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Please help me select some new hardware

Post Date: 2021-03-10
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Seavie View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote Seavie Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Please help me select some new hardware
    Posted: 10 Mar 2021 at 5:08pm
Budget:
I am more interested in the best hardware for my scenario. My budget will be a secondary concern.

Expectations:
First and foremost I have 2 Acer XG270HU monitors. Ideally I want to max out their potential. I am not currently using a display for 4k. I would not be opposed to eventually upgrading to this but I don't see myself doing this in the near future.

I also would like to run any game currently on the market with ultra/max settings and consistently have acceptable framerates.

Usage:
The build will primarily be used for gaming. Web browsing, YouTube, and other streaming services will be watched as well.

Special Needs:
Any help with dust would be great.

Also I am new to the idea of liquid cooling. So explain it to me like I'm 3 years old. I assume I don't need a water hookup at my desk but I literally have no idea.

Saved Ticket #: I'm looking at going with the Ultimate Aventum X, and I've customized a few things. Please let me know what might be overkill based on my other info listed.

I am not sure if I should have the default motherboard or upgrade.

My configuration code is 3808463

Specifications:
I have always been an Intel and NVIDIA guy. That's not really because I consider them superior or that I'm loyal. I've just always had them. I'm open to other brands. Here is my current system to give you an idea of where I currently am:

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7820X CPU @ 3.60GHz
32 GB of RAM
GeForce GTX 1080
Sound Blaster Z
I have a 1gig wired connection
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Seavie View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote Seavie Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Mar 2021 at 5:38pm
Here's the build I have so far, which I'm sure is way overkill for my situation.

Chassis
Chassis Model: Aventum X
Exterior Finish: Black Metallic Matte Finish

Core Components
Processor: Intel Core i9-10900K (5.3 GHz Turbo) (20-Thread) (10-Core) 3.7 Ghz

Motherboard: ASUS Prime Z490-P / MSI Z490-A Pro (Intel Z490 Chipset) (Up to 2x PCI-E Devices) (No SLI Support)
System Memory: 64GB DDR4 3200MHz Digital Storm Performance Series
Power Supply: 1600W EVGA Supernova 1600 (80 Plus Gold)


Storage / Connectivity
Optical Drive: External USB - Blu-Ray Writer & Player (Blu-Ray 6x) & DVD/CD Writer

Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (1TB Samsung 980 PRO) (NVM Express)

Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (2TB Seagate / Toshiba / Hitachi)
Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections)

Graphics / Multimedia
Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce RTX 3080 10GB (Performance Edition) (VR Ready)

Sound Card: Creative Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus


Digital Storm Engineering
Extreme Cooling: H20: HydroLux PRO: Exotic Custom Cooling System (CPU Only)
HydroLux Tubing Style: Flexible Tubing (Requires HydroLux Liquid Cooling System)
HydroLux Fluid Color: White Flexible Tubing + Clear Fluid (Requires HydroLux Liquid Cooling System)
Cable Management: Premium Cable Management (Strategically Routed & Organized for Airflow)
Chassis Fans: Standard Factory Chassis Fans
Internal Lighting: Digital Storm LED Lighting System
Airflow Control: Digital Storm Thermal Management Control Board & Software

Digital Storm TwisterBoost Technology
Boost Processor: Stage 1: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.7GHz on All CPU Cores


Software
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home (64-Bit)
Recovery Tools: USB Drive - Windows 10 Installation (Format and Clean Install)
Virus Protection: Windows Defender Antivirus (Built-in to Windows 10)

Accessories / Goodies

Customer Care
Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 20-25 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (3 Year Labor & 1 Year Part Replacement)
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GrandesBollas View Drop Down
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Posts: 444 		  Quote GrandesBollas Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Mar 2021 at 5:52pm
I love the Aventum X and it is my dream computer I hope to upgrade before I retire. Your use case is very similar to mine, but I chose a Lumos with custom cooling of the CPU only. You don't necessarily need a custom cooling system if you are not going to overclock either the CPU or GPU or both. I've overclocked my 3950X to 4.1 gHz all core; and 1950 mHz on my air-cooled 2070 Super. The effect of not water cooling my GPU has been less than 100 mHz.

If you haven't water cooled your desktop before, you will need to make a decision regarding how much effort are you willing to expend to maintain the system - drain coolant; flush out the old; clean water blocks if needed; disconnect tubing to access RAM which otherwise gets blocked by the tubing; replace water pump motor; etc. An all in one cooler is fully contained and does not require any maintenance other than keeping the fans/radiator fins clean.

