Help me not be sad!

Welcome back. Guess it's been awhile!

Here's what I'm thinking:

https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=4211040

The CPU is every bit as good for gaming as it's more expensive bro, the 12900K. It's a cutting edge super-proc that will game on 'til it dies.

It will be a very long time before DDR5 RAM comes into its own for gaming. DDR4 Is plenty good for what you need. An upgrade to DDR5 would cost $329 for the RAM and mobo, and I don't think it's worth it for you.

850W PSU for all future upgrades.

The storage is first class MVMe SSDs in the M.2 form factor. The form factor provides an SSD the size of a stick of gum that plugs right into the motherboard and runs on the PCIe bus like a video card. The 980 PRO is one of the fastest PCIe Gen 4 SSDs around, and will let you boot in about 20 seconds. Everything you do from it will be nearly instant! The 970 EVO PLUS is just a bit slower, but it will serve as your main games library, and doesn't break the bank. Games will load really, really fast.

Dual fan all-in-one liquid cooler.

The GPU is the right pick at this point in time for you. Look here:

https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-RTX-3070-vs-Nvidia-RTX-3060-Ti/4083vs4090

This will game outrageously at 1080p, and will transition very well to 1440p at high frame rates beyond anything you're used to. It seems pointless to go higher while video is so pricy, and before you see how capable this card is. The next gen from Nvidia is mere months away, and will be another leap forward. If prices moderate as well, that will present a possible upgrade opportunity.

I threw the RGB case fans in as bonus because they really go well with the case, and they're in the budget.

Of course we have the free mousepad and the 2/4 warranty upgrade.

Feel free to spin off this config and add/subtract, but aside from the fans which you may not like, this is the absolute bang-for-buck build for your use IMHO.

Since you obviously know how to upgrade parts, I'd advise you use some storage you already have, and upgrade as you go beyond my recommendations.

Completely my pleasure!

The 980 PRO runs about 9 TIMES faster than a SATA SSD!

16GB RAM is the sweet spot for gaming for a few years to come, it seems. 32 GB would simply allow for more things to be going on at once while you game. A very oldschool guy, I don't do that. The more expensive branded RAM would not contribute much, but it is RGB. My advice at this point would be save your money and see how well a rig like this does for you. RAM sticks are one of the easiest upgrades when you think you need it. It's not too over the top, though, if you want to do it.   

I think you'll love it!

Pretty much like mine. Mine still games decent despite being 12 years old and only having to replace a fan in all those years.

HAF932
i7 920 2.66 oced to 3ghz
mb evga x58 3x sli
6 gb ddr3 1333 upgraded to 12 GB later with faster ram
1000w ps corsair hx
card reader
300gb velociraptor
500gb western digital
2 x dvd rw lightscribe edition
gtx 295 gpu replaced with an original Titan (nice card)
creative labs x-fi titanium fatal1ty champion sound card
v8 cpu air cooler
vista 64bit

Most importantly my black Digital Storm T-shirt that I still wear when the weather is nice. Quality shirt!





Edited by Onkel_Ken - 04 Jan 2022 at 4:58pm

This is worth a

Edited by JVCJr79 - 21 Jan 2022 at 11:18am

Originally posted by JVCJr79

Congrats Man! I'm still in Stage 2 of the wait for my Aventum X but glad to see someone get their system.