Balanced Rig?

[Billwerrett]

Just want to make sure i'm not going overboard in a certain area and ignoring another. Any advice is welcome. Budget couple hundred over what this build would cost.

Case
PCS PRISM TG BLACK ARGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-11600K (3.9 GHz) 12 MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z590-P (LGA1200, USB 3.2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
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
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE LCD Display RGB CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
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 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £1,958.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Salmon Fisher]

If it were me, I'd swap the SSD for an m.2, much, much faster and not that much more expensive. Swap windows 11 for 10, ditch the Bullguard.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I thought you already had a build?

 

[Billwerrett]

I do, I'm looking for my GF. She doesn't want to go Overboard, but after the issues with my build thought I'd run it through you guys and go back to a company that knows how to fit fans properly.

 

[Billwerrett]

Also, I will 100% be getting win 10, I glossed over that, thanks for pointing it out.

 

[JUNI0R]

I do, I'm looking for my GF. She doesn't want to go Overboard, but after the issues with my build thought I'd run it through you guys and go back to a company that knows how to fit fans properly.

Heya! It'd be good to know what the budget is (assuming about £1700?), what monitor the spec will be paired with (make and model or resolution and refresh rate) and what she'll be using it for. Once we have that we'd be happy to help out!

 

[Billwerrett]

Well, I have 1440p 244hz, which i don't really need, i haven't played FPS in a long time. I think with the games she plays, 1440p 120hz would do fine (don't actually have a specific one yet), and 4k is 100% overboard in my book.

 

[JUNI0R]

Well, I have 1440p 244hz, which i don't really need, i haven't played FPS in a long time. I think with the games she plays, 1440p 120hz would do fine (don't actually have a specific one yet), and 4k is 100% overboard in my book.

Just re-read your inital message, budget seems to be about £2150? If you're not gonna give her your hand-me-down 1440p monitor, I'd recommend 1440p ~144hz, that'll go very nicely with this build

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE Higher quality and higher airflow case
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache Intel 12th gen is significantly ahead of 11th gen and the route I'd recommend, this 12700K is a solid choice
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready Better quality motherboard to handle the 12700K
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) 16GB will be ample for the average gamer
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W) Significantly faster boot SSD
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) Dedicated games SSD (you don't want to be loading games off HDD in 2022)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Extra wattage PSU
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler Larger cooler for the 12700K, will also look fantastic in the 4000D
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
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 [KUK-00001]
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 (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Well worth the 5 quid
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,137.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/YkH7rVxxUm/

 

[Billwerrett]

Awesome, thanks for the detailed reply!

My build has an SSD, boot times are still below 5 seconds, how much more is an M2 drive? I can't see any need to reduce a 5 sec boot time.

12th Gen does look impressive, saw the I3 12400 even has good benchmarks.

Hdd shouldn't really be used for games, more like docs or my older games that I still enjoy (Can't beat a bit of Stronghold Crusader)

 

[JUNI0R]

Awesome, thanks for the detailed reply!

No worries!

My build has an SSD, boot times are still below 5 seconds, how much more is an M2 drive? I can't see any need to reduce a 5 sec boot time.

I remember going from SATA SSD to Gen 3 SSD and the loading times being incredible. Realistically I can't see anyone needing more than Gen 3, so if you wanted to go with a 'better value' setup you could do something like the following

1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)

12th Gen does look impressive, saw the I3 12400 even has good benchmarks.

the i5? Indeed! Intel have been doing really well with 12th gen, we just need PCS to add B660 boards 😂

Hdd shouldn't really be used for games, more like docs or my older games that I still enjoy (Can't beat a bit of Stronghold Crusader)

Ahhh okay, good to know!

 

[Billwerrett]

Hmmm, would 500GB be enough, I probably wasn't clear enough, I do have some of my newer games in my SSD, but HDD isn't used for many games from the past 5 years. I think empire total war is the newest game I have on that drive. Can't deny that red dead 2 does take a while for the first load.

 

[JUNI0R]

Hmmm, would 500GB be enough, I probably wasn't clear enough, I do have some of my newer games in my SSD, but HDD isn't used for many games from the past 5 years. I think empire total war is the newest game I have on that drive. Can't deny that red dead 2 does take a while for the first load.

I'd personally recommend going for 2 drives, it just means if you need to re-install windows for any reason you don't also have to re-download your game library. it'd also keep the system running faster- it's a nice to have but not vital. I think 500GB would be too small as a single drive. I reckon a 1TB would be enough though