New pc for son

[RobertWilliams539]

Looking for a new pc for my son, current machine well used, but now slow to boot and use. Uses: school apps (teams, office 365) and online game eg Marvel hero's. Budget about £1200, not looking for cutting edge just a decent machine (until he leaves home and it's his problem). Current machine : W10, i5 8400, 8gb ram (probably ddr4), 8gb 3050 gfx, 1tb ssd). Always used nvidia and Intel but happy to consider other options. I would welcome any suggestions to improve 'bang for bucks'

Thx

Bob

 

[Scott]

I would look to upgrade the current system rather than purchasing new. You're going to be on a lower tier of system overall if you go down this route.

If you really want to go down the new route I would recommend budgeting around £1500. £1200 is just too low for a modern system that can handle gaming, even at 1080p.

 

[RobertWilliams539]

Thanks for your thoughts. Current machine not upgradable to W11, so would need new mb, ram, cpu, graphics card, OS and ssd, so would only keep case and power supply (and both looking their age). I have built a few pcs over the years but nothing recently. Which components would benefit from the added funds?

 

[Scott]

If you have a look around the spec threads you will see what is typically recommended.

In and around the £1500 mark is where this thread goes down. You can see the starting point to where it ends up. The components are significantly more expensive than what they would have been when spec'ing the 8400. It's a different world now unfortunately. Decent gaming PCs that we would want people to have are ITRO £2k, this is aimed at 1440p gaming which is the modern sweet spot. When the budget increases into ultrawide/4k territory you're anywhere from £2.5k to £3k (and that's just being sensible). A Nirvana build is now £4k, where it used to be at least £1000 less.

Not long ago a decent 1080p build was £1000-£1100, now it's 50% more (in the last 2 years I would estimate).

First build, wisdom appreciated

Have resurrected my 12 y/o desktop when my laptop went pop, but as its plucky integrated graphics aren't up to much, looking to start new. Mostly aiming for 'a little bit fancy' without doing something foolish in the combination - feedback would be fab Monitor - MSI 27" PRO MP275 - 1920 x 1080...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[Scott]

This is what I would want for an Nvidia build personally. If there was any potential money available I would look for a 1000w PSU to cover any future upgrades. Rest of the build is good for 10 years, save for the GPU.

The 9800X3D would be a more powerful option but it's not worth the extra £110 IMO, again having to pull things back.

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)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL36 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 4060 Ti TWIN EDGE - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100x RGB ELITE 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
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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: £1,778.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/s68m9ngnsQ/


Attempting to pull inside budget with choices that I wouldn't personally choose (as I would get itchy on the CPU) gets you closer to £1500, but still a bit off.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL36 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 4060 Ti TWIN EDGE - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100x RGB ELITE 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
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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: £1,617.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/N0Jteyt8xe/

 

[Scott]

Opting for an AMD option on the GPU gets you inside the £1500 mark. Not quite as powerful but fine for 1080p. Has the all important VRam in place.

Note that no option gets down anywhere near £1200. There's just no way I would purchase such a system as it would be like triggers brush in no time.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL36 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7600 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100x RGB ELITE 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
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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: £1,482.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/CeFskCbvqE/

 

[RobertWilliams539]

Many thanks for the advice

 

[RobertWilliams539]

Any reason for 2 SSD's (other the obvious more storage space) one for W11, one for games/programs? Is 32gb of ram more or less standard now? Is there much to be gained by the improved cooler over standard?

 

[Scott]

Any reason for 2 SSD's (other the obvious more storage space) one for W11, one for games/programs? Is 32gb of ram more or less standard now? Is there much to be gained by the improved cooler over standard?

Few reasons, main one is seperation for good habits, security, performance, etc, etc. All covered here.

It's not quite 32GB yet but over 16GB is quite common place now. 32GB should cover the life of the system when considering gaming and typical usage. I wouldn't recommend 16GB, it's the bare minimum for a gaming system now but would need upgraded very soon.

Cooling is a vital component in the system. The 7700 CPU can get away with any decent air cooler but I wouldn't recommend any non-branded cooler, such as the PCS options. The lowest end cooler I would put on a system is the 240mm Corsair. There are better 240mm options that have more functionality, but for a base line the one selected is good enough. It would cover any CPU upgrade to the 9800X3D should you wish to upgrade in future. Means you just swap the chip out and replace the paste, job done. Upgrading the CPU without upgrading the cooler to match would have a detrimental effect.

 

[RobertWilliams539]

Many thanks again, you have been very helpful, and prevented 'regret spend'

 

[Scott]

No worries at all. That's the main thing we try to avoid all the time, better to realise now than down the line. The other thing that I tend to do, and I dare say others do as well, is give advice as if I was giving it to my own family. I don't want to see anyone overspending where they don't need to or saving where they really shouldn't.

 

[RobertWilliams539]

Cheers, much appreciated. I now realise it makes sense to push the budget up (go figure, after 5 years prices go up!!), I like the suggested case (not personally a fan of led lights when the pc is in a bedroom) and will probably go for a mash up of the 3 suggested specs. Thx

 

[RobertWilliams539]

Nice pc specs in the footer by the way (drool...)

 

[TonyCarter]

The only RGB will be on the motherboard and cooler (maybe a little light strip on the GPU), and in most cases it can be disabled.

The case was probably chosen because it’s the best of the budget cases.