Please Check My Build

[PokerFace]

Hi Guys,

So after almost 10 years, my first PCS build has bricked. It had been struggling for a while, so it made the decision for me in the end!

I would appreciate you guys giving my spec the once over, to see what you think, and make sure I haven't made any real blunders.

I use my pc mainly for playing multiple poker tables and running poker software such as PokerTracker4. I will probably be doing some light gaming also, but I don't need the highest settings. I usually have the following programs running simultaneously:
- Multiple poker sites and tables
- PokerTracker4
- A few browser windows (email, Twitter, one or two Twitch streams, etc.)

I need to be able to run 3 monitors. Currently, my main monitor is a Dell 24" 1920x1200, 60Hz. I also have a couple of 20" Dells. I would like to be able to handle at least 3x 24"screens in future, and I want a fairly future-proof build.

My budget is ideally around £1500.

So, a couple of questions:
1) Any obvious changes?
2) Any components that are likely to be a bottleneck?
3) Would you recommend I upgrade to the ASUS TUF X570 (an extra £54). If so, why?
4) How does my selected 6GB RTX 2060 compare to the 8GB RADEON RX580 (which is £38 cheaper)?
5) I know my PSU might be overkill, but I'm happy to have the headroom for future. Any thoughts?
6)



Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 RGB V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
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
Wireless Network Card
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 [KUK-00001]
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
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: £1,449.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

 

[JUNI0R]

Hi Guys,

So after almost 10 years, my first PCS build has bricked. It had been struggling for a while, so it made the decision for me in the end!

I would appreciate you guys giving my spec the once over, to see what you think, and make sure I haven't made any real blunders.

I use my pc mainly for playing multiple poker tables and running poker software such as PokerTracker4. I will probably be doing some light gaming also, but I don't need the highest settings. I usually have the following programs running simultaneously:
- Multiple poker sites and tables
- PokerTracker4
- A few browser windows (email, Twitter, one or two Twitch streams, etc.)

I need to be able to run 3 monitors. Currently, my main monitor is a Dell 24" 1920x1200, 60Hz. I also have a couple of 20" Dells. I would like to be able to handle at least 3x 24"screens in future, and I want a fairly future-proof build.

My budget is ideally around £1500.

So, a couple of questions:
1) Any obvious changes?
2) Any components that are likely to be a bottleneck?
3) Would you recommend I upgrade to the ASUS TUF X570 (an extra £54). If so, why?
4) How does my selected 6GB RTX 2060 compare to the 8GB RADEON RX580 (which is £38 cheaper)?
5) I know my PSU might be overkill, but I'm happy to have the headroom for future. Any thoughts?
6)



Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 RGB V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
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
Wireless Network Card
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 [KUK-00001]
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
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: £1,449.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

This is one epic build, it's almost perfect. I'm not too sure about what is required to run this poker software so I'll come from it with a more general view.

1) The only thing I'd suggest changing is the cooler. The stock cooler will work perfectly fine for the 5600X. If you'd like an uprated one, I'd suggest the Cooler Master 240mm AIO. You could also swap to a faster 980 PRO SSD, but not necessary at all.
2) Nope, this is a beautifully balanced build
3) Nope, I wouldn't. The B550 board is the correct board for the 5600X, I'd only suggest the X570 if you planned to go for Ryzen 7
4) The easiest way to do this is with a video. This shows a comparison between the two where the 2060 beats the 580 it in every test by between 9-50FPS depending on the game
5) Going for a beefy PSU is a great idea and the RMx 850W you have here is a lovely unit

Below would be an example of your spec with the AIO and faster SSD. Although it's worth noting that the RGB RAM is very tall so interferes with where the cooler can be placed and in the TD500, it'd be placed at the front. This might limit future upgrades with GPU size and isn't quite as pretty asthetically, but it's perfectly fine for performance.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
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 PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
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 [KUK-00001]
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
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: £1,495.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/k0ZXuJkes6/

 

[PokerFace]

Hi Junior, and thanks for the reply.
You read my mind, as my 6th question was whether or not I should just use the standard cooler. For some reason I was getting error messages when I tried to post the thread. When it eventually posted, it missed the 6th question and the end of my message.

