never had a gaming PC, would like something that will last, not just gaming

[jjg27]

PC layman here, looking for a gaming PC. I've only ever had laptops with no dedicated graphics card and I've decided it's time to play some of the games I've been missing out on over the years. Some basic requirements:
- Not interested in FPS/big online competitive games. The configuration below began by beefing up the middle option by PC Specialist for Elden Ring.
- Stability is by far a more important factor for me while playing games. I'd much rather have a smooth experience than one where I can see the sun reflecting off individual beads of sweat on some dude's forehead.
- I like to stream sometimes and have a second monitor, so I'd like something capable of running the game on one monitor with stuff (mostly Chrome) open on the other.
- This will be my main home PC for everything else. I like to make music and am doing some basic game development (very casually).

As mentioned, I beefed up some specs in order to future-proof a little. I guess my question is, what is overkill for my requirements? I can stretch to £2k but £1,500-£1,700ish would be preferable. I would really like to not have to touch any of the components for as many years as I can get away with.

I need a new monitor to go with it and added one below, but advice would be really appreciated. The 24inch 1080p Acer I have now will become my 2nd monitor.

Some things that came up during configuration:
- It said I could reduce power input from 750W cable to 550W, so I did.
- I went for a higher-end motherboard with wifi, so it said I could remove the wi-fi card.

Many, many thanks for any help with this!

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 16-Core Processor i7-13700 (Up to 5.2GHz) 30MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z790-PLUS WIFI (LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CV SERIES™ CV-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 200 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
ONBOARD 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
Google Chrome™
Monitor
CoolerMaster GA271 27" VA Monitor - 2560x1440, 1MS, 100Hz
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,972.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/nyMFfv73CS/

 

[Scott]

For the build I would recommend the following:

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
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 H100x RGB ELITE 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
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 [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
Google Chrome™
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: £1,877.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/rz!vMGWMux/

 

[Scott]

For the monitor, there are bargains right now.

Below looks a bargain to me. Will take you over the budget of what you initially had, but it's well worth it.

Dell 27 inch Gaming Monitor (G2724D) - Computer Monitors | Dell UK

Shop the Dell 27" Gaming Monitor (G2724D), featuring QHD Fast IPS and VESA Display HDR™ 400 technology, and height-adjustable stand. Or view all computer monitors at Dell.com.

www.dell.com

 

[Scott]

I checked the build you had previously and a comparable one would be £1953, so my suggested build above is actually cheaper.

The RAM you selected was drastically inferior. The PSU was far too low (Don't go with the recommendation). The cooler wasn't anywhere near good enough.

 

[jjg27]

I checked the build you had previously and a comparable one would be £1953, so my suggested build above is actually cheaper.

The RAM you selected was drastically inferior. The PSU was far too low (Don't go with the recommendation). The cooler wasn't anywhere near good enough.

Thanks so much for your recommendation! I've read some excellent things about that processor and graphics card. I've just done a tiny bit of tweaking:
- Gone from RGB RAM to normal because the PC will be sitting on the left of my desk anyway.
- Beefed the 2nd storage drive to P44 too because it wasn't much more.
The updated ones is below.

Questions:
1) Case. I really don't need anything fancy: just something that fits and gives sufficient space and cooling for everything. I don't need the whole RGB thing.
2) Motherboard. Is there much point upgrading to the B670 that includes PCle 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6E? I'm going to be honest: I'm not even sure what these are.
3) Storage. Is there a performance benefit to choosing a 512GB+1TB separate drives over a single 2TB drive? Assuming all are SSD and at the same speed (see the ones in the build below).

Thanks again!
Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
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)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
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 H100x RGB ELITE 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
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 [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
Google Chrome™
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: £1,890.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/rabR5by0NH/

 

[Scott]

If you're not fussed with RGB then the case below has you covered nicely. One thing to consider is the cooler. The one selected is more than powerful enough but the H100i has fans that are significantly more silent and a little easier to monitor/configure in Windows. If you had a bit of wiggle room it might be worth the extra to go for the cheapest "i" cooler, which is the H115i and actually the most quiet of them all.

Additionally with the extra consideration on the storage, you can get a 2TB P41 for not a lot of difference in price. The extra space is far more beneficial than the extra speed.

2 drives makes sense as you don't want to be using the primary drive for any sort of storage purpose. You want to keep it less than 50% full to keep it running at full performance. Anything over that and it starts to drop significantly. There are many other reasons as well. https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/threads/why-more-than-one-storage-drive.94375/

Build below without the H115i selected.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
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)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
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 H100x RGB ELITE 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
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 [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
Google Chrome™
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: £1,892.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/TaXwnUa!jd/

 

[jjg27]

If you're not fussed with RGB then the case below has you covered nicely. One thing to consider is the cooler. The one selected is more than powerful enough but the H100i has fans that are significantly more silent and a little easier to monitor/configure in Windows. If you had a bit of wiggle room it might be worth the extra to go for the cheapest "i" cooler, which is the H115i and actually the most quiet of them all.

