Category: PC Hardware

As a future PC builder or enthusiast, it’s important to familiarize yourself with different components outside of the usual pieces. An overlooked component is the SATA cable, but don’t worry.

Today, we’re going to look at what SATA cables are, how they work, and what they can do for your system.

What Are SATA Cables?

SATA is short for Serial ATA or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment. SATA is an IDE standard that was released back in 2001. This cable allowed you to connect storage devices and optical drives to the motherboards.

Serial ATA replaces Parallel ATA or PATA as the IDE standard for connecting storage and optical devices to a system unit as they can transmit data to and from the rest of the system unit faster than the PATA devices.

PATA cables are only 18 inches at max length while SATA cables can go as long as 1 meter or 3.3 feet, which allows you more freedom for mounting devices. The only thing that a PATA device has over SATA is that the former can attach two devices at once while SATA only allows for one.

There are also OS that doesn’t accept SATA cables such as Windows 95 and 98 but don’t worry as these OS’s are rarely used nowadays.

SATA hard disk drives also need a special driver that needs to be installed before a computer can read or write data to it.

You might think that the PATA cables will have the upper hand because of the SATA cable’s limitations, but the data transfer rate and flexibility of the latter will always give it

What Are The Different Generations of SATA Cables?

There are currently three versions, or generations, available for SATA cables. Each generation has its corresponding specification and speed:

SATA I

The first generation interface is the SATA 1. It operated at 1.5Gb/s with a max bandwidth of 150MB/s.

SATA II

SATA II is the second-generation interface that operated at 3Gb/s with a max bandwidth of 300Mb/s.

SATA III

SATA III is the third-generation interface. It has a max transfer rate of 6Gb/s with a max bandwidth throughput of 600Mb/s.

The SATA III is compatible with other generations via backward compatibility.

What Are The Different SATA Connectors?

SATA connectors are available in male and female formats with three varieties, namely:

• Power only (SATA power cables)
• Data only (SATA data cables)
• Data plus power

SATA connectors look a lot like wafers, with pins arranged in single row. They’re wider so they’re able to couple with smaller devices like SSDs.

SATA Data Cables

SATA data connectors only have 7 horizontal pins, with 3 pins for grounding and 4 pins arranged in pairs for data.

You’ll also find a smaller version known as a mini-SATA or mSATA connector, which is mostly used for tablets and laptops.

SATA Power Cables

SATA power connectors have more pins than SATA data cables. A SATA power connector has 15 pins and supplies +3.3V DC, +5V DC and +12V DC. These cables are partnered with a 4-pin Molex LP4 connector that attaches to the computer’s power supply unit (PSU).

Then you’ll have SATA cables that can both provide power and data at the same time.

How Are SATA Cables Mainly Used?

SATA HDD Cables

Your typical computer build will use SATA cables to connect the HDD to the motherboard. A hard disk drive usually features inlet ports, and one of them will be compatible with SATA cables.

The SATA cable also provides power to the HDD so you don’t have to attach another cable. This is an example of a DATA PLUS POWER connection. SATA cables for HDDs can also be used to connect external HDDs to the PC via e-SATA.

SATA Cables for Laptops

Laptops are built differently from a standard PC. Unlike PCs, laptops connect their storage devices directly to the motherboard, which removes the necessity for SATA cables. However, the breakout boards and motherboards are connected to these storage devices with a thin and flat SATA cable.

What Are The Other Types of SATA Cables?

SATA to USB

You can connect external SSD drives to a computer via a SATA to USB cable. A SATA to USB cable is used to plug in storage devices that don’t have external closures.

This allows you to attach an SSD to the system unit without installing it to the motherboard. This is a good way to back up files from an SSD into a PC or laptop.

e-SATA

An e-SATA or external SATA is another form of SATA Cable that allows you to connect external hard drives into a computer via the e-SATA connector port.

Micro SATA

Micro SATA, or mSATA, is one of the smaller SATA cables used for connecting SSDs with an mSATA connector to the motherboard.

Low Profile SATA

A low-profile SATA cable is typically used for PCs with bulky GPUs that end up blocking the SATA ports. A low-profile SATA cable will go underneath any GPU and into the motherboard without bending.

What Are SATA Converter Cables?

SATA converter cables are a form of adapter that you can use to convert any old cable type into SATA, or convert one SATA cable into another connection type.

If you plan on using your SATA hard drive via USB connection without needing to boot it on the system, you can use a SATA to USB adapter.

You can also find Molex converters in case your PSU doesn’t have a 15-pin cable connection to provide power to an internal SATA hard drive.

How Do You Install a SATA Cable?

Installing SATA cables isn’t that complicated, but even so, you should still know how to install them properly.

How you install SATA cables will depend on what their purpose is. If you’re just replacing an HDD’s old SATA cable, then you might want to disconnect the old one from the motherboard first before installing the new one.

However, it’s a different story when you’re installing a new hard drive, then you need to follow these steps:

• Place the new hard disk drive into an empty bay. Make sure it’s securely located and that airflow is optimal.
• Connect the SATA cable to the hard disk drive and then connect the other side of the SATA cable to the motherboard.
• Make sure that the new SATA cable is not hindering the existing SATA connection from your old HDD.
• Your primary drive, or the hard disk drive you’ll be using most of the time, should connect to your motherboard’s lowest SATA port, which would be SATA 0 or SATA 1.
• Close the PC casing and power up the system once it’s safe.

Frequently Asked Questions About SATA Cables

How do you know you’re using a third-generation SATA cable, or SATA III?

You can tell that you’re using a SATA III by its latch or locking mechanism. You’ll find a latch on either one side, or both sides of the cable. If there’s a latch on your cable, then that’s a SATA III cable.

Is SATA III faster than the SATA I and SATA II?

Yes. You’ll find that the other two generations have a data transfer rate of up to 1.5 Gb/s and 3.0Gb/s. The SATA III has max bandwidth throughput of 6.0Gb/s.

All SATA generations have backward compatibility too.

What’s SATA Express For?

SATA Express is a bus interface used for connecting your computer’s motherboard to a storage device. The SATA Express supports PCI Express or PCIe and Serial ATA protocols at the same time.

How do you connect an external hard drive to a computer if there’s no eSATA port?

PC’s don’t usually have an eSATA port but you can purchase a SATA to eSATA converter cable. You will then use your external device to this eSATA port using an eSATA cable.

Why does a SATA power cable have many pins?

A SATA power cable or power connector has so many pins because it replaced the 4-pin Molex connector. The higher pin count is for supporting three voltages, providing additional ground pins for hot swapping, and access to other advanced features like a mechanical drive’s delayed spin-up.

What’s the most common SATA cable being used today?

The most common SATA generation used today is the SATA III cable. Then you’ll have three different SATA cables under this generation, namely 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3.

Wrap Up

So there you have it, everything you needed to know about SATA cables and how they work. Knowing how a SATA cable works and what the different functions are will let you build a stronger and faster CPU.

Knowing the different SATA cable types and their functions will also help alleviate some headaches associated with data backup for optical drives and storage drives.

If we told you 10 or 15 years ago that building a compact computer that doesn’t take up a lot of desktop space was possible, you probably wouldn’t have believed us. You probably would have looked at us funny and told us we were off our medications.

But believe it or not, this is now possible thanks to the advent of compact cases that’s capable of housing gaming hardware. For a lot of PC builders, a tower case exudes power. These are the type of people who want to let other people know that there’s serious gaming and computing power hidden behind this tall metal case with liquid cooling running inside.

But on the other hand, you also have other builders out there who prefer to keep it on the downlow. We’re talking about using the smallest ATX case possible with an ATX motherboard and equipped with the latest gaming hardware.

It makes sense to actually go for mini or small ATX cases because PC parts are becoming smaller. Yes, small ATX cases might be restrictive in terms of hardware, but they are able to house hardware that could give you 4K or VR gaming.

