Help with picking specs for gaming PC

artemizu

Member
So, I've been wanting a gaming PC for a long time and wasn't sure where to start. I found PCSPECIALIST which has helped me a lot by being able to configure each part. However, I don't have much knowledge or experience with all these parts. I would appreciate any feedback on the parts I have chosen with some explanation.

I'm looking to build a mid-high end gaming PC to run games such as Overwatch, Black Desert Online, PUBG, MMORPGs. I also plan to use the PC for programs like Adobe to edit and create content.

My budget is around maximum £1400.

If there are any bad choices or things I can change, I would appreciate any feedback :)

I've used the PC Specialist website to build my own PC with the following specs:


Case: CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 570X RGB GAMING CASE

Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-8600K (3.6 GHz) 9 MB Cache

Motherboard: ASUS® ROG MAXIMUS XI HERO: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready

Memory (RAM): 16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 8GB)

Graphics Card: 6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!

1st Storage Drive: 2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE

1st M.2 SSD Drive: 250GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/s R | 1600MB/s W)

Memory Card Reader: USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER

Power Supply: CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY

Processor Cooling: CoolerMaster Hyper 212X (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler

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
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
The Hero motherboard is a complete waste of money especially for this build. It's intended for enthusiast overclocking, which you're not going to be doing on a system like this.

The i5 8600k is also a bit of a question mark, because it + the Intel platform is very expensive. So it's poor value versus AMD alternatives, but not the top performer from the Intel stable either.

That's not meant to be harsh, rather to point out that there are opportunities for savings and/or improved performance.

The GTX 1060 6gb is currently very expensive relative to the RX 580 8gb, and performance between them is relatively similar. However, economies on the CPU/ mobo as above could easily open up the RTX 2060 as an option which is way more powerful than either.

Faster RAM can be a big asset in some games.

I'd also suggest a 550W PSU and ideally a better quality TXm unit.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
For instance:


Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.25GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
---Tom Clancy's The Division 2 FREE w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs!
Motherboard
Gigabyte X470 AORUS Ultra Gaming: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2933MHz ~ (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP, DVI - VR Ready!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
250GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/s R | 1600MB/s W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W 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
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)
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 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,263.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-pc/b5sHu!9zCX/


The CPU is much, much cheaper, but still very capable for gaming. And the savings let you get a way more powerful graphics card, while still saving a ton of cash.

What monitor will you be using? if you're buying a monitor, what's your budget for the monitor and what model are you currently considering?
 
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artemizu

Member
For instance:


Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.25GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
---Tom Clancy's The Division 2 FREE w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs!
Motherboard
Gigabyte X470 AORUS Ultra Gaming: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2933MHz ~ (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP, DVI - VR Ready!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1[SUP]st[/SUP] M.2 SSD Drive
250GB WD Black™ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/s R | 1600MB/s W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W 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
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)
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 6 to 8 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,263.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-pc/b5sHu!9zCX/


The CPU is much, much cheaper, but still very capable for gaming. And the savings let you get a way more powerful graphics card, while still saving a ton of cash.

What monitor will you be using? if you're buying a monitor, what's your budget for the monitor and what model are you currently considering?


Thank you so much for the opinions about the CPU, motherboard, graphics etc! I was pretty clueless about those areas.

I still haven’t looked for any monitors yet. Would I need to choose carefully if I want to use it in 4K?
Preferably I would like a 27 inch one? If not then 2 smaller ones so I can work on multiple things at once.
Do you have any suggestions or ideas on where I should look at?
 
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Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
You shouldn't expect 4k gaming from a PC at this budget level. The RTX 2060 will actually play quite a few less demanding games at 4k at decent settings, but many AAA titles you'll have to turn the settings down so far at 4k that it kind of defeats the point. Or play below 4k resolution, and playing games at non-native resolution doesn't always look very nice.

What games will you be playing?

And what's your budget for the monitor?
 

artemizu

Member
You shouldn't expect 4k gaming from a PC at this budget level. The RTX 2060 will actually play quite a few less demanding games at 4k at decent settings, but many AAA titles you'll have to turn the settings down so far at 4k that it kind of defeats the point. Or play below 4k resolution, and playing games at non-native resolution doesn't always look very nice.

What games will you be playing?

And what's your budget for the monitor?

