Mid-range gaming PC for 1080p to 2K resolution

F

FunkiestGolem

Member
Hi,

Looking to spec my first gaming PC with a budget of £1500. The current build is just under this (approximately £1480, including the monitor).

I'm looking to play games such as RUST, COD, Green Hell as well as small indie titles. Apologies for my limited specificity.

I would like decent frame rates (between 30 to 60 fps) at between 1080p and 2K resolution.

I would really appreciate any thoughts, comments and advice you have regarding the below specification.

Thanks in advance.

Yours Faithfully,
FunkiestGolem.

P.S I am aware the PSU is a massive overkill - I did this for future proofing i.e. latest gen graphics cards and for the modular capability.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600XT Six Core CPU (4.5GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB AMD RADEON™ RX 5600 XT - HDMI, DP, DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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
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
Google Chrome™
Monitor
IIYAMA G2730HSU-B1 27" Gaming Monitor (1080p)
Suggestions for a decent 2k?
 
Last edited:
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I'm slightly confused by this -- you say that you want to do 2K (i.e. 1440p) gaming, but you've chosen a 1080p monitor. Is this right?

There's kind of a gap between what makes sense as the top end of 1080p gaming machines (up to around £1400 including the monitor but excluding Windows) and what makes sense as the lower end of 1440p gaming machines (from about £1650 including the monitor but excluding Windows). Anything in that gap would either be underpowered for 1440p or a waste of money for 1080p.
 
F

FunkiestGolem

Member
sck451 said:
I'm slightly confused by this -- you say that you want to do 2K (i.e. 1440p) gaming, but you've chosen a 1080p monitor. Is this right?

There's kind of a gap between what makes sense as the top end of 1080p gaming machines (up to around £1400 including the monitor but excluding Windows) and what makes sense as the lower end of 1440p gaming machines (from about £1650 including the monitor but excluding Windows). Anything in that gap would either be underpowered for 1440p or a waste of money for 1080p.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your response.

I am aware that I have made an error with the monitor. I understand it would of course need to be 1440p for 2k gaming.

So you think I need to spend more for 2k, or I should spend less for 1080p?
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
It's your money!

But honestly I'd be reluctant to buy a 1080p monitor now if I knew I might want to move to 1440p in the next year or so. It just doesn't seem like good economics to me.
 
F

FunkiestGolem

Member
sck451 said:
It's your money!

But honestly I'd be reluctant to buy a 1080p monitor now if I knew I might want to move to 1440p in the next year or so. It just doesn't seem like good economics to me.
Click to expand...

Okay, monitor aside, do you think the hardware I have selected is sufficient for 2k gaming or do I need to upgrade certain components? If so, which and what would you recommend?
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I'd want to upgrade the processor (the 5600X would be ideal) and the graphics card. I'd lose the liquid cooling and the special thermal paste: the AMD one is fine. I've also added a hard drive because I'd always want one. Personally I'd also go for a faster SSD, but this is the lowest I'd go for.

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® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RM SERIES™ 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 (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
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 22 to 24 working days
Price: £1,293.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Ex8fKyrz8K/
 
F

FunkiestGolem

Member
sck451 said:
I'd want to upgrade the processor (the 5600X would be ideal) and the graphics card. I'd lose the liquid cooling and the special thermal paste: the AMD one is fine. I've also added a hard drive because I'd always want one. Personally I'd also go for a faster SSD, but this is the lowest I'd go for.

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® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RM SERIES™ 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 (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
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 22 to 24 working days
Price: £1,293.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Ex8fKyrz8K/
Click to expand...

Thanks for taking the time to configure that, most appreciated!

I have taken your suggestions and made a few amendments. Please see below. Interested to hear you views.

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® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid 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 (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

£1,428.00
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I think the changes you've made are to storage (you just have the one SSD) and cooling? I'd disagree with both, but neither will be the end of the world. I'd very much want more than one drive in my computer. I also don't think the 5600X needs a liquid cooler unless you want it for aesthetic reasons. But it'll be a fine computer in any case.

Is there a monitor you're looking at?
 
F

FunkiestGolem

Member
sck451 said:
I think the changes you've made are to storage (you just have the one SSD) and cooling? I'd disagree with both, but neither will be the end of the world. I'd very much want more than one drive in my computer. I also don't think the 5600X needs a liquid cooler unless you want it for aesthetic reasons. But it'll be a fine computer in any case.

Is there a monitor you're looking at?
Click to expand...

That is correct. I have added the CPU liquid cooling, removed the HDD and upped the SSD to a faster 1TB version. I quite like the idea of a liquid cooler, but if it turns out that it would not be adding any performance (cooling) benefits then I would struggle to see the point in it.

I'm looking at the Lenovo L27q-30 Quad HD Monitor, 27. Seems like a solid display and I trust the brand. What would you suggest?
 
Stephen M

Stephen M

Author Level
Having two drives is a better option, a fast m2 for the operating system and main software plus a storage drive. This way if you need to do a clean install of the OS you will not lose everything else.
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Yep I'd shove one of the PCS 1TB M.2 drives in there for games to go on, So you'd have the OS on the samsung & games on the PCS, that way as @Stephen M says if at any point you have to do a clean install then you wont need to download all your games again
 
F

FunkiestGolem

Member
Martinr36 said:
Yep I'd shove one of the PCS 1TB M.2 drives in there for games to go on, So you'd have the OS on the samsung & games on the PCS, that way as @Stephen M says if at any point you have to do a clean install then you wont need to download all your games again
Click to expand...
Yeah definitely couldn't hurt. I'll look into this. Thanks!
 
G

Gavras

Master Poster
FunkiestGolem said:
That is correct. I have added the CPU liquid cooling, removed the HDD and upped the SSD to a faster 1TB version. I quite like the idea of a liquid cooler, but if it turns out that it would not be adding any performance (cooling) benefits then I would struggle to see the point in it.

I'm looking at the Lenovo L27q-30 Quad HD Monitor, 27. Seems like a solid display and I trust the brand. What would you suggest?
Click to expand...
budget is the thing with 1440p screens, that £200 to £300 are predominantly 60hz - 75hz and cheaper panels.

the £300 - £350 is where you can pick up better screens.

However its down to budgets and living with refresh rates.

The refresh rate on the Leno is 75hz.

I would consider something with 144hz for better experience.


However if budget allows the the TUF would be good choice.



there is an AOC

 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Gavras said:
budget is the thing with 1440p screens, that £200 to £300 are predominantly 60hz - 75hz and cheaper panels.

the £300 - £350 is where you can pick up better screens.

However its down to budgets and living with refresh rates.

The refresh rate on the Leno is 75hz.

I would consider something with 144hz for better experience.


However if budget allows the the TUF would be good choice.



there is an AOC

Click to expand...
This is where the Samsung G5 fits in so well at around £300 for full HDR10 and 144Hz
 
G

Gavras

Master Poster
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
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