Why do I constantly upgrade my PC even though I usually encounter problems with each version?
Why do I constantly upgrade my PC even though I usually encounter problems with each version?
Just recently you mentioned how gaming can feel so individual. It's impressive how varied human passions are, which keeps things interesting around the globe. If all games became monotonous, it would be hard to justify why professional athletes—whether male or female—continue competing in those sports for years. The core idea remains the same: they're still engaged in a "game," but often build a career around it over decades in a single discipline like golf or cricket. Similarly, people who enjoy card or board games such as chess, canasta, or poker often stay involved for many years as a hobby. Once again, this highlights the wide range of interests among people.
Athletics or other genuine sports aren't fully similar to PC gaming, because most athletes are compensated for their work. Additionally, the drive to be the best in their sport matters a lot. Some even enjoy the recognition and fame that comes with it.
Poker stands out as a prime example when it comes to financial rewards. Remove the money—whether from betting or bluffing—and what remains?
PC gaming has traditionally been about fun. Of course, some e-sports initiatives have emerged, but they haven't gained widespread popularity yet. While certain sports leagues like NBA, FIFA, F1, and WRC emphasize entertainment, their core focus remains on skill rather than crowd appeal. Still, there are those who prioritize spectacle over genuine expertise. WWE is one such case.
If you were offered payment for playing Skyrim SE, would that motivate you to keep playing?
🤔
For me, it would mean committing to just one game, dedicating up to 16 hours a day, every single day. At least two hours daily, not just casual sessions. It’s about consistent effort to improve, reaching a level of dedication similar to addiction.
Wiki offers a different take on what defines a "hardcore gamer," which you can find here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamer#Dedication_spectrum
From my perspective, a hardcore gamer is essentially a professional player who doesn’t receive payment for playing.
Yes, I’ve heard that too. ~70Hz is average for the general population, but for someone who plays daily, the threshold is higher.
there have been issues with the 22h2 update and win11 not functioning well with realtek sound drivers, leading to low fps, high memory usage, and even BSOD on systems with 6 cores or more. I haven't found a solution yet until a better driver is released. However, disabling the realtek drivers via right-click sounds worked for some users.
Disagree on the definition of a game. To me, it's simply an activity people choose to join that brings them enjoyment and satisfaction. That's all. No need for excessive analysis. It's just what it is. Whether it involves electronics or not doesn't change the essence. Another way to look at it is straightforward—what matters is that it's a game, in my view.
None of the professional athletes do it for leisure. They perform it as a profession.
If one approaches it casually, with enjoyment and laughter, none would ever achieve world-class status. It demands immense effort to push oneself and train rigorously over many years, just to come even near the top in sports.
Is this white paper more suitable?
link: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/busin...ti...dedication
Sorry for refreshing this update... but I wanted to let you know that a fresh Windows 10 install didn’t fix any problems with BF2042. The only solution I found was using the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility and adjusting my performance core ratio from 55x to 53x. I’m not sure why that worked. Someone else suggested it, and for a while I could play without issues. It seems there might be a hardware problem.
Also, after updating Cyberpunk 2077 with the latest patch, it no longer runs properly. It either crashes during gameplay without warning or shows a flatline error when submitting. That’s frustrating.
Building a new computer with updated parts and still facing these issues has really worn me down. I’m not sure what to do next.
XTU isn't a good choice for use. Any CPU overclocking or lowering adjustments should be handled directly through the BIOS. If you have your chip OC'd, it's worth noting that with a 55x ratio you get around 5.5 GHz on P-cores. P-cores can reach up to 5.8 GHz, but keeping them at a constant frequency isn't ideal—it's similar to running an engine at full speed regardless of the situation. After reducing the core ratio from 55x to 53x, your P-cores are now limited to about 5.3 GHz. The default clock for P-cores is 3.0 GHz (30x ratio with BCLK at 100Mhz). It's better to set the ratio to Auto/Default instead of forcing a fixed frequency. This allows the CPU to adjust its core speeds automatically based on demand. For example, my 6th generation chip runs at auto ratio values, so when idle (like typing this), it varies between 0.8 GHz and 1.1 GHz. When gaming starts, it increases accordingly—from 1.1 GHz to 3.5 GHz base clock and up to 3.9 GHz turbo. Lowering the core ratio seems to have resolved the problem because:
Option 1: The previous 5.5 GHz OC wasn't stable; 5.3 GHz works better.
Option 2: There wasn’t enough thermal headroom for P-cores at 5.5 GHz, but sufficient when running them at 5.3 GHz.
Honestly... I have zero experience with overclocking or underclocking. As I do with every PC build I've done over the years, I just put all of the parts together, and keep all of the settings as default. And for whatever reason, this specific PC build has not gone smoothly. Which has resulted in me doing things outside of my comfort zone just to get games to run.
I don't know if XTU is great or not, but I watched videos where it showed you how you could adjust things and then run cinebench to make sure everything was stable after. I've never ever done this before. I'm fine with not using XTU and making changes in the bios if it's possible. As long as my system is still stable after.
I can show you screenshots of my bios. Everything is set to default/auto. I think the only thing I might have changed was setting the profile (gigabyte perfdrive) to "optimization" because I read somewhere that you're supposed to pick that for 13th gen cpus. There's some text at the bottom of one of these that says "gaming: disable all e-core for gaming" that I haven't tried.
Main bios screen
System Info
Advanced/tweaker
All I care about is that my PC is running games well and that I'm not getting stupid out of memory errors anymore. I'm here to try anything at this point.
I explored the gigabyte perfdrive and attempted to run BF2042 with no further adjustments.
Optimization: Prevented out-of-memory errors or abrupt game closures.
Speed: Achieved 6 Ghz instantly—no overclocking needed.
Upgrade: Enhancement appears effective; I’ll continue testing.
"Spec enhancement mode helps processors like Intel® 13th gen Core™ maintain performance at lower temperatures."
XTU has its constraints and can be unpredictable when displaying CPU statistics.
Using XTU is similar to giving a turbo boost to an engine without performing a full tune or dyno test, aiming for the best outcomes.
Intel XTU, MSI OC Genie, AsRock OC Tuner, Asus AI Overclocking, Gigabyte EasyTune, etc., are considered basic overclocking tools.
With just one click (hence the term "lazy man's OC"), they apply some level of adjustment to the CPU or system, but often push voltages excessively, among other issues. Besides, these profiles don’t clearly indicate what changes are made inside the BIOS, which can lead to stability problems and even hardware failure.
In summary, if you wish to optimize your CPU manually, it’s better to do so directly from the BIOS. Or simply avoid any adjustments altogether. This so-called "convenient" one-click overclocking is risky for hardware. It has always been that way.
Source: Intel - https://www.intel.ca/content/www/ca/en/g...cking.html
Read it carefully—it’s worth taking your time.
Google Drive access was denied.
Of course, I can request access using my email, but for security reasons I’m not comfortable with that.
For hosting images, it’s better to use free image hosting platforms, such as:
www.imgur.com