If you are planning to build a compact computer using ATX cases but you don’t want to sacrifice your full-sized motherboard form factor, then this list should help you. We’ll go over the best and smallest ATX cases in the market right now.

Corsair Carbide Air 540

Best Overall Compact Case

Corsair is one of the best manufacturers for cases out there, and their Carbide Air 540 is one of the best ATX cases in the market right now.

Right off the bat, you’re getting a cubed design case with dual-chamber. The case houses the drives and PSU at the back chamber while the CPU, GPU, and motherboard are housed on the main chamber.

This design allows you to have streamlined airflow that’s hitting the main chamber components and the back chamber components. As a result of this design, PC owners can also overclock their CPU and GPU without worry.

Key Features

• Supports E-ATX, mATX, ATX, and Mini ITX motherboards
• Can accommodate 6 x 120mm or 5 x 140mm fans
• With 4 x 2.5″, 2 x 3.5″m, and 2 x 5.25″ drive bays
• Pre installed with 140-mm Corsair Air Series intake and exhaust fans
• Maximum GPU length of 320mm and CPU cooler height of 170mm.
• Standard ATX PSU length of 250mm
• Includes frost dust filter
• 8 PCIe Expansion Slots

Cooler Master Q500L

Best ATX Cases With The Highest Airflow

A successor to the previous year’s Q300L, the Cooler Master Q500L is one of the best micro ATX cases out there. Albeit slightly bigger than the Q300L, the Q500L is a massive upgrade given that it can accommodate the ATX motherboard form factor. How awesome is that?

On top of that, you have front and top panels designed for maximum airflow, along with a side panel window and fan mounts.

Needless to say, we’re recommending the Cooler Master Q500L is on top of our shopping lists.

Key features

• Supports Micro ATX, Mini ITX, and ATX motherboards
• Maximum GPU length of 334 mm and CPU cooler height up to 180mm
• Max PSU length of up to 180mm
• Accommodates up to 4 200mm fans at the top, 120mm rear fan, and up to 2 x 120mm fans in the front panel
• 7 PCIe slots
• Pre installed with two XtraFlo fans in the front panel
• Supports up to 240mm radiator

Lian Li O11-Dynamic-Mini

The Latest ATX Case from Lian Li

One of the most recognized names in the PC builder universe is Lian Li, and on this list, we have the Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini. This is quite possibly one of the most beautiful mini ATX cases we’ve ever gazed our eyes on.

The Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini, or Lian Li in general, does not shy away from making sure that the case looks absolutely stunning. They don’t cut corners when it comes to design, size, and functionality. As a result, you’re getting a case with high airflow and thermal regulation capacities and room for cable management.

Unfortunately, there’s a downside. The Lian Li O11 Dynamic Mini does not support ATX PSU, which makes sense given the SFF of the chassis. However, it does support SFX and SFX-L PSUs.

Key Features

• Supports ATX, mATX, Mini ITX, and E-ATX (280mm or smaller)
• Max GPU length of 395mm
• Max CPU cooler height of 172mm
• SFX or SFX-L PSU
• Equipped with 4 dust filters: 1 at the top, bottom, and 2 on each side
• Up to 7 PCIe horizontal expansions
• Can accommodate 3 x 120mm fans or 2 x 140mm case fans at the top panel, 2 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm case fans at the side panels, 1 x 120mm fan in the rear panel, and either 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm case fans at the bottom panel

Cooler Master HAF XB EVO

A Must-Have For Lan Parties

This is another one of those ATX cases with great thermal regulation and optimal airflow design. And as its name implies, the Cooler Master HAF XB EVO is a master at cooling (pardon the pun).

The Cooler Master HAF XB EVO comes with plenty of support for fans, a slot for a 240mm radiator in front and 120mm radiator in the rear, and preinstalled 120mm XtraFlo fans. The side panels are easily removed if you want more ventilation.

The Cooler Master HAF XB EVO has four dust panels that can help prevent dust accumulation, so maintenance is relatively easy on this baby.

But what we really like about the Cooler Master HAF XB EVO that a lot of the cases on here don’t have is its removable motherboard tray. The hard drive trays are easily removed too, giving the Cooler Master HAF XB EVO a lot of room and flexibility.

All in all, the Cooler Master HAF XB EVO is a compact ATX case that’s flexible and sturdy at the same time.

Key Features

• Supports mATX, Mini-ITX, and ATX motherboards
• Preinstalled with 2 x 120mm XtraFlo fans in the front panel
• Equipped with 4 x 2.5″ or 3.5″, and 2 x 5.25″ bays
• Maximum GPU length of 334mm
• Maximum CPU cooler height of 180mm
• Standard ATX PSU length (180mm)
• 7 PCI expansion slots
• Can accommodate 1 x 200mm case fan on the top panel, 2 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm case fans on the front panel, and 1 x 120mm or 2 x 80mm case fans on the rear panel

NZXT H510

A Compact ATX Case For Easy Builds

The NZXT H510 is the successor to the previous model’s NZXT H500 case, and like its predecessor, the NZXT H510’s build is incredible with lots of room for cable management.

The matte white color palette is a minimalist’s dream. Other color variations include matte black and matte black with red stripe. If you want some RGB lighting, you can get the NZXT H510-i model.

Key Features

• Supports Mini ITX, Micro ATX, and ATX motherboards
• Max GPU length up to 381 mm
• Max CPU cooler height up to 165mm
• Preinstalled with 2 x 120mm fans for exhaust and intake
• Slots for 2 x 120/140mm fans on the front panel, 1 x 120mm/140mm fan on the top panel, and 1 x 120mm fan on the rear panel
• Tempered glass side panel
• Standard ATX PSU support
• RGB Lighting available with the -i model

RaijinTek Thetis Window

A Compact ATX Case That Looks Like A Tower

This is possibly the biggest of the smallest ATX case we have on this list. The RaijinTek Thetis Window is a brand that’s unfamiliar to some of you, but in the PC building enthusiast universe, it’s one of the best brands of the ATX cases. The RaijinTek Thetis Window stands out from this list for its compact frame and size, but at a price.

The RaijinTek Thetis Window can only support inverted motherboard layout, which means your motherboard is upside down and the GPU is placed at the top panel. Nothing inherently wrong with the way the motherboard is placed, but to the newbie builder who lands the RaijinTek Thetis Window, it might come off as a shock to them.

Unlike most of the cases here, the RaijinTek Thetis Window comes preinstalled with just one case fan, so you’re going to have to buy another one to improve the case’s airflow. That’s not going to be an issue given that the RaijinTek Thetis Window has about 4 slots for case fans.

The RaijinTek Thetis Window comes in the black and silver color palette, as well as a non-windowed version (called the Thetis Classic).

Key Features

• upports Micro ATX, Mini ITX, and ATX motherboard
• Max GPU length of 320mm
• Max CPU cooler height of 170mm
• Supports 240mm radiator (top panel)
• 7 PCI expansion slot
• 2 x 3.5″ drive bay and 2 x 2.5″ drive bay
• Four fan mounts: 2 x 120mm on the top panel, 1 x 120mm on the rear panel, and 1 x 120mm on the bottom panel

ThermalTake Core G3

Slim And Compact ATX Case

The Thermaltake Core G3 is a compact and slim ATX case, measuring about 5.5-inch in width. A mainstream case as slim as the Thermaltake Core G3 is difficult to find.

But with the slim aesthetics, sacrifices were made. The Thermaltake Core G3 can only accommodate a compact SFX PSU rather than a standard ATX PSU. This isn’t a big problem, considering that SFX PSUs are relatively easy to find and within a reasonable price range.

Another compromise is the GPU mount on the Thermaltake Core G3. GPUs are mounted vertically right against the side panel, which could cause higher GPU temperatures. There’s not enough room for cable management in the Thermaltake Core G3, which could further hinder cooling and airflow.

Some PC builders using the Thermaltake Core G3 have reported reaching up to 86 degrees Celsius on the GPU, which is not 100% ideal.