You do not need a 1600 watt PSU. 850 watts is more than sufficient especially if you will not be overclocking. Lastly, 64 gigs of RAM is a bit much for gamers. 32 gigs will get the eyeball treatment here as well. 16 gigs is really more than enough. I went with 32 gigs for future proofing.

Here is an honest Lumos configuration I would recommend:

3808518

My preference is to use both M.2 slots on the motherboard (one for the OS; one for critical documents/Macrium backups; one for game library. I'm not crazy about the motherboard choices DS is offering - my preference would have been for an Asus Rog Maximus XII. I would also have chose Corsair ML fans for the chassis as well as for the AIO. RAM speed should be higher than 3000 mHz offered. More like 4000 mHz - see the following QVL for more info on RAM:

https://rog.asus.com/us/motherboards/rog-maximus/rog-maximus-xii-hero-wi-fi-model/helpdesk_qvl_memory
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Seavie View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote Seavie Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Mar 2021 at 6:38pm
Originally posted by GrandesBollas

I love the Aventum X and it is my dream computer I hope to upgrade before I retire. Your use case is very similar to mine, but I chose a Lumos with custom cooling of the CPU only. You don't necessarily need a custom cooling system if you are not going to overclock either the CPU or GPU or both. I've overclocked my 3950X to 4.1 gHz all core; and 1950 mHz on my air-cooled 2070 Super. The effect of not water cooling my GPU has been less than 100 mHz.

If you haven't water cooled your desktop before, you will need to make a decision regarding how much effort are you willing to expend to maintain the system - drain coolant; flush out the old; clean water blocks if needed; disconnect tubing to access RAM which otherwise gets blocked by the tubing; replace water pump motor; etc. An all in one cooler is fully contained and does not require any maintenance other than keeping the fans/radiator fins clean.

You do not need a 1600 watt PSU. 850 watts is more than sufficient especially if you will not be overclocking. Lastly, 64 gigs of RAM is a bit much for gamers. 32 gigs will get the eyeball treatment here as well. 16 gigs is really more than enough. I went with 32 gigs for future proofing.

Here is an honest Lumos configuration I would recommend:

3808518

My preference is to use both M.2 slots on the motherboard (one for the OS; one for critical documents/Macrium backups; one for game library. I'm not crazy about the motherboard choices DS is offering - my preference would have been for an Asus Rog Maximus XII. I would also have chose Corsair ML fans for the chassis as well as for the AIO. RAM speed should be higher than 3000 mHz offered. More like 4000 mHz - see the following QVL for more info on RAM:

https://rog.asus.com/us/motherboards/rog-maximus/rog-maximus-xii-hero-wi-fi-model/helpdesk_qvl_memory

Really appreciate the feedback. I really don't want to have to deal with a lot of maintenance for water cooling. So that said, I should go with the H20: Stage 2: Digital Storm Vortex Liquid CPU Cooler (Dual Fan) (Fully Sealed + No Maintenance), rather than the HydroLux Pro?
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hoserator View Drop Down
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Posts: 7962 		  Quote hoserator Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 10 Mar 2021 at 11:26pm
Welcome to DS.

The HydroLux Pro is a open loop cooling system. The "open" part denotes that you can add more hardware like gpu(s) or some mobo chipsets to the loop and have them also liquid cooled. The AIOs are closed loop and sealed. They are generally pretty maintenance free but they do have pump failures. I have yet to read about a HydroLux Pro pump failure. Most complaints are with leaking fittings or hardline issues.


The open loop systems do require more maintenance. Every once in a while you will have to add coolant (so order extra if you get it, coolants are constantly being improved and are rarely backwards compatible), you might have to deal with leaky fittings, r&r hardware will be more complicated if you get the hardline tubing and if you keep it long enough, you will have to drain, flush, rinse and refill with new coolant. (mine is going on 4 years and the coolant is still crystal clear)

Any serious oc'ing will require more than an AIO. Some will even use LN2 and that is for some serious use. The Aventum is a DS exclusive design and the main reason to get one is the number of radiators in the loop and the overclocking that it allows. It is HUGE!!!!! There are 3x360 rads on mine (Av II)

Good luck. Big%20Smile


Edited by hoserator - 10 Mar 2021 at 11:29pm
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Cretae View Drop Down
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Posts: 7330 		  Quote Cretae Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Mar 2021 at 4:37am
First and foremost, you are proposing to buy an obsolete PCIe Generation 3 platform and CPU. We are just 19 days shy of the release of the newest CPUs from Intel on the PCIe Gen 4 bus AMD has been offering for over a year. Either go AMD, or wait until DS offers Rocket Lake CPUs. The 980 Pro you selected would not run much faster than a 970 Plus on that system. A total waste.

