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In-Depth PC Hardware Guides

· Methodology

The reasoning behind your build: calculator assumptions, upgrade decisions and troubleshooting steps.

Quick Summary · TL;DR

18 guides for understanding your build: eight explain calculator assumptions and 10 work through hardware-upgrade decisions. Follow the arithmetic, identify the exact parts and check the linked manufacturer documents.

Upgrading or troubleshooting?

Start with the decision you need to make. These guides separate confirmed specifications from checks that still need your exact hardware.

Small-form-factor builds

Fractal Terra: match CPU cooler height to your GPU

Choose one spine setting that works for both the GPU and CPU cooler, using the two GPU height bands.

Small-form-factor builds

A4-H2O and Liquid Freezer III 240: check both clearances

A 240 mm radiator is only the first check. Compare the complete fan stack and pump assembly.

Power supplies

Corsair SF750 2024: why are there only two PCIe cables?

Compare exact SF750 generations and plan a three-input GPU connection before ordering extra cables.

Memory upgrades

Four DDR5 sticks on AM5: can you keep DDR5-6000?

Separate capacity, CPU support and EXPO targets before combining two memory kits.

Storage troubleshooting

M.2 SSD fits but is not detected: check SATA and NVMe first

Match the SSD interface to the exact socket, then distinguish firmware detection from a missing Windows volume.

Local AI memory

ComfyUI RAM vs VRAM: what to check before upgrading

Identify system-RAM pressure, GPU-memory limits and workflow errors before buying an upgrade.

Power supplies

Can you reuse modular PSU cables?

Changing your PSU? Check cable families and model revisions before leaving old wiring in place.

GPU upgrades

Do RTX 5070 and 5070 Ti need an ATX 3.1 PSU?

Keep the existing supply or buy a new one? Separate wattage, cable approval and the ATX standard.

Small form factor

GPU black screen with a PCIe riser: what to check

Direct slot works, riser does not? Follow a comparison that keeps hardware and settings traceable.

Build compatibility

GPU running at x8 after adding an M.2 SSD?

Read the exact motherboard sharing rule, distinguish x8 from Gen 4, and avoid a needless upgrade.

The guides

PSU headroom, worked throughThree builds costed watt by watt, and the three cases where the 25% rule wastes money.The bottleneck percentage mythThe weights our estimator uses, published in full, and a five-minute test that beats any calculator.GPU clearance in compact casesWhy two versions of the same card differ by 52mm, and why slot count is not a thickness.LLM VRAM, calculated by handWeights, KV cache and overhead — and why context length is what breaks the fit.RAM latency in nanosecondsThe one-line conversion, and why the conclusion most guides draw from it is wrong.Frame time and diminishing returnsWhy 60 to 120 FPS is transformative and 240 to 360 is nearly invisible.Mouse yaw and cm/360Why matching sensitivity numbers matches nothing, and what to match instead.GPU power connectorsWhich cable your card needs, and why a native connector beats an adapter.

Why these exist

Most of this site is calculators. A calculator gives you an answer but hides the reasoning, and hidden reasoning is impossible to argue with. These guides open the tools up: the weights our bottleneck estimator applies, the three terms in a VRAM estimate, the millimetre figures behind a fitment verdict. If you disagree with a number, you can now see exactly which number to disagree with.

They also exist because some questions do not reduce to a form field. Whether to spend on a 240Hz monitor, whether a 25% power-supply buffer is worth the money in your case, whether DDR4 is still fine — those need an argument, not a result.

How to use them alongside the tools

Every guide carries a review date and lists what its figures are based on. Where a number is our own editorial judgement rather than a manufacturer specification, it says so.