Gaming PC

[JakJunior001]

Evening everyone!

I’m new when it comes to PC gaming and never built a PC before, i’ve always played console and decided to make the leap and buy a PC.

I’ve been playing around on some website and can’t seem to figure some stuff out like what motherboard i need or processor, my friend said i need i7 but i seem to see a lot of i5 rigs?

I always try get a 3060 ti or 3070 graphics card and get weaker other parts but seen various posts saying weaker parts elsewhere will affect performance so better to get a lower graphics card and improve overall for better performance.

I’m currently wanting to play Elden Ring once i order a PC and will carry on playing games like Apex and COD and probably load my old World of Warcraft account up from back in the day!

My friend said get this PC as a starting point;

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/pcspecialist-vortex-str-gaming-pc-intel-core-i7-rtx-3060-ti-2-tb-hdd-and-512-gb-ssd-10230639.html#

I’ve read mixed reviews on this, case is bad and overheats (but don’t know a decent case from a bad one) and doesn’t have liquid cooling which is fairly important?

My budget is around the £1500 and want to be able to play the games stated on high graphics with a decent FPS output.

I currently play on a gaming monitor so this should be decent to rig a PC up to through DP?

MSI Optix G27C4 – Redefine eSports rules | eSports Gaming Monitor | MSI

MSI Opitx G27C4 gaming monitor. Equipped with 24 inch,1080p, 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time panel, the Optix G27C4 gaming monitor will redefine the rules of eSports tournament and build the the winner formula.

www.msi.com

Thanks in advance for any help and builds given.

Jack

 

[JUNI0R]

Evening everyone!

I’m new when it comes to PC gaming and never built a PC before, i’ve always played console and decided to make the leap and buy a PC.

I’ve been playing around on some website and can’t seem to figure some stuff out like what motherboard i need or processor, my friend said i need i7 but i seem to see a lot of i5 rigs?

I always try get a 3060 ti or 3070 graphics card and get weaker other parts but seen various posts saying weaker parts elsewhere will affect performance so better to get a lower graphics card and improve overall for better performance.

I’m currently wanting to play Elden Ring once i order a PC and will carry on playing games like Apex and COD and probably load my old World of Warcraft account up from back in the day!

My friend said get this PC as a starting point;

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/pcspecialist-vortex-str-gaming-pc-intel-core-i7-rtx-3060-ti-2-tb-hdd-and-512-gb-ssd-10230639.html#

I’ve read mixed reviews on this, case is bad and overheats (but don’t know a decent case from a bad one) and doesn’t have liquid cooling which is fairly important?

My budget is around the £1500 and want to be able to play the games stated on high graphics with a decent FPS output.

I currently play on a gaming monitor so this should be decent to rig a PC up to through DP?

MSI Optix G27C4 – Redefine eSports rules | eSports Gaming Monitor | MSI

MSI Opitx G27C4 gaming monitor. Equipped with 24 inch,1080p, 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time panel, the Optix G27C4 gaming monitor will redefine the rules of eSports tournament and build the the winner formula.

www.msi.com

Thanks in advance for any help and builds given.

Jack

Hey there! Another Junior 👀

There's a few different sections to break down here so I'll go through them then onto a recommended spec.

Welcome to the confusing world of PC's! You certainly don't need an i7- what you get depends on your budget, if anything, the i5 is a far better value gaming CPU as gaming doesn't scale much past 6 cores.

The 3060TI and 3070 are certainly nice cards, but I wouldn't recommend cheaping out on other parts. There's 3 components I like to call the holy grail of PC parts, the case, motherboard and PSU, if these are good, you have a solid base ready for upgrades, so those 3 are often skimped on but shouldn't be skimped on.

Going for pre-specced PC's from retailers is generally not something I'd recommend doing. They do the exact opposite of what I've talked about above- aim for headline specs (CPU and GPU) and get something passable everywhere else. Yes this is technically fine, bit for the durability, efficiency and upgradability of your system, it's a big no no. What makes a good case vs bad, airflow, it needs lots of ventilation to keep components as cool as possible. Liquid cooling depends on the CPU you go for- if you were to go for a budget i3 or i5 then a small tower cooler would be ample, if you're looking at the higher end chips, i7, i9 then water cooling becomes a lot more effective on a hotter CPU as it's able to move more heat quicker.

