£2k budget for gaming/heavy Excel using 2560x1440 140Hz ASUS VG27 WQIB

[carmor]

Hi there ladies and gents

I could really use your help to spec up a new PC used primarily for gaming but also for work (heavy Get and Transform user in Excel). My monitor is ASUS VG27 WQ1B. Games likely to include Starfield (quelle surprise), modded Civ 6 until Civ 7 comes out, Elden Ring + upcoming expansion, Hogwarts Legacy.

I love gaming but I'm also severely sight impaired and need to protect the vision I have remaining and so am open to suggestions on monitor choice (as well as a pointer towards suitable settings to help reduce eye strain. I suck at this).

Re: graphics cards; ideally I'd like to find a card that is powerful enough to play current and future games joyfully at 1440 settings, but also which is on the cooler / more energy efficient side. Is the Radeon 6950 XT a good choice in that respect? My aim is comparative long-term savings via reduced energy use over the longer term. At the same time, I don't want to select a card that reduces overall performance too much; £2k is a lot of money for me.

Any word on whether or not the issue w/DDR5 6000mhz memory will be resolved soon? I'd be happy to wait before ordering if 6000mhz will be available imminently.

Thanks in advance for reading this far; I enjoy reading the posts here and hope to benefit from your collective greater knowledge.

The specification below has been formatted so you can easily copy and paste this to our forums when discussing your specification. Once you've copied the specification, please click here to continue.
Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE Is this a good case for the components below?

Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) I know that this processor might be OTT for my needs but using the configuration tool it is coming up as excellent value compared to the alternatives so might be better value, thinking in the longer term?

Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)

Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB) Should I hold out until 6000 MHz is available/stable?

Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6950 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12 Is this card an energy hog? If there is an alternative out there that is (nearly) just as good but more energy efficient, I'd love to consider it.

Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)

1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)

1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2700MB/sW)

Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET I would have selected 700W left to my own devices but have been reading the forum suggestions here, so ...

Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)

Processor Cooling
DeepCool AK400 Performance CPU Cooler Is this sufficient?

Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £2,057.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/GfxREAEc9!/

 

[sck451]

The power draw on the 6950 XT is around 10% higher than, say, the 4070 Ti. I'd describe that as "not a big deal" personally.

Not sure I could improve that system for your use in any way: it looks great. Sadly, no idea about the DDR5-6000 memory. The 1000W PSU is definitely wise, and for gaming purposes that air cooler will be fine for the 7800X3D.

 

[carmor]

Just a quick thank you for all of the feedback and advice you've provided on this forum; I ordered the following system last night after reading through various recommendations and getting advice on my own spec. Now just waiting for the following system to enter into production.

It is not too late to tweak it if anyone sees any issues.

Thanks again!



Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6950 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor Cables
1 x 1.8 METRE GOLD PLATED V2.1 Certified HDMI CABLE
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/m3Bw2BqAnx/

PCSPECIALIST - Configure the AMD Am5 PC to your ideal requirements.

PCSpecialist is an award-winning manufacturer of high quality custom PCs & Laptops. Configure the AMD Am5 PC to your ideal requirements.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[sck451]

I'd strongly suggest modifying that build and adding a better cooler. The PCS 100 cooler is not enough for a 7800X3D in reality. You reallyu should upgrade this to the H100i. To save the money back, I'd suggest going to the P41+ for the secondary SSD and downgrading to Windows 11 Home unless you very specifically need Professional features: very few people actually do. (Also, in the config tool it is showing up with a WiFi card: you don't need this, but I think it's probably a bug in the tool, not something you've ordered.)

Finally, I'd suggest connecting to your display via DisplayPort, not via HDMI, especially as your monitor (a Tuf VG27WQ1B looking at your previous posts) doesn't support HDMI 2.1. (It's not strictly speaking necessary for 1440p 165Hz, but still, DP is better.)

 

[SpyderTracks]

Also, is there a reason for Windows Pro? It's not like previous version where it added loads of functionality, it's really only domain tools if you're joining a domain to be able to be compliant with the domain policies.

 

[Scott]

Would always recommend getting the advice before hitting the button. The changes you have made over the advised spec previously either don't add anything but cost money, or detract from the overall quality of the initial build.

Everything covered above, but I would get those changes in

 

[carmor]

Gah! Good spot! I had NOT intentionally changed the cooler from the original and didn't even clock that it was different! 😬 Huge thanks for spotting that, along with the Window Home vs Professional issue. Only change I deliberately made was to the drives, as for some reason the configurator removed the second drive when I opened the quote and so needed to fix that. Didn't twig that the cooler I originally selected was replaced with the PCS one! Updated the order now, whew, and also took your advice on the Display Port cable. Really appreciate all of your input. You folks are the best.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Gah! Good spot! I had NOT intentionally changed the cooler from the original and didn't even clock that it was different! 😬 Huge thanks for spotting that, along with the Window Home vs Professional issue. Only change I deliberately made was to the drives, as for some reason the configurator removed the second drive when I opened the quote and so needed to fix that. Didn't twig that the cooler I originally selected was replaced with the PCS one! Updated the order now, whew, and also took your advice on the Display Port cable. Really appreciate all of your input. You folks are the best.

Can you post your new specs?

 

[Scott]

The 980s aren't really a good choice now with the Solid & Corsair offerings with far better endurance.

 

[carmor]

Hi Spyder, Hi Scott; thanks for having a look. Which drives would you recommend? I'm definitely open to suggestions. Here is the order with the amendment below.

PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK SPECIFICATION

The specification below has been formatted so you can easily copy and paste this to our forums when discussing your specification. Once you've copied the specification, please click here to continue.
Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6950 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor Cables
1 x 1.8 METRE GOLD PLATED V2.1 Certified HDMI CABLE
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/!cEhp8APmN/

Showing Order Reference 2621104
Item 1	Amendments Charge: £0.00
Item 2	Change to [1 x 2m DisplayPort Adapter Cable - Mini DP (m) to DP (m)] from [1 x 1.8 METRE GOLD PLATED V2.1 Certified HDMI CABLE]
Item 3	Change to [Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]] from [Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence]
Item 4	Change to [CORSAIR H100i ELITE RGB High Performance CPU Cooler] from [PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler]

Pricing Information
Price (Ex VAT)	£53.33
Price	£64.00

 

[SpyderTracks]

Any reason for the Mini DP to DP cable? Does your monitor only support mini DP?

I would drop down to the SolidGM P440 Pros which have higher endurance for a little less money while being around the same speeds.

 

[carmor]

Thanks, Spyder - you are all brilliant. I cancelled the cable for now and included the SolidGM P440 Pros and saved some money to boot. I will switch from using HDMI to Display Port (easy to order from many places); great advice there too.