Gaming specs for my son, what you think?

Andy78

Active member
So my son has recently being playing on xbox x and he would like to play on PC as well as his friends are already on board.

This spec showing does have a 4k monitor listed as he would love to play on a 4k monitor when he plays on xbox x only. So he is aware this spec will not display 4k. Which we know and is fine for him. But one request he would like to have is ray tracing, as this is the trend in terms of visuals that he has seen. He will most likely play various types of games on this as now he has just discovered after playing on his friends pc recently.

So let me know what you think, and also if there is anyway of decreasing price or make any alterations to this if needed? Probably upgrade within 3 years i would expect.

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PCS SR-628B RGB GAMING CASE
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Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-9700 (3.0GHz) 12MB Cache
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Gigabyte Z390 UD: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
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16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB)
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6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!

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ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
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AOC U2879VF 28" 4K Monitor - 3480 x 2160, 1MS, HDMI, DVI, DP
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3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
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Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Get something off the Review page:

These are fixed specs, but have discounted prices. So you get more hardware for the money assuming there's a deal that actually fits what you're after ofc)

For instance you could get the Inferno R2

Better GPU, better SSD, larger HDD, better PSU, better CPU cooler, a bit better case. RGB LEDs for a choice of colour. Different CPU model; the 3700x + faster RAM in the spec will perform the same as the 9700 non-k and slower RAM.

You should be aware that raytracing is currently more of a gimmick than a trend. Things may well move that way a bit more forcefully, once GPUs supporting raytracing from both Nvidia and AMD penetrate the market a bit more, and developers can design games with it more in mind rather than bolting various features on.

That's not really a problem with regards to what to buy now, because AMD and Nvidia are fairly well matched in this segment of the market, so buying A or B is a bit of a coin toss anyway. My warning is:
a) if he gets a ray tracing GPU and finds hardly any games actually support it yet, don't be surprised
b) if he finds it utterly tanks performance (it does) don't be surprised
c) if he finds the GPU is obsolete by the time ray tracing is really a thing, don't be surprised.

I have an RTX 2060, but I have it because it's a GTX 1080 for £300 instead of £500, and because AMD hadn't released Navi, not because of ray tracing.

A 2060 Super will do 1440p on that 4k monitor fine, and even 4k in some titles.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
If you decide against all of the offers on the page, people can suggest a custom spec.

The Inferno R2 is definitely a better spec, with better gaming performance and features than the Intel spec you posted, though, and any manually configured spec will net you much less bang for buck. Obviously, since a manually configured spec doesn't carry the built in discount :)
 

Andy78

Active member
If you decide against all of the offers on the page, people can suggest a custom spec.

The Inferno R2 is definitely a better spec, with better gaming performance and features than the Intel spec you posted, though, and any manually configured spec will net you much less bang for buck. Obviously, since a manually configured spec doesn't carry the built in discount :)
Yes i had a look and have taken in your points. Thank you for your assistance.

So after toying about, i came up with this (Will this monitor be good enough or should i wait out for asus 28 gaming 4k to be back in stock? As I could not see it listed on the site anymore.. I was considering the AOC 4k monitor as it is a bit cheaper!
Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

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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!

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1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
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1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
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PCS FrostFlow 100 V2 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
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STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm Blue LED Strip
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ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
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Monitor
Samsung LU28E570DS/EN 28" 4K FreeSync LED Monitor
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3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
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Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
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Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
What monitor is the Asus 4k gaming monitor? The full name?

I'd suggest:
- RGB LEDs, not Blue (a few £ more in order to have a choice of colours)
- Frostflow cooler's not really worth it. Either get a much better cooler e.g. CM Lite 240, or stick to the stock AMD cooler perhaps
- X570 mobo is expensive. Performance will be the same as a B450 mobo that's £100 cheaper. Do you actually need the features it offers for £100?
- AC1200 wifi card for the option of the 5GHz band
- I'd get the £5 warrant carriage costs upgrade
 

Andy78

Active member
What monitor is the Asus 4k gaming monitor? The full name?

I'd suggest:
- RGB LEDs, not Blue (a few £ more in order to have a choice of colours)
- Frostflow cooler's not really worth it. Either get a much better cooler e.g. CM Lite 240, or stick to the stock AMD cooler perhaps
- X570 mobo is expensive. Performance will be the same as a B450 mobo that's £100 cheaper. Do you actually need the features it offers for £100?
- AC1200 wifi card for the option of the 5GHz band
- I'd get the £5 warrant carriage costs upgrade
ASUS VP28UQG, 28 Inch 4K (3840x2160) Gaming Monitor, 1 ms, DP, HDMI, FreeSync, Low Blue Light, Flicker Free, TUV Certified
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Probably 6 of 1, half a dozen of the other. Both 4k 60hz TN panels with freesync.

The AOC U2879VF apparently might only has Freesync via displayport? In which case don't buy it for console gaming.

As for the Samsung and the Asus, not much in it as far as I know.
 

Andy78

Active member
Would the asus be back in stock for selection soon? I would rather wait for it coming back in.

Changed some things according your advice. ( not sure why it showing £0.00 at the bottom when posting to forum layout?)

