Help with new build.

A

AJON93

Member
Hey guys. I want to buy a new desktop and needed some help. I will be using the PC for everyday use, gaming, streaming tv. I currently have a gaming laptop that cost around £1500 5 years ago. The laptop is slowly dying, it did not manage to keep up with modern gaming for very long. I was hoping to buy a computer that would be competent for at least 5 years if possible.

My budget for the desktop alone is around £1500. I'm not particularly knowledgeable in this area. I would be willing to spend more if necessary, I would just have to save for a bit longer.

My friend recommended this site, was hoping someone could give some advice if possible please. Thanks a lot!
 
polycrac

polycrac

Rising Star
I'm guessing you use one monitor for gaming and have a second for browsing etc. What's the spec of your gaming monitor - 1080p, 1440p, 4k? Does it have a fast refresh rate? e.g. 10Hz, 75Hz etc. Also, what kind of games do you plan to play?
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
For gaming at 4k maybe something like:

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.25GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)

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World War Z & Division 2: Gold Edition FREE w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs!
Motherboard
Gigabyte X470 AORUS Ultra Gaming: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2933MHz ~ (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

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Get Wolfenstein: Young Blood with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1200 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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 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 [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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,485.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

Edit: minor edit to build
 
Last edited:
polycrac

polycrac

Rising Star
great - next question: how much of a hurry are you in? I ask because the Zen 2 CPUs announced a few days ago will be available from the 7th July and they look like they'll beat out the current offerings for price/performance. If you can wait a month or so, you could find much better options available for your build.

**Edit** Ninja'd, with a great build - just to add that if you did buy the above build, you could still upgrade to a Zen 2 CPU later on, should you feel the need.
 
A

AJON93

Member
Thanks for your help both. Just a few more questions if you dont mind

I could potentially wait out till July if it will be worth it? I wouldn't know how to upgrade myself

When buying one of these custom builds, is it ready to plug in and play? Or is there an element of building it yourself?

Finally. If the budget were slightly higher by around £200 are there any important upgrades you would make to that build?
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
It ships ready to plug and play, fully tested.

If the budget were £200 higher I'd agree with the advice above to wait for the new CPUs, which are also heralding other new tech like a new gen of mobos, PCIe 4.0, faster SSDs, etc. I don't think the new gen will be quite as inexpensive as the spec above (prices on the current gen have been falling to pave the way for the new gen), but if you have a bit of wiggle room in the budget then I'd be tempted to hold out for the new stuff as polycrac suggested.

The CPU itself will make little difference to performance at 4k for gaming in most cases, but the new features are probably worth it regardless of CPU performance if the purchase isn't urgent :)
 
polycrac

polycrac

Rising Star
As above, though I'd also use some of the extra money to go for a larger, faster M.2 SSD, something like a WD Black SN75 500GB. I'd also look at a AC type wifi card, rather than a N type one, its a newer format and doesn't cost much better but allows you to get the most from the newer AC type routers.
 
A

AJON93

Member
Ok so if I held out to July I could make use of the new CPU & SSD. Along with altering the wifi card, I'd have a decent setup there? As I'm waiting till July in this instance I can save the extra cash.

My final question is purely cosmetic. Would this work with any of the other cases selected? Also if i add the LED light option, do those also come installed? Want it to look good too

You've both been really helpful, thanks guys!
 
polycrac

polycrac

Rising Star
There's no crystal ball, prices fluctuate all the time so come July you might want to tweak the build. It should certainly fit fine in the majority of cases and the build configurator will tell you if there is a problem. Yes, the rgb strips would be installed and working too.
 
A

AJON93

Member
Ok great. Unless my laptop combusts I'll try and hold out till then. Thanks again guys. I'll probably be back with some silly questions sooner or later!
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
I'd suggest posting again for advice in July before buying because as above, prices will change, PCS's component selection changes, etc.

Other cases would be fine, though again I'd suggest asking for specifics at the time of the build. e.g. there's no point in us having a conversation about the V200 case PCS sell and me saying it doesn't look great for airflow and the Corsair 460X would be better if they've stopped selling one or the other in a few weeks, or life intervenes and your budget changes, etc :)
 
A

AJON93

Member
Yes that sounds like a good idea. I would prefer to be sure before I drop that kind of money.

Do you know if these items will be available as a preorder? or should I just check back in July?
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
I'm not sure. Either way, it's best to wait until reviews by independent hardware sites/reviewers have been published, and these usually come out shortly before launch / sometimes on release day itself. Which is 7th July.

Depends when the NDA lifts. You can always check back before 7th July and see if anyone here knows the timetable for NDAs, review dats etc.

As you say, best to be sure before spending this kind of cash and worth seeing what reviewers have to say about new mobos, new SSDs, new CPUs etc
 
A

AJON93

Member
Hello again! back sooner than expected. My laptop is dead, so I'm hoping to buy today

I've reconfigured with advice from both. I've altered the SSD & wifi card.

I've also changed the case to one i like.

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.
www.pcspecialist.co.uk www.pcspecialist.co.uk

What do you guys think?
 
Oussebon

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Shame about the laptop :(

This is the spec:
(I find easier to read on the forums than in the configurator)

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500P GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.25GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
Gigabyte X470 AORUS Ultra Gaming: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2933MHz ~ (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

down_right_arrow.gif
Get Wolfenstein: Young Blood with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB WD Black™ SN750 M.2 NVMe SSD (up to 3470MB/s R | 2600MB/s W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1900 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/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 [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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
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 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,683.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-pc/sQfdKdk8uJ/

The case is apparently not ideal for airflow. How about the Corsair 460X or 570X?
 
A

AJON93

Member
Thanks for the speedy reply. I like the corsair 570X if you recommend it. The other choice was purely cosmetic.

So I think this is it! I am hoping to buy today
 
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