If these aren’t a problem for you, the Thermaltake Core G3 is still an impressive compact PC case. Considered as a mini ITX case, you can mount the system vertically or horizontally.

Key Features

• Support for Micro ATX, Mini ITX, and ATX motherboards
• SFX PSU support
• Maximum GPU length of 170mm
• Maximum CPU Cooler height of up to 109mm
• Two PCI expansion slots
• Front radiator support up to 240mm
• 2 x 3.5″ or 2.5″ drive bays

Corsair iCUE 220T RGB Airflow

Premium Mini ATX Case

Visually pleasing to look at, the Corsair iCUE 220T proves that size does not matter when it comes to aesthetics. The Corsair iCUE 220T has angular perforations on the front panel, but these aren’t for show. These are designed to help with airflow, along with the preinstalled Corsair SP120 intake fans.

You also have access to the Corsair Lighting Node Core for the RGB lighting control on the fans. To our dismay, this is a Node Core, so you can’t add any RGB Led strips. If you want to add RGB strips, you’ll need to buy a Node Pro and install it on the case. This isn’t a dealbreaker and does not affect the performance of your hardware once installed on the Corsair iCUE 220T.

Builders recommend swapping out the preinstalled fans on the Corsair iCUE 220T with better RGB fans on the market if you really want to maximize the case’s airflow potential.

Key Features

• Supports ATX, Micro ATX, and Mini ITX motherboards
• ATX PSU support
• Maximum GPU length of 299mm
• Maximum CPU cooler height of 160mm
• 7 PCI expansion slots
• Room for up to six additional case fans
  • 1 x 120mm fan on the rear panel
  • 2 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm fans on the top panel
  • 3 x 120mm or 2 x 140mm fans on the front panel
• Radiator support for up to:
  • 240mm on the top panel
  • 120mm on the rear panel
  • 280mm or 360mm on the front panel
• 2 x 3.5″ and 2 x 2.5″ drive bays

Helpful Buying Case For Buying The Smallest ATX Case

Buying compact cases may not be as easy as buying a standard sized case or tower. There are a few things to keep in mind when you want to purchase the smallest ATX case on this list:

1. Quality Matters – Don’t get carried away with the aesthetics. You want to go for aluminum or all-steel chassis if you want durability.
2. Expansion Slots – You also need to consider how much room you want for expansion in the future. You want compact ATX cases that have more drive bays or PCIe slots.
3. Air Flow and Ventilation – If you want to make the smallest ATX case work with overclocking hardware, then you want to secure one with the most ventilation and airflow. A lot of compact ATX cases don’t have good spots for fans or radiator installations, so you need to make sure that your case can handle the extra heat without relying too much on fans.
4. Your Components – Remember to measure the GPU, CPU, and PSU length of the case that you want to buy and make sure that your current hardware (or hardware on your to-buy list) will fit the compact PC case.

One of the most important parts of a computer is the RAM, or random access memory. RAM modules are also considered to be one of the easiest parts to upgrade in a system unit. But more often than not, people make one simple mistake: mixing different RAM brands.

RAM modules are responsible for doing computations for a specific amount of time so that the processor does not redo them each time. In theory, mixing RAM modules of different brands can be done, but not without some problems.

In this article, we’ll be discussing what happens when you mix RAM modules of different brands and how big of a problem it can be to mix them.

A Quick Basic Guide To Reading RAM Specifications

 Before we answer the question “can you mix RAM brands?”, first we must understand what it is we’re actually mixing. If you already know how to read RAM Modules’ specifications, you can skip this section.

Form Factor

There are two form factors to consider for RAM modules. You have your Dual In-Line Memory Module or DIMM, and Smal Outline DIMM or SO-DIMM.

1. DIMM is a common form factor that’s used by desktop computers.
2. SODIMM RAM modules are used by compact PCs and laptops. They’re roughly half the size of DIMMs.

Memory Type

RAM modules have gained a lot of features and functionalities over the years. Memory type or generation will determine how new the RAM currently is. You can tell how old a RAM module is by their generation, which is listed below:

• 2000 release: DDR1 SDRAM
• 2003 release: DDR2 SDRAM
• 2007 release: DDR3 SDRAM
• 2014 release: DDR4 SDRAM
• 2020 release: DDR5 SDRAM

Unfortunately, RAM modules don’t have forward or backward compatibilities if we’re talking about generations because each generation uses a different number of pins.

Memory Speed

RAM speed is determined by its frequency. The higher the frequency, the more cycles a RAM module can perform per second.

Frequency is measured in MHz or megahertz, or million cycles per second. A 3600MHz RAM translates to 3.6 billion cycles per second. This means that a RAM can transfer this much data in a second.

Memory Sizes

RAM sizes will let you know how much information it can store per stick. You can get anywhere between 2GB to 32GB. For office tasks, a bare minimum would have to be 4GB of memory but ideally, you want 8GB. If you’re gaming or doing some heavy-duty rendering/editing, then you want 16GB or higher.

Memory Latency

Memory latency measures the time it takes for a module to call to or respond to a command in a system. In RAM modules, you’ll find the latency labelled as CL. A CL16 RAM stick will take about 16 cycles before it can respond.

Unlike frequency, you want the CL to be lower.

Memory Voltage

Voltage refers to the power that the RAM stick consumes. You’ll find different ranges for voltages, starting from 1 V all the way to 1.4V. You can manually adjust the voltages of your RAM according to the performance and stability you want.

Memory Brand

Lastly, memory brands are not equal. There are different assemblers or manufacturers for RAM modules, so it can be difficult to identify which one’s the best. You’ll find two RAM modules sharing the same size, frequency, speed, voltage, and latency, but the controller chips and memory may be different.

Why Is It A Problem To Mix RAM Brands?

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, there are different manufacturers and brands of RAM modules. While they share the same specifications, the memory and circuits will be different. When you mix RAM modules of different brands, you might end up with your system crashing or your system not booting.

When there are different RAM modules used in a single motherboard, you’ll use more Dual-In-Line memory modules or DIMM slots, which creates a lot of possibilities for conflicts.

What Would Cause These Problems To Begin With?

If you’re planning on installing RAM modules that are different from your current one, you’ll need to know that this combination might have a negative effect on your computer.

Some of the causes of the problems associated with mixing different RAM brands are as follows:

Voltage

Mixing different RAM modules will result in mixing different voltages. The RAM with lesser voltage may not operate to its full capacity because it’s receiving less power.

Single vs Dual Channel Memory

There are two types of memory – single channel mode and dual channel mode. These work differently and will not always be noticeable to users. If you use a single channel RAM and a dual channel RAM, then you’ll end up with the latter running on a single channel.

Now, browsing or doing office tasks might not be a problem, but when you’re gaming, video editing, or doing 3D rendering, that’s where you’ll notice the difference in performance.

Storage Capacity

Using different sizes might also affect your system’s memory configuration. If you pair a large RAM module with a small one, you’ll have an asynchronous operation. This is what you would often refer to as FLEX MODE.

Smaller RAM modules will only pair with half of the larger RAM modules to get dual channel mode. The remaining storage capacity will only work in single channel mode.

You may know this as Flex Mode. What happens here is that the smaller RAM will pair with half of the bigger RAM module, so the remaining module will only work in single channel mode. How heavy the workload is will determine how noticeable the mismatch is.

Speed

Mixing RAM modules with different speeds can greatly affect the RAM modules’ performance. While it’s possible to set your fastest RAM to run at the speed of the slowest RAM, you’ll still have issues.

Frequency and latency will both affect your memory speed. RAM sticks with different frequencies will need to have the same latency in order for them to work together.

The Big Question: Is It Okay To Mix Different RAM Modules or RAM Types?

The straight answer is NO.

You shouldn’t mix different RAM types or modules. Motherboards are designed to only accommodate one generation of RAMs, so if you have a motherboard that can accommodate DDR5 RAMs, then those are the only RAM modules you should be getting.

