Tentative Long-term Gaming PC

Mugenjin

Active member
I'm currently using a Core i7 920 @ 3.34GHz, in a system which has so far lasted me 11.5 years (May 2009) and continues to function adequately outside of gaming. Over the past decade, I've upgraded the GPU, RAM and storage (to SSD), but have kept my motherboard/CPU/cooler (air) steadily going as they haven't ever failed me or required replacing. As I tolerate low frame rates (20 to 30 FPS) at 1080p, the CPU coupled with a GTX 960 4GB (mid-2016) has just barely managed to keep up with my gaming habits, but I'm now finally faced with newer titles that do not run at playable frame rates using acceptable quality settings.

I intend for the specification below to serve a similar purpose, in that I hope the CPU can last for 10 years (with low-maintenance cooling), and I will upgrade the GPU, RAM and storage as necessary. (I'm not averse to replacing the CPU/cooler mid-life if absolutely required.)

CaseCOOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500 ARGB GAMING CASE
CPUAMD Ryzen 9 12 Core CPU: OC 3900XT or 5900X
MotherboardASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card6GB AMD RADEON™ RX 5600 XT - HDMI, DP, DX® 12 (Special Offer)
1st M.2 SSD Drive1TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st Storage Drive512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W)
1st Storage Drive512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W)
2nd Storage Drive4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
2nd Storage Drive4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power SupplyCORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor CoolingNoctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal PasteARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans3x CoolerMaster SickleFlow 120 ARGB + Controller Kit
Wireless NetworkingWIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
Warranty3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Price£1,938.00 (OC 3900XT) or £2,015.00 (5900X)
Reconfigure URL:https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Yg5VKs4GH5/
(£1,962.00 with a standard 3900XT and 1TB 970 EVO PLUS)

I can budget another £150 if worth doing so.

I have a dual 1080p setup which I plan on continuing to use for at least two more years (if not longer), but I only game on one monitor (60Hz or 75Hz), and I do not play any FPShooters. I prefer to crank up every setting as high as possible and settle for playable frame rates (30+ FPS).

I want the additional RAM as I plan to utilise RAM disks for scratch purposes (and instant replay temp files).
The doubled drives are to facilitate mirroring (Windows Storage Spaces).
4TB HDDs for archiving; 512GB SSDs for more frequently accessed storage.

I'm not too familiar with RGB, but feel like I should indulge the feature whilst it's relevant, so I hope the extra case fans will be compatible overall (I believe the default rear case fan will be replaced by a SickleFlow).

Opinions, critiques and recommendations much appreciated. Thanks.
 
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Mugenjin

Active member
Thanks, link added.

Would the CPU be overkill in ~6 years' time? By which point I will be most definitely be using a dual 4K setup. I game on one monitor and have a lot of applications open simultaneously on the other. Whatever happens in the next 10 years, I want the CPU to be able to handle it. My i7 920 is really struggling now and the bottleneck of my system; if I could simply upgrade to an RX 5600XT (or the Big Navi variant) now and have the setup last me another 2-3 years, I would.
 
Last edited:

Mugenjin

Active member
Is there anything else I can add or adjust? I’m considering adding another (smaller) M.2 for Windows, although no options seem faster than the 1TB 980 Pro. I’ve also considered the Corsair H115i RGB Platinum for CPU cooling, but I’m concerned it won’t have the same low-maintenance longevity (10+ years) as an air cooler.

I'm open to throwing the entire specification out the window if I'm completely off base with my expectations. I’m aware the RX 5600 XT (or equivalent) will bottleneck the CPU, but the GPU will be upgraded whenever I make the switch to 4K within 2-3 years.
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
Below is what I would consider. It's not what I would recommend with your initial uses in mind, it's what I would recommend as an upgrade to the uses you have suggested.

Note that the below is missing some very key components due to availability just now...

5800X
RTX 3070

The 3070 will be available late October, the 5800X will be available on the 5th of November. I would place the order on the 28th when the 3070 is available and upgrade the CPU on the 5th of November.

The key improvement is the added monitor to the build below. This will make a WORLD of difference to the experience you are after. i can't explain just how much more it will offer than "ultra" settings at 1080p.

