New PC Build for Gaming - Budget £ 2.5k

[Seralath]

Hi Guys!

Looking to order a new PC that will mostly be used for gaming and a bit of watching Netflix/general internet browsing. I currently have 2 1080p 60Hz Monitors (Asus VS247HR 23.6 inch Widescreen Full HD LED Monitor) which I am thinking of upgrading in the near future to 1440p 60hz/144hz ones. I play a lot of different games (League, Witcher, Metro Exodus, DOTA, Warcraft etc.) but want to be able to play AAA games on high settings.

I have configured the below build by trying to take some of the advice given to others on the forum, however, I am sure I have probably missed something so please let me know if you think I have anything silly in there.

Lastly, can anyone recommend a good 1440p/60hz or 144hz monitor and can you run one 1080p monitor with a 1440p monitor or will it cause problems?

Thanks in advance for any feedback I get!

Case
NZXT H500 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!

Get Control & Wolfenstein: Young Blood w/ select GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/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
STANDARD AMD 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
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
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,490.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/3PtYaZbmxW/

 

[polycrac]

I'd be tempted by a stronger CPU cooler, just because the cooler it stays the longer the built in boost mechanisms will be able to push the higher frequencies.

I've got a friend waiting for this monitor to come out (unusual to get this fast a response time on an IPS monitor) and heard others on the forum mention it too:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lg-2...le-widescreen-led-gaming-monit-mo-155-lg.html

 

[phitol]

I agree with Polycrac on both fronts!

The stock coolers can sound like a screaming banshee when fully ramped up and they don't have much 'capacity' to really allow some good overclocking, I always think the all in one liquid coolers are a good shout. Don't underestimate how loud the stock coolers can get, my Ryzen 2700X with stock cooler was awful, it let temps spike far too easily and also sounded worse than my gaming laptops (which aren't quiet!)

Of the coolers PCS offer, the H115i Pro is probably worth a look, under load it does offer quite reasonable cooling and noise.

The other notable decent all in ones I've had in my builds, but PCS don't offer:
Corsair H115i RGB Platinum - These come with 2 x RGB Fans (ML Series) and are a different design and offer excellent performance
NZXT Kraken X62 - another 280mm (2 x 140mm Fans) solution that is very quiet and offers good cooling.

And on the LG 27GL850:

Looks great!

 

[Seralath]

Thanks both.

I'll have a think about the cooler but I'm wondering if it is overkill if I am not doing any overclocking.

That monitor looks really good too but could I pair it with one of my 1080p ones or would it cause issues?

 

[polycrac]

I have the H100i, with superquiet fans. Not as massive as the H115 but works a treat and, more importantly, fits in a lot more cases! If you want to spend less and still get a great, quiet cooler try the noctua. Its excellent and whisper quiet.

You can run two very different monitors with no problems. Its common to have a high spec one for gaming and a more run of the mill one for emails, browsing etc.

*edit* this has more detail on the boost system. Precision boost gets more love than pbo but pretty much a case of 'keep it cold and it will keep the frequencies up' - WITHOUT OVERCLOCKING.

Explaining AMD Ryzen Precision Boost Overdrive (PBO), AutoOC, & Benchmarks | GamersNexus

stub With the launch of the Ryzen 3000 series processors, we’ve noticed a distinct confusion among readers and viewers when it comes to the phrases “Precision Boost 2,” “XFR,” “Precision Boost Overdrive,” which is different from Precision Boost, and “AutoOC.” There is also a lot of confusion...

www.gamersnexus.net

 

[Oussebon]

The article above does show the benefits of keeping the CPU cooler. That said:

~250-300MHz (possibly less) isn't often going to make or break the experience.

Spending £73-85 extra on the H100i for a couple hundred MHz diminishes the overall bang for buck of the CPU.

That said, it does help performance a bit, it's well within the scope of the budget, and if the CPU is ever upgraded then it will likely make short work of cooling whatever the upgrade is.

I think one can call it either way. If the budget was very tight I'd easily recommend the stock cooler, but with a large budget and treating the H100i as an investment, it could be a good fit here.

I'd probably suggest a larger HDD, since it's crazy how fast one can fill them up (maybe 3TB HDD?)

And I too am eagerly awaiting that monitor

There are other options to look at in the meantime, e.g. Gigabyte AORUS AD27QD. Or Dell S716DG if you like a TN panel.

 

[Seralath]

Ok, I have added the H115i pro cooler and this meant that I had to change the case so I went for the Meshify C. Also added a 3TB HDD as suggested.

Think I might leave the monitor upgrade for whenever I decide to upgrade the GPU in the future. Think this is good to order?

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY C BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!

Get Control & Wolfenstein: Young Blood w/ select GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/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 PRO Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
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
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,677.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/82VV7Ht5KU/

 

[phitol]

This is one of the trickiest parts of giving advice, VFM can be a tricky one as everyone has different ideas on what is important to them.

