First time in a long time buying a PCPost Date: 2021-02-23 |
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Oldpcgamer
Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
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Topic: First time in a long time buying a PC Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 6:18am |
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I am a 59-year-old gamer who has not purchased a Pre-Built PC since the days of the 286. I have built my own since then and I would have again this time except it's nearly impossible to find a 30 series video card without paying scalpers ransom money. The path of least resistance was buying a made-to-order system and I settled on Digital Storm for many reasons.
Budget: I didn't really have one. Expectations: It had to have at least a Geforce 3060 TI in it and the CPU was secondary. Usage: Mostly Gaming, and some video creation. Special Needs: Not really Specifications: Chassis Model: Digital Storm Lumos Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X (12-Core) 4.6 GHz Turbo Motherboard: ASUS PRIME X570-P / MSI X570-A Pro (Up to 2x PCI-E Devices) (No SLI Support) System Memory: 32GB DDR4 3200MHz Digital Storm Performance Series Power Supply: 850W Digital Storm Performance Series (Modular) (80 Plus Gold) Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (500GB Digital Storm M.2 Performance Series) Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (2TB Seagate / Toshiba / Hitachi) Internet Access: High-Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB (Performance Edition) (VR Ready) Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex Liquid CPU Cooler (Dual Fan) (Fully Sealed + No Maintenance) Cable Management: Exotic Cable Management - Red - (Cable Combs with Custom Color Sleeved Extension Cables) Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled Advanced LED Lighting System (Multiple RGB Color Modes) CPU Boost: Stock Factory Turbo Boost Advanced Automatic Overclocking Graphics: Yes, Overclock the video card(s) as much as possible with complete stability OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit) Recovery Tools: USB Drive - Windows 10 Installation (Format and Clean Install) Virus Protection: Windows Defender Antivirus (Built-in to Windows 10) Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty I will be adding another hard drive myself as well as another M.2 and maybe another SSD. I ordered this beast on 02/09/2021 and it is still in the 1st phase. I am hoping to get it soon for no other reason than waiting has never been a strong skill of mine, but it will get here when it gets here. I look forward to any "constructive" comments. Brian aka Oldpcgamer |
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Been playing games since Pong
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Oldpcgamer
Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
Quote Reply Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 7:44am | |
I do wonder where I would put a 3rd physical HD in the Lumos case. I see it has space for two 3.5" HD and room for 2 SSD HD. (Not counting the two m.2 spaces on the MB).
Any answers? |
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Been playing games since Pong
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GrandesBollas
Groupie Joined: 31 Jul 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 444 |
Quote Reply Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 8:10am | |
Glancing at the right side of my case (side behind the motherboard), I confirm that I have two 3.5" HD trays as well as two 2.5" SSD trays. I really don't see where else you could add another 3.5" drive unless you mount the drive to the case. My reservoir would be in the way, but you could possibly mount it behind the fans in front of the case. But, that could block precious airflow.
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Oldpcgamer
Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
Quote Reply Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 8:16am | |
Just to ask ... Where did they mount the radiator? (If you have a similar setup to mine). I might just get a stand-alone housing for an e-SATA. (I already have a NAS)
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Been playing games since Pong
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GrandesBollas
Groupie Joined: 31 Jul 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 444 |
Quote Reply Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 9:34am | |
My radiator is in front:
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Snaike
Moderator Group Just a dude trying to keep the spam away Joined: 23 Jan 2014 Online Status: Online Posts: 9448 |
Quote Reply Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 10:11am | |
You will find, Oldpcgamer, that around these parts they'll be calling you a 'youngster'. There are plenty of 'forum rats' around here that are a wee bit older.
So, welcome to the forums! |
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Oldpcgamer
Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
Quote Reply Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 1:39pm | |
Glad I'm not alone... Is that the sealed CPU cooling option or something else?
Just wondering what my rig will look like (layout) so I know if I can/should buy some more fans or such. Chomping at the bit to "Pimp my rig" Also ... is it natural for it to still be in Stage 1 after 9 business days? Edited by Oldpcgamer - 23 Feb 2021 at 1:51pm |
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Been playing games since Pong
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GrandesBollas
Groupie Joined: 31 Jul 2019 Online Status: Offline Posts: 444 |
Quote Reply Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 1:58pm | |
I have the HydroLux PRO Custom Cooling System (CPU Only). It comes as a 360mm radiator with three fans on the front configured to pull cool air in past an air filter. Yours will look something like this:
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ealderson
Groupie Joined: 12 Feb 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 142 |
Quote Reply Posted: 23 Feb 2021 at 3:00pm | |
9 days? Get in line, son. :) I have been in stage 1 for 22 business days. Edited by ealderson - 23 Feb 2021 at 3:01pm |
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Cretae
DS Veteran Joined: 22 Mar 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 7329 |
Quote Reply Posted: 24 Feb 2021 at 3:10am | |
The build is a good deal for what you want. the DS SSD for Drive One is a mistake. It wastes an M.2 slot on a SATA drive that is up to 10x slower-read and 5x slower-write than a Firecuda NVMe PCIe Gen 4 part. The $64 is worth every dime. It's a game-changing difference.
If you could manage it, I think the MSI Gaming Pro carbon is worth a look. IMHO, better thermals, better longevity, and a no-worries upgrade to a Zen 3 (5000 series) proc down the road will extend the life of your whole system. The base mobos are not schlock, but the MSI may be well worth it. As far as storage is concerned, you don't need more boxes when you can just go bigger and partition. That way you have all the individual virtual drives you need. I don't see the use for another HDD in addition to the one you have at home. Obviously that frees up a bay for another SSD and saves $84. Stage 1 is the longest. You get in line when approved, not ordered. I don't see anything that would extend your build time beyond the 4-5 weeks. Making those changes don't effect your status in stages 1-3 for sure. My take. I'm 72. |
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Oldpcgamer
Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
Quote Reply Posted: 24 Feb 2021 at 5:56am | |
Thank you Cretea, I think you're correct on that change to the Firecuda. I just sent them an email to make the change on my build.
I will most likely add another m.2, and a few SSD's as time goes on. I like having fast access to my games :) |
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Been playing games since Pong
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ealderson
Groupie Joined: 12 Feb 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 142 |
Quote Reply Posted: 24 Feb 2021 at 4:27pm | |
Just hit stage 2 today! |
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Oldpcgamer
Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 2021 at 9:20am | |
"Just hit stage 2 today!"
I hear ya ... I just have never been good at waiting. :) |
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Been playing games since Pong
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ealderson
Groupie Joined: 12 Feb 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 142 |
Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 2021 at 2:21pm | |
Up to stage 3 today! Hang in there...things are moving now. |
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Oldpcgamer
Newbie Joined: 19 Feb 2021 Online Status: Offline Posts: 42 |
Quote Reply Posted: 28 Feb 2021 at 6:15am | |
I'm still at lowly Stage One :)
But tomorrow is the start of another month, so who knows what that may bring. In the meantime, I am doing housekeeping on my old system and preparing to migrate to the new system. |
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Been playing games since Pong
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