And also, you can’t combine one DDR2 and one DDR3 RAM into a motherboard just because you think you’ll get a total of DDR5. That’s not how it works.

If you want to know what kind of RAM type your motherboard is capable of accommodating, go to Task Manager and go to the Performance tab. Choose the Memory option and you’ll see what DDR type your motherboard has.

You can also use software that retrieves your PC information for you, like CPU-Z.

Is It Okay To Mix Different RAM Sizes?

It’s possible to use different RAM sizes but there are disadvantages. For example, let’s say you have an 8GB and 4GB of RAM sticks for your desktop PC.

If the RAM brands, frequency, latency, and other specs are similar, you shouldn’t be having major issues,

But…

Pairing a large capacity RAM stick with a smaller RAM stick will affect your system’s performance. The RAM stick with the lower capcity will only pair with half of the larger capacity’s storage.

With the scenario above, instead of having 12GB of RAM, you’ll only have a total of 8GB RAM in dual channel mode for the best performance possible. The remaining 4GB RAM will run on single channel mode.

Depending on the workload, you will notice a dip in performance. If you’re just doing office tasks and non-demanding work, then you won’t notice your system slowing down. On the other hand, you’ll feel a dip of about 20% in performance when gaming or doing some video editing. This is why manufacturers only mix RAM sticks of the same sizes (i.e. 2 pieces of 8GB to make up a 16GB RAM kit).

Is It Okay To Mix RAM Voltages?

If you have different RAM sticks with different voltages, there’s nothing really stopping you from mixing them. Just know that you’re not exactly guaranteed optimal performance from either RAM.

Different brands of RAM with different voltages will force your motherboard to run with the RAM with the lowest voltage and the RAM with the highest voltage won’t get enough power by default.

This won’t stop the RAM with the highest voltage from operating mind you, but again, you won’t be getting optimal performance.

Is It Okay To Mix RAM Speeds?

Combining RAM sticks with different frequencies will cause your motherboard to underclock the fastest RAM.

Using the scenario above, you have 8GB and 4GB RAM of the same brand with the same latency. Combining these two RAM sticks will result in the 8GB running according to the speed of the slowest RAM. So your 8GB RAM will only be 4GB.

You could overclock your 4GB RAM to match the 8GB stick, but that would result in overheating and frequent crashing.

As mentioned earlier, this is why RAM kits are always paired with the same speed and specs. If you are purchasing a 32GB RAM kit, you’re getting 2 pieces of 16GB RAM sticks.

Is It Better To Buy A Single RAM Kit?

The answer here is YES.

RAM kits are two RAM sticks of the same brand and specifications. These are specifically combined and tested by the manufacturers to work together flawlessly, but not with other kits.

If you want to get 64GB of RAM, you’ll want to mix RAM kits comprised of 16GB modules from the same brand. If you’re getting a BRAND X RAM kit with two pieces of 16GB modules, your second ram kit of 16GB modules should also be BRAND X.

One of the best things that ever happened to laptops and personal computers was the invention of SSD, or solid state drives. Picture your traditional HDD having superpowers and you’d have painted a pretty picture of what SSD technology is capable of.

But not all SSDs or solid state drives, or even SSD connection types, are the same. While SSDs are the evolution of your traditional SATA hard drives, compatibility is a big concern especially when you’re working with older motherboards.

Don’t worry because this article will tell you everything there is to know about SSDs, the different SSD types, and more.

First, What Exactly Is A Solid State Drive?

SSD or Solid State Drive is a new type of hard drive that utilizes a new way of storing and delivering information. Traditional HDDs rely on electrical signals being carried through a passageway made of vacuum tubes. But with SSDs, electrical signals are carried between transistors using solid materials.

Unlike a traditional HDD, SSDs is a static devices with no moving parts. It comes with its own integrated circuits that allow you to store information inside the drive. Because there are no moving parts, storing and transferring information is done at a faster rate. The SSD has non-volatile memory chips which have a unique controller, thereby removing all mechanical and moving parts. You end up with a device that’s more energy efficient because you don’t need motors and a power supply to make it work. In simpler terms, everything stored in an SSD like your OS and programs would load faster.

SSDs come in different sizes and shapes, as well as components, but their functions are one and the same.

What Makes an SSD Different From Traditional SATA Hard Drives?

Read or Write Data

An HDD uses a mechanical arm to write or read data and magnetic systems similar to how CDs and DVDs store or write data.

An SSD has a semiconductor IC or Integrated Circuit that’s responsible for storing information. It also has flash memory, similar to the technology found in USB sticks and memory cards. The IC is also responsible for other tasks such as cleaning, caching, and restoring data.

Build

SSDs don’t have mechanical or moving parts, so it’s already vibration-proof or shock-proof, while an HDD uses a magnetic discs that’s set to run for a specific amount of time. A traditional hard disk drive is more likely to slow down in performance over time because of wear and tear.

Heat Resistance

HDDs have a tendency to overheat more than SSDs. In fact, SSDs are known to be more heat-resistant because of the absence of mechanical parts even at high workloads.

Processing Speed

SSDs carry data through electricity, and with no moving parts to rely on, they’re reliably faster than an HDD. Solid state drives’ processing speed can go as high as 3500 Mbps, while HDDs can only go as high as 160Mbps.

Weight

Because of the SSD’s build, they’re lighter and more compact than the HDD.

What Are The 5 Types of SSDs?

We know what an SSD is and how it works at a glance, but did you know there are different types?

In this section, we’ll go over the different SSDs, their interfaces, connectors, and other functionalities (if ever).

SATA SSD

SATA or Serial Advanced Technology Attachment SSD is the most popular type of SSD and is the first SSD model released in the market.

A typical SATA SSD is about the same size as a SATA HDD and also has the same connector type

The SATA SSD uses Serial ATA to transfer data and is compatible with any desktop or laptop, even if the unit is about 10 years old or more. All you need is a 2.5-inch drive bay and a SATA cable.

SATA SSDs are also used by older computers that don’t have the new SSD connector and can only accommodate SATA cables. This makes it a great choice for upgrading an old laptop or PC’s HDD and giving it a brand new lease on life.

There are three versions of the SATA SSD, namely SATA I, SATA II, and SATA III. Here are the transfer rates for each version:

• SATA 1.0: 5 Gb/s, 150 MB/s
• SATA 2.0: 3 Gb/s, 300 MB/s
• SATA 3.0: 6 Gb/s, 600 MB/s

M.2 SATA SSD

The M.2 SSD is a newer type of SATA SSD and is smaller and lighter than the SATA SSD. The M.2 SSD has a rectangular shape and looks like a smaller version of RAM.

An M.2’s dimensions are 22mm x 80mm (width by height) and come with NAND chips on both sides. They’re more convenient and can be installed into a motherboard that has an M.2 slot. If your laptop or PC has an M.2 slot, then you can definitely run with an M.2 SSD.

M.2 SSDs also come in different sizes, but here are the common dimensions:

• M.2 22110 : 110 x 22 mm
• M.2 2280 : 80 x 22 mm
• M.2 2260 : 60 x 22 mm
• M.2 2242 : 42 x 22 mm

The M.2 2280 is the most common type of M.2 SSD.

Note that the M.2 slot on a desktop’s or laptop’s motherboards can accommodate either a PCI-E bus or a SATA Bus, and can only have either an M.2 SATA slot or an M.2 PCI-E slot. That’s why you need to match your motherboard’s M.2 slots with the M.2 SSD you’re planning on buying.

mSATA SSD

The mSATA SSD is a smaller version of the SATA SSD and is commonly installed in compact computers, mobile devices, or tablets that have an mSATA slot, or laptops.

The newest mSATA SSDs have a storage capacity of up to 1TB with a 6Gbps read/write speed. This SSD also boasts lower power consumption, making it more economical than the traditional SATA SSD.

