Basic PC spec

[shawt]

Hi,
I'd been thinking about replacing my existing PC which I bought from PCSpecialist 7 years ago but over the weekend the PSU fan became noisy, even after I vacuumed it out - there was a collection of fluff on the mesh below the PSU. This seems a good time to replace it so I drew up the spec below.
My main use is Windows applications, mostly Word and Excel, with web browsing, email and photo storage - probably fairly light usage with no gaming or video/music editing.
I plan to keep using my Dell U2515 monitor with a sound bar which I'm happy with.
My budget is about £1,000.
I was about to place my order and saw the site's Spec Check forum and I'd be very grateful if anyone would have a look and tell me if there are any problems with it or suggest any improvements.
Thanks

Case
COOLERMASTER SILENCIO S600 QUIET MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400F (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z590-P (LGA1200, USB 3.2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)

1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
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
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 - Approximately 4 to 7 working days
Price: £978.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-home-office-pc-III/p0!NhG69e3/

 

[AgentCooper]

First of all, a plea from AgentCooper… please don’t vacuum your PC, vacuum cleaners generate large amounts of static electricity and if that hops across to your motherboard you can easily brick the entire system. Treat yourself to a CompuCleaner Xpert instead, a few minutes of that will dislodge all kinds of fluff and lint. Much better and eco friendly than using cans of compressed air.

I’d suggest doing that and seeing how your system performs afterwards. If it works and sounds fine then there’s no need for an expensive PC upgrade.

 

[Scott]

Totally agree with all of the above. I'm greedy though, so I would spend the change

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.9GHz-4.4GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
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
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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
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 4 to 7 working days
Price: £1,004.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/6mnVubPtwD/

 

[Scott]

I did consider the 2 M.2 SSDs (which the ultra-fast 980)...however, for general use, it seemed a bit overkill. Personally, I have an M.2 SSD the same speed as the PCS one and I use mine for streaming, video editing, gaming etc and it is fast enough. Guess it depends if the OP thinks it's worth the extra £70.

There's not a lot in it to be honest, but additionally the £70 equates to an extra 500GB of storage as well, along with the reduced hassle should it come time for a reformat (which I would always recommend). It is a bit of a toss up, but for a plug it in and forget solution I think it's worthwhile. I would never put all my eggs in one basket with a modern system.

I would definitely opt for the 5600G regardless though

 

[shawt]

Thank you all for your help and comments. I think I'll try the CompuCleaner Xpert first to save all the hassle for now. If that doesn't work then I'll adopt the suggestions like switching to AMD processors, storage and power supply - I'd like to have as near to silent as I can. I included a graphics card as I thought that might produce better results for my photos - excuse my lack of knowledge but I equated graphics with on-screen results.
I'll let you know how I get on and thanks again.

 

[Scott]

Thank you all for your help and comments. I think I'll try the CompuCleaner Xpert first to save all the hassle for now. If that doesn't work then I'll adopt the suggestions like switching to AMD processors, storage and power supply - I'd like to have as near to silent as I can. I included a graphics card as I thought that might produce better results for my photos - excuse my lack of knowledge but I equated graphics with on-screen results.
I'll let you know how I get on and thanks again.

I think that's the most sensible approach to be honest.

If you decide to bite the bullet on a new system I would consider the suggestions given or discuss anything you want to alter. Just a heads up, the S600 case you have isn't a good case for performance. It may be good for acoustics, but it's not a good thermal performer and will be contributing to your current issues. There's a reason why we don't suggest certain options, even from the PCS configurator. They aren't all winners.

For silence, proper silence, you would want the Fracal Define case. It will cost you a bit more of your budget, but silent performance costs money unfortunately.

I would also want a H115i cooler on there, to be whisper quiet, regardless of CPU selection. It'll make a difference to airflow through the case too while you wouldn't even know it was on.

Regarding the graphics card. You don't need one at all with the systems suggested. The on-board gpu power is fine for your uses. The GPU would only come into play when rendering effects (at a professional level you would want the 2060 level of GPU, otherwise on-board is fine). It won't have any impact on visual fidelity, it's purely down to refresh rate and effect time.

 

[sck451]

Totally agree with all of the above. I'm greedy though, so I would spend the change

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600G Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.9GHz-4.4GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
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
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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
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 4 to 7 working days
Price: £1,004.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/6mnVubPtwD/

No point getting the 980 with the 5600G as it only supports PCIe 3.0.

 

[Scott]

No point getting the 980 with the 5600G as it only supports PCIe 3.0.

Really? That's a bit rubbish isn't it.

I would just go for 2 of the Intel offerings in that case. At least you know the endurance on them is top notch

 

[sck451]

Really? That's a bit rubbish isn't it.

I would just go for 2 of the Intel offerings in that case. At least you know the endurance on them is top notch

Yep. All the Cezanne chips (any Ryzen 5000 that has integrated graphics, plus the 5500) are 3.0 only.

