Overdue Upgrade!

[James1990]

Hello! Hope you're all having a great week!

I'm pretty overdue a setup upgrade. I purchased a setup from PC Specialist almost 5 years ago (specs below) and have just put together a new spec and wanted to see if anyone had any opinions on improvements etc... I have an additional 1tb SSD (and a 1tb HDD) in my current build that can be repurposed as well as the same PSU that's in the new build, and 3 Corsair LL120 fans too (hence the Corsair case).

Old Build: Case CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 750D FULL TOWER CASE Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-6600 (3.3GHz) 6MB Cache Motherboard ASUS® Z170-P: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs Memory (RAM) 16GB HyperX FURY DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB) Graphics Card 6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 980 Ti - DVI, HDMI, 3 DP 1st Storage Drive 250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW) 2nd Storage Drive 1TB WD BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm) DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM Power Supply CORSAIR 650W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Processor Cooling Super Quiet Titan DragonFly Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler LED Lighting 2x 60cm Blue LED Strip - Fan Controller NONE Extra Case Fans NONE 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

New Build: Case CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE Processor (CPU) AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT Eight Core CPU (4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) Motherboard ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready! Memory (RAM) 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 16GB) Graphics Card 8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready! 1st Storage Drive 500GB Samsung 860 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW) Power Supply CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead) Processor Cooling Corsair H100x Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD) Wireless/Wired Networking WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD USB/Thunderbolt Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS Price: £1,664.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[James1990]

Thanks for the response!

Here's a reconfigure link. The Cooler I originally selected is apparently out of stock at current but I quite like how that one looks.

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

In terms of maximum budget, I'd probably say around £1,700

I'd like to use it for gaming in general and streaming. My monitor resolution, 1920 x 1080

 

[mrlip]

2070 super is wayyyyy overpowered for 1080p unless you plan on upgrading the monitor soon? Storage looks a little low with only 1x 500GB drive?

 

[Gavras]

2070 super is wayyyyy overpowered for 1080p unless you plan on upgrading the monitor soon? Storage looks a little low with only 1x 500GB drive?

The OP has more storage if you read his actual post.

 

[mrlip]

The OP has more storage if you read his actual post.

Ah missed that, tired eyes

 

[James1990]

So, as pointed out above, the GPU is way over what you need for 1080p....if you play flight sims, then the 2060 would be a good call, otherwise the 1660S is fine. This is what I'd go for (the case is an upgrade but is still a Corsair, though i wouldn't change the fans in it unless you know the ones you have are better)...it allows you to cover your uses now while having the base ready for future upgrades (the power supply will allow a 4k GPU if needed):


Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 680X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/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)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,720.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/p62HfUw4U4/

Thanks for this! I'm not overly keen on the case. The current case I have is pretty big and it looks as though this one is even bigger.

The case on my original quote was one that had a full-length PSU cover and I just generally prefered how it looked in comparison to.

The fans I currently have are what comes as a standard in the case I originally quoted for, and the one you've placed in your quote so that would be a fairly straight-forward reuse. Sorry to be a pain!

Not sure if it's worth mentioning when it comes to GFX, but I currently use 2 monitors and may incorporate a third at some point. I also frequent in Adobe software (including Premiere). Not sure if it's better to have more sticks of ram or the same amount on fewer sticks either...

I wish I wasn't so dumb when it comes to these things... Thanks fo much for your help guys!

 

[AgentCooper]

The fans that comes as standard in the iCue 220T are the SP120 variant so wouldn't match up with your LL fans. They'd still work but they wouldn't necessarily sync up with the iCue software. What was your plan as regards fan placement?

 

[Gavras]

When cases are mentioned I am so pleased I went with the 500D SE.

not only does it do the coolio bit but it does the pretty bit as well.

Personally, if there is ever a case Decision look at the 500D SE.

 

[James1990]

That's why we are here...to answer questions that people don't know the answers to

If you want that case, it's your choice...I was thinking ahead to when you may put in a much more powerful GPU...the next gen GPUs have just released/nearly released and their heat output is very much an unknown so I was trying to go for a larger case. Not to say the 220T won't do the job, it might do, just something to bear in mind.

Fans: Again, your choice...if they are better fans, then go ahead.

If the Adobe software utilises the graphics card (not familiar with many Adobe products and currently too lazy to search!) then the 2060 would be worth leaving in.

RAM: 2 sticks is generally preferable...there is only one RAM controller in a computer and it is designed to work with a pair so, having say 4 sticks, doubles it's workload. Something like that anyway....basically, may or may not lead to slightly less efficiency.

I appreciate it! The case I currently have has a lot of space in it and generally, there isn't anything wrong with it besides how much space it takes up! Thanks for the headsup on the RAM knowledge!

The fans that comes as standard in the iCue 220T are the SP120 variant so wouldn't match up with your LL fans. They'd still work but they wouldn't necessarily sync up with the iCue software. What was your plan as regards fan placement?

Good spot! I hadn't really thought heavily about fan placement, it was more a case of, these are parts I could potentially use as well or instead of those provided. Does that make sense? In stead of scrapping. I know this case comes with a lighting node core to connect up to 6 fans. It looks as though

 

[AgentCooper]

Well, I actually have the iCue 220T as the case on my system so I can offer a few thoughts... It is dinky, and that's why I opted for it due to desk space limitations. So depending what's being crammed into it, airflow is definitely affected. To err on the side of heat based caution I went for a 750RMx PSU and the H100i RGB Platinum cooler. And I'm glad I did because the 2070 Super it came with was a full-sized Gainward Phoenix. The placement of the radiator leaves the card very snug up against it, but so far, temperatures have been absolutely fine and i don't currently feel the need to add a rear exhaust fan just yet.

I'll eventually be swapping out that GPU for a 3070 but depending on the size and heat stats, I'll quite possibly opting for a mini-version of the card.

TLDR; Just make sure you've got a quality cooler and modular PSU if you're set on this case