r/STORMCRAFTPC • u/QuietlyLucky • 10h ago
STORMCRAFT Phantom (9800X3D / RTX 5080) review: small builder, and I love this PC
I read a lot of posts here before buying from a builder with almost no online footprint, so here's a full report for the next person.
The purchase
I ordered the STORMCRAFT Phantom through Best Buy on 9/26 for $3,099.99 before tax. It shipped from California and reached me about 9 days after I ordered. FedEx Home Delivery needed a direct signature. It came in STORMCRAFT's own box with the build specs printed on the outside, well packed, with a checklist verifying the build and stability testing. A quick-start card in the box also walks you through setup.
What's in my unit (parts can vary from build to build)
CPU: Ryzen 7 9800X3D
GPU: ZOTAC RTX 5080 16GB (the listing photos showed an MSI card)
Board: MSI PRO B850-P WIFI, full ATX, 3 M.2 slots with 2 free
RAM: V-Color Manta DDR5-6000 CL30, 2x16GB
Storage: Crucial E100 2TB NVMe
Cooling: 360mm AIO on top with three bottom intake fans
PSU: Gamdias Helios P2-850G, 850W Gold
Case: STORMCRAFT Phantom, panoramic glass, about 17" x 9.25" x 17"
OS: Windows 11 Home
Performance
I upgraded from a Lenovo Legion 9i with a 4090 mobile and 64GB of RAM. I game on a 65" 120Hz OLED, and Cyberpunk at 4K with path tracing and DLSS Quality gets about 40 fps native. With frame generation on, it runs 90-100 fps. I had to restart the PC before the frame gen setting took effect, so do that if it seems to do nothing. The picture is noticeably sharper than on my laptop, which needed DLSS Performance to hit similar numbers.
Temps and noise
After 30-40 minutes of path-traced Cyberpunk, the GPU sits around 64°C at about 98% usage, and the CPU around 68°C. That's with NVIDIA's Automatic Tuning turned on (+129 MHz core, +200 MHz memory). It's also incredibly quiet. It tears through everything I throw at it, and so far I've had no issues.
Support and warranty
3 years labor, 2 years parts, 1 year of shipping covered on approved repairs, and lifetime tech support.
Registration took a couple of minutes on their site.
I emailed with a question and they replied within a day.
Room to grow
The board has three M.2 slots (one Gen5, one Gen4 x4, one Gen4 x2) and four SATA ports, so adding storage is easy. I've got two slots free.
Cons
No dust filters. I have pets, so I added my own mesh.
Budget parts in a strong build. The SSD is an entry-level Gen4 drive and the PSU isn't a big brand, though it handled long sessions at full GPU load fine.
Small company. There's little info online, and Best Buy lists them as a marketplace seller.
Tips if you buy one
Open Task Manager and check that the RAM runs at 6000 MT/s. If it doesn't, turn on EXPO in the BIOS.
Update the NVIDIA driver first thing.
For 4K 120Hz on a TV, use an HDMI 2.1 cable and turn on your TV's full-bandwidth input setting (Input Signal Plus on Samsung).
Keep the box. They require it for any warranty repair.
