Sanity check required

S

SteelyJohn

Member
Hi folks, I’ve been following the forum for a couple of weeks and hope that I have learned a few things; so, here’s my attempt.

Pre-empting the usual questions, my monitor is a Samsung LU28R55 (Resolution 3,840 x 2,160; Refresh rate, 60 Hz). Budget is £1,300 to £1,400.

In addition to the normal everyday stuff, the PC will be used for photo editing and, to a lesser extent, audio and video editing. For photo editing I use PaintShop Pro (X8 at the moment but will be upgrading to 2022), audio editing is mainly Audacity and a couple of other free programs and video editing is DaVinci Resolve (and occasionally Windows Movie Maker 6). No gaming.

I’ve selected a 250 GB M.2 as the OS and programs on my current PC are on a 128 GB SSD and there’s 32 GB free. Personally, I doubt it’ll get anywhere near half full. I have a couple of HDDs and SSDs I’ll be installing but main storage is provided by NAS.

I’m unsure on a couple of things:

Case. I’m torn between the Corsair 4000D and iCUE 220t; is there much between them performance wise? I favour the iCUE 220t as it has two front panel USB-A ports; I’ve no need for a USB-C port at the front, however, I could live with only one USB-A if the 4000D cooling is a lot better. Note that the PC will be under a desk which is built into an alcove; there’ll be approximately 22 cm clearance between the rear of the iCUE 220t and the wall, 14 cm with the 4000D. Would this suit the 220t better as there will be no rear fan (there will be good airflow at the top of the PC)?

CPU cooling. Originally, I was going to go with the much-fancied CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 but it’s out of stock (too many recommendations?). Is non-stock cooling more of a requirement for gaming systems (I’ve seen a few recommended builds saying that the stock cooler for the 5600x is OK)? I've put the Corsair H100i as a place marker, is it overkill for a non-gaming 5600x (if overkill is possible); would the MasterLiquid Lite 120 be suitable, or the PCS FrostFlow 240? Obviously, I’d like quiet cooling.

All criticism and advice welcome and thanks in advance.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER 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 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
250GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6400MB/R, 2700MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i RGB PRO XT 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
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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
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 13 to 16 working days

Price: £1,347.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/6EzNhaA52U/
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
Your choices look really good to me. The only caution I would advise is the 250GB primary drive. I know you have stated that you won't get past the half way mark but just be aware that if you do, there will be a performance impact. Granted the drives are silly fast and a performance impact might not even be noticed, but it'll be there.

Ideally for the software that you want to use I would recommend the 5800X. It will have a performance advantage over the 5600X in a lot of areas. It would be a more luxury choice though so it's up to yourself if you wanted to part with the extra outlay. Along with the 5800X we would tend to recommend the X570 TUF motherboard. This is not strictly necessary, as the B550 is an excellent chipset, but it does allow for additional VRM cooling and capacity for when on all-core boost.

Now.... there are some important things to understand about your uses. If audio work is something that's very important to you then there's actually a shout for the B550 Strix paired with the 5800X. This motherboard is known to have very low latency, ideally suited for audio work. It depends where this falls in your list of priorities though.

As much as the cooler is OTT for the 5600X, it's actually a worthwhile investment. Not only will it run nearly silent with the 5600X (in quiet mode), it'll also handle much more powerful CPUs should you ever wish to upgrade.

Over-spending on the case, PSU, motherboard and cooling allows you to have free reign of upgrade potential without having to add-on any other supporting parts.
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
All things considered the below would be fairly close to the ideal IMO. Again, there are luxury upgrades to consider:

If audio work is very high on your priority list and you use a number of effects, 32GB of RAM would be a sound consideration.
Similarly, if you have a load of effects you want them on a fast drive. A second M2 drive would make all the difference to loading etc. I understand you use NAS etc but on-board M2 would blow it out the water for commonly used effects. Not to mention using it as a cache/scratch drive.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i RGB PRO XT 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
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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
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 13 to 16 working days
Price: £1,430.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/pK8mj7WNYQ/
 
S

SteelyJohn

Member
Thanks @Scott. When I revisited my build yesterday, the price had dropped by 53 quid and I had earmarked the saving to up the M2 to 500 GB but with your suggestion of the 5800x, you’ve given me something else to think about, especially pairing it with the Strix B550. To be honest, audio work is mainly shortening or slightly speeding up or down clips to fit video, so not that important. With that in mind would I be better off with the Tuf X570 if I opt for the 5800x?

At first your suggested case didn’t appeal to me on looks but it’s growing on me, especially if I was to go for the 5800x. My first choice would’ve been the 4000D but a bit of research has shown that the B550 and X570 motherboards don’t have a USB-C header, so the USB-C on the 4000D front panel wouldn’t be connected (I could always connect a flying lead to the rear USB-C and leave it hanging at the front, but don’t tell @Agent Cooper).

I’ve also noticed that the H115i cooler without the PCS logo is the same price as the H110i, would this be a better choice? I know that it has a slightly lower TDP, but I’ve seen advice saying “if it fits, use it”.

I’m off to see how much is in the piggy banks!
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
It's a toss up really. The 5600X is absolutely fine for all of your requirements where the budget is considered, the 5800X would be a more suitable all rounder.

The X570 has better VRM cooling and will offer a little extra gain in boost clocks etc. I would have no problems whatsoever fitting a 5800X to a B550 but where the budget allows the X570 is definitely a better fit.

The 4000D is an excellent case, there are a number of fine choices but there are certainly ones to avoid. If you have a look through and pick a few that you like we can certainly recommend the best options.

For the cooler, H115i if you want to make the most of it.... when it fits. The H100i will do a fine job but the 115 gives more headroom.
 
S

SteelyJohn

Member
Thanks @Scott, for your offer of help on case selection. Despite the selection of the iCUE 220T in my original build, I’d prefer a plain case; I’m not bothered about RGB and I’m not a fan of the sticky-out/funny-shaped mesh front panel. I like the “box” look of the Corsair and Fractal cases.

I had a look at reviews of the cases and narrowed it down to the 4000D, the iCUE 220T and the Define 7. I had just about decided on the Define 7 (partly because of the 5.25” bay) when I thought I’d better check the space I have - there’s approximately 600 mm between where the front of the case will sit and the wall behind it; this will leave only 25 mm at the rear of the Define 7 so I’m assuming I can rule that out (it’s actually a bit tall too). So, looks like it’s between the 4000D and the iCUE 220T. I have a couple of questions before making the final decision:

iCUE 220T - is it big enough for everything that’ll be installed or will airflow be compromised, especially with the 5800X?

4000D - is ~140 mm at the rear enough to provide decent airflow (the 220T will have ~200 mm)?

Current build (with 4000D) below. It's above my original budget but when I first posted I'd kinda decided that if the 5800x was a better option for my use I could go up a bit. I've opted the 500 GB M2 and for the X570 (with added Wi-Fi at only a fiver extra - well worth it for the Bluetooth).

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i RGB PRO XT 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
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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
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 13 to 16 working days
Price: £1,530.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/GPuecqgBw3/
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
If there's enough airflow around the PC, 140mm vs 200mm at the back is probably of negligible difference. I'd rather have the space inside the case rather than outside, personally.
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
As above. With the AIO setup in place and the case selected there shouldn't be anything to worry about.

You should have seen my previous setup with a Define 6 in a cupboard. The H115i was my saving grace as it kept the airflow through the case at optimal.
 
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