New PC Build advice for high end VR and MSFS2020

[Kjaye]

Hi guys,

I'm looking to buy a new PC for a high end VR build I plan to buy the HP Reverb G2 which has a 4K display and use mainly as a flight/racing sim PC. I currently have a three year old 7700k 1080Ti 16GB ram PC that works excellently with my Rift S but I want to have as good MSFS performance in VR as I can get within a reasonable price range. I am happy to spend up to £2500 on the PC, can go a little higher if pushed, but I'd want to be doing it for genuine performance reasons rather than just having the top spec.

I had been looking at an Intel 10900k system but seems the new Ryzen 5800X would be the way to go?
My basic system plan I think would be as follows;

Ryzen 5800X
RTX 3080
32 GB 3200 ram

Where I have less knowledge is on things like motherboards, processor cooling, extra fans, case etc
I know how much storage I want, a 500 GB Windows drive, a 2TB for games and a 4TB storage dump. I was thinking Nvme for the 500GB, SSD for the 2 TB and an old HDD for the 4TB. Would I be better off having 2 nvme drives than one SSD?

I also have an Oculus Quest and a Quest 2 pre-ordered which I want to use wirelessly. Should I get a Wifi6 PCI card option for my PC so that it improves the connection with my Quest 2 or is it just the router that matters?

Also, I was wondering what impact the processor has on gaming at 4k? It seems from looking at benchmarks that for example practically speaking in games there is little difference between a Intel i510600k and an Intel i910900k at 4 K gaming which I would be doing exclusively as it will be a VR machine?

Finally do you think I am worth waiting until the new 5800X get released and PCSpecialist stock them or could I enjoy a similar performance in VR games with the i9's and 3800X they are selling now?

 

[Scott]

Intel aren't even in the picture just now.

The real competition is with AMD and AMD. Personally I would be aiming for the 5900X.

I'm in bed on my phone now but can spec up a system tomorrow if someone hasn't already.

5800x
X570 strix
2x16gb 3200 ram
3080
500gb primary m2
1tb secondary m2

That would be my choice 😁

 

[Scott]

£2.5k of Awesome right here. 3900XT as a placeholder for the 5900X. The rest of the build is blistering. There are better looking cases etc but this one, functionally, is fantastic. Have a look around the cases and see what ones take your fancy. Give yourself a few choices and post back your thoughts to see which would be the best fit.

You would need a Wifi6 Router to make good use of all the features of the PCIe card. Not sure how the Quest2 works, it may be a direct connection using it's own card/dongle?

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ 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 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
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price: £2,456.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/B7YMMtVESn/

 

[Kjaye]

Thanks, Scott! Looking around the forums it seems there are lengthy delays on the RTX 3080, is that likely to be the case with the 5900x processors when they launch too? I was hoping to get a new PC delivered in time for Christmas but I do think I'm best waiting for the exact components I want, rather than buy something less to get earlier. I already have a 7700k 1080Ti system which runs my Rift S fine so can afford to wait a little.

I will go for the 5900X on release then over the 5800X as it seems to have more cores.

Do you have any idea when PCSpecialist will be stock prebuilds with the new 5900X, like do they start stocking on release day or will it take a while to get them in?

 

[Scott]

Thanks, Scott! Looking around the forums it seems there are lengthy delays on the RTX 3080, is that likely to be the case with the 5900x processors when they launch too? I was hoping to get a new PC delivered in time for Christmas but I do think I'm best waiting for the exact components I want, rather than buy something less to get earlier. I already have a 7700k 1080Ti system which runs my Rift S fine so can afford to wait a little.

I will go for the 5900X on release then over the 5800X as it seems to have more cores.

Do you have any idea when PCSpecialist will be stock prebuilds with the new 5900X, like do they start stocking on release day or will it take a while to get them in?

Usually they would have them in for release. I would check back daily to see when they appear on the configurator.

Given the delays I would personally spec the build as above to get myself in the queue. As soon as the CPUs are on the configurator I would then swap out the 3900XT for the 5900X and consider the job done

The only risk is that they miraculously receive a number of 3080s and build your system before you have had the chance to switch to the 5900X. The chances of this are ridiculously slim though.