The below does take you over budget but it does include a monitor upgrade. Additionally, depending on what you are doing with your current system, you may not need the Windows license as you can transfer your current one.
Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT Eight Core CPU (4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/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 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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
IIYAMA G-MASTER GB2760QSU-B1 27"
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 10 to 12 working days
Price: £2,174.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/JUPH2wksfE/
 

Mugenjin

Active member
Thank you Scott. I do plan to transfer my current Windows licence. My budget isn't strict, but I value data storage requirements over 1440p 144Hz gaming at this point in my life. I will be transitioning to 4K within 2-3 years, and that's when I plan to upgrade the GPU (probably to a cheaper equivalent of the RTX 3080 or better).

Other than budget constraints, is there a reason you chose the H100i Platinum over the H115i Platinum? I'd prefer the largest radiator my chosen case can support. If case airflow is no longer as important because of the AOI, I'll probably switch to the MasterBox MB530P.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Other than budget constraints, is there a reason you chose the H100i Platinum over the H115i Platinum?
The 3800XT doesn't need a 280mm Radiator, the H100i is more suitable.

Case airflow is still very important for all the other components that are on air.
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
As above, the H100i is more than enough for cooling most chips. The 3800XT, and undoubtedly the 5800X, don't require such high performance cooling but it's a nice to have.

With 1080p in mind and with your future 4K purchase in mind this is what I would go with...

Again, you can drop the Windows license if you plan to transfer.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT Eight Core CPU (4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/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 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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,637.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

Mugenjin

Active member
I'm happy to shift some of the budget towards more/better storage (I really want to mirror my drives for redundancy having previously experienced drive failure -- I'm happy to pay for the extra peace of mind). Downgrading to a 5800X and 1660 Super frees up some funds, although I feel like an additional £88 for four extra cores on the 5900X is future-proofing for 6+ years down the line (the 5800X is actually very poor value per core).

Also, would I be utilising the benefits of the X570 over the B550? I'm not too familiar with analysing all the features of different chipsets. For the B550, the following features are what tick some boxes for me (and will highlight what I overlook):
  • 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 (1x Type A and 1x Type C)
  • 1x M.2 PCIe 4.0 slot (which I feel I should take advantage of with a 980 Pro or Firecuda 520)
  • 2x AURA RGB headers / 1x AURA Addressable Gen 2 header (I'm assuming this is useful/necessary for ARGB lights and fans)
  • 1x PCIe 4.0 X16
  • 2.5Gb Ethernet (unlikely, but nice to have I suppose)
Adjusted specification (increases to £1,973.00 with the 5900X):

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800XT Eight Core CPU (4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
512GB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 450MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 2500MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/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 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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
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 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,841.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/6sFXZpDvFZ/
 
Last edited:

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
You will also want the H115i Platinum for the 5900X IMO. I don't think the 5900X will make any odds for your uses over the 5800X though. As much as you might not see it as good value per core, the extra 4 cores for £88 and then not using them is even worse value.
 

Mugenjin

Active member
You will also want the H115i Platinum for the 5900X IMO. I don't think the 5900X will make any odds for your uses over the 5800X though. As much as you might not see it as good value per core, the extra 4 cores for £88 and then not using them is even worse value.
At most I'd have a dual 4K setup, gaming on one and multitasking on the other. It would be another £255 overall if I had to also upgrade to the ROG Strix X570 and buy a more expensive case (e.g. Fractal Meshify S2) to accommodate the larger H115i Platinum.
(£2,138.00 vs £1,883.00 with the 5800X + TUF B550.)

I think I'm willing to forgo that expense if the benefit is so uncertain based on my expected usage, even if I'm forecasting towards 2030. It took 11+ years since the first quad Core i7 for eight cores to become mainstream.

Would the TUF B550 be sufficient for the 5800X? If so I think I'm comfortable with the above setup barring any Big Navi shakeups. £1,883.00 is below my allocated budget. Would I be able to add just 1x extra ARGB SickleFlow fan for the rear of the case? It's not an available option in the configurator (I'm also not sure whether a controller kit would be required).
 
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