Gaming Veteran - but new to PC! Help pls.

[itsmrgray]

Hi Everyone

I’ve been console gaming for years now and I’ve finally made the decision to give PC gaming a go considering there’s a bit more freedom and significant visual differences.

However, my understanding of PC components is very limited specifically when it comes to “is this overkill for what I want it for?” Also - will my proposed build actually work, parts compatible with each other…

Budget - ideally don’t want to be spending more than £3,000 but at the same time I don’t want to be sacrificing key elements if absolutely needed.

Usage - I mainly play open world games and hate the fact that on console with many games, I have to sacrifice visuals for frame rate or vice versa. I want to play in smooth max FPS on High/Ultra High resolution. Such games I’ve been playing recently are Starfield, AC, God of War Ragnarok etc. In addition, PC would need to seamlessly play casual games - Warzone/MWII etc.

Proposed Build (gut says it’s overkill)

Case
FRACTAL NORTH TG GAMING CASE (WHITE)
Promotional Item
Get Alan Wake 2 with Select GeForce RTX 40 Series!
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D 12 Core CPU (4.4GHz-5.6GHz/140MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR FORCE MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 4950 MB/R, 4000 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W 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 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
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
FAST TRACK 3 WORKING DAY DISPATCH
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/SfWYDswXq3/

Will appreciate all feedback and suggestions!

Thanks
Dan

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hiya, what make and model monitor are you using?

Just to set expectations, "Ultra Settings" isn't a thing in PC gaming, on any game, you optimise settings to get best performance / visuals. It takes some learning, but unless you're playing an older game, you would never set it to highest settings as there are a lot of individual settings that can plummet FPS for absolutely zero visual gain. There are guides for optimal settings for any game online.

 

[sck451]

Hi Mr Gray. This is a very classic console gamer's post -- not a bad thing, but it is quite obvious you haven't had a lot of experience with PC gaming! In particular the "high/ultra high resolution" thing. The important question is: what monitor do you have? Or what monitor will you be buying?

Also if you can post the full specification along with the configuration link as shown in this post:

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

Just a first note, if you've been provided this link, don't amend your first post as it won't update the queue, please add an additional comment to the thread, that way it will go back to the front of the queue. Otherwise we don't know it's been updated. When creating a forum post looking to...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

This makes it easier to suggest any changes.

 

[itsmrgray]

Thanks both - I have pasted the entire specification in my first post.

Yes - you can certainly tell I’ve never left the console group so forgive my basic knowledge ha!

Monitor wise I was just going to hook it up to my QN90B for now (due to space limitations) but in the future I may look to adjust this - but this won’t be for a number of years.

 

[sck451]

Awesome thanks for that. A great display (4K 120Hz): definitely worthy of a top-tier build.

You could get away with spending much less (e.g. with a 4080 or a 7900 XTX), but arguably the 4090 isn't terrible value for the extra performance it offers. I don't see any reason why you need a hard drive? Or the extra connectivity of X670E motherboards.

Here's your build tweaked slightly. The cooling in that case with that graphics card is my only real concern here...

Case
FRACTAL NORTH TG GAMING CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) Actually better than the 7900X3D in gaming
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6) All you need for this build
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP Utter monster graphics card, overkill, but if you can afford it...
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 (maybe you want more?)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W 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 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler Probably enough, but I'd prefer an AIO in a build of this budget. However, PCS doesn't consider AIOs compatible with a 4090 and this case. This is enough, but I'd certainly prefer more cooling
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
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF Gaming K1 Keyboard, M3 Mouse & H3 Headset Bundle Not sure this is the best deal, personally: you can get better keyboards and mice with your kind of money
Mouse Pad
PCS Gaming Mouse Mat - XXL
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
FAST TRACK 3 WORKING DAY DISPATCH Seems like a lot of money to save a week, but it's your cash!
Price: £3,056.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/pZxwYJRGfp/

 

[itsmrgray]

Awesome thanks for that. A great display (4K 120Hz): definitely worthy of a top-tier build.

