Advice on PC spec for strategy games

[DSpurs888]

Hi,

I'm looking for any advice / comments on the spec below. I mainly want to PC for games such as Civ Vi and also to try RDR2. While I don't want to build one myself right now. I am happy to swap out parts over time, so I'm keen for something that has some longevity e.g. the motherboard, so I can upgrade over time.

Am I missing anything obvious?

Thanks.

Case
NZXT H511 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS WiFi (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 5700 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

 

[Bigfoot]

What is your budget? What monitor are you using (make and model or resolution and refresh rate)? Will you be doing anything else with the PC other than gaming?

 

[DSpurs888]

What is your budget? What monitor are you using (make and model or resolution and refresh rate)? Will you be doing anything else with the PC other than gaming?

Hi, thanks for the very quick reply.

I have a HP 27FW standard monitor 1920 x 1080 @ 60 Hz (FHD). I will be using it as a general home PC, bit of home working and storing photos etc but no specialist activities or processing.

That build was quoted at £1,173.00 including VAT. I could stretch to c £1,300.

 

[AgentCooper]

A GTX 1660 Super graphics card would have you more than covered at this level (they're out of stock at the moment but it'd bring the build to £1,295).

Case
NZXT H511 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 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
Firefox™
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 20 to 22 working days
Price: £1,042.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/MZ84vxMrj6/

 

[DSpurs888]

A GTX 1660 Super graphics card would have you more than covered at this level (they're out of stock at the moment but it'd bring the build to £1,295).

Case
NZXT H511 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 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
Firefox™
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 20 to 22 working days
Price: £1,042.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/MZ84vxMrj6/

From that information do you think I need to add more storage?

 

[MrWilson]

From that information do you think I need to add more storage?

You want as fast a boot drive as you can afford within your budget. The m.2 SSD means that you will launch Windows much faster than on a traditional SSD, and larger games such as RDR2 will benefit from shorter load times. Then you have your HDD for general storage.

 

[DSpurs888]

You want as fast a boot drive as you can afford within your budget. The m.2 SSD means that you will launch Windows much faster than on a traditional SSD, and larger games such as RDR2 will benefit from shorter load times. Then you have your HDD for general storage.

Awesome, really helpful. Thanks. As a first time user I am very impressed with how quickly people respond / help out on this forum.

 

[AgentCooper]

As a first time user I am very impressed with how quickly people respond / help out on this forum.

Not all heroes wear capes

 

[DSpurs888]

If I had £1,400 or £1,500 would you recommend a different graphics card or is it still not necessary?

 

[AgentCooper]

If I had £1,400 or £1,500 would you recommend a different graphics card or is it still not necessary?

We screen match the monitor to the GPU, you'd see very little difference even if you went for a graphics card three times the price. The monitor would be a bottleneck in that equation. But you have a strong base system there so that if you treat yourself to a fancy 1440p/4K monitor in a few years, all you'll need to do is get a graphics card to match with it and Bob's your uncle.

 

[DSpurs888]

We screen match the monitor to the GPU, you'd see very little difference even if you went for a graphics card three times the price. The monitor would be a bottleneck in that equation. But you have a strong base system there so that if you treat yourself to a fancy 1440p/4K monitor in a few years, all you'll need to do is get a graphics card to match with it and Bob's your uncle.

Ah ok, that makes sense. Thanks so much!

 

[Gavras]

I really would look at updating your screen sooner than later - this year.

that monitor has 2 of the things you really don’t want in a gaming monitor.

60hz

a 1080p monitor greater than 24“ - 25”

Not that you should, but a 24” 1080p @ 144hz gives a better picture quality and response time.

The Pixel distribution is just to wide (NB I said pixel).