First Build ! Would appreciate some experienced eyes on this!

[taylorkerrison]

Hi There, I have played console the past 10 years and have seen many friends go across and get PCs. I have always wanted to and was going to buy a pre-build of amazon to get it quickly however after lots of hours of research I feel I have put together a gaming PC suitable to my expected usage. I have a budget of around £1500 and will be looking to use this PC for games such as Fortnite, Minecraft, Warzone, CSGO and some others along with university work. A bit unsure in the case as they do not on this website seem to be ATX cases.
Unsure if 32GB of ram at 3600MHz is overkill as it is nearly £100 more expensive than the 16GB version. Really appreciate any comments and suggestions on this, just looking to see if I am making any silly mistakes or obvious improvements for a little more cost. Thanks a lot.

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400F (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B560-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-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 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
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 11 to 13 working days

Cost - £1,205 , With VAT £1,447

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[Storm.rl]

Hi There, I have played console the past 10 years and have seen many friends go across and get PCs. I have always wanted to and was going to buy a pre-build of amazon to get it quickly however after lots of hours of research I feel I have put together a gaming PC suitable to my expected usage. I have a budget of around £1500 and will be looking to use this PC for games such as Fortnite, Minecraft, Warzone, CSGO and some others along with university work. A bit unsure in the case as they do not on this website seem to be ATX cases.
Really appreciate any comments and suggestions on this, just looking to see if i am making any silly mistakes or obvious improvements for a little more cost. Thanks alot.

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400F (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B560-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-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 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]

Cost - £1,205 , With VAT £1,447

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

What monitor will you pair this with?

Make & model or resolution & refresh rate?

I’m no pro at this but W10 should be fine for you, your power supply may want to be 750W, 16Gb ram 3200MHz will do fine and save you money. Also depending on games you download you might want a 1Tb SSD instead of a HDD.

That’s what I can say

 

[JUNI0R]

Hi There, I have played console the past 10 years and have seen many friends go across and get PCs. I have always wanted to and was going to buy a pre-build of amazon to get it quickly however after lots of hours of research I feel I have put together a gaming PC suitable to my expected usage. I have a budget of around £1500 and will be looking to use this PC for games such as Fortnite, Minecraft, Warzone, CSGO and some others along with university work. A bit unsure in the case as they do not on this website seem to be ATX cases.
Really appreciate any comments and suggestions on this, just looking to see if i am making any silly mistakes or obvious improvements for a little more cost. Thanks alot.

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400F (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B560-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-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 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]

Cost - £1,205 , With VAT £1,447

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Heya! Certainly some areas we could improve here. A few questions before we assist ho

-What monitor will you be using with this build? Do you already have one or will you buy buying one as part of or aside from the budget here? (either make and model or resolution and refresh rate would be ideal! If you have a seperate budget then that would of course be useful to know!)
-What does your university work entail? Will it be anything especially demanding like video editing or games design, or will it be the average zoom calls?

Just as a note, ATX is a size of motherboard and all the cases on this configurator will fit that size, meaning all of them are ATX- although these can be split into different sub sections, mid tower being the most common one, then full tower and super tower being larger versions

 

[taylorkerrison]

What monitor will you pair this with?

Make & model or resolution & refresh rate?

I’m no pro at this but W10 should be fine for you, your power supply may want to be 750W, 16Gb ram 3200MHz will do fine and save you money. Also depending on games you download you might want a 1Tb SSD instead of a HDD.

That’s what I can say

Hi Mate, really appreciate this fast reply. The monitor I am looking at is the AOC G2790VXA its 144hz and 1 ms response time. Yea I think the 32 GB at 3600 is overkill I think your right going down to 16GB and for £7 the 750w power supply is safer yeah. You mentioned the drives, do you recommend then I take a 1Tb SSD and a 1TB HDD? Thanks alot

 

[taylorkerrison]

Heya! Certainly some areas we could improve here. A few questions before we assist ho

-What monitor will you be using with this build? Do you already have one or will you buy buying one as part of or aside from the budget here? (either make and model or resolution and refresh rate would be ideal! If you have a seperate budget then that would of course be useful to know!)
-What does your university work entail? Will it be anything especially demanding like video editing or games design, or will it be the average zoom calls?

