u/AwkwardLibrarian7585

I will have two wired audio outputs for my pc that has the above spec for its motherboard. I can only use one wired in to that port with that spec. The other will be connected via a usbc dac (probably a fiio ka11).

Which of the two options will get me better audio quality? Does it matter since the usbc port is in the motherboard as well?

Im building a new setup for my new apartment and I am trying to find the best way to connect a soundbar and mixing headphones into my pc. My motherboard only has one audio port so i need to connect to an audio switch of some sort. My soundbar isnt that great quality (its just for games and stuff where i dont need headphones) but i do need good audio quality coming from the switcher(?) for my mixing headphones.

So i need something where i can plug in one input for two outputs that doesnt degrade the audio quality. I dont want them to output at the same time either and be easily able to just switch between the two outputs. What would be ideal for this situation?

My budget is around $100 but im malleable

Hi all, I've done a lot of research but can't find anything suitable for the Noctua 5080 in a Fractal North XL. My research shows the following mounts with its issues:

Cooler Master Vertical Mount: supports up to only 3 slots (also some say there is an issue where it bends their cards upwards)

Fractal Flex 2: PCIE 4.0 and is not recommended for heavier cards (i would rather just mount it normally than use a 4.0 cable, due to performance and bios settings I don't want to deal with)

Phanteks Vertical Mount: Only supports up to 365mm gpus (385)

Lian Li: Shifts the gpu 31mm over, making it unable to fit into fractal north xl (limit 413mm)

does anyone have any other suggestions? or am I s**t out of luck trying to do this.

For anyone who got the new lc1 that replaced their fans with the chromax black ones, did you use the brown anti vibration mount that came on the brown fans? I want to see how this looks. I know its not 100% necessary but I do want to use it and i want to know if i should just use the brown ones that came with it or if i should get the black ones

Im going to be building a new pc soon. With the rampocalyose and ssd prices increased, i plan on using both from my old build to put into my new one. Everything else will be a new part.

Im assuming that the ram being reused in my new system will be fine, but im worried that using my ssd in a new system with new components could cause some issues. Is there anything i need to know or do before or after i complete the build?

The cpu is upgraded but still amd. The gpu is going from amd to nvidia. Mobo is going from msi to gigabyte. Psu is going from msi to corsair (if that even matters)

Ive heard that i should use an uninstaller to uninstall the drivers from my old components. Do i do this on my old or new pc? Will any issues arise or will these changes not really affect my ssd? What else might i need to do?

I am currently planning and buying parts for my next pc build. This will be my second build ever and I feel that I am pretty knowledgeable about PC building but I want to make sure that I am not overlooking any issues regarding compatibility or size limitations etc. So let me know what you think and feel free to ask any questions or give advice/recommendations. (subjective aesthetic advice is 100% welcome and encouraged)

Note: the aio is a placeholder. I am leaning towards getting the hydroshift ii but I want to see what releases in the next couple months including the Noctua aio (I don't plan on building until I move into my new apartment in a couple months.) Other options on my mind are the Be Quiet! Silent Loop 3, Proart LC 360, Montech Hyperflow 360 Silent and the NZXT Kraken Elite. My dream aio is the Id Cooling dx360 GDL but sadly I can not find it in stock anywhere I look.

Note: The GPU will be vertically mounted with the Cooler Master vgpu mount and the aio fans will be replaced with noctua nfa12x25 g2’s

I figured I would ask now since many of the items are bought and the return window is still open god forbid there are any issues.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/John4hammel/saved/68Vyqs

[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Mr62mL)

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D 4.7 GHz 8-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/fPyH99/amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d-47-ghz-8-core-processor-100-1000001084wof) | Purchased For $439.99

**CPU Cooler** | [Lian Li Hydroshift II LCD-S 360 TL 90.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/c2nXsY/lian-li-hydroshift-ii-lcd-s-360-tl-901-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-ghs2lcds36tb) | $239.99 @ Amazon

**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte X870E AERO X3D DARK WOOD ATX AM5 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/sjVfrH/gigabyte-x870e-aero-x3d-dark-wood-atx-am5-motherboard-x870e-aero-x3d-dark-wood) | Purchased For $499.99

**Memory** | [G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hRQcCJ/gskill-trident-z5-neo-rgb-64-gb-2-x-32-gb-ddr5-6000-cl30-memory-f5-6000j3040g32gx2-tz5nr) | Purchased For $199.99

**Storage** | [Samsung 990 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/34ytt6/samsung-990-pro-2-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-mz-v9p2t0bw) | Purchased For $169.99

**Video Card** | [Asus Noctua OC GeForce RTX 5080 16 GB Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/hvm2FT/asus-noctua-oc-geforce-rtx-5080-16-gb-video-card-rtx5080-o16g-noctua) | Purchased For $1699.99

**Case** | [Fractal Design North XL ATX Full Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Gd26Mp/fractal-design-north-xl-atx-full-tower-case-fd-c-nor1x-02) | Purchased For $199.99

**Power Supply** | [Corsair RM1000x (2024) 1000 W Fully Modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/XZsV3C/corsair-rm1000x-2024-1000-w-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-cp-9020271-na) | $159.99 @ Amazon

