Oh, pro tip, Blue. Whether your current PSU is adequate, or you're upgrading it, make sure to use the new AC power cable that came with it. It's usually thicker than a standard PSU AC cable.

Most of us are lazy, and don't bother swapping out the cable, because we don't want to be bothered to untangle it from the maze of wires under the desk, and they're all the same, right?

Well 850 and higher wattage PSUs have a much thicker AC cable, with lower gauge (thicker) wires to handle the additional AC current it can pull. You don't want that cable heating up or catching fire on you.

You may also find your UPS gives you an overload warning, either when heavy gaming or that first instant you turn on the PC (because on power on, for a brief moment, most PSUs draw full power as part of the power up test). My old UPS was not adequate for the new gaming rig.

This comment was edited on Sep 21, 2023, 11:27.

Blue (and others) framerate capping is a must with modern GPUs. Otherwise they just run wild when they aren't heavily loaded. I had issues on my 3080 with older games. Like L4D2 and KF2. The card would shoot up to 250 fps, causing visual glitches when it would occasionally dip down to half that because of some map glitch, and the card was needlessly running hot.

Your brain notices fps CHANGES more than anything, assuming you're not lagging at low fps. What you want to try to achieve is a steady and consistent fps. It makes for a much more pleasant game. That's why Gamer's Nexus makes a big deal about 1% lows in their benchmarks, THOSE you notice, even if your average fps is high. It's one reason you're starting to see most modern games installed with a framerate cap already enabled.

I would recommend using the Nvidia control panel's global 3D settings to cap the frame rate to your monitor's refresh rate, as a start (there is just no reason to render more frames than the monitor can display, as the drivers or the monitor will just throw some away, and that can also cause visual glitches), then for best visuals cap the framerate, per game, (using the game's framerate limiter, or the Nvidia control panel) to 10 fps BELOW the refresh rate of the monitor, so it never forces the monitor to drop a frame. Then set your visuals so that the framerate consistently stays near your framerate cap - lowering the cap if necessary. I have a 144 hz monitor and cap the whole system at 140, and most games at 120 or 100. My fps stays very consistent and feels silky smooth.

I'm thinking of getting a 4090 as well. Been itching to press the button on it. I have a couple of games I'd like to push the visuals harder on, and with this new Cyberpunk 2077 DLC, I have even more of an excuse.

As others have mentioned, be sure your PSU is adequate. Minimum recommended for a 4090 is 850 watt PSU. I already dropped a 1000 in my gaming rig when I built it for future proofing, so I'm good to go.

And yeah, use a card brace. Amazon sells aftermarket ones if it doesn't come with one. My 3080's circuit board was bent like a banana after a year of use, which scared the hell out of me when reports of circuit boards cracking started coming out.

This comment was edited on Sep 21, 2023, 11:31.

BicycleRepairMan wrote on Sep 21, 2023, 07:43:

Nucas wrote on Sep 20, 2023, 21:51:
diablo 4 apparently has a power draw issue, it feels the need to maximally engage the GPU. i definitely noticed it cooks the shit out of my room, it gets hotter playing diablo 4 than any other modern title i've played, even Immortals of Aveum!

I have not played D4, but sometimes capping the framerate can help this kind of thing, because the GPU is working like crazy to achieve like 500 fps in the menu and stuff.

I found capping the foreground framerate to 60 (default is 150) helped with the fan noise greatly. But it did not completely solve my crashing problem.

Nucas wrote on Sep 20, 2023, 21:51:
diablo 4 apparently has a power draw issue, it feels the need to maximally engage the GPU. i definitely noticed it cooks the shit out of my room, it gets hotter playing diablo 4 than any other modern title i've played, even Immortals of Aveum!

I have not played D4, but sometimes capping the framerate can help this kind of thing, because the GPU is working like crazy to achieve like 500 fps in the menu and stuff.

I bought a used 3080 a while back, and its my most flagship thing I've had probably since my 3dfx voodoo cards But it really is amazing what these modern cards can do. Just finished DOOM 16 and working my way thru eternal now, and the visuals are just insane. It was a stiff price, even if I got a really good bargain. Anyway, everything runs like it should, I dont think you will regret the investment.

diablo 4 apparently has a power draw issue, it feels the need to maximally engage the GPU. i definitely noticed it cooks the shit out of my room, it gets hotter playing diablo 4 than any other modern title i've played, even Immortals of Aveum!

i wonder if that could be a factor for people's crashes. i didn't think much of it until my cooler master v850 PSU actually catastrophically failed - the cable going to my 3080ti actually overheated and melted off the sheathing, first such failure i've ever seen in 25+ years of PC gaming. it would be hard to talk me into not believing diablo 4, the only title i was playing at the time and the program that was running when it happened, wasn't culpable for this.

RedEye9 wrote on Sep 20, 2023, 19:24:
The Marine F-35 has an auto-eject function on its ejection seat intended to catch pilots when they are unaware, it was designed by a committee of orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists and chiropractors.
I did no know that.

hope his hands weren't fiddling around with stuff inside the cockpit when that thing went pop.

The Marine F-35 has an auto-eject function on its ejection seat intended to catch pilots when they are unaware, it was designed by a committee of orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists and chiropractors.
I did no know that.

Orbit Gum commercials are the best https://youtu.be/Bxmkiy9txBE?si=TSG23Kzv7PJOJS1c

Congratulations on your new 4090.

Please look into undervolting it using the MSI Afterburner tool. It can save a lot of watts (around 20%) for no performance hit.
See this Youtube tutorial, i.e. don't use power limit slider but edit the curve.

Congratulations Blue! I hope it address those Diablo IV crashes for you.

Keep us posted on the crash issue (if it continues or it has been resolved) after you install the new card. I'd be surprised if that were the case. However, when I got my new card, the box looked like it was previously opened. So who knows what kind of bs goes on behind the scenes. Maybe your current card was a used bitcoin miner 🤣

Congrats Blue, you deserve it!

Unless technology dramatically changes, I'm just going to assume any trip to mars for all practical purposes is one way only.

Prez wrote on Sep 20, 2023, 13:14:
I remember after an upgrade I laughed because the first game I played on my brand new card was Binding of Isaac. Whoa - the graphics card was crying over that one.

Isaac was crying over it as well! And, well, everything.

Well, at least you're set for SEVERAL years, Blue! Congrats on the new video card, and what a huge plus that MrsBlue is cool with it. As Quboid said, make sure your PSU is up to the task, and I'd add:

1: Make sure if it doesn't come with a brace, GET ONE, that hog is gonna sag like you wouldn't believe.
2: if your PSU doesn't already have the 12 pin connector, make sure the one you end up using has a 90 degree bend in it. There are aftermarket sellers that have very nice ones.

Awesome Blue. Enjoy the new flagship gpu! It should crush minesweeper

I remember after an upgrade I laughed because the first game I played on my brand new card was Binding of Isaac. Whoa - the graphics card was crying over that one.

I hope you budgeted for a PSU too!

I've been tempted. I'm waiting to see how the 4080 Ti shapes up, if it is announced soonish.