Just as a note, ATX is a size of motherboard and all the cases on this configurator will fit that size, meaning all of them are ATX- although these can be split into different sub sections, mid tower being the most common one, then full tower and super tower being larger versions

Hi there, thanks for replying.
The monitor I am looking at is the AOC G2790VXA its 144hz and has a 1 ms response time and this is separate from my budget for the PC however if any monitors out there are better around £200 id love to know. My university work is not very demanding on a computer it is admin and business work so a lot of spreadsheets and documents but not demanding compared to video/editing work etc.

 

[Storm.rl]

Hi Mate, really appreciate this fast reply. The monitor I am looking at is the AOC G2790VXA its 144hz and 1 ms response time. Yea I think the 32 GB at 3600 is overkill I think your right going down to 16GB and for £7 the 750w power supply is safer yeah. You mentioned the drives, do you recommend then I take a 1Tb SSD and a 1TB HDD? Thanks alot

Okay so that’s a 1080p 144hertz monitor and a 3060 ti is fine with that. And honestly I bought 16Gb 3200MHz ram for my build, upgraded to 32Gb 3200MHz and felt no real difference! And I would say to not cause problems of storing games down the road. 500Gb for your primary m.2 which will be used to boot windows and then either (depending on your budget range) a 2nd m.2 that is 1Tb or a cheaper option a 1Tb sata drive. HDD is usually for raw storage. But on your situation you are looking at a more work based desktop? So I would say keep the HDD and if you need room for larger games get a 2nd m.2 in a week or so!

 

[JUNI0R]

Hi there, thanks for replying.
The monitor I am looking at is the AOC G2790VXA its 144hz and has a 1 ms response time and this is separate from my budget for the PC however if any monitors out there are better around £200 id love to know. My university work is not very demanding on a computer it is admin and business work so a lot of spreadsheets and documents but not demanding compared to video/editing work etc.

Thanks for the info! Is there any way you might be able to stretch that monitor budget another £100 or so? You've got quite a healthy budget for a nice 1440p system with £1500 but decent 1440p 144hz monitors are currently about £280-320 and I don't think we'd quite be able to save enough to get you both a PC (that we'd want to recommend anyway) and a monitor in for £1,600.

If not, that's totally fine. Would be happy to spec up a sweet 1080p rig, I just thought it'd be worth mentioning in case you've got some cash down the back of the sofa!

 

[taylorkerrison]

Thanks for the info! Is there any way you might be able to stretch that monitor budget another £100 or so? You've got quite a healthy budget for a nice 1440p system with £1500 but decent 1440p 144hz monitors are currently about £280-320 and I don't think we'd quite be able to save enough to get you both a PC (that we'd want to recommend anyway) and a monitor in for £1,600.

If not, that's totally fine. Would be happy to spec up a sweet 1080p rig, I just thought it'd be worth mentioning in case you've got some cash down the back of the sofa!

Hey, in theory then if I was to look at getting a better monitor and increase to a more powerful PC what recommendations would you have like you mentioned to run 1440p 144hz and do you think atm this spec would run 1440p 144hz with a suitable monitor? thanks

 

[taylorkerrison]

Okay so that’s a 1080p 144hertz monitor and a 3060 ti is fine with that. And honestly I bought 16Gb 3200MHz ram for my build, upgraded to 32Gb 3200MHz and felt no real difference! And I would say to not cause problems of storing games down the road. 500Gb for your primary m.2 which will be used to boot windows and then either (depending on your budget range) a 2nd m.2 that is 1Tb or a cheaper option a 1Tb sata drive. HDD is usually for raw storage. But on your situation you are looking at a more work based desktop? So I would say keep the HDD and if you need room for larger games get a 2nd m.2 in a week or so!

