Looking for advice on draft build

[sean16]

Hi there, I'm currently in the process of looking to buy a new PC and have come up with a very rough draft build.

This build is in no way my definitive final build and everything is subject to change, even if it means starting from scratch. I've had some issues with the build which I'm not entirely sure about which I'll go into more below. I have no idea if the options that I've picked are any good but thought I'd give it a go myself. I'm very open to any suggestions that you may have and would greatly appreciate any advice. I'm desperate to get this right and to avoid any rookie mistakes.

I'm hoping to get a PC which will last me at least 5 years, hopefully many more. My current PC which is a pre-build has been with me for almost 9 years now and is only just beginning to show its age, though it has had its fair share of issues, particularly in the last year. If my new PC lasts me that long, I'd be more than satisfied. I'd wait until after Christmas to get a new PC but unfortunately my PSU seems to be going out, and rather than rewire my current rig which probably isn't going to last me all that much longer I thought I'd better get a new computer instead.

Some examples of games I intend to play are Halo Infinite, Stalker 2, Starfield and, hopefully, The Elder Scrolls VI. I also intend to play older games too, particularly Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas which are a bit of a nightmare to run on newer systems. It's probably an overused term but I'm very conscious about future proofing. The three parts that I'm concerned most about are the CPU, motherboard and power supply, which unfortunately are the parts which I'm most unsure about. My aim is to get a build which can run the latest games for at least the next 5 years at high or even ultra settings, with little to no concern about upgrading until towards the end of its life cycle.

The parts I have chosen are based on some research that I've done into which are the best parts for gaming in 2022 and beyond, and by looking at some pre-builds on PC Specialist's front page for some inspiration. I have posted the build below, as well as a link to it for configuration, and some notes below regarding my choices and some concerns I have.

My budget is approximately £3,000, not taking into account the monitor and other peripherals, though I am more than willing to spend more for a very good PC.

I apologise in advance for the lengthy post.

Draft

Case

COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE

Processor (CPU)

AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)

Motherboard

ASUS® ROG STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!

Memory (RAM)

32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)

Graphics Card

10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - 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

2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)

Power Supply

CORSAIR 850W RMe 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 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler (AMD)

Thermal Paste

STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING

LED Lighting

2x 50cm Blue LED Strip

Sound Card

ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)

Network Card

10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT

Wireless Network Card

WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD

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

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

Warranty

3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)

Delivery

STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

Build Time

Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days

Price: £2,507.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/ffQNpMDN!2/

 

[sean16]

Usage

I'll be using my PC primarily for gaming, both old and new games. I have a PS5 but do not have an Xbox Series X or S so I plan to use the new PC to play new Xbox/PC exclusives, specifically, as mentioned above, such as Halo Infinite, Stalker 2, Starfield and The Elder Scrolls VI, as well as older, mostly PC-exclusive games. I play a wide variety of games, including open-world role-playing games, shooters and strategy games. I'm hoping the new PC can run just about anything with little effort.

Other uses would be watching videos on YouTube or Twitch, listening to music and word processing. I'm not really into anything like video or music editing.

CPU, CPU cooler and thermal paste

For the CPU, I have chosen the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X as it seems to be one of the most decent CPUs out there right now. I also heard that they're pretty good when it comes to upgradability. I had a look at the Intel processors which seem equally good or even better but I'm not sure if they're a little overkill. I chose a 12 core as opposed to an 8 core CPU as it may give me more flexibility in the future. The fact it also has 24 threads, as opposed to something like the Intel Core i7-12700K which also has 12 cores but only 20 threads, was also something that stood out to me.

For the cooler, I went with the PCS Frostflow 240 Series RGB not because I think it's a good CPU cooler but because I just copied what was on the front page. I have literally no idea whether this would be a good cooler for my build or if I'm better going with something else. However, cooling is a pretty big concern of mine as my room can get pretty warm and I'd like to keep my PC fans as quiet as possible. I'm not really into the idea of open custom loop liquid cooling so I'd rather just go with a closed loop radiator and some fans. I also had a look at the Corsair iCue coolers which also seem pretty good but have no idea if they're a good fit for my build.

