Question Is 128 GB of RAM Plug-n-Play?

Osiris4.0

Commendable
Dec 6, 2019
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I'm planning on getting a new PC soon, but i'm not a super tech savvy DIYer, so I am getting it from a custom PC builder.I want 128 gigs of RAM on it, but different PC makers only let you customize it up to a certain amount of RAM on their websites.I contacted customer service for Cyberpower PC to ask why I could only go up to 64 gigs.They said something along the lines of "our engineers couldn't make it work".Origin said something similar.

I also asked what if I got a smaller amount of RAM and wanted to upgrade later by just sticking in a 128 gig kit.They said there was no guarantee it would work.I guess my question is...why not?I'm planning on getting an ASUS ROG Zenith II Extreme motherboard, AMD 3970X Threadripper CPU, and either Windows 10, or Linux Mint.If all of those things support a 128 gig RAM kit at the speed it comes in, shouldn't it be as simple as plugging it in?
 
That board supports up to 256GB of RAM. The only reason they couldn't get their "engineers" to get it to work is because they don't HAVE any engineers. They have builders, and poor ones at that.

If you want, I can post about fifty links here to threads related to all the reasons why purchasing from Cyberpower PC or iBuypower PC is a bad idea. In doing so, I will only be posting about 5% of the link collection supporting that idea that I have access to, because the numbers of people who've had nothing but horror stories to tell after purchasing through those companies is ASTRONOMICAL.

Origin is likely at least moderately better, but I've seen quite a few bad results from that angle as well.

You are pretty well ALWAYS better off to either get the parts and do the build yourself OR get the parts and hire a local builder or repair shop to do the build for you. Usually you can get this done for less of a premium than you'd pay to Cyberpower or another prebuilt slop together company.

Regardless of what you decide to do though, there is no reason that 128GB should not be possible on that board, when that's only HALF of what it actually supports. Now, as to WHY you NEED that much memory, I guess you have your reasons but I'm being honest when I say that there are actually very few home desktop or server systems that will benefit from that much memory unless you are running very large VMs, MANY VMs or are serving up professional applications to multiple high end users. Something along those lines. For yourself, even if you are running high end applications like CAD, huge video edits or scientific programs, it will take some exceptionally large and complex projects to ever see a need for more than 32-64GB of RAM.

Again, I'll assume you know your business but that is certainly worth mentioning. Bottom line, any company that gives you BS information like that is one you should sure as hell be planning to avoid.
 

Osiris4.0

Commendable
Dec 6, 2019
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One of the reasons I was leaning toward Cyberpower was actually because they charge less of a premium.The same complete system build that I want would cost up to $2K more with Origin, or Xotic PC.If I had any experience building a PC, even once, maybe I would feel more confident doing it myself.I just want to know it's done right, so I figured I'd leave it to professionals.Are there any good PC companies you could recommend?If not, how would I go about finding a good local builder.There are repair shops, but they don't really advertise themselves as custom PC builders.
 
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That's insane, and ridiculous. Any local builder will assemble your parts for 100-200 bucks, depending on where you live, and even offer a warranty on the assembly if something goes wrong later that was due to their part in the build. Obviously they are not going to cover problems due to faulty parts unless you also buy the parts through them, but honestly this is ONE of the biggest problems with these other companies is that THEY don't honor those warranties and either don't respond to RMA inquiries, decline to honor the warranty saying it's something that is the users fault, charge to send the unit back to them and then back to you or a whole other laundry list of "how does this company actually stay in business" type fly by night escapades that we see over and over again.

I would go talk to three or four, or even more, of the local shops and explain what you are doing and see what they say to you. It costs you nothing to talk to them and any shop not willing to discuss such a project with you is somebody you didn't want to do business with anyhow. Knowing, in general terms, where you live, such as country and city would go a long way towards being able to try and find a suitable, trustworthy builder. Some regions simply lack them, as far as what we can actually "find". It doesn't mean there aren't any there, just that they are probably not highly public facing builders.

Some of these shops or people attached to them might possibly KNOW of a reputable local builder to refer you to. Ask questions. Get a feel for whether the shop or builder knows there business.

