Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
As far as sideline go , personal computer hardware is neither the cheapest nor the easiest one to get into . That ’s precisely why you may often run into various misconceptions and myth .
These myths have been circulating for so long now that many take them as a universal truth , even though they ’re anything but . Below , I ’ll take the air you through some personal computer feeling that have been debunked over and over , and , yet , are still prevalent .
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
Liquid cooling is high-maintenance (and scary)
These days , our computers generate more and more heat — so much so that even midrange PCs can benefit from a liquid cooler ( although it ’s far from always needed ) . It ’s no longer something reserved for the crème de la crème of PC enthusiasts . Even a $ 390 CPU like theRyzen 7 7800X3Druns blistering enough that it warrants using a liquidity cooler rather of an tune tank .
And yet , liquid coolers are still sometimes treated as a shivery oddity . They should n’t be .
One of the main myth I ’ve seen pass around about liquid chilling is that they require a pot of sustentation compared to an air cooler ; namely , that you have to open them up , drain them , and refill the coolant every so often . That perspective is definitely enough to put many people off , but for most users , this is simply not true .
When it comes to all - in - one ( AIO ) swimming coolers , you commonly ca n’t just open them up and teem new liquid in . It ’s either unacceptable or , at the very least , it may invalidate your guarantee , not to remark that it ’s wild to attempt unless you ’ve done it before . Some producer allow for refills , but many do n’t .
Leaks are passing rare in AIO coolers .
Instead , AIO coolers do n’t require refilling — they ’re sealed and criminal maintenance - free , made to last for several years without needing any attention . Modern ice chest are designed to downplay desiccation , meaning that you should n’t have to do anything with them until you supervene upon them .
All the refilling stuff you may have learn about was most likely in coition to custom loops , meaning custom - designed coolers gather by the user . If you did n’t build yours from scratch , you do n’t have to do anything with it most of the metre . However , drying up and suffusion will eventually commence to fork up the cooler less and less effective until you settle to replace it , but this summons takes years .
Another misconception about liquid state cool off setups is that they ’re somehow more dangerous than air coolers . While it ’s true that there ’s always a peril of outflow , it ’s exceedingly uncommon in AIO coolers . They ’re one of those factor that you do n’t want to go cheap on , though — it ’s safe to spend a lilliputian more to get one of thebest liquid coolersrather than have to worry about what might happen if there ’s a news leak .
Realistically , if put in right , your AIO will most likely run fine . The ticker may die before there ’s ever a leak . To comfort your mind , check the warrantee before you buy to see what ’s covered if a once - in - a - aristocratical - moonlight manufacturing error somehow affects your microcomputer .
More RAM is always better
When you’rebuilding a PC , it ’s soft to fall dupe to the “ more is better ” or “ high is better ” mentality . I ’ve done it , too . The thing is that this is n’t always true , and it ’s too loose tosplurge on personal computer upgrades that you do n’t really needand that do n’t bring any real carrying into action improvement .
RAM is a unspoilt deterrent example of this . It ’s one of those thing where if you do n’t have enough or have just the correct amount , your personal computer might fight , but if you have way too much , you wo n’t benefit from it in any significant agency . I ’m talking about tup capacity .
rent ’s say that , even when you ’re run a lot of different programs , your maximal RAM usage is 10 GB . This does n’t necessarily mean that you should settle for 16 GB — these days , opting for 32 GB is honest as a baseline because it ’s becoming a more and more common essential in gaming and for a variety of other labor . Besides , have ample Aries the Ram is a safe thing for your microcomputer ; it ’s just that you ca n’t stack it into eternity and expect peachy upshot .
The redundant random access memory is apply by Windows for disk caching , speeding up data file access and overall system responsiveness — but it ’s strike with diminishing returns , and the encroachment on carrying out gets much less significant the more RAM you have . Beyond a certain point , you ’re just stocking up on more RAM for the purpose of time to come - proofing . Most multitude have no need for 64 GB right now , but it all comes down to what you use your PC for ; if you ’re a major power user , you might take it .
Not having enough Aries is a problem , though . If your PC postulate more RAM than it has on hired hand , it plow to disc squirrel away , where data point that does n’t fit in RAM is written to a swap file or sectionalisation on the disk . This let it address more datum , but is significantly dull .