For the thermal paste, I just chose the standard option as I'm unsure if the CPU or the cooler already comes with its own good brand. I'll switch to the Arctic MX-4 though if it's much better and longer lasting.

Motherboard

The motherboard I picked is the Asus Rog Strix B550-F and, like with the CPU cooler, is not based on my own opinion but simply due to the fact that a lot of similar PCs on the front page used the same motherboard and it seems compatible with the CPU. Looking it up online it does look like a very decent mobo but I'm not sure if I'm better off with something a bit better or more compatible with the other components. The TUF B550 and X570 also look like pretty good choices and might even be better going for one of those as opposed to the Rog.

GPU and monitor

I had a hard time choosing between AMD or Nvidia but ended up going with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 because it seems like the optimal GPU out there for gaming at the moment. The 3090, 4090 and whatever AMD unveils tomorrow are probably overkill for me. Originally I was going to go with the AMD Radeon 6700 XT but I thought I'd better go with something with a little more oomph. I currently have a RX 570 and have gotten used to AMD, so I wouldn't mind sticking with them, but something is pulling me towards getting a 3080 instead. The fact it only has 10 GB is putting me off slightly though, whereas the Radeons have slightly more. I'd jump to the AMD Radeon 6800 XT for its 16 GB but I realise RAM isn't the only specification of a GPU I should be considering.

However, I've chosen to go with a 1440p monitor as opposed to a 4K one because I'm concerned about frames. I originally had it in my head that if I were to go 1440p I'd go with a 6700 XT and if I were to go 4K I'd go with a 3080, but have instead decided to mix and match. I'd greatly prefer performance over resolution, though I am still looking for a decent picture and good graphics, and something that will be able to handle the newest and best looking games. I can scale back on the GPU a bit if it's too much for 1440p but I would like to leave the option for 4K monitor in the future. The monitor I've chosen, which I'll buy from another store, is the Samsung Odyssey G5 27” inch curved monitor with a 144Hz refresh rate (https://www.samsung.com/uk/monitors/gaming/odyssey-g5-27-inch-144hz-1ms-curved-lc27g55tqwrxxu/).

The monitor that I currently have is a 1080p Samsung C24F396FHU (https://www.samsung.com/ie/business/monitors/curved/curved-lc27f396fhuxen-lc24f396fhuxen/) which I'll probably use as a second monitor at some point, probably not immediately as I have very limited desk space.

PSU

I've decided to go with the 850W Corsair RMe Series Modular 80 Plus as opposed to a 750W one, as the configurer recommends, because I want to give myself a little bit of flexibility. I'm worried a 750W PSU won't be enough in the long run and a 1000W PSU is probably way too much.

Case

I've went for the CoolerMaster Masterbox but my first choice was the Corsair iCue 465X, though unfortunately it only supports a GPU of 25cm with the Frostflow 240 installed. I'm not sure if there's any other combinations that I could try to get the 3080 working with the Corsair or if another more suitable GPU would be better for it. It fits in the Masterbox but I'm not 100% keen on how it looks. I'm not entirely sure which case to go for.

I'm a little wary of those with just a blank front panel in case it restricts airflow. As long as it's quiet, has a lot of fans, plenty of USB ports, good airflow, a lot of space inside and is easy to clean though, I'd be happy. I was tempted to get something with 5.25 inch bays for a disk drive but I can always buy an external USB one if I ever really need to use disks.

Some other cases I like are the Corsair Spectrum G, Corsair iCue 220T and PCS Prism TG Black, but unfortunately only the Prism can fit the GPU which is the one I probably like the least. I also had a look at the Fractal Focus G as it includes space for disk drives but it looks a little cheap. I'm open to recommendations on another case as it's an aspect of my build that I'm really struggling with.

 

[sean16]

Extra case fans

I have no clue if I need extra case fans. It looks like the Masterbox only comes with 3 front fans but does support an extra one at the back, as well as 3 120mm or 2 140mm fans at the top. The two options are a standard 120mm fan or a ThermalTake, which I'd imagine is a lot better, but again I'm not sure of my options.

