Super expensive build check

[Machiafish]

Hi all, I'm starting to have PC troubles after 4 years and think it may be time to upgrade.

My current build has had a graphics card upgrade as of last year (3080 RTX Ti) so if I'm going to upgrade I'm likely going big.

I'd be very grateful if someone can offer any pointers with the below - I think the final price came to about £4,300 inc VAT (I can claim the VAT back):


Case
COOLERMASTER COSMOS C700M TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 14 Core Processor i9-10940X (3.3GHz) 19.25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING II: ATX, USB 3.2, SATA 6 GB/s, Wi-Fi AC - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
128GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (8 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3090 Ti - HDMI, DP
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS ARGB GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100x Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting
2x 50cm ARGB LED Strip
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00005]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
48 HOUR INSURED PALLET DELIVERY TO UK (MON-FRI, INC. HIGHLANDS & ISLANDS)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days

 

[SpyderTracks]

Playing devils advocate, just because a PC shows issues, you don't replace it, you troubleshoot and correct the issue.

If it's only 4 years old, there's going to be very little point in upgrading the platform.

Is it a pcspecialist system you've currently got? Can you post the full specs? What are the issues?

 

[AgentCooper]

As above, 4 years isn’t that long into a decent system’s lifespan. It’s either a troubleshooting exercise or it’s been badly specced, which is a whole other kettle of fish.

The PC spec you’re showing us is fairly monstrous in some areas but lacking in others. It’d be handy if you could answer the queries from @SpyderTracks and to also let us know what you do with said PC. Gaming, rendering, content creation etc.

 

[Machiafish]

Playing devils advocate, just because a PC shows issues, you don't replace it, you troubleshoot and correct the issue.

If it's only 4 years old, there's going to be very little point in upgrading the platform.

Is it a pcspecialist system you've currently got? Can you post the full specs? What are the issues?

I do take the point and it may be I'm being slightly too hasty. Thank you for you response, I appreciate it.
I have done some troubleshooting and my IT tech friend thinks the motherboard may be on the way out. SSD's going in and out of being recognised on boot up - have changed over cables, refitted everything. still having problems.

As for current spec, the "base spec" is at the bottom, with the upgrade last year being at the top.

Graphics Card	12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP
3rd Storage Drive	2TB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 470MB/W)
Power Supply	CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET

Case	FRACTAL DEFINE R6 BLACK TEMPERED GLASS QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)	Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-7820X (3.6GHz) 11MB Cache
Motherboard	ASUS® ROG RAMPAGE VI EXTREME: DDR4, 6Gb/s, CrossFireX/SLI, WIFI - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)	64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card	8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive	500GB Samsung 860 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Storage Drive	4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive	NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply	CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable	1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling	Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Liquid Series Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste	COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans	2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof) Change to: NONE
Sound Card	ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless Network Card	10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options	MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

 

[Machiafish]

Further - it's a gaming PC.

 

[SpyderTracks]

SSD's going in and out of being recognised on boot up - have changed over cables, refitted everything. still having problems.

Which SSD's? Or is it both of them? Has the BIOS been updated at any time?

Your IT friend, what made them not suspect the drives themselves over the motherboard?

 

[Machiafish]

Which SSD's? Or is it both of them? Has the BIOS been updated at any time?

Your IT friend, what made them not suspect the drives themselves over the motherboard?

On boot, got the following error "checking media presence.....media present.....Start PXE over IPv4" - which is a problem with the boot device not being recognised.

That happened several times, nuked/rebooted the PC. Replaced the SSD with the Operating Systyem on. seemed ok...and then it's done it again.

Replaced the cables for the SSD. Still occasionally getting the same problem.

 

[Steveyg]

It would be very rare for a motherboard to die mate especially one of such high quality, definitely worth narrowing stuff down

 

[SpyderTracks]

On boot, got the following error "checking media presence.....media present.....Start PXE over IPv4" - which is a problem with the boot device not being recognised.

That happened several times, nuked/rebooted the PC. Replaced the SSD with the Operating Systyem on. seemed ok...and then it's done it again.

Replaced the cables for the SSD. Still occasionally getting the same problem.

So you replaced the physical SSD? Or just reinstalled windows?

 

[Machiafish]

So you replaced the physical SSD? Or just reinstalled windows?

I initially tried just a reboot. That didn't work properly initially (it didn't do a clean wipe and then got stuck in a loop - this suggested a problem with the SSD itself). Managed to reinstall windows using a reinstall key on a USB drive.

The problem continued. I therefore replaced the C: SSD with an entirely new SSD. the problem is still happening and doesn't seem to resolve unless fiddling around with the cables. they appear to be clipped in correctly.

I have changed out the SATA cables. but i have not changed out the SATA power cable (a new one arrives today, to test that).

Other troubleshooting observations that might assist:

1) the time on my PC appears to desync after this error. for example it is now showing that it is 04:58 when it is in fact noon. I have yet to resync it (the boot up problem just occured once again).

2) when the PC turns on, all the internal lights on the pc come on as normal. they then all go out, as if the PC has just turned off or had a power cut. it then turns back on and at this point the standard "beep" sound rings out. if all goes well the PC boots up, or otherwise it reverts to the "checking media presence.....media present.....Start PXE over IPv4" error

 

[SpyderTracks]

and doesn't seem to resolve unless fiddling around with the cables.

