Build advice

A

Auburnt Vixen

Bronze Level Poster
I know it is an unopportune time to create your own first Gaming PC this year still, and I understand the wait for the graphics card.
Though I was in the assumption you could still out in an order, which will be than fulfilled as soon as there is a card available
(aka my point in a waiting list). I really like the set up and the website, so it was weird to me.

So do i have keep randomly looking if i can place a total order at all or can i do without the card but remark to be built only when it's there?

I apologise if didn't explain it well btw, just confused as an autist.
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
No worries, you definitely can make an order and it will be done when the stock arrives, with a waiting list starting with the oldest order first.

However, some cards are out of stock to the extent that PCS have no clear timeframe for when they will arrive, so they are currently greyed out in the selector and you can't choose them. This is the case for the RTX 3060Ti, for instance. You currently can't order that. However, the RTX 3070, which also has more orders than PCS have stock, can be ordered because new cards are regularly being delivered.

What card were you thinking of ordering?
 
A

Auburnt Vixen

Bronze Level Poster
I was thinking of the RTX 3060 ti sadly. I just tried the best price value cut there. The 3070 seems not much more expensive, though it has (though more expensive) ti version as well. Would you say it would be still a good fit for my build or more adjustment (aka costs)?

anyways, thanks for the fast reply!
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
The nearest equivalents to the 3060 Ti are the 3070 (from NVidia's stable) and the 6700 XT (from AMD's). Both are excellent cards for 1440p 144Hz monitors; the 3070 is a bit more expensive. The 3070 Ti seems to have nothing particular going for it. The 3060 Ti is probably the best "value" card (whatever that means in 2021) there is, sadly, which is why it is out of stock everywhere.

If you can say what your budget is and what monitor you're planning to use, we can give you some advice on what kind of build might be optimal for you. If you could post a full build (say with the 3070 in it, for example), that would be great as well.
 
A

Auburnt Vixen

Bronze Level Poster
I figured. it seems the 3070 is only 70 quid more, probably due to raise in cost for the 60ti (or both). anyhow, here is the quote:

Case
THERMALTAKE CORE X71 TEMPERED GLASS EDITION 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)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
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
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet 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
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Speakers
LOGITECH Z623 2.1 SPEAKERS - 200W RMS & THX®-Certified
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
Technician Assisted Installation & Set-Up
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,285.00 including VAT and Delivery
 
MrWilson

MrWilson

Godlike
Pretty good attempt at the spec, could do with a little optimisation though.

Is the PC just for gaming? Any streaming, editing, design etc planned for it?
What monitor(s) do you have or are looking to buy? Make/model or resolution and refresh rate would be handy to know. For £3k you can definitely get a solid 1440p gaming setup.
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
MrWilson said:
Pretty good attempt at the spec, could do with a little optimisation though.

Is the PC just for gaming? Any streaming, editing, design etc planned for it?
What monitor(s) do you have or are looking to buy? Make/model or resolution and refresh rate would be handy to know. For £3k you can definitely get a solid 1440p gaming setup.
Click to expand...
As well as answers to the questions that @MrWilson posed can you also post the configuration link
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Auburnt Vixen said:
yes, gaming and streaming both. i took like 3 days researching and comparing all i could as newbie, youtube is a treasure there.
the monitor is this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07J37NY8X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_6?smid=A2NIA2CGVBCUK3&psc=1
(144hz, 1440p, TN)
Click to expand...

This is a great start. There are a few things that could be optimised a little bit:
  • Upgrading the power supply to the RMx 850W gives you quieter operation, probably longer lifespan and more capacity for future upgrades
  • Upgrading the memory speed to 3200MHz is really important for Ryzen's performance
  • You can sort a much faster storage configuration by using M.2 SSDs rather than the older SATA ones. You can have a 980 Pro (the fastest there is) as a boot drive, and then one of the PCS ones as storage for games.
  • Upgrading the cooler to watercooling is probably necessary for the 5800X, which is a very hot chip. The Noctua is great, but you'll get better performance out of a Corsair AIO cooler.
  • Don't pay for the technician! They don't do much more than plug the thing in for you. If you want help doing setup, any of us would gladly do that for you.
  • The case is enormous: it comes on a pallet because it's so big. Is it one you particularly want? I'd go for something more modestly sized like the Fractal Define 7 (a great case, certainly the best with space for an optical drive).
  • I'm not sure whether those speakers are the best value for money. It's not something I know much about (I don't actually have any speakers on my PC, because I'm weird), but they seem remarkably expensive to me. Do you have particular requirements for them?
Finally, the monitor. Do you already have the monitor? It's OK, but it's not exactly ideal because TN panels are not as good as VA or especially IPS ones. The popular monitors under £300 on this forum are the Samsung G5 (curved screen) and the AOC Q27G2U (flat screen). They'd both be much nicer and not cost a lot more.

