High end PC to last several years

[DickJ]

I'm ordering a new high end PC. At first I mostly want to use it for Photoshop and stock market trading (this requires a lot of custom scripts which can stretch my current PC when the market is very busy). Whilst I'd expect this spec to be an overkill for my current needs I want a PC that will be reasonably future proof (my current PCS i7-2600K PC is almost 10 years old!). It's possible in due course I'll get into AI processing and, who knows, gaming!

Initially I'll be using an old Nvidia Quadro K1200 GPU. I know this isn't very high end but it's low power and drives four monitors (currently three 1920x1200 and one 4k). It also has OpenGL 30 bit colour support for Photoshop (many non workstation GPUs don't).

As I sit at the PC for hours on end I want it to be as quiet as possible. I've therefore avoided mechanical drives and liquid cooler. I don't need huge drives as my image files are stored on a NAS.

Is there anything glaringly wrong with this spec? I've over specified the power supply because I don't know what I might be adding in the future.

What are your thoughts on the cooling? Reading reviews it sounds like the Noctua NH-U14S will provide adequate cooling, especially if I don't get into overclocking.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® CROSSHAIR VIII HERO (DDR4, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX/SLI) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2019 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

(Note there appears to be a bug in the configuration software and it reverts to Windows 10 Home when I want to order Windows 10 Professional)

 

[AgentCooper]

Hi there! Is there any chance you could edit your post to include the configurable URL, please? It’ll help others suggest changes without having to go through the whole build process 👍

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

 

[DickJ]

Apologies. It's my first time doing this. I've now included the URL.

 

[AgentCooper]

No problem, buddy! Appreciate you adding that on. I’m about to drive to my evening job, if nobody’s got back to you before I’m there then I’ll be back on around 7pm to help out 👍

 

[AgentCooper]

So, your build... not that much I really felt the need to tweak. I've made a couple of alterations that may be worth considering.

The motherboard I've changed to the ROG Strix X570 as it partners up nicely with your CPU. If you were buying the 5950X, that's when you'd likely need the Crosshair.

RAM I changed to the non-RGB version to save you about £30, you won't see the twinkly lights in the Fractal Define 7 (excellent choice of case, by the way )

Added a second, smaller and faster M.2 drive to the build. This 500GB one would be ideal to have just your OS and programs on and would have your PC fully booted within ten seconds of powering it on. The 2TB Firecuda could then be used for your day to day stuff. I'm not sure how heavy your photoshop usage is but you could potentially partition part of that M.2 to use as a scratch drive which would help with memory overflow if your RAM is taking a heavy hit. I left the other SSD in there as per your request of having as quiet a system as possible.

As for the cooler, the Noctua is one of the best air coolers out there but I feel that your system would really benefit from a closed loop AIO liquid cooler in order to cope with the CPU. The Corsair high end range are excellent and the one I've subbed in uses ML (magnetic levitation) fans which are whisper quiet.

I also popped the AX200 WiFi card in. Even if you're connected via Ethernet cable, the card has built in Bluetooth which can be a handy little addition for very little cost.

You made a good move over-speccing the power supply, that's likely to be of benefit to you in the future

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2019 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K120 USB KEYBOARD
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® OPTICAL USB MOUSE
Mouse Pad
PCS Mouse Mat
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 13 to 15 working days
Price: £2,440.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/FvwYfkCVy5/

Feel free to let us know what you think or if there's any questions. There's a bunch of people on here who are always happy to help.

 

[DickJ]

Thank you for taking a look at the spec and for your suggestions.

Do you think I'd notice any benefit going for the ultra quiet version of the H115i, with the Akasa Apache Black fans? I'm not bothered about losing the RGB.

 

[AgentCooper]

The ML fans you get with the RGB Pro are easily as quiet as that model, and the cooler I believe has an improved heat sink. I've got the H100i RGB Platinum and it's virtually silent.

 

[DickJ]

Thanks for your help. I've made most of the tweaks you suggest, including the cooler and the additional M.2 SSD.

As I'd already loaded the original order (because it took a day to register for the forums) I've put it through as an amendment. Hopefully it will be understood that I want Windows installed on the 500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, not the FIRECUDA 520.

 

[Martinr36]

Thanks for your help. I've made most of the tweaks you suggest, including the cooler and the additional M.2 SSD.

As I'd already loaded the original order (because it took a day to register for the forums) I've put it through as an amendment. Hopefully it will be understood that I want Windows installed on the 500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, not the FIRECUDA 520.

Just to make sure about which drive you want windows on, just see if you can get someone on chat to put a note on your order

 

[AgentCooper]

PCS install the OS on the fastest drive as default. Drives don't come much faster than the 980!

 

[Scott]

Just to add on the cooler. Are you certain you selected the H115i RGB Platinum and not the PRO? It's easy to make the mistake. If the Platinum isn't available the PRO XT is the same setup without the RGB element (From what I can tell). The PRO (Without the XT) is the old variant and should be avoided.

FWIW the Corsair AIO is actually quieter than the Noctua when pushed.

 

[DickJ]

Thanks Scott.

I find the H115i variants a bit confusing. I amended the order to "Corsair H115i RGB PRO XT CPU Cooler". As far as I can tell, it includes the ML fans. I'd go for a basic PRO XT without the RGB if it were listed (does such a version exist?). The PLATINUM currently isn't available.

 

[DickJ]

Looking at it further, I think the H115i RGB PRO XT may only be an RGB pump, not fans. Very confusing, especially as there are so many similar sounding 115 variants.

 

[AgentCooper]

Looking at it further, I think the H115i RGB PRO XT may only be an RGB pump, not fans. Very confusing, especially as there are so many similar sounding 115 variants.

This is correct, only the pump head has RGB. Seems odd to me, why not just do one with all the RGB and one without...