New PC for Girlfriend

[SmithyTheHobbit]

Girlfriend is buying a new PC and needs a bit of help! The only caveat is that it needs to be Intel and NVIDIA as had bad experience with AMD and does not want to go back, even though we know they're reliable.

Uses- Will be used for gaming and maybe Uni work here and there.

Monitor- Unsure on model but its an MSI 165hz, I think its 1080p but it may be 1440p.

Budget is £2k


Here is what I have picked so far!

Case
CORSAIR 4000D RGB AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE - WHITE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 20-Core Processor i7-14700KF (Up to 5.6GHz) 33MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z790-P (LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W CX SERIES™ CX-750 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 ARGB V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (INTEL)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2 x PCS ARGB LED Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
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 Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: £1,958.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/VePen4gRST/

Thank you in advance

 

[Scott]

I would definitely avoid Intel entirely. If it must be Intel and Nvidia then that's obviously her call, but it's a mistake.

Just need to know the monitor and we can get going with some help, the resolution dictates the spec

 

[SmithyTheHobbit]

I would definitely avoid Intel entirely. If it must be Intel and Nvidia then that's obviously her call, but it's a mistake.

Just need to know the monitor and we can get going with some help, the resolution dictates the spec

I believe its a MSI Optix G27C4 E2 Full HD 27" Curved.

A side from the CPU and GPU, how does the rest look?

Thanks for the help

 

[Scott]

You'll want faster RAM, 6000Mhz is the minimum I would install
The primary drive seems very large, I would recommend a small & fast primary drive (500GB P44) with a large secondary drive for games storage/etc. Having too many eggs in the primary drive is bad for performance and for hassle should there be an issue with the drive (most issues will happen on the primary).
The power supply is very low end, 850w RMx would be my minimum for a gaming build. Prefer the 1000w as it offers the option of in-place upgrades without faff. 1000w is more efficient and will use less power than the 750w you've selected. 850w is a nice compromise though if the budget is tight.
The cooler is nowhere near appropriate for an Intel chip. You will want the H150i corsair in place to try and keep it cool. It would thermal throttle still, even with the H150i in place, when under heavy loads.... but gaming loads it should be OK. I would probably opt for the 14600k if you wanted a more sensible option. Cooling could be lowered to the H100i then.
I wouldn't opt for PCS fans personally, they're an unknown for me. If opting for a decent AIO as recommended, you can ditch the fans altogether as you will get exhaust from the AIO itself.

 

[SmithyTheHobbit]

You'll want faster RAM, 6000Mhz is the minimum I would install
The primary drive seems very large, I would recommend a small & fast primary drive (500GB P44) with a large secondary drive for games storage/etc. Having too many eggs in the primary drive is bad for performance and for hassle should there be an issue with the drive (most issues will happen on the primary).
The power supply is very low end, 850w RMx would be my minimum for a gaming build. Prefer the 1000w as it offers the option of in-place upgrades without faff. 1000w is more efficient and will use less power than the 750w you've selected. 850w is a nice compromise though if the budget is tight.
The cooler is nowhere near appropriate for an Intel chip. You will want the H150i corsair in place to try and keep it cool. It would thermal throttle still, even with the H150i in place, when under heavy loads.... but gaming loads it should be OK. I would probably opt for the 14600k if you wanted a more sensible option. Cooling could be lowered to the H100i then.
I wouldn't opt for PCS fans personally, they're an unknown for me. If opting for a decent AIO as recommended, you can ditch the fans altogether as you will get exhaust from the AIO itself.

Thank you for your advice! Will take this on board

 

[sck451]

I'm going to disobey your instructions and propose an AMD-Nvidia build. It's not an AMD graphics card, which many people have had trouble with, but an AMD CPU, which is genuinely the best gaming CPU there is right now, hands down. As well as being plain faster, it's also far more efficient and runs very cool, which makes the system much quieter. This is also a cheaper combination, which means you can get an all-round much better system.

The bottleneck in this setup will be the monitor. That's a 1080p display, not terrible but not exactly modern and definitely not a match for a build of this quality!

