New Gaming PC - Advice Needed

[thomor]

This is the full prospective build, I'm going to order at the end of the month so getting pretty close to decision day. The max budget is £1300 for the full desktop, any leftover will go towards the budget of a monitor upgrade. I haven't included a graphics card in there because I really don't want to reference single fan blower design, so I'm gonna buy an RX 5700 Red Dragon card separately for £355.

I mainly play MMO's including WoW, FF14, Eve Online. But also like to play big open world RPG's such as Witcher 3, Fallout 4 and also soon The Outer Worlds, Borderlands 3, Cyberpunk 2077. So being comfortable in all those games is a requirement.

OS not required, I already have a Windows 10 USB drive I purchased last year and can just install off that. RGB elements are non-negotiable, it has to fit in with the RGB nerd-nest I've build in the corner of my rec-room!

Secondary consideration - I've got a fixed £180-200 budget for a monitor upgrade (currently using a generic cheap 21inch). What would you guys say is more important for a solid gaming immersion experience: 27-28inch @1080p or 24inch @1440p. Doubt I will get much better than that with my monitor budget.

Any advice regarding the build and budget allocation very welcome!

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 1800MB/sR | 1800MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W VS SERIES™ VS-650 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V2 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
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
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
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 12 to 14 working days
Price: £870.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[samwil]

I'd drop to the 3600 AMD CPU, you havent mentioned or demonstrated a need for a x570 so I'd go for the most affordable mobo. Ram is fine and ideal choice. Your M.2 - Sx6000 performs better for cheaper.
AMD standard CPU cooler is sufficient for this budget and your requirements, no need for an aftermarket cooler I.m.o.
Wi-Fi card is added by default in configuration these days, do you need it?

Without the need for a OS your saving yourself a chunk and the above specs should save you enough to spend more on a 27 inch 1440p 144hz monitor.

 

[thomor]

I'd drop to the 3600 AMD CPU, you havent mentioned or demonstrated a need for a x570 so I'd go for the most affordable mobo. Ram is fine and ideal choice. Your M.2 - Sx6000 performs better for cheaper.
AMD standard CPU cooler is sufficient for this budget and your requirements, no need for an aftermarket cooler I.m.o.
Wi-Fi card is added by default in configuration these days, do you need it?

Without the need for a OS your saving yourself a chunk and the above specs should save you enough to spend more on a 27 inch 1440p 144hz monitor.

Thanks for the advice!

I was going to get the 3600, but you don't get the free game with the 3600, only with the X. And since I'm going to get that game anyway, I see it as a free CPU upgrade and a slightly cheaper game at the same time. (game is £50, price difference between the 3600 and X is £40).

The SX6000 is actually £4 more expensive than the Intel, but does have significantly better speeds, I was just avoiding it because it didn't specify NVMe, is that relevant?

I'm not a fan of that tiny AMD stock cooler, I'd prefer to take the £19 hit if there is even a small possibility of preventing long term thermal degradation - I use my system a LOT, it's pretty much always switched on when I'm at home.

Not sure why I had the WiFi card in there, I definitely don't need it, that's £8 saved thank you!

What motherboard would you recommend? I kinda avoided the lower ones because I have a thing about matching new hardware with old hardware, tickles me the wrong way.

 

[Oussebon]

What motherboard would you recommend? I kinda avoided the lower ones because I have a thing about matching new hardware with old hardware, tickles me the wrong way.

The Asus B450. Your'e not matching new hardware with old hardware, you're matching current hardware with current hardware.

OS not required, I already have a Windows 10 USB drive I purchased last year and can just install off that

You need a licence key. Anyone can make a Windows 10 USB drive for free. Do you have the licence as well as the installation media?

Whatever monitor you buy, make sure it has Freesync

Ideal would be 27" 1440p IPS for the RPGs, in my opinion.

The AOC Q3279VWFD8 is 31.5" IPS, 1440p, freesync and sub £200. I have one (not purchased via PCS though they do sell it at a competitive price) and can recommend.

There is the EG 27" 1440p 144hz for ~£220

Element Gaming 27" QHD 144hz 1ms Gaming Monitor Review | bit-tech.net

Yes, that is the name of the product.

bit-tech.net

Budget TN, but it's a minor marvel that you can get that spec at that price.

 

[thomor]

The Asus B450. Your'e not matching new hardware with old hardware, you're matching current hardware with current hardware.

You need a licence key. Anyone can make a Windows 10 USB drive for free. Do you have the licence as well as the installation media?

Whatever monitor you buy, make sure it has Freesync

Ideal would be 27" 1440p IPS for the RPGs, in my opinion.

The AOC Q3279VWFD8 is 31.5" IPS, 1440p, freesync and sub £200. I have one (not purchased via PCS though they do sell it at a competitive price) and can recommend.

There is the EG 27" 1440p 144hz for ~£220

Element Gaming 27" QHD 144hz 1ms Gaming Monitor Review | bit-tech.net

Yes, that is the name of the product.

bit-tech.net

Budget TN, but it's a minor marvel that you can get that spec at that price.