I'm certain you'll get something better through a custom spec, so onto said custom spec!

For your monitor, the 3060TI and 3070 are really rather overpowered (meaning you pay for performance you'll never use), so we can actually save in that area and build a better base.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask away!

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE Great value high airflow case. Other good options are the Corsair 4000D, 4000X, 220T and Cooler Master TD500.
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 10-Core Processor i5-12600K (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache Probably the gaming CPU to have right now
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B660-PLUS WIFI D4: ATX, LGA1700, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs - ARGB Ready Ample motheboard to handle the 12600K. The only limitation this board gives you is on overclocking- you can't. If you wanted to OC, I'd recommend the Z690- that board also comes with a better VRM (the part that controls where the power goes) so is able to handle higher end CPU's. For a few £ more, it might be worth the extra anyway
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) Standard choice, 16GB of RAM is ample for 99% of gaming and fast RAM is ideal
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6600 - HDMI, DP - DX® 12 For your current montior, a 3060 tier card is what you should be aiming for. This 6600 sits just below the 3060 but is FAR better value
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW) 2 drives in the system, this one will just be for your Windows install and applications (internet browser, Discord, Spotify etc)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W) This one will be for all your games. Going for a SSD means game loading times will be nice and speedy
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET 850W is overspecced for the current system but will allow you to upgrade your GPU when it's either not doing the job anymore or you get a new more demanding monitor without needing to worry about power limitations
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler Ample cooling for the 12600K
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 at the moment, although if you're new to Windows, it might make more sense to just go straight to 11 so you don't have to learn to OS'
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 Windows Defender anti-virus is fine
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 9 to 12 working days

Price: £1,508.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/CvCuYEtd2P/

 

[JakJunior001]

Hi Junior!

It’s my middle name as my Grandad had the same name 😀

Thanks for breaking everything down and explaining you really took the time to help me out massively!

The case looks smart!

I noticed you chose the i5 processor, will this run the games stated at high standard and is the i5 good enough to withstand upgrades of ram and graphics cards in the future?

I see the graphics card you said is a bit lower spec than the 3060 but will basically do the same at a lower cost, that’s fine by me if it gives me the ability to upgrade elsewhere (motherboard etc…)

Not sure what overclocking is, but if it may be required i could potentially get the upgraded motherboard.

The 2 SSD drives, one for windows and applications, one for games, is this something it dies automatically or something i’d have to figure out?

Thanks buddy!

 

[JUNI0R]

Hi Junior!

It’s my middle name as my Grandad had the same name 😀

Thanks for breaking everything down and explaining you really took the time to help me out massively!

Oh wow, I wish I actually had Junior in my name 😂

No worries, it's what we're here for!

I noticed you chose the i5 processor, will this run the games stated at high standard and is the i5 good enough to withstand upgrades of ram and graphics cards in the future?

The i5 is a really solid mid level CPU, probably the best bang for buck choice for gaming. As said above gaming doesn't currently scale much past 6 cores so as much as you can spend more on an i7 there won't be a massive jump in performance (like there would be from 4 to 6)- you tend to go for more cores if you're doing lots of multi-core work, video editing for example. The 12600K is currently a fantastic option for gaming and should do you well for years to come.

I see the graphics card you said is a bit lower spec than the 3060 but will basically do the same at a lower cost, that’s fine by me if it gives me the ability to upgrade elsewhere (motherboard etc…)

Out the box the difference between them is extremly marginal (shown below), yes DLSS (software that increases FPS) and RTX (pretty lighting in some games) give the 3060 the edge, but not a £150 edge, in my opinion anyway- also worth noting AMD have their own versions of these software


Source

Not sure what overclocking is, but if it may be required i could potentially get the upgraded motherboard.

Overclocking is confusing, it's not something I've done myself- it's basically where you adjust how a part (normally CPU or GPU) performs for better performance or efficency, but you very much need to know what you're doing. Not required at all. I think the Z690 choice would be more from an upgradability for you.

The 2 SSD drives, one for windows and applications, one for games, is this something it dies automatically or something i’d have to figure out?

