Absolute Newbie

[Barnsaby]

Hey,

I'm a complete PC newbie looking for help buying my first desktop. I'm going to get a 4k monitor for the PS5 and was planning on using it for my new PC too.
I don't plan on playing any huge games on it as I'm more of a console gamer however I would like something that could play most steam games (phasmaphobia, simulators etc) well but most importantly last me a while. Was looking for about 1TB storage (heard that SSD was better?) and i'll be also using it for uni/work.


Am I being too optimistic having a budget of about 1300-1500 pounds?
Any help would be MASSIVELY appreciated as I know so little.

PS Im also planning on getting a second monitor. If I was to build a PC that would satisfy the needs of a 4k monitor, would it be damaged at all if my second monitor was just a cheap one?

 

[AgentCooper]

This is a tiny bit over budget but is a solid base build that’ll cope with 4K at around 60Hz (assuming that’s what your monitor will be).

Having a second cheapo monitor plugged in will be absolutely fine 👍


Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
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)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
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™
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 13 to 15 working days
Price: £1,537.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/HCRSJKw6Qp/

 

[Barnsaby]

This is a tiny bit over budget but is a solid base build that’ll cope with 4K at around 60Hz (assuming that’s what your monitor will be).

Having a second cheapo monitor plugged in will be absolutely fine 👍


Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
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)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
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™
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 13 to 15 working days
Price: £1,537.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/HCRSJKw6Qp/

Thanks for this, really helped and got me thinking.
I did some googling and seems like some people are instead recommending a lower resolution monitor with higer refresh rate. (Like a 27" 1080p 144Hz.) Would that require a less powerful graphics card and lower the price?

Thanks again for your help!

 

[Gavras]

A 27” monitor at 1080p is one of worst monitors to get.

for 1080p it’s best to stick to 24” and 144hz (the move from 60hz to 144hz is biggest step).

27” is really 1440p.

even 4K is a bit pointless at 27” in a PC monitor.

27” @1080p just sucks.

 

[SpyderTracks]

1080p really isn't a resolution anymore aside for 240hz or 360hz for competitive gameplay.

There are no longer any current Gen GPU's that support it, it's a dead resolutiion, and a really poor experience once you've seen 1440p or 4k.

 

[Barnsaby]

I'll be honest...I don't understand the logic of "choosing" to game at a lower resolution (and therefore a worse graphics level) unless it's out of necessity or you are a competitive gamer who runs everything at the lowest to eke out an extra fps or 2. Can I ask where you got that information from? Just curious as it makes no sense to me. Now, if the monitor you get can't run 1440p 144Hz, then fair enough, though I still think 1440p 60Hz is better than any 1080p..but that's just me. Not criticising you or anything...just trying to understand.

But, yes, a 1080p system would be cheaper as it needs a lower GPU to run it....the downside is the graphics are worse.

Yeah, I'm only recently started thinking of moving up in the tech world from simply plugging in a console into my second hand tv and get my first PC too. I've tried to learn too much too fast and too much googling has different numbers flying all over the place. Sorry if i'm speaking absolute garbage.

Like I said i'm primarily buying this monitor for the ps5, which i've seen reports wont support 1440p. I've seen a few reddit posts and youtube videos saying Hz was more important for gaming and that 60 was the max currently for 4k monitors(again i didn't know what that was a few weeks ago so i'm a bit naive.) I think I saw the build over my buget and looked for any excuse to try and lower it haha. Do you think I should just keep the two things completely seperate?

Thanks for your help and honesty