Upgrade my Gaming Rig

[MrH]

So I could use some help from the community, I've put together a spec for a decent upgrade to my current gaming laptop but I don't want to be wasting money. Will this set up be good for gaming?

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX K500 ARGB GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™ i7-11700K Eight Core (3.6GHz @ up to 5.2GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z590-E GAMING WIFI (LGA1200, USB 3.2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
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 iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB 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
Google Chrome™
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Cable - DP (M) to DP (M)
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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 9 to 12 working days
Price: £3,064.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z590-overclocked/vz8XnA8TTr/

 

[JUNI0R]

So I could use some help from the community, I've put together a spec for a decent upgrade to my current gaming laptop but I don't want to be wasting money. Will this set up be good for gaming?

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX K500 ARGB GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™ i7-11700K Eight Core (3.6GHz @ up to 5.2GHz)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z590-E GAMING WIFI (LGA1200, USB 3.2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
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 iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB 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
Google Chrome™
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Cable - DP (M) to DP (M)
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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 9 to 12 working days
Price: £3,064.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z590-overclocked/vz8XnA8TTr/

Heya, 11th gen Intel is a pretty poor choice all round and it's far inferior to brand new platform buddy 12th gen. I think the 3080TI is the definition of a waste of money- for context it's about £400 more than the 3080 and gains an average of 8 FPS @ 4K, or £50 a frame. If you're able to provide us with the info below, we'll be able to sort you out with a much more optimal build!

1) Budget - What are you looking to spend?
2) Uses - What will you be using the PC for? You've mentioned gaming, what games? Will you be using the PC for anything else?
3) Monitor - When spending this much on a PC it's important to get the right monitor. Have you got a monitor you plan to use or do you have a budget for one? Either said budget, the make and model, or resolution and refresh rate would be ideal!

 

[MrH]

Hey pal,

I' looking to spend in the region of 3k (give or take a few hundred).

I will be almost exclusively using this PC for gaming and I'll be looking at playing things like Star Citizen and new releases from Bethesda since they have now gone exclusive to Microsoft I will not be seeing any releases on my PS5. I also play alot of online games like Sea of Theives, Civilisation 5 and MMO's like SWTOR and TESO. I really want something that gunna perform in all areas, graphics, FPS, low latency etc.

The monitor i have is the Samsung Odyssey G7, so I want to make the most of that 1440p 240HZ.

Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it! I'm doing my best to be a sponge and learn as much as I can!

 

[MrWilson]

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2700MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
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 iCUE H150i 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 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,689.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.ie/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/Y0zWk!n6z2/

 

[JUNI0R]

Hey pal,

I' looking to spend in the region of 3k (give or take a few hundred).

I will be almost exclusively using this PC for gaming and I'll be looking at playing things like Star Citizen and new releases from Bethesda since they have now gone exclusive to Microsoft I will not be seeing any releases on my PS5. I also play alot of online games like Sea of Theives, Civilisation 5 and MMO's like SWTOR and TESO. I really want something that gunna perform in all areas, graphics, FPS, low latency etc.

The monitor i have is the Samsung Odyssey G7, so I want to make the most of that 1440p 240HZ.

Thanks again for your help, I really appreciate it! I'm doing my best to be a sponge and learn as much as I can!

Something like this should do you pretty well!

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE Fantastic high airflow high end case
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache Top of the line gaming CPU from Intel- the 12900K only adds 4 efficency cores which do nothing for gaming) and a whole lot of heat
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready Ample motherboard for the 12700K
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR More than capable of handling the 1440p 240hz monitor
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W) Super fast boot SSD for Windows and applications
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2700MB/sW) Large games drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W HX SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® PLATINUM, ULTRA QUIET Super high wattage PSU for future upgradability
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Braided Power Supply Cables
CORSAIR Premium Individually Sleeved PSU Cable Kit Pro - Black Doesn't add FPS but really helps the build pop
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler Top of the line cooler that'll look fantastic in the 5000X
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 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001] i'd stick to W10 for now
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 Windows Defender is perfectly capable antivirus
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Well worth the £5, especially on a build of this cost
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,784.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/AdMbUWYXjE/

 

[MrWilson]

Moved you over the to Intel's 12th gen which have really good performance.
For gaming you won't see a benefit with 3600mhz RAM over 3200mhz so saved you a bit of cash while keeping the RGB loveliness.
Kept the 530 for OS and programs, but games aren't yet optimised to load more quickly from Gen 4 speeds so you can get more bang for your buck by going for the Intel drive.
The H150i will look great in the 5000X and will provide ample cooling for the 12700k. The arctic paste isn't needed as the Capellix comes with high quality paste included.
The 1000W PSU is really the norm for high end systems now, as next gen GPUs are looking to be very power hungry.

Happy to answer any other questions that you might have.

 

[JUNI0R]

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2700MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
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 iCUE H150i 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 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,689.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.ie/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/Y0zWk!n6z2/

Snap! 😂

 

[MrH]

Both of you are fantastic human beings, thank you very much for your help. It's humbling to know there are still people willing to go out of their way to give a clueless idiot a helping hand! 😂

I do have two questions tho! I was curious as to if you thought having a soundcard in the system would make a difference or be beneficial for the "full gaming experience"? I was considering this but couldn't fins one compatible with W11. Which also brings me to my second question which is that both of you picked to stick with W10 and I was just wondering what you think about W10 vs W11 and why you picked 11?