Additionally with the extra consideration on the storage, you can get a 2TB P41 for not a lot of difference in price. The extra space is far more beneficial than the extra speed.

2 drives makes sense as you don't want to be using the primary drive for any sort of storage purpose. You want to keep it less than 50% full to keep it running at full performance. Anything over that and it starts to drop significantly. There are many other reasons as well. https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/forums/threads/why-more-than-one-storage-drive.94375/

Build below without the H115i selected.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
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)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
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 H100x RGB ELITE 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
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 [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
Google Chrome™
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: £1,892.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/TaXwnUa!jd/

Ah, this is a good point. I would super appreciate the whole thing being as quiet as possible. I've read just now that the H115i has some constant pump noise or something. I imagine that for a gaming PC noise is going to be a problem at some point, but this is something I definitely want to minimise.

Sorry, another thing: number of USB sockets. Unless I'm misunderstanding, I read that the case above only has 2? At minimum I would need 3 for a mouse, controller and microphone. Even my laptop has 3.

Do you know about the motherboard wi-fi 6E thing?

Thanks for the help again, I really appreciate it!

 

[Scott]

Ah, this is a good point. I would super appreciate the whole thing being as quiet as possible. I've read just now that the H115i has some constant pump noise or something. I imagine that for a gaming PC noise is going to be a problem at some point, but this is something I definitely want to minimise.

Sorry, another thing: number of USB sockets. Unless I'm misunderstanding, I read that the case above only has 2? At minimum I would need 3 for a mouse, controller and microphone. Even my laptop has 3.

Do you know about the motherboard wi-fi 6E thing?

Thanks for the help again, I really appreciate it!

The description of the case is how many USB connections it has on the front/top. You will have another 8 or so on the rear/motherboard itself to plug into. Should be more than enough

With the motherboard I believe it's Wifi 6 not Wifi 6E. I don't think you would notice the difference in all honesty, 6E isn't that common at all yet.

 

[jjg27]

The description of the case is how many USB connections it has on the front/top. You will have another 8 or so on the rear/motherboard itself to plug into. Should be more than enough

With the motherboard I believe it's Wifi 6 not Wifi 6E. I don't think you would notice the difference in all honesty, 6E isn't that common at all yet.

Many thanks again! Just one more if you don't mind - sorry to keep asking but this would be a big purchase!

I've been told to ensure the Ryzen 7800X3D processor will still hold up for games that may not be so well optimised for multicore, such as emulation and indie games. Since I do a lot of this, I want to double check. I've got Dwarf Fortress, Noita and Dolphin in mind.
Thanks!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Many thanks again! Just one more if you don't mind - sorry to keep asking but this would be a big purchase!

I've been told to ensure the Ryzen 7800X3D processor will still hold up for games that may not be so well optimised for multicore, such as emulation and indie games. Since I do a lot of this, I want to double check. I've got Dwarf Fortress, Noita and Dolphin in mind.
Thanks!

The 3DVCache in the X3D chips heavily favours single core performance for gaming, it lends a huge boost compared to equivalent normal cache chips.

 

[jjg27]

Just one more thing I want to ask about. Scott mentioned about coolers, particularly the H100i and H115i. I'm sensitive to noise so really am happy to go a bit extra if it will keep things smooth and quiet. Would love to hear any more opinions about coolers for the build above. Thanks!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Just one more thing I want to ask about. Scott mentioned about coolers, particularly the H100i and H115i. I'm sensitive to noise so really am happy to go a bit extra if it will keep things smooth and quiet. Would love to hear any more opinions about coolers for the build above. Thanks!

The H115i is overpowered as it is, you don't need more than the H100i, it wouldn't be a bad thing, would just mean the pump could run slower to pump the coolant efficiently leading to lower fan speeds and less noise. You don't need to go any higher than that.

 

[Scott]

The H115i I believe is cheaper than the H100i, it's the H100x which is the cheaper alternative which doesn't have the magnetic levitation fans (bit noisier but nothing crazy).

 

[jjg27]

Another question: can I hook up two monitors to this build? Would the other two monitors only need an HDMI input each? Thanks again!

 

[Scott]

You can have 2 monitors no problem, the card supports 4. You will need to use a DP cable though, and it's recommended to do so. HDMI will be supported on one port, but typically cards are now supplied with 3xDP and 1xHDMI.

 

[jjg27]

I've been doing some more research and apparently the Corsair Air 4000d has pretty loud fans... unfortunately it'll annoy me no end, I really do need something that's going to run as quietly as possible.

Any recommendations for an alternate case? Or do I need to adjust the build instead? Many thanks again for any advice!

 

[SpyderTracks]

I've been doing some more research and apparently the Corsair Air 4000d has pretty loud fans... unfortunately it'll annoy me no end, I really do need something that's going to run as quietly as possible.