Again, knowing in general where you are in the world might help to be able to make you a recommendation since you don't feel like you are capable of doing it yourself. Honestly, it's not particularly difficult and there is definitely a sense of accomplishment attached if you take your time, learn each step of the process so that you are not ever guessing at anything along the way and ask questions of the community at any point where you are unsure of something.

Pretty well outlined in the Newegg 3 part "Build a PC" Youtube videos.
 
I have put some feelers out. Are you willing to travel a short distance, like, say, to Niles? I know of a fairly large service there and am waiting back on whether they will work from customer parts or not so I was just wondering if you are willing to travel to outlying areas of Chicago or not? Either way, I'll get you what information I can on who looks reliable and make a few recommendations later on.
 

USAFRet

Titan
Moderator
One of the reasons I was leaning toward Cyberpower was actually because they charge less of a premium.The same complete system build that I want would cost up to $2K more with Origin, or Xotic PC.If I had any experience building a PC, even once, maybe I would feel more confident doing it myself.I just want to know it's done right, so I figured I'd leave it to professionals.Are there any good PC companies you could recommend?If not, how would I go about finding a good local builder.There are repair shops, but they don't really advertise themselves as custom PC builders.
There is a MicroCenter in Chicago.
  1. That is an excellent source for parts
  2. They will do the assembly for $150
https://www.microcenter.com/site/service/instore-service-complete-build.aspx


Last year, we had a guy here asking about a CyberPower system.
His chosen parts list, $2400

After we researched ALL the parts...
The exact same parts or better in some cases, $1800.
Not 'similar' as in 16GB RAM = 16GB RAM, but rather the exact same Corsair (or whatever it was).

Literally, $600 for them to assemble.

A few years ago, I gave my then 11 year old grandson a stack of (new) parts.
"Go for it"
3 hours later, a working PC.
 
Honestly I'm not sure how Microcenter works. It might be worth going in and asking them if they will do an assembly using parts you bring them. I know they are pretty particular about some things, such as certain stuff they just don't carry, won't order, won't SHIP and will only sell in store. I'm skeptical that they are able to do a high end build as far as supplying the parts. Pretty doubtful that they carry HEDT stuff like the Zeneith II Extreme or 3970x but maybe, I'm not anywhere near a Microcenter so I've never used them at all.

Edit- Actually, looks like they carry the Zeneith II Extreme, and usually carry the 3970x but are currently sold out of both. At least you know they carry those parts though. The rest, can probably be worked out. I'd bet they carry most of what's on your list or something close enough to not matter. I imagine they are sold out of those parts not due to their own stock issues but because there is a lack of those parts everywhere right now. Still probably worth inquiring with them about it though. Maybe they will do the build if you bring them the parts.
 
That's what I'm saying. If you buy SOME of the parts there and order in whatever they can't provide, I'd bet they'll do it no problem.

The upshot of that is, most of the parts you DO buy through them, will probably be cheaper anyhow. Since they normally carry the motherboard and CPU you want, I'd bet you can get it ordered to where they'll fulfill it whenever the stock becomes available. Definitely worth at least having a discussion with them about it.
 
I would also give these guys a call or stop in there if it's close enough to you, and give them a shout. I'll PM you there web address so there is no issues with advertising them on here.

They are in between Wrigley field and the airport on Lawrence. Hopefull that is easily within your preferred driving distance. This is what they had to say. Obviously, I have no interest in advertising for any company on here, or for free, but after speaking with them and doing a little background research on them, I think they are worth looking at. Price is the same as Microcenter and honestly I think I trust an independent more than a box store but both are definitely better options than Cyberpower PC.

Thank you for reaching us!

We can definitely help with your project. The $150 that we have on the website is the general price that we charge for building custom computers with customers parts. The price might be higher based on the complexity of build. For example if you have a Water Colling System, RGB fans/ leds, OS needs to be installed, etc. might be additional. Also we are not responsible for the condition of the parts. If you have any additional question please let us know.
 

Osiris4.0

Commendable
Dec 6, 2019
33
3
1,535
OK, here's where I am.I recently had a power outage that seemed to damage my monitor."ASUS" kept flashing on and off the screen for hours until it finally displayed my desktop again.Then another power outage f@%ked my monitor and my computer.I preface with this streak of bad luck because it gave me an excuse to go to the place Darkbreeze referred me to.I was going to wait until I had picked out the the parts before going in, but since I was already there dropping my computer off I figured I'd ask about custom building my new PC.