Anyway, here's a PC that I could happily recommend for a fiver less than the one you suggested above:

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) The best gaming CPU there is: fast, efficient, quiet, cool
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6) Good motherboard, built-in WiFi
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB) Fast RAM is important
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR Overkill for 1080p, but maybe that can be upgraded soon...
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW) Faster boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW) Game drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET A bit more power supply (£25 to make this 1000W would be money well spent)
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
DeepCool AK620 ZERO DARK High-Performance Dual Tower CPU Cooler Perfectly adequate for the 7800X3D, unlike the combination of CPU and cooler you chose
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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 If she's retiring an old PC, maybe she could transfer Windows over and save £100ish
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £1,952.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/V5qsgUB0yW/

 

[SmithyTheHobbit]

I'm going to disobey your instructions and propose an AMD-Nvidia build. It's not an AMD graphics card, which many people have had trouble with, but an AMD CPU, which is genuinely the best gaming CPU there is right now, hands down. As well as being plain faster, it's also far more efficient and runs very cool, which makes the system much quieter. This is also a cheaper combination, which means you can get an all-round much better system.

The bottleneck in this setup will be the monitor. That's a 1080p display, not terrible but not exactly modern and definitely not a match for a build of this quality!

Anyway, here's a PC that I could happily recommend for a fiver less than the one you suggested above:

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) The best gaming CPU there is: fast, efficient, quiet, cool
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6) Good motherboard, built-in WiFi
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB) Fast RAM is important
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 SUPER - HDMI, DP, LHR Overkill for 1080p, but maybe that can be upgraded soon...
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW) Faster boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW) Game drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET A bit more power supply (£25 to make this 1000W would be money well spent)
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
DeepCool AK620 ZERO DARK High-Performance Dual Tower CPU Cooler Perfectly adequate for the 7800X3D, unlike the combination of CPU and cooler you chose
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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 If she's retiring an old PC, maybe she could transfer Windows over and save £100ish
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £1,952.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/V5qsgUB0yW/

Will take this to her and see what she thinks! Thank you

I do have a question about the Motherboard, would the WiFi be good enough rather than having a network card?

 

[TonyCarter]

Will take this to her and see what she thinks! Thank you

I do have a question about the Motherboard, would the WiFi be good enough rather than having a network card?

The motherboard (B550 Plus WIFI) has ethernet, wifi and bluetooth built in. You'd only need a(nother) network card if the motherboard didn't have these built in, or you needed faster/more ethernet ports for a NAS or something.

 

[SmithyTheHobbit]

The motherboard (B550 Plus WIFI) has ethernet, wifi and bluetooth built in. You'd only need a(nother) network card if the motherboard didn't have these built in, or you needed faster/more ethernet ports for a NAS or something.

That makes sense, just wondering if the Wifi built in to the motherboard would have the same speeds as a separate network card?

 

[Scott]

That makes sense, just wondering if the Wifi built in to the motherboard would have the same speeds as a separate network card?

Yes, the on-board Wifi nowadays is fantastic. Network port tends to be either 1GB or 2.5GB (depending on brand). No point in getting a NIC with any of the PCS on-board options.

 

[SmithyTheHobbit]

Yes, the on-board Wifi nowadays is fantastic. Network port tends to be either 1GB or 2.5GB (depending on brand). No point in getting a NIC with any of the PCS on-board options.

Good to know, cheers Scott!!

 

[sck451]

In all probability both the WiFi and the ethernet will be faster than your router can handle! That will be the limit, not the motherboard.

 

[TonyCarter]

That makes sense, just wondering if the Wifi built in to the motherboard would have the same speeds as a separate network card?

Wifi speeds will depend on both the receiving end and the transmission end - so if you're router/mesh only supports WiFi 5 then getting something with WiFi 6 or 6E won't necessarily deliver better speeds. Some of the extra speed will come from better transmission protocol software, and some of due to using more channels/frequencies in parallel.

Plus if your internet connection is 100mbps, then even older wifi versions would/could saturate that. For example, Virgin's 1Gig service tops out at 1130Mbps (in best case scenario), so even WiFi 5 speeds would be enough as you rarely get the full speed once a wall or door or microwave is in play.

Ethernet is similar, but less overhead. So a 1G ethernet connection would be fine, and a 2.5/5/10g port is for future-proofing or specific networking needs.

My Mac Studio (wifi 6) and HP Z-Book (wifi 6E) are connected wirelessly and both the same distance from the router (60cm). My download speeds on the Mac Studio are 980-1080Mbps and the Z-Book 580-700Mbps (due to corporate software overhead). Upload speed are both between 95-110mbps. Virgin are starting to offer 2Gig, but unless my neighbours want to share it, I don't see the point.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Wifi speeds will depend on both the receiving end and the transmission end - so if you're router/mesh only supports WiFi 5 then getting something with WiFi 6 or 6E won't necessarily deliver better speeds. Some of the extra speed will come from better transmission protocol software, and some of due to using more channels/frequencies in parallel.

