Oddly enough, that's what I was wanting to do.

I've been thinking that the 5800x3D seems like a good fit for me, since I just game, but also use vegas and Clip studio Paint and not much else. Tho the cooler is something I'd have to think carefully on, as I hear that CPU tends to run pretty hot. I'm thinking that if I get that CPU, I could save the rest for a cheaper RTX 3080 down the line, seeing as how I'm priced the fuck outta the new lineup for the future. 

Yea I'd say getting a 5800X3D would be a good choice if you can get a like a 240mm AIO or higher tier air cooler. A lot of them can go on sale and if you don't mind the looks, the Arctic Freezer 2 comes highly recommended from GN for its performance and cheapness. Personally, I won't be thinking to upgrade until Meteor Lake or Zen 5 because those are the big ground up redesigns from both companies in terms of CPU but that's 2024 or later.

I will say that the clock is ticking because Nvidia has already stopped producing Ampere and I am sure AMD will stop 5800X3D production if they haven't already. So if you can, I'd snag one sooner than later if you can find them for a good price. Make sure to get 3080 12GB model if possible.

Reading the review from PCGH, I found out why the X3D beats the Zen 4 in several games: It's the GPU limit. Zen 4 bounces off of it, while the large cache of the X3D allows it to dig a bit deeper into the limit.

In other words, Ampere and Navi 2x are too weak to unleash the power of Zen 4 even just in 720p

Keep in mind that they have a different TDP setting. If you set the TDP of the 7600X to 65W it will lose a bit of performance but consume also just about as much as the 5600X while having much more performance.

That being said, AMD should really have released a Ryzen 5 who comes with a TDP of 65W out of the box. Just releasing an uprated 105W variant (and that goes for all the Zen 4 chips so far) makes them look very inefficient.

Tbh I'm already behind on hw lol, I'm still sporting my i7-6700k and 1080ti, so I'm a few gens behind on both. I don't mind going for the 5800X3D and falling behind another gen and waiting for that gen to get cheaper with time, I've found that trying to go for the latest isn't in my books anymore, and of course, the one area I thought was to benefit from this was AAA, and that sector is still playing catch up with tech.

I'll try and see if I can snag both before years end, if not early next year.

I thought the 3080 only came in 12/16gb models, and that they discontinued the 16gb one?.

3080 launched at 10GB and then got a 12GB model after

I don't think the 5800X3D will fall behind for a very long time if you just use it for gaming I'm probably going to put it on my board and go the for AM4 Endgame instead of upgrading a new system core it will probably do me the next 5-7 years without requiring a new system build.

If you don't upgrade regularly and only use it for gaming, then the 5800X3D should be fine. Otherwise I would have chosen the 7600X or 7700X, as they still offer an upgrade path while with the 5800X3D it's end of the line. Or if you can wait half a year, then there will probably be either the non-X models out or the 3D versions of those chips - or both. Should also be cheaper for the GPU since their prices are still in freefall.

I wouldn't put too much stock into that. In some games it may be true that there is a GPU limit but there are also many other games where that is not the case. Anandtech did testing below 720p to really make sure GPU bottleneck wasn't a thing:

So I wouldn't get your hopes up outside of a few cases.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/17585/amd-zen-4-ryzen-9-7950x-and-ryzen-5-7600x-review-retaking-the-high-end/17

Also if they did lower the TDP, then it would have fallen behind the lower tier Alder Lake which is why I am sure AMD set it so high to begin with.

In that case, you do have a few paths. Cause the longer you wait, the cheaper the motherboards of Zen 4 will get and I doubt Ryzen 7000 will be in as big of a demand as they were when Ryzen 5000 came out. So if you wait long enough, you could get Ryzen 7000 or even 7000X3D with a cheap motherboard and discounted DDR5 and it will be a good path forward. Even if you don't upgrade regularly, I think if you wait till early next year, Ryzen 7000 will be a better choice if you are going for a full system upgrade because the B series motherboards will be out by then and the 5800X3D will get discontinued.

If you are buying this year, then 5800X3D + AM4 + DDR4 might be the cheapest option or Raptor Lake + Z690 could be a good option as well as that should beat Zen 4 while giving you PCI-E Gen 5 for GPU. But we will see about the prices of the CPUs and reviews.

