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Seeking advice on new Lumos build

Post Date: 2019-05-11
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Longhorn View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		  Quote Longhorn Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: Seeking advice on new Lumos build
    Posted: 11 May 2019 at 7:12pm
Hello,

I purchased my first Digital Storm PC back in late 2012, It was a 942 HAF-X (i5 3570K, Asus Sabertooth Z77, 16GB DDR3 1600MHz RAM, GeoForce GTX 670 and Stage 1 CPU overclock). Other than a couple of upgrades since then (upgraded GPU to EVGA GeoForce GTX 1070 and replaced boot drive with Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500GB) this machine has been rock solid and I've loved it. With that said, its coming up on 7 years old and I've been given the green light by my wife to look at a new rig.

Following is what I've tentatively configured and would appreciate any guidance or feedback from the community on my selections.


Budget:
<= $3.5k

Expectations:
Want to be able to drive my 34-inch Ultrawide (Alienware AW3418DW) at 3440x1440 120Hz and be able to play games at Ultra settings with good frame rates. Would use my M.2 SSD for OS/Apps/Games and the 2TB HDD for data.

Usage:
Mainly used as a gaming machine but also utilized for e-mail, productivity apps, personal usage apps (Quicken, TurboTax, photo printing and VTT gaming) and web surfing. Games run the gamut (MMO,FPS and CRPG).

Special Needs:
Also use the machine as a DLNA Music Server enabling us to stream our large music collection to our whole home audio system. The PC sits on the wood floor below the built-in desk in my study.

Saved Ticket #: 2384622

Specifications:
Chassis Model: Digital Storm Lumos
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7-9700K (4.9 GHz Turbo) (8-Core) 3.6 GHz
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z390-H Gaming (Intel Z390 Chipset) (Up to 3x PCI-E Devices)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 3000MHz Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro (RGB Light Bar)
Power Supply: 850W Corsair RM850x (Fully Modular)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: External USB - DVD/CD 8x Multi-Drive (Writes and Reads DVDs, CDs)
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (1TB Samsung 970 EVO) (NVM Express)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (2TB Western Digital - Black Edition)
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 2070 8GB (VR Ready)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i PRO - 240mm Liquid CPU Cooler (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)
Chassis Fans: Corsair LL Series (RGB Fans) (Software Controlled Effects)
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 1: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.7GHz on All CPU Cores
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
Game: - 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 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)

Questions I initially have:

1 - Is the Asus ROG Strix the best MB option for my usage?
2 - Does the Corsair LL Series LGB fan option come with 6 (3 front, 2 top and 1 rear) fans? Was tough to tell since the default fan setup for the Lumos said 3 front fans with mounting option for the other 3.
3 - I have a Corsair K95 Platinum LED keyboard. Do I need the Corsair Commander Pro option in order to use iCUE to synchronize the lighting across all the Corsair components (keyboard, RAM and fans)? Or does the Digital Storm Internal Lighting option handle all of this? I really don't need to have a LED disco in my study but it would be nice to be able to sync all components with RGB features.
4 - Will the RTX 2070 meet my video needs or do I need to consider the 2080?

Thanks ahead of time for those willing to share any feedback or advice on this configuration!
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HockeyBuck View Drop Down
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Posts: 1608 		  Quote HockeyBuck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 12 May 2019 at 12:31am
Welcome back to DS Longhorn!

I have gotten 4 DS builds since 2011...all still running very well, including a recent Lumos rig my son uses that is equipped with the same Asus Strix mobo, same i7 9700K CPU with Stage 1 OC, same Corsair Vengeance 16gb RAM, and same Corsair LL Series 120mm fans on all case positions.   He’s using 2x Dell U2412M 1920 X 1200 monitors and plays everything on high or ultra settings on just one panel using the RTX 2080, and he has the HydroLux Lite 240mm cooler.   You are gonna love your new Lumos rig...that case and fan set is a work of tech art that belongs on the desktop where there’s less dust and more showing off to be had!