Any recommendations for an alternate case? Or do I need to adjust the build instead? Many thanks again for any advice!

Where are you seeing that? Not sure that's the case according to reputable dB testing, comes in at 37dBA at 100% fans which is very quiet, and you'd never have case fans anywhere near 100% anyway.

"One benefit of the limited, 1300RPM stock fans is that they are fairly quiet. With the case fans at 100% speed, we measured the noise level of the Airflow case with its perforated panel to be 37.4 dBA and the 4000D to be 36.8 dBA. Lowering that to the 36dBA threshold we use for noise testing required lowering the case fans to 85% (~1160RPM) and 93% (~1230RPM) respectively."

Corsair 4000D & 4000D Airflow Case Reviews: Thermals, Noise, & Build Quality | GamersNexus

stub We’ve been sent three cases for review by Corsair: the 4000D, the 4000D Airflow, and the 4000X. Today we’ll be covering the two 4000D variants, since they’re entirely identical other than the “front bezel” plate that ships with the enclosure. Companies like Phanteks and Cooler Master have...

gamersnexus.net

 

[jjg27]

Thanks for that Spyder, and your previous replies too - very helpful!
I read it on various reviews, though none were seemingly as thorough as the table you've posted.
I'm also reading similar things about the Corsair coolers... These two are coming a lot for good quietness though, but not available on PC Specialist (at least, they're not there in the drop-down when configuring the build).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PN4RDW3?tag=tens0e-20&geniuslink=true&th=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0846LPTLD?ref_=as_li_ss_tl&language=en_US&linkCode=gg2&linkId=0697de2f946204f2d9e29f92d3fad953&tag=ehgamingpc-20&th=1

Again sorry for more questions but this is such a lot of money and I know I'll be disappointed if the result is too noisy.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for that Spyder, and your previous replies too - very helpful!
I read it on various reviews, though none were seemingly as thorough as the table you've posted.
I'm also reading similar things about the Corsair coolers... These two are coming a lot for good quietness though, but not available on PC Specialist (at least, they're not there in the drop-down when configuring the build).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PN4RDW3?tag=tens0e-20&geniuslink=true&th=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0846LPTLD?ref_=as_li_ss_tl&language=en_US&linkCode=gg2&linkId=0697de2f946204f2d9e29f92d3fad953&tag=ehgamingpc-20&th=1

Again sorry for more questions but this is such a lot of money and I know I'll be disappointed if the result is too noisy.

What reviews are you reading though, because as someone who's had a corsair H100i for just under 10 years, I can tell you, you don't hear them in operation.

If you're reading Amazon reviews or reddit or something, you need to understand a lot of these people have no clue how to properly set things up, if the fans were placed in the wrong motherboard header for instance, they would run at 100% all the time, that's because it's not setup correctly, nothing to do with the fans. Similarly with the corsair coolers, a lot of people think you can just put any size radiator with a high end chip, it doesn't work that way, if the cooler is underpowered for the CPU, then the whole thing is going to be running full pelt all the time. Or they'll mount the radiator incorrectly so there's an air gap leading to gurgling, there's loads of reasons.

Just to confirm though, are you intending to buy from PCS? PCS don't do catered builds, you can only order what they offer on the configurator.

But an air cooler is noisier than a decent AIO, even the Noctua's, as they're pushing far higher volumes of air than an AIO needs to and operating at higher CPU temps even with that increased rate. This is paramountly true on modern CPUs.

 

[jjg27]

What reviews are you reading though, because as someone who's had a corsair H100i for just under 10 years, I can tell you, you don't hear them in operation.

If you're reading Amazon reviews or reddit or something, you need to understand a lot of these people have no clue how to properly set things up, if the fans were placed in the wrong motherboard header for instance, they would run at 100% all the time, that's because it's not setup correctly, nothing to do with the fans. Similarly with the corsair coolers, a lot of people think you can just put any size radiator with a high end chip, it doesn't work that way, if the cooler is underpowered for the CPU, then the whole thing is going to be running full pelt all the time. Or they'll mount the radiator incorrectly so there's an air gap leading to gurgling, there's loads of reasons.

Just to confirm though, are you intending to buy from PCS? PCS don't do catered builds, you can only order what they offer on the configurator.

But an air cooler is noisier than a decent AIO, even the Noctua's, as they're pushing far higher volumes of air than an AIO needs to and operating at higher CPU temps even with that increased rate. This is paramountly true on modern CPUs.

Thanks again Spyder. As a total novice, it's hard for me to know how much credit to give what I'm reading, but I feel obliged to keep checking second opinions for something this expensive.

Yes, I'll definitely be going through PC Specialist. I've heard a lot of good things and ultimately, doing the build myself is something I just don't have confidence in. I like the support PCS seems to be offering.

If the fans in the Corsair Airflow 4000d and the Corsair liquid coolers are nice and quiet for the build above (RX 7800XT + 7800X3D), then I should probably go for it...!...?

Thanks again for your advice, I really appreciate it.