I've taken a look and it looks like 1 TB SSD and a 1TB HDD would work well. Yeah, I am going to stick now with the 16GB for the ram which in the future is easy enough to upgrade if need be to 32GB. Thanks !

 

[JUNI0R]

Hey, in theory then if I was to look at getting a better monitor and increase to a more powerful PC what recommendations would you have like you mentioned to run 1440p 144hz and do you think atm this spec would run 1440p 144hz with a suitable monitor? thanks

The main way you prepare a build for a certain res and refresh is by changing the GPU. For 1440p 144hz, you'd go for the 3060TI or 3070 so realistically, we're just changing bits around that. For monitors, our current recommendations are the Dell S2721DGF and Gigabyte M27Q. Any questions, ask away!

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE More modern case with better airflow and a higher build quality
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (2.5GHz) 18MB Cache Current gen CPU which will vastly outperform the 10400F (the 10400F is equivalent to the i3 of this generation)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B660-PLUS WIFI D4: ATX, LGA1700, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs - ARGB Ready Ample motherboard for the 12400F
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) There isn't much difference in gaming between 3600mhz and 3200mhz so I've saved a few £ here. Also 16GB is ample for 99% of gaming
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR Great 1440p 144hz card
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW) You really want to be loading your games off of an SSD so I've gone for a dual SSD layout. This 500GB one would be for Windows and applications
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W) This 1TB one would be for everything else
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Overspecced for the current build but will allow plenty of upgrades over time
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler Ample cooling for the 12400F
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] I'd stick to Windows 10 for the time being
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) Well worth the £5
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Price: £1,528.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/k7u08MDP40/

 

[taylorkerrison]

The main way you prepare a build for a certain res and refresh is by changing the GPU. For 1440p 144hz, you'd go for the 3060TI or 3070 so realistically, we're just changing bits around that. For monitors, our current recommendations are the Dell S2721DGF and Gigabyte M27Q. Any questions, ask away!

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE More modern case with better airflow and a higher build quality
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (2.5GHz) 18MB Cache Current gen CPU which will vastly outperform the 10400F (the 10400F is equivalent to the i3 of this generation)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B660-PLUS WIFI D4: ATX, LGA1700, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs - ARGB Ready Ample motherboard for the 12400F
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) There isn't much difference in gaming between 3600mhz and 3200mhz so I've saved a few £ here. Also 16GB is ample for 99% of gaming
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR Great 1440p 144hz card
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW) You really want to be loading your games off of an SSD so I've gone for a dual SSD layout. This 500GB one would be for Windows and applications
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W) This 1TB one would be for everything else
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Overspecced for the current build but will allow plenty of upgrades over time
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler Ample cooling for the 12400F
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] I'd stick to Windows 10 for the time being
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) Well worth the £5
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 11 to 13 working days
Price: £1,528.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/k7u08MDP40/

Wow, I really appreciate the effort you have put into this everything you have suggested makes a lot more sense which is what I have come onto this forum looking for!
In terms of that case, it comes with just 1 120mm fan for the front and 1 120mm for the back and can carry 2 more 120mm front fans so I am guessing it makes to go an additional 2 extra 120mm black case fans for £9 into this spec.
The GPU looks unreal I have just done some looking into it, great find.
The network card I am just concerned about whether it will connect wireless at the moment without one as until mid-year I am without an ethernet slot where my PC will stay.

 

[taylorkerrison]

Wow, I really appreciate the effort you have put into this everything you have suggested makes a lot more sense which is what I have come onto this forum looking for!
In terms of that case, it comes with just 1 120mm fan for the front and 1 120mm for the back and can carry 2 more 120mm front fans so I am guessing it makes to go an additional 2 extra 120mm black case fans for £9 into this spec.
The GPU looks unreal I have just done some looking into it, great find.
The network card I am just concerned about whether it will connect wireless at the moment without one as until mid-year I am without an ethernet slot where my PC will stay.

Just noticed as well the case can support 2 top fans either both 120mm or both 140mm would this be necessary if there's space surely it is only beneficial and doesn't cost a lot extra.

