r/PcBuildHelp • • 6d ago

Moderator Post PSA: READ THE RULES

17 Upvotes

Hello everyone, this is a public service announcement reminding everyone on r/PcBuildHelp to please read the rules before posting and commenting, as there is still a small issue continuing on the sub that needs to be properly addressed.

To start, I will explain each rule here more in depth, following the official order of rules:

  1. Don't use language that can be considered offensive or triggering by another party; no swears, slurs, name-calling, flaming, trolling, etc. Essentially, don't be a d**k, civility is a requirement.
  2. Posts are required to be related to your PC build problems, this isn't a general tech or tech news sub where you can just talk about whatever related to PCs, this is specifically about helping people make build lists and troubleshooting real problems so they can use their builds without difficulties.
  3. When asking if a build is good or not, use pcpartpicker.com links (or links to similar websites like buildcores if your country's currency isn't supported on pcpartpicker if desired). Posts that just use screenshots or images of such a list that can't be edited by users or just an image of a texted list will just get removed.
  4. Any comments or posts involving links to a retailer URL can't contain affiliate or referral data. Someone gets money out of those and we aren't about that here.
  5. Images that are completely unrelated to the post will get a post removed as spam/off-topic.
  6. Posts and comments asking for cheap Windows license keys will be removed as it's easy to get scammed on the sites that distribute them as they're not well regulated and constantly making new sites after old ones get taken down.
  7. Companies of any scale are not allowed to advertise products here, we want to keep things unbiased. Users are not permitted to sell or ask for valuations of what they have, this isn't a marketplace; this also ties into rule 2.
  8. Comments must be on-topic to the original post. Don't go off on tangents about something unrelated to the OP, especially if it's not even helpful. Memes and jokes will be removed. This ties into Rule 9.
  9. Comments that are plainly unhelpful to posters will be removed. Lazily telling people to use search engines, read the manual or RTFM, etc. are not permitted on this sub. If you're going to make a comment to help, put real effort into trying to help the poster understand what it is they need to do, or don't bother commenting at all. We are here to help people.
  10. This partially relates to rule 6. Any and all software shared or referenced on this sub must not violate any license agreements, laws, Reddit ToS, etc. This includes tools that may modify Windows beyond what Windows itself normally allows, as Microsoft's EULA doesn't permit external modification of their OS.
  11. AI tools are not permissible due to the possibility of mistakes that require human intervention from someone that knows what they're talking about. Do not use AI generated answers in comments as they could easily mislead posters.

Now onto the problem at hand:

There has been consistent toxicity towards those who are new to computers and are coming to the sub for help, only to be given sarcastic, rude, or unhelpful comments.

This has been a long standing issue in this sub that was often reported to the mod team but only more recently has started to be properly addressed since a new mod team was appointed after the previous moderators all went inactive and allowed the sub to get overrun by bot accounts.

We've been dealing with all of this behind the scenes but there's always new accounts coming in and repeating the same behavior, so it needs more visibility but we aren't about to implement a "Read The Rules" integration that forces you to acknowledge the rules before you can post, yet. We will if we have to.

There is absolutely zero tolerance for that kind of behavior. If it's rude or helpful, your comment will be removed and temporary bans will be issued. If you're a repeat offender or you make a severely horrible first impression, moderator action can be made permanent.

Thank you to those that consciously chose to remain kind and helpful to others, you are the backbone of r/PcBuildHelp. Continue to be good people.


r/PcBuildHelp • • 17d ago

Tech Support PCBuildHelp Simple Q&A Megathread (Q4 2026)

3 Upvotes

Greetings everyone, trying something new here.

This is possibly the first of many megathreads where people can ask simple questions in the comments and people that decide to browse the comments can answer. I'll also help answer questions myself, as with any of the other mods at their own discretion.

