Spec review please! For a 4k 144hz dell g3223q. Looking for something long term

[Konpand]

Hi guys, short story is I needed a new laptop for my personal use and I thought I'll do some casual gaming on it. I was about to spend around 3000 euros on one when my friend mentioned that laptops cannot support games on a 4k monitor as the 4080 laptop version is different to a desktop version. They said 1440p games look bad on a 4k monitor and suggested to get a gaming pc for a little bit more.

Can anyone take a look at these specs I selected, it'll mostly for coding and 4k games. I'm looking at playing elden ring, dragons dogma and other rpgs.

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Promotional Item
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 20-Core Processor i7-14700K (Up to 5.6GHz) 33MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z790-F GAMING WIFI II (LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 32GB)
Graphics Card
24GB ASUS TUF GAMING RADEON™ RX 7900 XTX OC - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 990 PRO M.2, PCIe 4.0 NVMe (up to 7450MB/R, 6900MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR ICUE LINK H150i RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
5 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fans
Sound Card
Creative Sound Blaster® Audigy Rx
Network Card
ONBOARD 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 POR

 

[Konpand]

I will get a more powerful gpu after maybe 2 or 3 years so is the 850 w power supply enough? Also is the case and fans ok for a more powerful gpu and cpu down the lane?

 

[sck451]

You could look at a system like this one for that money, which would outperform it in gaming by a fair way while (I think) costing quite a bit less. Hard to say as you haven't included the price.

This is an astonishing jump from "laptop for some casual games", though!

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5) The best gaming CPU there is
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6) Decent motherboard, all you need
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB) Unless you want the RGB RAM specifically?
Graphics Card
24GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7900 XTX - HDMI, DP - DX® 12 No need for the overclocked one - gains little, and uses more power
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW) Boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW) Separate games drive
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Might as well be future-proof
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
DeepCool AK620 ZERO DARK High-Performance Dual Tower CPU Cooler Sufficient for the 7800X3D: unless you want the aesthetics of an AIO?
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD) Onboard sound is fine; a sound card is a waste of money
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 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
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND This is a guess, obviously
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Price: €2,936.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/CQGEDmcqM8/

 

[Konpand]

Hey cheif!

Thanks a mil for your reply, the rig I mentioned costs 3700 euro.

You brought down the cost by 700 euro 😉 look all I'm doing is casual gaming and casual coding. I'll take your word for the above specs!

 

[sck451]

Hey cheif!

Thanks a mil for your reply, the rig I mentioned costs 3700 euro.

You brought down the cost by 700 euro 😉 look all I'm doing is casual gaming and casual coding. I'll take your word for the above specs!

I do casual gaming and casual coding, plus video editing, and I have a machine that's not even nearly as capable as that! You'll want for nothing.

 

[Konpand]

Thanks for your valuable feedback.

Thanks for your valuable feedback.

Note: I have Zero care about aesthetics or RGB. All I'm looking for is a solid desktop that'll last me years and run all the best games at 4k (since I have a 4k monitor)

A few questions,

1) should I get the 64 GB ram instead of 32?

64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 - 120 euro more

2) the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D instead? 80 euro more

3) the ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-A instead? Has 5 pcie and wifi 6e - 100 euro more

4) for the 2nd M.2 SSD Drive - 80 euro more

2TB SAMSUNG 990 EVO M.2

 

[SpyderTracks]

1) should I get the 64 GB ram instead of 32?

What for? What program do you use that requires that much RAM? You’ve only said casual gaming and coding, is there a specific coding requirement for it? Adding RAM does absolutely zero for performance. It only maintains performance IF there’s a program that’s actually needing it.

2) the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X3D instead?

That’s a downgrade, not an upgrade. It’s 2 6core CCXs so you’re actually losing 2 cores for gaming. And I very much doubt your coding would benefit from the extra cores, but if it did, then the 7900 would be a better fit anyway.

3) the ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-A instead? Has 5 pcie and wifi 6e - 100 euro more

What do you need those for? Do you have a WiFi 6e router? Doesn’t matter what WiFi you have in the computer, you’ll only ever get what your router or access points can support. Do you have a requirement for PCIe5?

4) for the 2nd M.2 SSD Drive - 80 euro more

2TB SAMSUNG 990 EVO M.2

You’re paying for the brand name, it’s actually not as a reliable drive as the P44 pro. And it wouldn’t improve gaming anyway

 

[Konpand]

What for? What program do you use that requires that much RAM? You’ve only said casual gaming and coding, is there a specific coding requirement for it? Adding RAM does absolutely zero for performance. It only maintains performance IF there’s a program that’s actually needing it.


That’s a downgrade, not an upgrade. It’s 2 6core CCXs so you’re actually losing 2 cores for gaming. And I very much doubt your coding would benefit from the extra cores, but if it did, then the 7900 would be a better fit anyway.


What do you need those for? Do you have a WiFi 6e router? Doesn’t matter what WiFi you have in the computer, you’ll only ever get what your router or access points can support. Do you have a requirement for PCIe5?


You’re paying for the brand name, it’s actually not as a reliable drive as the P44 pro. And it would improve gaming anyway

Thanks again!