This seems like a lot, but it's really mostly minor tweaks to what is a really good build. Here's my suggested build for you (with the speakers left in):

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER 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)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
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)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
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
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet 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
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)
Speakers
LOGITECH Z623 2.1 SPEAKERS - 200W RMS & THX®-Certified
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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: £2,327.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/VKuAHqYeST/
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
This is what @sck451 build comes to if you put a corsair AIO cooler in

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER 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)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
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)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
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
Corsair H115i 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
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 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)
Speakers
LOGITECH Z623 2.1 SPEAKERS - 200W RMS & THX®-Certified
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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: £2,386.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/bppBdJMaZN/
 
A

Auburnt Vixen

Bronze Level Poster
I appreciate the help, though I also need to check my budget.
I couldnt find a good way to comapare the Mhz for the Ram, though in benchmarks it doesnt show any big effect besides minimal fps plus and in the level that is important to me (like 144hz is already more than that).
I decided against a IPS screen as it seems all in either price category or resolution can only do 60hz. So i rather the advantage from the GPU than restrict it for better colour. unless those are as cheap.
I decidely didnt want liquid cooling. And I read about the hot CPU, though it doesnt seem universal and I found a video how to fix it if it is the case. :)
Speakers where just a gimmick as much cheaper as on amazon and my gf wanted a good bass. Though i totally would sacrifice that for budget.
The case I choose cause it needed to fit the cooler AND the blu-ray drive (we need it to watch things region-free and it is still cheaper than cheaper case + blu-ray player). or does it have any disadvantage for such a big one?
- i already choose a compromise between budget and quality with the power supply. same with the hard drive and ssd

of course if it would be really different with the 3070, that could be another story

but thank you for the note with the technician, quite the rip-off if you dont know that.
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Auburnt Vixen said:
I appreciate the help, though I also need to check my budget.
Click to expand...
Apologies -- I think I misunderstood you. I thought you were saying that £3k was the budget for screen and tower. Savings can definitely be made. (I'd personally drop the 5800X to the 5600X instead as the first obvious saving, which also allows a cheaper motherboard.)

Auburnt Vixen said:
I couldnt find a good way to comapare the Mhz for the Ram, though in benchmarks it doesnt show any big effect besides minimal fps plus and in the level that is important to me (like 144hz is already more than that).
Click to expand...
That's because the games are generally GPU limited not CPU limited. This is likely to be the case for a while, but in the lifetime of the PC it may well be that some games end up CPU limited for you, and then the RAM speed will make a significant difference. Other tasks (e.g. streaming) will definitely prefer the faster RAM if they are heavily using the CPU.

Auburnt Vixen said:
I decided against a IPS screen as it seems all in either price category or resolution can only do 60hz. So i rather the advantage from the GPU than restrict it for better colour. unless those are as cheap.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'd go for a VA screen like the ones I suggested above. I have the AOC Q27G2U, which is a 1440p 144Hz VA display.

Auburnt Vixen said:
I decidely didnt want liquid cooling. And I read about the hot CPU, though it doesnt seem universal and I found a video how to fix it if it is the case. :)
Click to expand...
Fair enough: I actually also run a Noctua cooler (the NH-D15S) on my 5600X. The NH-U14S should be OK for the 5800X, though I'd be a bit nervous about whether it might prevent some degree of boost.

Auburnt Vixen said:
Speakers where just a gimmick as much cheaper as on amazon and my gf wanted a good bass. Though i totally would sacrifice that for budget.
Click to expand...
Fair enough!

Auburnt Vixen said:
The case I choose cause it needed to fit the cooler AND the blu-ray drive (we need it to watch things region-free and it is still cheaper than cheaper case + blu-ray player). or does it have any disadvantage for such a big one?
Click to expand...
The only problem with it is that it's nearly big enough to get stuck in the Suez Canal! It's an amazing case, and if you have the room and the budget, great, but it's just outrageously huge. As I say, though, the Fractal Define 7 also supports the Blu-ray drive, which is why I selected that.