Basic Guidelines

  • Simple questions such as, "What parts should I buy?" along with any pertinent details such as hardware you might already own, what you plan on using it for, etc.
    • Example: "I want to build a gaming PC for around 2K, what should I get?"
  • Follow the rules of the sub-reddit like any post; be respectful, remain on topic, don't make jokes or memes, etc. Discipline will be issued on comments that don't abide by the rules.

r/PcBuildHelp • • 6h ago

Tech Support Need help diagnosing and fixing a very loud noise coming from PC

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9 Upvotes
  • For context I have a Prebuilt Lenovo Legion Tower 7i with RTX 3070 Desktop, i7-11700KF, GeForce RTX 3070 8GB, 16GB, 1TB SSD, 650w gold, 240mm water cooling, and while in the middle of playing a game it started marking a VERY lout high pitched squealing/screeching noise. I very quickly shutdown the PC and went on n google looking for a possible cause or explanation but was told it could be several things one of which being that it could be one of the fans coming loose or just starting to fail. So I took of the side panel and booted it up and at first the sound wasn’t there but there was a new sound present that was much quieter, but after running for about 5 mins it started making the sound again, when it did, took the chance to see if it was any off the fans. mind you this sound is very loud and jarring so I checked the fans simply by stopping them physically with my fingers by applying a bit of preas to the center of each fan, there are 6 case fans, 3 in the front, 2 on top, and one in the back, I stopped each one and I even stopped the 2 fans on the bottom of the graphics card. None of this stopped the sound which leads me to believe that it is a problem with the CPU or more so the liquid cooler for the CPU, when putting my ear up close to the inside of the PC it sounds like it is coming from the CPU area but I’m even slightly well versed in PC hardware so I don’t know. I have recorded this vid of the PC making the noise to help you identify it. the only other bit of context I have is that despite the noise the PC seems to be running like it normally would, it boots up, let’s me sign in, the desktop opens and works just fine, the game I was playing didn’t have any change in performance during the few seconds it was running before I shut the whole thing down which what makes me think it’s not a major issue with the CPU or GPU at the very least.

Update: I believe there was air trapped in the liquid cooler like someone said because the problem seems to have fixed its self without and hardware configuration on my part. I booted up the PC and set it to quiet mode AKA low power mode to prevent the PC reving up to the point it makes that sound and while it did stop the super loud noise heard in there was still a bit of a weird sound coming from the PC. After running for 10 mins or so this sound got a little bit louder then made the noise heard in the vid for less than one second then the sound just stopped completely as well as the quieter weird sound leading up to it, now everything sounds exactly the way it did before having this issue. I think my PC just needed to burp XD, with that being said I now know what the issue is and ways to deal with air trapped in the cooler, but will be looking into replacing the cooler with an air cooler in the near future.

Thank you for your time


r/PcBuildHelp • • 4h ago

Installation Question PciE Riser or not (for Wifi card)

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6 Upvotes

I’ve got a new graphics card that blocks all of my PciE slots but since it’s an older mainboard it needs a WiFi card. If I bought one it could be a really tight fit so should I use a WiFi and Bluetooth USB stick or get an PciE Riser.
I‘ve got the Gigabyte GA-H81M-D2W as mainboard
Edit:
I got about 6mm between the PciE slot and the GPU and about 1,6cm between mainboard and GPU


r/PcBuildHelp • • 1h ago

Tech Support Ticking when playing Cyberpunk on 3060ti

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• Upvotes

I have an old HP Elitedesk 800 G1 that I'm using for gaming. 400 watt PSU, core i5, 24 GB DDR3. Recently I upgraded my graphics card from a Radeon 6600 to a NVIDIA 3060ti but when I go to certain parts of Cyberpunk, my machine starts making this noise. I'm using CachyOS and have restricted my graphic card's power draw to 160 watts.

It only happens on Cyberpunk and only in certain sections. What is it and should I be concerned?


r/PcBuildHelp • • 1h ago

Software Question 5080 wattage

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• Upvotes

noob here. is this normal?


r/PcBuildHelp • • 1h ago

Build Question RAM channel A dead

• Upvotes

Hey everyone, kind of in a pickle. Today, i decided to change my stock cooler, to a tower one. I ran a stress test for about 2 minutes, and got the cpu to around 85°C. I tried to gently rotate the cooler, to unstick it, but both the cpu, and the cooler came out. Decided to go ahead and clean it, pop it back in the socket, and call it a day. Did all of that, set the new cooler, but the pc wasn't turning on. Tried to take off the cooler again, just to watch in horror as the cpu came off once again. Found some thermal paste alongside two pins, cleaned it, and it finally booted. Now, the mobo won't read one of the two slots of ram. I'm running a 2x8 gb setup. I checked the pins, none of them looked out of place, nor missing. Is there anything i can do?

