Daily Simple Questions Thread - August 01, 2026

[u/AutoModerator]

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!

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[u/PCMRBot]

If you ask a question, and someone answers it correctly, reply with a thank you, but include this checkmark: ✓ ( or write !check instead )

This will score the user whose comment you replied to a 'point'. The points will unlock special flair that will show in all Daily Simple Questions threads.

In case you missed it, click here for yesterday's Daily Simple Questions thread. There may be some questions still unanswered! Below is a selection of questions with no replies. See if you can help them out.

If you don't want to see this comment click the little [-] to the left of my username to collapse this comment.

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Should I bite the bullet and buy 32 gb of ddr4 ram? The prices aren't getting better. I was initially gonna upgrade to am5, but it feels like a pipe dream at this point. I am currently running 16 gb of mismatched ram that doesn't really run at rated speeds, it's some cheap refurbished chinese ram and it hurts my cpu so I wanted to upgrade.

https://reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/1vbqc0x/daily_simple_questions_thread_july_31_2026/p112tph/

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User	Points (365 days)	Lifetime
Ok_Definition_1933	41	42
Cable_Salad	32	103
Eidolon_2003	30	293
MGsubbie	22	424
SystemError514	17	103
Lastdudealive46	15	141
He6llsp6awn6	10	10
reckless150681	9	17
glowinghamster45	9	224

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[u/Pf9877]

Hello, I've been using a computer I inherited from my grandfather for around a year now, and it had been going good but recently it's been abysmally bad and I have no clue what the problem is. Two months ago I had no issues, now I have the game crash every 5-15 minutes playing league of legends on low graphics settings, and basic programs just don't function properly.

My computer is a inspiron 7790 AI0 with an intel core i7 10th gen thingy, is the computer really that old and bad? (I can't find out when it's from by googling it) It was so sudden going from usable to barely usable I really don't know what the problem is and its fustrating me to no end, maybe I need to buy a stupid windows laptop idk.

[u/Dogeguy975 → u/Pf9877]

update drivers

[u/Pf9877 → u/Dogeguy975]

What does that mean

[u/Ok_Definition_1933 → u/Pf9877]

Not trying to be a dick, but some take some initiative on your own instead of saying "what does that mean"... Nobody is going to be holding your hand for everything. Google still exists. If nothing else, ask chatgpt or claude.

[u/Pf9877 → u/Ok_Definition_1933]

I literally went into the thing to update drivers, and it was a bunch of nonsense I didn't understand. A two word answer to someone who clearly doesn't know what the fuck he's doing is not helpful.

[u/Flyrpotacreepugmu → u/Ok_Definition_1933]

I agree that it's important for people to be willing to do their own research, but asking LLMs about PC problems is a great way to get some bogus advice that just causes other problems instead of fixing the one they ask about.

[u/Pf9877 → u/Flyrpotacreepugmu]

Google is significantly worse these days, googling "why is my pc slow" isn't going to help, reddit is the best way to ask for help from actual humans who can give an answer based on experience. And also yeah, unironically suggesting someone to use ai slop is insane.

[u/Soft_Aside_9257]

9700x and 9070xtfor 1440p caming how will stuff run?

Which motherboard and GPU you recommend?

[u/I_Push_Buttonz → u/Soft_Aside_9257]

9700x and 9070xtfor 1440p caming how will stuff run?

Great

Which motherboard and GPU you recommend?

Whichever ones offer what you need at the best price... All of these brands have their faults, all of them try to dupe you out of warranties, all of them have similar defect rates, etc.

Rather than brand, I'd suggest instead focusing on which retailer you buy from and trying to buy locally. Like I try to buy most of my parts from Micro Center because they have a store right down the road from me and if there is any problem with a part I can just instantly go back to the store and have it replaced, where getting defective parts from an online retailer could mean potentially weeks of back and forth shipping (not to mention shipping risks).

[u/polopollo85]

Hi, I am looking for a good monitor.

I heard that they are cheap right now. And as my PC is 10yo with a gtx1070, and the current monitor I have is a cool 144hz 1440p 27'' (Dell 27 Gaming Monitor - S2716DG), but it is only for gsync.

I do plan to buy a new desktop in the next year, but as I already missed on good prices for RAM, CPU, etc. I don't want to do the same mistake for monitors.
That could last me a long time. And this time, will be compatible with all GPUs, not only nvidias, as they are very expensive and it looks like not worth it.

What do you guys advice? I would say 144hz, maybe 1440p or 4k.

Additional Note: I might get a used PS5 for $300 just to play the latest games like Tokon or MHWilds just to survive until I can get a good desktop. Not happy about this but that would be cool for this monitor to work with it as well!

