaming. The intended purpose is Sim Racing (Rfactor2, iRacing, AC, ...), whether it is with triple 1080p monitors or a single super ultrawide monitor.

I'm looking at a Ryzen 5 3600 paired with a 2060 super and would like to know if those two would handle triple screen gaming at 60+ fps at high settings.

Should I upgrade my PC to an AMD Ryzen 3 CPU or wait for Ryzen 4?

Question by Luis from Chile | Answered by Tyler Bernath | Computer Systems | Aug 27, 2020 7:07 PM CDT

Hello TweakTown, I would like some advice on upgrading, I have the following configuration:

MSI 970A-G46
CPU FX-8320
8GB RAM
Sapphire Vapor-X R9 270X OC (2GB)
Crucial MX 300 (525GB) for C:
1TB 7200rpm HDD for files and some programs

As you can see, it's an old setup, but I don't do any 4K HDR gaming. Not even HD full details, more likely, I do some casual gaming, a lot of internet and office, so far, my PC has been running more than enough for my needs, but it's starting to show its age.

Should I upgrade my computer to a Ryzen 3, or wait a little longer to Ryzen 4? I've been looking in the range of the R5 X500 or R5 X600 line of CPUs.