Help with £1k budget, RAM and storage priority

P

ping

Member
Hello,

I'm looking for help with a build with a budget of approx £1k. Main use will be number crunching, programming, and playing around with pen-testing/capture-the-flag stuff. I'm not really a PC gamer so gaming isn't a priority, but ideally it would cope with say 5 year old games and be able to stream TV shows on one monitor while working on another.

I'd like a decent amount of RAM as I'll sometimes use Virtual Machines and other RAM-intensive programs.

I don't like running low on storage and will sometimes have multiple Operating Systems installed in different partitions so would like to maximise disk space as well.

I see the configuration page lets me add two storage drives on top of an M2. I assume this means that if I buy one with M2 it will have space for me to add at least two drives of my own? I'll probably add at least one if so.

I don't need it to come with Windows. I'll be installing Linux which is what I'll mainly use, but will likely add a Windows partition or drive at some point.

My main monitor is LG 21:9 UltraWide 25UM57. I have a second VGA monitor which I'll probably replace with something better in the future, but I'm undecided on what it would be.

My current attempt is below. I've left some of the options at default. I have no idea about cases and wasn't sure which one the FAQ was recommending. Is it worth changing the PSU, especially if I'm intending to add an extra drive? Is a USB-C port something I'm likely to wish I had in a few years? Any particular reason to choose one brand of SSD over another?



Case
PCS 3601 CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2700MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
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 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 16 to 19 working days
Price: £1,007.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/UXav67sXWm/
 
P

ping

Member
Sorry to bump, but if there are any thoughts, even just "it's fine", I'd be really interested!
 
C

ColEyt

Gold Level Poster
Building to a low budget is difficult at the present time, although it does help that you are not after a gaming graphics card.

I've changed a few things, which does go slightly over your budget. Other uses may be able to suggest better combinations, or come somewhere nearer your budget, but this is what I've come up with.

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 200R COMPACT GAMING CASE- Have changed the case for better airflow, whilst maintaining ability to install 5.25 drives and provide space for 3.5/2.5 inch drives
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! Upgraded the board for £20, just for slightly better thermals, also provides a second nvme drive slot
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB) AMD processors prefer fast RAM, and 3200 is the minimum speed most would recommend
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030 - Have kept this as you selected, I know nothing about the card, but with your budget no point in selecting something more expensive, especially at this present time. Easiest part to upgrade should you need to in the future
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2700MB/sW) Whilst we would normally recommend a smaller boot drive and a second NVME for programs etc, given your comments about multiple O/S I've left this as is
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET- Upgraded this to a better built and more efficient Power Supply, Ideally you want the PSU on average to be working at around 60% capacity to help with long term use
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
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 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 16 to 19 working days
Price: £1,134.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/AF7YeEagg7/

Don't think I have changed anything else, and just to clarify the above is not a build that I would like, it's a compromise to come close to your budget., although I'm still 10% over that.

Also on the storage drive front, if you click on show additional storage options, you will see that you can add up to 4 hard drive (either traditional or SSD), and up to 2 Nvme drives (dependant upon motherboard). Hopefully someone else will be able to modify this more to suit your needs, however if you have any questions then feel free to ask
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
There's a bunch of stuff in there I wouldn't recommend: principally the case, the slow RAM, and the big boot drive. Let's upgrade the case to the Corsair 4000D, the RAM to 3200MHz, and then let's go for a twin-SSD approach: a 500TB boot drive that's as fast as you can afford and a 1TB main storage drive for keeping files and games, etc. Finally I've upgraded your power supply to a better and quieter one that will leave room for future upgrades.

I wouldn't go for the DVD drive in the case because it cuts down on case choices. If you need a DVD drive, get a USB one.

The 1030 is very much an entry-level graphics card, barely better than an integrated GPU. I wouldn't expect to play any games on it, but you could reasonably upgrade this system to something like a 3060 graphics card.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
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 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 16 to 19 working days
Price: £1,049.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/EgByCRkhNM/
 
C

ColEyt

Gold Level Poster
sck451 said:
@ColEyt, any B550 board can handle two M.2 drives: it's part of the specification.
Click to expand...
Cheers, I realise what I did in error. When clicking on the info bar to check the spec, I presumed it would show me the board that was selected, but it showed the 450 board instead, and I didnt notice. So thanks for the clarification :)
 
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