First Timer - Will this work?

[Caolan66]

Hello, I'm looking to get a custom PC to suit my needs with gaming and art, but my knowledge about this stuff is very limited, so before diving headfirst into things I wanted to check if this setup would work or if theres any glaring issues with it, and if the cooling will be sufficient, as I have had problems with overheating in the past.
Context: I need a PC and monitor that will have decent graphics and display colour well, because I do a lot of digital art, and play a lot of games like Sims4, the Dragon Age series, Hoyoverse games, Assassins Creed etc...I couldn't afford a PC for a long time and have been doing all this on a 2018 HP Envy laptop with a samsung external SSD for extra storage, but now that I have the money I am looking to upgrade. My budget is around the £1,500 ballpark, I can go a little higher if necessary but not by much.

Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT Six Core CPU
Motherboard: ASUS B550-PLUS
Memory: 32GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz
Graphics Card: 16GB AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE
1st M.2 SSD Drive: 1TB Samsung 970 EVO PLUS M.2
2nd M.2 SSD Drive: 1TB Samsung 970 EVO PLUS M.2
1st Storage Drive: 1TB Samsung 870 EVO 2.5" SSD
Power Supply: CORSAIR 650W CX Series
Processor Cooling: PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (120W TDP)
Extra Case Fans: 2x120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN
Monitor: ASUS TUF Gaming VG249QL3A 24" (I don't like having a large monitor)

 

[TonyCarter]

All your cash seems to have gone into a 1440p GPU and then skimped everywhere else.

You're on an old platform with a low-end CPU, 3 relatively low-end SSDs, poor PSU for the build and haven't even mentioned the case.

At current component prices, we're looking at a minimum of £1500 for a 1080p gaming PC (without the monitor), and £2000 for 1440p.

If you post your FULL spec (all the way down to the price& config link), I'm sure one of the helpers can help you tweak it - or create a new one - to fit your budget better, although I don't think they'll be able to fit a monitor into that £1500 budget.

Have a read of this, which should answer some questions, and raise others...

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

...and post your full config as detailed here...

How to Post Your Specification to the Forum - Check this Spec

When creating a forum post looking to discuss a PC spec there's a really simple way to post the spec in question here. IF YOU HAVEN'T ORDERED ONE YET AND ARE LOOKING FOR ADVICE ON A BUILD follow this step. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ORDERED AND ARE ASKED FOR SPECS follow the next post. Click the...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[Martinr36]

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

 

[Caolan66]

All your cash seems to have gone into a 1440p GPU and then skimped everywhere else.

You're on an old platform with a low-end CPU, 3 relatively low-end SSDs, poor PSU for the build and haven't even mentioned the case.

At current component prices, we're looking at a minimum of £1500 for a 1080p gaming PC (without the monitor), and £2000 for 1440p.

If you post your FULL spec (all the way down to the price& config link), I'm sure one of the helpers can help you tweak it - or create a new one - to fit your budget better, although I don't think they'll be able to fit a monitor into that £1500 budget.

Have a read of this, which should answer some questions, and raise others...

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

...and post your full config as detailed here...

How to Post Your Specification to the Forum - Check this Spec

When creating a forum post looking to discuss a PC spec there's a really simple way to post the spec in question here. IF YOU HAVEN'T ORDERED ONE YET AND ARE LOOKING FOR ADVICE ON A BUILD follow this step. IF YOU HAVE ALREADY ORDERED AND ARE ASKED FOR SPECS follow the next post. Click the...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Thank you, as I said I really dont know much about this stuff and all the names kinda confuse me ^^; I know that I want to go with AMD rather than Intel and that I need Ryzen 5 at minimum bc thats what I currently have. I know that I need more storage than I currently have, and better cooling, as well as a better graphics card than what Im currently working with. This is pretty much the groundworks Im starting from and I know little else. The PSU was one of the things I was particularly concerned about as I am completely lost on what is most suitable for my needs. I definitely dont need 1440p though, 1080p would work just fine. I will follow your advice on how to post the full config, thank you very much.

 

[Caolan66]

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.6GHz-4.6GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (1 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
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
Extra Case Fans
2 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fans
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT 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
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 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
Firefox™
Monitor
ASUS TUF GAMING VG249QL3A 24" - 1920 x 1080, FAST IPS, 180Hz
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,685.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-home-office/Zq!9Y3dku8/

 

[Caolan66]

To be more precise, my budget is between £1,500-£1,800 max.

 

[sck451]

What monitor do you have? I don't think you've mentioned it and it's probably the single most important thing to think about when designing a PC.

 

[Ekans2011]

Monitor: ASUS TUF Gaming VG249QL3A 24" (I don't like having a large monitor)

Do you already have this monitor, or are you planning to buy it together with the PC?

 

[Caolan66]

Do you already have this monitor, or are you planning to buy it together with the PC?

Im planning to buy the monitor with the PC, and that was one of the smaller monitors offered. I know its a small monitor, but I get kind of overwhelmed when it comes to larger screens so I prefer to keep it smaller if I can.

 

[Ekans2011]

Im planning to buy the monitor with the PC, and that was one of the smaller monitors offered. I know its a small monitor, but I get kind of overwhelmed when it comes to larger screens so I prefer to keep it smaller if I can.

To prevent too low PPI, the maximum suggested size at 1080p is 24".

Here's what I'd buy to go with a 1080p monitor.

