Used for coursework (code compilation, DL training, etc), occasional video editing and music prod, lots of 4K Blu Ray rip movie watching, and games when the mood strikes.

Focus for this build was to balance performance, noise levels, and size without overpaying for any one of those. Only item I really compromised these values on was the CPU which was pricey but at the time (November 2020) they were very difficult to find in stock at all, so when I found one I scooped it up. Couldn't justify a 12-core, but knew I could use more than a 6-core, so that left the 5800X.

After building, I am very happy with the results. Fan config is as follows: 2x Arctic P12 (using included PST splitter) running exhaust in top of case. Scythe Mugen 5 mounted backward and intaking air from rear of case. No fans beneath RTX 3080. Power supply mounted in the standard SFX position, and intakes from the right side panel and exhausts out the top.

Noise/thermals: Out of the box, acceptable but not superb. Quickly remedied with custom fan curve, and later a GPU undervolt. Default fan curve on the Gigabyte B550I for the case fans had them running way too fast at idle. Arctic P12s (mine anyway) emit a noticeable hum between 1150-1200rpm so I avoid this region, and they're hardly audible until close to 1400rpm. CPU fan is audible (though reasonable) when maxed (1200rpm) but with my curve it only hits that above 80 C. Did a quick 1905 MHz @ 850mv core, + 450 MHz memory undervolt/overclock to the GPU. During games, CPU is ~75 C and GPU ~70 C. Both very quiet. CPU will hit 88-90 C under very heavy CPU load, which AMD claims is perfectly normal behaviour and within spec, so I'm fine with that for now. Under more normal loads it rarely goes above 80, only time I've seen it go above that was a very long zip decompression. Hoping to undervolt with PBO2 when GIGABYTE releases their AGESA 1200 BIOS update.

Note for this specific motherboard and CPU cooler combo: the socket on the Gigabyte B550I is higher than most others, and as a result the top of the CPU cooler is very close to the top fan. I had to bend the metal clip that latches the CPU fan on to the cooler, as it was otherwise obstructing the top fan from spinning. Bending it down to be flatter to the cooler is a must, and after doing so it will fit and work just fine.

If you know the current state of the hardware market you'll know the CPU and GPU were obviously hard to find, but within a month of looking I was able to get both. Best of luck to those still searching. That being said, overall pretty pleased with this build. Warzone and Doom Eternal are max settings @ 1440p 144 Hz and the GPU isn't even under full load. Ridiculous.

Quasi-related: 4K 60 Hz and 1440p 144 Hz is great for a dual screen setup, but going in I knew the colours were likely to be noticeably different between the different screens. I managed to get a SpyderX calibration unit on sale for just over $100 (canadian) and after calibrating both using DisplayCAL they look very good side-by-side. The BenQ has a non-adjustable stand so I mounted it on a VESA arm. The Dell has a nice and very adjustable stand.