Thank you again! 😊

 

[MrWilson]

Both of you are fantastic human beings, thank you very much for your help. It's humbling to know there are still people willing to go out of their way to give a clueless idiot a helping hand! 😂

I do have two questions tho! I was curious as to if you thought having a soundcard in the system would make a difference or be beneficial for the "full gaming experience"? I was considering this but couldn't fins one compatible with W11. Which also brings me to my second question which is that both of you picked to stick with W10 and I was just wondering what you think about W10 vs W11 and why you picked 11?

Thank you again! 😊

Very happy to help!

You don't need a sound card as onboard audio with the motherboard is very good quality these days. If you really wanted to go the whole hog you could consider an external sound system but this sadly falls out of my area of expertise. From personal experience I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything without having a soundcard in my own PCS system.

Windows 11 is still in its early stages and there are still some kinks to be ironed out. Some games perform worse in W11 compared to W10. If you order a Windows 10 system you will be able to upgrade to Windows 11 down the line without issue. My PC is still on W10, and will be supported on this platform for another couple of years. I believe there is a big W11 update due in the summer which should hopefully iron out a lot of the current issues.

 

[sck451]

Both of you are fantastic human beings, thank you very much for your help. It's humbling to know there are still people willing to go out of their way to give a clueless idiot a helping hand! 😂

I do have two questions tho! I was curious as to if you thought having a soundcard in the system would make a difference or be beneficial for the "full gaming experience"? I was considering this but couldn't fins one compatible with W11. Which also brings me to my second question which is that both of you picked to stick with W10 and I was just wondering what you think about W10 vs W11 and why you picked 11?

Thank you again! 😊

A soundcard is largely pointless. Motherboard onboard sound is generally very good. If you want the highest of the high end, you want to go for an external USB/Thunderbolt solution rather than a PCIe one.

The case for Windows 10 vs Windows 11 is fairly finely balanced still. There are some bugs with Windows 11, though no absolute show-stoppers, but Windows 10 has that extra stability of very well tested software. Windows 11 will get there, but lots of people (myself included) are waiting six months or so before diving in.

Upgrading is really easy. On the other hand, a Windows upgrade is better with a fresh install than with an upgrade-in-place. That's not remotely difficult, but it is a bit of a faff. If I was buying a new PC today, I might go for 11 just to save having to do the reinstall downt the line.

Either way, you'll be absolutely fine.

 

[MrH]

Thank you for all your help everyone! I am happy to take further suggestion! I will update the threat when I purchase the computer!

 

[MrH]

I’ve just had a friend suggest this Competitor to me as he can get a discount on it so it would come to £2,609.10.


I suppose my question is, does anyone have any opinions on Alienware or this particular computer and how do you think it compares to the above specs?

Thank you!

 

[Steveyg]

They're a special brand of garbage, where they are so garbage I wonder how they can still exist

Don't do it to yourself mate

They cheap out on motherboards and usually have sketch PSU;s. They've been known to use completely different cooling options than what was ordered and the cases are generally really terrible for airflow

With their odd shape and design make upgrading very difficult especially if they use one of those terrible proprietary Dell PSU's

Not to mention they are really really scummy up selling and adding on Warranties that were specifically told not to include

 

[SpyderTracks]

I’ve just had a friend suggest this Competitor to me as he can get a discount on it so it would come to £2,609.10.


I suppose my question is, does anyone have any opinions on Alienware or this particular computer and how do you think it compares to the above specs?

Thank you!

We can only advise on PCS systems, please don't post links to competitors, if you need advice on other brands you'd need to try an open forum like Toms Hardware

 

[DarTon]

@MrH. That "hypothetical" PC at £2609

• Has only a 120mm AIO cooler. It's going to thermally throttle pretty rapidly under any stress.
• A 750W PSU which for a 3080 is the absolute minimum and for a 12700K and a 3080 is really below the minimum.
• The RAM is very slow DDR5 4400Mhz. This will run slower than 3200MHz DDR4 given it's much higher CAS.
• The actual motherboard it's using is not clear but do you think if it was a high end Z690 they might advertise it as such? The fact they don't should tell you something.
• The actual NVMe M2 SSD it's using is not clear but do you think if it was a PCIe4 they might advertise it as such? The fact they don't should tell you something.

On the postive side it does come with a cheap keyboard and mouse ...

There is a lot of value in knowing exactly what your components are. There is much risk in not knowing what they are.

 

[MrH]

We can only advise on PCS systems, please don't post links to competitors, if you need advice on other brands you'd need to try an open forum like Toms Hardware

I am very sorry about this I didn’t know!

But by the sounds of it, they aren’t doing very well at “competing” against you anyway!

 

[SpyderTracks]

I am very sorry about this I didn’t know!

But by the sounds of it, they aren’t doing very well at “competing” against you anyway!

That's ok, no worries, custom PCs are very popular exactly because branded pcs often cheap out on critical platform components leading to poor upgradeability and short lifespan, plus you pay a lot more for anything branded.

 

[MrH]

@DarTon @Steveyg @sck451 @JUNI0R @MrWilson thank you for all your very valuable advice, I will be steering well clear of the competitor and sticking with one of the optimised PCS specs that was advised!

 

[MrH]

That's ok, no worries, custom PCs are very popular exactly because branded pcs often cheap out on critical platform components leading to poor upgradeability and short lifespan, plus you pay a lot more for anything branded.

I didn’t know this! Thanks for the heads up!

 

[MrH]

Having an absolute disaster because when I try to proceed to payment the site tells me that the Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler is out of stock 😭

Can anyone suggest an alternative that is similar? I really don't want to compromise on quality.