Is this spec good for gaming and all-round performance?

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Does the cache size of a mechanical HDD make a big difference to the performance when accessing files?
Not really. Not enough to be worried about anyway. What's more important is how much storage you need. If you think 2TB is way more than you need, stick with that and save cash. If you think you could use more, get the 3TB HDD which will perform fine for an HDD :)
 

films&games

Enthusiast
Hi,

I noticed yesterday that the Fractal Focus G has been removed from the “Select A Case” option

Which one of the below two case choices would be a good alternative?

Would either one be suitable with the CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240?

Which case will provide the better airflow?

CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 750D FULL TOWER CASE

CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ AIR 540 GAMING CASE


Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Either would be fine. The Corsair Carbide Air 540 is a case with outstanding thermal performance, and would be my personal pick of the two.

If buying a £110+ case, you may as well up the CPU cooler to the H100x. It's a more effective cooler, has better quality fans, and is a little more 'in line' with a high end case.
 

films&games

Enthusiast
Hi,

Here is my revised spec with the Corsair Carbide Air 540 case and H100x CPU cooler.

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ AIR 540 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

down_right_arrow.gif
Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

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The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!

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Get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 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
1TB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
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
Corsair H100x 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)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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 Professional 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® 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 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 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,671.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/5st3!yAaFm/

Does everything look okay with the above spec as it is?

Should I keep the BullGuard antivirus?

I currently use the free versions of Avast Antivirus and Comodo Firewall.

Is there the same level of control over Windows Update in Windows 10 Home as in Windows 10 Professional, e.g. delay or defer updates if needed?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.
 
Last edited:

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Should I keep the Bullguard AV?

I currently use the free versions of Avast AV and Comodo Firewall.
I use avast free too. And Windows defender is very good these days too. I'd get rid of the bullguard.

Do you have the same level of control over Windows Update in Windows 10 Home as in Windows 10 Professional?
I'm not up to speed on what Win 10 Home / Pro has, especially with the changes to give people more control over updates that MS added in the 1903 update. See:
 

films&games

Enthusiast
I contacted PC Specialist in relation to the Fractal Focus G case and was told that it was currently out of stock and the estimate for getting it back in stock is roughly the end of this month.

Considering my probable PCS build is the Corsair Carbide Air 540 with the H100x over kill for this spec?

Or might it be okay to keep with Fractal Focus G and Cooler master 240 Lite instead?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
Corsair 540 Air and H100x cooler is more than you need, arguably a bit overkill, but it's a fair way to spend money. A good case and a good cooler are rarely a bad thing. And you're not 'robbing' the rest of the build by picking them. If you ever upgrade to a really powerful (and fairly hot) GPU, the Corsair 540 will be great for that.

However if you'd rather wait for the cheaper case and take the Lite 240 with that, that's a fair decision too.
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Should I keep the BullGuard antivirus?

I currently use the free versions of Avast Antivirus and Comodo Firewall.

Is there the same level of control over Windows Update in Windows 10 Home as in Windows 10 Professional, e.g. delay or defer updates if needed?
I'm a Comodo user too (long term) but I use the full suite and nothing else. Avast and Comodo firewall is a very good choice so no need for Bullguard at all. In any case you should never run two real-time anti virus engines at the same time.

I run Windows 10 Home (1903) and you can pause updates for up to 7 days with that. I believe that with Pro you can delay them much longer. Before you plump for Pro to be able to do that I would suggest that it's extremely unwise to delay Windows 10 updates - many close security vulnerabilities and you want those on as quickly as possible, others fix bugs and you want those as soon as too.

The thing that gives many (most?) people problems with Windows 10 updates is when a new version of Windows 10 is released (1803, 1809, 1903, etc.). Windows Update can install these upgrades and that works well for large numbers of users, but for some it introduces little niggles and problems that seem to get worse with each upgrade. These problems are completely eliminated by doing a clean install each time a new version of Windows 10 is released - that's not as onerous as it sounds, after a few you get very fast at it. :)

However.....it appears from what Microsoft are saying about future upgrades (new versions) that they are moving away from the two new versions each year to one new version containing feature updates (in March/April, the xx03 version), this upgrade should always be installed clean from bootable media and not via Windows Update. The Sept/Oct upgrade (the xx09 version) is now planned to be more of a service pack to the xx03 version and this should be installable by Windows Update without issue. The 1909 version (that is imminent) is the first of these 'service pack' upgrades so we'll know more about how reliably Windows Update installs it in the weeks and months to come.

