First time custom PC

Rossco06

Active member
Afternoon,

So this is my first time buying a custom PC so go easy!

I've been primarily a ps4/5 gamer for a while but really want to branch out into modded versions of games I love (DayZ & ARK), plus i really love the graphical freedom that comes with PC in terms of tailoring a game to your needs.

I'm aiming to play at 1440p minimum, i'm a console gamer so anything above 60FPS would be great but up to 120 would be awesome. I would love some feedback to tell me if this rig will be 1) good enough for playing the games mentioned above but also new releases on at least high maybe ultra settings and 2) will be somewhat future proof (i realise this can be somewhat subjective depending on needs).

P.S. this PC will be exclusively used for gaming.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks!

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™ i5-11600K Six Core (3.9GHz @ up to 5.1GHz)
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z590 UD AC (LGA1200, USB 3.2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX, Wi-Fi) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
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
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
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
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
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 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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Speakers
LOGITECH S150 2.0 BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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 15 to 18 working days
Price: £1,888.00 including VAT and Delivery
 

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Afternoon,

So this is my first time buying a custom PC so go easy!

I've been primarily a ps4/5 gamer for a while but really want to branch out into modded versions of games I love (DayZ & ARK), plus i really love the graphical freedom that comes with PC in terms of tailoring a game to your needs.

I'm aiming to play at 1440p minimum, i'm a console gamer so anything above 60FPS would be great but up to 120 would be awesome. I would love some feedback to tell me if this rig will be 1) good enough for playing the games mentioned above but also new releases on at least high maybe ultra settings and 2) will be somewhat future proof (i realise this can be somewhat subjective depending on needs).

P.S. this PC will be exclusively used for gaming.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated, thanks!

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Overclocked CPU
Overclocked Intel® Core™ i5-11600K Six Core (3.9GHz @ up to 5.1GHz)
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z590 UD AC (LGA1200, USB 3.2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX, Wi-Fi) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
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
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
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
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
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 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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Speakers
LOGITECH S150 2.0 BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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 15 to 18 working days
Price: £1,888.00 including VAT and Delivery
Hi there! before we get to any speccing, we'll need to know your budget! Also do you have a monitor in mind? 1440p 144hz monitors are fantastic bang for buck at the moment and really where PC gaming is heading.
 

Rossco06

Active member
Hi there! before we get to any speccing, we'll need to know your budget! Also do you have a monitor in mind? 1440p 144hz monitors are fantastic bang for buck at the moment and really where PC gaming is heading.

Hi there! before we get to any speccing, we'll need to know your budget! Also do you have a monitor in mind? 1440p 144hz monitors are fantastic bang for buck at the moment and really where PC gaming is heading.
Sorry I forgot to put that!

So budget is around £1700 to £1800 and I'm definitely planning on going for a 1440p 144hz monitor but I haven't looked too much into manufacturers yet.
 

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
You'd be better placed with an AMD system over Intel, the new 5000 series CPUs are phenomenal. I've specced you up a system that would be superior and crush 1440p gaming at high refresh. What budget do you have in mind for the monitor? I'm sure we can suggest some good ones for you, depending on what funds you have available.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
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 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
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid 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 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 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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £1,821.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I'd very much encourage you to look at AMD rather than Intel. It will offer you better performance and much, much better thermal performance. The CPU you've specced will be pretty hot, especially overclocked.

I'd suggest something like this. I'd go for a 1440p 144Hz monitor like the AOC Q27G2U (flat) or the C27G2U/Samsung G5 (both curved).

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
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 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
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
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 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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £1,803.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/TZzBC77feH/
 

Rossco06

Active member
You'd be better placed with an AMD system over Intel, the new 5000 series CPUs are phenomenal. I've specced you up a system that would be superior and crush 1440p gaming at high refresh. What budget do you have in mind for the monitor? I'm sure we can suggest some good ones for you, depending on what funds you have available.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
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 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
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid 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 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 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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £1,821.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/tfFvgBBZTa/
Thanks for the feedback!