You could get away with spending much less (e.g. with a 4080 or a 7900 XTX), but arguably the 4090 isn't terrible value for the extra performance it offers. I don't see any reason why you need a hard drive? Or the extra connectivity of X670E motherboards.

Here's your build tweaked slightly. The cooling in that case with that graphics card is my only real concern here...

Case
FRACTAL NORTH TG GAMING CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) Actually better than the 7900X3D in gaming
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6) All you need for this build
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP Utter monster graphics card, overkill, but if you can afford it...
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 (maybe you want more?)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W 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 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler Probably enough, but I'd prefer an AIO in a build of this budget. However, PCS doesn't consider AIOs compatible with a 4090 and this case. This is enough, but I'd certainly prefer more cooling
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
Microsoft® Edge
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF Gaming K1 Keyboard, M3 Mouse & H3 Headset Bundle Not sure this is the best deal, personally: you can get better keyboards and mice with your kind of money
Mouse Pad
PCS Gaming Mouse Mat - XXL
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
FAST TRACK 3 WORKING DAY DISPATCH Seems like a lot of money to save a week, but it's your cash!
Price: £3,056.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/pZxwYJRGfp/

Thank you for this - this has helped a lot!

Regarding the cooling and your concerns with the graphics card and case, would you recommend that I opt for a different case to help with the cooling - I don’t want to end up with issues a few months down the line if I can sort it now. Tbh, how the case “looks” is not at the top of my list so I’m open to any better suggestions here

 

[sck451]

Honestly even a relatively cheap air cooler on a 7800X3D will be fine, but I'd rather err on the side of too much cooling. If you want the aesthetic of the Fractal North, I'd be comfortable going for it, but I'd be more comfortable with an AIO in your build.

If you're happy going with a different case, you have various options. From PCS's selection I'd look at the Fractal Focus 2 with the H100i cooler (you can turn the RGB off!), the Corsair 4000D Airflow, the Corsair 4000X RGB, or the Corsair 5000D Airflow. (The last two are stocked in white; the 5000D is quite big! All these last three can have the H115i cooler.)

If you're happy doing "send in your own case" and buying off another site, I'd consider the Fractal Focus 2 in white, or if you don't mind a big case the Fractal Meshify 2.

 

[AccidentalDenz]

Just to set expectations, "Ultra Settings" isn't a thing in PC gaming, on any game, you optimise settings to get best performance / visuals. It takes some learning, but unless you're playing an older game, you would never set it to highest settings as there are a lot of individual settings that can plummet FPS for absolutely zero visual gain. There are guides for optimal settings for any game online.

Others are already advising on specs, so I'll leave you in their hands, but Spydertrack's comment here is spot on. Getting games running properly is a bit more involved than jumping to Ultra settings and expecting perfect performance. A lot of games, you can go into the graphics settings and there will usually be an option to autodetect settings, and that will usually do a pretty good job, but you can often tweak things to make them even better.

Looking at Cyberpunk 2077, for example, there's a setting about what quality of clouds you want. There's large parts of Night City where you can barely see the clouds, so having the top setting on clouds means you'll have near photo-realistic clouds that you can't see because you're surrounded by tall buildings, or even inside buildings. Having a sizable chunk of system resources devoted to Ultra realistic clouds at all times is a bit pointless. High or even medium settings will perform much better and would be barely noticeable looks wise.

As you're new to PC gaming, there's a lot of guides for pretty much all of the big name games out there which will recommend settings. Taken entirely at random from Google, here's a couple for games you've mentioned:

Starfield best settings on PC for max FPS and optimization - Dexerto

Finding the best PC settings is key to enjoying Starfield. This guide details the ideal configurations for a smooth run in the space RPG.

www.dexerto.com

Assassin’s Creed Mirage: Best Settings For Visuals & Performance

If you're hoping to make AC Mirage look and perform the best it can, check out our recommendations for the best settings to choose.

www.dualshockers.com