Experts would still recommend going for a SATA SSD as long as your motherboard can equip it. Your device needs to have an mSATA connector if you want to install an mSATA SSD.

M.2 PCI-E SSD

The M.2 PCI-E SSD is the first SSD to ever use a PCIe connector type and allowed servers to increase their storage capacities and speeds. An M.2 PCI-E SSD can fit right into your motherboard’s PCIe ports, similar to how you’d install a PCIe network card or sound card. Right now, an NVMe SSD using a PCIe connection interface possesses the fastest computational speed at read/write bandwidth of 2000 Mbps up to 32Gbps.

You’ll need PCIe M.2 slots on your motherboard if you want to use an M.2 PCI-E SSD, and you also need to match the M.2 slot keys of both the motherboard and the SSD as well as its size.

M.2 NVMe SSD

NVMe stands for Non-Volatile Memory Express and is five times faster than SATA SSDs. These are relatively new and have only been out for a couple of years. The M.2 NVMe SSDs use a PCIe interface and connector type.

With that said, the M.2 NVMe SSD is more expensive and consumes a lot more power than SATA SSDs. A typical M.2 NVMe SSD would usually have an interface rate of 32 GB/s with 3.9 GB/s throughput, which roughly translates to having more speed for high-resolution gaming or video editing.

But as fast and as expensive as the NVMe’s are, this type of SSD has some disadvantages:

• Some BIOS still don’t support booting OS from the NVMe SSD. That means you would need a new motherboard that has BIOS that supports this if you want to load up your OS on the NVMe PCIe SSD.
• Some laptops can accommodate an NVMe SSD as long as they have a spare PCIe slot. If your laptop does not have a PCIe slot (or a spare one at that), then you might need to purchase a new laptop with an NVMe SSD already built in. However, these laptops are pricier.

Is There A Difference Between Cheap and Expensive SSD?

Choosing between SSD types is one thing, but another thing to consider when shopping for SSD is their price. Are you willing to go out and buy an expensive brand, or are you willing to work with a cheaper brand?

Is there an actual difference between SSD types if they’re expensive or cheap?

Let’s take a look at some important factors:

1. Age is something you want to consider, so if you want to have a longer-lasting SSD, then you’ll want to go for a more expensive brand as they last for about 20 years or more, while a cheap brand could conk out after 5 years or so.
2. Expensive SSDs have faster load times, so this makes it one of their better selling points. Even if you bought a mid-range brand, it will still perform better than the cheap brands.

What Are Some Factors In Choosing SSDs and SSD Types?

There are only about three things you need to consider when it comes to choosing what type of Solid State Drives you’re using:

• Your budget
• What your using it for
• Motherboard compatibility

Motherboard compatibility ultimately makes or breaks your decision into choosing what SSD type you’re ending up with.

Older motherboards will most likely accommodate SATA solid state drives, even with or without the 2.5 inch bay. Modern motherboards allow for more flexibility as they have slots that support M.2 SSDs and 2.5 inch SATA SSDs. You can even install one M.2 SSD on your motherboard to host your OS and applications while you use the 2.5 inch SATA SSDs to host your files.

There are some old motherboards that can accommodate M.2 drives and if your motherboard has PCIe 3.0 slots, then you can use PCIe add-in adapter cards to let you use an M.2 SSD.

If you are lucky enough to have a motherboard that can support an NVMe SSD, you’re more or less going for it all the way. The budget shouldn’t be a concern at this point because you just want to have the highest storage capacity possible for an NVMe SSD.

Which One Should You Use?

Gamers are more likely to use the NVMe SSD, or any PCIe SSD because of the faster load time. Games start up and load faster than they should, even on a SATA SSD. Content creators that edit videos or audios will also be using these SSD types to process and render through large amounts of data with ease.

On the other hand, if you want something faster than your old HDD for everyday use, then SATA SSDs are more than enough.

For everyday performance that does not require high-intensity data speed transfer, you can get a SATA SSD. If you want more storage space without having to spend a lot more money, you can use your SATA SSD to host your OS and applications while storing all your data in your traditional HDD.

The Wrap Up

It goes without saying that the price of SSDs will continue to go down as more types of SSDs become available to the market. At this time of writing, you can probably score a 2TB NVMe SSD (Samsung) for less than $200, which is a far cry from what these NVMe PCIe SSDs were priced at when they first graced the market.

If you want more storage space and faster load times, then consider upgrading to any of the types of SSDs mentioned above.

So you’re ready to build your gaming PC from scratch. You have your money lined up to purchase all CPU parts necessary, but you have doubts if your shopping list is complete. We can’t blame you.

Building a PC from scratch is intimidating the first time you do it because you don’t have the confidence just yet. You’ve seen those videos on TikTok where someone built a PC and all of a sudden, the GPU catches fire.

Now we’re not saying that this is what will happen to your computer components after assembly. Your nerves are probably getting the best of you because this is your own gaming PC and you don’t want all the other components to just go up in flames.

Don’t fret because this article will go over what you need to do and what parts you need to build your first gaming PC.

We’ve decided to break it down into four steps:

1. Identify What You Want To Build
2. Get All Your Tools Ready
3. List Down All Computer Components
4. Read These Guidelines First Before You Start

Identify What You Want To Build

No two gaming PCs are made equal, and we say this with confidence because the build of your own computer will depend on what kind of machine you want and how big your budget is.

If you’re a content creator who edits and uploads gaming content on YouTube or if you stream on Twitch, then you need something more robust and powerful than your average gaming PC. You’ll need top of the line processors, a high-end graphics card, and a storage device with higher capacity.

Once you’ve identified what you need out of your gaming PC, your next consideration will be your budget. Depending on what your budget will allow you to purchase, you’ll want to adjust the specs as you start to finalize the build.

Then there’s the issue of available stocks for your PC parts, which greatly affects your ability to build a PC and your budget. Graphic cards aren’t exactly accessible to a lot of people at this time of writing. The Covid-19 Pandemic plus the hoarding of GPUs by cryptocurrency miners caused a shortage of GPUs worldwide. But with cryptocurrency mining slowing down, it might take a while before you’ll see graphics cards returning to their MSRP.

Get All Your Tools Ready!

All right. Now that you have an idea on what you want to build, you’ll want to secure the tools as the next step.

First, you need a large workspace that allows you to work without any hindrance. You need to make sure that this workspace isn’t on any carpeted surface because static discharge can damage components. You can also secure your workspace with an anti-static mat.

Then you’ll need two screwdrivers, specifically a Phillips #2 screwdriver for all the parts and a Phillips #0 for installing an M.2 device. You can make use of magnetic screwdrivers so you don’t accidentally drop screws in different crevices.

The magnet from a magnetic screwdriver is weak so you shouldn’t worry about damaging your components with it.

You’ll also need scissors and cable ties for the cable management aspect of building a PC.

List Down All The Computer Components

Okay, now let’s get down to business. It’s time to gather all the parts that you need to build your gaming PC from scratch.

Here’s a list of what you need:

• Computer Case or PC Casing
• CPU
• Motherboard
• Random Access Memory (RAM)
• Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)
• Storage device
• Power Supply Unit (PSU)
• Cooling System (CPU cooling and GPU cooling)
• Input Devices
• Operating System (OS)

Let’s look at the individual components and what they do:

Computer Case

The computer case or PC case acts as your component’s housing. Computer cases help secure motherboards, power cables, fans and cooling systems, and some parts.

There are different PC case sizes, each of them with their own features and advantages. The kind of casing you’ll need will depend on your motherboard, desktop space, and aesthetic preference. Usually, people will just determine what kind of case they want to use based on their motherboard and available desktop space. Most motherboards would fit inside mid tower cases, but you might opt for a bigger computer case if you are planning to accommodate more case fans, liquid cooling, or possibly a bigger graphics card (we’re looking at you, Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080!).

CPU

The CPU, or central processing unit, or commonly known as a processor, comprises the first half of your PC’s central nervous system. Considered as the brain of modern computers, a CPU is the part responsible for handling and calculating information and instructions that it receives from the other components’ software.