The 3080 came in 10/12GB models. There was no 16GB outside of laptop versions which weren't real 3080s anyway. Only 4080 comes in 12/16GB versions.

I figured that by keeping myself behind a gen this time around, it will save me in the long-run, seeing as how the new sockets for AMD are going to be expensive, the new Nvidia line is also expensive, meaning a complete upgrade to a new socket, GPU and PSU will run me out completely.

besides, I'm not really much in the market for RT atm, I just want the 3080 to keep me afloat for another 4-5yrs until the tech reaches a more refined point, where it becomes viable to have RT on more often.

I could also use the multiple threads and cores for my rendering with vegas as well, seeing as how the 6700k only takes me so far, that I have to rely on the 1080ti's Cuda cores to render the final output files, and I'd rather a new CPU take over that task. 

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam has one new sale and the new weeklong deals:

• Hearts of Iron IV is free to try and 75% off until September 29: https://store.steampowered.com/app/394360/Hearts_of_Iron_IV/
• And here's a small sample of the weeklong deals:
  • HYPERCHARGE: Unboxed, that has a demo, is 20% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/523660/HYPERCHARGE_Unboxed/
  • King Arthur: Knight's Tale gets a 35% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1157390/King_Arthur_Knights_Tale/
  • Transport Fever 2 is half its usual price: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1066780/Transport_Fever_2/
  • CryoFall, that also has a demo, gets a 75% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/829590/CryoFall/
  • And Agent A: A puzzle in disguise, that also has a demo, is 90% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/801480/Agent_A_A_puzzle_in_disguise/

The Humble Store has four sales:

• The Capcom Publisher Sale features up to 80% discounts during 6 days. All the keys are for Steam: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/capcom-publisher-sale/
• The Build and Destroy Sale, with up to 85% discounts, will last 6 days. There are keys for Steam, EGS, and one to download: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/build-and-destroy-sale/
• The Daedalic Publisher Sale comes with up to 90% discounts during 6 days. The keys are for Steam and/or download: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/daedalic-publisher-sale/
• And the Square Enix TGS Sale brings up to 85% discounts during 10 days. All the keys are for Steam: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/square-enix-tgs-sale/

And at Fanatical we find two deals and a new contest:

• The Star Deal, that started yesterday, is Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun - Aiko's Choice, 80% off during another 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/shadow-tactics-blades-of-the-shogun-aiko-s-choice
• A new BundleFest is here! Check out the bundles here
• And there's a new contest with several prizes, from games to store credit. Learn more here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/bundlefest-win-500-dollars-store-spend-and-aaa-games

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

INTEL Arc Graphics Driver 31.0.101.3430 BETA
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download/729157/intel-arc-graphics-windows-dch-driver-beta.html
Support

• The DioField Chronicle (DX12)
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (DX12) Beta Early Access

Fixed Issues

• Marvel’s Spider-Man (DX12) may exhibit an application crash when loading into the game with Ray-Traced Reflections enabled.
• Total War: Warhammer III (DX11) may exhibit color corruption on certain regions of the overworld map.
• Call of Duty: Vanguard (DX12) may exhibit lower than expected performance in the main menu.
• Marvel’s Guardian of the Galaxy (DX12) may exhibit flickering texture corruption game certain areas
• Horizon Zero Dawn (DX12) may exhibit texture and color corruption on some terrain and skyboxes.
• Overwatch (DX11) may experience lower than expected performance may be observed within certain map environments
• Metro Exodus (DX11) may exhibit a CTD or application hang during gameplay.
• Conqueror’s Blade (DX11) may exhibit an application crash during game launch.
• League of Legends (DX11) may experience lower than expected performance when using the DX11 option in on some Intel® Arc™ A730M series graphics products.
• Movies and TV Application may experience a hang during HDR video playback and changing video to Fullscreen.
• Blender may exhibit OpenGL rendering errors with certain Intel® system configurations.
• Some Intel® Arc™ A380 series graphics cards may intermittently reboot the system when resuming from S3 sleep.

