Please review this gaming build - newbie

[KenVo]

Hello All,

I’m looking to buy a gaming PC for my younger brother’s 16th birthday. I’ve never looked into building my own, as playing on a pre-built laptop was good enough for my games (The Sims, CoD, Mass Effect trilogy) and I play on the Nintendo Switch more often now anyway.

I’m hoping this build will last around 3-5 years without needing to replace parts.

Thank you in advance for any help!

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE S NANO GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G Quad Core CPU with Vega Graphics (3.7GHz-4.2GHz/6MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME A320I-K (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 570 - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st Storage Drive
500GB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW)
2nd Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS-N (300Mbps) 3dBi HIGH GAIN USB ADAPTER
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
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™
Monitor
Samsung LS24D330HSX/EN 24" LED monitor
Monitor Cables
1 x 2 METRE GOLD PLATED V1.4 HDMI CABLE
Speakers
LOGITECH Z200 2.0 SPEAKERS - 10W
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 15 to 18 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo

 

[TomBerry]

Just some quick pointers on some of the specs here, I'll let other people comment on the rest as I'm not smart on it all

1) I would personally upgrade the RAM from 2400MHz to something higher, this is a slow RAM speed for what it is, the upgrade won't be much.
2) I would also boost the PSU to 550W, it would help if an upgrade is needed in future. I would recommend the 650W but it's out of stock
3) Upgrade that warranty!! At least to Silver warranty, this is only an extra £5.00 and you get 11 extra months added on!
4) If possible, upgrade the cooler from just a Standard cooler. Not entirely sure this one is important though, I'll let someone else pick this up

 

[Scott]

Echo the comments above. I have an incling that a Laptop would probably be a better fit as I don't think there's going to be much in the way of upgrade options at this budget level. A non-eco build would be comparable to a laptop build, but with the laptop it's an all in one and can be paired with a monitor/keyboard/mouse for docking etc.

Basically anything under £900 you probably want to look at a laptop.

The trouble is, when considering budget, Windows is £100, a decent case is £50, storage to put games on is going to be at the very least £50, a monitor is going to be £100 and a PSU to power it is probably around £50. You can see from that that a whole 1/3 of the budget is wiped out before even having a processor, motherboard, RAM or GPU to game on. Never mind a keyboard and mouse.

Back when I first started with PCs (late 90s) a good rig was around £1k but a decent system could be built for around £500. Inflation has effectively doubled this requirement. Of course you can spend less, but anyone who knows anything about such systems will never recommend them as they just end up in the bin a couple of years down the line.

A good PC system should last around 10 years with the "triggers brush" ethos. A well selected case and PSU can go on indefinitely.

 

[KenVo]

@TomBerry, @Nursemorph, and @Scott Thanks for your quick replies, I really appreciate the help!

I’m happy to bring the total cost of everything (monitors and speakers included) up to £1500.00 including VAT. Right now it stands at £992.00 He already has a gaming mouse and keyboard, so I’ll leave that out.

He’s going to be using it for gaming, programming, and browsing the Internet.

Preferably spending this much means I’m going for longevity and avoiding upgrades for as long as possible.

Space isn’t a constraint, the small form factor just seemed like an attractive option.

 

[Scott]

Above is a fine build and very much along the lines of what I would suggest. The only limitation is the motherboard, as it restricts the future potential of the build. Above is very valid but if it were me, I would sacrifice the GPU aspect for the motherboard. The monitor is 144hz so I would actually keep that in as it's a GREAT buy, but the GPU I've selected will only be good for around 75+FPS.

My thinking is that everything in the system can be upgraded VERY easily on this rig, including the CPU in a year or 2 if the situation changes. As per my original comment, this is an eco system build where everything is modular and setup for the future. I've also increased the PSU as it's nice to have the option to bump up the GPU down the line if you wish.

I've also switched the case out to the 275R. There is no real reason for this, it's just to give you a different option in the looks department. The Focus G is as good a case as you will ever see under £100 so it's a great option.

£15 over budget with these changes but a VERY worthwhile system IMO.

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
STANDARD AMD 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
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™
Monitor
IIYAMA G-MASTER GB2760QSU-B1 27"
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 15 to 18 working days
Price: £1,515.00 including VAT and Delivery

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