CPU-Ryzen 5 5500

Motherboard-Gigabyte A520M K V2 Rev1.1

GPU-Amd radeon Rx 5700


r/PcBuildHelp • • 8h ago

Tech Support Why does this keep happening when im trying to install windows

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4 Upvotes

Every time i try to download windows, something keeps stopping me from doing so


r/PcBuildHelp • • 3h ago

Build Question 16GB 3600MHz or 32GB 3200MHz?

2 Upvotes

I've got 16GB (2x8GB)DDR4 3600MHz in my machine at the moment.

I came across another 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4, but it's 3200MHz.

I'm wondering if it's worth putting the other two sticks in, totalling 32GB, but setting it all to run at 3200MHz.

Specs:

  • R7 5700X
  • RTX 4060Ti 8GB
  • All 4 sticks are Corsair Vengeance.

Main games I play:

  • Spiderman
  • Runescape
  • Skate
  • Hogwarts Legacy

r/PcBuildHelp • • 3m ago

Tech Support Added new M.2 SSD and now PC won't POST (VGA)

• Upvotes

Good evening everyone, I recently got a small 128GB SSD and I want to start fresh with a new OS on this drive and use my main 512GB SSD as my files/games drive. I plugged it into an external enclosure to format it and I couldn't initialize it, receiving an "Incorrect Function" error. Tried cmd to clean and format it, but that failed too. Thinking this might be from the enclosure, I plugged it straight into my mobo's second M.2 slot and now my PC won't POST, showing a VGA light. Any thoughts on either or both issues (SSD not initializing and/or PC not POSTing with white VGA light)?

Build:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X

Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX B550-F Gaming Wi-Fi II

RAM: G.Skill Trident Z Neo Series 2x16GB DDR4 3600MHz F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC

Graphics Card: EVGA GTX 1080Ti SC2

Power Supply: EVGA 850 GQ 850W 80+ Gold


r/PcBuildHelp • • 3h ago

Build Question Is this right??

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2 Upvotes

I bought the silent loop 3 420mm and I changed the fans with the light wings RGB 140mm high speed and idk rn if I placed them right I don't feel hot air coming from the top


r/PcBuildHelp • • 5m ago

Build Question PLEASE help me w/ my first PC build (for gaming/Adobe suite)

• Upvotes

Thank you for the help in advance! I'm new to building a PC and get overwhelmed with PC parts/lingo. I've been using PCpartpicker. Let me know if any more info helps. I just don't want to build something that's overkill but want something that's nice and smooth for modern games.

All build/upgrade/parts check requests must copy and answer the questions on the post submission page.

  • New build or upgrade? New
  • Existing parts/monitors to reuse? No
  • PC purpose? Gaming (RPGs/GTA6/Cyperbunk/RDR type game), Video/Photo editing
  • Purchase country? USA, not near micro center
  • Monitors needed? 2
  • Budget range? around $2,000 USD (not including monitors, keyboard, mouse)
  • WiFi or wired connection? Either or, preferably wired
  • Size/noise constraints? No, prefer quieter build...
  • Color/lighting preferences? White/Blue
  • Any other specific needs? No - I just wan't something that I can game/run adobe (photoshop/indesign/premier) on smoothly. Never have had a PC, always have gamed on console. Told myself I'd finally save for one for GTA6, haha.

r/PcBuildHelp • • 24m ago

Build Question My new PC won't show the bios screen

• Upvotes

I bought a new A520M DS3H V2, but it doesn't show the BIOS screen.

