Planning my next gaming PC – Starting with the monitor

[Boomer]

I am planning my next gaming PC, and am starting with the monitor, as this is the main piece of kit that I will be interacting with. Total budget is £3,000 of which, I am expecting to pay up to £600 for the monitor.

This is going to be primarily for gaming, and a little photo editing (but no video editing).

Monitor spec:
- 24 or 27 inch.
- 2560x1440
- 4ms response time
- IPS (probably)

However, I am getting a lost on G-Sync vs FreeSync (and their derivatives). G-Sync sounds like it should be better, being a hardware solution, but Freesync provides more choice of monitor … but then we get into Gysnc Ultimate and FreeSync Bells and Whistles, etc and it all gets a bit confusing.

Any recommendations on whether Gsync is worth it (given monitor spec) and/or any monitor recommendations that would be great.

BTW: Probably going to be paring this with a 2070 Super (when back in stock) or a 5700XT.

 

[Gavras]

Good bit of advice here.

Monitor Recommendations (Work in progress)

Hi all Monitors are a very important subject with all PC's obviously, they're the final output of all that power you've configured in your PC / Laptop and it's important that the monitor pairs correctly with your build for optimum performance. There have been quite significant improvements...

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Gaming Monitors Guide

The monitor is probably the most important component in any gaming build – it defines how you experience games and the hardware the PC should have. Overlooking the monitor can be the single biggest bottleneck to your gaming experience. With recent monitor and graphics card launches, and wider...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

both Nvidia and AMD have released / are releasing new cards, they would be better option.

if 24” stick to 1080p.

personally 27” - 32” for 1440p but depends on desk space.

personally, I would drop PC budget by say £500 and put it on to a good monitor.

also check if you want IPS or VA

the link below has decent reviews and articles.

DisplayNinja | Monitor Reviews, Recommendations & Guides

Want to buy the best monitor, the best TV, or perhaps even something else related to these or technology in general? That's what DisplayNinja is here for!

www.displayninja.com

if you put your PC config up, someone will look at.

 

[Scott]

With that sort of budget I would aim for UWQHD. There's a cracking offerig from Iiyama for around £350.

iiyama G-MASTER GB3461WQSU-B1 computer monitor 86.4 cm (34") 3440 x 1440 pixels UWQHD LED Black G-MASTER GB3461WQSU-B1, 86.4 cm (34"), 3440 x 1440 pixels, UWQHD, LED, 1 ms, Black: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Buy

www.amazon.co.uk

You would want to pair it with the 3070 GPU that's recently been released from Nvidia. The 2070 has been completely replaced now.

With £3000 as the budget you're right on the cusp of a fantastic 1440p setup, or an extreme 1440p system.

Extreme would be the following:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Odyssey-Curved-Gaming-Monitor/dp/B0866C4BM7/ref=asc_df_B0866C4BM7/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=463071242342&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6280649994162675584&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007363&hvtargid=pla-1138856192832&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

 

[Scott]

This is the PC you would want for extreme. It would take you a bit over budget though paired with the G9.

For the Ultrawide substitute the 3080 for the 3070. In both instances, swap out the CPU for the 5800X on the 5th of November (once it's released)

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS 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 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i 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
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Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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United Kingdom - English Language
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FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
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3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
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Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,138.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/K7qP0dpuQU/

 

[Boomer]

Good bit of advice here.

Monitor Recommendations (Work in progress)

Hi all Monitors are a very important subject with all PC's obviously, they're the final output of all that power you've configured in your PC / Laptop and it's important that the monitor pairs correctly with your build for optimum performance. There have been quite significant improvements...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Gaming Monitors Guide

The monitor is probably the most important component in any gaming build – it defines how you experience games and the hardware the PC should have. Overlooking the monitor can be the single biggest bottleneck to your gaming experience. With recent monitor and graphics card launches, and wider...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

both Nvidia and AMD have released / are releasing new cards, they would be better option.

if 24” stick to 1080p.

personally 27” - 32” for 1440p but depends on desk space.

personally, I would drop PC budget by say £500 and put it on to a good monitor.

also check if you want IPS or VA

the link below has decent reviews and articles.

DisplayNinja | Monitor Reviews, Recommendations & Guides

Want to buy the best monitor, the best TV, or perhaps even something else related to these or technology in general? That's what DisplayNinja is here for!

www.displayninja.com

if you put your PC config up, someone will look at.

Thanks, Gavras! Some great links. I will continue my research.
Just to clarify though ... you are suggesting £2000 on the PC and £1000 on the monitor. I had not considered that ratio, so thank you. That must put us into 4K display territory and 3000 series / Big Navi graphics. I hadn't considered that for a 27 inch monitor. I will remeasure to see what a 32 inch monitor would look like ... may need to reconfigure the desk/office/house.

 

[Boomer]

This is the PC you would want for extreme. It would take you a bit over budget though paired with the G9.

For the Ultrawide substitute the 3080 for the 3070. In both instances, swap out the CPU for the 5800X on the 5th of November (once it's released)

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS 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 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i 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)
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NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,138.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/K7qP0dpuQU/

Thanks Scott. My current monitor is Iiyama and I have been very happy with it. I had originally considered a 3070, had only removed as it seemed over-specced. Will put it back on the list.

