Please check this build for a Noob

T

ThunderMonkey

New member
I'm about 80% certain about what I'm doing so please correct me if I'm mistaken about anything.

Monitor - Samsung C24RG50FQR 24" @ 144 Hz (I have not bought it yet. Happy to change if I hear a better suggestion.)
Uses - Gaming and processing data.
Budget - Between £2,000 and £2,500

Notes:
- I want it to be as fast, efficient and quiet as possible. Long-term system. 5+ years. So I'd like to get it right.

- It doesn't have to be Small Form Factor, but I don't see a downside if everything fits.

- I understand that the 550W PSU is overkill. But there wasn't a 80 PLUS® GOLD PSU with 450W available to choose. I don't think that this will be a problem.

- I'm not married to the case. E.g. If the 280X RGB GAMING CASE fans are louder than an alternative then I'm happy to change.

Questions:
- Is it ok to only have an M.2 SSD Drive? I don't think that another drive is required. And M.2 SSD is the fastest storage option afaik.

Thank you for your help!

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 280X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16 Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.9GHz/72MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-I GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, Wi-Fi) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting
2x 50cm ARGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN PORT + Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi excluded on A320I-K)
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 [KUK-00003]
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
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 16 to 18 working days
Price: £2,292.00 including VAT and Delivery
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I don't think you're using your budget very efficiently here. If it really is £2500, I'd suggest getting a new monitor as well, a 1440p 144+Hz one, for around £300 or so. The ASUS Tuf VG27AQ1A for £299 from Currys would be a good bet.

And then I wouldn't recommend a small form-factor build, especially when we're looking at high-end components like a Ryzen 9 and a 3000-series graphics card. You can go for a smallish case like the Corsair 220T instead. This means you're not compromising on CPU cooling, on motherboard cooling (ITX models are much worse than ATX models for this), on airflow for your graphics card, and ultimately on noise (less airflow means higher fan speeds to try to compensate). Going for a standard tower will give you much more performance. (If you don't mind something a little bigger, you could go for the 4000D or in an ideal world the 5000X -- it's quite big -- and then have a bigger cooler for the CPU, but you probably don't need it.)

Are you sure you need the 5950X? Unless you're sure, I'd go for the 5900X instead: 12 cores is still a lot, and it's better for gaming. Ditto the 64GB of 3000MHz RAM: I'd suggest 32GB with two sticks, so you have the capacity to upgrade in the future, and 3200MHz speeds. (Another advantage of an ATX build: four memory slots rather than ITX's two.)

Then I'd go far more overkill on power, giving you quietness, efficiency and an upgrade path for the future.

And yes, just M.2 storage is just fine, but I'd recommend a two-disk approach: one for OS and programs, and one for games.

This will be a much stronger build and ideal for that 1440p monitor I linked above.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
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 H100i RGB PRO XT 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
Wireless Network Card
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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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 (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 16 to 18 working days
Price: £2,125.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/VzmMXxU6Yp/
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
sck451 said:
I don't think you're using your budget very efficiently here. If it really is £2500, I'd suggest getting a new monitor as well, a 1440p 144+Hz one, for around £300 or so. The ASUS Tuf VG27AQ1A for £299 from Currys would be a good bet.

And then I wouldn't recommend a small form-factor build, especially when we're looking at high-end components like a Ryzen 9 and a 3000-series graphics card. You can go for a smallish case like the Corsair 220T instead. This means you're not compromising on CPU cooling, on motherboard cooling (ITX models are much worse than ATX models for this), on airflow for your graphics card, and ultimately on noise (less airflow means higher fan speeds to try to compensate). Going for a standard tower will give you much more performance. (If you don't mind something a little bigger, you could go for the 4000D or in an ideal world the 5000X -- it's quite big -- and then have a bigger cooler for the CPU, but you probably don't need it.)

Are you sure you need the 5950X? Unless you're sure, I'd go for the 5900X instead: 12 cores is still a lot, and it's better for gaming. Ditto the 64GB of 3000MHz RAM: I'd suggest 32GB with two sticks, so you have the capacity to upgrade in the future, and 3200MHz speeds. (Another advantage of an ATX build: four memory slots rather than ITX's two.)

Then I'd go far more overkill on power, giving you quietness, efficiency and an upgrade path for the future.

And yes, just M.2 storage is just fine, but I'd recommend a two-disk approach: one for OS and programs, and one for games.

This will be a much stronger build and ideal for that 1440p monitor I linked above.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
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 H100i RGB PRO XT 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
Wireless Network Card
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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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 (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 16 to 18 working days
Price: £2,125.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/VzmMXxU6Yp/
Click to expand...
Second everything here, all great advice and it will get you much more for your cash
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Ok at that budget we should be looking at 1440p rather than 1080p, so scrap that monitor and get a something like the G5 in my signature to go with this

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB 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
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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
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 [KUK-00003]
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
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 16 to 18 working days
Price: £1,965.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/QVxq3K52w5/
 
T

ThunderMonkey

New member
Thanks for all the great advice. I've decided to go with the spec recommended by sck451 above.

I was thinking about adding LED strips and I have a few questions about them:
1. Are they a good idea to make the build look nicer?
2. Will the LED strips be installed by the builder or do I have to install them myself?
3. Can I configure them using software?
4. Can I switch them off entirely?

2X 50CM ARGB LED STRIP​

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/VzmMXxU6Yp/
 
3qtrsamericano

3qtrsamericano

Bright Spark
ThunderMonkey said:
Thanks for all the great advice. I've decided to go with the spec recommended by sck451 above.

I was thinking about adding LED strips and I have a few questions about them:
1. Are they a good idea to make the build look nicer? That's personal preference. You have quite a bit of RGB already in the case between the fans, AIO, etc.
2. Will the LED strips be installed by the builder or do I have to install them myself? Installed by PCS
3. Can I configure them using software? I'm going to take a guess and say yes; not sure if iCue can be used to control them. Maybe Armoury Crate?
4. Can I switch them off entirely? Assuming so

2X 50CM ARGB LED STRIP​

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/VzmMXxU6Yp/
Click to expand...
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
iCue can't control ARGB strips plugged into the motherboard, but Armoury Crate can. I'm not sure exactly what kind PCS installs, but I'd imagine this would indeed be the case for you.

And do let us know this turns out – it would be great to see pictures when it comes.
 
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