This would be the first time I buy anything AMD related......Comments appreciated!

bleakcon

Active member
My proposed spec:


Case
PCS PRISM-X RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
16GB SPEEDSTER MERC319 AMD RADEON™ RX 6800 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
ASUS PCE-AC88 AC3100 2100Mbps/5GHz, 1000Mbps/2.4GHz
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
Google Chrome™
Monitor
ASUS VG248QE 24" 3D 144Hz GAMING DISPLAY
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)

This is a massive divergence from me, I have always been a long time intel consumer but I just can't justify it, what is more am I taking a risk on the radeon card? Never went with anything other than Nvidia before.

Finally what about cooling under load, should I be looking at a different case and fan setup perhaps? I did look at the water cooled solutions but judging from a lot of what I am reading the benefits are little to none.
 

Bigfoot

Grand Master
What is your budget? What will you be using the PC for? Please provide the unique configuration link, so that we can suggest some changes. There are several areas where the build can be improved if we have this information.

Good move changing from Intel to AMD at this time. It is what I did recently.
 

bleakcon

Active member
One thought was whether or not the ram needed to be 3200, I read different things regarding the Ryzen series perhaps wanting 3000mhz....confusing times for me :)
 

Bigfoot

Grand Master
You need a better case. I would upgrade to a 5600x or 5800x. 16GB or RAM will be enough, unless you are playing Flight Simulator and it should be 3200MHz or faster. The GPU is way over specified for a 1080p 144Hz monitor. The PSU is under powered. RMx 850W is the forum favourite. I would go for a 512Gb Samsung 980 Pro, for OS and programmes and a1Tb PCS m.2 drive for games. A 2TB HDD could be added for general storage. The AX200 is the WiFi card to choose. Drop BullGuard, as it causes problems. Chrome eats RAM and feeds Google all your data. I went for Edge.

Others will weigh in with some refinements for case and other areas.
 

MrWilson

Godlike
Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
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 CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 1880 MB/W)
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 H100i 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
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
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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 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: £2,307.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/7FTh0bd0Ap/

 

MrWilson

Godlike
You need a better case. I would upgrade to a 5600x or 5800x. 16GB or RAM will be enough, unless you are playing Flight Simulator and it should be 3200MHz or faster. The GPU is way over specified for a 1080p 144Hz monitor. The PSU is under powered. RMx 850W is the forum favourite. I would go for a 512Gb Samsung 980 Pro, for OS and programmes and a1Tb PCS m.2 drive for games. A 2TB HDD could be added for general storage. The AX200 is the WiFi card to choose. Drop BullGuard, as it causes problems. Chrome eats RAM and feeds Google all your data. I went for Edge.

Others will weigh in with some refinements for case and other areas.
@Bigfoot has done a great job covering the changes.

4000D Airflow is an awesome entry level case, that will keep all your components cool. If RGB is your thing there are other options here.
5800X will nail gaming for the next few years. Motherboard upgraded to pair well with the CPU.
Given you a 3070. The 6800XT needs a £800+ investment on a 1440p Superwide or 4k144hz display to make the most of, which we don't quite have room for in the budget. The 3070 will smash 1440p gaming, and pairs well with the Asus monitor listed above.
Switched up your storage with 500GB 980 for OS and programs, 1tb m.2 for games storage, and 2tb general storage HDD for things like photos that don't benefit from fast storage.
Other changes covered above by BF :)
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
Check the price fluctuations. The 3060Ti may be better value if it's a lot less than the 3070. The 3060Ti is more than powerful enough for a good 1440p setup.
 

MrWilson

Godlike
Check the price fluctuations. The 3060Ti may be better value if it's a lot less than the 3070. The 3060Ti is more than powerful enough for a good 1440p setup.
Very good point. The 3060ti would also cover you. Unfortunately there continue to be a shortage of 3060ti cards not only from PCS but other retailers in the UK. Currently out of stock until June on the configurator.
The 6700XT is in stock though, about £130 cheaper than the 3070. It offers very similar performance but falls short with Ray Tracing titles.
 

bleakcon

Active member
Oh wow I really need to get with the times, I assumed a radeon card would just suck for anything over what I added monitor wise, happy to put some more money into the pot if I can achieve 4k 144hz gaming. What is even happening with Nvidia and intel.....I sort of assumed the rtf 3080 was vastly superior but the card I picked is on par and indeed surpasses the 3080 on many titles.

