Feedback on unlimited budget Voice Acting work and gaming build

[Shotliff_13]

Hey all,

Looking at replacing an older PC that has suffered from years of daily use and abuse. My current PC is an i5-7600k, Nvidia GTX 1060, with 16GB of RAM. It has served me well but I am ready for an upgrade.

In terms of usage: It gets used 8-10 hours a day as I also use it for work. I am a voice actor which means I am running Adobe Audition up to six hours a day as well as multiple different messaging apps to talk to different clients in the background. Chrome is running all the time as well for messaging purposes and reading scripts. When not working it gets used for gaming. My current PC won't run the latest releases particularly well, even on lowest graphical settings.

The new PC needs to be used for the same work load as well as be able to run the latest released games as well as reasonably possible, in 4k ideally (don't have a 4k monitor currently but I will be upgrading to one). I will always be running two monitors but only my first one will be a brand new 4K monitor, the second will be a Viseo273D I use as my main monitor currently. If anyone has advice on a good monitor to buy, I'm all ears.

To make my day job easier, I would like the PC to run as quietly as possible (minimising background noise is vital to voice acting). I know that liquid cooling will be quieter but the price increase seems large so a quiet fan based cooling system would be best. Though if there is a good argument for liquid cooling then I am open to suggestions at a sensible price. This is the first time I have been in the position to spend big money on a PC and would like the best possible gaming experience from it. In terms of budget it is basically unlimited but at the same time spending the extra £800 for a 4090 over a 4080 super seems very OTT to me. So an unlimited budget, but not stupid, so if something is going to be a big jump in price I want there to be a good reason for it.

This is what I have at the moment: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/BmSaKYKYa4/

Case
FRACTAL DESIGN TORRENT RGB MID TOWER CASE
Promotional Item
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME X670-P-CSM (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4080 SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR
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
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/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 LINK H115i 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
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
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™

Having read the stickied thread about having your OS on one SSD and everything else on another I have configured the storage in that way. At the moment I survive on a 512GB SSD for everything so my housekeeping for storage is pretty good as it is. I'm never going to have more than a couple of big games installed at any one time. Most of my storage of audio files for work is cloud based, though I will have up to 100x 100mb .WAV files stored in the drive at any one time if that makes a difference.

The case I have chosen is for the aesthetic over anything else so please say if a change to something else would be better for performance.

I'll be giving the current PC away to a friend in need when the new one arrives so a new Windows license is necessary.

I'd love any feedback on improvements and changes that you would make to the build.
If there any any obvious savings then I'd like to make them, or if there is anything I should obviously spend more on, then I'll do that as well.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

 

[sck451]

First off, I'd slightly question the 4K monitor. A really good 1440p or ultrawide display may well give you a better experience, as even a 4080 Super won't do 144Hz or whatever in a fair few titles. 1440p is a really good experience while saving you money. But it depends what precisely you want for work purposes, I guess.

Here's the build I'd suggest for you. It saves a bit of money but is better all-round. The only element I'd question is the Fractal Torrent case with that cooler: the Torrent is designed for air cooling, and doesn't work well with a liquid cooler. I'd either go for the AIO cooler you have selected with, say, the Corsair 5000X, or I'd go for the Torrent with the excellent DeepCool air cooler.

Case
FRACTAL DESIGN TORRENT RGB MID TOWER CASE As above
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6) Better quality motherboard, integrated WiFi
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4080 SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR
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) Might as well double your SSD capacity. I've suggested going a little slower, as the benefits won't be enormous.
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Extra PSU capacity to be on the safe side
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR ICUE LINK H115i RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER As above
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
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
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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: £2,607.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/n9MH8m0Fna/

 

[Shotliff_13]

First off, I'd slightly question the 4K monitor. A really good 1440p or ultrawide display may well give you a better experience, as even a 4080 Super won't do 144Hz or whatever in a fair few titles. 1440p is a really good experience while saving you money. But it depends what precisely you want for work purposes, I guess.

Here's the build I'd suggest for you. It saves a bit of money but is better all-round. The only element I'd question is the Fractal Torrent case with that cooler: the Torrent is designed for air cooling, and doesn't work well with a liquid cooler. I'd either go for the AIO cooler you have selected with, say, the Corsair 5000X, or I'd go for the Torrent with the excellent DeepCool air cooler.

Case
FRACTAL DESIGN TORRENT RGB MID TOWER CASE As above
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6) Better quality motherboard, integrated WiFi
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4080 SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR
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) Might as well double your SSD capacity. I've suggested going a little slower, as the benefits won't be enormous.
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Extra PSU capacity to be on the safe side
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR ICUE LINK H115i RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER As above
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
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
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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: £2,607.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/n9MH8m0Fna/

Thanks a lot for the advice.

I don't need the Wifi card for the mother board as I am wired into our router so that saves another couple of quid. I can see that the B650 allows for higher speed RAM which is obviously a plus, but why is it almost £100 cheaper than the X670?

PCPartPicker reckons the power draw of the system is 618W, will 750 not give me enough head room as it is? Or is the 850W worth it incase I decide to upgrade GPU in the future?

