Check my gaming spec

bluezone

Member
Odd that PCS would pull the R6. Could be worth calling them to ask if they expect it might be coming bac
So it's out of stock till end of November and the Gamer's Nexus test showed it only a few dB louder. I added this build on a couple of other competitors but they have various things unavailable too.

I like the idea of the line-in/out on the Strix mobo. I've some audio stuff I might want to do. That board an okay equivalent do you think?


None of the AMD build card options have Wifi built-in, is there a downside to having separate hardware for this?


Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY S2 BLACKOUT TEMPERED GLASS
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

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Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

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The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

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Get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
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
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 [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
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 10 to 12 working days
Promotional Item
The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/S7F0A24pUt/
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
is there a downside to having separate hardware for this?
No - but go for the AX200 card instead as it has a lot more features for very little more cash.

If you're sure you need the SPDIF Out for your audio stuff, then the Strix is unfortunately the cheapest board offering that (it's fine, it's just a shame it's not cheaper!). Given that the cheapest sound card PCS sell with optical out for the audio is already £40 then I would go with the Strix over a cheaper mobo + separate card.

Spec looks great :)
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Thanks for all your help! It's ordered! :)

Now to get the monitor and keyboard! Might be worth waiting for Black Friday
It's worth looking now on Amazanonian, they've already started reducing some items in preparation, I've already found some incredible deals on gaming headphones and audio equipment.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
*checks Gigabyte AORUS monitor* Bah, still £535. And the LG is still nowhere to be seen.

I could go with the Gigabyte for that price, but not with the LG on the horizon. If it is actually on the horizon...
 

bluezone

Member
It's worth looking now on Amazanonin

Thanks, yes, some are dropping a bit :)

*checks Gigabyte AORUS monitor* Bah, still £535
Oof that monitor does look good! It's dropped by £50 here according to pricespy. That enough of a drop for you?

I've been looking at this Asus TUF gaming one but it's probably too good for its own good and while it seems favourable on tftcentral, various customer reviews on A show the backlight leakage is bad.

In other news, i've stumbled across this video - First 4 Things To Do After Ryzen Build. Will I need to do any of those things/do you think PCS updates BIOS? I could always ask them...
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Thanks for the tip :) I won't buy from an overseas store due to the return costs if there's an issue. I passed on monitor deals on Newegg for a similar reason.

I bought 2 GPUs from Amazon France. First I returned as it was not working right. Lost like £40 on the insured postage. Second one I really, really wish I'd just returned and taken another ~£40 hit on instead of lumping myself with it.

And tbh probably won't order from any store in the UK other than Amazon as I don't really want to have to fight e.g. ebuyer over my return rights.

"A dead pixel's not a fault" "Regardless of that I have the right to return" "But you opened the box" "But I'm allowed to inspect"... or whatever variation of that conversation. No thanks!

The Asus TUF does look good. Tbh any monitor of this class will have a risk of bleed/glow/dead pixels etc, but the reports don't look worse than the next model along.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
There are a few stores that offer(ed) dead pixel checks.
One still offers them. But their selection is limited, their prices are high, and the dead pixel check is on top of that.
Another offered a special guarantee on Asus ROG monitors, but seems to have withdrawn that (I think Asus used to offer it, then stopped, the store carried on offering it, then dropped it eventually)
Another has stopped offering it on monitors over 22"
Another offers panel checking for a very low price but doesn't actually guarantee they won't ship you a monitor with a dead pixel.

Read into the low availability of dead pixel checking services what you will...

I'd be tempted to just buy a £450 monitor from the first store for ~£600 - I would genuinely consider paying 25-30% more for a monitor if I could guarantee it wasn't going to be a dud (having had 4 out of 5 that were). Except there's still the chance of excessive bleed or glow and then I get to have the returns argument with them anyway.
 

bluezone

Member
Sounds like you've had a right nightmare. Looks like those zero dead pixel warranties are the way to go. The specs of the Gigabyte Aorus looks amazing, I think I'm sold! The local gaming store sells the QX and QG models but not the QD.
 
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