Gaming PC Advice

[Tash]

Hi,

I'm out of touch on current components, so I'm looking for advice on what to look at for:

-Primarily gaming PC, I want to be running things like Starfield and Cyberpunk 2077 with the graphics if not maxed out, pretty high. I definitely want to be able to turn the ray tracing on in cyberpunk.
- Currently running 1440, and probably will be for the next 6 months, but looking to go 4k after that.
- Budget of 2k preferably, could run to 2.5k for a good reason.

Any advice on a good CPU, graphics card, motherboard combination would be much appreciated, then I'll put together a spec and likely ask for more advice on that.

 

[Scott]

This is the most gaming grunt I can get you inside £2500. High settings 4k with ray tracing for £2k just isn't going to happen unfortunately. You need to manage your expectations in this regard as the 4090, which is a £1500 card on its own without a PC bolted to it, will eek out 80FPS.

The 6950XT is better value but the 7900XT will get more frames at the higher resolutions. For a comparable Nvidia card you're looking at the 4080 for good 4K performance. The 4070Ti will fare fine if you want to save a bit and happy with the AI frame generation on etc.

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY 2 LIGHT TEMPERED GLASS
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
20GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7900 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB 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
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
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 9 to 12 working days
Price: £2,377.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/xma2kmkRRw/

 

[Tash]

Thanks, and yes, the 4090 is a bit too steep for my budget. I'm good with my graphics card cost more than my console, I draw the line at it cost nearly as much as my last PC!

 

[Tash]

Hi all,

Here's my spec, which is pretty much a spec Scott suggested yesterday when I was asking for advice on CPU/Graphics/Motherboard. I've left it alone apart from adding a storage drive.

The requirements are
- Primarily gaming PC, I want to run things like Starfield and Cyberpunk 2077 with the graphics high. I want to turn the ray tracing on in cyberpunk.
- At first it'll be on a 1440 monitor, but intending to go to a 4k one in 6 months or so.
- Budget 2.5k

I have one question on the spec, having never used liquid cooling before. I think this system doesn't require regular maintenance, is that right?

And any other suggestions or things I should consider?

Thanks!

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY 2 LIGHT TEMPERED GLASS
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
20GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7900 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX XT RGB 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
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
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 - Approximately 9 to 12 working days
Price: £2,472.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/vFAC3GGKWj/

 

[Scott]

I wouldn't bother with the PCIe card. You will have loads of USB support on the system already. It's a waste of cash IMO.

The AIO is a sealed unit. The Corsair pricing has gone up quite a bit but with that price you get reliability. Good AIO coolers run for 10 years + without any maintenance at all. It should easily outlive the system. My old H50 from the mid 2000s is on it's third build at my Dads house

Additionally, with the 7800X3D it won't be working hard at all. It'll have an easy life for the most part and effortlessly (and silently) cool the chip and generate some airflow.