Opinions on this PC build

[LucShep]

22 hours ago, CL30 said:

So, would dropping PCIEx16 down to x8 speed for the GPU be that big of a deal? I’m leaning towards three m.2 nVME drives.
 

M2A and M2D won’t take away from the GPU, but populating M2B or M2C will drop the speed, according to the manual.
 

I’d like to have a 2TB for OS, etc., a 4TB for DCS, and then some other one for other games, pics, etc. However, I could just do two 4TB drives I suppose.

What motherboard is this?
I suppose it's an AM5 B850 or X870 model, and on these I believe only two NVMe slots can be used without impacting the GPU (which ones to use depends on motherboard).

The ideal setup for NVMe drives in your case would be two, to maintain PCIe 5.0 x16 for the GPU.
As you describe, one main NVMe drive for OS and etc (in M2A), the other one for games and etc (you mention it's in M2D ?).

As you say, if you use the other two slots it will slow your GPU slot down to PCIe 5.0 x8.
However, testing with the "almighty" RTX 5090 has shown that it only loses 1%~3% performance by losing half of its bandwidth, basically unnoticeable (see it HERE and HERE).

That said, even if the difference is insignificant, and since you're building this system from the ground up, for the long term and wanting the large storage, I'd certainly consider going for two good 4TB NVMe Gen4 drives.  
 

Edited June 18 by LucShep

[CL30]

Thanks, LucShep!

Yeah, you’re right. I decided to go back up to an X870 from the 850s. It might be silly, but I like having the digital debug code visible on the MoBo. My current Aorus Master has it, and has proved helpful to me over the years. As I’m not as in-tune with this stuff as you all are, I thought I’d spend $50 more for that option vs having LEDs to decipher. It’s the Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite Ice I’m looking at. 

Also, I decided to put an AIO back in vs the air cooler purely for aesthetics. I’m going to try to make this a really pretty build to look at (currently looking for nice colored, sleeved PSU cables), and I like the AIO look.

I won’t say “money is no issue,” because it is (like, not gonna do a 5090/4090), but I’m blessed with a good job that making a chunk extra is pretty easy, so I’m splurging on some things….as silly as some may be, lol.

 

ETA: and yeah, I think doing dual 4TBs is probably the better option as you said, thanks!

Edited June 17 by CL30

[pegasus1]

On 6/9/2025 at 12:05 AM, BitMaster said:

Not sure if the CPU/IMC likes 6400MT/s. You could try and find 6000MT/s with maybe lower Latency. That's what I would do.

The rest looks ok to me

Running 6000 at 1:1 can be faster, certainly in benchmarks but in games then faster RAM can prove a bit faster. To be honest other than set the correct rations i dont spend to much time optimising my RAM (96GB C32 6600 Corsair). Just put it in the MOBO and set whatever Expo is the most stable.

On 6/17/2025 at 7:39 PM, LucShep said:

What motherboard is this?
I suppose it's an AM5 B850 or X870 model, and on these I believe only two NVMe slots can be used without impacting the GPU (which ones to use depends on motherboard).

The ideal setup for NVMe drives in your case would be two, to maintain PCIe 5.0 x16 for the GPU.
As you describe, one main NVMe drive for OS and etc (in M2A), the other one for games and etc (you mention it's in M2D ?).

As you say, if you use the other two slots it will slow your GPU slot down to PCIe 5.0 x8.
However, testing with the "almighty" RTX 5090 has shown that it only loses 1%~3% performance by losing half of its bandwidth, basically unnoticeable (see it HERE and HERE).

That said, even if the difference is insignificant, and since you're building this system from the ground up, for the long term and wanting the large storage, I'd certainly consider going for two good 4TB NVMe Gen4 drives.  
 

Not always true, it depends how many NVMe slots the MOBO has and what ones are used.

The ROG STRIX X870E-E GAMING WIFI has 5 x M2 slots with 3 x being PCIe 5 and the remainder PCIe 4, i use the PCIe 5 slot for my Gen 5 OS drive and the 2 x Gen 4 slots for my DCS drive and Steam drive, in that configuration there is zero impact on performance as the 2 x remaining gen 5 slots are not occupied.

[CL30]

Power question: how accurate is PCPartpicker’s wattage estimate? My build shows a 672w estimate. I have a 1200w Lian Li Edge Gold in my Micro Center cart, but wonder if that’s overkill. Is 1000w plenty? I went overkill with the idea I’d likely grab a 5090 (or future beefy card) down the road. As of now, I have a Gigabyte 5080 Aorus Master Ice sitting in a box in my living room.

 

ETA: Meh, for $20 more I’ll stick with 1200w.

