Hey everyone! I'm gearing up to build a gaming rig with a 9800X3D and a 5080 for 4K gaming. My main focus is on playing Battlefield 6 and World of Warcraft on a 32-inch 16:9 monitor. I'll also be doing some office work and occasional video editing on this setup. Prices are in CAD, by the way.
Here are my main questions before I finalize everything:
1. Are there any obvious issues with my build?
2. The motherboard has three M.2 slots, but it's a hassle to add more later since I'd need to remove the GPU. I was planning on one M.2 but now thinking about two for redundancy—does it really matter if I go for two 2TB drives or just one 4TB drive?
3. I don't see lane sharing affecting my GPU performance based on what I read; does anyone have a differing opinion?
4. Currently, I have a 500GB M.2 for the OS, a 1TB SSD for general use, and a 2TB HDD. Given the size of modern games, I'm thinking my minimum SSD storage should be 2TB. Should I just go for a 4TB now?
Thanks for any advice!
5 Answers
Make sure you have a fast NVMe SSD dedicated for games. It’ll improve load times significantly. You could also get an internal or external hard drive for files that don’t need that speed. Mixing them is a solid approach.
Thinking about the CPU cooler, I noticed I picked an older model by mistake. Has anyone used the TTC software for the screen? I’m a bit nervous it might cause more trouble than it's worth. Any thoughts?
I just built a similar rig, and I’d suggest getting a liquid cooler for the 9800X3D if you can. Your air cooler is nice, though. If you're looking at storage, remember a mechanical drive is much cheaper for additional space; I mostly keep game installs on SSD. 2TB should be plenty unless you juggle too many AAA titles at once. A bigger case might help with future upgrades if space is a concern.
I’ve been using an Adata XPG 1TB for five years with no issues. Honestly, I don’t see a point in getting another M.2 just for Windows—either go big or stick with smaller drives for the OS. I checked the manual too, and there shouldn’t be any lane sharing problems with your setup.
I’d recommend swapping out the CPU cooler for the Phantom Spirit if you can. It’s newer and performs better. Just a heads up, B850 boards don’t use lane sharing, so you should be good there. Also, go for the biggest M.2 you can afford—you’ll thank yourself later! I cheaped out and now have to remove my GPU to upgrade.
Good catch! I didn’t notice that the Phantom Spirit was newer. Thanks!