**Case Fan** | [Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM chromax.black 91.58 CFM 140 mm Fan](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tqy8TW/noctua-nf-a14x25-g2-pwm-chromaxblack-9158-cfm-140-mm-fan-nf-a14x25-g2-pwm-chromaxblack) | Purchased For $44.95

**Case Fan** | [Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM chromax.black 91.58 CFM 140 mm Fan](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tqy8TW/noctua-nf-a14x25-g2-pwm-chromaxblack-9158-cfm-140-mm-fan-nf-a14x25-g2-pwm-chromaxblack) | Purchased For $44.95

**Case Fan** | [Noctua NF-A14x25 G2 PWM Sx2-PP chromax.black 91.58 CFM 140 mm Fans 2-Pack](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qXG2FT/noctua-nf-a14x25-g2-pwm-sx2-pp-chromaxblack-9158-cfm-140-mm-fans-2-pack-nf-a14x25-g2-pwm-sx2-pp-chromaxblack) | Purchased For $84.95

**Case Fan** | [Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 PWM chromax.black 63.15 CFM 120 mm Fan](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/88Nscf/noctua-nf-a12x25-g2-pwm-chromaxblack-6315-cfm-120-mm-fan-nf-a12x25-g2-pwm-chromaxblack) | $34.95 @ Amazon

**Case Fan** | [Noctua NF-A12x25 G2 PWM Sx2-PP chromax.black 63.15 CFM 120 mm Fans 2-Pack](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xx3WGX/noctua-nf-a12x25-g2-pwm-sx2-pp-chromaxblack-6315-cfm-120-mm-fans-2-pack-nf-a12x25-g2-pwm-sx2-pp-chromaxblack) | $64.95 @ Amazon

**Custom**| CORSAIR Type 4 PSU 90° 12V-2x6 Style B Cable| $19.99

**Custom**| Cooler Master VERTICAL GRAPHICS CARD HOLDER KIT V3| $60.03

| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |

| **Total** | **$3964.69**

| Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2026-05-27 20:32 EDT-0400 |

I want to vertically mount my noctua 5080 (4 slot card) in a fractal north xl. I was originally planning on getting the lian li mount but i looked into it and it seems like this is only good to use on lian li cases. I cant use the fractal mount since it only supports up to a 3 slot card.

Has anyone mounted a 4 slot card into the north xl? If so what mount did you use. Or has anyone used the lian li mount in this case?

I want to vertically mount my noctua 5080 (4 slot card) in a fractal north xl. I was originally planning on getting the lian li mount but i looked into it and it seems like this is only good to use on lian li cases. I cant use the fractal mount since it only supports up to a 3 slot card.

Has anyone mounted a 4 slot card into the north xl? If so what mount did you use. Or has anyone used the lian li mount in this case?

I just ordered 4 nf-a14x25 chromax black fans off amazon (1 two pack and 2 singles) and none of the boxes came with any sort of seal on it and some finger prints on the box. Is this normal? Additionally the fans inside dont seem to be used, they still have the plastic inside the rings but there seems to be elements that have been introduced to the interior of the box (minor dust particles, nothing serious just doesnt seem pristine). I may just be paranoid because i had a big debacle with amazon earlier this year when i received a used gpu when i ordered it new. I know amazon is known to send you returned items as new.

So please let me know if I need to send these back or if im just being paranoid. Thanks!

Edit: These are the g2 versions

Ive never vertically mounted a gpu before. I want to install a vertical gpu mount into my new build but I can’t find many resources that explain any differences. Are some gpu mounts better than others, or does it not matter as long as it matches the specs that you need? Im assuming some are better than others for various reasons but I don’t know what those reasons could be. Also, how do i determine if it is compatible with my case?

Im mounting the noctua 5080 (pcie 5.0, 4 slot card) into a fractal north xl.

Im thinking about building my first custom loop (just for the cpu) and i want to know what challenges or annoyances there are once you have one. Im not talking about yearly maintenance or difficulty of bending and cutting tubes. I want to hear some things that arent popular talking points.

I.e. if you wanted to do something as simple as adding an additional ssd in your system you have to take apart the entire loop (idk if thats a real problem but something like that)

Im planning my first custom loop so forgive me for the noob question. I plan on doing a loop in a fractal north xl for just my cpu. My gpu is the noctua 5080 so I cant fit a radiator on the front panel; ill be going with a 360 on the top. Ive seen that you can in general mount a pump/res combos onto either a radiator or fans so in my case i will mount it on the front fans. when i look at these units on titanrig for example it doesnt say what kind of mount it has. How do i tell if I am able to mount a pump/res combo onto the fans or not?

Im planning on doing a custom loop in a fractal north xl for just my cpu. I have some issues planning this, i want to know if theres any possible solutions here.

My plan: I want to vertically mount a noctua 5080. This 5080 doesnt allow for a front rad so I will have to put a 360 rad at the top. This leaves me wondering where I would be able to mount a pump. Additionally, could this configuration cause any other issues that I havent thought of yet?

My backup plan is to use a stealth cpu block but I ideally want hard clear tubing I can see through the side panel.

I appreciate any tips or ideas.