First gaming PC build - budget Ā£2100

S

sunnylex

New member
Hello all, as you can gather by the title this will be my first gaming pc and it would be great if you could look at the specs and check to see if everything is good or could be better.

I am completely new to this so I apologise before you continue šŸ˜… I've done some research but it started to overwhelm me a little because it's such a new thing for me to get into, luckily I saw you guys had a forum!

Budget and RAM:
My budget was originally Ā£2000 but I wanted to upgrade the ram to 32gb. Please tell me know if it was a good choice or unnecessary from the 16gb I originally chose before.

Budget is now Ā£2100.

Used for:
  • The pc will mainly be used for gaming - GTA 5, RDR2, FH5 and any games that are kind of similar.
  • Photo editing, office work.
  • Recording/video editing but this is not essential as I'll only do that if the pc is perfectly capable.
If I ever streamed in the future would this be good? Or would it be an upgrade later on? Which I'm fine with as it's not a priority and probably won't be for a while.

Case:
I am completely unbothered by how the case looks. I'm more or less concerned on making sure everything is cooled and has good airflow. I've been looking for tips on cleaning, cooling etc but if you have any you'd like to share it would be appreciated.

Monitor:
As for the monitor - I'm going to buy this separately just because I need to wait for my next payslip, luckily it's soon so it won't be too much of a wait difference between the build and monitor.

I do have a Philips Ultra HD 4K HDR smart tv for temporary use only, if I needed to get something out of my monitor budget? Though I feel like it would be better to wait anyway as I'm aware of the build time below and would most likely have a monitor for the arrival.

My budget for this would be Ā£150-300. I could potentially go a little higher but not right now. If it's fine to temporarily use the tv until late next month then I could definitely go Ā£350-Ā£400.
I don't have a monitor in mind so suggestions would be great!


I'm a little unsure of the wireless network card situation - is this correct?

I'd personally like to stick with AMD just because it's been recommended by people in the forums. And I tried intel but just went over my budget.

The build came to Ā£2080.

Quick question - Will the pc come built? Sorry if it's a common question. I would rather not do this myself just yet until I've gotten more confident with the components etc. If extra needs to be paid I can do that. Home installation isn't needed though.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT Eight Core CPU (4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUSĀ® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
500GB Samsung 870 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTELĀ® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIESā„¢ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUSĀ® 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
WIRELESS INTELĀ® 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 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 365Ā® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
MicrosoftĀ® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Adapter Cable - DP to HDMI
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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 14 to 16 working days
Price: Ā£0.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/kee2WdNmRd/
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Hi there! Welcome to the forum. This doesn't look like a bad start at all, but I think you can probably do a little better for your money. This is a very generous budget for gaming, photo editing, video editing, so we can definitely do it all. I'd make a couple of small downgrades and a few big upgrades to build really solid foundations.

In terms of displays, you can certainly use the TV in the short term (the 3070 Ti will have an HDMI output so you don't need the adapter). This comes in at Ā£2063, so perhaps we can push your monitor budget up to Ā£440? In that case you can go for a UWQHD display, which is an amazing experience. The AOC CU34G2X/BK is available for about that price (Ā£438 on Amazon) and would be a really good match for the system.

Here's what I'd recommend:

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) - much more modern and much faster CPU
Motherboard
ASUSĀ® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)- enough for gaming and entry-level video editing: and it's easy to add more
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE - for bulk storage
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)- boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTELĀ® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) - games/projects drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIESā„¢ MODULAR 80 PLUSĀ® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET - excellent quiet, efficient CPU with capacity for upgrades
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
WIRELESS INTELĀ® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0 - the ideal WiFi card here
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 365Ā® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
MicrosoftĀ® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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 14 to 16 working days
Price: Ā£2,063.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/WdzfgmFz8G/
 
JUNI0R

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
sunnylex said:
I wanted to upgrade the ram to 32gb. Please tell me know if it was a good choice or unnecessary from the 16gb I originally chose before.
Click to expand...
For your primary use case 16GB will be ample. It should also be able to handle some hobbyist level photo and video editing. if you find yourself needing an upgrade, RAM is a super simple upgrade to make.