On the other mitt , if you ’re in no danger of get to this point , there ’s no need to heap RAM just in typeface . You could just wait until new retentiveness modules come out in a couple of year and get an actual rising slope for your PC by buying quick RAM .
Your shutdown habits are affecting your PC
I still remember my first personal computer adventures when I was a young Kyd . My parents drilled into my question that I should always turn off the data processor whenever I was done — not because of the high toll of electricity , but because hold the PC on will somehow damage it .
I ’m not sure how dead on target it was back then — I was probably 7 or 8 — but I know for a fact it ’s not true now .
These twenty-four hours , many people keep their PC on for , well … forever , until something eventually goes incorrect . It ’s not inherentlybad . Whether you let your microcomputer insert sleep mode or just straight up keep it running for the whole day and dark , it should n’t have a massive affect on the longevity of your computer . Of naturally , it ’s a different story if you ’re using something like a crypto excavation rig that ’s die hard resource - heavy labor all the sentence . In those berth , your PC does suffer , but it ’s not because you never change by reversal it off — it ’s because you ’re apply it a lot .
So , no , it ’s not going to kill your PC if you leave behind it on overnight . There ’s also a inverse version of this myth that say turning your microcomputer off and on every 24-hour interval will do component wear and teardrop . This is also not reliable — modern element are designed to handle thousands of business leader cycles . You ’ll usually be invite to upgrade your PC long before something break down from actual wear and tear .
With that said , everything is true in moderation . It ’s good to reset your personal computer sometimes , if only to let it clear your random-access memory and get a bit of a fresh start .
SSDs don’t live long
true , this myth is ( gratefully ) slowly on its way out the door , but I still hear it every so often : “ SSDs have much shorter lifespan than HDDs . ” This is not rightful , but it ’s also not completely false . I ’ll explain .
The sad truth of entrepot , be it an SSD or an HDD , is that it can fail at any given clock time for any contribute reason . This is whybacking up is so important . However , SSDs are often regard as more dependable than HDDs and not less for a number of reasons .
SSDs , unlike HDDs , have a limited life-time . They have a set number of write cycles that they can go through before reaching the end of their lifespan . Most manufacturers mensurate this in TB drop a line ( TBW ) to quantify how much data can be written to the drive over its life-time .
The larger the SSD , the larger the TBW , but in general , the number is so high that no veritable user ever reaches it before want to replace the drive for other reasons . For example , the Samsung 990 Pro has an gauge TBW of 600 TB for the smallest 1 TB example , but goes up to 2400 TB for the 4 TB model . Even then , this does n’t intend that the ride will expire the moment you reach that number .
SSDs have a physical reward over HDDs . With no moving parts , they ’re less prostrate to physical terms and to unwrap in ecumenical . While they have a finite lifespan , it ’s difficult to pass before the drive starts failing for other reasons anyway .
Overclocking will kill your PC extra quickly
Overclocking is another one of those things that most user shy away from . It palpate reserved for enthusiasts , even though it does n’t have to be . These days , overclocking is good and sluttish to do , as long as you do it carefully . Still , there ’s a prevailing myth thatoverclocking your CPUor GPU may damage it or shorten its lifespan , but it is just that — a myth .
You might indeed bolt down your GPU / CPU if you overclock too much , but you ’d have to push it really hard , which many maker no longer allow . There are built - in safety limits that wo n’t let you go past a sure point , peculiarly if you ’re using one of thetop graphics cardsor arecent processor . Some overclockers still recover ways around it for fun , but if that ’s not you , you ’re most likely secure .
Running an overclock over a long full stop of time will only affect the life-time of your CPU or GPU if you do n’t keep an eye on temperatures . You do n’t always take to overclock to the degree where the part starts running hot;undervolting can come in handyto adjust clock speeding while lowering the potential , thus keeping the temps at Laurus nobilis . Even if you ’re planning to go all out on overclocking , getting an effective cool setup will make it potential without increasing the habiliment and tear on your components .
Finally , even if we assume the worst - case scenario is true and you overclock , leave the temperatures mellow , and run your PC with no further adjustments , it ’s still not the terminal of the world ( unless it overheats to the point of being damaged ) . Your components will pay the price and may fail sooner than if you did n’t overclock , but it ’s not going to be a drastic change from running them at clock speed .
