Seeking Advice - PC Specs for First Timer

Hey ya'll -

This will be my first PC ever and I'm looking to hopefully buy something powerful. I'm not super savvy on what I might need so any and all advice is welcome! I have been doing a lot of lurking around forums but want to get a few opinions before I bite the bullet.

I've been a Mac user forever and their sheer lack of upgrades and pro machines for £6000+ (that aren't anywhere near as powerful) have forced my hand so, it's time to join the world of PCs.

I currently work as a concept artist so need something that can handle running 3D software (ZBrush, Blender, Maya, Keyshot, Marvelous Designer to name a few) and Adobe suite (Photoshop, InDesign etc.). I tend to run multiple programs at once as I jump from different software whilst I'm working so need something that can handle running a few things at once. Would love to dabble in Unreal eventually..

I'm also stoked about Cyberpunk coming next month and wanting to game on my PC so it's likely I'll want something that will run games pretty good too! (Less of a concern though as a workstation comes first, gaming is a plus.) :)

My budget is ideally no more than £2,500. I think this config is around 2.2k.

Stephen (from PCS) very kindly put some specs for me together but I made some tweaks as I had a little bit of money to play with and after speaking to my colleagues they had suggested waiting on the new RTX cards coming out (he suggested a 2070 Super) and as the price wasn't too different.. I'm wondering if this'll work! Open to upgrading parts in the future but ideally wanna get something solid down in the meantime.

Thanks for the help!!

_______________________________________________
Case
Corsair 275R Airflow Glass Gaming Case
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Ten-Core Processor i9-10900K (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache (Pre-Order Only)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF Z490-PLUS GAMING (LGA1200, USB 3.2, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB)
OR
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 32000MHZ (2x16GB)
(Not sure which is the better option, is 64GB overkill?)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s
(Went for bigger storage as storing 3D assets can get veeeery heavy)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W 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 INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
 
Given your uses, this is what I'd go for...almost an ultimate system. Slightly over-budget at £2665 (including the 3070 GPU) but well worth the extra as it gives you miles more power than the Intel build:

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 500D SE CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16 Core CPU (3.5GHz-4.7GHz/73MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st Storage Drive
2TB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 470MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 2500MB/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 PLATINUM 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
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
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 11 working days
Price: £2,158.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/pSvBNUw7eg/
Thank you for taking the time to reply!

Knowing very little about the Intel and AMD processors, are there benefits for going for the AMD over intel?

Also more of an opinion I guess but the Corsair Obsidian case looks like a rave in a box and I'm not sure I'm that down with the gamer kids to have that glowing under my desk all day haha!
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
 
Hey @Nursemorph / @SpyderTracks I've made some adjustments, any thoughts?

My only concern with this is regarding cooling, I went for the Fractal 7 case as I wanted something a little more understated but my worry is without airflow from the front is this gonna cause a huge problem for the system? The case has by far been the hardest thing to decide on..

I also decided to go for the Noctua cooling over the H115i liquid cooling as it came highly recommended by a few people I know who have built PC's with them.. Also just went for the cheap extra fans for now as I plan to replace those with something different a bit later on.

Hopefully I'm getting there :')

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 / 8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 2500MB/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
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,567.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/mN!pmsZfcb/
 
Last edited:
What level of CPU did the people recommending the Noctua have? Just curious. personally, I wouldn't go air cooling for a chip at that level as I'd be concerned over it's ability to keep the CPU cool, especially if run hard....water coolers are just more efficient at it, the H115i is also quieter than the Noctua as it's fans aren't normal fans. But it's your money and your choice.

As to the case, if you want quiet then the Define 7 is the case to go for. Ordinarily I'd say the case is fine for cooling...however, the Noctua changes things a bit as it moves air differently than the H115i. The H115i (and H100i) both expel air directly out of the case through the roof so airflow through the case is less important...the Noctua still relies on airflow through the case so the case needs better airflow. I'd say go with the Meshify (the one to the right of the Define) as it's a bigger case with better airflow..downside is it's not as quiet as the Define
Ah, I couldn't say exactly (sorry I didn't ask) but one guy did mention he was running 'better' CPU than what I was looking at and using the Noctua - your guess is probably better than mine!

No no I really appreciate this kind of advice, and thank you for explaining the differences. Obviously I want to get it right because I would be devastated spending this sort of money only to have it break in a few months.

I think my worry with water cooling as well is, currently not being savvy enough with how to fix it, if something does happen to go wrong the last thing I'd want is water leaking out onto the components. I'm not sure how often this happens but it's something I'm trying to consider for sure!

The Meshify does look pretty huge but perhaps a small sacrifice for decent airflow. I'm definitely trying to prioritise airflow over a super silent machine so that's not as much of a dealbreaker tbh.
 

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
The closed loop liquid coolers by Corsair are fantastic and have extremely low failure rates, you really don’t have to worry about them. And even if it did have an unlikely leak the liquid used is non conductive so it wouldn’t fry your system.
 