RAM

I've chosen 32 GB of RAM as opposed to only 16 GB because I'm very concerned about the RAM requirements of future games. What I'm not too sure upon though is my choice of two sticks of 16 GB or if I'm better going with four sticks of 8 GB instead. I guess having the two sticks means I could potentially upgrade to as much as 64 GB of RAM but I think that might be overkill, though never know with the increasing demands of modern games.

SSDs

I've chosen the Samsung 980 Pro for both my SSDs because it seems the fastest, though I'm not sure if having two of the same kind for different purposes is a good idea. One is 500 GB intended for Windows and the other is 2 TB for everything else.

Operating system

I honestly have no idea whether to go with Windows 10 or 11. I'm currently using Windows 10 and have only just gotten used to it after upgrading from Windows 7, though I have had some difficulty getting older games to work. I'm cautious to run into any further difficulties with Windows 11 but there are plenty of workarounds out there so it's not the end of the world if I have to do some tweaking. I'm not too fond of the Windows 11 UI though but I'm concerned that upgrading from 10 to 11 further down the line will only slow my PC down. It could just be my current PC's age but I've noticed a pretty noticeable performance decrease since upgrading from 7 to 10. If I have to go with 11 though just for stability's sake, I'm willing to make the jump.

System refinements

For the sound, network and wireless network cards, I've just went with the basic options as I'm not too sure what to pick. My current PC does not have Wi-Fi but the router is in the same room so it's connected via an Ethernet cable. Wi-Fi would be nice on my new build but I don't mind continuing to use an Ethernet cable, though having one less wire to worry about would be nice.

I've also went with the default USB option.

Warranty

The type of warranty I've chosen is probably a bit much but I want to be sure that I'm covered if my PC ever breaks down. I'd rather go back to PC Specialist if something ever happens as opposed to a local shop but here's hoping I don't ever have to do that.

RGB

As for the most important part of the build, I honestly don't really care all that much about RGB. It would be a nice touch as I'm sort of thinking as well about the aesthetic, especially when it comes to the case, but it's not a priority and I don't want to over-flash my build. It'd be good in a practical sense as I like to be able to look into my PC to make sure all the parts are still working. I don't want to not have any RGB at all but I'm not sure if I want it everywhere either. Not a fan of multi-coloured lights and prefer solid colours, but I realise I can change this with a RGB controller. My current PC has blue LEDs which is easy on the eye and fits the aesthetic so I'd probably want to continue that. I've avoided most ARGB options.

I've chosen two blue LED strips but I'll probably remove them from the final build as I realise that I may end up wanting to go for a different colour.

Peripherals

I don't plan on buying my keyboard or mouse through PC Specialist and will probably use Amazon or another website. I don't plan to use my current keyboard or mouse either as I'm pretty much just going to replace everything. I've been looking at the Razer BlackWidow V3 as they seem pretty good but have no idea on a mouse. Looking for something that's very good for gaming but doesn't have much of a chunky snap to its click as I'm concerned about noise level. I understand it may not be possible to ask for recommendations outside of PC Specialist but a nudge in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

My mouse, keyboard and monitor are not included in my £3,000 budget.

Greatly appreciate it for making it to the end and would be eternally grateful for any advice.

Thanks.

 

[Scott]

Given your uses I'd aim for something like this. I've bolstered up some of the surrounding parts and gone premium for the secondary storage etc.

Below will cover your needs very well and be a very high performer. The 3070 would be a better fit for your monitor but as you have the budget the 3080 is a fair choice.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.5GHz/100MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - 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
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/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
Corsair iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm Blue LED Strip
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 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
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £2,754.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/E6b5PNcDRW/

 

[MrWilson]

Given your uses I'd aim for something like this. I've bolstered up some of the surrounding parts and gone premium for the secondary storage etc.

Below will cover your needs very well and be a very high performer. The 3070 would be a better fit for your monitor but as you have the budget the 3080 is a fair choice.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.5GHz/100MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - 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
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/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
Corsair iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm Blue LED Strip
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 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
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £2,754.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/E6b5PNcDRW/

I had something specced out near identically with this.
CPU change gives you something that trades blows with the best CPUs on the market (7950X and 13900K) in gaming, while being cheaper and using less power.
Motherboard change lets you use the 2tb 980 drive at full speed, the B550 caps the second drive to 3500.
More reliable cooler and ditched the wireless card as it comes included with the motherboard.