So it's a cable issue? Or a port on the motherboard at least. Is it the SATA power or DATA that is affected by adjusting the cable?

Have you tried a different port?

There's certainly not enough info to suggest it requires a motherboard replacement. My guess is it's a dodgy connection on the SATA power connector likely on the mobo port.

 

[Machiafish]

So it's a cable issue? Or a port on the motherboard at least. Is it the SATA power or DATA that is affected by adjusting the cable?

Have you tried a different port?

There's certainly not enough info to suggest it requires a motherboard replacement. My guess is it's a dodgy connection on the SATA power connector likely on the mobo port.

the SATA data cables I have replaced.

The SATA power cable I have not replaced (though a new one has literally just arrived). I suppose that is the next thing to do and see what happens thereafter?

 

[SpyderTracks]

the SATA data cables I have replaced.

The SATA power cable I have not replaced (though a new one has literally just arrived). I suppose that is the next thing to do and see what happens thereafter?

Yeah, definitely.

Try it in the same SATA power port with a different cable, also try it in a different SATA power port.

 

[Machiafish]

Yeah, definitely.

Try it in the same SATA power port with a different cable, also try it in a different SATA power port.

So I have now replaced the SDD, the SATA cables, and the SATA power cable.

The new SATA power cable is also plugged into a different port on the PSU.

I am still getting the same issue - I turned my PC on this morning and back to the not recognised SSD error message. Again, unclipping and reclipping appears to have sorted, but as ever seems to be a temporary fix until the next time.

Other relevant info - I have recently replaced the PSU (with the same model, but it is brand new as of about 2-3 months ago).

The issue seems to arise after the PC has been off overnight (I turn it off at the mains). It happened this morning; I have since "fixed it" and I can currently restart my pc with no issue. I expect though as of tomorrow, the same issue will arise. I am considering leaving the PC on at the mains and see if that makes any difference.

Any other troubleshooting suggestions? Seems to me the issue must be with either the PSU or the motherboard at this point.

 

[SimonPeters116]

The issue seems to arise after the PC has been off overnight (I turn it off at the mains). It happened this morning; I have since "fixed it" and I can currently restart my pc with no issue. I expect though as of tomorrow, the same issue will arise. I am considering leaving the PC on at the mains and see if that makes any difference.

Any other troubleshooting suggestions? Seems to me the issue must be with either the PSU or the motherboard at this point.

That seems to suggest it has trouble 'remembering' what to do. How old is your CMOS battery?
Does it do it if you don't switch it off at the mains? "At the mains" means at the wall socket, to me.

I never switch mine off at the wall. I've got a "Smart" surge protection multi-socket extension. The smart bit is, when you switch off whatever is in the smart socket, it automatically switches off all the other sockets. Switch it back on, all the other sockets are powered up. So my monitor, printer, lamp and other powered peripherals are switched off, by Shutting Down my computer. I've got my landline wi-fi/broadband on a different socket all together, because that's on permanently. I'd imagine there's a very small amount of power going to that smart socket, so it knows when whatever it is has been switched back on.

 

[Machiafish]

That seems to suggest it has trouble 'remembering' what to do. How old is your CMOS battery?
Does it do it if you don't switch it off at the mains? "At the mains" means at the wall socket, to me.

I never switch mine off at the wall. I've got a "Smart" surge protection multi-socket extension. The smart bit is, when you switch off whatever is in the smart socket, it automatically switches off all the other sockets. Switch it back on, all the other sockets are powered up. So my monitor, printer, lamp and other powered peripherals are switched off, by Shutting Down my computer. I've got my landline wi-fi/broadband on a different socket all together, because that's on permanently. I'd imagine there's a very small amount of power going to that smart socket, so it knows when whatever it is has been switched back on.

CMOS battery would have been the same since I bought the PC about 4 years ago to the day.

I turn off the power switch at the back of the PC at night. It's in my bedroom and otherwise the RGB lights up my room. I will leave it on overnight for the next few nights and see if anything happens.

Apparently my motherboard is notoriously difficult to replace the CMOS battery - if going down that route I imagine I will need to get a technician to come out to do the job.

 

[B4zookaw]

If the time of the system is always off when booting after being powered down it would indicate the CMOS battery has drained. It might also explain bios settings being lost, perhaps changing your boot order. CMOS battery cheap to replace to its worth trying it.

 

[SimonPeters116]

I believe that, in most setups, RGB can be turned off, if you can remember how to do it. Or screen it somehow?

CMOS battery's are usually those thick penny (1d penny, not 1p) sized ones, 2303, I think.
They're often rather fiddly to do, because they're tucked up out of the way, out of sight out of mind type of thing. But normally it's a DIY job.

 

[Martinr36]

CMOS battery's are usually those thick penny (1d penny, not 1p) sized ones, 2303, I think.

They are 2032's

 

[SimonPeters116]

They are 2032's

That's them.
I was looking at 2303 thinking "that doesn't look right ". Luckily you picked up on my error quickly

I'm going to have to start checking on myself when I get a "that doesn't look right " incident.
At the least, so I don't look an idiot. But more importantly, so I don't post something wrong, which might have someone doing something wrong and causing damage.