re: PC Discussion - Gaming, Performance and Enthusiasts

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Is there no value in the modern era of separating OS/critical systems on one drive and bulk files on the other?

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Nope, maybe 15 years ago when you still had spinning disks as secondary drives with tiny SSDs holding the OS.

To address your post directly:

I agree with Gent that there isn't much merit to targeting last gen CPU and GPU right now. The price difference isn't marked enough, and availability isn't all that different, either. If you're looking at that roughly price point, go 9800x3D and 5080.

Because I haven't been actively planning a build on AM4, I'm actually not well versed on motherboards yet. I assume Buildzoid has a video on best options at each price tier like he always has, though.

I agree on 32gb/6000mts/30cl being the current sweet spot on RAM. Just buy a kit from a reputable brand that meets your price and aesthetic preference.

I haven't researched SSDs in a while, so I don't have strong feelings about the selections, but I do like having two drives, as I discussed in the post above this one. When you're ready to build, we can take a closer look at what's on sale.

For a build this high end, I'm pretty much never not going water. I would go with an Arctic Liquid Freezer III for about $90.

I don't know that I would buy an 850w PSU right now, unless I was being particularly budget conscious. I would be aiming for 1kw with a dedicated 12volt. I haven't looked recently, but maybe something like a Corsair RM1000e?

Case is utterly personal preference crossed with price sensitivity. Feel free to discuss any wants/needs that we can parse through, though.

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Modern network bandwidth has made this pretty much a non-issue too

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Granted. It just reduces the number of steps I need to take to get back up and running.

To be clear, if installing a second drive was difficult, or if there was a large price difference, etc, etc, I would say the juice isn’t worth the squeeze. But it isn’t, and there isn’t.

Anyone have some pointers on what to do and where to focus for a low-level player (Level 13) in Fallout 76?

Downloaded it recently and loaded a save from 2020 but I am as lost as an easter egg.

Id take a look at the newest gen LG ultra gears. They’re 21:9 and look like they’ll be hard to beat. But if you’re looking at maxing out an ultrawide with at least 1440p resolution, I’d want a 5070ti minimum for the best experience.

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Should we settle on a graphics card before a monitor? I'm leaning some flavor of G9 at 49". I'm open to a super high end 34" or even a large format 16:9 4k (e.g. 43" or thereabouts, but the choices seem so limited), but the lure of UHD is getting strong. I know 32:9 will take some lifestyle adjustments and compromises.

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You don’t need to settle on one specifically before the other, but what you decide on one heavily informs what you do with the other.

I’m a big proponent of 3440x1440 (1440p UW). I’ve been on it for four years now and plan to stay on it until I eventually upgrade to 5k/2k (4k UW)

Looks good. But looks like there is a pretty big gap between the glass panels at the corner.

Ha! You're right. Just installed the gpu and didn't close the case up all the way.

EtA - This card is so quiet and runs extremely cool. Even though I've never owned a Radeon card before this, I would highly recommend the 9070 xt if you can get one near MSRP. I'm within a few frames on most games I play (or even a bit higher) compared to the 5070 ti I was considering and saved $300.
Next up, some overclocking fun!