New Gaming PC

[Scott]

A number of parts are showing out of stock for me so I couldn't select the 2TB (or even better, 4TB) firecuda drives.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-E GAMING WIFI (WIFI 6E, DDR5, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP
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 SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMe 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 H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT 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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £4,046.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/!7UN4QanU4/

 

[karjud]

Thanks for the help Scott. I have looked at comparisons between Intel and AMD on various sites and YouTube between the 7900X and the 12900 and the difference in frame rates is near enough the same with one having advantage over the other in single core and vice versa in multi core. I'm guessing it will be closer once or even better in some instances when the 13th gen Intel becomes more widely available so I will stick with the Intel.
I am going to call this afternoon and amend my order to the smaller 500gb 980 Pro and keep the 2 x 530's (the 500gb 530 is much slower than the 2TB so 980 Pro would be a better choice for the OS) and take out a QVO.
I will opt for a ROG Strix Z790-F MB and go for DDR5 5600mhz, the cost coming in at around £200 more.

 

[karjud]

Case	CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE Change to: CORSAIR iCUE 5000T RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)	Intel® Core™ i7 16-Core Processor i7-13700K (3.4GHz) 36MB Cache Change to: Intel® Core™ i9 24-Core Processor i9-13900K (3.0GHz) 36MB Cache
Motherboard	ASUS® ROG STRIX Z690-A GAMING WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready Change to: ASUS® ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO (DDR5, LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)	32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB) Change to: 32GB Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card	24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive	2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/W) Change to: 500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive	2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/W) Change to: 4TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/W)
1st Storage Drive	2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
2nd Storage Drive	2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW) Change to: NONE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive	NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply	CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Change to: CORSAIR 1200W HX SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® PLATINUM, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable	1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core) Change to: 1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling	CORSAIR iCUE H150i ELITE LCD Display RGB CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste	STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting	2x 50cm ARGB LED Strip Change to: NONE
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 10/11 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 Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Change to: 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 Change to: Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Welcome Book	PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland

 

[Scott]

That looks like a complete beast. It's going to be a power hungry monster but it'll smash all gaming.

You need to make sure you're going to make the most of it monitor wise. 4k 144hz absolute minimum.

With the RAM..... is 6000mhz not an option?

 

[karjud]

So, after careful consideration and a good chat with technical support I decided on a few changes, well a bit more than a few. I understand there are many AMD fans among the experts on the forum but I still decided on the 13th gen Intel. Swapped around the M.2 and SSD configuration, and changed the case. This will hopefully last a very long time and be able to handle any games or software that come out in the future including Unreal 5 engine based games.
I don't think I can improve much on the specifications as I have gone pretty much all out on this build.
My only consideration is between Windows 10 or 11. I have an ASUS Xonar Essence STX to transfer from my current build but I don't think Windows 11 supports it, and with the built in audio on the Maximus Hero I'm not sure whether the sound card from my current build is inferior or not? I bought the sound card to drive my Sennheiser HD650 headphones but not sure what to do here?
Can anyone help me decide the best way forward?

 

[karjud]

That looks like a complete beast. It's going to be a power hungry monster but it'll smash all gaming.

You need to make sure you're going to make the most of it monitor wise. 4k 144hz absolute minimum.

With the RAM..... is 6000mhz not an option?

Hi Scott, will be using the ASUS PG32UQ at 155hz OC 4K, 5600mhz was the maximum I could go for

 

[Scott]

I wouldn't worry about a soundcard at all. If you want premium sound for the headphones you would want an external DAC anyway. The Hero sound will be fantastic, the sound on high end boards is always a premium.

There's nothing wrong with any of that build..... it's exorbitant though, so as long as you've made peace with that it's all good.

 

[karjud]

What do you think then Scott, Windows 10 or 11? and thanks for the advice

 

[Scott]

What do you think then Scott, Windows 10 or 11? and thanks for the advice

I'd go with Win11 personally. It's coming anyway and as it's a new system you are as well starting on the platform that you need the least amount of change from

 

[karjud]

Ok thanks, I was swaying towards Win11 but was not sure if compatibility was an issue with hardware or indeed any software out there

 

[Scott]

Ok thanks, I was swaying towards Win11 but was not sure if compatibility was an issue with hardware or indeed any software out there

Win10/11 are very, very, similar driver wise. Anything that's incompatible between those variants is best avoided anyway IMO, as there's likely good reason (security being the most obvious).

I wouldn't have any reservations with Win11 now and I would actually prioritise getting your hardware suite in line with Win11 rather than using Win10 to get around it.

 

[karjud]

Thanks Scott, the final decision made, Windows 11 it is. I'm so happy that I consulted the forum as it helped me make some decisions. I noted something on another post from Spydertrack regarding the PSU and his opinion on going with a 1200W or even a 1600W, this made me look into this more closely and up the specification in that department.
So thanks to everyone who contributed.