Specs for new gaming PC build

[UYaz]

G'day lads,
I'm putting together a possible PC build and want to get your input. In particular, do you have any thoughts on the motherboard choice for the Ryzen 5 3600. Also, what's the deal with Firecuda hybrids vs Barracuda SSDs? What's the benefit of using a hybrid if you have the space for two drives?


Case
CIT DARK SOUL BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 5700 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA 120 2.5" SSD, (up to 560MB/sR | 540MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/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
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Asus Xonar SE 5.1-Channel Gaming Audio Card
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 [KK3-00002]
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
2 - 3 DAY DELIVERY TO REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Promotional Item
Get up to 3 Games with select AMD Radeon RX 5000 Series Graphics Cards
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: €1,717.89 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Scott]

Hi there,

What is the PC for? Is it gaming or are there other uses? What is your maximum budget and which monitor are you pairing the system with? (Model no. or refresh rate and resolution would be fine).

For the motherboard, if you plan to upgrade the CPU over the course of the systems life then the X570 is definitely warranted. Other than that the benefits are mostly that it has PCIe4.0, in case we surpass the limit of PCIe3.0 and you wanted to go for a really high end card in a couple of years. Not to mention the silly quick storage drives.

An SSD is far better than a hybrid. I don't believe hybrids are worth it at all, especially when you get to the larger size drives. They are generally only considered helpful for OS installations, which will be on the M2 drive so kinda pointless.

If you feed back the info we can help with proposing a spec aimed at your uses.

 

[RachelWoodlock574]

[“What is the PC for? Is it gaming or are there other uses? What is your maximum budget and which monitor are you pairing the system with? (Model no. or refresh rate and resolution would be fine).”]

- This PC will be for a gaming build (games from Steam, Blizzard, EA) and Oculus Rift.
- Budget is around the €2000 mark.
- Planning on pairing it with an AOC Q3279VWFD8 1440p 75Hz refresh rate (although happy to take monitor recommendations as well).

good to know re: hybrid drives, in which case I’ll stick with the SSD. I’ma novice at all this, so although I’ve spent a bit of time trying to research this, if anything screams out at you, don’t hold back!!

 

[RachelWoodlock574]

Somehow, I’ve managed to create two accounts -UYaz (OP) and this one. Sorry about that.

 

[Scott]

This is a high end 1440p gaming rig with VR also in mind. I would recommend a 144hz monitor to pair with it though as 75hz is going to hold it back.

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL II GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Eight Core CPU (3.9GHz-4.5GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
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
Corsair H100i 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
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 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 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,877.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/uNneteTnB0/

 

[Scott]

Note that I haven't selected a Blu-Ray drive. If you need one I would recommend external over limiting your case options.

 

[UYaz]

Note that I haven't selected a Blu-Ray drive. If you need one I would recommend external over limiting your case options.

That's fine - it's not a deal breaker for sure.

This looks like a really good setup - I note you've only suggested 16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) - you wouldn't bother upping it to 32?

 

[UYaz]

This is a high end 1440p gaming rig with VR also in mind. I would recommend a 144hz monitor to pair with it though as 75hz is going to hold it back.

Excellent! Noted. Do you have any that PCScpecialist sell that you recommend?

 

[Scott]

32GB isn't worth it for gaming, it's highly likely that by that time you're going to be onto an entirely new platform with DDR5 etc. Even if you find yourself short, it won't be for a year or 2 and can be added to anytime.

27" MSI OPTIX MAG271CQR is excellent as is the IIYAMA G-MASTER GB2760QSU-B1 27" when it comes back into stock.

 

[UYaz]

32GB isn't worth it for gaming, it's highly likely that by that time you're going to be onto an entirely new platform with DDR5 etc. Even if you find yourself short, it won't be for a year or 2 and can be added to anytime.

27" MSI OPTIX MAG271CQR is excellent as is the IIYAMA G-MASTER GB2760QSU-B1 27" when it comes back into stock.

Thanks Scott, you've been really helpful!! Will be ordering today.