Plus if your internet connection is 100mbps, then even older wifi versions would/could saturate that. For example, Virgin's 1Gig service tops out at 1130Mbps (in best case scenario), so even WiFi 5 speeds would be enough as you rarely get the full speed once a wall or door or microwave is in play.

Ethernet is similar, but less overhead. So a 1G ethernet connection would be fine, and a 2.5/5/10g port is for future-proofing or specific networking needs.

My Mac Studio (wifi 6) and HP Z-Book (wifi 6E) are connected wirelessly and both the same distance from the router (60cm). My download speeds on the Mac Studio are 980-1080Mbps and the Z-Book 580-700Mbps (due to corporate software overhead). Upload speed are both between 95-110mbps. Virgin are starting to offer 2Gig, but unless my neighbours want to share it, I don't see the point.

So for clarification, how far do you consider still to be neighbours? 100 miles? If so please accept my request to piggy back.

 

[SmithyTheHobbit]

Wifi speeds will depend on both the receiving end and the transmission end - so if you're router/mesh only supports WiFi 5 then getting something with WiFi 6 or 6E won't necessarily deliver better speeds. Some of the extra speed will come from better transmission protocol software, and some of due to using more channels/frequencies in parallel.

Plus if your internet connection is 100mbps, then even older wifi versions would/could saturate that. For example, Virgin's 1Gig service tops out at 1130Mbps (in best case scenario), so even WiFi 5 speeds would be enough as you rarely get the full speed once a wall or door or microwave is in play.

Ethernet is similar, but less overhead. So a 1G ethernet connection would be fine, and a 2.5/5/10g port is for future-proofing or specific networking needs.

My Mac Studio (wifi 6) and HP Z-Book (wifi 6E) are connected wirelessly and both the same distance from the router (60cm). My download speeds on the Mac Studio are 980-1080Mbps and the Z-Book 580-700Mbps (due to corporate software overhead). Upload speed are both between 95-110mbps. Virgin are starting to offer 2Gig, but unless my neighbours want to share it, I don't see the point.

Ohh that makes sense! Thank you

 

[SmithyTheHobbit]

Think we have decided on this for her! Any last thoughts as purchasing tomorrow

Case
CORSAIR 4000D RGB AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE - WHITE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 - HDMI, DP, LHR Considered the 4070 Super but have a new 1080p monitor and she doesn't plan on changing anytime soon
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW) She wanted a bigger drive drive just in case she needs it, rather than having the smaller but faster one
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W 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
PCS FrostFlow 360 Series ARGB High Performance Liquid Cooler Will this cooling be good enough? She wants the pretty lights
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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
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 Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,932.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/majmKJb26R/

 

[Scott]

The 4070 is typically overkill for the 1080p monitor. The 4060 Ti would be a better fit and save some coin.

The bigger drive isn't a good idea. That particular drive you don't want to be using for any type of storage. For ideal usage it should be windows and programs only, which will never get near 250GB, never mind 500+ (The drive should remain < half full for optimum speeds). The second drive you have listed is 2TB, if more space is wanted then I would look to either add a third drive, or increase the 2TB selection, rather than toying with the primary.

The cooling will be more than sufficient but just be aware that the lesser premium coolers will bring noise with them. The Corsair Hxxxi options all have magnetic levitation fans which are super silent. 3x120mm fans are going to make some noise while bringing the pretty. Typically the H100i would be the recommendation for this CPU.

You're missing out on the Silver warranty, well worth it for £5.

 

[SmithyTheHobbit]

The 4070 is typically overkill for the 1080p monitor. The 4060 Ti would be a better fit and save some coin.

The bigger drive isn't a good idea. That particular drive you don't want to be using for any type of storage. For ideal usage it should be windows and programs only, which will never get near 250GB, never mind 500+ (The drive should remain < half full for optimum speeds). The second drive you have listed is 2TB, if more space is wanted then I would look to either add a third drive, or increase the 2TB selection, rather than toying with the primary.

The cooling will be more than sufficient but just be aware that the lesser premium coolers will bring noise with them. The Corsair Hxxxi options all have magnetic levitation fans which are super silent. 3x120mm fans are going to make some noise while bringing the pretty. Typically the H100i would be the recommendation for this CPU.

You're missing out on the Silver warranty, well worth it for £5

Cheers Scott, will make those changes!