I don't recommend custom liquid cooling, and without that, the Aventum is a very expensive (somewhere in the vicinity of $700, I think), heavy, (over 90 pounds), and gigantic presence. Fine to have if you want those things.

When you decide if you should go forward to PCIe 4 and on which platform, post a build or ask questions. GrandesBollas is right about the PSU and RAM. He and hoserator are right about the special needs and use for custom cooling. Neither the extra maintenance required nor the potential problems have any appeal for me.
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Seavie View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote Seavie Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Mar 2021 at 11:10am
Originally posted by hoserator


Welcome to DS.
The HydroLux Pro is a open loop cooling system. The "open" part denotes that you can add more hardware like gpu(s) or some mobo chipsets to the loop and have them also liquid cooled. The AIOs are closed loop and sealed. They are generally pretty maintenance free but they do have pump failures. I have yet to read about a HydroLux Pro pump failure. Most complaints are with leaking fittings or hardline issues.
The open loop systems do require more maintenance. Every once in a while you will have to add coolant (so order extra if you get it, coolants are constantly being improved and are rarely backwards compatible), you might have to deal with leaky fittings, r&r hardware will be more complicated if you get the hardline tubing and if you keep it long enough, you will have to drain, flush, rinse and refill with new coolant. (mine is going on 4 years and the coolant is still crystal clear)
Any serious oc'ing will require more than an AIO. Some will even use LN2 and that is for some serious use. The Aventum is a DS exclusive design and the main reason to
get one is the number of radiators in the loop and the overclocking that
it allows. It is HUGE!!!!! There are 3x360 rads on mine (Av II)
Good luck. Big%20Smile


Thanks so much for the feeback. Initially I assumed the Aventum had faster hardware. It really seems though it is just the bigger case with possibilities for better cooling. I think I can build the same hardware in one of the smaller cases. And for practical reasons I don't think it would fit under my desk haha.
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Seavie View Drop Down
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Posts: 5 		  Quote Seavie Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Mar 2021 at 11:13am
Originally posted by Cretae

First and foremost, you are proposing to buy an obsolete PCIe Generation 3 platform and CPU. We are just 19 days shy of the release of the newest CPUs from Intel on the PCIe Gen 4 bus AMD has been offering for over a year. Either go AMD, or wait until DS offers Rocket Lake CPUs. The 980 Pro you selected would not run much faster than a 970 Plus on that system. A total waste.

I don't recommend custom liquid cooling, and without that, the Aventum is a very expensive (somewhere in the vicinity of $700, I think), heavy, (over 90 pounds), and gigantic presence. Fine to have if you want those things.

When you decide if you should go forward to PCIe 4 and on which platform, post a build or ask questions. GrandesBollas is right about the PSU and RAM. He and hoserator are right about the special needs and use for custom cooling. Neither the extra maintenance required nor the potential problems have any appeal for me.

That is really good to know about the newest CPU w/Intel. And thank you for the 980 pro vs 970 plus feedback

Yeah it is looking more and more like I will not be going the Aventum route.

Looks like I will be waiting until the newest hardware drops and I can do a build with that. Thanks so much for the advice.
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Posts: 7330 		  Quote Cretae Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 Mar 2021 at 3:31am
IMHO, you might well have felt very remorseful not to have the whole picture, especially since you seem to want the best available.

The new Intel CPUs, I understand will be limited to 8 cores/16 threads, but that is still a bit overkill for gaming. More cores as in the i9 10 cores out now bring nothing to games. The Rocket Lakes will be the fastest gamers on the planet. It's one of the few things Intel still maintains an edge on AMD. In truth, any eight core CPU out today is plenty of speed and power for todays games and will be well into the future, but to not have PCIe 4 going forward is to be limping with a cane. An AMD 5800X or a Rocket Lake of any base clock will likely pair with the RTX 3080 to max out virtually everything on those monitors for years to come.

Although you may have the option to overclock the new procs, it won't be needed for anything more than bragging rights. The sheer speed and responsiveness of the Intel Turbo feature will astound you.
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Posts: 444 		  Quote GrandesBollas Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 Mar 2021 at 11:33am
Gaming performance all depends on instructions per second. The Rocket Lake CPUs are gearing up to put some serious hurt on AMD's 5000 series CPUs when it comes to single threaded performance like you see in games, despite only having 8 cores. My bigger concern would be the price for the Rocket Lake CPUs given that the LGA1200 socket is now EOL in favor of LGA1700 for Alder Lake.
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