Advice needed - first PC

[Skunky]

Hey everyone,

So I'm planning on getting my first PC, but I have pretty much no knowledge on this subject when it comes to best parts etc (especially when it comes to motherboards, power supply, cooling, and cases). It will be primarily used for gaming. I won't be aiming to play the latest games on ultra settings at 100+ fps or anything, my main goal is to just have a PC that performs significantly better than my laptop does (I5-8300H CPU, 8GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 GPU). My max budget is about £1,800. I Haven't settled on which monitor I will use yet, but will try and get the best one available with a budget of around £200-£250 (ideally 1440p, and a decent refresh rate).

My current build/part list is below. I'd be really grateful for any advice on how it looks, particularly when it comes to bottleneck/balance/compatibility issues, or if there is anything I should be looking to upgrade/downgrade, or add/remove.

Many thanks in advance.

Case
PCS SPECTRUM G ARGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B660-PLUS D4 (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR FORCE MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 4950 MB/R, 4000 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS

 

[sck451]

That's more than possible. We should think about it as a £2000-2050 budget for both monitor and PC to get the best value. I'd start with the monitor: the best bet I can find right now for 1440p is the Asus VG27AQ1A at Currys for £299:

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/asus-tuf-vg27aq1a-quad-hd-27-ips-lcd-gaming-monitor-black-10220251.html

That leaves £1750-1800 for the PC itself. Here's an option in the middle of that range:

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE Better case for airflow
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 10-Core Processor i5-12600K (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache All you need for gaming
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B660-PLUS WIFI D4: ATX, LGA1700, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) Perfectly sufficient for almost all games; an upgrade to 32GB is possible either now or later on for around £60
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR I'd prefer the 3070 for you, but this would be great
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W) Bit of luxury: the super-fast boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW) For game storage
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler More than is necessary for the 12600K, but a good plan to get the most gaming performance possible. The PCS 150 or 200 options would be good enough to save a bit
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
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 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
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 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,778.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/FNuxDbzJtF/

 

[Skunky]

Thanks, that's really helpful. Just a couple of questions:

• Do you reckon it would be worth upgrading the RAM to the 3600 MHz version of the 16GB Corsair for an extra £20? Or is there not much difference between 3600 vs 3200.
• Is there any particular reason for the 850W power supply, as it seems to be more than is technically needed for this system?

 

[sck451]

Thanks, that's really helpful. Just a couple of questions:

• Do you reckon it would be worth upgrading the RAM to the 3600 MHz version of the 16GB Corsair for an extra £20? Or is there not much difference between 3600 vs 3200.
• Is there any particular reason for the 850W power supply, as it seems to be more than is technically needed for this system?

No, I wouldn't bother, personally. The difference is minimal.

It's more than is needed, but not stupidly so. The recommended minimum PSU is a 650W. Realistically you want to leave some leeway, and so that suggests a 750W. The 850W is actually the same price as the 750W (🤷‍♂️) so you might as well have it.

That said, it's broadly good advice to over-spec the power supply so you have room for upgrades later. A 5070 or suchlike in a couple of years' time could require massively more power, so it's good to be on the safe side. Finally, it means your PSU will be operating at its most efficient power level.

 

[Skunky]

Unfortunately, it turns out the i5-12600K is out of stock for a few weeks. Is there a similar CPU you would recommend instead? Would it be worth perhaps upgrading to the i5-13600k, or just waiting until it is back in stock?

 

[sck451]

Unfortunately, it turns out the i5-12600K is out of stock for a few weeks. Is there a similar CPU you would recommend instead? Would it be worth perhaps upgrading to the i5-13600k, or just waiting until it is back in stock?

Definitely, and I'm sorry for my mistake: I should absolutely have selected the 13600K in the first place.