Auburnt Vixen said:
- i already choose a compromise between budget and quality with the power supply. same with the hard drive and ssd
Click to expand...
I'd hesitate to go for the cheaper power supply, personally, because it can mean a huge saving down the road when it comes to an upgrade of graphics card. But you could go for the TXm 750W one: that little bit of headroom could make all the difference.

With the SSD, I'd go for the 1TB PCS M.2 SSD rather than the Samsung 870. It's literally £1 more expensive and around four times the speed.

Auburnt Vixen said:
of course if it would be really different with the 3070, that could be another story
Click to expand...
You could save a bit with the 6700XT, though Radeon cards aren't as good for streaming.

Anyway, whatever PC you build on these foundations will be great: I hope you enjoy it! We'd all like to see pictures when it arrives...
 
AgentCooper

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
TonyCarter said:
Not sure what you mean about IPS monitors and 60hz, as there are plenty at 144hz and above, e.g. the LG 27GL63T at £249
Click to expand...
Although that is 1080p, which would be a terrible waste of a 3070.

The TUF VG27AQ is a firm favourite in the forum as a great 1440p IPS panel.

I'm also curious about this video that claims it can 'fix' the high temperatures of the 5800X, any chance you could post a link to it, @Auburnt Vixen?
 
A

Auburnt Vixen

Bronze Level Poster
Oh i would like to go with 5600x, but it seems only the 5800x is available for ryzen 7, unless its somewhere else. please tell, i gladly switch if cheaper and more practical.

and i the question with rtx 3070 was only due rarity of the 3060 ti. though if cheaper/still fitting i would go lower, but than certainly off-site, but no problem.
That's because the games are generally GPU limited not CPU limited. This is likely to be the case for a while, but in the lifetime of the PC it may well be that some games end up CPU limited for you, and then the RAM speed will make a significant difference. Other tasks (e.g. streaming) will definitely prefer the faster RAM if they are heavily using the CPU.
Click to expand...
okay that makes sense. future proof is not the main point for me, but something to keep in mind

and sorry it didnt make it clear with budget. it included periphery and streaming set up. (with this screen currently 715).
the IPS is too expensive to me, but the VA seems like a nice choice. does it have the same flexibility in adjustment?
the G5 looks nice too, but even more expensive. it seems only possible if i budget other things.

i guess i have to take money on the case. would have just been lovely to have a side window to see the inside. only optic gimmick i like (like i dont need rgb). but cooler+blu-ray says no (and least on that configuration seems to be the best air cooler)

i checked the higher PUI but even they tell me 850 would be to high. i used a calcualator and a 1/3 on top which gave me 650 btw.
ah i read that part, sck451, yeah upgrade and longetivity - its pretty to sort the budget out.

i put the speaker down to the 50 quid, u think that is enough sound quality?

with some changes i would have that:
Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER 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)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
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
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet 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
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)
Speakers
LOGITECH Z313 2.1 SILVER/BLACK SPEAKER SYSTEM
Surge Protection
6 Socket 2m Surge Protector
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: £2,113.00 including VAT and Delivery

still on the fence with PUI. like does save so much that the investment is right? even with 750w here i am technically 20 over 3k.
i guess if i could take cheaper and more fitting 5600x somewhere (and still works with 3070), that could be solution
and yeah still a noob not knowing what she is doing :D
 
MrWilson

MrWilson

Godlike
Been a little out of things here, but still unsure as to why you're sticking with a 3070 for a 1080p 144hz monitor.
This forum favourite AOC monitor is £30 cheaper than the Ilyama you listed above, and with that you get a decent IPS panel. 27 inches on a 1080p display isn't great either, any screen bigger than 25 inches has noticeably worse pixel density.
I would recommend opting for the above and then pairing it with a 2060, 2060 Super or 3060. I would not recommend a 3070 or a 3060ti for 1080p 144hz gaming.
How essential is having a built in Blu Ray drive? As mentioned above it severely limits your case choice. External drives are very solid nowadays and this gives you more case options. Pairing an air cooler with the Fractal Define case worries me a little. Like most quiet cases the reduced noise comes at the cost of poorer airflow; an AIO is highly recommended with that case, especially with a hot CPU like the 5800x. I respect if you don't want an AIO, but with that being the case I would recommend not opting for the Fractal case as you will likely experience thermal throttling.
 
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