Spec Check for a Newbie Please & TIA

A

AndJud

Member
Hi,
I'm completely new to the world of gaming PC's but have worked with business IT since the days of Windows 3 LoL so installing & maintaining equipment & SW isn't an issue to me.
I'm after speccing up a PC that will be used for a bit of gaming & also photo processing using Lightroom & Photoshop.

Games I'm interested in being able to run at decent levels
F1
MS Flight Sim - Primary need for updating my current laptop that I use
Valorant (My Son is into this when he comes to stay)
Photo processing steps such as AI Denoise, AI Sharpening, etc. currently take 10mins per photo on my laptop which is the other reason I want a new PC.

Screens I use are LG UltraGear 27GQ50F-B Full HD 27" VA LCD Gaming Monitor & a 2nd LG 4k 27" Monitor (not a gaming focused example)

The spec I've drawn up is as follows Price comes out at just shy of £2300

Thoughts & Comments please before I take the plunge.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D RGB AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Promotional Item
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X870 EAGLE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB) KIT
Graphics Card
20GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7900 XT GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP
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)
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W 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 H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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 5 to 7 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
Packaging
PCS Corsair Carton Upright
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/HUns5hAAGN/

Thanks in advance.
 
T

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
How big of a priority is the gaming side over the photo-processing side? If it's more gaming then the new 9800X3D is the CPU to go for. If it's the photo processing then the newer 9900X may be the better option (but you will lose a little gaming performance at 1440p, less so at 4k).

I'd up the PSU to the 1200W RMx Shift model, as it's the latest ATX3.1 spec with protections for the 2x power spikes that modern GPUs are pulling.

I'd also remove the Arctic thermal paste, as the pre-applied stuff on the Corsair AIO is better.

If you've got the space, I'd probably go for the larger 3500X, 5000X or 6500X cases. The 6500X would be the most expensive option as you'd need you to add a set of 3 RS fans for the bottom as well.
 
A

AndJud

Member
TonyCarter said:
How big of a priority is the gaming side over the photo-processing side? If it's more gaming then the new 9800X3D is the CPU to go for. If it's the photo processing then the newer 9900X may be the better option (but you will lose a little gaming performance at 1440p, less so at 4k).

I'd up the PSU to the 1200W RMx Shift model, as it's the latest ATX3.1 spec with protections for the 2x power spikes that modern GPUs are pulling.

I'd also remove the Arctic thermal paste, as the pre-applied stuff on the Corsair AIO is better.

If you've got the space, I'd probably go for the larger 3500X, 5000X or 6500X cases. The 6500X would be the most expensive option as you'd need you to add a set of 3 RS fans for the bottom as well.
Click to expand...
Great information thanks for this. The photo-processing side is the bigger priority as I'm sure the machine will be beast enough for anything I play. Good call on the PSU upping the spec will ensure it's future proofed for a good while yet. Space isn't an issue so have opted for the larger case & removed the thermal paste.
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
Are you looking to buy straight away? The reason I ask is that it's expected for the higher end X3D chips to be released in January. The X3D chips offer quite a lot when it comes to Microsoft Flight Simulator. If you're opting for the 2024 version then it's likely even more relevant.

Even the 9800X3D right now would do a cracking job for your uses, but more cores does tend to give more benefit with processing (although Photoshop rated very high on the 9800X3D with the vertical cache).
 
A

AndJud

Member
Thanks for the advice I've just pulled the trigger on my new PC. Went with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3Dght Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/10 Ei4MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) processor option & all the tweaks mentioned above.
 
A

AndJud

Member
Well just over a month in & loving the new PC, it absolutely flies. Denoise functions in Lightroom were 10mins on my i& 12th Gen laptop now 6seconds on the beast.
Gaming wise I can run MSFS2020 with everything cranked to the Max & it's perfect. MSFS2024 is another story but that's the software not the PC. Only got a couple of other games installed & in use but all of them are amazing with all the settings cranked up.

Once again thanks for all the expert advice.
 
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