Pc For My Girlfriend

[Ross]

Hi,

My girlfriend is looking to buy a PC soon and she asked me to design her one on here because she likes mine so much.

She is planning to use it just to play The Sims 4 with some mods and custom content, as well as for general Internet use and Microsoft Office programs for college.

She hasn't decided an exact budget yet but she asked me to configure the cheapest thing i could that would guarantee a smooth experience on the sims at ultra or high settings with mods installed. She doesn't need much storage as she doesn't think she'll play other games, just some space for the OS, sims, some video files which she will mostly export to her phone so she doesn't have to keep permanently and some stuff like word docs and PowerPoints etc.

Any help would be appreciated i mostly just want to make sure I'm not including anything unnecessary or something that isn't good enough.

She is going to buy the monitor, keyboard etc separately.

(White and pink case is non-negotiable lol)

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE (WHITE/PINK)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i3 Quad Core Processor i3-12100F (3.30GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME H610M-A D4: Micro-ATX, DDR4, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
4GB PCS PRO DDR4 2666MHz (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 730 - DVI, HDMI, VGA
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3300 MB/R, 2200 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 120 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
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
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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 9 to 11 working days
Price: £579.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Ross]

Just realised I didn't paste the reconfigure link.

Here it is: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/0psscRMRcb/

 

[Scott]

Even with just the Sims in mind I couldn't recommend a build of that level.

The Sims with mods will want a lot more RAM than that I imagine. My starting point would be 16GB, but bare minimum 8GB. It's not heavy on the CPU, so you can get away with lower end, but to play it on Ultra I would want something stronger than the GT730.

I understand that budget isn't really being considered. But before going much further I must warn that the system I would recommend would be closer to £1k. I would expect around £900.

 

[Ross]

Okay thats good to know, this design was just based off of a website I found that calculates average FPS for games but if you don't think this would work I would love to see what you recommend!

I also checked the cooling on my PC which has made me think I've went overboard on this one.

 

[Scott]

Managed to get you on the board for just north of £800. That's better than I thought. There are a couple of compromises to what i would typically go with, but every compromise can be upgraded/added so there's no real shortcomings here. The main thing I missed that I would recommend would be a generic storage drive for the office files. It's recommended to keep file storage off of the primary drive. Having a game or 2 on there is fine though.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE B550 GAMING X V2 : DDR4, USB 3.2 - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR, 1625MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT 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 [KK3-00027]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
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 9 to 11 working days
Price: £807.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/9P2njS72gg/

 

[Ross]

Managed to get you on the board for just north of £800. That's better than I thought. There are a couple of compromises to what i would typically go with, but every compromise can be upgraded/added so there's no real shortcomings here. The main thing I missed that I would recommend would be a generic storage drive for the office files. It's recommended to keep file storage off of the primary drive. Having a game or 2 on there is fine though.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE B550 GAMING X V2 : DDR4, USB 3.2 - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR, 1625MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT 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 [KK3-00027]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
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 9 to 11 working days
Price: £807.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/9P2njS72gg/

Thanks for the help, one question I have is about the power supply. Do you think going that high is absolutely necessary? The design page says it only needs 244w although I understand the high wattage gives a lot more room for upgrading later.

Just thinking she is unlikely to ever really need much more than this amount of graphical power unless The Sims 5 is very demanding hahaha and downgrading to even 550 saves quite a bit of the cost.

 

[Scott]

Thanks for the help, one question I have is about the power supply. Do you think going that high is absolutely necessary? The design page says it only needs 244w although I understand the high wattage gives a lot more room for upgrading later.

Just thinking she is unlikely to ever really need much more than this amount of graphical power unless The Sims 5 is very demanding hahaha and downgrading to even 550 saves quite a bit of the cost.

If you are absolutely certain that no more power will be needed then the 550w TXm should do fine. The main difference with the one that I selected is that it's a gold standard PSU. That comes with a better warranty, fully modular cabling (you only have in what you need).

There's basically loads of benefits, but none that are crucial and you pay for them. I would be very cautious with considering less than 550w. You're into some properly cheap PSUs going any lower so I wouldn't advise this.

BTW, I've had the same RM750w PSU for over 10 years and in 3 systems. You definitely get what you pay for

 

[Ross]

If you are absolutely certain that no more power will be needed then the 550w TXm should do fine. The main difference with the one that I selected is that it's a gold standard PSU. That comes with a better warranty, fully modular cabling (you only have in what you need).

There's basically loads of benefits, but none that are crucial and you pay for them. I would be very cautious with considering less than 550w. You're into some properly cheap PSUs going any lower so I wouldn't advise this.

BTW, I've had the same RM750w PSU for over 10 years and in 3 systems. You definitely get what you pay for

Okay thanks for the advice its been very helpful!

I'm pretty sure I have the 750w one in my PC I bought in July and its been great although I think the less expensive option for my girlfriend is probably more suitable as I think the sims games are designed with lower end hardware in mind so I don't see the next one being a big increase.

Thanks again!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Okay thanks for the advice its been very helpful!

I'm pretty sure I have the 750w one in my PC I bought in July and its been great although I think the less expensive option for my girlfriend is probably more suitable as I think the sims games are designed with lower end hardware in mind so I don't see the next one being a big increase.

Thanks again!

Just bear in mind that the 3000 - 4000 series increased in power by almost 50% at the same tier.

 

[Scott]

The 750w RMe has just been added, which would be a compromise.

I genuinely wouldn't recommend saving the £30ish, hindsight is a wonderful thing and I think it'll pay you back in spades. What your GF does today isn't necessarily what she will want to do in 5 years.

Last thing you want to do is have to change the PSU.