New PCs - Living Room and Main

[steaky360]

Hello all. Asking for some advice as is customary!

Please don't hold back, I'm a bit of a fud so probably have gone overkill on all fronts but 'this is the way' I suppose... hence asking

Budget for the two PCs is somewhere in the region of £6.5K can stretch or obviously relax this as needed.

I'm looking for two PCs, one is my main PC is almost exclusively used for gaming and will drive an Oddysey G9.

I'm also looking to replace my living room PC which ... well is in the living room. Selected case fits where I need it to go but I can't get a larger case unfortunately. This machine's primary use is streaming, general internet shenanigans and also gaming, it will drive a 4K TV primarily (I know.. TV... yuk)

Primary rig - Odyssey G9 240Hz
Case
FRACTAL NORTH TG XL GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Promotional Item
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16 Core CPU (4.3GHz-5.7GHz/128MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair DOMINATOR TITANIUM DDR5 7200MHz CL34 (2 x 16GB) KIT
Graphics Card
16GB MSI GEFORCE RTX 5080 SHADOW 3X OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CRUCIAL T705 GEN 5 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 14,500MB/sR, 12,700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 990 PRO M.2, PCIe 4.0 NVMe (up to 7450MB/R, 6900MB/W)
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 ICUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB 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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
Packaging
PCS Corsair Carton Upright
Price: £3,337.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/j5huB4CAMn/

Living Room PC - 4K TV 120Hz
Case
CORSAIR 2500X MICRO ATX TEMPERED GLASS DUAL CHAMBER CASE
Promotional Item
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX B650E-I GAMING WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB PALIT GEFORCE RTX 5070 Ti GAMINGPRO - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
4TB SAMSUNG 990 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe 4.0 & 5.0 NVMe (up to 7250MB/R, 6300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR ICUE LINK TITAN 360 RX LCD RGB 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 Network Card
ONBOARD Wi-Fi 6E
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 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 Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price: £2797.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-sff-gaming/HtQ3eTkgma/

Happy to be called a fool if needs be. I know it can be cathartic. Its ok I'll take it well. But if you do, please let me know what needs improving

Any feedback would be most welcome. Thank you all in advance.

 

[Scott]

First of all... WOW that's a budget

Second.... is there a reason you don't stream to the TV? I only have the one PC and it's barely hooked up to a TV (it's a faff to view it) but I game anywhere in my house via Moonlight on anything android (Firestick & Nvidia Shields are my main hardware of choice).

Can easily stream 4k with a good Mesh network anywhere in the house. In actual fact, if the Wifi is decent I can actually game aboard using remove streaming..... but there's a bit more of a lag there for any action gaming. No issues with relative story games though.

Just in case that was something that would cover all he bases

 

[Scott]

Oh.... I did my bathroom a while back and always wanted a TV. Got one when doing the refurb and I can actually game in the bath from it, even PS5 via PS Remote Play (I use PXPlus so that I don't need a PS controller).

 

[SpyderTracks]

Oh.... I did my bathroom a while back and always wanted a TV. Got one when doing the refurb and I can actually game in the bath from it, even PS5 via PS Remote Play (I use PXPlus so that I don't need a PS controller).

THIS IS THE DREAM!!!

 

[steaky360]

First of all... WOW that's a budget

Second.... is there a reason you don't stream to the TV? I only have the one PC and it's barely hooked up to a TV (it's a faff to view it) but I game anywhere in my house via Moonlight on anything android (Firestick & Nvidia Shields are my main hardware of choice).

Can easily stream 4k with a good Mesh network anywhere in the house. In actual fact, if the Wifi is decent I can actually game aboard using remove streaming..... but there's a bit more of a lag there for any action gaming. No issues with relative story games though.

Just in case that was something that would cover all he bases

Tried streaming to the TV with my mesh setup and the minor input lag is too much for Mrs360 for anything other than the most casual of games... and we... (well maybe more I) really enjoy gaming with her so... well... here we go.

We played Split Fiction via streaming recently and whilst it did work... Mrs360 was getting mighty frustrated... potentially she's not a gamer but I just wont accept that dang it!

I should also mention (apologies for not saying so in OP), regardless of the outcome of the streaming chat I will need to replace it as my old living room pc is not win11 compatible. Appreciate it could end up being substantially lower cost.

 

[Scott]

Couple of little tweaks below. Do you have a need for the 9950X3D? To be honest it's chucking a deckchair off the titanic dropping it with the budget but I think it's possibly a bit of a waste. I'm thinking about getting it to upgrade from my 7800X3D but I have absolutely zero justifiable reason so I can totally understand if it's just because.

The other changes are a bit more important though. The 30CL RAM is actually better than the fancy stuff (unless you're happy to tweak it yourself and you may get more out of it).
The Samsung drives aren't the best, Far better with a corsair. I would bump it up to 2TB as well as the games are ridiculous now and only getting bigger. Corsair lifespan is out of this world.

1000W PSU as standard. Doesn't make sense to go lower for the minimal saving. The 1000w offering is a belter.