I started out buying on exact technical specs and so went for just enough PSU, Cooling, CPU and GPU to all balance perfectly, and this is exactly how a lot of people quite correctly spec a PC.

For me, its been a case of wanting to maximise the performance of the parts I have and keeping noise acceptable when the pc is on the desk only a few feet away.
To that end modern cpus now work best if you can keep them thermally happy and will hold maximum boost speeds all day long, this means for stock coolers you get fans spinning up/down as they struggle in some situations and of course it’s a personal thing as to tolerable noise levels, or in my case it’s often the sudden change in noise levels that often grates more.

So now I pretty much run big air coolers, closed loop water coolers, or lately even full water cooling (horrifically expensive, but a fun hobby).
One PC I built last year was a Ryzen 2700x, the stock cooler was awful, the noise was crazy, and it doesn’t get the best out of it either, it has no thermal mass, so opening a web browser will see temps on a core jump to 90, the fans immediately hit max for 10 seconds as the temps come back down. I popped in a h115i platinum RGB just to get a bit more bling in the case, but the low noise and better handling of the cpu thermals made an appreciable difference using it. I do have a h100i as well (it’s a spare I keep in case of failure) and briefly tried this on the 2700x, to find it was ok, but definitely allowed more variance in core temps and a little more noise, so know that the h115i has some positive effect that makes it worth considering,

 

[polycrac]

Think I might leave the monitor upgrade for whenever I decide to upgrade the GPU in the future. Think this is good to order?

If you are sticking with 1080p, 60hz, then the 2060 Super is probably overkill. You could get a 1660ti and save £140 towards the monitor/gpu upgrade

 

[Oussebon]

Think I might leave the monitor upgrade for whenever I decide to upgrade the GPU in the future. Think this is good to order?

No. If that's your plan, don't buy that system.

For your system, the priority needs to be the monitor upgrade.

Buying a 2060 (Super or not) for 1080p gaming is a huge waste of money. And if you don't upgrade the monitor for a while, by the time you do, new GPUs offering better performance for the money will be here, or on the horizon. Meaning you'll have paid a premium for something you never really used until it was out of date anyway

Similarly, buying a 1660 ti now but already planning to upgrade is poor value, especially if you can afford the full upgrade package inc monitor now. Why spend ~£250 on a GPU you'd already be planning to show the door to?

You said the budget is £2.5k. Ofc you don't want to spend all of that, but you are still easily able to afford a 2060 Super and a very nice 1440p 144hz screen, and come in well under that £2.5k mark.

Ok, I have added the H115i pro cooler and this meant that I had to change the case so I went for the Meshify C.

Going for the H100x is an option because it add some benefits, though is fundamentally overkill for your needs. The H115i is really overkill and costs £50 more. It's just not worth it, especially if that's money that could go towards a better monitor.

Also, no need for the better paste as the Corsair AIO coolers actually have their own rather good thermal paste included.

The Meshify C is a very good case if you want to stick with that over the H500 though.

If money needs to be clawed back to afford a new monitor more comfortable, swap the 970 Evo to an SX6000 SSD.
- You'll barely be able to measure the difference when loading a game, let alone humanly perceive it.
- The SX6000 1TB is over £100 cheaper
- Your motherboard supports PCIe 4.0 M.2 SSDs. If you want a crazy fast SSD in the future, you'll be able to buy a PCIe 4.0 one that would leave the 970 Evo in the dust anyway.

So what about this - your spec, but saving £57 on the cooler and paste: ...
And optionally a further £100+ on the SSD model.

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY C BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!

Get Control & Wolfenstein: Young Blood w/ select GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
...
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
...
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
...
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
...
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,620.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/fbazXNc8qa/

And then ~£400-£500 on a really nice monitor to enjoy the system with.

Don't get a monitor from PCS necessarily as their range is naturally a bit limited. Look at:

Dell S2716DG - 27" 1440p 144hz TN gsync (~£430)
AORUS AD27QD - 27" 1440p 144hz IPS gsync compatible (~£540)
LG 27GL850 - 27" 1440p 144hz IPS gsync compatible (~£450 - preorder, due out Aug I think)

And of course the old guard:
Acer Predator XB271HUbmiprz - 27" 1440p 144hz IPS gsync (~£560)
Acer Predator XB271HUAbmipr - same but TN (~£450)
Asus MG278Q - 27" 1440p 144hz TN gsync compatible (~£380)
and many more including models by AOC

If you like curved screens, one of the MSI or AOC monitors:
MSI Optix MAG271CQR - 27" 1440p 144hz VA freesync (£390)
AOC AG322QC4 - 31.5" 1440p 144hz VA freesync (£400)

You've got a lot of options and there's no point getting a great PC if your old monitors will bottleneck the experience.

Personally, I'm waiting on the LG monitor and will spend most of August drooling uncontrollably until I can buy it (subject to reviews ofc!)

 

[Seralath]

Ok, point taken on the monitor. Think I'll go with the spec proposed above and buy a new monitor because, as you say, I can with the budget I have.

Thanks again for all the help!