And lastly would this setup be best in regards for the cpu and ram performance for him?


Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

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Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!

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Get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/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
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
Samsung LU28E570DS/EN 28" 4K FreeSync LED Monitor
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 12 to 14 working days
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Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Would the asus be back in stock for selection soon? I would rather wait for it coming back in.
I've no idea about PCS's stock, you'd need to ask them directly

Tbh just buy the monitor elsewhere :) May be cheaper too.


And lastly would this setup be best in regards for the cpu and ram performance for him?
The CPU and RAM are great.

If you wanted to spend more on the PC to improve gaming performance, up the GPU from the 2060 Super to the 2070 Super. That would actually make 4k PC gaming much more viable, with appropriately managed settings. And it has some more raytracing a tensor cores hardware (...).
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
The 2070 Super seems to fit within budget, as it's "only" £140 more than the RTX 2060 Super, and offers 15-20 more performance at 4k, which takes you much closer to 60fps, though some games you may still end up playing at 1440p on the screen.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

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Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

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1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
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Operating System
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3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
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Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,402.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/m2bkPdpZsE/
 

Andy78

Active member
The 2070 Super seems to fit within budget, as it's "only" £140 more than the RTX 2060 Super, and offers 15-20 more performance at 4k, which takes you much closer to 60fps, though some games you may still end up playing at 1440p on the screen.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

down_right_arrow.gif
Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

down_right_arrow.gif
Get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,402.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/m2bkPdpZsE/

Thank you for your advice. I may consider upgrading the gpu, however the rig is not intended for 4k gaming, as the monitor is also for his Xbox One x 4k. If he can get 144hz on monitor from the pc with the setup recently posted i think he will be happy with this.
 

Andy78

Active member
Im not that great with Monitors. He is hoping to use the one Monitor for now that can display 4k for his console, but on PC he not that fussed over 4k for that. If he can get a good steady high fps at a decent res....he is happy with that. He is aware that this could involve him changing hdmi if he is switching. Later on i would expect him to purchase another monitor down the line. I could wait for some black friday deals for a 4k monitor at least. I was going to purchase the asus 28 4k gaming monitor staed above from Currys, but sadly they are out of stock, and have been for some time!

Next thing will be a gaming chair i expect ;)
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
A monitor's Hz is how many times it refreshes the image per second.

FPS is Frames Per Second, which is how many images per second the graphics card outputs.

There is no point targeting 144hz or any indeed any value greater than 60fps on a 60hz monitor, because the monitor can't do anything with those extra frames. It can't show more than 60 of them per second.

There are a few games where running more than 60fps on a 60Hz monitor could have an advantage, but these tend to be competitive shooters and if you were playing those seriously enough to be bothered about that kind of performance advantage you'd be buying a 144hz monitor anyway. and sacrificing on the rest of the system to afford one. Also NB: when people talk about 144hz gaming, often the idea isn't that you get a consistent 144fps. The idea is that a 144hz monitor lets you show more than 60fps (again, ignoring competitive shooters).

So you need to decide what kind of spec of monitor you want to pair with the PC. What is the PC really for?

4k 60hz gaming? - You say it's not for this, but actually, you can just about do high settings 4k gaming on this budget. There might be some further tweaks to help squeeze in a 2080 Super that would be appropriate. And you're buying a 4k monitor anyway.

1440p 144hz? would be great for an RTX 2060 Super or RTX 2070 Super. But the better ones tend to cost a bit and you're spending your monitor budget on a cheap 4k one for console.

1080p 144hz if aiming for this, stick to an RTX 2060 non-Super, at most. Any more would really be overkill. And this spec is a little low-end for your budget, unless your son is very serious about competitive shooters e.g. CSGO or various Battle Royale titles.

Or, are you just going to stick to using the 4k 60hz monitor for both PC and console, without buying a new monitor, and play below native resolution (i.e. play 1080p on a 4k screen)? Because if you are, there's no point buying a 2060 Super for 1080p 60hz gaming :)

There's also no point buying a "raytracing" GPU for 1080p 60hz gaming. 1080p is low-resolution for this kind of gaming PC budget level. Why on earth would anyone pay extra to have slightly better reflections on a low res, low refresh, budget panel gaming experience. Raytracing might be a shiny new tech, but if you want to get with the times, Nvidia's RTX tech isn't where it's at. 1440p 144hz gaming is where it's at, and is now more affordable than ever.

Buying a really powerful and expensive GPU now for a better monitor down the line is almost always going to be a waste of money. Because by the time you get your expensive and shiny new monitor down the line, the graphics card will probably have been replaced by a newer and more powerful model, possibly for a lower price, already.

You mention you might look at a monitor specifically for the PC around Black Friday. What kind of budget would you have for a separate monitor for the PC? That could help answer the kind of monitor spec you can aim for.
 
Last edited:

Andy78

Active member
I completely understand your reply.

His PC is only for gaming. So yeah a 1440p 144hz monitor would be the target, Not 4k. I have read elsewhere the MSI's are coming along way and competing well within this area. What monitor would you recommend if I went with the 2060 or 2070? Budget up to £300
 
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