Help please with a new PC spec

I'm just hoping that someone will be able to suggest a new PC spec that I can order fairly soon. I'm afraid that, having relied for some time on Tablets and a decent Dell Laptop, that my current PC tech knowledge is fairly low and resides somewhere in the last decade.

PC will mainly be used for music files/burning, sundry photographic and editing, and general entertainment DVD's, Sky Go etc when needed to escape from main downstairs TV. However, I would like to get back into some light gaming and have fond memories of COD, Far Cry etc. Overall disc space has never been an issue as I transfer much to external hard drives.

Budget is not too fixed but it would be nice to get something reasonably future-proof and speedy but with reliability the keyword - say up to £1500?

The desk space that I have for the case is limited to 545 H x 235 W x 460 L. For this reason in the past I've chosen somewhat smaller cases - avoiding side vents and top controls/USB ports etc - but I'm open to suggestions For info., the current case is 470 x 200 x 440

Other points:
1. If possible it would be nice to have 2 good DVD drives so I can burn/copy on the fly
2. I would like to continue with my rather ancient 5:1 creative speakers which currently plug into a Creative X fi sound/audio card so similar perhaps?
3. If possible I would like to retain my current monitor which is a 24" Dell 2412 M ( 1920 x 1200, 16:10, 60 hertz.) DVI port needed?
4. Multi Card reader

Sincere apologies if there are unnecessary ramblings here, but if anyone can help and perhaps prevent this 70 year old brain from going into complete meltdown it would be really appreciated.

Thanks.

ive not seen any one ask for a dvd drive and a burner for a while let alone two
plus a sound card and a multicard reader
its like looking back in time to 5 years ago if not 10

What kind of memory cards do you need the system to take?

zimcomp said:

ive not seen any one ask for a dvd drive and a burner for a while let alone two
plus a sound card and a multicard reader
its like looking back in time to 5 years ago if not 10

Click to expand...

Is this a criticism or simply a comment? If the options I'm willing to pay for are historically defunct then why are they still readily available on virtually all pc supplier sites - the demand must still be there. FYI I still occasionally rip/copy/burn (in some cases for free supply to friends met in 3rd world areas where cloud access is either limited or impossible). Memory card readers are still in standard use for photography.

I read zimcomp's comment as just a comment. It's very true that optical media is much less widely used, which is why you'll note hardly any laptops offer dvd drives and many more cases than, say, 5 years ago will not offer space for 5.25" drives. Ofc there are still many users who need these, such as yourself - only not as many as in the past.

Would you mind answering my question of

What kind of memory cards do you need the system to take?

Click to expand...

please as it will help suggest a spec.

Oussebon said:

What kind of memory cards do you need the system to take?

Click to expand...

Thanks Oussebon. Card reader will be used primarily for SD (and micro SD via carrier) I think the internal memory card reader option offered by PCS will do the job just fine. Similarly, the 24 x DL DVD writer offered by PCS will be good - and just one will suffice if my initial post stating 2 causes problems!
The areas where I would really ask for some help is in the rest of the stuff - case, core components, hard drive(s) and power/cooling. I'm really lost with suitable combinations with much of this. Thanks again.

The reason I asked is that things are a lot easier if SD/microSD is all you need.

The multicard reader offered by PCS only fits cases that you should avoid buying for a lot of different reasons (lack of USB 3.0 at the front.. in 2018:/.. extremely poor cooling.. etc)

Some of the cases have an SD card reader built in. If you need a full on multicard reader, you're best off getting a case with 2 5.25" bays and fitting your own multicard reader with a 5.25" adapter in one of them. An external card reader, of whatever kind, may be the best option anyway.

Very few of the cases have USB ports on the front panel rather than the top, and the ones that do are either so low-end as to be best avoided for a build of this budget, or have poor cooling (Sharkoon VG4-W..), or are longer than the space you've specified (CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 200R). In fairness that's not a very deep space at all. The more expensive cases are mostly huge so you've got no chance there. Mini PCs tend to have the ports on the front but you can forget about multiple optical drives and built in card readers.

Also, PCS's configurator doesn't sell 2 internal drives. They may well fit a 2nd one if you phone and ask, or you could add in a dvd drive you already own.

Maybe something like:



Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor i7-8700 (3.2GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF Z370-PLUS GAMING: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3400MB/R, 2300MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
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
CoolerMaster Hyper 212X (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
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 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 [KUK-00001]
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)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,454.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-pc/ar0TzP!WsS/


The case is: 444mm x 205mm x 464mm (Approx H x W x D)
https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/form/includes/case_images.php?view=11041
It has 2 front intake fans and a rear exhaust so should be alright, though I'm always wary of any PC living stuffed in a desk.