Thanks for the advice, I did not think I could find a monitor at 30+ inches and 1440p for less than 200, that seems almost too good to be true, what's wrong with it!

I have the Microsoft USB stick for Windows 10, came in a little box with the license key card and everything, it's the official product.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for the advice, I did not think I could find a monitor at 30+ inches and 1440p for less than 200, that seems almost too good to be true, what's wrong with it!

I have the Microsoft USB stick for Windows 10, came in a little box with the license key card and everything, it's the official product.

And you're not using the license on another computer?

 

[thomor]

And you're not using the license on another computer?

I installed it on the computer I'm using now, don't remember if it ever asked for a key though because I don't think I ever took the card out. Is that a problem?

 

[SpyderTracks]

I installed it on the computer I'm using now, don't remember if it ever asked for a key though because I don't think I ever took the card out. Is that a problem?

Yes, the license has been used, it’s tied to the motherboard bios and will automatically be generated once connected to the internet on first installation. You will need another license.

 

[thomor]

Yes, the license has been used, it’s tied to the motherboard bios and will automatically be generated once connected to the internet on first installation. You will need another license.

Damn, guess I'm not getting that monitor upgrade then.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Damn, guess I'm not getting that monitor upgrade then.

Are you going to still be using the pc you’re currently using? If not then you should be able to transfer the license to the new pc by linking it to your Microsoft account.

But you can’t run 2 PC’s off one license.

 

[thomor]

Are you going to still be using the pc you’re currently using? If not then you should be able to transfer the license to the new pc by linking it to your Microsoft account.

But you can’t run 2 PC’s off one license.

Yeah I just looked that up, seems like I can get the key transferred to the new motherboard. This old PC will be getting scrapped once I upgrade (except the GPU which I will donate to a family member).

 

[SpyderTracks]

Yeah I just looked that up, seems like I can get the key transferred to the new motherboard. This old PC will be getting scrapped once I upgrade (except the GPU which I will donate to a family member).

Ah, that’s fine then, yeah, tie it to your Microsoft account and then you can move it from build to build.

 

[Oussebon]

When you say you installed it on the computer you're on now... do you mean you just used the USB installation media?

Depends what was on your old PC before, but it's always possible it activated with whatever key was active on that machine before, leaving your key that came on the apparently-used card completely vacant?

Thus if you can transfer the key on your old PC across and you scrap the old PC, you'd also have a spare licence key in that box(?)

Thanks for the advice, I did not think I could find a monitor at 30+ inches and 1440p for less than 200, that seems almost too good to be true, what's wrong with it!

Not much, especially given the price.
31.5" for 1440p gives you similar pixel density to 1080p on a 24", but you still are at a higher resolution.
Response time's not amazing, but it's a budget IPS game so go figure. I find it more than fine for RPGs and casual shooters like Division 2, Borderlands, etc.
Limited freesync range, but it does work, even with nvidia GPUs after a fashion, and some people have CRUed it to shoehorn in LFC so I read.
On screen menu and controls are typical annoying budget AOC (I've had a few budget AOC IPS monitors) but fine, how often do you really prodge with those anyway once you have it set up the first time.
No VESA mounting
Monitor stand is reasonably robust for a budget monitor. Has to be, given the size. Unlike most stands I've seen where the base, the vertical part, and the monitor itself are 3 separate parts, the vertical part is built into the monitor and can't be removed.
It's a bit monitor - I have mine not on the stand but sat with the bottom on the desk and the stand hanging down the back of the desk. It works, but would have been easier if the vertical part of the stand was removable.

The image quality and presence of adaptive sync (not to mention 1440p vs 1080p) was a huge upgrade over my old 23" AOC IPS 1080p monitor from 2012.

I got mine on sale for ~£163, which is ludicrous value, but it's definitely worth the full price.

I intend to get a 1440p 144hz monitor with a wider adaptive sync range in due course, or move to 4k next year depending what happens with various things, but even if it's upgraded so soon it's still an excellent monitor for home office work and will continue to serve us well.

 

[thomor]

When you say you installed it on the computer you're on now... do you mean you just used the USB installation media?

Depends what was on your old PC before, but it's always possible it activated with whatever key was active on that machine before, leaving your key that came on the apparently-used card completely vacant?

Thus if you can transfer the key on your old PC across and you scrap the old PC, you'd also have a spare licence key in that box(?)

Not much, especially given the price.
31.5" for 1440p gives you similar pixel density to 1080p on a 24", but you still are at a higher resolution.
Response time's not amazing, but it's a budget IPS game so go figure. I find it more than fine for RPGs and casual shooters like Division 2, Borderlands, etc.
Limited freesync range, but it does work, even with nvidia GPUs after a fashion, and some people have CRUed it to shoehorn in LFC so I read.
On screen menu and controls are typical annoying budget AOC (I've had a few budget AOC IPS monitors) but fine, how often do you really prodge with those anyway once you have it set up the first time.
No VESA mounting
Monitor stand is reasonably robust for a budget monitor. Has to be, given the size. Unlike most stands I've seen where the base, the vertical part, and the monitor itself are 3 separate parts, the vertical part is built into the monitor and can't be removed.
It's a bit monitor - I have mine not on the stand but sat with the bottom on the desk and the stand hanging down the back of the desk. It works, but would have been easier if the vertical part of the stand was removable.

