First time designing a PC - I've got a couple of questions

[Joe_B123]

Hey! Like the title says, I'm pretty new to creating a PC so I just wanted to check a few things.

1) I'm hoping to use the 'Asus ROG Strix B450-F' motherboard in my build, and according to other sites apparently doesn't come with WiFi built in. Does this mean that I need to get one of the 'Wireless/Wired Networking' options provided by pc specialist further down the page or are these incompatible with the motherboard, in which case I'd have to get a USB dongle from another site?

2) Using a power supply estimating tool, it estimated my system will require 453W of power. Based on this is it better to go for the 450W power supply option or is it better to bump up to 550W to be safe?

3) What are the 'USB/Thunderbolt Options' components? I'm not sure what they're supposed to do

Sorry for sending loads of questions at once, thanks for any help you can offer!

 

[Scott]

Hi there, welcome to the forums!

You're doing absolutely fine, asking for advice before hitting the button so definitely going about things the right way.

I wrote a bit of a guide here to help non-experienced customers garner an appreciation for the different options available with regards to what is recommended and where they sit within budget.

Desktop Building Guide - April 2023

A "quick" reference guide to building the perfect system. This is the sort of logic I go through when suggesting systems, so thought I would jot it down on the page. Clearly this is an ever changing suite of options but I'll update periodically as my default go-to's change... I'm noticing the...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

If you want help with a specific build we will need to know the following:

What is your budget? Need to know what sort of cash we are working with to get the best bang for your buck.
What monitor are you pairing it with? If you need a monitor as well, include it in the budget above and let us know. Otherwise either the model will be fine or the resolution and refresh rate.
What are your uses? Is it just gaming or are you looking to use it for more professional applications as well? If so, which ones?

From the above we can help you pick out a perfect system and are more than happy to propose configurations for you to look at. You're not expected to go it alone at all

 

[Joe_B123]

Okay sure! My current build is £846, which was higher than I was hoping for but still manageable. I don't want to go much higher than that because I also need to buy peripherals and that sort of thing but maybe £900 on the actual PC unit would be my maximum. I haven't even looked at monitors yet, I had thought I'd buy an actual monitor over a tv but the monitor would likely be about 22'. As I'm new to this I definitely don't need a top of the line monitor, I was hoping to spend about £100 maximum on that. I'll use it mainly for low intensity university work (no heavy programs) and gaming, hopefully at some point I'll get into VR stuff. Hope that helps!

 

[Scott]

Do you need to include Windows in your build or do you have a license you can transfer? £900 is really cutting it fine to cover all bases for a gaming build. I can definitely do it, but with Windows included I'll have to cut a few corners.

You also need to manage your expectations. An entry level VR build is going to be £1200+ to be honest.

 

[Scott]

This is £15 over the maximum. The only compromise is mass storage. I would recommend adding a mass storage drive for generic documents, music, videos etc. External drive would be fine though if that was your thing. Can be added at any time.

One more thing to consider is the PSU. I've gone with what I would normally recommend as a starting point. If you're serious about VR then you will want a 2070 Super (or equivalent) at some point. In this instance it would be better to select the 650w TXm (around a tenner more) in order to cover any GPU upgrades you were to put in.

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W 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
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
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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 18 to 20 working days
Price: £915.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/YQE5708TD4/

 

[Joe_B123]

No I don't have a windows licence I can use, does the £1200 cover the vr headset do you mean or is that just for a PC that can handle VR?

Thanks for suggesting the build! just looking at it, I'd heard some sources say 8GB of ram is enough for vr but is that not really the case?

If I absolutely had to I could either stretch the 900 a bit or wait a while and save some more if that was absolutely required but I was hoping to avoid it if I could!

 

[Scott]

No I don't have a windows licence I can use, does the £1200 cover the vr headset do you mean or is that just for a PC that can handle VR?

Thanks for suggesting the build! just looking at it, I'd heard some sources say 8GB of ram is enough for vr but is that not really the case?

If I absolutely had to I could either stretch the 900 a bit or wait a while and save some more if that was absolutely required but I was hoping to avoid it if I could!

For VR, Just to get going you are looking at a 2060 Super. Ideally, you would want a 2070 Super. If you wanted a high end headset you need the 2080 Super (I have the Valve Index and my 2080 can sometimes struggle, even overclocked).

It's a completely different beast getting into VR properly. You need the system I've posted along with a 2060 Super for it to be worthwhile. You would be aiming for an Oculus system or the standard Vive to pair with the 2060 Super. I have the GTX1080 in my laptop (comparable with the 2060) and it did a fine job with the Vive. When you get to the high end kit though it needs a bump.

 

[Scott]

Below would be a starter VR system. Again, there's a caveat. For this to be worthwhile you would need to be purchasing the VR kit in the next month or so. There is no point spending all this cash on a high end GPU only to find when you buy the VR kit, the next generation of GPU that would cost the same money makes the one you bought look silly.

This is where we will be come September. When the 3060 comes out, it's going to make the 2060 Super look silly and be at a similar price point. If you went with the 1650 Super just now, and saved for the VR kit and the GPU at the same time... with a view to purchase in October(ish) you would get more bang for your buck and you could sell on the 1650 Super to get some wedge back.

If you want to go down this route you want the 650w TXm regardless.

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/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
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
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 [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 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
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 18 to 20 working days
Price: £1,222.00 including VAT and Delivery

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