 

[taylorkerrison]

Hi all, I recently posted my spec on here and received a lot of help from some very helpful people which I much appreciate. I just wanted to get some final thoughts on a few issues with this spec. I am happy with the CPU and other main components however cooling I am a bit unsure about them.

Option 1- Currently, the case I have comes with 2 fans, 1 on the rear and 1 on the front. There is space for 3 on the front so I added 3 cooler master ARGB fans that will go on the front to add some colour then the one originally on the front can go on top. Is this acceptable and will it work efficiently as it is a bit more expensive than my second option.
Option 2 - The PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE. This case comes with 3 front ARGB fans and 1 rear fan already meaning I won't have to spend extra on any fans nor will I need to input an ARGB into them saving money. This case however does not have any roof fans, unlike the other one which has space for 2.

Just wondering if perhaps one case has better airflow or if I'm missing anything obvious. I would like colour either way to be in the case. I have also noticed the case does not come with space for a DVD drive, does anyone think it is necessary to have this?.

If there are any other recommendations of a case or anything elsewhere in the spec I would much appreciate it. Thanks alot


Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (2.5GHz) 18MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B660-PLUS WIFI D4: ATX, LGA1700, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
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)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 120 Series ARGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
Extra Case Fans
3x CoolerMaster SickleFlow 120 ARGB + Controller Kit
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
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 11 to 13 working days
Price: £1,613.00 including VAT and Delivery

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[JUNI0R]

Just noticed as well the case can support 2 top fans either both 120mm or both 140mm would this be necessary if there's space surely it is only beneficial and doesn't cost a lot extra.

With the components you've got in here, 2 fans would be fine for the 4000D, you can add them if you'd like but it's not a must.

Hi all, I recently posted my spec on here and received a lot of help from some very helpful people which I much appreciate. I just wanted to get some final thoughts on a few issues with this spec. I am happy with the CPU and other main components however cooling I am a bit unsure about them.

Option 1- Currently, the case I have comes with 2 fans, 1 on the rear and 1 on the front. There is space for 3 on the front so I added 3 cooler master ARGB fans that will go on the front to add some colour then the one originally on the front can go on top. Is this acceptable and will it work efficiently as it is a bit more expensive than my second option.
Option 2 - The PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE. This case comes with 3 front ARGB fans and 1 rear fan already meaning I won't have to spend extra on any fans nor will I need to input an ARGB into them saving money. This case however does not have any roof fans, unlike the other one which has space for 2.

Just wondering if perhaps one case has better airflow or if I'm missing anything obvious. I would like colour either way to be in the case. I have also noticed the case does not come with space for a DVD drive, does anyone think it is necessary to have this?.

If there are any other recommendations of a case or anything elsewhere in the spec I would much appreciate it. Thanks alot


Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (2.5GHz) 18MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B660-PLUS WIFI D4: ATX, LGA1700, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
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)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 120 Series ARGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
Extra Case Fans
3x CoolerMaster SickleFlow 120 ARGB + Controller Kit
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
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 11 to 13 working days
Price: £1,613.00 including VAT and Delivery

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Comments I'd make on the build above

-If you're looking for an RGB case, I'd go for an RGB case, it doesn't make much sense to have a non-RGB case then add RGB, it just works out a lot more expensive. Our current go to's for RGB would be the Lian Li 215, Corsair 220T (although a bit small) and the Cooler Master TD500. You also have the option to send in any case you wanted (within reason) if that's something that appeals to you.

-120mm AIO's have never been a very effective way of cooling a CPU so not a method I'd recommend. As mentioned above, something like the FF100 will do an ample job at cooling the 12400F. If you're really wanting some RGB on the CPU cooler once the PC has arrived, swapping a fan on a cooler is super simple, just make sure it's PWM!

-As mentioned above, there isn't much difference in gaming between 3600mhz and 3200mhz due to the Cas Latencies so I'd save a few £ there.

