New to pc gaming

Welcome to DS Forum. There are a few issues with your build that could cause you problems. Your power supply will not allow you much flexibility to upgrade this machine in the future. The basics, (CPU, GPU and motherboard may well last you a you a very long time as a solid gaming rig... say, 5 years or more. during that time, you will want to add a few things like more storage or a fancy new video card, and an 850W power supply will not limit that.

You are a bit light on storage, and there are faster options you might want to consider. Your choice of GPU is a very good one in this market. It's far and away the best price/performance you can get ATM, and will allow for solid results at 1440p, and KILL at 1080p!

The overclocking of either part is not recommended for gaming. Simply stated, there is just not any practical gain that outweighs all the extra heat and wear on those parts. The CPU will turbo up to 4.9 GHz automaticall on the few occasions you need the boost. The OC on the video card is not enough to supply much extra performance, but it will make the card run hotter, dump more heat into your chassis, and make the card's fans run louder and more often. The "OS Boost" is entirely unnecessary. It dates all the way back to a time when systems came with one or 2 GB of RAM, and windows would hog a bit too much. That is not an issue with 16GB, ever.

IDK why you turned down Windows 11, but it's entirely up to you. It had some minor issues on release, but those were addressed, and it's a stable OS. Be advised Microsoft will end support for Win 10 in 2025, well within the lifespan of this rig, so you will have to upgrade eventually.

I can suggest a couple of builds within your budget that will last longer and make you happier in the long run. In one, I change the case to a Lynx so you can have the RGB without paying through the nose for it:

https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=4290449

The 500GB 980 PRO is more than large enough for your operating system, apps and maintenance software, plus a few of your most played games. It is over 3 times faster than the DS SSD, and that speed at start-up, browsing and everything else you do from Windows is game-changing. The DS NVMe SSD is a good budget choice for your games library. You put Steam on your 980, and tell it to download games to your DS drive (probably designated "D".) Steam always asks where you want the game to download to. Put an icon on your desktop, and Windows will load it from there. About the only thing you might upgrade here is the motherboard to the ASUS Rog Strix D4 because it's a reasonable $106, and/or you might consider 32 GB of RAM. Those are nice-to-haves, but NOT necessary.

The Lumos build looks similar, but cost more:

https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=4290452

Within budget. The extra is all in the case and the fans. Up to you.

In both builds, I stuck with the Windows 11 default option. I have Win 10, it works fine for me. I would get Win 11 if I were buying new.   

Edited by Cretae - 05 Feb 2022 at 3:21am

I went ahead and upgraded after getting my new Windows 10 system from Digital Storm. I have been at Windows 11 for a month or two and it seems fine to me so far.

I may be wrong but I figure the latest and the greatest is supposed to be just that but I have been disappointed many times in the past.

I rather go through the little grief associated with a new OS rather than being a level behind. It keeps me busy following up on updates and what the new OS is all about.

Well I am 69 and have been retired 8 years so I have time to whine about Windows 11 if I find issues. Now if I was running my computer in a business or as my sole source of income I would be super concerned about any change to anything beyond what I know works PERFECTLY!

But truth be told, Windows 11 is here to stay and we all will be there eventually and we each have to assess the risk in transitioning.

I have been involved in this stuff from the original DOS that I ran on my Atari 400. I started with 512KB then upgraded to 640KB so that I could create a 128kb Virtual Disk to minimize OS vs program load times from cassette tapes.

Be brave and go with Windows 11. At least that way there are many shoulders to cry on or at least help to get the dang OS to work like it should.

Originally posted by kxruem Awesome thank you so much!

You are very welcome. I'm happy to help. I, too, have been at this PC thing a very long time, (since 1982) so I have a little knowledge of what matters in a rig vs what just seems like the latest and greatest fad.

The best part of the whole PC world is that a system correctly put together can grow with the times, and become even more capable than the original parts. There is a limit to this, of course, because there will be a time when the basic parts are just too aged to keep upgrading. The builds available here often go at least 5 years and sometimes around 6-8 before that happens. Gaming tends to evolve slowly so the vast market can keep up, but you can stay near the cutting edge if you want to for quite awhile.   

Boom68,

Regarding choosing my current configuration I got support from the Forum members. Cretae was especially helpful and provided reasoned suggestions that I used to configure my system. MrCheetah also is a person that gave me advice along the way.

I did vary from the suggested configuration by upgrading to a 5900x & a RTX 3080 instead of a 5800x & a RTX 3070.

I might not be using the extra capability yet but look forward to doing so in the future.

Regarding the Velox X choice it was recommended to me for the high air flow and open design providing good heat dissipation.

The Velox X is an upside motherboard configuration. I like it because of how well it shows off the light pattern on my EVGA FTW3 RTX 3080 instead of the backplate. The smoked glass sides are gorgeous and adds a real touch of class. The Velox X is also a total mesh front, top & back allowing incredible airflow from all directions. I just reached over and the case was cold to the touch. Of course, I am not running a game at ultra graphic settings right now. But if I do the case passes any heat immediately out of the case rather than being a circulating hot box like some cases could be.

CPUs & high end GPUs get QUITE warm during intense use so a good case with adequate airflow and consideration for a AIO water cooled CPU are important considerations.

My old Digital Storm computer was in a HAF case that is about the same size and had good airflow. In 12 years the only maintenance I have had to do was replace a CPU air cooler fan. I wouldn't have had to do that if I would have been smart enough to remove the fan before cleaning. The inner fins clogged up causing the fan to overspeed and burn out over the 12 years. Still not bad! I still fire the old beast up to compare game benchmarks and make me feel better after spending a wad of money.

The motherboard and all the goodies will be visible on the right side of the case as you look at it from the front. That was great for me since it is to the left of me. Sometimes I just stop playing on the computer and almost go in a trance enjoying the wonderful RGB effects from my AIO fans and the case lighting. The GPU card is also pretty just glimmering colorfully sliding from end to end.

Oh, I bought my system right when there was the transition to the new powerful Intel chip. Mine was already headed to my house when the new one was offered. So I think all things considered the Intel configuration is the better cost performance choice.

The Velox X is just a beautiful thing that makes me smile whenever I stop to look at it. But in short, it was recommended to me for airflow and internal space for air circulation and that was my main reason I went with it. But being pretty didn't hurt either!