so what would i definitely do differently if i was doing this build again ? and what would i not change ? and what would i maybe re-think ?
things i would keep exactly the same:
motherboard, CPU, cooler, chassis, WIFI card - happy with these
things i would definitely do differently:
RAID - would certainly not do the RAID again.
graphics - would get 4090 instead of 4080. with 4090 you get 50% more ram, 30% more performance and you can now get other brands than just Asus and still have the black waterblock option from EKWB while with 4080 you can only get black waterblock for Asus. i tried to save money by going with 4080 instead of 4090 because i figured i don’t game anyway but that has changed so in retrospect it was a mistake.
would i get the 4090 Strix or some other card ? well the 4090 Strix has a HUGE price premium and if you’re going to waterblock it anyway it’s not worth it. i would probably get 4090 Gigabyte because even though it has trash RGB that doesn’t work and loud fans and so on - you would remove all of that shit anyway to install the waterblock, and you would save about $200 versus the Strix.
things i might re-think:
the Corsair AX 1600i. it is a great power supply but the cables are short for the size of the Lian Li PC V3000 chassis. my suggestion is get the case first and measure how long you will need the cables to be then make sure the power supply you get has such cables.
one benefit of Corsair is you can get extra cables for it. in fact i did order extra 12VHPWR cable for it that i’m using ( the PSU itself doesn’t include it, unlike Seasonic which does ).
basically what i’m saying is consider the cables when getting the PSU. the Corsair AX1600i is basicaly flawless EXCEPT the cable length. i had to stretch them pretty tight and there is no hope of cable management as they pretty much have to run diagonally just to reach. the large case and large mobo is why the cables need to be longer while the Corsair cables are really meant for a more standard size case and mobo.
Corsair should have realized that if you’re buying the best PSU on the market maybe you’re not building a standard system but they haven’t. It seems a great PSU otherwise though.
I might also consider going with Samsung for the 8K screen. i actually had the Samsung first but it had issues so i exchanged it for Sony. but Sony has issues too. in the end neither Sony nor Samsung are perfect but both are a big upgrade from a 4K screen as well as upgrade from the competitors like LG. So this, like the Corsair PSU, is something i would re-consider. The Sony is amore high-end screen than Samsung but it is also more expensive and equally as problematic as Samsung if not more so. I really can’t say which one is the smarter choice - flip a coin.
Likewise between Corsair AX 1600i and Seasonic TX 1600 it is also a tough choice. Seasonic is cheaper and includes a 12VHPWR cable and there is a new version that should be coming out that is ATX 3.0 compliant with 3.2 KW peak output.
It’s basically between Sony and Samsung 8K as well as between Corsair and Seasonic 1600W PSU. i can neither say that i was right or wrong with the choices i made in this case. it is up to you what you want to go with.