Check my Spec

I got a gaming laptop from PC Specialist about 6 years ago. It's done me fantastically, but at this point, it's really starting to show the stress of 6 years of gaming, so I'm looking at upgrading to a desktop. The main games I play are Crusader Kings 3 and Age of Empires 4, but I also use it for playing D&D over discord, which may include some streaming soon. I do occasionally play some more graphically demanding games, but for the strategy games I play I sort of feel like the processor is more important than graphics.

Budget is roughly 1500, which I know this is over, and leads me to why I'm posting. I have a basic understanding of how all the components interact, but I don't know if I could be doing better for my budget. And for the most part I've only ever used Intel/Nvidia, so I dont really know if I could be better better performance from similar AMD products.

At this budget is it worth spliting the storage into one main for the OS, and storing the games and everything else on another drive?

For the monitor I was intending to use a finlux 32' LED tv that I've been using as a second monitor to my laptop, but I'd be open to monitor suggestions, if they can be kept within budget.

Let me know if there's any information I've forgotten to provide.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 16-Core Processor i9-12900 (Up to 5.1GHz) 30MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B760M-PLUS WIFI II (mATX, LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB ASUS DUAL GEFORCE RTX 4060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR ELITE MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6200 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CX SERIES™ CX-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ASUS Xonar SE 5.1-Channel Gaming Audio Card
Network Card
ONBOARD LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Google Chrome™
Speakers
LOGITECH Z207 SPEAKERS
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS & UK OFFSHORE ISLANDS / N IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £1,528.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/ndKVjWbcqj/
 

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I got a gaming laptop from PC Specialist about 6 years ago. It's done me fantastically, but at this point, it's really starting to show the stress of 6 years of gaming, so I'm looking at upgrading to a desktop. The main games I play are Crusader Kings 3 and Age of Empires 4, but I also use it for playing D&D over discord, which may include some streaming soon. I do occasionally play some more graphically demanding games, but for the strategy games I play I sort of feel like the processor is more important than graphics.

Budget is roughly 1500, which I know this is over, and leads me to why I'm posting. I have a basic understanding of how all the components interact, but I don't know if I could be doing better for my budget. And for the most part I've only ever used Intel/Nvidia, so I dont really know if I could be better better performance from similar AMD products.

At this budget is it worth spliting the storage into one main for the OS, and storing the games and everything else on another drive?

For the monitor I was intending to use a finlux 32' LED tv that I've been using as a second monitor to my laptop, but I'd be open to monitor suggestions, if they can be kept within budget.

Let me know if there's any information I've forgotten to provide.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 16-Core Processor i9-12900 (Up to 5.1GHz) 30MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B760M-PLUS WIFI II (mATX, LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB ASUS DUAL GEFORCE RTX 4060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR ELITE MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6200 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CX SERIES™ CX-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ASUS Xonar SE 5.1-Channel Gaming Audio Card
Network Card
ONBOARD LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Google Chrome™
Speakers
LOGITECH Z207 SPEAKERS
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS & UK OFFSHORE ISLANDS / N IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £1,528.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/ndKVjWbcqj/
I wouldn't buy that system because it's an outdated, poorly designed platform with no room for future upgrades.

Your budget is pretty limited for a decent, modern system; you cannot expect much more than an entry-level 1080p gaming PC. I would also consider to get a suitable 1080p monitor, which would costs another £150-200.

N.B. The 9700x is a placeholder. You'd need the new 9800X3D, which would be available in a week or so.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.5GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7600 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP
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 SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB 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
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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
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 5 to 7 working days

Price: £1,598.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/kfvCyRX2UV/
 
Last edited:
I wouldn't buy that system because it's an outdated, poorly designed platform with no room for future updates.

Your budget is pretty limited for a decent, modern system; you cannot expect much more than an entry-level 1080p gaming PC. I would also consider to get a suitable 1080p monitor, which would costs another £150-200.

N.B. The 9700x is a placeholder. You'd need the new 9800X3D, which would be available in a week or so.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.5GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7600 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP
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 SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB 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
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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
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 5 to 7 working days

Price: £1,598.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/kfvCyRX2UV/

What would you suggest for the monitor?
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Currently considering these monitors:


But will likely have to invest in speakers also.

I assume this doesn't really affect the build, since you said the best I could do within budget was entry 1080p
At £1500 you can get a basic 1080p build, if you're including a monitor in that, you can't really build a worthwhile PC

So we need to know what the budget is we're working to.
 
1500 was the budget but Ekans said it wasn't feasible to include the monitor within that budget. So the montiors I'm considering will be on top of the 1500. (Although the suggested build by Ekans was closer to 1600).
 

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
1500 was the budget but Ekans said it wasn't feasible to include the monitor within that budget. So the montiors I'm considering will be on top of the 1500. (Although the suggested build by Ekans was closer to 1600).
Yes, my build was closer to £1600, but it's now over £1750 because the 9800X3D is significantly more expensive than expected (£200 more than the 9700X). You could downgrade to a 7700, which isn't ideal for gaming, but there are no other possibilities within your budget.