Pretty much. It just means if Windows bricks itself (I've had it happen before) you don't also have you download your whole game library again when you install Windows fresh.

Sorry, I've got a bit carried away here 😂

 

[AgentCooper]

Sorry, I've got a bit carried away here 😂

It’s your attention to detail that makes us love you.

 

[JakJunior001]

Right i’m kinda getting the drift (i think) 🤣

I’ll stick with the processor and graphics card, like you said i probably wouldn’t gain much going higher due to my monitor.

If i was to upgrade my monitor in the future and say buy a 3060 TI or 3070 would the current processor and motherboard be able to handle that?

I think i’d leave the overclocking to the experts and stay well away, so you think I should just stick with the B660, would this still allow me to go up to 32GB of ram in the future?

I get what you mean with the SSDs and it sounds good!

Will probably change the case to the Corsair 220T as i think it looks nice, and pay for quicker delivery and basically use all your build!

Will this case allow my graphics card and liquid cooler to light up and all look jazzy when turned on?

Thanks bro 😎

 

[AgentCooper]

Will probably change the case to the Corsair 220T as i think it looks nice, and pay for quicker delivery and basically use all your build!

Will this case allow my graphics card and liquid cooler to light up and all look jazzy when turned on?

As a previous owner of the 220T I can vouch that it does look pretty. But it’s VERY small, if you want to make any changes to your build it’s a living nightmare to get in that case and have a faff about. You need very small hands (or a child who can follow instructions) and a good amount of patience. It also has the older SP120 fans which are known for not playing nice with the iCue software, the pretty patterns you might want with your RGB lighting are much harder to achieve.

I transplanted my build into the 4000X case and it’s so much better in all respects. More room for all the bits and the lighting effects sync up perfectly. Well worth chucking the extra few quid at it if you can stretch to it 👍

 

[JakJunior001]

I transplanted my build into the 4000X case and it’s so much better in all respects. More room for all the bits and the lighting effects sync up perfectly. Well worth chucking the extra few quid at it if you can stretch to it 👍

I’ll take this on board, i do like the 4000X to be honest too, and the Cool Master TD500 loons hot! 🔥

Do all the lights work automatically or is it something you configure, this would be my first PC so wouldn’t really want to mess about with the insides! I’ve just seen some look sweet when the LED fronts, Graphics cards and Liquid Coolers are all lit up!

The iCue software is the liquid cooler? Does the 4000X or TD500 work fine with them?

Cheers

 

[JUNI0R]

If i was to upgrade my monitor in the future and say buy a 3060 TI or 3070 would the current processor and motherboard be able to handle that?

Yep! Would indeed 👌 Power wise, the slot only gives 75W of power, otherwise you'll need extra cables. Compatibility wise, basically any GPU that's been made in the last 20 years would be compatible so assume this will continue.

I think i’d leave the overclocking to the experts and stay well away, so you think I should just stick with the B660, would this still allow me to go up to 32GB of ram in the future?

Yep, RAM isn't demanding wattage wise, you'll just want to make sure you get the exact same RAM as you already have for the best compatibility (you can do this on the PCS upgrade system). For you the swap to Z690 would be more of a 'covering for a more powerful CPU in the futute', but for the 12600K, the B660 isn't vital in any way.

Will probably change the case to the Corsair 220T as i think it looks nice, and pay for quicker delivery and basically use all your build!

I can only echo what Cooper has said about the 220T, lovely case but a bit small. 4000X would be a much better choice. If you're wanting better airflow you can always buy the 4000D Airflow front panel as they're all interchangable.

Will this case allow my graphics card and liquid cooler to light up and all look jazzy when turned on?

4000X has quite a dark tinted side panel but it's still a very nice look. If you wanted to spruce up the RGB you could always go for the H100i Capellix (for another £21) and RGB RAM (for £9)

Do all the lights work automatically or is it something you configure, this would be my first PC so wouldn’t really want to mess about with the insides! I’ve just seen some look sweet when the LED fronts, Graphics cards and Liquid Coolers are all lit up!

All the RGB will automatically turn on when you turn the PC on, but to get it to how you'd like it, it'll take some playing with through software- no need to play around inside.

