Bewildered

Budget:
3,000

Expectations:
Homework and gaming. I’m a grandpa trying to help a 10 yr old buy his first pc.
Would rather spend $ than have tech probs cause I know zero except a few recommendations I’ve read here.

Usage:
Fortnite and Minecraft are what he plays - he’s worried about “FPS“ whatever that may be. He knows a lot about the games from his PS4 but zero about PCs.

Special Needs: Make sure it runs on home wifi and I don’t overspend on things that can be added later.

Saved Ticket #: 3292845

Specifications:

Total Price with Instant Savings: $3,326.00

Chassis Model: Digital Storm Lumos
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i9-10850K (5.2 GHz Turbo) (20-Thread) (10-Core) 3.6 GHz
Motherboard: ASUS TUF GAMING Z490-PLUS / MSI MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE (Intel Z490) (Up to 3x PCI-E) (No SLI) <br><strong></strong>
System Memory: 32GB DDR4 3200MHz Digital Storm Performance Series
Power Supply: 850W Corsair / EVGA / Thermaltake (Modular) (80 Plus Gold)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: - No Thanks
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (500GB Seagate FireCuda 520) (NVM Express) (Gen4 PCIe) <br><strong></strong>
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (2TB Seagate / Toshiba / Hitachi)
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: Wireless - USB Dongle (Supports 802.11AC) (Dual Band) <br><strong></strong>
Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8GB (VR Ready) <br><strong></strong>
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex Liquid CPU Cooler (Dual Fan) (Fully Sealed + No Maintenance)
HydroLux Tubing Style: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
HydroLux Fluid Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a custom HydroLux liquid cooling system selected
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management (Strategically Routed & Organized for Airflow)
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: Option Not Available
Boost Processor: Stock Factory Turbo Boost Advanced Automatic Overclocking
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit Edition)
Recovery Tools: USB Drive - Windows 10 Installation (Format and Clean Install)
Virus Protection: Windows Defender Antivirus (Built-in to Windows 10)
Office: Microsoft Office 2019 Home & Student (PC Attach Key PKC Only, No Pre-install) <br><strong></strong>
Mouse Pad: - No Thanks
Display: ASUS 27 inch VG27AQ (G-SYNC) (2K Resolution) (165Hz Refresh) (1ms Response) (2560x1440) (HDR10) <br><strong></strong>
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: Digital Storm MasterKeys Lite Bundle (RGB) Keyboard & Mouse <br><strong></strong>
Mouse: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, 6 Week Ship Estimate After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

Many thanks for any help you can give me.

I think you've done a very good job! I agree there's no need for any more than a 10700K CPU. There's really no difference for gaming and homework.

I also agree you don't need more than 16 GB of RAM. That sells like a commodity. It's pretty inexpensive just now, so it doesn't break the bank to get more, but it's a luxury.

I also think your youngster will appreciate the Corsair LL Series case fans. Corsair has iCue software that gives you complete control. Were I you, I'd get the 10700K and 16Gb of RAM to pay for that eye candy. At least get the "Internal Lighting"...it's free.

I even like the monitor you've chosen. It's a name brand, the most popular size, and has the features you want. The price is a good one. Be happy with that choice, IMHO.

1. You already have the DS AIO selected as your cooler.

2. Yes

3. The power supply gets power from your 120 volt AC power source, converts it to DC and it doles out the power to the components as required. Power Supply Explanation .

4. The motherboard that you selected takes in an Ethernet input from the router. You do have ports for a discrete Wi-Fi card that will fit in nicely below where they will put the video card. In your situation I would change your choice to "Wireless PCI-E (Supports 802.11ac)
[+$14]"

5. Yes. There will be 8 USB ports (6 in the back and two up top), including a very nice USB-C port. (You buy an adapter for that port and you can run additional USB ports through it. I have it on a laptop and it makes life much easier plus most of them will have spots for SD and Micro SD cards.) Here is your motherboard. Motherboard

6. I'll let someone else answer this one since I don't create YouTube content.

7. You call Digital Storm Tech support and they walk you through it. Alternatively you take it to a local computer store. But, unless damaged in shipping, I can't imagine this not operating to his satisfaction. If that concerns him then he needs to learn enough about what is in the case to make a compelling reason why he needs a certain configuration now, before it is built, so you aren't replacing perfectly good parts just because he didn't know how he wanted it to operate.

Good luck.

3. The power supply gets power from your 120 volt AC power source, converts it to DC and it doles out the power to the components as required. Power Supply Explanation .


Thx again John18 - the link for the power supply leads me back to my comment - can you resend, thx

Try This

Edited by John18 - 04 Aug 2020 at 12:12pm

Just in case... a DS AIO is a Digital Storm (branded) All-In-One CPU cooler. It's all-in-one because the heatsink/pump attaches to the CPU and liquid coolant runs through the integrated hoses to the radiator and back. The radiator fans cool the coolant just like a car radiator works. All one apparatus, self-contained, and maintenance free. If it ever should leak (very rare), the liquid is non-conductive and should not damage any electronic parts. Should the pump or radiator fans ever fail and allow your CPU to overheat, the CPU will automatically shut down from excess temp.

This Forum will always try to have your back as well as we are able!

You can google anything computer related, and usually find some useful You Tubes at the top of the list.

Originally posted by Cretae This Forum will always try to have your back as well as we are able! You can google anything computer related, and usually find some useful You Tubes at the top of the list.

Of course, there is a danger in the ignorant (me) reading random threads and picking up bits and pieces but I read this on another forum and wondered how to determine if it impacts what I’ve specified:

“ Except they dont tell you the motherboard in the system only supports 2400 ram speed.I bought mine with a 2080 TI and an I9-9900K, it is CRIMINAL that they limit folks to 2400 ram speed, and that's NOT MENTIONED.“

Originally posted by Cretae Is that a quote about Digital Storm? The only thing DS doesn't "tell you" is that you can click "More Info" on any item in the Configurator because they believe it to be self-evident, and self-explanatory! If you do that about your mobo, you get a plethora of info and specs, including the fact it will run up to 4600MHz RAM. (3000-3200 is the sweet spot for these gaming CPUs.) In addition, 2400 MHz RAM for gaming is hardly "criminal". Faster RAM may allow your CPU to process more efficiently, but gaming is not very CPU intensive, so 2400 instead of, say, 3000 RAM speed would not make a great impact. So, the answer to how to determine what impacts what is: click "More Info"; ask us here (cuz we know stuff sometimes); or ask DS directly.

Thx Cretae, no the comment was in reference to the HP Omen but since I didn’t understand it I thought I better ask. I find the info on this forum to be much more informative.

Another potential bottleneck I’m concerned about is internet speed. Is there a sweet spot for that or is the speed of the game most dependent on the DS hardware ? My grandson has ATT Direct TV wireless.

Thanks for the advice.

Also confused by all the discussion concerning heating. Obviously electronic components would deteriorate if they are “overheated”. But I I’m confused about the relevant range - to a simpleton like myself, I wouldn’t think there is any difference to the components anywhere between say 32F and 90F. I’ve never seen any news about computers breaking down in warm climates or outperforming in cold climates. What is the real deal ?