Lumos build sanity check

Hi!

Big picture, I've had a couple Digital Storm systems over the years and appreciated them very much. Venturing to tweak this configuration a little more based on past experience, but ultimately not sure if I'm just reflexively upgrading things, or actually making a difference. Some particular questions I'd love input on, fully understanding they're not black and white:

1. I upped the power supply after having a scare with one in the past that might have been a little insufficient and ran hot for the system, and it seems like the 1000w upgrade might have a quieter fan? or is that bogus.

2. I don't need ninja silence but I would like something quieter than not, so figured getting the better chassis fans and airflow control would allow me to monitor noise. The machine will be sitting not far from me on the desk till I rebuild the furniture. will those options help, or am I fooling myself?

3. I'm attracted to the idea of the higher-end cooling systems, but not being super technical I'm not crazy about having to maintain coolant levels. Is the DS sealed cooling system sufficient, do you think?

4. I do like having a better graphics card available, but is that 3070 going to suck up way more power and generate way more heat (and thus noise) than is worth it? I don't mind a little bit of noise when the card gets busy, but worried this big card and its fans might be really loud.

thank you!


Budget:
About $3k

Expectations:
Solid, reliable, uncomplicated performance.

Usage:
Gaming + midlevel photo and video editing. I like graphics-intense FP-type games, but also into ant-farm type grand strategy so I'm not always making it scream -- but I'd like that headroom to be there if I want it.

Saved Ticket #: 3575728

Specifications:
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 Prime Z490-P / MSI Z490-A Pro (Intel Z490 Chipset) (Up to 2x PCI-E Devices) (No SLI Support)
System Memory: 32GB DDR4 3000MHz Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro (RGB Light Bar) <br><strong></strong>
Power Supply: 1000W Digital Storm Performance Series (Semi-Modular) (80 Plus Gold) <br><strong></strong>
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: - No Thanks
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (500GB Samsung 980 PRO) (NVM Express) <br><strong></strong>
Storage Set 2: 1x SSD (2TB Samsung 860 EVO) <br><strong></strong>
Storage Set 3: - No Thanks
RAID Config: - No Thanks
RAID Card: - No Thanks
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)
Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce RTX 3070 8GB (Performance Edition) (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: Corsair LL Series (RGB Fans) (Software Controlled Effects) <br><strong></strong>
Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Airflow Control: Corsair Commander PRO Management Control Board & Software (1x Board) <br><strong></strong>
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: - No Thanks
Mouse Pad: - No Thanks
Display: - No Thanks
Surge Shield: - No Thanks
Speakers: - No Thanks
Keyboard: - No Thanks
Mouse: - No Thanks
Branded Gear: - No Thanks
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 15-20 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)

1. The 850W PSU is stronger than the usual baseline 750W DS used to think sufficient. In a system such as yours, you have plenty of overhead so that the PSU will never have to work very hard. More wattage is just unnecessary.

2. The Corsair LLs are known to be quiet and efficient, and they look great in a Lumos. You may get the air flow control if you wish, but Corsair's iCue software gives you good control over both fan speed and the multiple color displays, so not needed IMHO.

3. The all-in-one CPU coolers everyone is using now are very good. usually keep temps down around 35-60C range. Custom loop cooling is one of my nightmares. We rarely go a month without someone reporting a leak on arrival, and systems require regular maintenance. Time I would just rather spend on anything else. It's only for show, IMO. The temp difference is not worth either your money or your time.

4. The 3070 is a great choice IMO. It ranks just ahead of last gen's 2080 Ti, a $1400 card that was the greatest thing going just 3 months ago. And it pulls 30W less power, so no worries there. The card will rarely be so stressed by normal use at 1440p that the fans will have to spin up to full force. Most of the time, it will be just cruisin'.

Now the nitty-gritty. I don't know how you will take the news, but Intel systems are not your best buy these days. Until around March, Intel procs are PCIe Gen 3 parts and so are the boards here, while everything AMD has been Gen 4 for about a year. you go Intel, you are saddling your self with nearly obsolete tech.

I have a suggested build for you at right around the same price That features a CPU with 2 extra cores for your editing chores. It is just as strong a gamer as the Intel you picked, and better at everything else:

     3578061 $3114 with discount.

I took out the airflow control you don't need, and subbed in a much better motherboard than your original build. I might expect this rig to last you from 6-8 years without being obsolete at the outset. I know lots of folks have a thing for Intel, and until the AMD 5000 series CPUs came out just a bit more than a month ago, they were the premier gamers. No more.

just got word "something special" for Blk Friday.

Edited by Cretae - 25 Nov 2020 at 4:49am

It's a pleasure! Helpful is what I strive for.