First Time Build help

E

ed123213

Member
Hi. This will be my first PC build so any and all advice would be much appreciated.
  • Use case:
Mostly gaming and coding projects plus Id like to start doing some game dev using unreal engine. I Probably wont be playing the latest games all the time but it would be good if it could run triple A games from the last few years very well. I'd also like to get a vr headset at some point in the future so it it would be great if it could handle that too.

  • Monitor:
I'm planning on getting a 1440p monitor maybe like 120hz refresh rate or better. I'm not really bothered about 4k. My main want is just that all my games run super smoothly.

  • Budget:
My absolute max is £2000 but id really like to spend under 1800. 1700 would be the sweet spot.

I'm pretty happy with the price and components I've selected but from reading through the forums I've heard the frost flow coolers maybe aren't the best.
Here is the pc:
Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE B650 AORUS ELITE AX: (WIFI 6E, DDR5, USB 3.2) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5200MHz (1 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
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
PCS FrostFlow 360 Series ARGB High Performance Liquid 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 [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
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 9 to 12 working days
Current Price: £1757
Configuration link: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/U065CnA6VW/
Thanks in advance
 
Last edited:
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Hi Ed. Here's the build I'd suggest for you -- slightly modified from your build. One caveat: AMD graphics cards are not ideal for VR. The performance is significantly worse than the equivalent Nvidia card.

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK) Better case IMO
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5) Cooler CPU: also, 8 cores is plenty for gaming and may perform better in some scenarios
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB) Faster RAM (and dual-channel) has a significant performance benefit
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW) Boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW) Games drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Boost here to give you room for future upgrades
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
DeepCool AK400 Performance CPU Cooler ZERO DARK Plenty for the 7700
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 [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
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 9 to 12 working days
Price: £1,749.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/Yesn3Aj5rZ/
 
E

ed123213

Member
Hi thanks for the speedy reply and the recommendations. In regards to the cpu my thinking was Id spend more since its the component that I'm least likely to want to replace in the future. If I did opt for the ryzen 9 could I still get away with AK400 for cooling? Also what's the difference between the two cases?
Thanks again
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
ed123213 said:
Hi thanks for the speedy reply and the recommendations. In regards to the cpu my thinking was Id spend more since its the component that I'm least likely to want to replace in the future. If I did opt for the ryzen 9 could I still get away with AK400 for cooling? Also what's the difference between the two cases?
Thanks again
Click to expand...
No, the AK400 would be insufficient.

The 7900X is actually not significantly better for gaming than the 7700. It may have a little more lifespan in it, but I wouldn't bet on it, and it wouldn't be a significant amount anyway. A CPU upgrade, were one needed, is very easy...
 
E

ed123213

Member
Hi, this is my first pc build so any and all advice would be much appreciated. This is sort of a repost as the prices changed before I got round to actually buying it so I've put together a slightly different one (below) and was wondering if I could get some more feedback. Link to original post and build: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/threads/first-time-build-help.94630/

  • Use case:
Mostly gaming and coding projects plus Id like to start doing some game dev using unreal engine. I Probably wont be playing the latest games all the time but it would be good if it could run triple A games from the last few years very well. I'd also like to get a vr headset at some point in the future so it it would be great if it could handle that too.

  • Monitor:
I'm planning on getting a 1440p monitor with a high refresh rate. I'm not really bothered about 4k. My main want is just that all my games run super smoothly.

  • Budget:
My absolute max is £2000 but id really like to spend under 1800. 1700 would be the sweet spot.

The PC:

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Eight Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.4GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6900 XT LC MBA - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
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 P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
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
CORSAIR H100x RGB ELITE 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 [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
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 7 to 9 working days
Price: £1,758.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/PZvYjQRVa2/

Thanks again in advance for the help.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
ed123213 said:
Hi, this is my first pc build so any and all advice would be much appreciated. This is sort of a repost as the prices changed before I got round to actually buying it so I've put together a slightly different one (below) and was wondering if I could get some more feedback. Link to original post and build: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/threads/first-time-build-help.94630/

  • Use case:
Mostly gaming and coding projects plus Id like to start doing some game dev using unreal engine. I Probably wont be playing the latest games all the time but it would be good if it could run triple A games from the last few years very well. I'd also like to get a vr headset at some point in the future so it it would be great if it could handle that too.

  • Monitor:
I'm planning on getting a 1440p monitor with a high refresh rate. I'm not really bothered about 4k. My main want is just that all my games run super smoothly.

  • Budget:
My absolute max is £2000 but id really like to spend under 1800. 1700 would be the sweet spot.

The PC:

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Eight Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.4GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6900 XT LC MBA - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
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 P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
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
CORSAIR H100x RGB ELITE 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 [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
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 7 to 9 working days
Price: £1,758.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/PZvYjQRVa2/

Thanks again in advance for the help.
Click to expand...
@sck451 is a better build, you don't want the 7700x, that's the older chip, the 7700 is far more efficient with same performance. Similarly, the 7800XT is largely the same performance as the 6900XT but has hardware AI cores which will do far better at FSR 3 performance and upscaling / frame generation generally.
 
E

ed123213

Member
SpyderTracks said:
@sck451 is a better build, you don't want the 7700x, that's the older chip, the 7700 is far more efficient with same performance. Similarly, the 7800XT is largely the same performance as the 6900XT but has hardware AI cores which will do far better at FSR 3 performance and upscaling / frame generation generally.
Click to expand...
Hi thanks again for the speedy reply. For cooling the deepcool ak400 doesn't seem to be in stock but there is the ag400 will that be sufficient?
 
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