I think a 49inch monitor (2x what I use at the moment) might be too extreme, but maybe (given my understanding of Gavras’ post) there is a 4k option there too.

 

[Scott]

The 49" G9 replaces 2 1440p monitors, basically. You can use it as split screen (proper) and even have it as dual input if that's what you wanted to do.

4k would definitely be another view to consider though (with the 3080 of course).

 

[Boomer]

Ah. Crossed-wire I think. There is only space for one 24/27 inch monitor. Not two.
But thanks. Have spent the afternoon reading DisplayNinja and looking at 1440p and 4k displays. The 4ks are both mouth-wateringly beautiful and eye-wateringly expensive.

 

[Scott]

Indeed. Unfortunately there is no middle ground with 4k in mind. I would never buy a 4k monitor now without it being 144hz...... but they are SO expensive. I would have a 1440p 144hz monitor before I went for a 4k 60hz monitor. That's just personal preference though.

 

[Boomer]

Hi

This is for a gaming PC that will also be used for photoshop (just still photo editing, no video editing).
Monitor is 27 inch, 1440p, 144Hz, 1ms, ISP. Have gone for ISP for better colours for photo editing.

A few questions:

• * CPU: 3800X vs XT. Is the extra “T” worth it? Appears to be an extra 0.2GHz
• * Memory: I see that 3600MHz memory is back in the drop down. Reading the Desktop Reading Guide, this is recommended, but just wanted to check what the difference will be to the 3200MHz which (until recently) was the only thing available.
• * Cooling: Am I overdoing it. Choose the Strix 570-F for the extra cooling (over the 570-F). The H115i seems to be the premium cooler available, although I won't use the RGB.
• * Shhhh: Quiet PC vs Jet Engine? I currently have a Fractal Define 5, Cosair 550W Ultra-Quiet and a AIO cooler attached to a Core i5. Also in the box is a GTX 930. I am delighted with how quiet it is. Other than boot-up, you cannot tell it is running. How will this spec compare?

Cost is currently £2,255. Budget is £2,500. Anything spare will be used to upgrade the storage. With photographers in the family, you can never have enough storage.

BTW: Not in a hurry, so can wait for the 3070 to be available.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT Eight Core CPU (4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i PRO Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Asus Xonar SE 5.1-Channel Gaming Audio Card
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
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Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
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[AgentCooper]

The Fractal Define 7 is an excellent quiet case with good airflow, it’s definitely the premium choice.

The XT is better than the X, but given that the 5800X has just been released, I’d go for that one. And you wouldn’t necessarily need the ROG Strix motherboard with the eight core chips.

As I’ve recently been educated, due to CAS latency you wouldn’t actually get any real benefit from 3600MHz speed RAM. I’d have thought for photo editing 32GB of the 3200MHz would be a good move.

Storage needs can vary from person to person, I put a couple of tweaks in for a faster, smaller primary drive in and changing to put a HDD for photo storage, I don’t think they’d benefit at all from being on an SSD. The curveball is if your editing is heavy enough that you’d benefit from a scratch drive. That might require one of the superbrains to get involved as it’s not really my area.

You’re better off having the 750w RMx PSU for headroom and it’s also a bit quieter, fan only kicks in when it’s under load.

The H115i RGB Platinum is well worth it because it has magnetic levitation fans, they’re soooo quiet.

Sound card is also unnecessary as the on board audio is fab 👍


Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-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 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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
Firefox™
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 13 to 15 working days
Price: £2,417.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/D4GtZAb03s/

 

[Boomer]

That is brilliant. Thank you very much. I will digest over the weekend, and then join the queue for the 3070.

 

[Scott]

Now, the following will sound counter intuitive but it's worth considering.....

Finally AMD have jumped ahead of Intel in the Photoshop charts. It's been a long time coming to be honest and I think it's more of the way Adobe used the chip rather than vice versa. With this in mind it leaves you in a bit of a strange position.

Believe it or not, for your uses, the 5600X may well cover all your bases. There's nothing in it between the 5600X for gaming OR Photoshop.

Now, with that being said.... contrary to the advice given in the reviews, I would stick with the 5800X OR spend the extra for the 5900X. I understand the value of the 5800X doesn't really make sense when both of those chips are side by side, but what you do get is a pair of "just in case" cores.

I genuinely believe we will see gaming shift over the coming years due to the changes in core count on the consoles. They often drive the design of games, hence why we get poor running ports on the PC from time to time. With the architecture and core count being the same I genuinely do think there will be an advantage.

Now, will that advantage run past 8 cores and will the 12 core 5900X become more relevant? Who knows.

TLDR;

Right now you can choose the 5600X, the 5800X or the 5900X and notice absolutely ZERO difference in your usage. Tomorrow games may make better use of the cores (Photoshop won't) so consider the premium you are willing to pay to cover "just in case".

If video editing is your thing, and the budget is there, the 5900X is a no brainer. The compromise is the 5800X, quite a bit cheaper (I think reviewers were harsh here to be honest).