Epic Games Store adds a key feature at last
https://www.pcgamer.com/epic-games-store-adds-a-key-feature-at-last/
The Epic Games Store turns four years old in December and has had its fair share of teething problems. Functionality has been particularly slow in arriving, with the store lacking things as essential as an 'add to cart' feature until last December. Epic's been slowly grinding away nevertheless, and is now finally adding another much-needed feature as our list of free games grows ever-longer: library collections.
Yep, you can finally create up to 11 folders to store your games in, as well as the option to now add games to a favourites list. The process is simple—either hover over a game and hit the heart icon in the top-right corner, or click the three dots underneath the game's thumbnail and select 'add to collection,' choosing an existing collection or making a new one.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Here are 15 minutes of gameplay from Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered in first-person mode
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-15-minutes-of-gameplay-from-marvels-spider-man-remastered-in-first-person-mode/
Modder ‘jedijosh920’ has released three videos, showcasing 15 minutes of gameplay footage from Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered in first-person mode. These videos show off some city exploration and combat sequences, as well as some cut-scenes.
Now in case you weren’t aware, jedijosh920 is working on a first-person mod for this Spider-Man game. Although the game officially supports only a third-person viewpoint, the modder will add a functional first-person mode.

NVIDIA DLSS 2 is noticeably better than AMD FSR 2.1 in Lost Judgment
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/nvidia-dlss-2-is-noticeably-better-than-amd-fsr-2-1-in-lost-judgment/
The modder behind the DLSS Mod for Judgment and Lost Judgment has released a new version that is compatible with AMD FSR 2.1. As such, we’ve decided to compare these two upscaling techniques in this game and although DLSS 2 is not officially supported by the game, it looks noticeably better than FSR 2.1.

Trombone Champ looks next level with this VR mod
https://www.pcgamer.com/trombone-champ-looks-next-level-with-this-vr-mod/
If you haven't noticed, all of our hearts over at PC Gamer have turned trombone shaped over Trombone Champ. This indie is just oozing charm with its trombone rhythm action, bum notes, and plenty of baboons. These oddities have delivered a fun tromboning experience with laugh out loud moments that skyrocketed the game to viral fame, and now it can be played in VR.

UK's former Labour leader snapped playing Thatcher-slaying Doom mod
https://www.pcgamer.com/uks-former-labour-leader-snapped-playing-thatcher-slaying-doom-mod/
Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the UK's Labour party and two-time candidate for Prime Minister, has been pictured enjoying a game of Thatcher's Techbase in Liverpool (thanks, Indy100). Thatcher's Techbase is a Doom II mod where the late Margaret Thatcher returns to the tenth circle of hell, i.e. the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the player sets out to make sure that this time 'CyberThatcher' stays dead.
>> Hey, any excuse is good enough to show a new mod.

GAMING NEWS

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Title Update 1.6.1 releases tomorrow, is 9GB in size, full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/assassins-creed-valhalla-title-update-1-6-1-releases-tomorrow-is-9gb-in-size-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has revealed the full patch notes for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Title Update 1.6.1. This patch will release tomorrow, and is 9GB in size on PC.

Battlefield 2042 Update 2.1 releases tomorrow and here are its full patch notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/battlefield-2042-update-2-1-releases-tomorrow-full-patch-notes/
Electronic Arts and DICE announced that Update 2.1 for Battlefield 2042 will release tomorrow, September 27th at 08:00 UTC. In addition, the teams shared its full patch notes.

I.G.I. Origins gets an official gameplay reveal trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/i-g-i-origins-gets-an-official-gameplay-reveal-trailer/
In 2019, Toadman Interactive and Antimatter Games revealed the next part in the IGI video-game series. Since then, though, we haven’t heard anything about this game. Until today. Antimatter Games has just released an official gameplay reveal trailer for this title, featuring in-game footage.

Forza Horizon 5 may soon support NVIDIA’s DLSS tech
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/forza-horizon-5-may-soon-support-nvidias-dlss-tech/
According to an official NVIDIA graph, Forza Horizon 5 may soon support its DLSS tech. And, since this graph is for the upcoming RTX 4090, Playground Games may add support for the latest version of DLSS, DLSS 3.

