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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   2536 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for March 21, 2025

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Anyone built a PC recently?

I'm pretty close to biting the bullet on a new high-end, pre-built system.

Before anyone jumps and says that it would cheaper to build it myself (I've been there haha), I've decided the added premium is something I'm willing to pay, especially when it comes with a warranty on parts. I've built several PCs myself, but the last time I did so, I was cursed with pernicious crashing that I couldn't for the life of me solve for good.

The two most important components I've more or less fixed are a Ryzen 9800x3d and an RTX 5080. All I really expect this machine to be used for is gaming, and I want to emphasize single-core performance as my favorite games tend to be CPU bottlenecked. I'd have loved to get a 4090, but the prices are ridiculous. I could get a 9070 XT, but my budget does go further than that. I don't think I'll be using it much for local AI, though I'm occasionally tempted to tinker.

I intend to buy models with 32gb of fast DDR5 memory, and a decent NVME SSD with room for me to buy and install more myself.

I haven't looked too closely at the various flavors of motherboard on offer, but I expect at this price range they're roughly equivalent. It might be a pain to get wired internet, so I'm willing to settle for the speed and latency hit from running wifi-only if I have to.

I intend to skimp on a pre-installed license for Windows. I can get it from [REDACTED] for free.

I haven't decided on all the peripherals yet, but I'll probably get a 100% mechanical keyboard, I own a decent mouse. I'd like a 27" or larger monitor high refresh rate monitor, with QHD being a resolution I'm happy with. I might end up splurging for 4k or an OLED if I feel like it. No need for speakers, as I use Bluetooth earphones and don't usually notice the latency.

I've been looking at an array of retailers, and most seem to provide this in the 2500-2900 GBP range.

Questions:

  1. Anything obviously wrong here? Any clearly suboptimal choices (beyond buying pre-built)?

  2. Can I cheap out on something without noticeable downsides?

  3. My impression, from watching LTT if nothing else, is that watercooling is usually not worth the hassle. I've never used it before, and would need to figure it out if I ever have to swap out parts. I think that a decent air cooler is more than sufficient for people who aren't OC maxxing.

  4. Anyone own an OLED monitor? Did you notice any burn-in? I intend to take reasonable precautions in the first place.

How much future proofing you trying to do?

Only thing I'd recommend is make sure you have extra memory slots to expand to 64gb in the future. I noticed recently that Doom: The Dark Ages has 32gb as it's recommended amount of ram. So you know, the 32gb you are getting is enough. Probably be enough for the next few years. But I built my PC at the tail end of 2019 and I put 32gb in it then. It's starting to feel like it's getting to be about the time to future proof with at least the option of 64gb in the future.

Also, if you ever plan on abandoning windows for linux, maybe go with the AMD card? Drivers are supposed to be better, and this latest generation seems to have finally got it's shit together in terms of ray tracing performance. Still lacks a lot of features like ray reconstruction or frame generation, and DLSS is the superior upscaling technology. But I'm currently taking a 20-30% haircut on my FPS for raytraced games in Linux that use DX12. I'm under the impression AMD does not have this problem.

I'm going to be in my part of Scotland for a minimum of 3 years. I expect this system to hold up using extravagant settings on the most demanding titles till then.

Only thing I'd recommend is make sure you have extra memory slots to expand to 64gb in the future. I noticed recently that Doom: The Dark Ages has 32gb as it's recommended amount of ram. So you know, the 32gb you are getting is enough. Probably be enough for the next few years. But I built my PC at the tail end of 2019 and I put 32gb in it then. It's starting to feel like it's getting to be about the time to future proof with at least the option of 64gb in the future.

Finances meant I was always behind on the RAM train, nursing 16 gigs at subpar speeds till very recently.

I would be surprised if AAA games were that RAM constrained, they're optimized for consoles which are lucky to have 16 gigs of unified memory, and 32 is a healthy margin. If it ever seems inadequate, it's about the easiest upgrade you can make to a PC.

Also, if you ever plan on abandoning windows for linux, maybe go with the AMD card? Drivers are supposed to be better, and this latest generation seems to have finally got it's shit together in terms of ray tracing performance. Still lacks a lot of features like ray reconstruction or frame generation, and DLSS is the superior upscaling technology. But I'm currently taking a 20-30% haircut on my FPS for raytraced games in Linux that use DX12. I'm under the impression AMD does not have this problem.

If I can get a legitimate copy of Windows, I can debloat it and disable telemetry. While Linux compatibility is excellent these days, courtesy of Valve, I don't see much reason to contemplate a change of OS in the near future.

It's certainly not so likely that I would take the large performance hit from dropping from a 5080 to a 9070 XT, even if the latter is a very decent card, especially at that price. I could have easily been swayed if I didn't have the luxury of a bigger budget that can't be better spent elsewhere.

I could have easily been swayed if I didn't have the luxury of a bigger budget that can't be better spent elsewhere.

Kids these days. There is always the S&P500 :P

Seriously though, enjoy your prestige build.

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