I think I'll go with the standard cooler then, as I don't want to go down the water cooled route at the moment.

I was a bit concerned about the RGM RAM possibly interfering with the cooler (or something else), especially if I was to change parts in the future. What non RGM RAM would I be able to use instead?

I'll consider the 980 SSD too. Is my 2nd drive ok to load everything other than the OS on?

Thanks in advance for any replies

 

[JUNI0R]

Hi Junior, and thanks for the reply.
You read my mind, as my 6th question was whether or not I should just use the standard cooler. For some reason I was getting error messages when I tried to post the thread. When it eventually posted, it missed the 6th question and the end of my message.

I think I'll go with the standard cooler then, as I don't want to go down the water cooled route at the moment.

I was a bit concerned about the RGM RAM possibly interfering with the cooler (or something else), especially if I was to change parts in the future. What non RGM RAM would I be able to use instead?

I'll consider the 980 SSD too. Is my 2nd drive ok to load everything other than the OS on?

Thanks in advance for any replies

Wow, I didn’t know I was a mind reader 😲 😂 The water cooler I suggested would be an All in one, so it’d be a closed loop meaning it requires no maintenance other than a dust of the fans and rad, which you’d do every month or so with a tower cooler anyway. AIO’s have come a long way recently and are pretty much bulletproof these days. If you’re still unsure, but want to upgrade the cooler I’d go for the Cooler Master 212. That said, the stock cooler will still perform perfectly well.

If you were to go with non-RGB RAM I’d go for the same 16GB 2x8 at 3200mhz (it’ll just be in the section above).

The 980 Pro would be a sweet upgrade, although not 100% necessary. The Gen 3 drives are still blisteringly fast and I’m sure you’d be happy with either ones performance. And yup, your second SSD is good, the PCS M.2’s are fantastic value and a favourite on the PCS forums. Space wise, it really depends on how much gaming you plan to do, if you plan to play a few super large file games (COD Cold War, GTA, MSFS) you might want to consider adding a 1 or 2 TB hard drive, it’ll be super cheap storage and perfectly adequate for any general files you have.

 

[PokerFace]

Hi Junior,
Thanks again for your advice. My order is in, so now the waiting commences!

I went with the spec below, which included changing the cooler, losing the RGB RAM and I upgraded the 1st SSD to the 980.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB 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
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
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 PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
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
Wireless Network Card
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 [KUK-00001]
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
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
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
Price: £1460.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

 

[JUNI0R]

Hi Junior,
Thanks again for your advice. My order is in, so now the waiting commences!

I went with the spec below, which included changing the cooler, losing the RGB RAM and I upgraded the 1st SSD to the 980.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB 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
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
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 PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
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
Wireless Network Card
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 [KUK-00001]
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
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
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
Price: £1460.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

You’re welcome, I’m glad to have helped just a little bit, Your standard build was already fantastic Looks great! I hope you enjoy it as I’m sure you will!

 

[Scott]

I would definitely recommend the 240 AIO Coolermaster here as well. It's a significant step up in cooling and will compliment the build very well.

Genuinely don't get caught up in thinking a water cooler means hassle. AIOs are absolutely no problem whatsoever. Every enthusiast will have one nowadays.

 

[NoddyPirate]

I would definitely recommend the 240 AIO Coolermaster here as well. It's a significant step up in cooling and will compliment the build very well.

Genuinely don't get caught up in thinking a water cooler means hassle. AIOs are absolutely no problem whatsoever. Every enthusiast will have one nowadays.

Ditto from me - you will see a modest performance gain with Ryzen at the lower temperatures too.

 

[PokerFace]

I would definitely recommend the 240 AIO Coolermaster here as well. It's a significant step up in cooling and will compliment the build very well.