The first MSI monitor is a QHD, and the suggested PC cannot handle that resolution: 1440p requires a budget of at least £2000-2200
The second one is a 27' FHD that is too big for the resolution, and I have no idea what panel it is. Maybe @SpyderTracks knows about it?
 
Yes, my build was closer to £1600, but it's now over £1750 because the 9800X3D is significantly more expensive than expected (£200 more than the 9700X). You could downgrade to a 7700, which isn't ideal for gaming, but there are no other possibilities within your budget.

The first MSI monitor is a QHD, and the suggested PC cannot handle that resolution: 1440p requires a budget of at least £2000-2200
The second one is a 27' FHD that is too big for the resolution, and I have no idea what panel it is. Maybe @SpyderTracks knows about it?

So when you say that it cannot handle that resolution, what exactly does that mean? It just won't work, or it just won't look as good as it should?

If it works but isn't optimal, I could purchase, and consider upgrading the GPU later, yeah?

If it just doesn't work, I'll narrow the search to 1080p.

I'll consider the 9800x3D.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
So when you say that it cannot handle that resolution, what exactly does that mean? It just won't work, or it just won't look as good as it should?

If it works but isn't optimal, I could purchase, and consider upgrading the GPU later, yeah?

If it just doesn't work, I'll narrow the search to 1080p.

I'll consider the 9800x3D.
These days, under 100fps in the main is not considered "gaming", it's too low

Resolution is the number of pixels. So 1440p is almost 2 x the pixels of 1080p. To drive more pixels you need more power. Your budget does not allow for a 1440p GPU, not even close, a 1440p GPU is about £500 just for the GPU.

No matter what GPU you buy now, it's the first thing you'll need to upgrade in a couple of years, games and technology is moving at an incredibly fast rate at the moment, so a 1080p GPU now won't be able to run modern games at 1080p within a couple of years. The idea is you upgrade your GPU every few years to maintain performance.

If you are settling for a 1080p system now (Which I strongly recommend NOT because you're actually spending far more for very poor experience) then you want a decent base that can allow for a mid range GPU upgrade in a few years at which time you can upgrade the monitor too.


1080p by todays standards is a huge no no, it's such a poor experience and price wise it's not much more to get to 1440p which will last a lot longer before you're sick of it.

My advice would just be to save up some more cash until you can afford a 1440p system.
 
Last edited:
That's part of what I'm asking, is can I build the system, use the 1440p monitor, and then I'll only have to upgrade the GPU in a few years, rather than both the GPU and monitor, but if I understand, the answer is 'no'.

What's the £2000 build for a 1440p system?
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
That's part of what I'm asking, is can I build the system, use the 1440p monitor, and then I'll only have to upgrade the GPU in a few years, rather than both the GPU and monitor, but if I understand, the answer is 'no'.

What's the £2000 build for a 1440p system?
That’s just been explained in full, the answer is no, you don’t have the budget to be able to push 1440p
 
You said a 1440p GPU is about 500. 500 on top of my current budget is 2000.

Ekans also indicated that the minimum spend for a 1440p computer is 2000.

So I'm asking what does that £2000 system configuration look like?

Even if you just take Ekans configuration and suggest alternative GPUs, that would be helpful.
 

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
You said a 1440p GPU is about 500. 500 on top of my current budget is 2000.

Ekans also indicated that the minimum spend for a 1440p computer is 2000.

So I'm asking what does that £2000 system configuration look like?

Even if you just take Ekans configuration and suggest alternative GPUs, that would be helpful.
The 4070 and 7800XT are the minimum GPUs for 1440p, but keep in mind that the initial build was pretty basic; all components must be balanced each others to create a decent system that can be upgraded over the machine's life cycle (7-10 years).

Here's an example of decent 1440p gaming system.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X870-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP
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 SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB 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
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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
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 5 to 7 working days

Price: £2,151.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/u7bUCuzEyH/
 
The 4070 and 7800XT are the minimum GPUs for 1440p, but keep in mind that the initial build was pretty basic; all components must be balanced each others to create a decent system that can be upgraded over the machine's life cycle (7-10 years).

Here's an example of decent 1440p gaming system.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X870-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP
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 SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB 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
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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
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 5 to 7 working days

Price: £2,151.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/u7bUCuzEyH/

Thank you
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
To answer that question: Yes, you can buy a 1440p monitor and run it at 1080p (just change Windows resolution to 1080p or just change it for each game you play in the game's settings). A couple of year ago, I played a racing game for a few months at 1080p on my 4k TV as I was testing something and it was fine. It won't be perfect but, if finances say there's no other optoin, then it would do
4k is very different as 1080p goes into 4k without factorising, whereas 1440p doesn't.
 
Top