The iCue software is the liquid cooler? Does the 4000X or TD500 work fine with them?

iCUE is Corsair's RGB software. Basically anything from Corsair that has RGB will use this software. Cutting down on the number of RGB softwares as much as possible is a good idea- it's just easier to manage, so that's why I'd encourage the 4000X over the TD500.

 

[JakJunior001]

Yep! Would indeed

Power wise, the slot only gives 75W of power, otherwise you'll need extra cables. Compatibility wise, basically any GPU that's been made in the last 20 years would be compatible so assume this will continue.

Wow, you’re bloody good at explain everything through this thread thanks so much bro, i don’t get what you mean by more cables though could i just swap the graphics card? Sorry to be a pain 😞

Yep, RAM isn't demanding wattage wise, you'll just want to make sure you get the exact same RAM as you already have for the best compatibility (you can do this on the PCS upgrade system). For you the swap to Z690 would be more of a 'covering for a more powerful CPU in the futute', but for the 12600K, the B660 isn't vital in any way.

Sweet as, guess i could just check the hardware at the time for the exact name, seems fairly easy!

I can only echo what Cooper has said about the 220T, lovely case but a bit small. 4000X would be a much better choice. If you're wanting better airflow you can always buy the 4000D Airflow front panel as they're all interchangable.

I think i like the 4000X more anyway so gonna stick this this, doesn’t have it good air flow anyway as i’d be getting the liquid cooler built in?

4000X has quite a dark tinted side panel but it's still a very nice look. If you wanted to spruce up the RGB you could always go for the H100i Capellix (for another £21) and RGB RAM (for £9)

But as you said below the less RGB the better? So could just stick with the front fans and liquid cooling ones maybe?

All the RGB will automatically turn on when you turn the PC on, but to get it to how you'd like it, it'll take some playing with through software- no need to play around inside.

Oh sweet, so everything might come as a base orange and they have a software on the computer to play around and change everything, is the the iCUE software?

iCUE is Corsair's RGB software. Basically anything from Corsair that has RGB will use this software. Cutting down on the number of RGB softwares as much as possible is a good idea- it's just easier to manage, so that's why I'd encourage the 4000X over the TD500.

As said above, will stick with 4000X. Will probably just have the front fan LED, and change the liquid cooler to RGB, once it’s configured to what i want does it stay the same till it’s changed again? This said, i’ve seen that peoples Nvidia GTX graphics cards light up, does the Radeon one i’m getting do the same and would it best to stick with the most Corsair i can then to keep it all within the iCUE app, i’m also looking at Corsair mouse and keyboard!

 

[JUNI0R]

i don’t get what you mean by more cables though could i just swap the graphics card? Sorry to be a pain

so to provide enough power, GPU's often need extra cables. The slot where it's plugged in can only give 75W so for some of these cards you need miltiple cables plugged into the card. I believe the 3060TI needs 2, but high end cards of this generation need 3. Depending on what you upgrade to, you might need to plug in another cable.

I think i like the 4000X more anyway so gonna stick this this, doesn’t have it good air flow anyway as i’d be getting the liquid cooler built in?

The 4000X has ample airflow for what you're putting in there. Just if you wanted better airflow, you could add the 4000D front.

But as you said below the less RGB the better? So could just stick with the front fans and liquid cooling ones maybe?

It's the opposite! The more RGB the better Jokes aside, it's up to you, for me RGB looks amazing, just go with the amount you'd like.

Oh sweet, so everything might come as a base orange and they have a software on the computer to play around and change everything, is the the iCUE software?

Exactly, you'll want to download iCUE from here when you recieve the PC

As said above, will stick with 4000X. Will probably just have the front fan LED, and change the liquid cooler to RGB, once it’s configured to what i want does it stay the same till it’s changed again?

Yup, it'll save that profile and automatically load it when you turn on the PC (you'll want to make sure it auto starts when your PC turns on, it'll probably do this automatically)

This said, i’ve seen that peoples Nvidia GTX graphics cards light up, does the Radeon one i’m getting do the same

NVIDIA RTX and Radeon are just a families of cards. It'll depend on what make and model of card you get. For example, you can see in the image above, the ASUS STRIX comes with a lot of RGB, where as the Gigabyte Gaming OC doesn't have any for example. As the 6600 is a lower end card, I think it's more unlikely than likely you'll get RGB on your GPU but with fans, AIO and RAM, you should have enough RGB as it is.

with the most Corsair i can then to keep it all within the iCUE app, i’m also looking at Corsair mouse and keyboard!