It has a Ryzen 5 5500, the GPU seems fine, the RAM also seems fine (no beep codes), the PSU is brand new, and everything powers on. I already tried removing the CMOS battery to reset it and changing the RAM slots, but nothing worked. Does anyone know what I should do?


r/PcBuildHelp • • 32m ago

Tech Support help me

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• Upvotes

My peripherals won't turn on, and there's no display. I know this is a common issue, but I tried resetting the BIOS—that didn't work. I also tried holding down the power button for a minute, but that didn't help either. The peripherals are completely dead, and there’s no image on the screen; only the PC itself powers on (which is normal after an upgrade). I’m looking for more advice or tutorials to fix this simple problem—it’s really frustrating because I just want to play games using my new Arc B570! Please help! (Translated using a tool, as I am a Spanish speaker.)


r/PcBuildHelp • • 32m ago

Build Question SSD for gaming

• Upvotes

Looking for help on upgrading my ssd , I have a gam8ng set up but I would like to upgrade to a 2tb ssd drive, was hoping someone could point me in the right direction, I have a high end for my running programs, just want it as a second drive strictly for games, any help would be much appreciated.


r/PcBuildHelp • • 8h ago

Tech Support Can anyone identify this CPU cooler?

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3 Upvotes

It’s a pretty old prebuilt, and i cant find out the name of the cooler. It doesnt show up in the corsair app for hardware, and the name isnt on the AIO itself.


r/PcBuildHelp • • 5h ago

Build Question PC build recommendations to run DCS

2 Upvotes

Hello,

I play DCS, and I think it is the most graphicly intensive game that I play and it runs fine, but there are stutters here and there, and then I join a multi-player server and it takes a couple of minutes for the game to be playable, as textures load up and things populate. I play on 1440, so that might be my main goal of the new build, but 4k might be something I consider, but my main monitor is a 27inch 1440 LG and my second monitor for you tube and other stuff of a 27-inch 4k LG monitor. Those might get replaced, but they have served well for the years I have had them, so if y'all want to talk me into a 4k 32-inch monitor for DCS, go ahead! I have a Delan Clip head tracker and not VR right now.

I am currently running a Ryzen 5 3600 CPU, 32gb of Corsair DDR4 RAM, a 1660 Ti 6gb GPU, EVGA Supernova G3 550w PSU, and a B450 motherboard, and I am looking to eventually upgrade the whole thing, maybe keep the PSU, but probably replace it too if the build demands it, but PSU’s are not that expensive and I don’t think the prices are in danger of inflation. I am going to replace the Antec P280 case with maybe a Lian Li 207 case or something like it, once the Austin Micro Center opens. I am thinking of upgrading in two steps, that being a new case, CPU, RAM and motherboard, or a new case and a new GPU, then the rest once I save up. I am thinking of an AM5 CPU and B850 or X870 motherboard and 32gb of DDR5 RAM (depending on the bundles the Austin Micro Center has when I am ready to buy). I think my budget for the CPU, RAM and motherboard could be around $800 and the GPU I am looking at is the RX 9060 XT 16gb due to the RAM and price of around $500 or so.

I was originally thinking the case then GPU first, but the more I think about it, doing the case then motherboard, CPU and RAM might make more sense since I would not be transferring my old motherboard to a new case, I would just do a fresh install of the motherboard and slap my 1660ti, then replace it when funds allow. I think I might get more of a performance boost by going GPU first, but the GPU is easy to replace, so I can do that easily later.

 

Is there a reason for me to do GPU first? And what recommendations do y’all recommend for a CPU to run DCS at 1440, and maybe 4K. Is the 9060XT 16gb a valid option, or is there another GPU y’all recommend over that at a similar price? Hearing of all the inflation and demand issues with RAM and GPU’s certainly makes this whole thing fun, but I am in a financial situation where I can do a new build and I am unsure how long this will last, so strike while the iron’s hot type of thing.

I hope I have explained my situation and goals, but if there is anything I have left out, then let me know and I will answer as best as I can.


r/PcBuildHelp • • 1h ago

Tech Support Weird motherboard problem?

