Re: [gentoo-user] Graphics Card Advice

[Michael]

On Wednesday, 29 April 2020 23:48:28 BST jdm wrote:
> On Thu, 30 Apr 2020 10:17:37 +0200
>
> tuxic@××××××.de wrote:
> > On 04/29 06:05, jdm wrote:
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > I have just bought a RX 5600 XT and after a few issues with screen
> > > freezing after kernel starts loading, resolved by compiling EFIFB
> > > (no previous FB compiled in) the card has been working fine for 2
> > > days booting normally. The machine then started not to boot, not
> > > even to get to BIOS (so you couldn't even press DEL to get to BIOS
> > > screen). I took the card out and replaced with old card and PC
> > > started fine. I tried this 4 times and still with new card PC would
> > > not even POST. I don't have a little speaker to here if there are
> > > any beeps.
> > >
> > > I am returning the card as it feels like that is the problem but
> > > have a nagging suspicion this could be some other problem like
> > > power supply. I have 700W coolermaster PSU which should be ample
> > > (according to websites) but is 9 years (amazingly they had the
> > > foresight to provide 8 and 6 pin cables which were both plugged in).
> > >
> > > My next issue is do I get another 5600 XT (different brand) or are
> > > nvidia equivalent better? I have always been an AMD fan. Could I
> > > end up in the same boat.
> > >
> > > PC spec - ASUS 470 Pro MB with 2700 Ryzen.
> > >
> > > Any advice would be much appreciated?
> > >
> > > John
> >
> > Hi John,
> >
> > what graphicscard you want depends heavily on what you want to
> > do with your PC...
> > What are the tasks, which put a heavy load on your PC/graphicscard and
> > which you are do regularily?
> > Do you do a lot of rendering (Blender for example) or video
> > (re-)encoding? Do you AI related things (tesorflow for example)?
> > Or is gaming you main application?
> >
> > Furthermore: You CPU must fit your graphicscard performancewise.
> > It makes no sense to choose "a performance beast" and to combine
> > it with a "entry level being".
> > The fastest graphicscard can onlu as fast, as data are coming from
> > the CPU and vice versa.
> >
> > On the internet you find a combination of the Ryzen 5 3600 with
> > one of the nvidia RTX 20[678] SUPER cards. The RTX 2060 SUPER
> > comes with 8GByte of video ram instead of 6 GBYte of the RTX 2060.
> >
> > "Linus Tech Tipps" and "Tom's Hardware" are probablu to look for.
> >
> > HTH!
> >
> > Cheers!
> > Meino
>
> Thanks for advice.
>
> I like playing games and noticed with current card that FPS is low on a
> lot of games.
> I have tried to get a balance between not paying too much and specs of
> monitor (2560x1440 @60 fps). According to GPU check I should get max of
> 80 fps @ 1440. So thought I would have some left in the bank with 5600
> XT.
>
> I'll check CPU to GPU rate.
>
> There's too much choice and now a little worried that next card might
> not work again.
>
> John

PSUs do not last forever and if you experience power surges, lightning, etc. 
they could last even less.  More often than not some early degradation causes 
random crashes, when under load, rather than complete blackout.  It is not 
easy to test a PSU without an oscilloscope, but you could look at the MoBo 
voltages with a multimeter to see if they're broadly within limits and don't 
drop off too much when a load in placed them.

Personally I don't bother measuring voltages.  If you take the PSU out of the 
case and visually inspect its capacitors you may find some have domed tops, an 
indication they have overheated and are on their way out.  A few pennies would 
buy you a bag of replacements which you can solder in to restore the PSU to 
its original performance.  It used to be Panasonic capacitors were better made 
and had higher ratings, but I don't know what brands can claim better quality 
of manufacture these days.  Burned resistors are an indication of catastrophic 
surges, although I have replaced resistors and capacitors on a cheap PSU which 
burnt out when sheet lightning hit our area one year and worked fine for years 
after that.

Of course, if the problem is with the video card, the PSU won't fix your 
problem.