You can! If you want the best mouse and best keyboard ETC, it'd be best to go to different brands for each, but I know the Corsair keyboards are popular here and there is something very satisfying about brand matching.

 

[JakJunior001]

Sorry fell asleep last night!

Is the power something that someone could do for me if i decided to upgrade my graphics card?

Yeah i’ll stick with the 4000X and RGB that i’ve chosen at the moment not going in too deep to start with!

Sweet about the app and the profiles that seems like a good thing and understood about the card, guess this PC build last me a good couple of year before i need to upgrade anyway.

Yeah it does seem satisfying matching brands even the stuff inside in the rig and Corsair stuffs looks good

 

[JUNI0R]

Sorry fell asleep last night!

Is the power something that someone could do for me if i decided to upgrade my graphics card?

Yeah i’ll stick with the 4000X and RGB that i’ve chosen at the moment not going in too deep to start with!

Sweet about the app and the profiles that seems like a good thing and understood about the card, guess this PC build last me a good couple of year before i need to upgrade anyway.

Yeah it does seem satisfying matching brands even the stuff inside in the rig and Corsair stuffs looks good

No worries, it was pretty late!

Yep, PCS has a pretty great upgrade system if you're not confident in doing upgrades yourself, I believe it's a flat fee of £60?

 

[JakJunior001]

That’s not too bad bro, thanks for all the help looking to order next week sometimes when i’ve been paid!

 

[JUNI0R]

That’s not too bad bro, thanks for all the help looking to order next week sometimes when i’ve been paid!

No worries, you're very welcome! All I ask is you send us some pics when it arrives 👀 it'll be a lovely looking system!

 

[JakJunior001]

I will keep you updated, might be a couple of weeks yet with delivery times and build times but will post here!

 

[JakJunior001]

Hey Junior!

I sold my old gaming PC and may be able to push an extra £150-200 so making a budget of £1700ish!

What would you?

I was thinking maybe get 32GB ram, H115i cooling and the 6600 XT GPU, would these upgrades be worth it?

Thanks!

 

[JUNI0R]

Hey Junior!

I sold my old gaming PC and may be able to push an extra £150-200 so making a budget of £1700ish!

Very nice!

What would you?

I was thinking maybe get 32GB ram, H115i cooling and the 6600 XT GPU, would these upgrades be worth it?

Realistically, aside from a couple of titles, you won't really need 32GB of RAM, if you were to plan to get into video editing then 32GB would become useful, but 16GB for the majority of titles would be fine

The 12600K will be cooled amply be the H100i. It's a weird CPU temps wise, because a simple tower cooler probably wouldn't quite cut it, but a high quality 240mm AIO is almost too much.

The 6600XT is a weird GPU. It's got the 1080p performance of a 3060TI (so is massively overpecced for the use) but it loses its legs rather in 1440p gameplay.

When you're up to the £1700 mark, it seems a waste to still be on 1080p, so, depending on how long it'd take you to save up £300 for a suitable monitor, I reckon it's worth just going full bore and going for a 3060TI, a fantastic 1440p 144hz card. I'm unsure how the changes we've decided on will affect the price but making that change to the full build I posted earlier takes the spec to £1740 by just swapping the 6600 for a 3060TI.

 

[JakJunior001]

Understood!

I might just stick with the original build you posted then for a few year to see how i get on, save up some money and drop it into a monitor and GPU at the same time to see the best outcome, might just take the Z chip upgrade as mentioned right at the start?

Cheers buddy

 

[JUNI0R]

Understood!

I might just stick with the original build you posted then for a few year to see how i get on, save up some money and drop it into a monitor and GPU at the same time to see the best outcome, might just take the Z chip upgrade as mentioned right at the start?

Cheers buddy

Sounds like a good plan Always nice to have a bit saved up for future upgrades Would you mind posting the latest spec you're looking at? Would be good to see it as a whole so we can give it the go ahead!