Desktop computers will never be able to run without a processor, so that’s how important they are.

Motherboard

The motherboard, or mainboard to some, is considered as the second part of your your PC’s nervous system. You’ll find your primary circuit board, slots to attach your components to, and a central hub that manages these different parts.

Your optical drives or storage drives, CPU, graphics cards, RAM, and fans are installed into the motherboard. The motherboard will combine your components’ unique functionalities to give you a cohesive functioning PC.

What kind of motherboard you’ll choose will limit the PC parts you’ll be using, from RAM modules you’ll need to use to the available CPU socket, and other nuances. Motherboards also somewhat dictate the kind of PC case you’ll need to use, so there’s that to consider as well.

RAM

RAM, or Random Access Memory, is responsible for determining how fast your PC is able to execute certain processes. A higher RAM capacity means that your PC will be able to handle more processes at a faster rate.

RAM can affect how many browser tabs and how many programs you can open, to put it simply. If you want to switch between a browser and a video game without lagging, you’ll need a RAM capacity of at least 8GB.

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)

The Graphics Processing Unit, or graphics card, is responsible for displaying images on your monitor. The chip on the GPU performs computations that will allow the PC to render and display images, which is why people usually refer to it as a video card.

There are two types of GPUs: Discrete Graphics Processing Unit and Integrated Graphics Processing Unit.

1. A Discrete GPU is a separate GPU that’s installed into a PC that will allow you to handle heavy tasks involved with gaming, video editing, and rendering.
2. An Integrated GPU is prebuilt into the PC and takes a portion of its computing power from the processor. However, iGPUs are limited in terms of performance so you won’t be able to do gaming, rendering, or video editing.

Storage Device

When it comes to gaming, you’ll need to know about three types of storage devices: HDD, SSD, and NVMe SSD. All three have the same function of storing data, but the difference lies in their speed. HDD stands for Hard Disk Drives and SSD stands for Solid State Drives.

HDD storage devices are the slowest with a rate of 100MB/s for reading and saving data. Solid State Drives or SSDs have about 500MB/S and NVMe SSDs have up to 7000 MB/s.

An HDD and SSD utilizes SATA cables through a motherboard and gets power from the PSU. An NVMe SSD is an individual component in itself and attached directly into the motherboard. The NVMe SSD doesn’t draw any power from the PSU.

NVMe SSD can be installed on a standard PCIe slot (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express), so as long as your motherboard has available PCIe slots, you can install NVme SSDs.

If you want faster load times for your games and transferring data, an SSD or NVMe SSD is the ideal storage device for you.

Power Supply Unit (PSU)

Contrast to their name, a PSU does not supply power to the entire system, but rather, they convert power. A Power Supply Unit or PSU is responsible for converting high voltage current or AC into direct current or DC. The PSU is also responsible for regulating DC output according to the power tolerances of modern computer parts.

Cooling System

When your CPU draws in power, it generates heat. You’ll need a CPU cooling system or CPU cooler to help manage the heat. This is necessary if you want your CPU to operate smoothly.

When a CPU gets too hot, it will automatically reduce the number of cores operating to dissipate heat. When this happens, performance becomes severely affected.

But it’s not only the CPU that needs cooling. Other parts such as the GPU will need help to dissipate heat from the motherboard. This is made possible by installing computer fans that blow in cool air and expels hot air to the back of the case.

Apart from fans, there are also other cooling options available such as liquid cooling (but this is a bit more expensive and not exactly meant for first time builders).

Input Devices

Part and parcel of building a PC is to get input devices, ranging from mice, keyboards, to monitors. These devices are plug and play, so you don’t have to worry about compatibility.

Personal preference is the biggest factor when it comes to choosing what kind of mice or keyboard or monitor you want to use.

Other PC parts that fall under this category are tablets, cameras, and microphones. You might need additional software to make sure that these devices function properly.

Operating System (OS)

Windows 10 is one of the best operating systems that you can use on your PC. You can purchase a physical copy of the OS or you can download it from the Internet.  

There’s also the option of Windows 11, which comes from upgrading your Windows 10 operating system.

Read This Section Before You Build a PC or Shop For Computer Components

This section is important because we’ll tell you what else you need to do before you build a gaming PC or shop for parts.

This guideline is meant to point you to the right direction especially if it’s your first time building.

Watch Tutorials

A video tutorial on building a PC is a lot better than reading a comprehensive guide. You actually get to see what’s being done when assembling a PC.

A tutorial video will give you a better understanding of the basics of PC building and its nuances. For example, you’ll probably see a video that talks about what kind of GPU is best for a particular processor.

Some tutorial videos will also go into more details in terms of PC components and their functionality. For example, a video might talk about maximizing clock speed or how to optimize storage devices so they store data efficiently.

Invest In a Processor and Graphics Card

The CPU and GPU are two of the most important parts of a gaming PC. You might try to cut corners if you’re on a tight budget, but trust us when we say it’s better to invest in both CPU and GPU.

Just because you’re saving money doesn’t mean that you’re getting a good gaming PC.

High-end CPUs and GPUs need sufficient power, so a cheap PSU might become troublesome in the long run. You also shouldn’t get a PSU that’s too powerful for both CPU and GPU because you’ll simply waste unused power.

Using a high-end GPU with a mid-range CPU might cause bottlenecking, meaning your GPU might not reach its full potential because the CPU can only render so much.

Avoid Static Discharge

Static discharge can damage computer components, and a lot of the video tutorials will constantly remind you about this.

An anti-static bracelet or wrist wrap is recommended to use for first time builders, but experienced builders won’t need one. Though they’ll probably still use it for best practices.

One of the best tricks to avoiding static discharge to not touch any metallic surface while touching a computer part. You also shouldn’t be working on carpeted surfaces.

Ask the Experts

Before you shop for PC components, it’s best to ask around and get recommendations from experts. We’re not talking about experts such as Linus Tech Tips, mind you. But rather, we want you to ask around experts in your area about PC components.

There’s probably a small community of PC builders in your area that will help you with your PC build. They might even recommend PC parts that match your budget and needs.

The Wrap Up!

And there you have it. Everything you need to know and do before you build a PC. If you are still feeling doubtful about your abilities to build a PC even after reading this article, then you might be better off with a prebuilt gaming PC.

Sure, you end up spending a bit more than having a custom PC build, but you do get that peace of mind.

However, if you are up to the challenge and feel that it’s time for you to take up your mantle as one of the more serious gamers, then build a gaming PC. Having your own computer is one thing, but building it is a completely different experience.

If you own a gaming PC, one of the most important things that you need to know is computer maintenance and cleaning. We’d like to think that our gaming PC’s are invincible because they’re made from high-end parts, but sometimes, things can go so wrong at one point and you’ll need to do maintenance sooner than later.

In this article, we’ll be discussing one of the most important components of computer maintenance: thermal paste. We’ll know what this item is about, how long does thermal paste last, and when you should be replacing it.

What Is Thermal Paste?

Thermal paste, or thermal compound or thermal grease to some, is a substance that’s applied between the heat sink and processor. These are available in small tubes at electronic stores, along with a small shovel-like tool to help you apply the paste.

A tube of new thermal paste is what you initially need when you’re building a PC the first time. Most of the time, the CPU heat sink already has a pre-applied thermal paste so you can just install immediately. But the hardcore PC builders will manually reapply thermal paste because they already have a brand preference.

Thermal pastes do one thing and that’s to help keep the CPU cool by transferring heat into the heat sink. The heat sink is then responsible for expelling heat away from the CPU, allowing your CPU to stay cool at all times (when possible).

How Does Thermal Paste Work?

CPUs generate a lot of heat when they’re working on heavy tasks, such as rendering or gaming. Your case fans or PC fans may keep other parts of your system cool, but not for the CPU. You see, air is a bad heat conductor. You want to minimize the distribution of air between CPU and heat sink.