Any ideas on the kind of monitor I could expect to buy to make good use of the graphics card ?
 

Ash_

Master Poster
6800XT is the card i am going to buy, once stocks level out - likely one with an AIO.

4k 144hz is still not really feasible with current gpu’s. It can be done, but a 3070 for instance... will easily hit 144fps on many game titles
 

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
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 CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 1880 MB/W)
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 H100i 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
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
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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 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: £2,307.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/7FTh0bd0Ap/

Think @MrWilson , has pretty much nailed it here
 

bleakcon

Active member
Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-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 RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
16GB SPEEDSTER MERC319 AMD RADEON™ RX 6900 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
Get DIRT 5 with select AMD Ryzen CPUs with AMD Radeon GPUs
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)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 1880 MB/W)
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 H100i 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
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
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)
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 15 working days

I liked the changes to the storage that mrwilson made and the changes made on behalf of other comments, i feel like i willm want the 32 gig of ram due to some of the games i play.

Still pondering the choice of gcard though despite me changing it back....it is indeed quite the price increase.
 

MrWilson

Godlike
16GB SPEEDSTER MERC319 AMD RADEON™ RX 6900 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
I think I've found the cause of the issue...
The 6900XT is in a very strange place, where it doesn't really offer much over the 6800XT for the price hike.
There are a lack of 4k144hz monitors available in the UK, so I will also throw in the Samsung G9 for consideration. It's a 49 inch Superwide, essentially 2 27 inch monitors side by side. It offers unparalleled immersion and we have many users on the forum who have got one and are very happy with it.

The downsides are the pricing and the space. Obviously a 49 inch screen takes up a fair bit of real estate, and the price, while worth it, is still quite high. I would wait to see if it dips down towards the £1100 mark again, it has gone up and down in price over the last few months.
 

bleakcon

Active member
I think I've found the cause of the issue...
The 6900XT is in a very strange place, where it doesn't really offer much over the 6800XT for the price hike.
There are a lack of 4k144hz monitors available in the UK, so I will also throw in the Samsung G9 for consideration. It's a 49 inch Superwide, essentially 2 27 inch monitors side by side. It offers unparalleled immersion and we have many users on the forum who have got one and are very happy with it.

The downsides are the pricing and the space. Obviously a 49 inch screen takes up a fair bit of real estate, and the price, while worth it, is still quite high. I would wait to see if it dips down towards the £1100 mark again, it has gone up and down in price over the last few months.
Wowzers, that is deffo overkill for me, thank you, what are your thoughts on the 6800XT over the RTX 3070?

I only ask this because it was always my understanding radeon pairs better with AMD.....I often get just enough rope to hang myself with though so........



As for the ram, I am playing a game called Dual Universe which is in early beta and some users have stated they hit the 16GB being used, I figure even if that isn't true and they are just doing something silly it can't hurt to add the extra 16Gb in given the smallish price difference.
 

MrWilson

Godlike
The 6800XT is in a different ballpark to the 3070. The 6800XT is a very powerful card, which is why it's best paired with top-end monitors to make the most of it. The 3070 is the next rung down, as you would expect from being ~£240 cheaper on the configurator. It is more suited to top-end 1440p, 1440p Ultrawide, or 4k60hz.

You might have heard about the 'Smart Access Memory' feature that has arisen with the new AMD products, where you get a performance boost when you pair a 5000 series CPU with a 6000 series GPU. However, this is only a small performance gain in some titles, and can even hurt performance in certain games too.
Nvidia GPUs pair very well with the Ryzen CPUs as well, so I wouldn't worry about not having AMD with AMD. Many of the forum users rock a Ryzen CPU with an Nvidia GPU with great results.

Ultimately though, the 6800XT is a more powerful pick compared to the 3070, and if you want to go that route I would strongly advise stretching the budget to fit a top-end monitor.
 
D

Deleted member 17413

Guest
Generally, the only games using more than 16GB are sims like MSFS 2020, in those cases it is a benefit but not a requirement.
If you dont mind the extra expense and its not killing the budget elsewhere there is no harm.
Not heard of Dual Universe though
 
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