Hopefully that leaves enough room at the top for you to reach the controls, USB ports, and potentially have an external card reader sat on top? Or otherwise plugged in at the back and sat on the desk?

As for the hardware, the CPU is one of the best consumer CPUs available and 16gb fast RAM should cope well with casual photo and video editing, as should the fast SSD. The GPU should be reasonably futureproof for relatively casual gaming (you won't be playing Far Cry 6 on ultra whenever they release that, but you should be able to play it..

Many thanks for all your hard work here Oussebon - greatly appreciated.
I will take your advice and go with an external card reader - it will not be in constant use so I can just attach it to a USB port as/when needed.
The case looks good, reduced height to give access to controls and only 5 mm wider than the current case. As you may have guessed, the current 'compartment' for the case is open front and rear - enclosed sides and top. But if I do encounter any probs with heating then it looks like a new desk may be on my shopping list. There may well be some temperature monitoring tool that I can employ for the first few months to keep an eye on things.
May I just ask one silly question about this spec - do you think this will still provide the 3 rear ports needed for the plugs on my old(ish) Creative speaker system?
Anyway, I will have a further look at this over the weekend and no doubt finalise matters early next week.
Thanks again for all your help and patience!

The onboard audio is actually 7.1, but yes, it should be fine in terms of fidelity. There shouldn't be anything stopping you from swapping in the old sound card to the system if you wanted either I assume. How do you connect the speakers?

The Gigabyte Ultra Gaming has better onboard sound and also an optical S/PDIF out if you need that. Also has USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C.

I expect the temps will be fine. Make sure to keep the PC dusted (inside) periodically.

Marcat said:

Is this a criticism or simply a comment? If the options I'm willing to pay for are historically defunct then why are they still readily available on virtually all pc supplier sites - the demand must still be there. FYI I still occasionally rip/copy/burn (in some cases for free supply to friends met in 3rd world areas where cloud access is either limited or impossible). Memory card readers are still in standard use for photography.

Click to expand...

It is just a comment

I remember seeing PC like these all over the place then recently no one has sound cards or dvd drives or even memory card readers
Its Mostly all done on usb sticks or stored on the net or hard drives and onboard sound
I used to have sound card in my pc but ive not had one for years there is nothing wrong with these parts just looked like a throw back in time

zimcomp said:

It is just a comment

I remember seeing PC like these all over the place then recently no one has sound cards or dvd drives or even memory card readers
Its Mostly all done on usb sticks or stored on the net or hard drives and onboard sound
I used to have sound card in my pc but ive not had one for years there is nothing wrong with these parts just looked like a throw back in time

Click to expand...

Thanks zimcomp. I guess I kinda jumped the gun in my response to your comment. As a newbie to this forum, yours was first reply and my initial reaction was simply a feeling of inadequacy/embarrassment, and that I was showing my age and total lack of knowledge! Worst of all perhaps, I thought........'next stop PC World'. I have to learn to take a valid comment as a comment. Apologies.

Oussebon said:

The onboard audio is actually 7.1, but yes, it should be fine in terms of fidelity. There shouldn't be anything stopping you from swapping in the old sound card to the system if you wanted either I assume. How do you connect the speakers?

The Gigabyte Ultra Gaming has better onboard sound and also an optical S/PDIF out if you need that. Also has USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C.

I expect the temps will be fine. Make sure to keep the PC dusted (inside) periodically.

Click to expand...

Thanks once again - sorry about slight delay in response..

Current old Inspire T6100 Creative 5:1 connect by means of 3 leads - orange, dark brown (black) and green. Wouldn't normally be bothered about retaining these but the sound is really good - and the leads to the rear speakers have been painstakingly fed under carpeting. Seems such a shame to ditch them.

Marcat said:

Thanks once again - sorry about slight delay in response..

Current old Inspire T6100 Creative 5:1 connect by means of 3 leads - orange, dark brown (black) and green. Wouldn't normally be bothered about retaining these but the sound is really good - and the leads to the rear speakers have been painstakingly fed under carpeting. Seems such a shame to ditch them.

Click to expand...

Either mobo will support you speakers without the need for a soundcard.

These should connect fine then. The motherboard manual explains how to connect these up: http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb...ING/E13474_TUF_Z370_PLUS_GAMING_UM_v2_web.pdf

Chapter 2.2.

