New gaming PC advice

[Cavman]

Hey everyone.

I'm thinking about getting a new pc in the next few months (I'm in no hurry, just dipping my feet in just now) but don't really have a clue with what I'm doing/need tbh, or when the best times to buy are. I have noticed from browsing the forums the last few weeks that a lot of new components have been announced or will be announced shortly. Will this mean potential price drops from the older iterations in the coming months?

I will be using the PC for general use and gaming. My budget will ideally be in the £1500-£1800 range for now (potentially stretching to 2k). I'm not too fussed about maxing out games, as long as they are at a decent quality. I will be playing a range of games (indie titles to triple A, RPGs, strategy and shooters).

I will probably just be using the monitor I use with my PS5 which is a GIGABYTE - M32U 4K Ultra HD.

I've had a general play about in the custom builds with different components but as I said, I'm not really sure on the major differences or what is best compatibility-wise and leaving options for upgrades (3+ years down the line preferably).

Any questions for me, I will try to answer.

Cheers
Cav

 

[Cavman]

So, I appreciate this isn't in the check my spec forum but didn't want to start a new thread unnecessarily. Done a bit of reading and reasearch and a play about with the configurator and came up with the following build.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 10-Core Processor i5-12600KF (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z690-A GAMING WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS ARGB GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6000MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
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
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
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 Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Promotional Item
Get Warhammer 40K: Darktide with select GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs!
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: £2,014.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/XeJVZdR4zY/

It' right at the top end of my budget so if it can come down in price in place then great!! Not sure if there are any overkill pieces in it. Should I have 2 SSDs instead of one storage HDD? Is the case decent for my needs? Cooling sufficient for that particular processer etc?

Monitor is listed in my original post.

Cheers,
Cav

 

[Cavman]

bump

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hiya, sorry we missed this.

The monitor you have is 4k 144hz, you really need an RTX 3080 as a minimum to drive it, but that's not possible in the budget range.

That being said, my recommendation would be to wait for the upcoming AMD GPU's which are released on 13th December, but it all comes down to how much their going to cost as to weather it will fit in the budget.

 

[Cavman]

Hi, Thanks for the reply!

hmmm, ok. What sort of build should I be looking at as a minimum with this monitor then?

Last time I bought a PC I was really hampered by having a motherboard which wasn't great past a couple years in terms of compatibility with new components so not wanting to make the same mistakes again (with any component!).

I wasn't looking to buy until the new year anyway so my budget may extend a bit by then.

 

[MrWilson]

Hi, Thanks for the reply!

hmmm, ok. What sort of build should I be looking at as a minimum with this monitor then?

Last time I bought a PC I was really hampered by having a motherboard which wasn't great past a couple years in terms of compatibility with new components so not wanting to make the same mistakes again (with any component!).

I wasn't looking to buy until the new year anyway so my budget may extend a bit by then.

You would be looking at a 3070 GPU at a minimum, but ideally a 3080 to make the most of your 4k 144hz monitor.
With Intel builds the motherboards tend to last for 2 generations of CPUs; the Z690 in your spec above supports 12th and 13th gen Intel CPUs, but won’t support 14th gen and beyond when they come out. This is somewhat of a moot point though, as a decent CPU investment will last you for the 5-8 year lifetime of your build, especially when gaming at 4k where CPU performance is less critical.
Definitely worth revisiting closer to the time of purchase, a bigger budget is always good to have a better rounded build, and with new GPU releases on the horizon you might (emphasis on might) get a better deal on a GPU than current market prices.

 

[Cavman]

Ok, that's good to know!

I'll hang back and wait and see what happens with new releases and prices over the next 2/3 months. Not set on one particular brand over another.

 

[Cavman]

Hi all,

Been reading articles/posts here and watching videos and think I have came up with a slightly better build attempt than a few months back. My budget has increased to ~£2500 max, although lower if possible. PC will be for gaming (FM, total war, AAA titles, whatever takes my fancy really!) and general use. Current monitor is a GIGABYTE - M32U 4K Ultra HD. Possibly thinking of getting an ultrawide at some point in future though (just a thought just now).

Not totally set on the case choice, I seen somewhere on here Fractal cases will be arriving next month so may go for one of those. If not I understand the 5000D is a solid option.

Is 6000MHz ram optimal for the AM5 platform, rather than the lower speeds? or is that money that can be saved? Would go for 16gb over 32 but doesn't seem to be an option at this speed.

I've went for the 6800XT as a start point as my monitor is 4k and this will be the first thing (hopefully) that I upgrade in a few years.

The CPU is a placeholder for (hopefully) one of the X3D releases next month depending on pricing (may have to re-jig other areas if it would be considered worthwhile). Is the cooler I have selected adequate or overkill?

Will a 1000W PSU be adequate for upgrades in future? Or will power demands only increase and would a 1200W be a better choice?

Thanks for any input!

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core CPU (4.0GHz-5.2GHz/38MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-E GAMING WIFI (WIFI 6E, DDR5, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6800 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
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 iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT 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
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 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,430.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/Qp9w3zsya0/

 

[Cavman]

Hi all,

Been reading articles/posts here and watching videos and think I have came up with a slightly better build attempt than a few months back. My budget has increased to ~£2500 max, although lower if possible. PC will be for gaming (FM, total war, AAA titles, whatever takes my fancy really!) and general use. Current monitor is a GIGABYTE - M32U 4K Ultra HD. Possibly thinking of getting an ultrawide at some point in future though (just a thought just now).

Not totally set on the case choice, I seen somewhere on here Fractal cases will be arriving next month so may go for one of those. If not I understand the 5000D is a solid option.

Is 6000MHz ram optimal for the AM5 platform, rather than the lower speeds? or is that money that can be saved? Would go for 16gb over 32 but doesn't seem to be an option at this speed.

I've went for the 6800XT as a start point as my monitor is 4k and this will be the first thing (hopefully) that I upgrade in a few years.

The CPU is a placeholder for (hopefully) one of the X3D releases next month depending on pricing (may have to re-jig other areas if it would be considered worthwhile). Is the cooler I have selected adequate or overkill?

Will a 1000W PSU be adequate for upgrades in future? Or will power demands only increase and would a 1200W be a better choice?

Thanks for any input!

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core CPU (4.0GHz-5.2GHz/38MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-E GAMING WIFI (WIFI 6E, DDR5, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6800 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
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 iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT 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
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 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,430.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/Qp9w3zsya0/

So I have had another play about since the announcement of pricing and release dates for the X3D processers coming soon. Obviously waiting for 3rd party benchmarks and reviews before deciding would be ideal but I think only the 7800x3D will fit my budget without compromising overall on the build (also released a month later than the other ones)? Also not sure if there will be that noticeable a performance boost for gaming at 4k, but I'm certainly no expert.


Note: going for a 3080/6800XT. Not sure which is better for me, read some people have said the AMD drivers have been a bit iffy?

Cooler will also be the H150i but that is also out of stock just now.

Those additions will take it to just under my max budget I think.


Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X Six Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.3GHz/38MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, PCIe 5.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 5200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W HX SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® PLATINUM, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT 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
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 10 to 13 working days
Promotional Item
Get STAR WARS: Jedi Survivor when you buy select AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series processors!
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: £2,357.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/4f3E63YPku/


Any input much appreciated