Water leaking is, understandably, a concern for those not familiar with liquid cooling. The All-in-one coolers like the H115i are very, very reliable these days...failures resulting in leakage are rare (I have yet to see one complaint of it in the year I've been around this forum), it is usually a failure of the pump or fan but not leakage. And, if on the rare occasion there is a leak, it is not loads of water running everywhere like a burst tap...the cooler system only contains a couple of ml of liquid (maybe a teaspoon full, maybe a small dessert spoon) and it isn't really lquid as it is water that has had a thickened added to it...it's more of a syrup type of texture. Mostly it just makes a small mess rather than breaking anything.

If you go with the H115i, then the Define case would be fine
It's definitely something I'm researching and will no doubt get more comfortable with when I own the PC and are able to check out the parts myself but that's reassuring to hear from you and @AgentCooper ! I guess there's always pros and cons to everything.. I'm glad I've got until the 29th for the 3070 as I have jumped from so many different specs..

So with that in mind, pushing my budget a little bit (as I'm realising that I probably shouldn't skimp on anything) this is what I've got obviously minus the 3080 and the 3070 instead -

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 2500MB/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 PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,627.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/AwTXH5m5gr/
 
You want the H115i RGB Platinum cooler instead...it's a newer model, has a more efficient heatsink and is £13 cheaper. I'd also remove the extra case fans...they won't be the quietest fans around which kind of defeats the purpose of a quiet case. Cooling should be fine as is but, if you find it's needed, better to spend a bit more for higher end fans like Corsairs (to match the cooler fans) or Noctuas. The H115i also comes with paste pre-applied so that option isn't needed either. Have updated your spec to include those things:

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900XT 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 2500MB/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 PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,618.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/nQcYg3qw3u/
Thank you!!

Yes I did just notice about the H115i RGB Platinum cooler which I adjusted, and noted about the extra fans! The idea was just to have something there in the meantime until I can update them - but that's good to know the cooling should be sufficient!
 
Is it worth considering waiting for the new AMD 5900X CPU that’ll be available to order on 5th November, given the uses?
I had definitely considered it - being that the NVIDIA 3000 cards are in such high demand, if I was to wait until the 5th, do you think there would be a long delay for my build? I had planned to purchase on the 29th so I didn't miss out but I know it might be worth the extra wait for the new CPU's.. (I know you guys don't work for PCS but just assuming you might know from other posts here)
 

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
I had definitely considered it - being that the NVIDIA 3000 cards are in such high demand, if I was to wait until the 5th, do you think there would be a long delay for my build? I had planned to purchase on the 29th so I didn't miss out but I know it might be worth the extra wait for the new CPU's.. (I know you guys don't work for PCS but just assuming you might know from other posts here)

I get the feeling that demand for the 3070 won’t be quite as high as the 3080 given that there’s less bragging rights for the 70s. And the fact that Nvidia have pushed back the global release from the 15th to the 29th means that they’ve learned their lesson from the recent debacle and will aim to have more plentiful stock. But it’s impossible to give a definitive answer on that one... 🤷‍♂️
 
I get the feeling that demand for the 3070 won’t be quite as high as the 3080 given that there’s less bragging rights for the 70s. And the fact that Nvidia have pushed back the global release from the 15th to the 29th means that they’ve learned their lesson from the recent debacle and will aim to have more plentiful stock. But it’s impossible to give a definitive answer on that one... 🤷‍♂️
Of course, understandable. Appreciate the speculation at least :)

I suppose I've waited this long I guess waiting a little longer won't hurt!
 
From what I’ve seen of the specs for the new Ryzen chips I reckon it’ll be well worth it 🙂👍
Of course I choose to build a PC in a time where all the new stuff is coming out.. This PC is already way more than I bargained for but, when something is shiny and new I just can't resist. :D

Thanks to you and @Nursemorph for the advice and being patient with this newbie :)
 
@Nursemorph @AgentCooper sorry I'm back again with more questions..

The Meshify S2 looks pretty enormous but I'm definitely into the design. I've been swayed by the Fractal Meshify C so might send one in to PCS for my build, do you think my components will fit? Trying to find this info is really really hard lol
 
If you go for the Meshify C you would need to dop the cooler down to the H100i as the top radiator mount on the Meshify C only supports 240mm and the H115i is a 280mm one. Other than that, everything will fit....not the biggest case around but is still a decent case...I'd probably buy an extra fan from somewhere to fit as it only comes with one front and one rear fan


You can get the Meshify C for under £100:

Thank you! Exactly the advice I need :) I like that it's quite compact and seems a great choice for airflow so *hopefully* I've got a good combination going now :D
 
No problem. Given that you are getting a 3080 and it has a reasonably high thermal output, I'd reiterate getting another fan to go at the front to help get air through.

Actually, the case is able to house 3 front fans so I'd actually get another 2...maximise the amount of air going through the case. You can get matching fans on Amazon:


Or if you want to get them elsewhere they are: Fractal Design 120mm Dynamic X2 GP-12 fans
Awesome - will grab extra fans when I order in the case!
 
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