Building first gaming / Photo editing / work PC?

[michael4650]

Hi all. I'm building my first PC and my budget is around 1000 although i've gone slightly over with this build. This PC will be used for a mixture of things: some gaming on modern titles, editing in Lightroom and Photoshop, and Excel for work. I'm currently using a single 1080p monitor but have plans to upgrade to 1440p and maybe a dual monitor set-up. I would like the PC to be quieter if possible.

Case
NZXT H500 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.25GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)

World War Z & Division 2: Gold Edition FREE w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs!
Motherboard
Gigabyte B450 AORUS ELITE: DDR4, USB 3.1 - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 Ti - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!

FREE Geforce Fortnite bundle w/ select GTX cards
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB ADATA SU800 M.2 2280 (560 MB/R, 520 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
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
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance 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
Google Chrome™
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 11 working days
Price: £1,105.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Flo]

Have a look at the below build. Better motherboard for future upgrades and faster SSD. The standard cooler that comes with the 2600x is actually quite decent so no need for an aftermarket one unless you want the build to be silent in which case you may need to look at a better PSU and case. I also added the silver warranty for an extra £5. The wifi card in your build is quite slow. You can either go for a better one or scrap it all together if you plan to use a wired connection.
AMD are supposed to release a new gen CPU at the end of this month so if you are in no rush you could wait and see what that might bring. Possibly price reduction for current gen?

Case
NZXT H500 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.25GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)

World War Z & Division 2: Gold Edition 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 GTX 1660 Ti - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!

FREE Geforce Fortnite bundle w/ select GTX cards
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB WD Black™ SN750 M.2 NVMe SSD (up to 3470MB/s R | 2600MB/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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 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 8 to 11 working days
Price: £1,109.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-pc/GaA6seYwYU/

 

[michael4650]

Thanks for the advice Flo, I don't think it's worth it for me to go for the aftermarket cooler so I'll leave it. I do need a Wi-Fi card though as I don't have good access to an ethernet socket. A couple questions though:

A silly question but if I opt for a Wi-Fi card I still have a LAN port right?
I doubt I will go for the new CPU but what savings can I expect if I buy the same build a month later?

 

[Flo]

Thanks for the advice Flo, I don't think it's worth it for me to go for the aftermarket cooler so I'll leave it. I do need a Wi-Fi card though as I don't have good access to an ethernet socket. A couple questions though:

A silly question but if I opt for a Wi-Fi card I still have a LAN port right?
I doubt I will go for the new CPU but what savings can I expect if I buy the same build a month later?

You are most welcome. If going for a wifi card, invest a bit more in a faster one from the configurator. I believe there is a gigabyte one with bluetooth for about £35. And yes you still have the ethernet port as that comes on the motherboard. I cannot really answer the last question but when newer generations of tech come out the older ones usually get discounted. I doubt it will be a lot though because the 2600x is quite competitively priced already.

 

[Oussebon]

A silly question but if I opt for a Wi-Fi card I still have a LAN port right?

Yes, that's built into the motherboard and is still there, as above.

I doubt I will go for the new CPU but what savings can I expect if I buy the same build a month later?

There seems to be quite a common assumption that not buying the latest tech, but buying an older gen product after a new gen one has released, is the best play because older tech will be cheaper and is therefore a deal.

I can't remember the last time I saw that happen.

What usually seems to happen is that you get newer products offering better performance and with newer hardware features for a similar price.

Either way, wait and see I guess. But we might be pleasantly surprised by price and performance

 

[michael4650]

Yes, that's built into the motherboard and is still there, as above.

There seems to be quite a common assumption that not buying the latest tech, but buying an older gen product after a new gen one has released, is the best play because older tech will be cheaper and is therefore a deal.

I can't remember the last time I saw that happen.

What usually seems to happen is that you get newer products offering better performance and with newer hardware features for a similar price.

Either way, wait and see I guess. But we might be pleasantly surprised by price and performance

Thanks Oussebon. I guess I will wait a little first. From what I gather, the new 3rd gen AMD CPUs are being announced next week and are expected to be released around July time?

 

[michael4650]

You are most welcome. If going for a wifi card, invest a bit more in a faster one from the configurator. I believe there is a gigabyte one with bluetooth for about £35. And yes you still have the ethernet port as that comes on the motherboard. I cannot really answer the last question but when newer generations of tech come out the older ones usually get discounted. I doubt it will be a lot though because the 2600x is quite competitively priced already.

Thanks again, very helpful. I will wait a little for the new cpus to be announced as per Ousebbon's advice, but if the prices are out of my budget I will go with the build you suggested.

 

[Oussebon]

People have been expecting Q3, which probably means July. But we'll see. I'm not surely exactly what to expect tbh, it'd going to be an interesting few months with Zen 2, X570 mobos, Navi, and Nvidia have been teasing something too...