Look good for office work, but also gaming ?

[DSNv]

Hey y'all, I'm planning to order a new PC to use for work, and also for gaming. I work in project management so I'll use mainly MS Office applications / Zoom / Teams etc. While I'm not planning on using it for VR or video processing, I'm definitely also going to use if for gaming (streaming could be fun).

While a lot of the games I’m planning to play aren’t the most graphically intensive because they’re older (DayZ, some of the older Resident Evils), but I want to buy something powerful enough to play Warzone / RE8 Village / RDR2 etc if I want to. What I really want to avoid is buying something that doesn’t turn out to be powerful enough and regret it.

This is the monitor I have:

AOC Gaming 24G2U -24 Inch FHD Monitor, 144Hz, 1ms, IPS, AMD FreeSync, Height Adjust, Speakers, USB Hub, Low Input Lag (1920x1080 @ 144Hz, 250cd/m², HDMI/DP/VGA/USB 3.0)

And this is the spec I've come up with, admittedly with the help of my brother (who was very much "Buy a 3080 Ti !"), but having read some of the guidance threads here I've kinda toned things down a little.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 465X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE RTX 3060 TI - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 RGB 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
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 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00005]
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/UMVdg9uGUs/

Budget
My top end budget is £2.5k, but if I could come in below that, that would be awesome.

Thanks very much in advance for your help !

 

[Martinr36]

Ok, there's a lot wrong with the spec you've posted such as overkill on RAM which was also slow, the GPU was overkill for that monitor, personally with a budget like that you should be looking at a 1440p system but I've specced to your existing monitor

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING 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)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB ASUS DUAL GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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
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 10/11 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 (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 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,159.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/vrPPHHBUKr/

 

[DSNv]

Thank you for that, I'll spend some time understanding the bits you've changed now. Might come back with some questions later !

 

[JUNI0R]

Heya! As @Martinr36 has mentioned, for your budget, you should really be looking at a 1440p build, so that's an avenue I've explored here. When it comes to monitors, PCS doesn't have the best range so I've left a buffer at the top of the budget to find one somewhere else. A couple of our current go to recommendations are the Gigabyte M27Q, and ASUS TUF VG27AQ. We also like the Dell S2721DGF but I can't seem to find at a sensible price anywhere!

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

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 465X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) Stepped the CPU down a level, it doesn't sound like you'll be doing anything especially CPU intensive, and the 5800X is still a great CPU
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) For the vast majority of gaming, 16GB will be ample. Fast RAM is also important with AMD, hence the 3200mhz kit. If you want to start streaming then 32GB would be a good upgrade to consider and there should just about be the space in the budget for this
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR Much to your brothers dismay I'm sure, for 1440p ~144hz, this 3070 will really give you the most out of one of those monitors. If you'd rather keep to the monitor you currently have, then the 6600XT would be plenty for gaming, or the DUAL 3060 (which is currently cheaper than the 'normal' 3060) for the better encoding software the NVIDIA cards have. As an aside, an 80TI is for 4K 144hz, where monitors start at about £650!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE A large HDD for storing those boring work files
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W) A Super fast Gen 4 NVME SSD for Windows and Applications
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W) A dedicated TB SSD for all your games
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET A slightly higher wattage PSU to better handle future upgrades
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler The 5800X isn't the coolest of CPU's, but this brilliant H100i Capellix will do a good job on keeping those temps down
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 If you need WiFi, then this is the card to go for, if not, feel free to remove
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] Are there any features of professional you know you need? If not I'd stick to Home, and Windows 10
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 is a perfectly good AntiVirus
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Well worth the 5 quid
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,115.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

 

[DSNv]

Heya! As @Martinr36 has mentioned, for your budget, you should really be looking at a 1440p build, so that's an avenue I've explored here. When it comes to monitors, PCS doesn't have the best range so I've left a buffer at the top of the budget to find one somewhere else. A couple of our current go to recommendations are the Gigabyte M27Q, and ASUS TUF VG27AQ. We also like the Dell S2721DGF but I can't seem to find at a sensible price anywhere!

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

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 465X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) Stepped the CPU down a level, it doesn't sound like you'll be doing anything especially CPU intensive, and the 5800X is still a great CPU
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) For the vast majority of gaming, 16GB will be ample. Fast RAM is also important with AMD, hence the 3200mhz kit. If you want to start streaming then 32GB would be a good upgrade to consider and there should just about be the space in the budget for this
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR Much to your brothers dismay I'm sure, for 1440p ~144hz, this 3070 will really give you the most out of one of those monitors. If you'd rather keep to the monitor you currently have, then the 6600XT would be plenty for gaming, or the DUAL 3060 (which is currently cheaper than the 'normal' 3060) for the better encoding software the NVIDIA cards have. As an aside, an 80TI is for 4K 144hz, where monitors start at about £650!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE A large HDD for storing those boring work files
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W) A Super fast Gen 4 NVME SSD for Windows and Applications
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W) A dedicated TB SSD for all your games
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET A slightly higher wattage PSU to better handle future upgrades
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler The 5800X isn't the coolest of CPU's, but this brilliant H100i Capellix will do a good job on keeping those temps down
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 If you need WiFi, then this is the card to go for, if not, feel free to remove
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] Are there any features of professional you know you need? If not I'd stick to Home, and Windows 10
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 is a perfectly good AntiVirus
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Well worth the 5 quid
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,115.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

