Over the top build?

Hi,

I'm a lot like you: I enjoy really high-end builds for my gaming machines. Previously I had an Aventum with three GTX 980 Ti cards, and now I have a Velox with a RTX 3090. I enjoy the high-end machines, because you don't have to compromise much on the graphics quality, and you don't have to upgrade as often.

That being said, I have a few comments...

1) What size monitor will you be using? This is important, because a RTX 3090 or 3080 Ti will be overkill if you're just playing at 1080p or 1440p. However, if you have a large ultrawide monitor, or a 4K monitor, then it might make sense. Those cards would also make sense for VR.

2) The performance difference between the 3090 and 3080 Ti is negligible. You'll never feel the difference between those two cards when gaming. I have a 3090 myself, but I went with that card mainly to keep my computer quiet. The 3090 is more quiet, because it's a much bigger card, and it has larger fans than run at a lower speed. I say get the 3080 Ti if you are just concerned about performance. Get the 3090 if you are also concerned about noise, and you are taking other steps to quiet the rest of your system. (A quiet 3090 won't help if your PSU fans are running at high speed.)

3) I wouldn't get more than 32GB of RAM for gaming. There are no games that can take advantage of 64GB. Plus it's easy to upgrade RAM later.

4) The Aventum is a lovely machine, but it's huge, and quite heavy. There are really only two good reasons for choosing an Aventum: You want a machine that will be on display, and a mind-blowing showcase of your gaming setup. Or, you need the crazy number of drive bays that it has. Otherwise, I would consider getting the Velox. The Aventum weighs about 100 lbs, and you won't be able to move it around without the use of a hand truck. It also won't fit under many desks, and you may have difficulty lifting it onto a desk.

5) I would change your drive choice to the Samsung 980 Pro. It's roughly twice as fast as the 970 EVO Plus.

6) Regarding the cooling system: The HydroLux PRO cooling system is really nice. That's what I had in my Aventum. However, it started to leak after about 5 years, and now I have a red stain on my carpet. My latest Velox machine is air-cooled, and I couldn't be happier. A good middle ground is to get H20 Stage 2 Dual Fan Fully Sealed cooling.

7) Don't get the CPU Boost. Modern processors are really good at ramping up the CPU speed when needed. They run cool when you don't need the extra power. CPU Boost will just cause your machine to run ultra-hot even when you're just sitting there doing nothing. I found some benchmarks recently that show how overclocking can actually hurt gaming performance in some cases, probably due to the extra heat being dumped into the system.

8) Don't get OS Boost either. Processors are so fast now that this doesn't really seem necessary.

9) Consider getting Windows 10 rather than Windows 11. There is some evidence that Windows 11 doesn't run games as well.

With all of those comments in mind, here is a build that I would get today if I was searching for a high-end gaming machine with little to no compromises:

Config number: 4199936

This will save you $1592, it'll perform almost exactly the same, and will be easier to move around or place on your desk.

Edited by JamesAstro - 03 Dec 2021 at 6:04pm

Wow, thanks everyone that's great advice. I hadn't even considered how overclocking the CPU would make it run hotter all the time but it makes a ton of sense now that you've pointed it out. I also appreciate all the advice on the other components.

Looks like I will be going back to the configurator to draw up a new build.    I feel like a nerd cause I actually enjoy working through the configurator and seeing what I can create!

The i-7 12700K is my pick. It offers nearly identical performance to the i-9 model in gaming, but saves $230. It's overpowered just like many of the latest procs, so it will have a very long lifespan as the brain of your build. Pricewise, it compares well with an AMD 5800X build, but allows you to choose the DDR5 RAM upgrade. That flavor RAM is not quite a game-changer yet, but it may be a stronger choice for the future in gaming. You will never know any difference between that one and it's i-9 sibling.   

The back order is unfortunate, but I think you're better off holding out for it.