Spec Check (£2k AMD 1440p Build)

[MadeByParker]

Hello,

I've had my current PC since early 2019 when I finally decided to spend the big money on a PC over a console. In that time, it has served me very well - I've pushed it close to it's limits whether that was gaming, video editing or programming a wide variety of projects at different scales in size and complexity. So I thought it is about time to upgrade and put it out of its misery haha.

Here's the specifications of my current PC:

CPU and Cooler:
• CPU: Intel i7-8700k
• CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S Air Cooler

Motherboard and RAM:
• Motherboard: Asus Prime Z370-P II
• RAM: 16 GB (2x8) Corsair Vengeance LPX @ 2400MHz (Overclocked to 2666MHz)

Graphics Card:
• Model: NVIDIA RTX 2070 | Zotac Gaming Mini - Standard 2070 selection from PCS

Storage:
• SSD: 500GB Samsung 860 EVO Series
• HDD: 2TB Seagate Barracuda @ 7200RPM

Case and PSU:
• PSU: Corsair CV 650W
• Case: Fractal Design Meshify C | TG Side Panel Version

Peripherals:
• Monitors: 3 x Asus VG27W 27'' Curved 1440p @ 165Hz

Miscellaneous:
• 3 Extra Standard Black Case Fans

Issues currently:
The issue with my PC currently is that the GPU + RAM are at high usage when running Triple A games (Call of Duty: Black Ops - Cold War to name one) with other applications like Spotify and Discord open simultaneously and the GPU hits 100% fan speed when the temp hits 80 degrees, even at low-medium graphic settings. Also I have 2 of the 3 monitors capped at 60Hz to reduce the impact they have as I can imagine running 3 1440p monitors at 165Hz can put a lot of strain on a 2070.

Things that may be useful to know:
• All 3 monitors are currently connected via DisplayPort Connections
• The Samsung 860 EVO SSD may be used as a tertiary SSD in the new build
• Configured the build hopefully to be futureproof for at least 5 years.
• I did experiment with the configurations with Intel + NVIDIA parts but I found through other threads and research that AMD is right now the more 'value for performance' for my uses.

The new PC will be used for
• Gaming at 1440p (High Graphics Settings preferably)
- playing Triple A Titles such as Cyberpunk, GTA 5, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 / Cold War, Hogwarts Legacy, Starfield, Assassins Creed: Mirage, maybe GTA 6 if we get it 😒
- alongside more competitive games (Rocket League and FIFA)
• Graphic Design, Video Editing
- Tools: Photoshop, Premiere Pro
• Programming projects from simple websites to complex AI projects.

It will be much appreciated if anyone has any opinions and/or suggestions that they would like to share on the Spec List. My ideal budget is £2,000-£2,250 including VAT. My absolute maximum would be £2,450 to cater for a 7900 XT if it is worth the extra £250 for extra performance in 1440p (4k won't be in my plans anytime soon).

New PC specs:
Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, PCIe 5.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE LCD Display RGB CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/ZEWkQejnMs/

 

[TonyCarter]

I don't think there's a lot there to change, unless you're looking to trim the budget a little, although as you're moving a SATA SSD over from the old machine anyway, there's no reason to add another slow 870QVO SATA SSD for storage...when you could easily go to the P41+ for less.

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, PCIe 5.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE LCD Display RGB CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £2,129.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/!q5m7JzqCD/

 

[sck451]

I think this is pretty good. I'd do some tweaking around the edges, though: here's how I'd approach your build.

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) No need for X670E unless you have exotic storage needs
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW) No need for a 1TB boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW) Games/storage drive - faster than the 860 SATA drive and actually cheaper
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE LCD Display RGB CPU Cooler Excessive! In your shoes I'd actually move that Noctua cooler over to this PC - you will have to get new mounting hardware from Noctua, which is normally free, and it should save you a whole lot of money...
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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] Are you retiring the old PC? Could you transfer Windows over?
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
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £1,997.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/n40tC5axHN/

 

[MadeByParker]

Thank you both for your suggestions, most of those I can agree with.

Motherboard: I won't be installing a lot of storage devices in the future so the B650 fulfils my needs.
Storage: I understand the logic behind installing a "slower" M.2 SSD over a SATA SSD as I will be using one from the current build.

I went for the AIO as I've seen a lot of builds that have an AIO to accompany the 7800X3D.

My plan was going to see if any of my family or friends wanted a second hand PC for personal use or to get into the world of PC gaming, instead of spending more for a brand new one. If that's the case then, I'll need a new Windows license alongside with a new CPU Cooler. If not, I'll just do what sck has suggested and then retire the PC afterwards.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thank you both for your suggestions, most of those I can agree with.

Motherboard: I won't be installing a lot of storage devices in the future so the B650 fulfils my needs.
Storage: The 1TB M.2 Boot Drive alongside the 2TB SSD does now seem excessive - I was worried about not having plenty of storage for my games and projects, if that time does come I'll just install another drive.

I went for the AIO as I've seen a lot of builds that have an AIO to accompany the 7800X3D.

My plan was going to see if any of my family or friends wanted a second hand PC for personal use or to get into the world of PC gaming, instead of spending more for a brand new one. If that's the case then, I'll need a new Windows license alongside with a new CPU Cooler. If not, I'll just do what sck has suggested and then retire the PC afterwards.

From the data I've seen, air just isn't enough for modern processors above i5 or R5, so yes, I would strongly suggest the H100i as a minimum on the 7800X3D

 

[sck451]

From the data I've seen, air just isn't enough for modern processors above i5 or R5, so yes, I would strongly suggest the H100i as a minimum on the 7800X3D

A NH-U14S would be enough for a 7800X3D to operate at its maximum potential, at least in a non-overclocked state. It's a very efficient chip and that's a very good cooler. At this budget I wouldn't buy a cheaper cooler, but since @MadeByParker already has a fantastic cooler, I'd at least consider using it.

 

[Scott]

I'd actually consider simply upgrading the system tbh. The CPU isn't really holding you back, sure it could be better but there's significant money to be saved by stretching the life of the system a bit more.

RAM, GPU & PSU would see some life in the old girl yet.

I would replace the RAM with 2x16GB of some fast stuff (3600Mhz) - £60
7800XT ITRO £550
1000w PSU - £175

Not sure if these upgrades are available via PCS, but it's definitely worth a look IMO.

 

[MadeByParker]

I'd actually consider simply upgrading the system tbh. The CPU isn't really holding you back, sure it could be better but there's significant money to be saved by stretching the life of the system a bit more.

RAM, GPU & PSU would see some life in the old girl yet.

I would replace the RAM with 2x16GB of some fast stuff (3600Mhz) - £60
7800XT ITRO £550
1000w PSU - £175

Not sure if these upgrades are available via PCS, but it's definitely worth a look IMO.

This is an approach I didn't consider due to thinking that the newer graphic cards would be too long/wide to fit in the current case. I've had a look around and these upgrades are available via PCS (PCS only have 3200MHz 2x16 RAM in stock when I checked yesterday [18th October]) so I will definitely weigh this as a viable option. ☺

 

[Scott]

3200Mhz is fine, there's not much to worry about between the 2, especially so with gaming.