Looking to buy my first ever gaming PC! Any advice on what I should change?

Jarhead

New member
This is the Spec of the PC I am planning to purchase from PCS:

Case
PCS PRISM TG BLACK ARGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB) KIT
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3050 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Braided Power Supply Cables
CORSAIR Premium Individually Sleeved PSU Cable Kit Pro - Black
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100x RGB ELITE HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
Extra Case Fans
1 x PCS ARGB LED Fan
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
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 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 4 to 6 working days

Any advice on what I should change/add? I am hoping to not have to upgrade or alter the PC for quite a few years after purchase so if there are any foreseeable issues with what I have selected please let me know! Also if there is anyway I could make this build slightly cheaper without comprising on quality or reliability in anyway that would also be useful to know. At the moment the only thing I am not sure about is if I have selected the right type of power supply and if I need a support bracket for my GPU?

I already have a monitor which you can see here: https://www.philips.co.uk/c-p/27M1C5200W_00/evnia-curved-gaming-monitor-full-hd-gaming-monitor (240hz) This PC will be used primarily for gaming and also for general use of Microsoft office programs etc. I am at my ideal budget already, it would be nice to cut back a little bit if possible but without compromising on quality or reliability.

Reconfiguration link: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/UMXtzuFQJc/

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give, I am still fairly new to modern PCs in general.
 
Last edited:

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
This is the Spec of the PC I am planning to purchase from PCS:

Case
PCS PRISM TG BLACK ARGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB) KIT
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3050 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Braided Power Supply Cables
CORSAIR Premium Individually Sleeved PSU Cable Kit Pro - Black
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100x RGB ELITE HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
Extra Case Fans
1 x PCS ARGB LED Fan
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
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 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 4 to 6 working days

Any advice on what I should change/add? I am hoping to not have to upgrade or alter the PC for quite a few years after purchase so if there are any foreseeable issues with what I have selected please let me know! Also if there is anyway I could make this build slightly cheaper without comprising on quality or reliability in anyway that would also be useful to know. At the moment the only thing I am not sure about is if I have selected the right type of power supply and if I need a support bracket for my GPU?

I already have a monitor which you can see here: https://www.philips.co.uk/c-p/27M1C5200W_00/evnia-curved-gaming-monitor-full-hd-gaming-monitor (240hz) This PC will be used primarily for gaming and also for general use of Microsoft office programs etc. I am at my ideal budget already, it would be nice to cut back a little bit if possible but without compromising on quality or reliability.

Reconfiguration link: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/amd-am5-pc/

Thank you in advance for any advice you can give, I am still fairly new to modern PCs in general.
What's your max budget? Several components are not optimal for a gaming PC, including the Case, RAM, GPU, PSU, and M.2/SSD.

 

Jarhead

New member
What's your max budget? Several components are not optimal for a gaming PC, including the Case, RAM, GPU, PSU, and M.2/SSD.

Personally I wouldn't be willing to go up too much higher, I would say £1800 is my limit. It's not going to be used for any high intensity games run on max settings or anything like that, I am just looking for something much stronger than the laptop I currently use that will last me a while.

That being said I am happy to hear your ideas on what I should change, I would rather spend more now to get a reliable system that lasts a long time than have to replace parts in the next couple of years.
 

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Personally I wouldn't be willing to go up too much higher, I would say £1800 is my limit. It's not going to be used for any high intensity games run on max settings or anything like that, I am just looking for something much stronger than the laptop I currently use that will last me a while.

That being said I am happy to hear your ideas on what I should change, I would rather spend more now to get a reliable system that lasts a long time than have to replace parts in the next couple of years.
Unfortunately, upgrades are necessary to keep the system adequate throughout its life cycle, they cannot be avoided.
I would also consider replacing that 27'' FHD monitor, as it is too large for the resolution, resulting in poor PPI (<90).

Anyway, £1800 is not bad to create a decent system.
Something like that could be very good for your needs and has plenty room for the future upgrades.
If you can't go £20 over budget, we can make cuts here and there.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE - Good budget case with decent airflow
Processor (CPU)

AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) - Best gaming CPU on the market
Motherboard

ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB) - Sweetspot Frequency for AM5
Graphics Card

12GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7700 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12 - If you don't need NVIDIA technologies, it could be a better value.
Graphics Card Support Bracket

NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW) - Fast OS Drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive

2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW) - Main Drive
Power Supply

CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET - Minimum PSU in my opinion
Power Cable

1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
DeepCool AK620 ZERO DARK High-Performance Dual Tower CPU Cooler - Usually, I prefer AIOs but need to reduce the costs
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
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
Firefox™
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,820.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/Y63zJgjwQ4/
 
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