Cheers JUNI0R, really appreciate you adding the commentary around your recommendations. I have a lot of cloud storage at my disposal for work stuff so may opt to lose the big HDD just to help trim the price down. Again I’ll have another read and I’ll shout with any questions. Thanks !

 

[DSNv]

Would this graphics card:

8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR

Support a dual monitor setup, if I wanted to keep the monitor I already have, then look to add a better one later ?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Would this graphics card:

8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR

Support a dual monitor setup, if I wanted to keep the monitor I already have, then look to add a better one later ?

Any GPU will support dual monitors.

 

[MrWilson]

Would this graphics card:

8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR

Support a dual monitor setup, if I wanted to keep the monitor I already have, then look to add a better one later ?

It will, but I would recommend getting a 1440p monitor sooner rather than later, and then the GPU will handle both monitors simultaneously.

 

[DSNv]

Heya! As @Martinr36 has mentioned, for your budget, you should really be looking at a 1440p build, so that's an avenue I've explored here. When it comes to monitors, PCS doesn't have the best range so I've left a buffer at the top of the budget to find one somewhere else. A couple of our current go to recommendations are the Gigabyte M27Q, and ASUS TUF VG27AQ. We also like the Dell S2721DGF but I can't seem to find at a sensible price anywhere!

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

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 465X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) Stepped the CPU down a level, it doesn't sound like you'll be doing anything especially CPU intensive, and the 5800X is still a great CPU
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) For the vast majority of gaming, 16GB will be ample. Fast RAM is also important with AMD, hence the 3200mhz kit. If you want to start streaming then 32GB would be a good upgrade to consider and there should just about be the space in the budget for this
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR Much to your brothers dismay I'm sure, for 1440p ~144hz, this 3070 will really give you the most out of one of those monitors. If you'd rather keep to the monitor you currently have, then the 6600XT would be plenty for gaming, or the DUAL 3060 (which is currently cheaper than the 'normal' 3060) for the better encoding software the NVIDIA cards have. As an aside, an 80TI is for 4K 144hz, where monitors start at about £650!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE A large HDD for storing those boring work files
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W) A Super fast Gen 4 NVME SSD for Windows and Applications
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W) A dedicated TB SSD for all your games
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET A slightly higher wattage PSU to better handle future upgrades
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler The 5800X isn't the coolest of CPU's, but this brilliant H100i Capellix will do a good job on keeping those temps down
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 If you need WiFi, then this is the card to go for, if not, feel free to remove
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] Are there any features of professional you know you need? If not I'd stick to Home, and Windows 10
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 is a perfectly good AntiVirus
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Well worth the 5 quid
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,115.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

Sorry in advance if this is another dumb question, but would you explain the logic of having the three separate hard drives (the two SSDs and the storage drive) ? Thanks !

 

[Martinr36]

Sorry in advance if this is another dumb question, but would you explain the logic of having the three separate hard drives (the two SSDs and the storage drive) ? Thanks !

Hard drive is for general storage (documents, photos etc) the fastest of the M.2 drives is for your OS and programs, then the slower of the M/2 drives is for your games, this way when you have to clean install the OS, you don't have to reinstall all your games and you have great loading times

 

[JUNI0R]

Sorry in advance if this is another dumb question, but would you explain the logic of having the three separate hard drives (the two SSDs and the storage drive) ? Thanks !

Sure!

1st M.2- 500GB Samsung 980 Pro: This drive will just be for Windows and your applications. This is one of the fastest drives out there and will result in blisteringly quick boot and loading times. Keeping this drive less than 50% full will keep this drive swift to say the least.

2nd M.2 SSD- 1TB Intel 670p: This is a dedicated drive for all of your games. Having them on their own drive means if you need to re-install Windows for whatever reason, you don't also need to reinstall all of your game library, it's not vital to do this, but a nice luxury to have, especially at this budget.

HDD- 2TB Seagate Barracuda: The idea for this is for general file storage. Documents, videos, photos and the like don't really gain anything by being on an SSD and from the way SSD's break compared to HDD's, this is probably the preferred way of storing this sort of data. You mention having lots of cloud storage for work, so feel free to remove if you'd don't feel you'll need it, but there's no harm in keeping it for VOD's, videos and clips from a stream, if that's an avenue you think you'll explore.