Latest patch for Valheim adds crossplay support, packs minor network optimizations
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/latest-patch-for-valheim-adds-crossplay-support-packs-minor-network-optimizations/
Iron Gate has released a brand new update for Valheim that adds crossplay support. This basically means that when the game comes out on consoles, PC gamers will be able to play with them. Furthermore, Linux and Windows players can now play together.

A Plague Tale: Requiem gets official story trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/a-plague-tale-requiem-gets-official-story-trailer/
Focus Entertainment has released the official story trailer for A Plague Tale: Requiem. This trailer features in-engine footage, showcasing what Asobo has achieved with its in-house engine.

Tuesday news, part two:

Gotham Knights will take multiple playthroughs to see the whole story
https://www.pcgamer.com/gotham-knights-will-take-multiple-playthroughs-to-see-the-whole-story/
Each of Gotham Knights' four characters will take their own path through the story: If you want to see everything it'll take multiple playthroughs. Each character has their own perspective on the events any given mission, which while similar will contain unique content and subtle differences.
>> And it will support Ray tracing reflections and DLSS2.

Here's a cozy little life sim about making potions
https://www.pcgamer.com/heres-a-cozy-little-life-sim-about-making-potions/
A pretty cute little life sim released this week: Potion Permit, which casts you as the new chemist in town, responsible for treating illnesses among the citizens of remote village Moonbury. Your job is to diagnose diseases, gather ingredients, and then brew them into cures as you make friends among the townsfolk and settle into local life.

Getting burned at the stake is just the start in this grimdark, witchy FPS
https://www.pcgamer.com/getting-burned-at-the-stake-is-just-the-start-in-this-grimdark-witchy-fps/
I'm a sucker for a nice main menu gag, especially one where you transition right into a cutscene with no loading (looking at you, Spec Ops: the Line). The demo for the upcoming retro FPS, Coven, kills it here by having the main menu overlaid on a scene of a crowd of medieval peasants staring at you. Starting a new game sees a priest come forward and light your pyre aflame, condemning you to a gruesome death. The first level then begins with you digging out of your own grave to get revenge.

Hack the police in this stylish cyberpunk visual novel
https://www.pcgamer.com/hack-the-police-in-this-stylish-cyberpunk-visual-novel/
Call me old fashioned, but I'm happiest with cyberpunk as a genre when it's about a diverse crew of marginalized people fighting back from under the oppressive boot of an authoritarian corporate regime. You know, when it's both cyber and punk.

Get ready to kick a cultist off a cliff in this retro FPS
https://www.pcgamer.com/get-ready-to-kick-a-cultist-off-a-cliff-in-this-retro-fps/
While Duke Nukem 3D may have been the loud-mouthed posterboy for the Build engine, it was also behind several other shooters of the day. Like Blood, a horror-themed FPS with a Dark Carnival level that let you throw dynamite at mimes. A few years ago Blood received the obligatory Nightdive remaster as Blood: Fresh Supply, but it also served as the inspiration for a new game: Cultic, which is being developed by Jasozz Games and published by 3D Realms.

Ultima Online has a special shield if you've been playing for 25 years
https://www.pcgamer.com/ultima-online-has-a-special-shield-if-youve-been-playing-for-25-years/
(...)
Ultima Online is a landmark, and that is most obviously shown in the fact it's still a going concern: servers remain live to this day, and the game receives regular if small updates. This month marks 25 years since the game launched and, alongside a merry in-game celebration (including drinks vouchers and a 'troll kissing booth'), Ultima Online also offers one of the most remarkable in-game collectables you'll see: a shield that reflects a player having spent 25 years playing the game.

E3 is returning in June 2023 with separate 'Business Days' and 'Gamer Days'
https://www.pcgamer.com/e3-is-returning-in-june-2023-with-separate-business-days-and-gamer-days/
We declared earlier this year that E3 should never be in-person again, but E3 apparently wasn't listening. In June, the Entertainment Software Association announced a partnership with PAX organizer ReedPop to make E3 return in 2023 and today they announced the show dates as well as a change in scheduling that will see the event split into industry and public days.

