First PC for wife

[ed123213]

Hi, We are choosing a first PC for my wife and wanted to get some opinions on the build. She mainly wants to be able to use it for game dev stuff e.g unity, unreal and blender as well as play some games. As long as it can do 60fps in most games that would be fine. She would also like to be able to do some AI training.

Monitors:
She currently has one 1440p 120hz monitor but will probably get another one in the future. Probably not going to go 4k anytime soon but by then we can always upgrade the graphics card.

Budget: £1400 would be the max.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Configuration:
Case
PCS SPECTRUM II ARGB MID TOWER CASE (PWM) *WHITE*
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B650-PLUS (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W CX SERIES™ CX-750 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
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 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
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 (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 3 to 5 working days
Price: £1,334.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/ZEjEvGgnxz/

 

[Scott]

Unfortunately I don't think the budget is realistic for what you are after. I would be looking to spend a good couple of £100 more to get everything up to spec for 1440p gaming.

Below would be more suitable and has the areas that were lacking propped up. The 4060Ti selected is the 16GB version which is far better for creativity. It's not going to be a gaming monster at 1440p but should do enough to get some fun and ITRO 60FPS without having to go too low on the settings, DLSS and other areas will help massively.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 4000X RGB TEMPERED GLASS MID-TOWER ATX CASE - WHITE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/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 NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
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
DeepCool AK620 ZERO DARK High-Performance Dual Tower 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
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 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 3 to 5 working days
Price: £1,654.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/2J!ZG02mgH/

 

[ed123213]

Hi,
Thanks for the feedback.
Just wondering what the reasoning is behind the case change as I thought the air flow might be a bit better on the one we selected and also the motherboard. It was slightly cheaper to get the WiFi card separate when we looked otherwise we were originally going to go with the one you selected.
Just trying to see where we can squeeze the price a little.
Thanks

 

[Scott]

Hi,
Thanks for the feedback.
Just wondering what the reasoning is behind the case change as I thought the air flow might be a bit better on the one we selected and also the motherboard. It was slightly cheaper to get the WiFi card separate when we looked otherwise we were originally going to go with the one you selected.
Just trying to see where we can squeeze the price a little.
Thanks

You get what you pay for, it tends to go more-so for PCs at the low/mid range (Upper range can be a complete waste of cash).

The case you chose is a generic unbranded offering that PCS have OEM supplied to be cheap and cheerful. You'll never see any reviews or any detailed information on these cases. The one I chose is from Corsair and is an extensively tested and reviewed case known for it's good build quality and good airflow. There are better options specifically with airflow in mind, but I just chose this one as it's also better to look at, and I gathered you wanted white.

The 4000D Airflow is the one to go for to tick every box 100% but the price goes up another £10. Not breaking the bank obviously but difficult when trying to squeeze inside a budget.

Similar with the Prime motherboard. It's not something we would recommend for any sort of gaming or intensive use. It scrimps out in a lot more areas than just the Wifi. A good high end motherboard means upgrades are covered down the line. The TUF is a fantastic level of board and it's the budget option. We would never recommend the prime for anything other than the lowest end office builds.

 

[Scott]

I collated some information below. The Desktop building guide has the thought process behind most of the choices. It needs another upgrade though as things move so fast, so don't pay too much attention to the actual models of things I'm mentioning. More the tiers, when it comes to GPU's at least.

You'll also see a link on storage etc as well.

Please read before posting:- Collaboration of Helpful Hints

NB: These forums are not an official support channel. None of us work for PCS, we're all either customers or techies who just like to help out where possible. For any official support, you need to contact PCS directly either through your PCS account, or via the contact details on the main...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[SpyderTracks]

Case design is a very unappreciated factor.

Cases have 2 areas of importance

1/. Looks

2/. Aiflow and thermal design

Cheaper cases only concentrate on number 1.

Number 2 actually takes substantial R&D costs, you need professional software like SolidWorks that can do per part analysis and flow simulation. But software like this costs thousands for a professional license, then you need the experienced professional who can design in it, and also analyse the data, the outcome is that moving a pedestal or internal cage or something even by half a millimeter can massively influence the airflow. This is why cases like the O11D will have minor variation models on the same design going on for years, the outlay in R&D is very large to reach a case that meets to may high bars, and as such, they'll run with that formula as long as possible to make a return.

A really good case designer will incorporate both, but obviously at a substantial premium.