-I'd also personally remove the ARGB Strip, I had one in my PC for a while and thought it ended up looking a bit tacky with the harsh LED's, up to you though

Unless you know you actively need a DVD drive (you've got a huge movie library on disc or you still have lots of data on disc for some reason) you don't need a DVD drive. They're really a thing for the archives at this point. When was the last time you used a disc drive on a PC? I haven't used one for yearssss, plus if you do, you're able to buy inexpensive USB external DVD drives

 

[taylorkerrison]

With the components you've got in here, 2 fans would be fine for the 4000D, you can add them if you'd like but it's not a must.


Comments I'd make on the build above

-If you're looking for an RGB case, I'd go for an RGB case, it doesn't make much sense to have a non-RGB case then add RGB, it just works out a lot more expensive. Our current go to's for RGB would be the Lian Li 215, Corsair 220T (although a bit small) and the Cooler Master TD500. You also have the option to send in any case you wanted (within reason) if that's something that appeals to you.

-120mm AIO's have never been a very effective way of cooling a CPU so not a method I'd recommend. As mentioned above, something like the FF100 will do an ample job at cooling the 12400F. If you're really wanting some RGB on the CPU cooler once the PC has arrived, swapping a fan on a cooler is super simple, just make sure it's PWM!

-As mentioned above, there isn't much difference in gaming between 3600mhz and 3200mhz due to the Cas Latencies so I'd save a few £ there.

-I'd also personally remove the ARGB Strip, I had one in my PC for a while and thought it ended up looking a bit tacky with the harsh LED's, up to you though

Unless you know you actively need a DVD drive (you've got a huge movie library on disc or you still have lots of data on disc for some reason) you don't need a DVD drive. They're really a thing for the archives at this point. When was the last time you used a disc drive on a PC? I haven't used one for yearssss, plus if you do, you're able to buy inexpensive USB external DVD drives

Thank you !

Don’t suppose you know if ARGB colours can be changed from a software ? So is it possible to change from multi coloured to just red for example?

I had read that water cooling is worth the price but maybe that’s not for cooling a CPU that the good praise comes from so I’ll reconsider and look into the FF100 as you mentioned.

 

[sck451]

For monitors to suit this build, I actually did a whole post today outlining some of the options available:

1440p monitor update

Hardware Unboxed recently released a "best 1440p gaming monitors" update video. They're a great summary, so here's what they say with some UK links, along with some of their reviews of individual displays. All prices current at the time of writing (17 February). Mid-range medium refresh This...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

As @JUNI0R says, the M27Q is probably ideal for you, or if you're willing to stretch a little bit, the MSI MAG274QRF-QD.

 

[JUNI0R]

Don’t suppose you know if ARGB colours can be changed from a software ? So is it possible to change from multi coloured to just red for example?

The ARGB colours on what? You’ve got quite a lot of it in your build 😂

I had read that water cooling is worth the price but maybe that’s not for cooling a CPU that the good praise comes from so I’ll reconsider and look into the FF100 as you mentioned.

It’s worth it if you’ve got a high end CPU, totally. But with a 12400F it’s not thermally demanding at all so doesn’t require fancy expensive cooler- you’d be better off spending your money elsewhere.

 

[taylorkerrison]

The ARGB colours on what? You’ve got quite a lot of it in your build 😂


It’s worth it if you’ve got a high end CPU, totally. But with a 12400F it’s not thermally demanding at all so doesn’t require fancy expensive cooler- you’d be better off spending your money elsewhere.

haha true. I mean if I went with an RGB case that included RGB fans or ARGB fans is there a possibility to control these colours and change them to a steady 1 colour?

 

[JUNI0R]

haha true. I mean if I went with an RGB case that included RGB fans or ARGB fans is there a possibility to control these colours and change them to a steady 1 colour?

It depends which case you go with-

PCS Spectrum RGB & Lian Li 215: Button on case
Corsair 220T: Corsair iCUE Software
Cooler Master TD500: Either button on case or Motherboard Software, in this case ASUS Armoury Crate. This choice will br up to the builder, although can be changed by you if you're happy cutting some cable ties.

Each case will have varying affects, I'm sure you can do a quick google search for the latter 3 to find out what the options will be.