1) I assumed more ram = better + future proofing

2) I will just be doing basic coding no high end stuff. As I mentioned, I need a rig for 4k gaming as I've got a 4k 144hz monitor, if the rig can run 4k 60 - 100 fps I'm happy. My mistake for getting 3 4k 144hz monitors which led me to this confusion

---

3) I've got a 6e router yes. Don't know what a PCIe5 means

4) thanks!

 

[SpyderTracks]

1) I assumed more ram = better + future proofing

Common mistake. 32Gb is over what you need for gaming which would be around 20gb for the most demanding games. For coding 16gb would likely be ample. So there wouldn’t be any benefit to having any more.

2) I will just be doing basic coding no high end stuff. As I mentioned, I need a rig for 4k gaming as I've got a 4k 144hz monitor, if the rig can run 4k 60 - 100 fps I'm happy. My mistake for getting 3 4k 144hz monitors which led me to this confusion

It’s the GPU that dictates gaming performance, especially at 4k. The 7800x3d is the gaming processor right now.

3) I've got a 6e router yes.

So what is it you’re transferring over the network that requires the extra speeds? And how fast is you internet speed?

 

[Konpand]

Common mistake. 32Gb is over what you need for gaming which would be around 20gb for the most demanding games. For coding 16gb would likely be ample. So there wouldn’t be any benefit to having any more.


It’s the GPU that dictates gaming performance, especially at 4k. The 7800x3d is the gaming processor right now.


So what is it you’re transferring over the network that requires the extra speeds? And how fast is you internet speed?

1) I understand, thank you.

2) oh alright, I just thought high end = better gaming, lasts longer etc. I did a simple Google search for the best gaming cpu and the 7800 came out on top on most sites

3) just for gaming primarily, movies and productivity.

 

[sck451]

I think the WiFi question is an interesting one. If you have a 6E router/WAP, then I can see an argument for getting the 6E WiFi on the PC too, because it is less susceptible to interference in the 5GHz band as it uses the 6GHz band.

In an environment with a lot of wireless traffic, that may be a benefit. My guess is that it won't be worth around €100, but I can see the argument for it. There is also the potential for the greater PCIe 5.0 support on the X670E board to be a benefit for you, but honestly I doubt that's going to be significant in the lifespan of this PC. Honestly, given how much this has gone under your budget so far, I'd probably go for the upgraded motherboard, but do understand the benefits are likely to be minimal, perhaps not even perceptible.

 

[Konpand]

I think the WiFi question is an interesting one. If you have a 6E router/WAP, then I can see an argument for getting the 6E WiFi on the PC too, because it is less susceptible to interference in the 5GHz band as it uses the 6GHz band.

In an environment with a lot of wireless traffic, that may be a benefit. My guess is that it won't be worth around €100, but I can see the argument for it. There is also the potential for the greater PCIe 5.0 support on the X670E board to be a benefit for you, but honestly I doubt that's going to be significant in the lifespan of this PC. Honestly, given how much this has gone under your budget so far, I'd probably go for the upgraded motherboard, but do understand the benefits are likely to be minimal, perhaps not even perceptible.

Well I just moved out of Dublin (simply insane rent + it's become dangerous) to a quiet countryside apartment so no wireless traffic. So as I mentioned earlier I don't even know what a pcie is, I just assumed 5 > 4 so it's better.

Also, in the configuration you shared you did not add a gpu support bracket - is it not needed?

In my first config for cooling I added the following

CORSAIR ICUE LINK H150i RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
5 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fans

Yours only had,

DeepCool AK620 ZERO DARK High-Performance Dual Tower CPU Cooler

Is this sufficient? Because I hear the rigs can get hot when gaming. FYI it's my first ever gaming pc so I know literally nothing!

 

[SpyderTracks]

There are basically 4 points to a network

(External ie Internet)
Router
Wifi
Receiver

If you're doing huge internal transfers ie have a NAS drive on the network and you're transferring 50Gb RAW video files to backup, or across to another system, then each of those internal parts have to match their wifi version, or you'll be bottlenecked by the slowest component

Most people don't do internal transfers, or if they do, it's very minor files like photos or music or normal video files. Most people do network transfers over the internet. If that's the case, then it's more likely your Internet speeds will be the bottleneck, especially if you're rural.

If you're paying for a 50Mb ISP, you'll only ever get 50Mb which Wifi 5 (AC) can realistically manage throughput of 5000Mbs. Even if you're getting gigabit internet (1000Mbps), that will bottleneck any modern wifi network.

Furthermore, if you have any switches in the network, those ports will likely limit a wifi network too, usually to 1000Mbps, but ironically a lot of routers and switches still only have 100Mbps ethernet ports.

So 9 times out of 10, wifi speeds are rarely the bottleneck unless you're on a really old wireless N card or something like that. It all depends what transfers you're doing over your INTERNAL network.

 

[TonyCarter]

Well I just moved out of Dublin (simply insane rent + it's become dangerous) to a quiet countryside apartment so no wireless traffic. So as I mentioned earlier I don't even know what a pcie is, I just assumed 5 > 4 so it's better.