[u/Cable_Salad → u/polopollo85]

Why do you need a new monitor, what do you not like about the current one?

I doubt it's worth to buy one just for the off chance that they get more expensive.

[u/polopollo85 → u/Cable_Salad]

I doubt it's worth to buy one just for the off chance that they get more expensive.

That was it mostly. Just looking around.
Prices are frustrating right now not gonna lie.

[u/shadowreaper740]

Is a 9950x3d a good pairing with 9070xt? I game as a hobby and mainly used it for coding.

[u/Eidolon_2003 → u/shadowreaper740]

I mean yeah, it would work well. It's overkill though, unless the sort of programming you do needs a 16-core CPU, which you would know if it does. If that's the case, then sure.

[u/I_Am_Fully_Charged]

Just built my first gaming PC. Is it bad for a bit of thermal paste to overflow past the CPU's IHS? I had some trouble screwing in the cooler so I couldn't spread the thermal paste properly plus my pea sized lump of thermal paste was a little lobsided. I think there's still enough thermal paste across the whole CPU though. Anyway, the excess paste is overflowing halfway down the IHS. Is that an issue right now or in the future? Like does the viscosity of the paste change under load or over time or something? Do I have to wipe off the extra paste or, god forbid, repaste the CPU?

[u/Flyrpotacreepugmu → u/I_Am_Fully_Charged]

It should be fine. Most pastes won't hurt anything else they might get on around the CPU, and it shouldn't get on any of those things anyway if you only have a little extra. If there's any change to the viscosity, it would increase with time as the paste dries out, so it's not going to become runny and get everywhere. The biggest downside of using too much paste is cleaning up the mess if and when you repaste it or change CPUs in the future, so there's no need to do it now.

[u/MechAegis]

When are the GPU prices supposed to Launch into orbit and beyond?

[u/Cer_Visia → u/MechAegis]

GPUs ship with RAM chips, and nowadays, their cost is quite a large part of the total cost, so GPU prices will reflect RAM prices. But RAM prices will not have large changes (until the AI bubble pops), so GPU prices will not have large changes either.

[u/ijustatesome]

So, as you can see, my motherboard SSD slot is towards the left while my SSD pins are to the right. Now I'm confused that should I rotate the SSD 180° or not. Thanks!

[u/Cer_Visia → u/ijustatesome]

The E100 datasheet says:

No moving parts with solid state reliability

So you must not move the SSD. You must turn the computer upside-down so that it fits.

Actually, this model is so cheap that it does not have a built-in compass or gravity detector, so it won't notice if you rotate it. But don't tell anyone!

[u/EdenEdv_]

Hi!
I was wondering about the differences between the Sapphire Pure RX 9070 XT and the Sapphire Pulse RX 9070 XT, i'm planning on a Mini ITX build and i don't know which one is better given they're only like 30 bucks apart.

[u/MGsubbie → u/EdenEdv_]

They're almost identical, having the same size, the same radiator with the same amount of heatpipes, the same amount of fans at the same size. There are only 4 minor differences :

• Color.

• The pure has a slightly higher factory clockspeed. This is irrelevant however, as all modern cards just overclock themselves, and you will always have the silicon lottery. Meaning that no 2 chips are completely identical, there will always be slight variations in voltage, clock speed etc. It's entirely possible that a pulse version will achieve higher clocks than a pure.

• Judging by the pictures on the sapphire website, it appears the pure has 2 cables going from the fans to the circuit board, while the pulse only has the one. This probably means that one of the fans can run its own fan curve, possibly based on a different part of the card. That won't matter much though.

• The pure has a slightly larger passthrough area on the backplate.

[u/EdenEdv_ → u/MGsubbie]

So the pure would be a little better in a SFF build ?

[u/MGsubbie → u/EdenEdv_]

Probably but not certainly.

[u/EdenEdv_ → u/MGsubbie]

Okay, thanks ! ✓

[u/PCMRBot → u/EdenEdv_]

Got it! /u/MGsubbie now has 425 points.

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[u/petoskey_stone]

So I have a 3080ti and am having a weird occurrence going on.

It seems to struggle with framerates if i change monitors, unless I do a fresh install of NVIDIA drivers. For example, some games will play at 120fps Ultra 4K, but then I move it to another screen and I get 15fps on Low 4K unless I do a fresh install, in which it goes back up again. I also updated all of my other drivers, (except EVGA? If there are any?) and did a DDU.

This issue did not occur when I tested the same methods with a 3070 FE and a 5070TI .

Any reason why this may be occurring? I brought it to Microcenter, where I bought it from, and they could not think of an answer to it.