 

[shawt]

A quick update - the CompuCleaner Xpert arrived today and I used it to blast the PC case, especially the fans and around the PSU, plugged everything back in, booted it up and it's been running now for well over 3 hours without any noise at all. I was slightly sceptical abouat it sorting it out, thinking the dust and fluff had got into the fan shaft/bearings and the Xpert wouldn't be able to clear that out- but I was completely wrong and it might actually be quieter now than for a while; so thank you very much AgentCooper you were right, it was money well spent. Now the rush has gone I'll probably get a new PC some time based on the advice generously given - thank you all again.

 

[MrWilson]

A quick update - the CompuCleaner Xpert arrived today and I used it to blast the PC case, especially the fans and around the PSU, plugged everything back in, booted it up and it's been running now for well over 3 hours without any noise at all. I was slightly sceptical abouat it sorting it out, thinking the dust and fluff had got into the fan shaft/bearings and the Xpert wouldn't be able to clear that out- but I was completely wrong and it might actually be quieter now than for a while; so thank you very much AgentCooper you were right, it was money well spent. Now the rush has gone I'll probably get a new PC some time based on the advice generously given - thank you all again.

This has put the final nail in the coffin. I’ve been contemplating purchasing a CompuCleaner for a little while now having seen glowing reviews on the forum, and with your most recent testimonial I have decided to take the plunge and purchase.
It’ll be nice to give my PC and peripherals a proper blast, and given that we are moving house next month it can also be useful on dealing with some of the attic goods I’m sure!

 

[SpyderTracks]

This has put the final nail in the coffin. I’ve been contemplating purchasing a CompuCleaner for a little while now having seen glowing reviews on the forum, and with your most recent testimonial I have decided to take the plunge and purchase.
It’ll be nice to give my PC and peripherals a proper blast, and given that we are moving house next month it can also be useful on dealing with some of the attic goods I’m sure!

A quick update - the CompuCleaner Xpert arrived today and I used it to blast the PC case, especially the fans and around the PSU, plugged everything back in, booted it up and it's been running now for well over 3 hours without any noise at all. I was slightly sceptical abouat it sorting it out, thinking the dust and fluff had got into the fan shaft/bearings and the Xpert wouldn't be able to clear that out- but I was completely wrong and it might actually be quieter now than for a while; so thank you very much AgentCooper you were right, it was money well spent. Now the rush has gone I'll probably get a new PC some time based on the advice generously given - thank you all again.

I need a new meme for this, the Simpsons one is definitely worn out:

 

[AgentCooper]

AgentCooper you were right

Now there’s a sentence I don’t hear very often (I’m in a long term relationship).

It’s a pleasure, happy to help. It’s part of the beauty of this forum being looked after by volunteers. Whilst we’re very happy to help people spend money on new PCs, as tech enthusiasts we’ll also not want you to be spending needlessly.

All hail our gusty overlord, the CompuCleaner Xpert!

 

[Martinr36]

This has put the final nail in the coffin. I’ve been contemplating purchasing a CompuCleaner for a little while now having seen glowing reviews on the forum, and with your most recent testimonial I have decided to take the plunge and purchase.
It’ll be nice to give my PC and peripherals a proper blast, and given that we are moving house next month it can also be useful on dealing with some of the attic goods I’m sure!

Good to have you in the fold

 

[AccidentalDenz]

This has put the final nail in the coffin. I’ve been contemplating purchasing a CompuCleaner for a little while now having seen glowing reviews on the forum, and with your most recent testimonial I have decided to take the plunge and purchase.
It’ll be nice to give my PC and peripherals a proper blast, and given that we are moving house next month it can also be useful on dealing with some of the attic goods I’m sure!

 

[shawt]

A little follow up - the next day after running for about 20 minutes the noise started up again. Itook it outside this time and blasted everything again concentrating on the PSU fan. I then cleaned around the desk and got rid of the dust bunnies that we there, something I hadn't done originally. Put everything back together, mswitched on and it ran noiselessly for the rest of the day.
About ten minutes after switching on this morning the noise started up and so I switched off, removed a side panel from the PC and gave the insides a good blast again, replaced the panel, booted up and it's been running quietly for over 7 hours. It's not too tedious a task but I'm hoping that tomorrow it will be quiet without my intervention.
Or maybe it's my PC's swansong . . .
I should also add that I found another use for the Xpert for the extractor fan in a shower where dust and damp had blocked to intake but a fine grill stopped me from scraping it off, the Xpert did the job as well as showering me with some debris !

 

[AgentCooper]

I should also add that I found another use for the Xpert for the extractor fan in a shower where dust and damp had blocked to intake but a fine grill stopped me from scraping it off, the Xpert did the job as well as showering me with some debris !

It’s also great for doing behind the radiators and clearing the air vents in the car.

Do you own a dog?

 

[shawt]

No but we do have two cats, one long-haired

 

[Aza]

I wouldnt recommend blowing it in their faces....cats hold grudges.

 

[shawt]

I know and have the scars to prove it