Friend's first PC: Help required with spec on a fairly tight budget

[dsweeting]

Hello so I need some help here please, I'm completely out of the loop.

There is a link to a PC spec below which he came up with after some advice, what will need changing, taking into account:
1. Future proofing but see below point
2. Can be upgraded at a later date, so can go a little lower on parts that are easy to change
3. £1200 not including windows (is this viable or is it better to save more?)
3. He's wanting to play Baldors gate 3 to start with (minimum and required specs below)

• MINIMUM:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel I5 4690 / AMD FX 8350
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 970 / RX 480 (4GB+ of VRAM)
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 150 GB available space

• RECOMMENDED:
  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel i7 8700K / AMD r5 3600
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia 2060 Super / RX 5700 XT (8GB+ of VRAM)
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 150 GB available space

Case
PCS PRISM-X ARGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 10-Core Processor i5-13400F (Up to 4.6GHz) 20MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B760-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, PCIe5.0, USB 3.2)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
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 RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET1
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 120 Series RGB 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 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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED


Price: £1,089.00 including VAT and Delivery


Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/r9aMAChHkn/

 

[JUNI0R]

Heya! £1200 is a very workable budget, so nothing to worry about there! I've come up with two different builds to give you a couple options depending on what exactly you're looking for.

Will start by saying, I can't really recommend Intel at the moment, I think AMD offer far better value for money at this price point then far better performance if sky was the limit. I've also used AMD GPU's for a similar reason, you get a tonne more performance for your money.

This first build uses the previous gen (and now EOL) AM4 platform- it uses the 5700X which is a lovely 8 core CPU, then once an upgrade is in order, the 5800X3D will be a big step up for this platform (although may be a few years old at that point). The advantage here is its a cheaper platform so more can be spent on the GPU (what matters for gaming) but as a trade off, you'll only really get 1 CPU that's worth upgrading to.

Case
PCS SPECTRUM G ARGB MID TOWER CASE (PWM) Case with slightly more airflow
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5700X Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.6GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! Ample motherboard for 5700X and 5800X3D
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6750 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12 Great AMD card, performance similar to the 3070 plus has 12GB of VRAM
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR, 1625MB/sW) Would suggest going for 2 drives, this one being for OS
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) And this one being for games
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET If upgradability is important then another 100W for a few quid is a no brainer
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD) Ample cooling for 5700X, wouldn't recommend a 120mm AIO- keep to 240+ if you want to go AIO
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 INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0 Kept this in jic you need WiFi
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License Forgot to remove this, remove it before buying!
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) No brainer for £5
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days

Price: £1,198.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Z0BRCZUdnN/

This next build uses AMD's new AM5 platform. It's more expensive partly because it's new but also partly because it only uses DDR5 RAM. This basically has the opposite advantages and disadvantages to the AM4 system above. More expensive platform so less to spend on GPU, but far better upgradability (AMD should support this socket for the next 4-5 years). The build is all effectively the same, so will just discuss bits that have changed!

Case
PCS SPECTRUM G ARGB MID TOWER CASE (PWM)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core CPU (4.0GHz-5.2GHz/38MB CACHE/AM5) AMD's entry level CPU into this new platform
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) Again, ample motherboard for future upgrades
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB) 5600mhz is the minimum speed I'd want to recommend for AM5, also 16GB kits don't really exist so you have the advantage of 32GB here
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6650 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12 Performance similar/ slightly faster than a 3060
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR, 1625MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/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
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
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 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,173.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/6xGpG2QgAX/