Also, in the configuration you shared you did not add a gpu support bracket - is it not needed?

In my first config for cooling I added the following

CORSAIR ICUE LINK H150i RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
5 x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fans

Yours only had,

DeepCool AK620 ZERO DARK High-Performance Dual Tower CPU Cooler

Is this sufficient? Because I hear the rigs can get hot when gaming. FYI it's my first ever gaming pc so I know literally nothing!

You said you weren't interested in aesthetics and RGB, and the Corsair AIO would be giving you lots of cooling and lots of RGB.

However, that level of cooling is not required for that CPU, hence the significant saving on the budget.

The extra fans will at best just sit there, and at worst just make more noise - especially if they're not configured properly...as they'll ramp up and down annoyingly with every little change in temperature.

The Corsair 5000D is a relatively large case, with a huge front opening for air (hence the 'airflow' name). So a single intake fan and an exhaust fan would be sufficient to keep it cool...and quiet...and the case comes with those fans already...so no need for more.

There's no need for the extra thermal paste as most aftermarket coolers/AIOs come with their own - either pre-applied or with their own tube.

 

[Konpand]

Excellent. Thanks both of you Spyder and Tony, I'm so glad I came here and discussed. All of you guys are legends for helping people out, for free!

Although I'll tell you why I came here in the first place. I had already ordered a lenovo yoga pro 9i 16 gen 9 for 2600 euro, a top spec one with the 4070 and 64 GB ram but it said 6 weeks for shipping AFTER I paid. Now it's cancelled but I'm not sure when I'll get my funds back so in the mean time I made up my mind here. I wanted to get a laptop and then a ps5 for gaming - to separate gaming and productivity.

 

[Konpand]

Also one last question, why the 2 ssds? 1 500 gb and another 2tb

 

[TonyCarter]

It's to promote good storage housekeeping and security (e.g. if Windows drive breaks or becomes corrupt, your games are still safe):

1. Smaller, faster one for Windows/Apps/Game Launchers & Storefronts
2. Larger, fast one for the actual large game installs

More detail here...

Why more than one storage drive?

I've been meaning to put something like this together for a while. In recent weeks I've found myself writing this more and more so thought I would just post my thoughts in a thread that I could link to. So the reason for this thread is to try and give insight as to the reasoning behind having...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[Konpand]

It's to promote good storage housekeeping and security (e.g. if Windows drive breaks or becomes corrupt, your games are still safe):

1. Smaller, faster one for Windows/Apps/Game Launchers & Storefronts
2. Larger, fast one for the actual large game installs

More detail here...

Why more than one storage drive?

I've been meaning to put something like this together for a while. In recent weeks I've found myself writing this more and more so thought I would just post my thoughts in a thread that I could link to. So the reason for this thread is to try and give insight as to the reasoning behind having...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

That's great, thanks Tony. Also this was recommended

1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW) Boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW) Separate games drive

Why not faster 7000 mb memory on the 2nd ssd?

General question, so in the future if I need a newer cpu or gpu it can go in the same case correct without needing to change anything. Because there is a 1000w psu

 

[TonyCarter]

The games drive doesn't need to be as fast as the boot drive, so it's just extra money for little gain.

As long as AMD release (as they have promised) another CPU generation or two on the current platform, then you can upgrade to the next best gaming CPU (although one generation may not make a huge difference)...or if your needs change to require more cores for video/rendering, then you can swap it out for a CPU with more cores.

1000W PSU won't be bothered by a little CPU upgrade - it's the GPUs where we're seeing huge power requirements (and spikes which were more of a concern)...and whilst the more newer ATX3/PCIE5 PSUs have protections built in, PCS don't offer those models at anything below 1200W (and they're more expensive).

 

[Konpand]

The games drive doesn't need to be as fast as the boot drive, so it's just extra money for little gain.

As long as AMD release (as they have promised) another CPU generation or two on the current platform, then you can upgrade to the next best gaming CPU (although one generation may not make a huge difference)...or if your needs change to require more cores for video/rendering, then you can swap it out for a CPU with more cores.

1000W PSU won't be bothered by a little CPU upgrade - it's the GPUs where we're seeing huge power requirements (and spikes which were more of a concern)...and whilst the more newer ATX3/PCIE5 PSUs have protections built in, PCS don't offer those models at anything below 1200W (and they're more expensive).

The games drive doesn't need to be as fast as the boot drive, so it's just extra money for little gain.

As long as AMD release (as they have promised) another CPU generation or two on the current platform, then you can upgrade to the next best gaming CPU (although one generation may not make a huge difference)...or if your needs change to require more cores for video/rendering, then you can swap it out for a CPU with more cores.

1000W PSU won't be bothered by a little CPU upgrade - it's the GPUs where we're seeing huge power requirements (and spikes which were more of a concern)...and whilst the more newer ATX3/PCIE5 PSUs have protections built in, PCS don't offer those models at anything below 1200W (and they're more expensive).

Thanks for the info.

OK looks like I'm ready to go for this next week, and this'll serve me for the next couple of years.

Thanks everyone!