I'm trying not to spend more than £250-300 on a monitor really. But I'm open to suggestions.

I think I just gravitated towards Intel because they're more familiar but I'm definitely open to AMD if they are proven. Can I ask why you have chosen two separate m.2 drives?
 

Rossco06

Active member
I'd very much encourage you to look at AMD rather than Intel. It will offer you better performance and much, much better thermal performance. The CPU you've specced will be pretty hot, especially overclocked.

I'd suggest something like this. I'd go for a 1440p 144Hz monitor like the AOC Q27G2U (flat) or the C27G2U/Samsung G5 (both curved).

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
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 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
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
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 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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £1,803.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/TZzBC77feH/
Thank you for the feedback!

You guys have piqued my interest now, it's interesting to hear you get better thermals and performance with the 5600X. Is this CPU likely to be a great performer after a few years?
 

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
Thanks for the feedback!

I'm trying not to spend more than £250-300 on a monitor really. But I'm open to suggestions.

I think I just gravitated towards Intel because they're more familiar but I'm definitely open to AMD if they are proven. Can I ask why you have chosen two separate m.2 drives?
Of course, 500GB drive is one of the fastest available and you should really just have your OS and programs on there. You'll have a really fast boot time and everything will be nice and snappy. The second 1TB drive is for fast storage, it really helps with load times for games. The 1TB HDD is just for things like music, videos, documents etc. They gain no real benefit by being on an SSD.

The Samsung G5 is a strong performing monitor at a reasonable price, worth taking a look at as is within your budget.

Thank you for the feedback!

You guys have piqued my interest now, it's interesting to hear you get better thermals and performance with the 5600X. Is this CPU likely to be a great performer after a few years?

The 5600X is probably the best value proposition for a CPU at this current time and should last you the lifespan of the system.
 

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Thanks for the feedback!

I'm trying not to spend more than £250-300 on a monitor really. But I'm open to suggestions.

I think I just gravitated towards Intel because they're more familiar but I'm definitely open to AMD if they are proven. Can I ask why you have chosen two separate m.2 drives?
Thereasoning behind the 2 M.2 drives is you have the OS and programs on the faster one of the 2, then the games go on the other, so should you ever have to reinstall the OS, you don't need to download all your games again
 

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator

Rossco06

Active member
Of course, 500GB drive is one of the fastest available and you should really just have your OS and programs on there. You'll have a really fast boot time and everything will be nice and snappy. The second 1TB drive is for fast storage, it really helps with load times for games. The 1TB HDD is just for things like music, videos, documents etc. They gain no real benefit by being on an SSD.

The Samsung G5 is a strong performing monitor at a reasonable price, worth taking a look at as is within your budget.



The 5600X is probably the best value proposition for a CPU at this current time and should last you the lifespan of the system.
That's brilliant, totally makes sense!
 

Rossco06

Active member
I also am wondering roughly how long turnaround times are for the RTX GPUs? Am I looking at possibly months before receiving my PC or is realistic to expect it within the 20 days they quote?

Thank you everyone for the advice, it's been really helpful so far
 

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
I also am wondering roughly how long turnaround times are for the RTX GPUs? Am I looking at possibly months before receiving my PC or is realistic to expect it within the 20 days they quote?

Thank you everyone for the advice, it's been really helpful so far
For an order with a 3070 card, 20 working days is actually realistic. So in real terms, you'll be waiting around a month (y)
 

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I also am wondering roughly how long turnaround times are for the RTX GPUs? Am I looking at possibly months before receiving my PC or is realistic to expect it within the 20 days they quote?

Thank you everyone for the advice, it's been really helpful so far
As the 3070 is a pre-order card the time they quote won’t be accurate, although from memory the 3070 turn around times are pretty good, I reckon you’d be looking at a calendar month or two. Or if you had an extra £40 To spend you could swap to the 3070TI which currently doesn’t have the pre-order status so the time they quote would be accurate- although that would rely on it staying on non pre-order until your build slot.
 
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