I've been stuck trying to pick a cooler, so one of the first things I asked the guy I talked to was his advice about which one to get.Now i'm getting the AMD 3970x which is a really high wattage chip, but he seem to think almost any AIO would do, so that wasn't really any help.When I went back to pick my computer up I asked if he could raid an NVMe drive and he said "What's NVMe?".Um, should I be concerned?I mean they did diagnose and replace my computer's power supply in a couple of days for a reasonable price and they do give a 3 year warranty for their custom builds and i'm sure they would certainly do a better job building my PC than I would, but when I told him how much I was planning to spend he said "For that much, I wouldn't even know what to put on there.", so maybe they're just not used to builds this high end.

Just the same, Darkbreeze mentioned maybe knowing a place in Niles that could do it.I'd like to have other options in my back pocket just in case.
 
Well, like I said, I don't actually KNOW any of these places, and I can only go by what little I can see online about them including any reviews or referrals I can find. I certainly always SAY, "Talk to them first". That way you can certainly get a feel for what they know or if it feels like they are not knowledgeable.

Honestly, as USAFRet mentioned, stopping by Microcenter is probably a good idea, unless that's where you already went and are talking about. Certainly THEY should know what an NVME drive is.

As for the place in Niles, I don't think I ever heard back from them so IDK on that one.

Also, a few other resources. If you haven't committed to anything yet.

These guys are not local to you, but might be worth talking to about doing this FOR you as they are probably THE most trustworthy and respected company online that does EXACTLY what you are looking for. I can't speak to them being able to work with hardware you get, but it is at least a reputable resource that has MUCH experience with very high end systems.



In Chicago, these are some further resources worth TALKING TO.

These guys have six stores in Chicago. That, to me, says something at least. Doesn't mean they have experience in the kind of build you want, but talk to them, see what they say. You'll be able to tell if they are monkeys or actually know their stuff. Anybody who says "What's that?" is probably not the right place. Anybody who doesn't seem like they are fluent, probably isn't.


This is the one in Niles. I don't know if they do what you need done but I suspect they CAN. Again, talking to them in person is probably the best way to get a feel for whether they are the right people or not. If not, one of these places might be able to at least TELL you who they'd recommend. Then, go TALK to that place or person.

These days most good systems builders are independent, but there are still some good builders out there working out of standard mom and pop repair shops. Some larger facilities are notable systems builders and IT specialists that have simply grown because they are successful and good at what they do, but, some place don't really customize. They offer cookie cutter turn key systems and that is what they are knowledgeable in. Ask about the latest tech or special hardware and they go all goofy eyed and their tongues swell up.


In the end, Microcenter STILL might end up being your best best and will almost certainly be the best prices for anything they stock or can get.

If you lived in my state, I'd offer to built it for you for a very reasonable price, but unfortunately you are pretty far away from me as I'm in Colorado.
 
Both. I don't rely on my PC repair and custom building as my primary source of income, but it is definitely a supplemental source of it and there have been times in the past when it was my primary source of income but you go through phases where you get burned out on it or it gets slow and it's good to have other more steady sources and not have all your eggs in a basket you dislike carrying all the time. LOL.

There was a time when I was building probably 10 custom systems per month. Plus fixing another ten to twenty systems that had issues as well as performing repairs and maintenance to various small business owners I work with that have on site networks and workstations at their business locations.

Now, I'm probably building one or two systems per month and only occasionally going out to service systems for my most long term customers. Partly for reasons of health and partly for reasons of other stuff going on including the 45 apartment units I handle all the maintenance and repairs for including grounds. At some point, that will likely slow down and I'll ramp back up on PC repairs and building.

I also work semi-fulltime as a professional automotive repair technician. I have websites for both my automotive and professional handyman services but can't link to them here for obvious reasons of not allowing self promotion.

I actually turn away or refer out a lot of work because I am only one guy and I can't do it all myself. Plus, I really don't trust anybody else to do it right, so I don't hire anybody to do that surplus work for me.