2nd ever PC, first was a flop

[JCoops]

Hi all, thanks for checking out my post and any support in advance.

I’m wanting to get into PC gaming as I currently have an Xbox Series X but it’s just a bit boring. I have had a custom PC (built by a friend 9 years ago) but it broke years ago and I lost interest (think theres an AMD Radeon 200 series in it 💩)

Want a PC for gaming and work (work provided laptop isn’t cutting it as I’m a Bid Manager and have loads of tabs and files open at once. Typically my pc gaming habits will be strategy type games, as I’ll be playing cod/Fifa on my Xbox, but that may change over time.

Unfortunately my monitor selection was a bit poor (BenQ EL287OUE 28” 4K Gaming Monitor) but I’d like to get some use out of it before more 4K 144hz monitors become available - as I use it for my Xbox Series X as well. I also use a SteelSeries Bluetooth headset and my Ethernet cable won’t reach my setup so WiFi and BT is a must.

I would really like to spend less than £2K, and have drafted a spec below for your expert opinions.

p.s besides a little research I know very little about these things, but I can be a fast learner.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 465X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor
(CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
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 3070 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
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
Corsair H100i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
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 Professional 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
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
Price: £1,980 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/QVa49MtMhR/

 

[Scott]

I've changed things around a little to get a better base of a system. I would also strongly advise upping the PSU to 850w just to cover anything you want to do in the future. With the 4k monitor I think the 3070Ti is a good fit but the 3070 or even the 3060Ti would very likely have you covered for your uses. If you're looking to go 4k 144hz in the future then the 3070Ti is a good option. Unfortunately with the changes I would recommend it takes you a little over budget but I think it's worth it.

Not sure if you deliberately chose Windows Pro, you would need to be sure you get the most out of it or you would be wasting £20.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
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
Corsair H100i 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
Wireless Network Card
NOT REQUIRED
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 Professional 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
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 16 to 19 working days
Price: £2,052.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/4Ped4hrJGP/

 

[JCoops]

Thanks for your reply and advise Scott.

I note you’ve taken out the wireless network card - is this because WiFi and BT support is offered within the build?

I did start with the 850w PSU but after clicking proceed it recommended a downgrade, but I take your point about upgrading in future.

 

[Steveyg]

Thanks for your reply and advise Scott.

I note you’ve taken out the wireless network card - is this because WiFi and BT support is offered within the build?

I did start with the 850w PSU but after clicking proceed it recommended a downgrade, but I take your point about upgrading in future.

The motherboard Scott selected come with a Wifi card which I believe supports BT as well

 

[Scott]

Yip, as above. The chipset has Wifi6 on board. AX201 I believe.

 

[JCoops]

Final questions before I place my order:

1. Do PCS update all the recommended drivers before shipping? I’m not confident I know what I’m doing with these but I could probably work it out. I take it if I recycle my old pc and re-use my windows key, then I’ll definitely need to update the drivers myself after installing windows?

2. Would I be stupid if I place the new pc inside an enclosed space in my desk? I have the Micke IKEA desk (https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/micke-desk-black-brown-10244743/) so you can see where I’m taking about. Would I be better shoving my Xbox series X in there to have the PC on top of the desk?

 

[Scott]

Final questions before I place my order:

1. Do PCS update all the recommended drivers before shipping? I’m not confident I know what I’m doing with these but I could probably work it out. I take it if I recycle my old pc and re-use my windows key, then I’ll definitely need to update the drivers myself after installing windows?

They do... but we would always recommend going about a fresh installation yourself. It does seem daunting but it's fairly straight forward. If you didn't want to go down this route there are a few things that we would always recommend:

Download and install the chipset drivers for your system. With an AMD rig these can be found on the AMD website.
Download the latest Nvidia drivers for your GPU direct from Nvidia. Perform a clean installation.
Open up windows update and make sure all updates are installed including any optional ones. Check a few times as there may be more after a re-start etc.

2. Would I be stupid if I place the new pc inside an enclosed space in my desk? I have the Micke IKEA desk (https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/micke-desk-black-brown-10244743/) so you can see where I’m taking about. Would I be better shoving my Xbox series X in there to have the PC on top of the desk?

It would definitely be better to have on top rather than surrounded but the best thing to do is try it and see. You can use HWMonitor to check the temperatures of both the GPU and CPU. Download/install/open it and leave it running while carrying out your most intensive tasks. If the CPU & GPU temperature maximums are OK then you're fine where it is

 

[ubuysa]

Final questions before I place my order:

1. Do PCS update all the recommended drivers before shipping? I’m not confident I know what I’m doing with these but I could probably work it out. I take it if I recycle my old pc and re-use my windows key, then I’ll definitely need to update the drivers myself after installing windows?

When you receive the new PC you must run Windows Update repeatedly until no more updates are found. Then check for any optional updates and install those - many of these will be driver updates.

2. Would I be stupid if I place the new pc inside an enclosed space in my desk? I have the Micke IKEA desk (https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/micke-desk-black-brown-10244743/) so you can see where I’m taking about. Would I be better shoving my Xbox series X in there to have the PC on top of the desk?

IMO yes you would. You need an airflow to keep a PC cool. I have a not dissimilar IKEA desk that my PC sits inside. I drilled several neatly spaced 50mm holes in the bottom of the door and several neatly spaced 50mm holes in the top of the back. I bought some paint macthed to the colour of the desk and painted the insides of the holes. It looks a lot neater than it sounds. I live in Crete where it's over 30C from June to October and my PC stays nice and cool.



Blast, I took too long taking the photo and got beaten by @Scott....

 

[JCoops]

Thanks both. Based on your feedback I think I will swap the Xbox and PC around as it sure would be a shame to hide the pretty PC and display the dull Xbox.

I think I’ll also opt to have no OS and recycle my existing windows 10 key and have a go at it myself 👍🏻

Based on the final build below, which SSD would you suggest installing the OS on, and which for games etc.? I’ll be installing my HDD from my old pc for use on documents, photos and general crap.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
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 H100i 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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 16 to 19 working days
Promotional Item
Get Battlefield 2042 with select GeForce RTX™ 30 Series GPUs
Price: £1954 including VAT and Delivery

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

 

[Martinr36]

Although it's slightly slower, put the OS on the smaller drive, or for another £30 upgrade that to a 500GB firecuda 520, which is faster