The heat sink is pressed tightly into the CPU, which prevents air from getting into the CPU but this isn’t a complete seal. To really prevent air from getting into the processor, you need to seal the tiny gaps between the CPU and heat sink.

The thermal paste will allow you to completely seal the surface of the CPU and the heat sink’s contact point. The paste will cover the hardware’s surface grooves and small gaps, allowing for a complete seal and improving heat transfer rate.

Thermal pastes don’t last forever, unfortunately, so you’ll need to replace them over time. A dried out thermal paste has reduced effectiveness, so your CPU may become hotter than normal. When this happens, you’ll need to replace thermal paste before you damage the CPU.

How Is Thermal Paste Applied?

The debate on how to use thermal paste is intense, specifically on how to apply thermal paste. You’ll find a lot of videos, articles, and theories on the right way to apply thermal paste. It’s just difficult to pinpoint which one’s the right one.

But the simplest way to apply thermal paste is as follows:

1. Apply a pea-sized drop in the middle of the CPU.
2. Attach the heat sink into the processor.
3. Apply pressure on all four corners of the heat sink, ensuring that the thermal paste is distributed across the surface evenly. If your thermal paste has an applicator, you can use this to distribute the paste evenly before you clamp down the heat sink.

Now there are different ways to apply thermal pastes on CPUs, so regardless of what method you pick, you have to make sure that there are no gaps or bubbles on the CPU and heat sink’s surface. Otherwise, heat transfer and distribution will be affected.

Where Should People Store Thermal Pastes?

Thermal pastes are best stored in cool areas. People would suggest storing it in a freezer but this is a bad idea. There is a risk that the thermal paste might damage your CPU after you freeze it.

If you have leftover thermal paste, you can store it inside any airtight container, like a Ziploc bag. You’ll want to avoid placing this container under direct sunlight or heat.

For people in tropical countries, you’ll have a higher than normal room temperature. The best way to store thermal paste is to store it in a drawer in an air-conditioned room to prevent it from drying too fast.

But from experience, thermal paste is super affordable so you can just throw the old thermal paste as soon as you’re done with it. If you want to replace thermal paste, it’s often best to purchase a new one than to reuse old thermal paste.

How Long Does Thermal Paste Last?

Most experts don’t recommend reusing leftover thermal paste. Old thermal pastes can dry out a bit even if stored properly. If a thermal paste is a bit dried out, it may end up damaging your CPU or heat sink.

There’s also the mixture of certain thermal pastes that need to be considered when storing or reusing them. Some brands might last longer because their paste’s formula are unique. Thermal pastes also have different measurements, one of which is the Watts per meter-Kelvin or w/mK. This is how the rate of heat transfer in a homogenous material is transferred. The higher the w/mK, the better thermal conductivity.

Thermal conductivity determines how fast heat transfer is, either from receiving it from a hot material or dissipating heat towards a colder material.

So, how long does thermal paste last? It varies depending on the brand, but the general average is a couple of years.

When Is Thermal Paste Replaced?

There are certain situations that will determine when you should replace thermal paste.

First, when you remove the heat sink from the CPU. If you see some of the thermal paste is on the heat sink and some on the CPU, this is a sign that you should replace the thermal paste. Replacing the heat sink back into the CPU will leave you with air bubbles and gaps, significantly affecting temperature regulation.

In this situation, you should clean both the surfaces of the CPU and heat sink with alcohol before applying a new one. You also need to get rid of old thermal pastes as you don’t want to mix a new tube with an old one.

Another situation that calls for replacing thermal paste is routine maintenance, which is once every two or three years. Not all thermal pastes have the same level of efficacy though. Thermal paste degrades over time, which affects the performance of your system unit.

If you recently bought a PC, the best time to replace the thermal paste is two years after. It’s best to assume that the longevity of the stock thermal paste used is about two years. Then once you go for a newer thermal paste, go for the brand that offers a longer life span, usually about three years onwards.

Is It Possible To Use Too Much Thermal Paste?

The answer is Yes. Ideally, you only want to use a pea-sized amount on the CPU before distributing it evenly.

You’ll know you used too much thermal paste when the paste oozes over the CPU and heat sink’s corners. You know how peanut butter or jelly would flow into the corners when you squeeze both sides of the bread together? It’s a similar situation for thermal pastes.

When you use too much thermal compound, you might end up damaging your components. At the very least, the thermal compound won’t do a good job when it comes to insulating heat.

Wrap Up

Thermal paste helps with managing and dissipating heat away from the CPU, on top of using a CPU cooler. This liquid metal compound prevents your CPU from becoming extremely hot. When a CPU becomes too hot, system performance is affected. So the number of cores it runs on is reduced up until the temperature is regulated.

Thermal paste does affect temperature regulation as it transfers heat away from the CPU and into the heat sink, which expels the heat away from the system.

How long does thermal paste last? Thermal paste lasts for about a couple of years on a newly installed CPU. The longevity of thermal pastes vary depending on the brand, ingredients, and measurements. When you’re replacing a new thermal paste, go for different manufacturers that have longer life spans, usually three years and above.

Leftover and used thermal paste tubes should just be disposed of because there’s no point in reusing old stock. Thermal pastes are affordable and easy to find, so you don’t have to worry about saving up an old tube.

You’re in the middle of an intense gaming session when your graphics are suddenly stuttering. You suddenly hear your graphics card’s fans go into overdrive as they struggle to keep your frame rates up. You run your hand at the back and sides of your computer and find out that it’s blowing a lot of hot air out.

You decide to turn off your video game and a few minutes later, everything’s going back to normal. The fans are slowing down to a gentle buzz and there’s no more stuttering. You run your hand at the back of the PC one more time and the air being expelled is no longer as hot as it was before.

What exactly did just happen, you find yourself wondering. Well, what happened there was your GPU temperature hit an all-time high. Gaming for hours in a non-airconditioned room apparently took its toll on your system, so your CPU and GPU temperatures were abnormally hotter than usual.

Turning off your game and letting the system cool off was the right thing to do, but is there something that you could do to prevent that from happening again? In this article, we’ll discuss about managing your GPU temperatures, from finding out normal ranges to preventing overheating GPUs and more.

The Big Question: How Hot Is Too Hot?

How high should GPU temperatures go before it’s considered as “TOO HOT”? We ask this question first because ideally, you want your GPU temperatures to hover around a certain range.

When you’re doing non-gaming tasks, your GPU’s temperature is within normal range because it’s not putting in a lot of work. On the other hand, when you’re gaming or doing some GPU-intensive work, then your GPU temp might go higher than normal.

So how hot is too hot? It depends on the graphics card. Ideally, you don’t want to surpass the 90-degrees Celsius (194-degrees Fahrenheit), but there are GPUs that can withstand that temperature. For example, the AMD RX Vega series of graphics cards can handle temperatures above 80-degrees Celsius (176-degrees Fahrenheit) for typical gaming.

But the modern GPUs, like the RTX 30-series and RX 6000 series normally don’t hit above 80-degrees Celsius while gaming. Note that an RTX 3060/3070/3080 with GDDR6X memory can withstand GPU temperatures as high as 110-degrees Celsius (230-degrees Fahrenheit) and still operate within spec. But anything higher than 110-degrees Celsius will throttle your graphics card’s performance. Sometimes, you’ll get throttling past the 106-degrees Celsius mark.

If you’re wondering as to whether your temperatures are within normal range, there’s something that you can do to monitor your GPU temperature.

First, download a software like GPU Temp. This is a software that helps you monitor your GPU temperature. After installing, you’ll find the app in your system stray and is updated in real time.

Then open a spreadsheet and log your gaming session for an hour at an interval of 15 minutes each. Record temperature, clock speeds, and other data in this spreadsheet. You can then look up the official specs of your graphics card and compare the data with the manufacturer’s official clock speeds.

