Help a sickly person craft a new desktop?

Budget:
About $3,500

Expectations:
A rock-solid, "tank" of a PC, completely overbuilt for single-monitor gaming. I have no plans to ever multi-monitor game, but I do want a machine that will still be respectable ~5 years down the road.

Usage:
Gaming; Youtube; light web browsing.

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So, I have absolutely no configuration yet (I'm not sure if I'm allowed to ask for 'blank slate' config ideas here in this way, so apologies if this is against the rules); I don't even know whether intel or AMD is preferred at this point. I am completely out of the loop when it comes to the current state of affairs with PC design, and am too ill (I've had 3 major surgeries this year, with a 4th pending) to do a big bout of self-education at this juncture.

What I DO know is that my priorities are as follows (in no particular order):
+ A very low-temperature machine.
+ A quiet runner.
+ Stability. Stability-stability-STABILITY.
+ A PC that is significantly over-engineered for single-monitor gaming.
+ A high-quality video card; not necessarily bleeding edge, but a clear upgrade over my GeForce RTX 2080 Super.
+ Brand-name, long-lasting RAM.
+ A huge SSD primary, and probably a secondary hard drive.

Things that are not important:
+ Lights.
+ A fancy case.
+ Massive overclocking.

My last two PCs were both DS products - the first, which I believe I acquired in 2015, is still running very smoothly with no upgrades, and is my wife's 'daily driver.' The second, which I received in 2019 is... well, it's hard-crashing (without a BSOD or generating reports) randomly about 3 times a day. Having run RAM checks and made sure all the internals are still in place, I'm left to conclude that something pretty serious is wrong. And given how expensive components are now, I feel like I'm just better off getting a new rig at this point.

So, anyway, if anyone can suggest what direction I should go in with this budget and requirements, I would be much obliged. Thanks.


Edited by ShrikeArghast - 12 Sep 2022 at 5:53am

Originally posted by Snaike Nohing you posted is 'against the rules'.. you're good. And, while I'm not qualified to help with the configuration of a new system (That's The Smart Guys® area of expertise) I can offer a quick suggestion as to your old machine. I recently went through an agonizing period where my DS machine would just shut off randomly and I had to fix it as a new machine was a financial impossibility. Turns out it was the power supply. You can read about that saga here.

Mine just hard-freezes, usually accompanied by a quick 'chirp' from my speakers. The screen becomes completely unresponsive, CTRL+ALT+Delete doesn't do anything, and about half the time when I restart, the machine refuses to boot. There are never any crash logs associated with the event - Windows acts as if it didn't happen.

Nothing particular seems to trigger this process - sometimes it dies while I have nothing running at all; sometimes I lose it in the middle of a game. Overall, the crashes appear to be totally unrelated to how taxing the situation is for the computer... which is what lead me to believe that maybe it was some kind of loose component. But everything checks out. So I'm just flummoxed. The last thing I want to do is take it somewhere and spend hundreds to find out the MB or the card is fried - I don't want to pour good money after bad.

Your timing is most unfortunate. We are on the cusp of receiving multiple drops of significant hardware that will alter the landscape for gamers. Both intel and AMD are expected to release new CPUs by year-end, and Nvidia will take another quantum leap forward in the range of 30% by the middle of quarter one.

Your best course of action is to enlist DS tech support to come to your aid so your current rig will get you to a better purchase. I understand they can take control of your computer remotely and run diagnostics. With an 8700 or 9700 and 2080S, that's your best bet right now.

If that won't work, here's where you are. The CPU issue isn't that crucial as they are well advanced beyond the needs of mere gamers. For a bit of over-power for several years ahead, the 12700K will do just fine. The state we find ourselves in relative to GPUs is another matter. IMHO, we are still overpaying for what's available, so with 30% boosts and advances in all the brilliant tech the last 4 years have brought, I can't recommend any present card to replace your 2080S.

Your budget helps, of course, but I just can't bring myself to invest what amounts to just north of $1000 for an RTX 3080 when I know the 4070 coming soon will beat it, and likely be cheaper, maybe by a lot. Perhaps you'd be willing to order a solid build with a minimal GPU for now. Plug in your 2080S, and wait for the killer card that's bound to come next.

I don't know what monitor you are wanting to drive, but the 2080S is a very capable card. What are you intending to do?

Think on this and come back if you still want a suggested build with current parts. I can do that, I just think it's not the best course in the moment.   

Personally, if I were you, I would try to hold on until late Dec. or in Jan. My reasoning follows. Like Cretae said, you are right at the point were all the new goodies are fixin to come on to market. I have been watching vids and reading articles on the new AMD AM5 stuff, good golly Miss Molly! We are talking leaps and bounds over what is out there now that you would still pay premium prices for. We are looking at the new stuff coming out later this month according to reports.

Still, I would want to see actual test results, but if AMD's claims are only hit at say, 85-90%.......... we are still looking at massive gains all the way around.

And I say wait 2-3 months AFTER new PCs are built with the new stuff so all the bugs can be discovered and fixed, always happens.

IF you just can't wait, then you can still get a killer machine for gaming that will easily last in to the future, it just won't be as good as you could get in a few months, BUT still a great gaming machine.

Like JamesAstro said, monitor size and resolution info is needed to get you a build by the smart guys here. They will give you what you need and no extra fluff based on what you described you wanted.

Best of luck and hope your health issues improve.

Edited by fwfdfireman - 12 Sep 2022 at 11:39am

I agree:

• The RTX 2080 Super is a satisfactory card for 1080p gaming. Nonetheless, if you're curious, here's a comparison to current gen.

Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080S vs. Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 | UserBenchmarks

• If you have not yet, I can't imagine there'd be a big loss/hassle to have DS try a remote diagnostic on your current rig.

Related: Have you tried a 'clean'/'fresh' install of Windows?


As to component insight and general suggestions:

Finally building a PC? Watch this first... | JayzTwoCents (YouTube)

Seriously, they are valid/good points -- among them is the the reality that chasing high-end CPUs is for the most part ridiculous (as @Cretae has mentioned.

*** Similar content from a few months back:
••• PC companies DON'T want me telling you this | JayzTwoCents (YouTube)


NVIDIA laid out its plan to manipulate the market... Here's the proof... | JayzTwoCents (YouTube)

Unfortunate for gamers waiting on, hoping for greener pastures, this speculative analysis the RTX 40/4000 series will be more than today's equivalent model prices (e.g. RTX 3080 vs. RTX 4080) seems more than plausible. Even so, specifics are not yet public/official.


High End Parts could be HURTING your PC experience... let me explain... | JayzTwoCents (YouTube)

Where, uh, do I go to sign up to have them look at my machine? And does anyone know what it costs per hour? I went to the tech support hub tab at top, but it's just a sub-forum.

FREE tech support for life is what you get with a Digital Storm purchase. Parts are extra out of warranty, but installation would be free if you sent in your rig for upgrade or repair. They will be happy to help you with any issue, even if it's the result of changes you made to the original build. I see why you haven't called this in already. Your issue may well not require any parts, and you don't have to send your rig in to DS if it does. DIY or use somebody local. Your lifetime support never goes away.

Under "Support > Request Help" at the top of the main page, you may call the number direct, or submit a ticket via the form. DS is in Cali, so Pacific Time, normal 9-5 business hours. It will be useful to have your Order ID/#, and your configuration # if you have that. That info is on your packaging receipt overleaf from your Certificate of Ownership in the binder that came with your rig. If you don't have that, they can look it up.

The type of issue you describe can be tricky to diagnose, and take a few phone calls, and/or maybe remote access to your machine. On the other hand, they may find it easily right off the bat. Here's hoping.