• Upvotes

I have this issue once in a while, suddenly my pc won't give me video when i try to turn it on, keyboard and mouse don't turn on (no lights) either. I take the graphics card out, same problem, take ram out or switch positions and everything, same issue. All the components work on other computers. But i can get them to work on mine, i get no video and for that i can't even enter the bios, which i also can't reset, taking the battery out doesn't reset it, the jumper thingy also doesn't reset the bios.

But after days of swapping components and taking things in and out it magically works again like nothing ever happened? I'm tired of this but I'm not sure what is causing it or how the heck I'm I solving it.

I have an Asus A320-K , Ryzen 3200g, two sticks of ram one 8gb and other 16gb and a gtx1050. Everything works perfectly if i put them in other computers just not on mine :/


r/PcBuildHelp • • 1h ago

Installation Question Is my PSU's 12v P8 cable done for?

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• Upvotes

I bought a PC off Facebook Marketplace. The PC powers on fine but I ended up wanting to case swap it. When I looked at the PSU, though, the 12v P8 connector on the be quiet! Straight Power 11 Platinum 1000w PSU it came with looked strange. It looks like 3 out of the 12 wires are flayed in this connector. Is this normal???


r/PcBuildHelp • • 2h ago

Build Question Is it worth upgrading?

1 Upvotes

I currently have a 9070xt and a 7 5800xt with 16GB of ddr4. I have some money I’m willing to spend on upgrading but is it worth going up to ddr5 and getting a better cpu? I mainly play triple A games


r/PcBuildHelp • • 2h ago

Build Question Scheda madre

1 Upvotes

Secondo voi va bene come scheda madre su una macchina che ha 9800x3d e 5070?

GIGABYTE B850 EAGLE
WIFIZ ICE WHITE da 170€


r/PcBuildHelp • • 2h ago

Tech Support Loose psu cable

0 Upvotes

Hi, I've been recently experiencing some issues with my PC restarting at random times. It started around one week ago, I downloaded pending windows updates thinking maybe that's what was causing it, then now one week after it's restarting again.

Anyways, I opened my PC case today to check if anything inside was loose and everything seemed to be ok. Then I turned it on and it went off after like 10s. I turned it on again, and when I was moving the PC back in its place I touched/moved the power cable and it went off again. The power cable seems to be somewhat loose in the socket (if you touch it it goes up and down) and yes, when I plugged it in I pushed it as much as possible.

Do you think replacing the cable will fix the issue, or could it be a problem with the PSU too?


r/PcBuildHelp • • 2h ago

Build Question 2 different builds opinions?

1 Upvotes

First build is 5700x, 7800xt, 32gb ddr4, 1 TB SSD, msi 321r airflow, 750psu for 1550$ CAD

Second build 9800 x3d, 5070, 32gb ddr5, 2tb SSD 2000$

I'm kind of a newbie to all of this but can someone give me a pros and cons of this? One of my friends said the second build was 100% worth it but just asking for second opinions

Edit - option 2 is also water cooled and from my research it should use Acer Nitro 80 Stock 240mm AIO and the PSU should be 850w 80 Plus Gold power supply.

Are there any preventative/maintenance things I need to do after purchase? And Any way to do a solid verification before purchase?


r/PcBuildHelp • • 2h ago

Tech Support Powersupply looking funking - Thermaltake smart 600w

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1 Upvotes

I am building a computer and ordered this thermal take. Inside there is a piece that just looks off and weird to me. Is that normal? What should I do? Sorry for the photo quality really hard to get a photo of the inside. Thank you in advanced!


r/PcBuildHelp • • 3h ago

Tech Support High CPU temp after thermal paste change

1 Upvotes

A couple of days ago, I finally managed to clean my laptop for the first time after 5 years (I know it's been quite a long time). The thing that confuses me is that while I was playing CoD WaW before the cleaning, the CPU temperature was around 65-70 and the fans were running loudly; however, after I cleaned and ran the game, the temperatures were around 68-75 and the fans aren't even running as fast as before until it reaches 75-80.

After doing a brief search around the net I unscrewed and rescrewed the cooling block, but still no change. Also, if you ask my CPU and the thermal paste:

i5 10500h and Arctic MX4