So I think for you that would be green to green, black to blue, and orange to pink

You can also consider the Gigabyte Z370 Ultra Gaming, which has a few extra features like a better sound chip, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C, and also Optical S/PDIF Out in case you buff your hi-fi gear and find you need one. And the full set of colour coded connectors at the back as well.

SpyderTracks said:

Either mobo will support you speakers without the need for a soundcard.

Click to expand...

Many thanks.

Oussebon said:

These should connect fine then. The motherboard manual explains how to connect these up: http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb...ING/E13474_TUF_Z370_PLUS_GAMING_UM_v2_web.pdf

Chapter 2.2.

So I think for you that would be green to green, black to blue, and orange to pink

You can also consider the Gigabyte Z370 Ultra Gaming, which has a few extra features like a better sound chip, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C, and also Optical S/PDIF Out in case you buff your hi-fi gear and find you need one. And the full set of colour coded connectors at the back as well.

Click to expand...

Thank you once again. Most helpful - I will stick with the TUF Z370.

May I finally ask if you think that my current monitor will connect ok: 24" Dell U2412 M ( 1920 x 1200, 16:10, 60 hertz). Connection is by DVI-D I think.

Oussebon said:

These should connect fine then. The motherboard manual explains how to connect these up: http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb...ING/E13474_TUF_Z370_PLUS_GAMING_UM_v2_web.pdf

Chapter 2.2.

So I think for you that would be green to green, black to blue, and orange to pink

You can also consider the Gigabyte Z370 Ultra Gaming, which has a few extra features like a better sound chip, USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type C, and also Optical S/PDIF Out in case you buff your hi-fi gear and find you need one. And the full set of colour coded connectors at the back as well.

Click to expand...

Just to let you know that this has been ordered against your original spec. so my thanks for all your help and guidance on this.

The only thing that was changed was the PC support team guy recommended downgrading the RAM to 16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz - something to do with a remote possible stability issue. He did start to explain this but I have to admit that most of it went over my head. But he went on to say that any effect on performance would be minimal. I do hope so...

I would also mention that he said that whoever put this spec together had done a very good job!

May I finally ask if you think that my current monitor will connect ok: 24" Dell U2412 M ( 1920 x 1200, 16:10, 60 hertz). Connection is by DVI-D I think.

Click to expand...

That will be fine, the GPU has DVi. You could also use DP as apparently the monitor has that too.

The only thing that was changed was the PC support team guy recommended downgrading the RAM to 16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz - something to do with a remote possible stability issue. He did start to explain this but I have to admit that most of it went over my head. But he went on to say that any effect on performance would be minimal. I do hope so...

Click to expand...

I would probabluy have stuck with the 3000MHz, as it can deliver meaningful gains and, frankly, if it's not stable PCS shouldn't be selling it... but afaik it is stable. Assuming their 3000MHz Vengeance is CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 https://www.corsair.com/uk/en/Categ...z-C15-Memory-Kit---Black/p/CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 and I don't immediately see what else it would be, that's even on the manufacturer's QVL for the mobo! http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1151/TUF_Z370-PLUS_GAMING/TUF-Z370-PLUS-GAMING-Memory-QVL.pdf

Oussebon said:

That will be fine, the GPU has DVi. You could also use DP as apparently the monitor has that too.

I would probabluy have stuck with the 3000MHz, as it can deliver meaningful gains and, frankly, if it's not stable PCS shouldn't be selling it... but afaik it is stable. Assuming their 3000MHz Vengeance is CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 https://www.corsair.com/uk/en/Categ...z-C15-Memory-Kit---Black/p/CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 and I don't immediately see what else it would be, that's even on the manufacturer's QVL for the mobo! http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1151/TUF_Z370-PLUS_GAMING/TUF-Z370-PLUS-GAMING-Memory-QVL.pdf

Click to expand...

Once again, many thanks for your help.

Shortly after receiving your response I called PCS and more or less quoted this verbatim to the technician. He stated that he too had heard nothing untoward regarding the 3000MHz, agreed with all your points, and really didn't know what my original PCS contact was referring to! However, he would check this out with their senior technician and revert asap. Suffice to say, after a couple of days I received a voice-mail confirming that there were no known adverse issues relating 3000Mhz and that it was indeed a good choice for this system.

So...the small extra £ has been paid and I am now back with the original spec. which includes the 3000 MHz

Your help and support in all this has been invaluable - thanks again.

Cool, glad it helped

Keep us posted with how things go with the order, and the system once it arrives - if you have the time ofc!