If the graphic card is running at lower clock speeds than the specified clock speed, or below the listed value, then your GPU temperature went too high and started throttling. Now, at the start of a gaming session, a spike in GPU clocks isn’t abnormal, but if it drops a lot overtime, your GPU is probably overheating.  

And believe us when we say that an overheating GPU is never a good thing.

What Causes GPU Temperatures To Go Abnormally High?

Graphics cards have varied GPU temperature limit, meaning some cards are meant to withstand higher GPU temperatures and others aren’t.

But an overheating GPU is a common problem no matter what brand of graphics card you have. But what exactly causes GPU temps to spike or go abnormally high? What causes graphics card temperature to go from normal to hot like the sun?

Here are some factors that contribute to a higher than normal GPU temperature and what you should be looking out for:

Dust

One of the biggest causes of overheating GPU is dust. Heavy accumulation of dust can burden your fans and will force them to run slower than usual. As a result, the graphic card’s cooling capacity is affected.

Dust particles around your case can also accumulate naturally up to a point where the amount of dust is already affecting airflow within the case. Internal cooling is affected, so not only is your GPU temperature affected but your CPU temperatures as well.

Thankfully, this problem is easily solved with a can of compressed air or aerosol dusters. You can use a fine brush or hoover to get a lot of the dust out of the case’s fans and GPU fans. After getting rid of the main dust, it’s time to go after the finer dust particles (the ones that are lingering on the surfaces) by blowing them away with compressed air.

Once everything’s cleaned up, monitor your GPU temperature with the method above and if there are still unusual spikes, then dust wasn’t probably the reason why the GPU overheats.

Lack of Fans and Poor Airflow

Sometimes, it’s not exactly the GPU’s fault that it’s overheating. Sometimes, the lack of fans and airflow can severely affect GPU temperatures.

If you cleaned out the dust from the fans and vents and you find out that the fans are still turning very slow, then you might need to turn up the fan speed up a notch. Certain programs like MSI Afterburner can help you manage fan speed, which allows you to cool your system off properly.

If your case can accommodate more cooling fans, then you can also decide to purchase new ones. Some PC builders are going for the bigger fans, both for drawing in cool air and for expelling hot air out. The fan speeds of the larger fans are significantly higher than the smaller fans.

Poor Cable Management

If airflow is a concern, then you might want to check for cables that are unnecessarily blocking certain vents. Improper cable management, or lack of it, is another overlooked cause for GPU overheating. When cable management is not done properly, it can lead to blocking parts of the CPU that contribute to your case’s open-air cooling capacity.

Again, this can be easily remedied by simply rearranging the cables and organizing them in a way that they don’t block certain outlets. If you’re not confident about your cable management, you can ask help from technicians or you can look up a YouTube video.

Higher Ambient Temperature

Believe it or not, ambient temperature can also cause GPU temperatures to go higher than usual. People living in tropical countries often find themselves dealing with high GPU temperature more than people living in cooler climates.

Unlike the three other factors above, this is far beyond your scope of control as you simply can’t control the weather. Thankfully, you can invest in air-conditioning units or electric fans with higher fan speeds to keep the room as cool as possible. You can also open up windows to get all the hot air out.

If you have the budget, you could also invest in water-cooled AIO (all-in-one), or liquid cooling.

Replace Thermal Paste

A dried out thermal paste can also affect GPU temperatures, especially if you haven’t replaced yours yet after a couple of years.

Overclocking

Overclocking is mostly done by the more technically-inclined PC builders. Modern graphics cards have an overclocking feature and is relatively easy to do, not like before where you have to go through the BIOS to do it.

But what exactly is overclocking? Let’s paint you a picture first. Imagine having a nice car with a V8 Engine. It’s got 500 HP, but even after you floor the pedal, you’re wondering why you’re not getting the power that you deserve.

Come to find out that the original owner of the car decided to place a wooden block under the accelerator. The car is fast and powerful, so why didn’t the original owner want you to experience both?

Once you remove the block, you’re now able to experience the car’s full potential.

Going back to your GPU, removing the wooden block from the accelerator is the equivalent of overclocking. You see, CPU and GPU chips are shipped out at a “stock” state, meaning their clock speed, memory speed, and core speed have functional ranges. If your GPU was the car in the story above, a stock state means that the car you bought has a wooden block behind its accelerator.

Now there’s nothing wrong being done here by graphics card manufacturers. They just want to make sure that you actually know what you’re doing if you do decide to remove this wooden block.

When a GPU is overclocked, you’re increasing its clock speed, core speed, and memory speed. You’re giving it more power but you’re also making it work harder. When you overclock the GPU, you should also overclock the CPU.

But why would you want to overclock both computer hardware? Well, you probably want more power for rendering or gaming. You get higher FPS and better graphics, but at a cost.

Hardware temps for both CPU and GPU will go far above what they’re supposed to be operating at, so overclocking should be done with care. You also run the risk of crashing your GPU. When that happens, just reboot the system. Modern overclocking software will never allow both GPU and CPU to operate at damaging levels.

What’s The Optimal or Normal GPU Temperature?

When it comes to gaming, your graphic card is doing more than usual. So what’s a safe GPU temperature when you’re gaming?

It depends on the manufacturer, but ideally you shouldn’t be hitting higher than 85-degrees Celsius (185-degrees Fahrenheit), even if some GPUs are meant to withstand higher temsp.

Modern AMD GPUs and Nvidia GPUs can handle GPU temperatures above 90-degrees but it shouldn’t mean you should constantly hit that. If your fans are working as they should and with proper airflow and ventilation, your current GPU temperature should be within an acceptable range.

Tips To Help You Lower Your GPU Temperature

GPU temp can go up and down, depending on your usage. If you’re gaming and you constantly find yourself dealing with higher GPU temperature, then these tips should help you go back to an optimal GPU temperature.

Clean your Graphics Card, Case, and Fans

As we mentioned earlier, dust can cause GPU temps to increase unnecessarily. That’s because fans are burdened by the amount of dust around them, not to mention that thick slabs of dust can block vents and thereby reducing airflow.

Every couple of months, take your PC out on a dry area and clean the fans, graphics card, and the vents with a brush and canned air. Not only are you keeping your GPU temperature within an optimal limit, but you’re also doing your CPU a favor. CPU temperature on a dust-free PC should be as low as the GPU (when gaming and not gaming).

Increase Airflow to your PC

Keeping dust out of your PC is a surefire way of increasing airflow, but another way to increase airflow is to make sure that the vents are free from debris and other hindrances.

Cables can often block exhaust ports when cable management is done wrong, so be sure to check if your cables are kept together properly.

Make Sure That All Fans Are Running Properly

When all fans are running as they should, you should be able to reach optimal GPU temperature for gaming and non-gaming tasks.

But remember that just because your fans are on doesn’t mean they’re running properly. Your fan speed might be running slower than usual, so it’s not able to keep the internal components as cool as it should.

Download a hardware monitoring software for fan speed if you feel like your fans are not working properly. If you’re manually turning up the fan speeds and don’t feel like they’ve changed that much, maybe your fans are the problem and will need to be replaced.

Keep Ambient Temperature As Low As Possible

We can’t control the weather, so ambient temperature limit is going to be a constant battle. If you live in a tropical country, your PC might be hotter than usual especially during the summer.

Investing in an electric fan, air-conditioning unit, or a water-cooled AIO should be within your best interest as these can help you lower GPU temperature while compensating for the hot climate.

Wrapping It Up!

There you have it. You now know how to make sure that your current GPU temperature is within its optimal level. Higher temps would throttle performance on a GPU, so you’re not getting the most out of the unit while it’s cooling down.

You also want to avoid going above your GPU’s temperature limit or maximum temperature tolerance because you’ll end up damaging it and thereby shortening its lifespan.

We’ve already provided you with different cooling solutions in this article, but if you feel that your GPU’s temperature are still higher than they should even after doing all of the troubleshooting, there might be something wrong with the GPU.