Build advice for upgradeable gaming PC

I

IanRee

Member
Hi all
Looking to get a new desktop PC. I'm happy changing a few things like GPU / memory, but CPUs and motherboards terrify me, so I'm looking to get a build where I can happily upgrade the GPU in future if needed, but otherwise likely keep things pretty much as is.
I'm currently running a 1440p monitor (just 60hz refresh is fine for me) for games, with a secondary 1080p where I'll usually have a browser or discord running.
I'm way out of touch with current hardware other than the brief few hours I've been looking around some websites, so would like some help in checking over this build, and seeing if it's suitable for my needs, and if there's any glaring issues or advice that stands out:

Case
CORSAIR 175R RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE (Special Offer)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 14-Core Processor i5-13600K (Up to 5.1GHz) 24MB Cache
Motherboard
GIGABYTE Z790 UD (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W 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
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2 x 120mm PCS Ultra Quiet Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
ASUS PCE-AXE5400 WiFi 6E (802.11ax) (6GHz) BT 5.2
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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
The value options right now are AMD, particularly their last gen. You say you won't be upgrading the CPU, so we don't need to worry about compatibility there, so we can go for the 5800X3D. It's on a par with the lower-tier 7000 CPUs, but the overall platform is cheaper. The downside is that upgrades to CPU and RAM will be literally impossible because no new parts will be produced.

On the other hand, it's a great chip and offers a fantastic platform that will be very strong.

On the GPU front, you have several options. The obvious value options are the 6700 XT (a bit better than a 3060 Ti) or a 6950 XT (comparable to a 3090). The former is about £250 cheaper than the latter, but honestly I think the extra is worth it for a really terrific graphics card option.

Here's the option I'd go for:

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK) Super case
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.5GHz/100MB CACHE/AM4) Great gaming CPU
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! Good motherboard
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB) All the RAM you need
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 SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W) Boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) Games drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Got to have plenty of power for this system!
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE RGB High Performance CPU Cooler Really good 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 INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0 All the WiFi you need unless you are running on 6E?
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
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: £1,862.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/pDguwmsvHj/
 
I

IanRee

Member
Thanks very much for this, I'll certainly strongly consider the whole build you've suggested. The 6950 XT does look like a bit of a beast for the money!
 
I

IanRee

Member
Quick question, when I'm trying to pair the CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE RGB High Performance CPU Cooler with that particular FRACTAL FOCUS 2 case, it's saying it's not compatible
"The case you have selected can support processor cooler radiators up to 40mm. The processor cooler you have selected features a 240mm radiator. Please select a smaller processor cooler or alternatively select a different computer case."
It's weird, no matter which I pick I get the same error.
Should I try for a smaller processer cooler, or am I missing something obvious here?
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
IanRee said:
Quick question, when I'm trying to pair the CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE RGB High Performance CPU Cooler with that particular FRACTAL FOCUS 2 case, it's saying it's not compatible
"The case you have selected can support processor cooler radiators up to 40mm. The processor cooler you have selected features a 240mm radiator. Please select a smaller processor cooler or alternatively select a different computer case."
It's weird, no matter which I pick I get the same error.
Should I try for a smaller processer cooler, or am I missing something obvious here?
Click to expand...
I think it's a bug in the tool. A 40mm radiator doesn't exist. Either wait for them to fix it or give them a call in the morning.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
CountingDown said:
That is a definite bug...I have just tried doing a spec for someone else and every singly case choice was doing the same thing, even the biggest case on there. @SpyderTracks Can we highlight this case issue in the configurator to whomever needs to be notified to fix it please?
Click to expand...
Have created a thread in the Admins section including this and the issues with the upgrades.
 
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