If you want to set your mind at ease you could call PCS and suggest the above to see what they say. My guess is you will be into November before the 3080 is available for you regardless, the queue is rather large

 

[Kjaye]

Thanks, Scott I will do that. Do they take the money when you place the order or when they ship?

 

[Scott]

Thanks, Scott I will do that. Do they take the money when you place the order or when they ship?

When you place the order unfortunately.

 

[Kjaye]

Hi all.

This is my planned build, although I will wait until the 5th November to order to put the 5900X in place of the 3900XT.
Comments welcome, especially relating to case choice, motherboard and CPU cooler as I know nothing about those things.

Also, I selected the Obsidian case as I like the RGB fans in the picture. Does it come with those or do I need to purchase additional fans from the menu option?

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 500D SE CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3400MB/R, 2300MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 120 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
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,781.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/kE0Aze3yyb/

 

[Kjaye]

Hiya, your choice of case and motherboard are spot on, no issues there.

But you’re going to want to get a much better cooler, the H115i RGB Platinum is the recommended unit to pair with the CPU 👍

Thanks! I can see Scott put that one into the build. I didn't figure there would be much difference but if you both recommend that I'll put it in.

 

[Kjaye]

Oh, and get the silver warranty. An extra eleven months peace of mind for a fiver is well worth it 😁

I didn't even notice that!

 

[Kjaye]

Updated build and link

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 500D SE CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3400MB/R, 2300MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i PRO Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans
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 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 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,879.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/TFfKN0tXgb/

 

[Kjaye]

Do you guys put a paid version of Windows on your builds? I'm thinking I can select none, then transfer my Windows activation from my old PC and then just stick the free version on the old PC, as I won't care about the watermark on it. But would I need to uninstall Windows on my old PC to do that? I don't want to have to reformat that computer to transfer the activation...

 

[Scott]

I would swap out the 970 primary drive for the 980 pro and the 970 secondary drive for the 2TB Firecuda.

No point in being 2nd best when everything else is on point

 

[Scott]

I think it's a typo in the configuration for the 980 pro to be honest. The speeds last week were unbelievable for the 500GB. Cracking catch on the H115i, totally missed that

 

[Scott]

It did seema bit odd to me...then again, the speed differential between the 500GB and 1TB Firecuda was enough to make me think it was just some weirdness with hard drives

Just been investigating and I think the speeds are correct...the 970 listed underneath the 980 is not the Plus variant so would be slower than the other Samsung products that have been around for a while. It's confusing to have a normal 970 listed in with the 980s

This is what I mean, the 970 wasn't in there last week, it was the 500GB 980 pro. When it's gone out of stock it's defaulted to the OOS message which needs updated to the 980 over the 970 info

 

[Kjaye]

Thanks for all the tips guys, can't wait until November 5 when I can order this. I wouldn't have had a clue about cooler or hard drives. I went with Samsung Evo because it's the only drive listed I'd heard of.

 

[Kjaye]

Update, I finally ordered today. I had to make a couple of swaps decided to upgrade to the RTX3090 as PC Specialist told me they are in stock more often and I wouldn't get a 3080 build before Christmas so stumped up the extra due to impatience and greed! Had to change the cooler too as got a warning that it wouldn't fit because the memory was too tall.

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 500D SE CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3090 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
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 SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i 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 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 13 to 15 working days
Price: £3,667.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/tpsCE5Br3Q/

 

[Scott]

The 3090 is a serious waste of cash, even for the impatience. You could take the money saved and buy a whole new GPU next year with the savings.

The losses in the 3090 will be staggering if you're not going to use it productively.

 

[Kjaye]

As above, the 3090 seems an awful lot of money for an impulse buy.

That CPU really will benefit from the H115i RGB Platinum and I think it has glitched before and said it’s incompatible (or if people get the RGB RAM). I’ve just tried an order and it accepted it, it’d be worth seeing if you could try putting it back in on your order page 👍

Can I still amend it post-purchase?

@Scott, if I was patient I'd wait for the 6900XT

 

[Derngek]

Can I still amend it post-purchase?

@Scott, if I was patient I'd wait for the 6900XT

Yes you can amend your order. Log into your account and click view all on your orders. There should be an option to amend