Edited June 22 by CL30

[CL30]

Lol, Mrs CL30 just found out how much this stuff costs, even though I’ve told her.

[Hempstead]

Oversized good power supply is not a bad thing to have to begin with. If money is not a constraint. And...

My previous gaming rig's 1,200W power supply is from the previous previous gaming PC. Or, was it from the previous, previous, previous gaming PC? Anyway, it predates VR and had dual graphic cards, hence the oversized power supply. You know, from the heyday of SLI and stuff. It would have been my current gaming PC's power supply but I decided that I can use the previous gaming PC's dual boot Linux for compiling stuff, and its Win10's current DCS setup for AH64 gunner "passenger" ride "demos" with a cheap Quest 3S. So, I bought another way oversized expensive power supply, 1,600W.

And note that... I don't turn off my computers. So, that darn thing has been running 24/7 for many years. > 10 years? Maybe the "low load" has something to do with the longevity? Don't really know, but I suspect it's a factor. And of course, key is a good durable power supply. You don't want those that will have capacitors blown a few years down the road. This... is difficult... by reputation, experience, and luck only. YMMV greatly.

 

Edited June 25 by Hempstead

[CL30]

6 hours ago, Hempstead said:

Oversized good power supply is not a bad thing to have to begin with. If money is not a constraint. And...

My previous gaming rig's 1,200W power supply is from the previous previous gaming PC. Or, was it from the previous, previous, previous gaming PC? Anyway, it predates VR and had dual graphic cards, hence the oversized power supply. You know, from the heyday of SLI and stuff. It would have been my current gaming PC's power supply but I decided that I can use the previous gaming PC's dual boot Linux for compiling stuff, and its Win10's current DCS setup for AH64 gunner "passenger" ride "demos" with a cheap Quest 3S. So, I bought another way oversized expensive power supply, 1,600W.

And note that... I don't turn off my computers. So, that darn thing has been running 24/7 for many years. > 10 years? Maybe the "low load" has something to do with the longevity? Don't really know, but I suspect it's a factor. And of course, key is a good durable power supply. You don't want those that will have capacitors blown a few years down the road. This... is difficult... by reputation, experience, and luck only. YMMV greatly.

 

Right on. I did end up going with the higher power PSU. Build is currently in progress…. Pics when it’s done!

On to VR next. Sounds like Quest 3 is  good go-to these days? I’m coming from an old Rift S. Oh, and there are lots of Q3 options out there it seems, mainly with memory capacity. Which model do I want for DCS?

[Aapje]

The Quest 3 and Pimax Crystal Light are the main options for a decent price. The Quest 3 is cheaper, has better QA and is from a more professional company. It also has the option for wireless use and use standalone for other games. The Crystal Light is better quality.

Don't get the cheaper Quest 3S, that has far worse lenses. For the non-S version, there is only one memory variant with 512 GB. Although for simming you don't need much and can also look at a second hand one with 128 GB. Lots of people buy VR headsets and then almost never use them, so you can sometimes score good 2nd hand deals on barely used headsets (I got one still with the original controller batteries).

Note that almost anyone should get a head strap replacement for their Quest 3, since the standard one is awful. And if you wear glasses, I would strongly advise inserts.

[CL30]

9 hours ago, Aapje said:

The Quest 3 and Pimax Crystal Light are the main options for a decent price. The Quest 3 is cheaper, has better QA and is from a more professional company. It also has the option for wireless use and use standalone for other games. The Crystal Light is better quality.

Don't get the cheaper Quest 3S, that has far worse lenses. For the non-S version, there is only one memory variant with 512 GB. Although for simming you don't need much and can also look at a second hand one with 128 GB. Lots of people buy VR headsets and then almost never use them, so you can sometimes score good 2nd hand deals on barely used headsets (I got one still with the original controller batteries).

Note that almost anyone should get a head strap replacement for their Quest 3, since the standard one is awful. And if you wear glasses, I would strongly advise inserts.

Okay, good to know. I think I’ll go the Quest route. I’ve finally passed the point in life where I need cheater glasses for up close…it’ll be interesting to see what my eyes are like back in VR, lol. Good tip on the strap. I do remember reading a lot of complaints about it here on the forum.

 

Also, thought my PC build got screwed up, or at least the USB 2.0 connector. A lot of the connector pins were bent all over the place. I don’t know if it was from me or not (probably me), even though I was really careful, but after a lot of sweat, panic, and surgery, I got them put back in place and connected, lol. Phew! Hope to install Windows tomorrow when I get home from my trip.

[Aapje]

You don't need reading glass inserts for VR headsets, since everything is projected at distance. So you only need inserts if you are short-sighted.