Ahh I see. I'm actually not quite bothered about the 4K at the moment. If it's not possible with the current PC budget level it's fine. I'll probably slowly upgrade it over time.

The only game I really want to max out on graphics is Black Desert Online. I've heard and seen how amazing the graphics can be, and I feel like it's the one game I really want to see in it's full potential.

As for the budget, I haven't decided one yet. Probably something that won't break the bank?
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
It's hard to suggest a monitor without a rough budget. The budget more or less dictates the spec of what you end up with.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
For that kind of money you'd be looking at 1080p 144hz or 1440p 60hz / maybe 1440p 144hz for some of the cheaper offerings of that class.

Ideally a monitor with freesync. Although Nvidia doesn't fully support freesync, they have finally enabled their GPUs to use it. It may not work flawlessly but it's nice to have as an option. Freesync is a name of adaptive sync / variable refresh rate technology that matches your monitor's refresh rate to your GPU's framerate to help get rid of stutter and tearing.

e.g. https://bit-tech.net/reviews/tech/monitors/element-gaming-27-qhd-144hz-1ms-gaming-monitor-review/1/ which is around £270 these days

AOC G2590PX for 1080p 144hz freesync

AOC Q3279VWFD8 for 1440p 60/75hz, if you don't mind 32" screens.

There are a lot of options of course
 

artemizu

Member
For that kind of money you'd be looking at 1080p 144hz or 1440p 60hz / maybe 1440p 144hz for some of the cheaper offerings of that class.

Ideally a monitor with freesync. Although Nvidia doesn't fully support freesync, they have finally enabled their GPUs to use it. It may not work flawlessly but it's nice to have as an option. Freesync is a name of adaptive sync / variable refresh rate technology that matches your monitor's refresh rate to your GPU's framerate to help get rid of stutter and tearing.

e.g. https://bit-tech.net/reviews/tech/monitors/element-gaming-27-qhd-144hz-1ms-gaming-monitor-review/1/ which is around £270 these days

AOC G2590PX for 1080p 144hz freesync

AOC Q3279VWFD8 for 1440p 60/75hz, if you don't mind 32" screens.

There are a lot of options of course

So it's been a while since I've replied on this forum. Thank you for your suggestions about the monitors, I've checked some out.

I found this one and it has most of the stuff you've mentioned. I'm not sure if it's good though. https://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/comp...ed-led-gaming-monitor-black-10187614-pdt.html

I'm also thinking of getting 2 monitors but that isn't set yet. It's just that I think it would work better when I'm editing so I can multitask with 2 screens instead of swapping windows on 1.

What are your opinions?
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
It looks like a good spec for gaming. 144hz, VA panel, freesync. I think you could be very happy with that.

The reddit 'master list' https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/ag5z8m/nvidia_freesync_monitor_testing_master_list/ also suggests freesync will place nice on the Nvidia GPU.

The system would be fine with 2 monitors. For editing you don't need a high refresh rate monitor. If editing images you may want an IPS monitor, and perhaps a flat one(?) rather than curved. So depends how much is left in the kitty for monitors after you purchase that MAG241C
 
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artemizu

Member
It looks like a good spec for gaming. 144hz, VA panel, freesync. I think you could be very happy with that.

The reddit 'master list' https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/ag5z8m/nvidia_freesync_monitor_testing_master_list/ also suggests freesync will place nice on the Nvidia GPU.

The system would be fine with 2 monitors. For editing you don't need a high refresh rate monitor. If editing images you may want an IPS monitor, and perhaps a flat one(?) rather than curved. So depends how much is left in the kitty for monitors after you purchase that MAG241C

Instead of getting a IPS monitor, I was thinking if I could use the monitor I mentioned for both gaming and editing?
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
It's be a bit of a waste of money. There's no real point paying a premium for the 2nd monitor to be 144hz. I'd probably suggest getting a 1440p monitor for ~£200 or so, for the extra resolution. It's pretty crazy how much more you can fit on the screen, very handy for productivity.
 

artemizu

Member
It's be a bit of a waste of money. There's no real point paying a premium for the 2nd monitor to be 144hz. I'd probably suggest getting a 1440p monitor for ~£200 or so, for the extra resolution. It's pretty crazy how much more you can fit on the screen, very handy for productivity.

Ah, I see. I just didn’t like the thought of it not being symmetrical haha. I’ll try to have a look at some 1440p monitors.
 
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