Current gen platform (AM5/DDR5), best gaming CPU on the market, dual channel RAM kit, 1080p GPU, better/newer/faster M.2s, better quality ATX 3.1 PSU and better cooler (decent 240mm AIO).

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
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)
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
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/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 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
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,664.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/9zjVK9V!ux/

 

[TonyCarter]

Thank you, as I said I really dont know much about this stuff and all the names kinda confuse me ^^; I know that I want to go with AMD rather than Intel and that I need Ryzen 5 at minimum bc thats what I currently have. I know that I need more storage than I currently have, and better cooling, as well as a better graphics card than what Im currently working with. This is pretty much the groundworks Im starting from and I know little else. The PSU was one of the things I was particularly concerned about as I am completely lost on what is most suitable for my needs. I definitely dont need 1440p though, 1080p would work just fine. I will follow your advice on how to post the full config, thank you very much.

Don't forget that a laptop CPU and GPU will not be the same performance as a desktop variant, as they're power-limited too that you don't drain the battery in an hour.

In the case of the GPU, the same model laptop version of a GPU tends to perform at least a tier below the desktop version. So, for example, a laptop RTX3070 would be equivalent to a desktop RTX3060 - or in AMD terms an RX6800M laptop GPU would be equivalent to a desktop RX6700.

 

[Caolan66]

Is this an improvement?

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.6GHz-4.6GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6600 - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/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 200 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fans
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT 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
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 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
Firefox™
Monitor
ASUS TUF GAMING VG249QL3A 24" - 1920 x 1080, FAST IPS, 180Hz
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,455.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-home-office/TRwBeKBvz3/

 

[Scoped Badger]

Is this an improvement?

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.6GHz-4.6GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6600 - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/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 200 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fans
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT 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
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 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
Firefox™
Monitor
ASUS TUF GAMING VG249QL3A 24" - 1920 x 1080, FAST IPS, 180Hz
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,455.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-home-office/TRwBeKBvz3/

Improvement on what?

 

[Caolan66]

Ah I meant on the previous specs id posted, Im trying to figure out what will work and suit my needs as a complete beginner ^^;

 

[Scoped Badger]

Ah I meant on the previous specs id posted, Im trying to figure out what will work and suit my needs as a complete beginner ^^;

Take a look at the spec Ekans posted further up. It's infinitely better than the others suggested.

 

[FigmentOfYourImagination]

Ah I meant on the previous specs id posted, Im trying to figure out what will work and suit my needs as a complete beginner ^^;

As mentioned above, the spec Elkans posted is the most ideal for your budget and uses. the second spec you posted is on an old platform (Am4 vs AM5) and it scrimping in all the wrong places. The spec Elkans posted does take you slightly over budget (it is £1825 including the monitor) but is an excellent all-round system with room to upgrade down the road (although the PSU may well be borderling if you chose to go to 1440p down the road...however, given your issues with monitor screen size, I doubt that would be likely).

If you really didn't want to go to the top of your budget, then you could drop the CPU down from the 7800x3D to the 7700 (the x3D chip is worth the extra £100). There is also the possibility to swap the GPU from the 4060Ti to the AMD 7600XT to save £125 but you would lose some performance

 

[Caolan66]

Is liquid cooling an absolute must? Im just a little worried about the potential risk of leakage, and how much maintenance it might require? I've never had experience with it before so I don't really know.

 

[Ekans2011]

Is liquid cooling an absolute must? Im just a little worried about the potential risk of leakage, and how much maintenance it might require? I've never had experience with it before so I don't really know.

Although the 7800X3D may be cooled by a premium air cooler, the coolers PCS has in stock are of unknown quality (most likely ID Cooling, but not sure), and there have been claims of failures.

AIOs require no extra maintenance, are a closed circuit with a non-conductive liquid, are quieter, and their reliability has grown a lot in recent years. I wouldn't worry about that.

The Corsair H100x, an older model but still a premium AIO, is now the lowest priced option on PCS in my opinion.
If I had to buy an air cooler, I'd go with a premium brand like Noctua (which costs the same as a good AIO).

 

[Caolan66]

Although the 7800X3D may be cooled by a premium air cooler, the coolers PCS has in stock are of unknown quality (most likely ID Cooling, but not sure), and there have been claims of failures.

AIOs require no extra maintenance, are a closed circuit with a non-conductive liquid, are quieter, and their reliability has grown a lot in recent years. I wouldn't worry about that.

The Corsair H100x, an older model but still a premium AIO, is now the lowest priced option on PCS in my opinion.
If I had to buy an air cooler, I'd go with a premium brand like Noctua (which costs the same as a good AIO).

Thank you for the reassurance!

 

[SpyderTracks]

The H100x models (with the x) aren't controllable by iCue, and iCue (although a bit buggy) can give a lot of control over fans and pump speeds, you can assign warnings and autoshutdowns if temps breach any limits.

For the benefits of iCue controllability, I would always say the H100i models (with the i at the end) are worth it over the x range for that reason.

But AIO's aren't filled with liquid, they're filled with a non conductive coolant, they just don't leak anymore and haven't for over a decade, but even if they were to, it's non-conductive so wouldn't cause any issues.

I had an H100i in my old rig which I've just upgraded, and it was running 24/7 for 10 years. I've only now upgraded it to an H150i

But they're extremely solid coolers.