To your questions...
1). I have run a long line of Asus boards, and Asus Strix Z390-H ATX
      is solid quality and will do what you need just fine.   Some here like
      the MSI boards, I have not used them myself, but whichever brand
      you like, you won’t need to pay top of line price to do what you are
      doing with one GPU. Strix preserves your option to go SLI / NVLink
      if you ever wish to.   The on board Realtech 8 channel sound codecs
      are excellent and handle High Res music files quite well.

2). DS will use all Corsair LL fans. 240 rad will likely mount in top and have 2
      LL fans on top, one in back, 3 in front. You should confirm with DS
      to be certain. They do sometimes mount the radiator in front.

3). The LL fan upgrade comes with one Corsair Lighting Node Pro. You
      will download Corsair iCue software to control the RGB lights on
      your Corsair RAM, the Corsair LL fans, the RGB pump head on the
      Corsair cooler, and your Corsair RGB keyboard. Corsair Lighting
      Node Pro only controls lighting on Corsair RGB components.    The
      Commander Pro Node would be unnecessary, as the only other
      thing it would include would be info on your non RGB Corsair PSU
      fan...and you can get that with Corsairs Link program already
      onboard.     The DS RGB case light string has its own tiny physical
      remote control to set its own RGB colors and patterns.

4) Because you are driving the top rated Alienware WQHD 34 inch 120
     HZ GSync monitor and you wish to game at Ultra settings, I would suggest
     you consider using the stronger RTX 2080.   I suspect the RTX 2070
     would work, but likely require lowered game settings to drive that
     excellent Alienware panel well.   The 2080 would do a far better job
     of it, but even with the 2080 some more demanding titles may not
     play well in Ultra.

Your excellent 8 core i7-9700K CPU overclocks easily at 4.7 ...you will like this rig. Should last you another 7 yrs.   Hope all of that helps you to finalize the build.... Cheers!



    

Edited by HockeyBuck - 12 May 2019 at 12:47am
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Longhorn View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		  Quote Longhorn Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 13 May 2019 at 8:50am
Thanks for the feedback and advice HockeyBuck. Truly appreciate it.

In regards to the Geoforce 2080 card, when looking at the config page it looks like you do not have the option to select the make/model of the card. The More Info page simply states that DS will use a card from one of the following card vendors (ASUS, EVGA, PNY, MSI, etc). Do I have an option if I want to select a specific make/model for my 2080 card? They use the MSI RTX2080 Ventus 8G OC as an example which is a 2 fan card. I would like to use a 3-fan card from a specific vendor. Any idea if DS would work with me on that?

Thanks!
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HockeyBuck View Drop Down
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Posts: 1608 		  Quote HockeyBuck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 13 May 2019 at 1:40pm
Yup DS will work with you!

You can ask DS to order any make or model 3 fan RTX 2080 if you are willing to pay the cost and to wait for the card to get there....DS can get you anything specific you want for your Lumos build.    

As a matter of fact, I just got a new EVGA RTX 2080 FTW3 Ultra (3 fan model) and I can recommend it as a very solid card.    

Edited by HockeyBuck - 13 May 2019 at 1:44pm
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Longhorn View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		  Quote Longhorn Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 13 May 2019 at 1:44pm
Too funny! That is exactly the card I was wanting to get with this build. :)
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HockeyBuck View Drop Down
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Posts: 1608 		  Quote HockeyBuck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 13 May 2019 at 4:01pm
Haha... My mind reader chops get boosted here I guess...lol.
I’m sure DS can get that excellent EVGA card if requested.    Somewhere between $800-900.....prices at EVGA, amazon, Newegg seem to wobble about +/- $50 from week to week....

My sons new Lumos came with the 2 fan NVidia Founders Edition RTX 2080 and it’s also excellent, but the EVGA RTX 2080 FTW3 Ultra should cool even better.    It’s got a massive heat sink....I can’t give a proper comparison because my new FTW3 is in a different Corsair case on an older Asus Sabertooth X79 mobo with an Overclocked i7-3930K CPU....

You know the cheapest remaining boost would be to go Stage 2 OC on the excellent i7-9700K CPU for $99.    You have plenty of cooling to handle it just fine and get all the performance you are paying for out of that fine processor, all of the time.    
Intel makes K class processors to be Overclocked....



