New Gaming Pc

[Azen]

Hello all

Building a new gaming desktop and looking for some advice. I've got a few questions as I'm somewhat new to this.

Firstly, I plan to use a RTX 2070s Gaming x trio - Is the 550W PSU enough for this build or would I be safer going with 650W?
The P.C will most be used for gaming only, and some internet usage, no streaming, or video editing etc.

Secondly, how well will the motherboard (ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero) I've selected, work with the CPU and GPU.
I can stretch the budget slightly if there is a better alternative?

Last but not least, the processor cooling I've chosen (PCS Frostflow 240 series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler) - is this good enough to keep my setup cool during long gaming sessions or is there a better alternative?

Thank you in advance for any feedback.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX K500 RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-9700K (3.6GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS ROG Maximus XI Hero
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
RTX 2070s Gaming x trio
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-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
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
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
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

 

[Scott]

I would be more inclined to look at an AMD build You could probably save a fair bit of cash going down this route. What is your budget for the system? Which monitor are you pairing with?

It could definitely be better balanced and I would always recommend a better case for airflow as that case looks very sealed off.

 

[Azen]

Hello Scott

Thanks for the quick reply. My budget is around £1,200-£1,300 (excluding monitor)

The monitor, I have not chosen yet but it will be 1440p @144hz, 27" with G-Sync (around £500.00 budget on monitor, that's the plan anyway)

I thought the coolermaster case would have been sufficient as there appears to be good clearance between components and good thermal control from what I've read, any suggestions are appreciated though.

Apart from saving money, is there any particular reason I should choose AMD over an i7?
I don't mind paying a little extra if it means better performance in general.

Any thoughts on the PSU I've chosen?

Also just to clarify I have the RTX 2070s Gaming x trio, so this wasn't included in my budget

Thanks.

 

[Scott]

This has gone over budget but it doesn't need to.... the issue is the cooler, I couldn't select the H100i RGB platinum as it's out of stock until May. If you're in need of it then this IS the best option you can buy for this sort of money. It will be a monster build paired with the spec of monitor you suggest and the GPU you already have.

To save the money right now, lower the case to the 465X and the cooler to the Coolermaster 240 that you had previously selected.

The benefit of the Corsair cooler is that it's the best you can get performance wise, and it's damn near silent thanks to the fans on board. It's very much a luxury though. I had initially selected the 465x paired with the H100i RGB platinum. In order to fit the H115i I had to bump it up to the 570X case.

AMD are a FAR better option than Intel right now. The future potential of this build is really out there. It will take the next gen CPU with a bios update and it'll be powerful enough for ANY GPU you wish to add going forward. There are luxury choices in here though, it's effectively the best you can get..... if you wish to save money there are avenues that won't affect performance..... just quality.

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 570X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Eight Core CPU (3.9GHz-4.5GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 2500MB/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
Corsair H115i RGB PLATINUM 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)
Wireless/Wired Networking
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
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
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)
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: £1,348.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/BSXvpBDcq6/

 

[Azen]

Hello again

Thanks again for going through this in detail, I really appreciate the time taken to give me some advice. I am new to this and you have made some very good points.

I like the choice of case, I had looked at this previously and was considering it depending on feed back I got from this post. I think I might upgrade the case to CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 570X RGB GAMING CASE, maybe keep the PCS Frostflow 240 series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler for the moment and maybe upgrade this in future.
I think I have my heart set on using the intel i7 as the build you have provided is similar in costs to what I had already, actually £20 less but using the less expensive liquid cooler (PCS Frostflow 240 series) instead of the Corsair H115i RGB PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler as tempting as it now is. The budget may increase, so thank for pointing that one out

Do you think I would have any issues with temps with this setup?

Thank you again for the info.

 

[Scott]

The i7 is seriously not a good choice but it's your money so entirely your decision. I'm sure PCS will be happy to use up the stock

I would choose the coolermaster over the Frostflow... but again, this is your decision

Best of luck, would be nice to see your thoughts once you receive it

 

[Azen]

The i7 is seriously not a good choice but it's your money so entirely your decision. I'm sure PCS will be happy to use up the stock

I would choose the coolermaster over the Frostflow... but again, this is your decision

Best of luck, would be nice to see your thoughts once you receive it

Hey again

As I am in no rush, I will do some more research, you have given me something to think about. Clearly you have more knowledge in this area than I do so it would be silly not to listen

With the build you have suggested, would you mind pointing out some strengths over the build I intended from a gaming perspective and overall P.C performance?

Just a couple of questions also, why the Firecuda over the Samsung on the suggested build, does this perform better?
Also, when it becomes available, would you still prefer/use the Corsair H100i over the Corsair H115i?

 

[Scott]

Sure:

For gaming at 1440p there will be absolutely zero perceivable difference between the chips.... nil. The only reason to consider Intel is when you are looking for high FPS, low fidelity professional level gaming at 1080p (where the single thread speed will feed the likes of a 2080Ti better). The only other scenario is frequency limited software gaming such as FSX (a flight simulator game from around 2004).

The AMD chip has WAY more threads (double) which makes a huge difference for multi-tasking and helps with streaming and encoding on the fly. It will score way higher on multi-threaded workloads due to this and games which use multi-threads (usually turn based/strategy games) will see an increase.

Then there's the future of the socket. The Intel is dead in the water. There is no future path. Your next upgrade is a motherboard, probably RAM and a new CPU. With the AMD, the socket is mid-life. This means that all current gen chips fit into that high end X570 motherboard and the next generation 4000 chips will also slot right in with a BIOS update.

Then there's the price. The performance per £ is a no brainer. You would need to compare the 3600X vs the 9700K for a fair pricing comparison. The 3800X is leagues ahead and doesn't directly compare. THAT's how much better value AMD is.

Firecuda over the Samsung as it's a PCIe4.0 device and blows the Samsung out the water on read performance. The 500GB isn't the fastest though, if you wanted to up the budget the 1TB drive is the proper power house sweet spot.

I would stick with the 570X and the H115i Platinum where the budget is there personally. It's the optimal cooling solution. It's not required for the 3800X, not even close, but it can follow on to your next upgrade. You could literally drop in a 3950X to your system next year without changing one other component if you did this.

 

[Azen]

Thanks again for the explanation. I am leaning towards your suggested build a little more now.

I don't plan to upgrade the p.c for a few years at least as this will be the most I've spent on one, although its good to know about the ssd and H115i.

From the build you suggested, what would be a sufficient but more affordable liquid cooling solution for the Ryzen 7 3800x?
As you mentioned previously the H115i is more than I currently need. If its still in and around my budget, I could maybe squeeze the 1TB Firecuda in.

 

[Scott]

You want one of the 240mm coolers on there. The Coolermaster would normally be my choice but the Frostflow option would be OK too.

Note that these will be a lot noisier than the H115i as it uses magnetic levitation fans (that's a large chunk of the difference in price).

 

[Azen]

I will play around with the build again, definitely need to think about this a bit more now (at least a 5/6 weeks spent researching already).
I appreciate all of the advice you have provided so far.

Stretching the budget slightly here..