What all this means is that the need to delay Windows updates is receding. I would advise against delaying regular updates and only the xx03 upgrade needs delaying until you are in a position to clean install it. The seven days delay in Windows 10 Home is more than enough time for that IMO.

I hope all that makes some sense? :)
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
The Air 540 is an amazing case for thermals, if the budget allows I would stick with it. It will serve you for years, and future builds, to come.
 

films&games

Enthusiast
I know that the H100x is a better CPU cooler but how loud is it during operation? Is it okay as it is (stock version) or would it be noticeably quieter with PCS fans, which is £23 more?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
By default the H100x fans can be fairly audible. You could get the one with the quiet fans, or you could get the stock fans and set up a custom fan profile. i.e. make the fans run a bit slower and a bit quieter until you get your preferred balance of temperatures vs noise.
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
If you are considering the quiet fans I would simply go for the H100i Platinum. It has magnetic fans that operate silently. The only noise you get is the air flow.
 

films&games

Enthusiast
As a cheaper CPU cooler option as an alternative to either the H100i Platinum or H100x, which one of the two below would be okay for my spec if I kept the Corsair Carbide Air 540 case?

PCS FROSTFLOW 240 SERIES RGB COOLER

COOLERMASTER MASTERLIQUID LITE 240


Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
As a cheaper CPU cooler option as an alternative to either the H100i Platinum or H100x, which one of the two below would be okay for my spec if I kept the Corsair Carbide Air 540 case?

PCS FROSTFLOW 240 SERIES RGB COOLER

COOLERMASTER MASTERLIQUID LITE 240


Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.

Don't skimp on the cooler.... you can take it with you through future builds. Honestly, it'll be worth it's weight in gold spending some money. I have the H115 and I don't think I'll ever have another cooler for as long as it works. My H60 lasted me almost 9 years and although not a particularly great cooler... the modern AIO liquid coolers stand the test of time.
 

films&games

Enthusiast
Hi,

I have decided that I won't actually ordering my new PCS build until after Christmas - early January.

I have put together two different configurations. Which one would be better for overall gaming and performance?

PCS Spec #1

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

down_right_arrow.gif
Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

down_right_arrow.gif
The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB 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
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP600 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 4950MB/R, 4250MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
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
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)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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 Professional 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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 7 to 9 working days
Price: £1,682.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/XwDPrxd3YF/

PCS Spec #2

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Eight Core CPU (3.9GHz-4.5GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

down_right_arrow.gif
Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

down_right_arrow.gif
The Outer Worlds -AND- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

down_right_arrow.gif
Get CoD: Modern Warfare with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP600 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 4950MB/R, 4250MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
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
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)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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 Professional 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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 7 to 9 working days
Price: £1,868.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/bjffSjHq66/

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
The CPU choice won't make any odds. The 3700X is a fine chip, the 3800X is a promo-only type buy. Only buy it if the promotional offerings are something that you want.

The 2070 is far superior to the 2060 though. If you are going for the 2070 you're looking at high end 1440p gaming so ensure you have a decent monitor to back it up. Otherwise it's a waste of cash.

The prices will have all changed by Jan though so don't get too caught up in the financials just yet.
 

films&games

Enthusiast
The CPU choice won't make any odds. The 3700X is a fine chip, the 3800X is a promo-only type buy. Only buy it if the promotional offerings are something that you want.

The 2070 is far superior to the 2060 though. If you are going for the 2070 you're looking at high end 1440p gaming so ensure you have a decent monitor to back it up. Otherwise it's a waste of cash.

The prices will have all changed by Jan though so don't get too caught up in the financials just yet.

Would it okay for me to drop to the 3700X and keep the 2070 Super? The new monitor that I am thinking of buying after I have eventually ordered and got the new PCS build is this: IIYAMA G-MASTER GB2760QSU-B1 27".

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
No point discussing until you're ready to order tbh.

We could split hairs over cases, SSDs, motherboards, monitors, all the rest, only to find that X isn't available, or Y which wasn't worth buying before is now cheaper, etc. :)

That monitor or one of a similar spec i.e. 1440p 144hz with Freesync is a good match for this sort of system though.

If you were ready to order now, the Black Friday PC deal is a very good spec and cheaper
 

films&games

Enthusiast
Hi,

Does this spec look okay?

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP600 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 4950MB/R, 4250MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
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
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)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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 Professional 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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,709.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/8gv3ff5Wmc/

Or does anything need to be changed?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.
 
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