So, here's the thing, when I said I want new pc, is because I need it and I am not really buying for gaming, is for heavy programming, because I started to get into projects where it does require a bit of extra effort, my laptop now is an 8Gb ram with I5 processor, it does the job a bit, but most of the time it overheats with 100% CPU, 70% RAM, especially when I am dealing with biga Data,it crashed and couldn't keep up giving me memory error (trying to convert a 3.2Gb JSON file into CSV, it is for my assignment so I have to) also the reason for me aiming for a good GPU is because I am into a project that uses Unity, now it is in its early stages but later will really blow my laptop (Hp envy 360 2 in 1) if use it for it, especially for 3D stuff, and by the circumstances is that I am sick, so I'm not currently working, which equals to have limited money(my family is on my back, however they already doing me a big favour of paying my tuition fees, so I don't want to be pain in the a**, well not more than I am already anyways), so I repeat, those games are NOT BY ANY MEANS what I am aiming for, I am not into games that much, and I discovered that when I bought my PS5, take the example of my favourite game so far is Rail route more than elden ring, I like them both tho, so yeah, I need one that can handle these task smoothly and that's it, gaming it's just an extra if possible, and 2K is the top limit, but if you guys (since you are the experts here obviously) could suggest even less and more affordable, that would be great, however if it is built to allow more room for future upgrade, that would be brilliant, because I mean I am software engineering student which will graduate soon, so you never know what future hides, in that case I would be able to upgrade it, and here I am talking about CPU and RAM, and memory, not the GPU, because I think any decent GPU can run photoshop and Premier Pro as another example fluently, my laptop does it, not as smooth as someone can dream of, but it does the job at the end of the day, fairly great job actually,with that being said, I am also aiming for content creation, but not those cinematic brilliant amazing videos, just normal tech videos, as you always see, and I am pretty sure they don't really require a monster pc for that.
Spec check for a newbie
- Thread starter AnaKad
- Start date
Aza
Rising Star
Im sorry for your situation AnaKad.... also, for being a nosey bugger about it all as well, It was meant with good intentions so I hope I havent offended.
Woow bro, don't worry it is all fine mate 😂😂, well actually you got some good points, I mean what's the point of spending a lot of money and get high specs to leave sit there and watch YouTube tutorials for coding in it, it doesn't make sense, so that's why I am here to ask experts like you and @Scott, so I just don't fall into the trap of "you need to buy the latest stuff to get the job done" and struggle more than I already am, so mate you are totally fine, I totally agree with you, and please feel free to give any more suggestions or feedback, or if possible help me with a decent build that does the job, much appreciated and thanks
Aza
Rising Star
Is there any stuff that might help free up some budget, you have a laptop right now? So no components you can transfer across, but what about Windows itself?
I saved over £100 by taking the windows from my old system and transferring.... I think that last time I actually bought a copy it was Win 7 with a laptop and its been free upgrades and transfers ever since...currently on Win 10 Pro on a desktop
I saved over £100 by taking the windows from my old system and transferring.... I think that last time I actually bought a copy it was Win 7 with a laptop and its been free upgrades and transfers ever since...currently on Win 10 Pro on a desktop
Aza
Rising Star
The world has gone mad!
I can't transfer components really, because I almost screwed my laptop just trying to clean it, transferring components will be a big challenge, especially that I have a reaaaaally important files I don't to loose, I have buck up, yet I have a lot so I am not sure if I saved all, for operating system, it's not going to be a big issue, I can get Ubuntu system initially until I get extra money for an operating, so that won't be an issue at all
Aza
Rising Star
Components from a laptop generally wont...
But
Storage.... you should be able to use stuff like drives it all depends on what you have and if its worth keeping (guessing the laptop doesnt have M2 SSD, but what about normal SSD drives?)
Windows software... what windows does your laptop run? Used to be able to upgrade win 7 and win 8 to latest version (at least could when Win 10 came out) and you can then transfer to the new system using a digital licence associated with your microsoft account.
Pretty sure youd be able to get a step by step if that sounds a bit daunting, but it WILL save a good chunk of cash.
Scotts build that came in just under £2K can then drop the Win 11 and instantly saved £120
You can also then look at maybe a 850W PSU and tweeking storage options to trim a little more, perhaps even only a 500Gb M2 if you have suitable storage you can swap over from the laptop...
Just getting a little creative to seem if theres any savings that arent going to reduce upgrade potential and still leave you with a solid starting point.
Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
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 INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE 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
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
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 4 to 7 working days
Price: £1,876.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/646Bn4U64R/
You got some valid points, I do have 2 external HDDs, 1 is 4 TB and one is 2(Seagate), and 1 SSD intenso 1TB, so in terms of storage I doing so well since they are mainly used for coding files, except the SSD, i got to run few programs in it and not that bad, the only hassle tho is they are all external so to use them (especially that use at least two at the same time) it requires a lot of USB ports, plus one for the mouse, so maybe one SSD with 500GB would be enough actually, especially that I am not gonna be broke forever 😂😂, so I might get a better SSD and replace it if I feel there's a big need for it, because sometimes I work with big files, and plus they are quite affordable and easy to replace
Aza
Rising Star
Is it a SSD in the laptop itself?
Some externals sit in a cradle, and can be used internally... just stuff to think about and could trim a little off the price on a new build
Biggest one would be the operating system though, what version of windows is the laptop on?
Do have to bear in mind, that if you transfer it, you'll have to stop using it on the laptop (microsoft will know) but if retiring the laptop its a good idea.
Aza
Rising Star
Other option, and im not recommending it, is transfer then look at questionable sources for a product key for the laptop such as ebay etc... it is NOT a permanent solution, and a £5 key is lucky to get 6 months before microsoft clamp down and cut it off... it is NOT something you wanna use to activate windows on teh new build though.
And i'm gonna stress it, before a Mod tells me off, it is NOT a recommended practice, and it isnt exactly legal... but sometimes you have to make hard choices and you can correct it later.
Well, as I said, the operating system is not a big deal, I am running Windows 10 on my laptop, so I can just transfer the system to the desktop and get Ubuntu or any free Linux system out there, because they don't only work, but they really serve well when it comes to programming and stuff
Aza
Rising Star
So actually a bonus then...and Win 10 is already digitally licenced to a microsoft account so its pretty easy to do.
Drop Win 11 from your build spec and £120 knocked off already.
Maybe just the 500gig operating system and hook up the externals... once theres an income adding a decent sized M2 is very easy to do, but will save you another £100 for now
Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE 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
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
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 4 to 7 working days
Price: £1,786.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/n3QHJG72sy/
Aza
Rising Star
I suppose you could trim the PSU down to a 850W, and take earlier generation M2's like the Samsung 970, or budget PCS ones... but the savings are minimal there and upgrading them later is then really what Agentcooper mentioned, it would end up costing another £100+ to replace rather than just an extra £10/£20 quid each if included from the start so the extra expense on those is definitely worthwhile.
I'd rather keep a good power supply because as you said the price difference is not that big, well I think I might go with the build you gave me really because that looks pretty reasonable, actually awesome for what I am getting, the only thing now is the graphics card, I have seen people complaining a lot about it, so I don't know whether stick to it or just go to a lower generation, like a 1080 or 2060 and upgrade them after a year or 2 to 3080 one, and core I9 ONLY if I see it's worth upgrading
Aza
Rising Star
Possibly worth buying without a GPU and seeing if you can pick up a 2000 series (2070 Super or something) secondhand then?
Have a little look into it.
I'd also tag in @Scott @SpyderTracks to have a look over it, see if its actually a decent idea/viable. They are far better positioned to give real insight i'm still catching up myself and even then, certainly not an expert.
Have a little look into it.
I'd also tag in @Scott @SpyderTracks to have a look over it, see if its actually a decent idea/viable. They are far better positioned to give real insight i'm still catching up myself and even then, certainly not an expert.
To save a couple of £100 is quite easy. If you transfer your license, as suggested above, that gets you in the ball park.
Your fairly modest uses across your various softwares will easily be handled by the 12600k. The 12700 was just to get that extra punch. It's not necessary at all. The rest of the build is still well suited.
You could drop the 3060 and see if you could purchase it elsewhere and fit yourself. I would make sure the savings were going to be pretty significant though if you aren't comfortable with fitting components. The GPU is fairly straight forward but the last thing you want is fear.
Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 10-Core Processor i5-12600K (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
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 INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE 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
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
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 4 to 7 working days
Price: £1,674.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/wgBRxSJry8/
Your fairly modest uses across your various softwares will easily be handled by the 12600k. The 12700 was just to get that extra punch. It's not necessary at all. The rest of the build is still well suited.
You could drop the 3060 and see if you could purchase it elsewhere and fit yourself. I would make sure the savings were going to be pretty significant though if you aren't comfortable with fitting components. The GPU is fairly straight forward but the last thing you want is fear.
Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 10-Core Processor i5-12600K (3.7GHz) 20MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
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 INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE 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
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
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 4 to 7 working days
Price: £1,674.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/wgBRxSJry8/
For content creation, it'll make next to no difference. For gaming it will though, which is where you need to factor in what's important.
You need to consider your monitor too. If it's 1080p it's a bit of a moot point.