 

[sean16]

Given your uses I'd aim for something like this. I've bolstered up some of the surrounding parts and gone premium for the secondary storage etc.

Below will cover your needs very well and be a very high performer. The 3070 would be a better fit for your monitor but as you have the budget the 3080 is a fair choice.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.5GHz/100MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - 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
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/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
Corsair iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm Blue LED Strip
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 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
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £2,754.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/E6b5PNcDRW/

Thanks, I greatly appreciate it! Would dropping down to a Ryzen 7 be better? I'm a little wary of having 8 cores as opposed to 12 but looking the CPU up online the Ryzen 7 actually has a better review score than the Ryzen 9 which is pretty comforting. I'm willing to go with the 7 if the 8 cores will do me.

Is the Masterbox my best bet for this build though? Still not too keen on its design but if it's really good for airflow I'll go with that.

I had something specced out near identically with this.
CPU change gives you something that trades blows with the best CPUs on the market (7950X and 13900K) in gaming, while being cheaper and using less power.
Motherboard change lets you use the 2tb 980 drive at full speed, the B550 caps the second drive to 3500.
More reliable cooler and ditched the wireless card as it comes included with the motherboard.

Thanks! Would the Seagate Firecuda 530 work as well with the new mobo as the Samsung 980?

 

[sean16]

Given your uses I'd aim for something like this. I've bolstered up some of the surrounding parts and gone premium for the secondary storage etc.

Below will cover your needs very well and be a very high performer. The 3070 would be a better fit for your monitor but as you have the budget the 3080 is a fair choice.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.5GHz/100MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - 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
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/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
Corsair iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm Blue LED Strip
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 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
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £2,754.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/E6b5PNcDRW/

Oh sorry, almost forgot! Would it be worth going for an extra case fan at the back? Thanks.

 

[MrWilson]

Thanks, I greatly appreciate it! Would dropping down to a Ryzen 7 be better? I'm a little wary of having 8 cores as opposed to 12 but looking the CPU up online the Ryzen 7 actually has a better review score than the Ryzen 9 which is pretty comforting. I'm willing to go with the 7 if the 8 cores will do me.

Is the Masterbox my best bet for this build though? Still not too keen on its design but if it's really good for airflow I'll go with that.


Thanks! Would the Seagate Firecuda 530 work as well with the new mobo as the Samsung 980?

The 5800X3D has extra cache that helps optimise it for gaming. 8 cores is the sweet spot for gaming, indeed many titles function comfortably on 4 or 6, but modern consoles have 8 and that’s a good benchmark to run against. As stated above the 5800X3D with the absolute top tier latest gen CPUs from both AMD and Intel; they beat it comfortably on productivity work but for pure gaming grunt it’s a fantastic choice.

Case selection isn’t the best at the moment. If you like RGB a good alternative to the Coolermaster is the Corsair 465X. If RGB isn’t your thing you can stretch your budget a little further for the Fractal Define 7, which is a great understated case that I have in my personal rig.
The Firecuda will work as well as the Samsung drive with the X570 motherboard.
With the included fans from the case as well as the cooler you won’t need any additional case fans 🙂

 

[sean16]

The 5800X3D has extra cache that helps optimise it for gaming. 8 cores is the sweet spot for gaming, indeed many titles function comfortably on 4 or 6, but modern consoles have 8 and that’s a good benchmark to run against. As stated above the 5800X3D with the absolute top tier latest gen CPUs from both AMD and Intel; they beat it comfortably on productivity work but for pure gaming grunt it’s a fantastic choice.

Case selection isn’t the best at the moment. If you like RGB a good alternative to the Coolermaster is the Corsair 465X. If RGB isn’t your thing you can stretch your budget a little further for the Fractal Define 7, which is a great understated case that I have in my personal rig.
The Firecuda will work as well as the Samsung drive with the X570 motherboard.
With the included fans from the case as well as the cooler you won’t need any additional case fans 🙂

Ah cool, thanks!

The 465X was my first choice but unfortunately looks like it has space issues with the 3080 and the cooler. I've heard good things about the Fractal Define 7 as well but a little wary of cases with no front fans. I'm sure it'd be fine but dunno if one with fans would be better for airflow.

