Almost modest Pin Cab upgrade

**Tom Speirs** · January 9

So my Pin Cab here in the UK does not have a TPM chip.

i did get Windows 11 24h2 on it using Rufus but i decided to do an upgrade anyway.

its 5 years old and is running an i7 9700, 16gb ddr 4, pcie 3 nvme, and a gtx 1660 super.

Basically, old enough to get a 4 x performance enhancement whilst keeping power consumption similar for about 600 pounds (800 US).

This is what I got and hoping to build at the weekend.

I got a modest discount going for 13th gen intel but I probably should have gone AMD.

Requirements are Micro ATX and modest power consumption.

ASUS PRIME Z790M-PLUS Intel Z790 LGA 1700 Micro ATX Motherboard, 3 slo M.2, DDR5, HDMI, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, Thunderbolt USB4, Aura Sync

Crucial Pro DDR5 RAM 32GB Kit (2x16GB) 6000MHz CL36, Overclocking Gaming Memory, Intel XMP 3.0 / AMD EXPO, Computer Memory (PC) DDR5 32GB RAM, Black - CP2K16G60C36U5B

ASUS GeForce RTX 4060 DUAL EVO 8G OC Gaming Graphics Card - 2535MHz Boost Clock, GDDR6X, PCIe Gen 4, DLSS 3, 3x DP v 1.4a, HDMI 2.1a (Supports 4K & 8K HDR)

Acer Predator GM7000 2TB Internal SSD: M.2 2280 PCIe NVMe Gen4x4 with DRAM Cache, Up to 7400 MB/s Read, Internal Solid State Drive for Laptop & Desktop PC, PS5 Compatible

Intel® Core™ i7-13700F Desktop Processor 16 cores (8 P-cores + 8 E-cores) 30MB Cache, up to 5.2 GHz

I also got this:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005007674934099.html?spm=a2g0o.order_list.order_list_main.10.344c180263Axqx&gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

**Draco1962** · January 9

Nice! That should future-proof things for a while!

**Draco1962** · January 9

On review your motherboard and CPU are close to my selections for my gaming rig.

I would have gone with a similar GPU but cost at the time would have been prohibitive and output beyond my needs.

**Tom Speirs** · January 9

Unfortunately the lowest end 4000 series Nvidia GPU out there that i could see.

It has similar power consumption to the 1660 super which is why i got it. Probably overkill for Pinball even at 4k. There was 26% off on Amazon UK/

**tthurman** · January 13

Nice upgrade, I eager to do mine and get back to some gaming and think I'll be going AMD this cycle for sure.

TPM is integrated on the 9700 series chips through the platform trust technology, so do you really need a TPM 2.0 or just enable it in BIOS?

**Draco1962** · January 13

If TPM is not already enabled you would do so though rhe BIOS regardless of whether it is in the motherboard, fTPM (AMD) or IPTT (Intel Platform Trust Technology).

Enable TPM in BIOS

**Tom Speirs** · January 13

yeah, i did look. It is literally not installed. That is what the bios states. it cannot be turned on.

And if I remember windows 10 said it wasn't compatible.

Anyway, nice to be able to justify an upgrade even if it is just to myself!

**Draco1962** · January 13

You can also see if your system has a TPM installed and enabled by typing TPM.msc in the search bar (Windows+R). If it shows "The TPM is ready for use" in the Status section, there you go! It will also tell you the Manufacturer and version in the TPM Manufacturer Information section.

**Tom Speirs** · January 13

Thanks. Says not installed and like i said it can't be enabled in the BIOS. Greyed out and says not installed.

I was not expecting that either from an i7 9700 but it is what it is.

I do tend to update the BIOS on my mobos and yeah you would expect this to be fine.

Its a significant upgrade though in just five years. Up to 4 x CPU and GPU and going to 10gb from 1gb ethernet with almost the same power consumption. its actually quite shocking how big an upgrade. Definitely worth it in terms of value.

**Draco1962** · January 13

1 hour ago, Tom Speirs said:

Thanks. Says not installed and like i said it can't be enabled in the BIOS. Greyed out and says not installed.

I was not expecting that either from an i7 9700 but it is what it is.

I do tend to update the BIOS on my mobos and yeah you would expect this to be fine.

Its a significant upgrade though in just five years. Up to 4 x CPU and GPU and going to 10gb from 1gb ethernet with almost the same power consumption. its actually quite shocking how big an upgrade. Definitely worth it in terms of value.