Atlus is suing fans for reviving its long-dead MMO
https://www.pcgamer.com/atlus-is-suing-fans-for-reviving-its-long-dead-mmo/
All over the corners of the internet, dedicated fans are keeping their favourite online games afloat. If I ever get a nostalgic pang to return to Toontown—an MMO that has been dead since 2013—there are a myriad of faithful and evolved servers I can jump right into. It's part and parcel of our hobby. Unfortunately, it seems Atlus doesn't love these fan revivals quite as much as I do.
As spotted by MarshSMT on Twitter, the developer is suing two fans (operating under Rekuiemu Games and COMP_Hack) for copyright infringement over its MMO Shin Megami Tensei Imagine Online. The game's official servers shut down in May 2016, with the revived fan server cropping up sometime in late 2020. A website that Atlus says is a "blatant copy" of the original Imagine website was also allegedly operated by Rekuiemu. The website seems to be a major pushing point for Atlus, with the suit claiming Reukuiemu "falsely added its own copyright information" alongside the ones for Atlus, Sega and co-developer Cave Interactive.

Ubisoft CEO sparks controversy by saying that making games requires 'friction'
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisoft-ceo-sparks-controversy-by-saying-that-making-games-requires-friction/
Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has sparked controversy by saying that "you need a little friction" to make videogames, a remark that's caused backlash because of the company's well-known problems with toxicity and abusiveness in the workplace.

Big Darkest Dungeon 2 update introduces progression system and hero 'memories'
https://www.pcgamer.com/big-darkest-dungeon-2-update-introduces-progression-system-and-hero-memories/
When Darkest Dungeon 2 launched into early access on the Epic Games Store in October 2021, it shared a pretty substantial piece of the campaign: it was populated with enemies and equipment, and you could reach an endpoint at The Mountain, defeating the boss that lies at the end of the game's first act.
What it didn't have, though, was much of a progression system. But that's all about to change thanks to a major update that has brought the Altar of Hope, a permanent base similar to the Hamlet in Darkest Dungeon where players can unlock classes, items, and other upgrades.

The Epic Store just got afflicted with its first NFT game
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-epic-store-just-got-afflicted-with-its-first-nft-game/
The Epic Store saw the launch of its first NFT game today, Blankos Block Party, a sort of Roblox-like creation game powered by everyone's favorite tech snake oil, Web3 and the blockchain.

A new Silent Hill game just appeared on a Korean rating site
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-new-silent-hill-game-just-appeared-on-a-korean-rating-site/
After months of speculation, leaks, and all-around confusion, the future of the Silent Hill series has grown even more bewildering thanks to something called Silent Hill: The Short Message, which was recently rated by South Korea's Game Rating and Administration Committee.

A WoW player has already hit level 80, a mere 9 hours after Wrath Classic launched
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-wow-player-has-already-hit-level-80-a-mere-9-hours-after-wrath-classic-launched/
World of Warcraft's Wrath of the Lich King Classic expansion launched just over 12 hours ago and a player has already made it to level 80. In fact, it seems he managed it in a little under nine hours.

Uh oh, Bulletstorm studio and Take-Two have an unexpected breakup
https://www.pcgamer.com/uh-oh-bulletstorm-studio-and-take-two-have-an-unexpected-breakup/
(...) People Can Fly has issued an oddly worded statement saying that it "expects that its co-operation with Take-Two Interactive will come to an end" and spinning Project Dagger being self-published as a positive. People Can Fly says "it has received from Take-Two Interactive a letter of intent to terminate the development and publishing agreement by means of mutual understanding between the parties. This agreement pertains to Project Dagger, new action-adventure IP, that has been in development for the last two years."

Multiversus decides people were levelling up too quickly, doubles the time needed
https://www.pcgamer.com/multiversus-decides-people-were-levelling-up-too-quickly-doubles-the-time-needed/
MultiVersus has doubled the amount of time needed to level up characters, much to the frustration of a handful of fans.
(...)
Unfortunately, Player First Games says in its patch notes (opens in new tab) that "players could get to level 15 of the mastery track too quickly," doubling the amount of experience needed between levels three and 15. (...)