Genuinely don't get caught up in thinking a water cooler means hassle. AIOs are absolutely no problem whatsoever. Every enthusiast will have one nowadays.

Ditto from me - you will see a modest performance gain with Ryzen at the lower temperatures too.

Thanks guys, but I've already submitted my build, and paid. So as long as everyone agrees I'll be fine with the cooler I've selected, I'll leave it as is. I don't expect to be pushing my machine too hard to be honest.

 

[NoddyPirate]

Don't let having submitted your order hold you back - you can change anything at any time using the 'Amend Order' function - just paying the difference for the new part (or getting the refund for a cheaper one of course) - up to the time your system goes into building - after that they may be a charge for amendements.

It's up to you naturally - the stock cooler will of course not cause any harm - but all I have seen suggests that it is only just about able to contain the thermals of the 5600X with a small amount of headroom. It will be quite a bit noisier too depending on your uses. If it were me - and I had the money available - I would upgrade to AIO and put any worries to bed.

But again, whatever makes you happy!

 

[PokerFace]

Don't let having submitted your order hold you back - you can change anything at any time using the 'Amend Order' function - just paying the difference for the new part (or getting the refund for a cheaper one of course) - up to the time your system goes into building - after that they may be a charge for amendements.

It's up to you naturally - the stock cooler will of course not cause any harm - but all I have seen suggests that it is only just about able to contain the thermals of the 5600X with a small amount of headroom. It will be quite a bit noisier too depending on your uses. If it were me - and I had the money available - I would upgrade to AIO and put any worries to bed.

But again, whatever makes you happy!

Hi Noddy, thanks for your reply. I didn't select the stock cooler, I upgraded to the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition. Maybe you were looking at my original post?

 

[NoddyPirate]

Hi Noddy, thanks for your reply. I didn't select the stock cooler, I upgraded to the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition. Maybe you were looking at my original post?

(Dear @PokerFace - please ignore any previous messages from NoddyPirate. His kids stole his keyboard.)

AIO would be best - the 212 ain’t no AIO -but it’ll still be a big jump up from the stock cooler. It’ll beat my little tower cooler by a decent margin too I expect and mine makes me reasonably happy. 👍

Apologies - I just got a bit confused at some point reading the thread!

 

[PokerFace]

(Dear @PokerFace - please ignore any previous messages from NoddyPirate. His kids stole his keyboard.)

 

[Steveyg]

The 212 is a really solid respectable piece of kit, certainly up to the task of keeping the 5600x cool... but we like AIO's around here

 

[Scott]

Just had a little look at the coolers. The TDP values still aren't right... that H80 is a beast

If you look at the Coolermaster240 you'll see that it has twice the thermal headroom for £20 more. Well worth the investment but it's only a recommendation, it's not a deal breaker.

 

[NoddyPirate]

Just had a little look at the coolers. The TDP values still aren't right... that H80 is a beast 🤣

Only with the PCS quiet fans minds you! Amazing the difference they make!!

 

[NoddyPirate]

ust had a little look at the coolers. The TDP values still aren't right...

It is a shame that they are so misleading - plenty of folk would order a cooler thinking it would be fine for them on the basis of that configurator.

The AMD stock cooler is listed as 125W also - as far as I can tell, AMD have never made a 125W TDP cooler. The Wraith Stealth - which seems to be what their photo is of and the one that the 5600X comes bundled with - is a 65W TDP thing - at least in it's first iteration anyway - possibly up to 80W TDP in it's latest version.

And other TDP's are listed for coolers which the manfucaturers stopped providing TDP's for....

 

[Martinr36]

Hi, guys! I’m so glad that I’ve come across this conversation. I’m just looking for information that can help me upgrade my PC, and I see I’ve found what exactly I need. Thanks, for your informative discussion.

I'd suggest you start your own thread outlying what you are hoping to achieve and with your current spec included, then we can Taylor to your specific needs