End of Year PC Build

MSI's HQ is in New Taipei City, Taiwan. I know because I've actually been there a couple times.

I also took a tour in TSMC in Hsinchu Science Park back in 2012.

Taiwan really is a beautiful island, though the heat and the humidity in summer are quite unforgiving. Like Japan, they do amazing things with their limited resources.

However, it's becoming more difficult to find hardware that are manufactured in Taiwan. Even they outsource most of their manufacturing to China and in the future, Southeast Asia.

When I refer to third parties I refer to only GPU purchases via Amazon or Newegg.
In those cases I purchase only if it is from Newegg or Amazon.
If someone is listed as: Joe from Idaho then nope I don't buy from them.

-Completely agree with this point. When I purchase anything from Amazon.ca.....IF I can help it at all, even if I have to pay slightly more, I awlays look for things that say "Shipped and sold by Amazon" Not a 3 party like "Sold by Joe's Place....fulfilled by Amazon". WHEN I am forced into a situation like that where only 3rd party sellers are available, I do do an extensive review of User Reviews to find out about the seller's rep. I also contact the seller with specific questions. If both are positive and I receive my answers I am looking for presented in a manner I was wanting....Then, only then, do I make my purchase from Joe.

-I also agree and understand your reasoning RE: refurbished cards, and I am of the same mind. Fortunately, the one GTX 760 that I had to RMA to EVGA....They actually sent me a truly, completely brand-spanking-new NEW card in return. I was able to confirm that it was NEW NEW NEW by logging into my EVGA account and verifying the P/N, S/N...and they also gave me what they called a "batch date", which I correctly assumed was the date that this particular unit rolled off the assembly line along with others, and the dates matched. And legally, they have to tell you in writing that the card you are receiving as a replacement has been "refurbished". They will send me a piece of paper, a brief letter basically, that explains the situation with the old GPU and then tell you that the card sent out as a replacement was refurbished, like new. defective parts were replaced with new parts and the card was reconstructed, then certified.

And this one GTX 760 as I said previously, is still running in a friend's PC and has not failed yet. That one 760 is the only GPU from EVGA that I have ever had to RMA. So thankfully, I have experienced excellent build quality with their stuff. But also excellent Customer Service, which is why I buy from EVGA.

Hell, I would even love to buy a motherboard from EVGA....If I could afford them and if CanadaCOmputers would stock them. The one Z490 EVGA motherboard that Canada COmputers used to carry...they're completley out of stock in all stores across Canada and online and in their warehouse.....But it is still listed at 779.00 CAD. Nearly 800 dollars for a motherboard! And I thought my 650 dollar Aorus Master was expensive! And even though it is not released yet, not in Canada anyway....the newer Z590 series, I am betting will be the same cost from Canada COmputers-- of course that price is inflated by at least 25 percent, because they need to make money after they buy it from EVGA at cost. I get that. That's how marketing works. Just sucks for the Consumer that the Canadian dollar is so low and worth so little in comparison to the US. I mean, CPUs, Motherboards, GPUS..... Items that are said to be sold for 400 USD are 500 here, and that's just converting the value of the Dollar. Add to that cross-border Duty, Shipping, taxes (on taxes) and at least a 25% mark-up in sale price at the store level. So 502.05 CAD, plus 50 CAD Shipping plus 200 dollars Duty/taxes...... plus at least a 25% mark-up in retail cost.....for the 400 dollar US Item, you would pay here in Canada 991.92.

I learned that the hard way when I ordered my GTX 1080 FTW 2 directly from EVGA off their website back in March of 2017 (just before ANDROMEDA came out) because I had sold my pair of 980s a few weeks earlier for 700....But then was left without a card. And with ANDROMEDA due out soon, I didn't want to not be able to play it because I was stuck without a GPU, and I had no idea when the 1080 FTW 2 was coming to Canada. So I ordered it for 779 USD......And when I was said and done, I paid about 1150 for it CAD. Burned myself in the ass, because less than 2 weeks after I received my card from EVGA....I saw it on CanadaComputers site for less than 1000 dollars....I think it was something around 869.00 if I remember. It was somewhere in the neighbour of 300 dollars less expensive here, than what I had paid to have it shipped directly from EVGA.

I learned my lesson then, never to order anything PC related directly from the US Manufacturer....because especially with our now-screwed-up NAFTA we really get hosed. (thanks Trump!). But with designs being shipped from the US overseas to Taiwan where the item is then manufactured....Then the completed item is then shipped back to the US (they pay import duty/taxes on those items).....And if we up here in Canada buy said item....we pay again duty and taxes on top of the already dutied/taxed item, which further increases the cost to us (me). And this North American Free Trade Agreement.....It now only benefits the US, thanks to Trump and Trudeau because he allowed Trump to screw Canada....rolled over and took it, nothing ever really applies. Next to nothing is actually made in either the US, Canada or Mexico, which would allow Canadians to actually use the NAFTA to our advantage.

Basically, while Canada thrives on mass Import/Export business (such as raw materials like Nickel, Lumber, Iron, Oil etc) that we have in abundance and sell offshore....for the daily life of general consumers, there is nothing advantageous about the NAFTA-- especially not the way it has been re-written now. Everything is actually made overseas, so there is nothing that would enable canadians to take advantage of what the NAFTA allegelly has to offer, which is the benefit of not paying Duty/Taxes or Shipping costs on any items made in Canada, US or Mexico. Everything is made overseas and then imported back, so the wondrous NAFTA doesn't actually apply.

There you go.

Yeah, even Cooler Master decided to remove half of the PSU shroud on the newer H500 case. With it removed, it would definitely help with the cooling. But if you care about the aesthetics, you should just test it yourself. Do a couple long benchmark runs and monitor the temperatures with it and without it. So you can decide whether or not it's worth the tradeoff.

He actually gave you good advice, I'm impressed. You always opt for better cooling.

Hey Rewind.... Here is the link to my Timespy test reults

www.3dmark.com/3dm/63744417

Ah! The tornado I wanted at first.
NO! Not going back to that nope.

Isn't that always the way. UGH. I'm surprised I came out with my stuff as unscathed as I did...I was expecting a lot more.

I for once am having trouble choosing between these:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082DJ19CK
VS
They look identical in technical specs or am I wrong?
It actually looks like the T-Force is shorter than the Corsair -while G.Skill dwarfs them all.
So the TF ram would it fall into the Low Profile range?