Edited by HockeyBuck - 13 May 2019 at 4:06pm
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Longhorn View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		  Quote Longhorn Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 May 2019 at 8:13am
Well..I pulled the trigger this last Wednesday and ordered my 2nd DS system. It's already in Stage 2 but I know I still have a wait ahead of me before I get this new sexy beast. Thanks to HockeyBuck here on the forums for giving me advice on my build and to Ronda at DS who was an absolute pleasure to work with on a couple of special order requests.

Here is my final build:

Chassis Model: Digital Storm Lumos
Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish
Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7-9700K (4.9 GHz Turbo) (8-Core) 3.6 GHz
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z390-H Gaming (Intel Z390 Chipset) (Up to 3x PCI-E Devices)
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 3000MHz Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro (RGB Light Bar)
Power Supply: 850W Corsair RM850x (Fully Modular)
Expansion Bay: - No Thanks
Optical Drive: - No Thanks
Storage Set 1: 1x SSD M.2 (1TB Samsung 970 EVO) (NVM Express)
Storage Set 2: 1x Storage (2TB Seagate / Toshiba / Hitachi)
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 2080 8GB (VR Ready)
Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio
HPC Processor: - No Thanks
Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Corsair H100i PRO - 240mm Liquid CPU Cooler (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)
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
CPU Boost: Stage 1: Overclock CPU - Up to 4.7GHz on All CPU Cores
Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s)
OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system
Operating System: 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
Game: - 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 20-25 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed
Warranty: Life-time Expert Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty (

MISC
special order EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 FTW3 ULTRA GAMING, 08G-P4-228
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HockeyBuck View Drop Down
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Posts: 1608 		  Quote HockeyBuck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 18 May 2019 at 10:14am
Glad to hear DS took good care of you...
Congrats on the new Lumos build !    
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Cretae View Drop Down
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Posts: 7331 		  Quote Cretae Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 19 May 2019 at 8:59am
Well done, both!
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Longhorn View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		  Quote Longhorn Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Jun 2019 at 8:46am
Well..just received my new Lumos yesterday. Definitely happy with the build quality. Booted up just fine and everything appears to be working as far as I can tell. Have been getting all of my apps installed and all of our content (docs, photos, music, vids, etc.) ported over. Posting some pics below. One shows the new Lumos next to my original DS machine from 2012 (HAF-X build). The HAF-X seems like a monster next to the Lumos. :)













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HockeyBuck View Drop Down
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Posts: 1608 		  Quote HockeyBuck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Jun 2019 at 9:23am
Great looking Lumos rocking the EVGA RTX 2080 FTW3 Ultra !    Should stay nice and cool.   You can download the EVGA Precision X1 software to control the 3 fans and card RGB colors...lots of options....Enjoy this slick DS rig!
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Longhorn View Drop Down
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Posts: 9 		  Quote Longhorn Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Jun 2019 at 9:28am
The EVGA Precision X1 software was one of the first things I installed. :)

I do have one question that I may need to contact DS about however. The machine came with the Corsair LINK software installed. I thought that Corsair iCue software is what I should install to control all of the Corsair product customization. I shouldn't have then both running, right?
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HockeyBuck View Drop Down
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Posts: 1608 		  Quote HockeyBuck Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 11 Jun 2019 at 10:31am
They both run.   iCue controls the color design.
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SnowandSand View Drop Down
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Posts: 278 		  Quote SnowandSand Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 14 Jun 2019 at 10:59pm
Nice looking Rig!! I have the big brother to your card pushing the same monitor!
Hailstorm II(Retired)
R7 2700x
16GB Team Dark Pro @ 3200 CL14
Asus x470 CH VII Hero
Corsair Hx1000i 1000W PSU
250GB Samsung 850 EVO
1TB & 6TB WD - Black Edition
2x GTX 980TI Strix
Hydrolux Stage 3
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jazz2714 View Drop Down
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Posts: 3 		  Quote jazz2714 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 27 Jun 2019 at 7:16pm
May I ask what the configuration code for this is? Also is there a way to make the colors just one color as well?

Edited by jazz2714 - 27 Jun 2019 at 7:17pm
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