Case
FRACTAL NORTH TG XL GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB MSI GEFORCE RTX 5080 SHADOW 3X OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CRUCIAL T705 GEN 5 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 14,500MB/sR, 12,700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W 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 ICUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB 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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price: £3,118.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/jt9qGR47cb/

 

[Scott]

Tried streaming to the TV with my mesh setup and the minor input lag is too much for Mrs360 for anything other than the most casual of games... and we... (well maybe more I) really enjoy gaming with her so... well... here we go.

We played Split Fiction via streaming recently and whilst it did work... Mrs360 was getting mighty frustrated... potentially she's not a gamer but I just wont accept that dang it!

I should also mention (apologies for not saying so in OP), regardless of the outcome of the streaming chat I will need to replace it as my old living room pc is not win11 compatible. Appreciate it could end up being substantially lower cost.

I've had varying results with streaming over the years, with regards to input lag, it's definitely there for anything where timing is key. I notice it, so anyone that is enthusiastic with gaming is going to notice it for sure. With most games I get used to it and tune myself in, but anything like FPS you're going to struggle so I totally get it.

 

[Scott]

As far as SFF goes, this is probably as good as it gets to be honest. The case is known to be decent and you can fit a proper cooler on there for the CPU (and exhaust) so I think it's a decent choice.

I would look to see if the 9070XT from AMD can fit though, rather than the 5070Ti. It's better value I think. You would need to purchase elsewhere and fit on your own though. But a call to PCS wouldn't hurt. It's likely down to the size of the GPU that most of the cases can take.

Case
CORSAIR 2500X MICRO ATX TEMPERED GLASS DUAL CHAMBER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX B650E-I GAMING WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB PALIT GEFORCE RTX 5070 Ti GAMINGPRO - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W 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 ICUE LINK TITAN 360 RX LCD RGB 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 Network Card
ONBOARD Wi-Fi 6E
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 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 Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price: £2,761.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-sff-gaming/szXF96Mk9H/

 

[steaky360]

Appreciate the steer(s) and advice! I'd expect the limit in the case is mostly down to length rather than any other space per say but aye can give PCS a shout to see how we get on!

 

[SpyderTracks]

The under 300mm RX 9070 XT's are, I say 300mm as that tends to be a limitation in smaller cases:

9070 XT Asrock Steel Legend either Dark or White: 298 mm (these may have totally sold out, I saw one place stating they were end of life, so perhaps it was just a very small initial batch)

9070 XT Gigabyte Gaming OC: 288 mm

 

[Scott]

Nothing I'm seeing is telling me the 9070XT is too big, they vary in length. I'm wondering with the case though, there's maybe something I'm missing with the cooler layout or something. I can't imagine the cooler being anywhere but the roof though.

You know how these things can go when trying to make a one size fits all configurator though. I think as long as you got the appropriate model of 9070XT it would be fine. PCS would have the stock to make a decent choice I imagine.

The maximum GPU clearance on the 2500X Micro is listed as 425mm. Seems excessive but even if that was overshooting by 4" it's still going to fit a standard length GPU without any fuss. Definitely worth a call I think.

Don't just immediately jump on the 9070XT recommendation though. The 5070Ti is a brilliant card, I just think the 9070XT gives a lot more for your money. They trade blows in performance but the vRAM etc is just out of this world. The 5070Ti is the minimum from Nvidia now that I would entertain. Everything else is just short changing the customers by ensuring they need to replace far too soon due to vRAM constraints.

 

[Scott]

This shows a 4090 in the image as far as I can see. I believe those were over 300mm. Looks like plenty of space as well.

I'll say, this case looks very special. Full size GPU support, full size cooler support. 2x120mm side draw availability. 3x120 bottom draw availability and obviously the roof ventilation for the cooler.

It's a cracking piece of kit from Corsair. It's not quite the SFF of old with regards to dimensions but for the happy medium it's absolutely bob on.

2500X Micro ATX Dual Chamber PC Case - Black/Obsidian Aluminum

This CORSAIR 2500X Micro ATX Dual Chamber PC Case comes pre-fitted with Elite case panels to start your build in style, complete with fully mesh paneling for exceptional airflow and a dual chamber design for an organized, stunning build.

www.corsair.com

 

[steaky360]

Superb thanks for the adice / recommendations!

 

[SpyderTracks]

This shows a 4090 in the image as far as I can see. I believe those were over 300mm. Looks like plenty of space as well.

I'll say, this case looks very special. Full size GPU support, full size cooler support. 2x120mm side draw availability. 3x120 bottom draw availability and obviously the roof ventilation for the cooler.

It's a cracking piece of kit from Corsair. It's not quite the SFF of old with regards to dimensions but for the happy medium it's absolutely bob on.

2500X Micro ATX Dual Chamber PC Case - Black/Obsidian Aluminum

This CORSAIR 2500X Micro ATX Dual Chamber PC Case comes pre-fitted with Elite case panels to start your build in style, complete with fully mesh paneling for exceptional airflow and a dual chamber design for an organized, stunning build.

www.corsair.com

Corsair really have hit a peak with this range of cases, quite remarkable.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Woah, timing strange

Likely not needed anyway, but thought I'd post it, I put in an alert for these on release day and forgot to cancel it, just had this come through literally right after this thread!