 

[Martinr36]

If you like RGB a good alternative to the Coolermaster is the Corsair 465X

yeah, the Berserker stays at a nice temperature in the 465x, 3 fans and rad in the front, 2 in the roof and one in the back

 

[MrWilson]

Ah cool, thanks!

The 465X was my first choice but unfortunately looks like it has space issues with the 3080 and the cooler. I've heard good things about the Fractal Define 7 as well but a little wary of cases with no front fans. I'm sure it'd be fine but dunno if one with fans would be better for airflow.

Fractal comes with 3 front fans and 1 rear fan. Had no issues with cooling, you get both the solid top and the vented top with the build too so you can pick between the two depending if you want to prioritise temps or acoustics.

 

[MrWilson]

I lie. 2 front 140mm fans and 1 rear 120mm fan, plus the 2 with my cooler. But never had any temperature issues while gaming 😊

 

[Scott]

I'm on the Fractal Define R6, fantastic cases. They're plain, but that's not what they're about. You would have no issues. No need for extra case fans as the AIO has extraction in place.

With the storage, the 980 is the faster primary option at 500GB, hence why I selected the Samsung. I wouldn't recommend more than 500GB as it promotes good storage habits. You want to keep your primary drive as trim as possible to keep it running optimum so getting more storage is actually counter productive to performance.

The CPU discussion is already covered above. 5800X3D is either top or trading blows at the very top in just about every gaming benchmark. There isn't a better option IMO.

 

[sean16]

View attachment 35090
I lie. 2 front 140mm fans and 1 rear 120mm fan, plus the 2 with my cooler. But never had any temperature issues while gaming 😊

Ah nice, that's a pretty build!

I'm on the Fractal Define R6, fantastic cases. They're plain, but that's not what they're about. You would have no issues. No need for extra case fans as the AIO has extraction in place.

With the storage, the 980 is the faster primary option at 500GB, hence why I selected the Samsung. I wouldn't recommend more than 500GB as it promotes good storage habits. You want to keep your primary drive as trim as possible to keep it running optimum so getting more storage is actually counter productive to performance.

The CPU discussion is already covered above. 5800X3D is either top or trading blows at the very top in just about every gaming benchmark. There isn't a better option IMO.

Thanks so much for your help, think I'm gonna go with what you recommended.

Cheers!

 

[sean16]

I spoke to a few others and have slightly tweaked the build. Swapped the PSU for a 850W one and the cooler for a H150i instead. Also dropped down to Windows 10 from 11.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.5GHz/100MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - 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
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE RGB 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
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
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
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 7 to 9 working days
Price: £2,722.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/QtU7WAMK7h/

 

[Scott]

Not recommendations that I would agree with but it's your money

 

[sean16]

Not recommendations that I would agree with but it's your money

Would the PSU not be enough and the cooler maybe too much?

 

[Scott]

Cutting it too fine with the PSU when at full chat. With the cooler if you wanted to upgrade I would opt for the H115i, but that will change your case options. The H150i should be reserved for when you really need the last few watts of cooling available as there's not a lot between them all really. You would be adding a third fan, which is going to increase the noise quite a bit.

Windows 11 is pretty much the standard now. Not sure why anyone would recommend Windows 10 for gaming use over 11 unless they had an inherent fear of change. Windows 11 is coming, better to start at that point rather than go with a messy upgrade down the line.

 

[sean16]

Cutting it too fine with the PSU when at full chat. With the cooler if you wanted to upgrade I would opt for the H115i, but that will change your case options. The H150i should be reserved for when you really need the last few watts of cooling available as there's not a lot between them all really. You would be adding a third fan, which is going to increase the noise quite a bit.

Windows 11 is pretty much the standard now. Not sure why anyone would recommend Windows 10 for gaming use over 11 unless they had an inherent fear of change. Windows 11 is coming, better to start at that point rather than go with a messy upgrade down the line.

I guess the 1000W would be more useful. Not too sure about the cooler, would want as much cooling as possible but having the third fan might be a bit too much.

Really considered going with 11 but I might wait a bit. I'm comfortable with 10 for now.