Returning customer

Budget:
[$5000-6000, pc only]

Expectations: 6 years of 1440p gaming on max settings, want the

Hi All,

I am planning a new build and about ready to pull the trigger, before that I have a couple questions as I am a little confused by what other website forums and videos say.

firstly, after some research (was planning to build myself), there are some saying that installing more than one pcie SSD will gimp the gpu as it will use pcei lanes that the gpu uses, so instead of the gpu using 16 lanes it will only use 8 as 2 pcei ssd will use 4 each. is this true? i am planning a build with a samsung 980 pro 500gig nvme for OS and one 980 pro 2tb pcie for installing games on.

secondly, something that i am really stuck on is the gpu, was thinking between 3080 and 3090. because i want this to be a system that will last atleast 6 years it feels like the 10 gigs of vram on the 3080 is low for a flagship card but the 3090 price tag is a concern if NVIDIA is planning on releasing the 4080 series soon. should i just go for the 3090? considerign DS is selling their gpu for upgrades.

also, i see ddr5 just got pushed to feb 2022, should i wait for this to be available or is ddr4 good for 6 plus years of gaming ?

thanks in advance for your responses.

here is preliminary system i configured

Chassis Model: Digital Storm Lumos
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i9-12900K (5.2 GHz Turbo) (24-Thread) (16-Core) 3.2 GHz (Alder Lake)
Motherboard: ASUS Prime Z690-P D4 (Wi-Fi) (Intel Z690 Chipset) (Up to 3x PCI-E Devices) (No SLI) (DDR4)
System Memory: 64GB DDR4 3600MHz HyperX Fury RGB <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 M.2 (2TB Samsung 980 PRO) (NVM Express) (Gen4 PCIe) <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 3080 10GB (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: Exotic Cable Management - Blue - (Cable Combs with Custom Color Sleeved Extension Cables) <br><strong></strong>
Chassis Fans: Cooler Master MasterFan Halo (RGB Fans) (Remote Control Only) <br><strong></strong>
Internal Lighting: Remote Controlled Advanced LED Lighting System (Multiple RGB Color Modes)
Airflow Control: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: Option Not Available
Boost Processor: Stage 2: Overclock CPU - Up to 5.1GHz on All CPU Cores <br><strong></strong>
Boost Graphics Card(s): - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
Boost OS: Yes, Disable and tweak all of the non-crucial services on the operating system <br><strong></strong>
Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Home (64-Bit)

You have a poor strategy for high performance over six years IMHO. The CPU is strong enough to propel you well throughout that time, but I would definitely bite the bullet to wait on DD5. You won't feel need of it for quite awhile, but if you want/need that, say, three years down the line, you will have to change out the motherboard with all that entails to get it. CPUs are way out in front of what's required to power a strong gamer, so 6 years doesn't pose a problem in my view.

The GPU is an entirely different story, and that's where your strategy fails. For a very long time, GPUs only got faster at rendering more pixels with each generation. In the recent past, so many other transformative tech improvements have come into the mix, that the most powerful GPU you can get is going to be complete crap in two gens from now. That's less than 3 years. I'm talking ray tracing and its improvement, deep learning super sampling and its improvement, and anything else these geniuses come up with as new ideas to enhance the experience. If you commit to any card for the next six years, you will leave all that advancement behind. Just ask all the folks who got a 2080 Ti for "future proofing" and were left drooling over what a 3080 can do. The 3070 is a better card just for what it enhances over the 2080 Ti, and not the fact it is nearly as fast!

https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-RTX-3070-vs-Nvidia-RTX-2080-Ti/4083vs4027

What do think a 4070 will do to that 3070?

In short, this is not about framerates and resolutions anymore. There is so much more to consider. It's not too tricky to change out a video card, and it is the very best way to assure your experience comes along with you for a six year ride. Best advice? get a 3060 Ti until the landscape totally changes in about 6-8 months with new offerings from both AMD and Nvidia. They will bring yet another quantum leap into the future, and shame the current crop.

Why a 3060 Ti? have a look:

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

If it's going to be a placeholder until the next gen gives you some real choice, there's not a lot to be had for the extra$$. When GPUs settle in to being closer to reality in price, you will be pretty sad about spending the kind of money they go for today for something totally obsolete.

That said, there is no issue on the latest boards about NVMes stealing PCIe lanes from the GPU.

64GB of RAM is just silly for gaming. You'll never reach need for that in 6 years, and if it ever happens, get some RAM that's 5 years newer!

Don't need 1000W PSU, but ...?

DO NOT overclock your CPU for gaming only. Gaming maxes out on little more than two cores, and to have your whole proc running hot all day every day is chipicide. The 12900 Turbos to 5.2GHz whenever it needs to, so what's wrong with that?

DO NOT "disable and tweak" the operating system.

If you decide to wait on the DDR5, get the MSI Carbon motherboard.

ORDER NOW to get in line for when the RAM hits, and get the free mousepad and warranty upgrade!

@ Onkel_Ken: the 3080 Ti will be "the best" for about another 6-8 months. Is that a long time?