New build Spec for work and games

T

TimTim

Member
Hello everyone
After some feedback on whether this is a good value for money spec. I've had my last laptop six years so hoping to get similar out of this build, maybe with a graphics card update somewhere down the line.

1) budget is roughly up to £1200, but can stretch higher if it will be worth it.

2) My usage is going to be some gaming (hopefully this build can run recent ones ok) , and occasional work, which involves having the full on-prem SQL Server stack installed (including using PC as a server).

3) My monitor is Dell 25 Gaming Monitor - G2524H Full HD (1080p) 1920 x 1080 at 240 Hz

And here is my build:

thank you all!

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 14-Core Processor i5-14600KF (Up to 5.3GHz) 24MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B760M-A WIFI (mATX, LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO DDR5 4800MHz CL40 (1 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
8GB ASUS DUAL GEFORCE RTX 4060 EVO OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CX SERIES™ CX-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 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
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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 Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,207.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/PMCTJdSTYV/
 
Ekans2011

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
TimTim said:
Hello everyone
After some feedback on whether this is a good value for money spec. I've had my last laptop six years so hoping to get similar out of this build, maybe with a graphics card update somewhere down the line.

1) budget is roughly up to £1200, but can stretch higher if it will be worth it.

2) My usage is going to be some gaming (hopefully this build can run recent ones ok) , and occasional work, which involves having the full on-prem SQL Server stack installed (including using PC as a server).

3) My monitor is Dell 25 Gaming Monitor - G2524H Full HD (1080p) 1920 x 1080 at 240 Hz

And here is my build:

thank you all!

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 14-Core Processor i5-14600KF (Up to 5.3GHz) 24MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B760M-A WIFI (mATX, LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO DDR5 4800MHz CL40 (1 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
8GB ASUS DUAL GEFORCE RTX 4060 EVO OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CX SERIES™ CX-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 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
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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 Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,207.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/PMCTJdSTYV/
Click to expand...
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So there's been a lot of upset gathering steam on the inter webs with intermittent games crashes on Intel 13th and 14th gen. Workarounds range from underclocking to disabling ecores. BUT, there are a lot of people finding that simply disabling hyperthreading is a proper solution. The findings...
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The £1200 budget is not enough for a decent, modern PC capable of doing what you need, even at a low resolution like 1080p.

You'd need roughly £1500-1600 for an entry-level 1080p gaming PC that might be useful in the future.
 
T

TimTim

Member
thanks, I;'ll have a go at respeccing it using an AMD processor. Would that spec handle current games comfortably? Most recently I've been playing Skyrim and Medieval 2 Total War so it shouldn't take too much to impress me...Current laptop has a GTX 1060.
 
T

TimTim

Member
Slight change of plan - I'm looking at this prebuild one now which looks like a good deal.

Will an RX 7800 XT be wasted on my monitor? (Full HD (1080p) 1920 x 1080 at 240 Hz)
Or will that mean I wont need to upgrade the graphics for a good long while?

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£1,449.00

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Eight Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.4GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)

Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B650-PLUS (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz CL40 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP

1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
 
Ekans2011

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
TimTim said:
Slight change of plan - I'm looking at this prebuild one now which looks like a good deal.

Will an RX 7800 XT be wasted on my monitor? (Full HD (1080p) 1920 x 1080 at 240 Hz)
Or will that mean I wont need to upgrade the graphics for a good long while?
Click to expand...
Pre-built PCs are never recommended since they are often poorly designed to maximise profit and never leave enough room for future upgrades, which are unavoidable and the paramount of bespoke PCs.

Which is your new maximum budget? £1500?

The 7800XT is a 1440p card, so I wouldn't recommend it for a 1080p resolution; nonetheless, no matter what GPU you get now, you'll need to upgrade it in a few years because technology advances at such a rapid pace that future-proofing is no longer an option.
 
T

TimTim

Member
THanks for the response - no plans to replace my monitor.
I can go up to £1500 I guess. So best off looking at a 7700XT or rtx 4060ti and spend the saved money on a better CPU instead?
 
Ekans2011

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
TimTim said:
THanks for the response - no plans to replace my monitor.
I can go up to £1500 I guess. So best off looking at a 7700XT or rtx 4060ti and spend the saved money on a better CPU instead?
Click to expand...
Here's a my suggestion to match your monitor within a £1500 budget.

EDIT: You may get a £1500 build by replacing the cooler with a smaller Frostflow 150 and a 1000W ATX 3.1 PSU for even better future upgrades.
Here's the link: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/N6tanzTs8v/

Case
CORSAIR FRAME 4000D RS ARGB MODULAR - Much higher-quality casing than the 205 Mesh. Never go cheap on the case!
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5) - Same performance as the 7700X for £40-50 less.
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7) - Prime are very low-end MBs. Never go cheap on the MB!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB) - Lower latency RAM kit.
Graphics Card
12GB SPARKLE INTEL ARC B580 TITAN OC - HDMI, 3 x DP - Best value GPU for a 1080p, IMHO. £150 cheaper than the 7700XT.
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW) - Small, 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 for games etc.
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD - Minimum ATX 3.1 PSU available, I guess.
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 200 Series High Performance CPU Cooler - Cheap air cooler, enough for a very efficient CPU like the 7700.
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
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,489.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/Fdn9TrfQBw/
 
Last edited:
T

TimTim

Member
Hello! So I now have (more or less) the machine described above.
THe case CORSAIR FRAME 4000D RS ARGB MODULAR comes with 3 fans, but all fitted on the front.
Is this going to cool my PC sufficiently? Or do I need to move or add a fan to the back?? thanks!
 
B

blaster9999

Member
TimTim said:
Hello! So I now have (more or less) the machine described above.
THe case CORSAIR FRAME 4000D RS ARGB MODULAR comes with 3 fans, but all fitted on the front.
Is this going to cool my PC sufficiently? Or do I need to move or add a fan to the back?? thanks!
Click to expand...
As I understand it PCS add a non RGB fan on the the rear.
 
T

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
If it’s the same 7700 CPU then there’s plenty of airflow for that.

But you’ve said you have ‘more or less’ the config above, so what exactly did you buy?
 
T

TimTim

Member
Only one hard drive, slightly lower spec CPU fan.

Case
CORSAIR FRAME 4000D RS ARGB MODULAR
Promotional Item
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB SPARKLE INTEL ARC B580 TITAN OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 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 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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™
Headsets
PCSpecialist GH-710 7.1 DIGITAL Headset (USB)
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 7 to 9 working days
Miscellaneous
PCSpecialist 2023 Holo Sticker Sheet
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
Packaging
PCS Corsair Carton Upright
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/GCHpPbVgMb/
 
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