The image quality and presence of adaptive sync (not to mention 1440p vs 1080p) was a huge upgrade over my old 23" AOC IPS 1080p monitor from 2012.

I got mine on sale for ~£163, which is ludicrous value, but it's definitely worth the full price.

I intend to get a 1440p 144hz monitor with a wider adaptive sync range in due course, or move to 4k next year depending what happens with various things, but even if it's upgraded so soon it's still an excellent monitor for home office work and will continue to serve us well.

Yeah my current PC is a crappy 4-5 year old (came with a GTX 960 so just after that released I guess) Zoostorm prebuild that came with Windows 10 already installed, later replaced the failing HDD with a new one and bought this new copy of Windows at the same time. From what you've said it's likely still using the old license (same motherboard) since I don't remember ever using this license key card.

So this is the revised build, I included the RX 5700 but that entirely depends on if they have any dual fan models in stock, otherwise I buy it separately on Amazon. Also included the monitor since it's only £1 more expensive than on Amazon and I would prefer to have everything under the same warranty. All fits comfortably in my £1500 budget (1300 for tower, 200 for monitor). Maybe worth upgrading to 5700 XT? Not sure if I will ever need it though.

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
Gigabyte B450 AORUS ELITE: DDR4, USB 3.1 - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 5700 - HDMI, DP - DX® 12

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Radeon Graphics

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Radeon GPUs
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (upto 1800MB/sR | 1800MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W VS SERIES™ VS-650 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V2 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
AOC Q3279VWFD8 31.5" QHD Monitor - 2560 x 1440, 5MS, HDMI, DVI, DP
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
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 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,387.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Oussebon]

I'd up the PSU to TXm series, as it's more efficient, better quality, and modular.

The SX6000 SSD is faster than the Intel for pretty well the same price. The absence of NVMe from the name isn't an issue. They're both PCIe SSDs.

NB the Asus B450 has USB 3.1 Gen 2 while the Gigabyte does not. The Gigabyte does have a few things over the Asus (2nd M.2 slot, albeit only x2, not x4, and a bit higher end onboard audio - not sure what difference you'd notice).

 

[thomor]

I'd up the PSU to TXm series, as it's more efficient, better quality, and modular.

The SX6000 SSD is faster than the Intel for pretty well the same price. The absence of NVMe from the name isn't an issue. They're both PCIe SSDs.

NB the Asus B450 has USB 3.1 Gen 2 while the Gigabyte does not. The Gigabyte does have a few things over the Asus (2nd M.2 slot, albeit only x2, not x4, and a bit higher end onboard audio - not sure what difference you'd notice).

Thanks for the advice

What does the NVMe drive do that the SX one doesn't?

Honestly the motherboard choice I based on looks lol, the Aorus looked prettier. Not sure what I would use the gen 2 USB 3.1 for, if I need more storage I will put another SSD inside rather than external.

 

[thomor]

So today is the day, gonna place my order in the morning

This is my final build, to get the most balanced system I can with everyone's advice. Any last minute changes you guys think I should go for? Hard budget of £1500 that has to include the monitor.

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
Gigabyte B450 AORUS ELITE: DDR4, USB 3.1 - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 5700 - HDMI, DP - DX® 12

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Radeon Graphics

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Radeon GPUs
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V2 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
AOC Q3279VWFD8 31.5" QHD Monitor - 2560 x 1440, 5MS, HDMI, DVI, DP
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
Cable Management
3 x PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
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 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,430.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Oussebon]

Looks good

USB 3.1 Gen 2 would be useful for VR, or very fast external storage for backups. But in fairness if you're not likely to use either of those it's not much of a loss.

As for what the NVMe drive does that the other doesn't, I had a google and I think the answer is 'it has NVMe in the name'.

 

[Scott]

I would drop the cooler, the stock one from AMD is excellent. If you want aftermarket, you're looking to the 240 Coolermaster before there's going to be a difference.

There is no point in going for the 3600X either, the X isn't the same as with the K series from Intel. It makes no odds and you would need a micrometer to measure the difference.

 

[Oussebon]

I was going to get the 3600, but you don't get the free game with the 3600, only with the X. And since I'm going to get that game anyway, I see it as a free CPU upgrade and a slightly cheaper game at the same time. (game is £50, price difference between the 3600 and X is £40).

I mainly play MMO's including WoW, FF14, Eve Online. But also like to play big open world RPG's such as Witcher 3, Fallout 4 and also soon The Outer Worlds, Borderlands 3, Cyberpunk 2077.

I think that's the reasoning for the 3600x

I'd be inclined to agree on the cooler. If @thomor does go ahead and buy it, I'd be interested to see some photos of it. I think it's one by ID cooling, but not sure which model.