sunnylex said:
Case:
I am completely unbothered by how the case looks. I'm more or less concerned on making sure everything is cooled and has good airflow. I've been looking for tips on cleaning, cooling etc but if you have any you'd like to share it would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
The TD500 is a solid choice, well done! Cleaning wise, I have one of these, it's a bit of an investment but works fantastically and is super fun to use. it also works out cheaper than canned air over time

sunnylex said:
My budget for this would be Ā£150-300. I could potentially go a little higher but not right now. If it's fine to temporarily use the tv until late next month then I could definitely go Ā£350-Ā£400.
I don't have a monitor in mind so suggestions would be great!
Click to expand...
I'd 100% recommend wating until you have that 2nd payslip. For the 3070TI you've got, you'd be looking at 1440p 144hz ultrawide ideally. I'll link a number of choices we tend to recommend

1440p 144hz AOC CQ27G2U I own this one and am very happy with it

1440p 144hz Samsung G5 Well liked by forum owners and currently a fantastic deal

1440p 144hz ASUS TUF VG27AQ IPS panelled monitor that currently has a good saving, if not go for the 1A

1440p 144hz Ultrawide AOC CU34G2X Owned by a number of forum members who have very positive things to say

1440p 144hz Ultrawide Gigabyte M34WQ-EK Well reviewed IPS panel ultrawide

sunnylex said:
I'm a little unsure of the wireless network card situation - is this correct?
Click to expand...
Yup! The AX200 is the card we tend to recommend providing you need WiFi

sunnylex said:
Quick question - Will the pc come built? Sorry if it's a common question. I would rather not do this myself just yet until I've gotten more confident with the components etc. If extra needs to be paid I can do that. Home installation isn't needed though.
Click to expand...
Indeed it will. All you'll need to do is plug it in and turn it on! Well, not quite, you'll need to do some Windows and driver updates, but we'd be happy to help you with them if you're feeling stuck

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) Newer generation Ryzen 7 which is a big step above the 3800XT
Motherboard
ASUSĀ® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) Swapped down to 16GB, for a primarily gaming build, 16GB will be ample. For some hoobyist level video editing it should do the job too. If you do find yourself needing more, RAM is a super simple upgrade
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE Swapped the 500GB SATA SSD for a 2TB HDD, this will give you plenty of space to store photo/ video editing projects you're not currently using along with other general files
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W) Use as an OS and Applications drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTELĀ® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) Use as a game and active project drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIESā„¢ MODULAR 80 PLUSĀ® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Better PSU will allow the PC to run more efficently and quiter
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
WIRELESS INTELĀ® 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 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001] I'd stick to Windows 10 while 11 is still in it's infancy. you'll have plenty of time to upgrade
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 365Ā® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
MicrosoftĀ® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Adapter Cable - DP to HDMI
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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 14 to 16 working days
Price: Ā£2,066.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/rETqVj7Z2U/
 
JUNI0R

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
sck451 said:
Hi there! Welcome to the forum. This doesn't look like a bad start at all, but I think you can probably do a little better for your money. This is a very generous budget for gaming, photo editing, video editing, so we can definitely do it all. I'd make a couple of small downgrades and a few big upgrades to build really solid foundations.

In terms of displays, you can certainly use the TV in the short term (the 3070 Ti will have an HDMI output so you don't need the adapter). This comes in at Ā£2063, so perhaps we can push your monitor budget up to Ā£440? In that case you can go for a UWQHD display, which is an amazing experience. The AOC CU34G2X/BK is available for about that price (Ā£438 on Amazon) and would be a really good match for the system.

Here's what I'd recommend:

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) - much more modern and much faster CPU
Motherboard
ASUSĀ® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)- enough for gaming and entry-level video editing: and it's easy to add more
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE - for bulk storage
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)- boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTELĀ® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) - games/projects drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIESā„¢ MODULAR 80 PLUSĀ® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET - excellent quiet, efficient CPU with capacity for upgrades
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
WIRELESS INTELĀ® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0 - the ideal WiFi card here
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 365Ā® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
MicrosoftĀ® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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 14 to 16 working days
Price: Ā£2,063.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/WdzfgmFz8G/
Click to expand...
Snap! Looks like a lovely build ;)
 
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