I figured that you did, BTW. Just throwing it out there for anyone following that may need to know how to check for TPM 2.0 on their own rigs. My wife's "old" HP Envy X360 m6 convertible laptop has TPM 2.0 but the AMD FX chipset is not supported by Windows 11 for upgrade.

**tthurman** · January 13

I built a gaming rig for a co-worker of mine right when the RTX-2000 gen launched and he seems to be in the same boat and no Gigabyte TPM 2.0 chips to be found.

its a conspiracy to fill the landfills I tell ya!

**Tom Speirs** · January 13

i didn't know but yes it is Gigabyte mobo.

**Draco1962** · January 13

1 hour ago, tthurman said:

its a conspiracy to fill the landfills I tell ya!

You probably saw from another post that I am working to get some old kit working on Linux and giving away to family/friends that cannot afford to buy a PC. Most need to get connected online to manage their expenses, appointments, and keep in touch.

One PC is slated to become a NAS and print server. Looking at TrueNAS Scale but may consider other options.

So a few less in the landfill and clearing shelf space while looking less like a tech horder in the process!

**Tom Speirs** · January 13

Sorry guys, all that is heading for the trash. The mobo is just screwed into the cab. No case. i can probably find a home for the 1660 super and i am hoping to use the existing psu though.

**Draco1962** · January 13

Hopefully you have better ewaste recycling than we do here and it can be broken down an elements reconstituted.

You may get someone locally to take it and other components off your hands for free if there is a need to restore a PC that they intend to stay with Win 10.. just a thought.

https://forums.gameex.com/forums/forum/27-buy-sell-trade/

**Tom Speirs** · January 13

Its terrible but it is ewaste in any situation. It costs wasteful resources to ship it to someone where it eventually become ewaste anyway.

Ill probably end up hording it for 5 years anyway but my buddy will take the 1660 super as a gift I am sure.

I don't have any computer friends or colleagues locally unfortunately. Nobody would even know what it is and its probably only worth $100 and costs that to get rid of it.

Everyone's getting excited about AI sex robots in 10 years but more ewaste and harder to dispose of! I have no idea where id put one. I need a bigger flat!

**tthurman** · January 13

I was hoarding a bunch in the past but have started ridding myself of it to recapture valuable closet space. Part of me wishes I had kept something that would run 98se, but the likelihood that I would actually use it is pretty nonexistent.

**Draco1962** · January 13

I have seen more of these type articles recently

Windows 11 Update: Microsoft Now Allows Installation on Older PCs

TPM 2.0 is still an item and will not change.

**Tom Speirs** · January 13

Its easy enough to get it installed. Rufus does it.

**tthurman** · January 14

4 hours ago, Draco1962 said:

TPM 2.0 is still an item and will not change.

The last two builds I did happened in 2016, both identical 6700k setups with one being my GameEx / PinballX rig........right around the time we moved.

I bought TPM 2.0 cards for them and enabled them in the BIOS, so maybe worth another look now, especially for the old-school gaming setup....just can't justify more money going into that until performance is hindered by lack of computing power.

**Draco1962** · January 14

15 hours ago, tthurman said:

I bought TPM 2.0 cards for them and enabled them in the BIOS, so maybe worth another look now, especially for the old-school gaming setup....just can't justify more money going into that until performance is hindered by lack of computing power.

Where did you find these TPM 2.0 cards of which you speak?

EDIT: I read this - Where to buy TPM 2.0 for Windows 11 and it may not be an option for the PC in question (Dell XPS 8300). Will further read How to Install a Trusted Platform Module on an Unsupported Computer as it goes into further detail. What's the worst that can happen? I am back on the path I started!

**tthurman** · January 15

I bought these in April of 2023.

https://www.newegg.com/asus-model-tpm-m-r2-0/p/1JW-000C-00166?Item=9SIAMNEHWJ2772

**Draco1962** · January 15

A good reference although it does not seem to have been updated to reflect recent backwards expansion of compatible CPUs:

Windows Processor Requirements

**Tom Speirs** · Sunday at 05:55 PM

So I have received everything but not built yet.

Since the 4060 runs at picie 4 8 x speed and the motherboard has another slot i ended up getting an intel x550 for 100 pounds for the 10gb ethernet. The knock offs are reasonable now and available easily on Amazon. The 10 gb usb 4 stick from China works great on my laptop though. Its a good deal for $100 and I can recommend those at this point.

**tthurman** · Sunday at 07:43 PM

What switch are you using?

Almost modest Pin Cab upgrade

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