I think I miss understood the cooling when selecting it. I will go with the Corsair 5000X case as it should run quieter with a liquid cool I think.

 

[TonyCarter]

Thanks a lot for the advice.

I don't need the Wifi card for the mother board as I am wired into our router so that saves another couple of quid. I can see that the B650 allows for higher speed RAM which is obviously a plus, but why is it almost £100 cheaper than the X670?

PCPartPicker reckons the power draw of the system is 618W, will 750 not give me enough head room as it is? Or is the 850W worth it incase I decide to upgrade GPU in the future?

I think I miss understood the cooling when selecting it. I will go with the Corsair 5000X case as it should run quieter with a liquid cool I think.

The higher level PSU is to 1) cover upgrade scenarios; 2) cover power spike scenarios; 3) ensure the PSU operates in its most efficient window of 40-60%.

 

[sck451]

Thanks a lot for the advice.

I don't need the Wifi card for the mother board as I am wired into our router so that saves another couple of quid. I can see that the B650 allows for higher speed RAM which is obviously a plus, but why is it almost £100 cheaper than the X670?

The difference is between the motherboard chipset and the model. The Tuf model is better than the Prime model. X670 has more connectivity than B650 (a bit more USB, more high-speed PCIe) but for your needs you don't need the extra connectivity. I'd go with the B650 and get a decent mid-tier like the Tuf board. It does have WiFi, which you say you don't need, but that does also mean it has Bluetooth, which might be useful? In any case, it's the lowest tier board I'd want to recommend and having the WiFi doesn't cost you anything!

PCPartPicker reckons the power draw of the system is 618W, will 750 not give me enough head room as it is? Or is the 850W worth it incase I decide to upgrade GPU in the future?

You'll probably be fine. However, probably isn't enough for me with a power supply. Give yourself a bit more headroom to be on the safe side, to allow for more upgrades, and to make the system more efficient and more quiet. The difference in cost is quite small, so I would definitely pay it.

I think I miss understood the cooling when selecting it. I will go with the Corsair 5000X case as it should run quieter with a liquid cool I think.

With the 7800X3D it won't make much of a difference as it's very efficient. You'd probably find the Torrent is a little better for the graphics card cooling, but it's not massive. Honestly you can't go far wrong either way.

 

[Shotliff_13]

Thanks a lot for the feedback both. 850W it is.

Motherboards have always been something that has defeated me in terms of the difference a high end vs mid tier board can make. Is it worthwhile upgrading to the GIGABYTE B650 over the TUF board?

In terms of cooling. I like the Torrent case more so would rather go that way and if it will be slightly better on the graphics card then that is a bonus. Is the Deepcool AK620 a worthwhile upgrade over the AK400?

 

[sck451]

Thanks a lot for the feedback both. 850W it is.

Motherboards have always been something that has defeated me in terms of the difference a high end vs mid tier board can make. Is it worthwhile upgrading to the GIGABYTE B650 over the TUF board?

In terms of cooling. I like the Torrent case more so would rather go that way and if it will be slightly better on the graphics card then that is a bonus. Is the Deepcool AK620 a worthwhile upgrade over the AK400?

No, I don't think the Gigabyte board would even be an upgrade.

Either would realistically be enough for the 7800X3D. I'd probably go with the AK620, but I'd hardly disagree if you went for the smaller cooler.

 

[Shotliff_13]

No, I don't think the Gigabyte board would even be an upgrade.

Either would realistically be enough for the 7800X3D. I'd probably go with the AK620, but I'd hardly disagree if you went for the smaller cooler.

Amazing, thanks so much for the help.

I'm just thinking about future proofing myself and it is likely I will be video editing/streaming in the future for work. Is going up to the Ryzen 9 a good idea to help handle that extra work load? The stuff I am reading seems to suggest the 7800X3D is just a better option than the 7950X3D

 

[sck451]

Amazing, thanks so much for the help.

I'm just thinking about future proofing myself and it is likely I will be video editing/streaming in the future for work. Is going up to the Ryzen 9 a good idea to help handle that extra work load? The stuff I am reading seems to suggest the 7800X3D is just a better option than the 7950X3D

You would find the 7950X3D possibly has a small deficit in gaming and a significant advantage in some productivity workloads. Streaming probably not; video editing to an extent. The 7800X3D is perfectly capable of video editing and unless you're doing it at a very high level it's probably all you really need.

And you could always upgrade it (perhaps to the next generation chip) down the line if it proved necessary. That would be my approach; whehter it should be yours will depend on exactly what you will be doing with your streaming and video editing...

 

[Shotliff_13]

You would find the 7950X3D possibly has a small deficit in gaming and a significant advantage in some productivity workloads. Streaming probably not; video editing to an extent. The 7800X3D is perfectly capable of video editing and unless you're doing it at a very high level it's probably all you really need.

And you could always upgrade it (perhaps to the next generation chip) down the line if it proved necessary. That would be my approach; whehter it should be yours will depend on exactly what you will be doing with your streaming and video editing...

That is amazing help, thanks so much for taking the time to give me some advice on this build, it is really appreciated.