PC Building

[mengelag]

I'm wondering how people in the community cope with the challenges or frustrations that PC building sometimes brings, such as glitches, bugs, errors, or failures? For me, I generally go to youtube, google and The AMD forums. If I cant find it there, I'm generally stumped.

[cpurpe91]

I have a list I go with to narrow down issues.

I also try to have one functional system at all times for the purpose of testing hardware to ensure it all functions.

I will have to build a system for DDR5 very soon. It will probably have a 7600X with RAM running without XMP or EXPO to ensure stability.

[johnnyenglish]

I don't think its gonna be bad, I have EXPO enabled without a glitch. Just get a kit from the QVL, now more than ever. 

And maybe g.skill NEO with EXPO certification.

[cpurpe91]

I will just want this to run at baseline so I can see if other parts are to blame when issues pop up. 

[cpurpe91]

QVL does matter though. 100% with Ryzen 7000

[mengelag]

I found that a usb wifi dongle is a must-have. The amount of times I've tried to install Windows and not had ethernet drivers is astounding. Wouldn't have been able to get Windows installed without one, or at the very least it would have been a huge pain in the butt. I also, like you have a stable PC kicking around, but Windows needing to have an internet connection doesn't always help.

[cpurpe91]

Agreed. A wifi dongle is a must.

[otacon]

You should be able to tether a connection from your phone to both Windows and Linux now. It works really well.

[eebiii]

If the component is more than 3 generations old, throw it against a wall and see if that fixes it. 😠

Hardware is where most issues occur for me.

No, really if you want to custom loop your PC, make sure you have an extra PSU. maybe 400w or higher. You can find a cheap one for $20-30. This way you can fill and test loop without having to power the main PSU 100 times A lot of times I finish the details of my build and get everything wired while testing loop. You watch some of these videos and its almost painful to see them turn on and off their systems filling the loop.

[Wally_AMD]

Honestly, Google/YouTube are my best friends when it comes to troubleshooting anything. I think some people would be surprised at what you're able to do/fix on your own if you just dig around enough!

[johnnyenglish]

If its hardware, troubleshooting each part in another of my systems is my go to.

Then I'll dig into my personal knowledge base (my mind), because, after suffering so many years in IT, well... It needs to pay off. 

Only after going completely mad and ready to be commited in the loony bin, I'll go after forums and youtube.

To be honest, I haven't faced many issues with PC building. However, let me be clear, I try really hard to have them around, including not reinstallling Windows after 2 board changes. 

Maybe BUGS don't like me because i'm ugly.

[jaandoh]

I tend to prefer the nic on the mobo and always download the motherboard drivers to a separate usb (as opposed to adding them to windows installation usb)...

A separate computer for using on the Internet to download any other stuff that may be required part way into the initial setup of the os... 

If I come across any problems that can't be resolved with the mobo manual(s), or software manuals (like msi core center) then I go to Google too... 

Also worth mentioning, though I haven't tried it yet, is.... maybe submitting the problem and symptoms in to an AI like chat gpt might help me... (might) 

[DtDrag]

I'll typically do the same, search online through articles, forums, and videos. If that fails I'll consult a friend. 

[BigAl01]

"Call a friend" can work, but I'm usually the one being called.  I think we all go online to search for a solution if we cannot figure out the problem ourselves.  I might even scan through older issues of Maximum PC (Doctor and build sections).  They make mistakes themselves though, like not having clearance for a video card in the case they selected.

[lowteck]

I always enjoy the struggle, more challenges = more exciting when you succed.

For you more sensitive types, a good therapist always helps...