Advice/approval on this spec?

m.kwood

Member
Hi all,

This is my first time getting as big upgrade and a proper gaming pc. I am pretty new to the pc world and so there is lots I have yet to learn and understand. I love gaming and, basically, I want a strong pc that can handle any game I can throw at it with ease.
In addition, I use my computer everyday for college work, drawing/art, photo editing etc. I need lots of storage.

Here are the specs I chose. Its mostly one of the prebuilts but with a couple tweaks. Please let me know if this will all run properly.

Thanks in advance :)

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-11700K (3.6GHz) 16MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z590-P (LGA1200, USB 3.2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6700 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
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)
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
PCS FrostFlow 120 Series ARGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
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 [KUK-00003]
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor
AOC 24G2U 24" 144Hz Gaming Monitor - DP
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
 

Bigfoot

Grand Master

I would read the information at this link. AMD beat Intel in almost all scenarios. Once you have done that we can address case, motherboard, GPU (overkill for selected monitor), cooling, PSU, etc.

What is your budget for PC and monitor?
 

KriSta

Silver Level Poster
If you need to order asap then pick an AMD based system , but if you have a bit of patience the Intel 12th gen CPU`s are about to come to market . Early test shows promising results .
 

m.kwood

Member

I would read the information at this link. AMD beat Intel in almost all scenarios. Once you have done that we can address case, motherboard, GPU (overkill for selected monitor), cooling, PSU, etc.

What is your budget for PC and monitor?
Hi,

Overall budget for the whole pc, including monitor, is 2.5k, but I don’t want to have to spend the full amount if I don’t need to.

I read the thread you linked, and from the sounds of it AMD is much better then. My current gaming laptop is intel but I don’t really know the difference, so Im happy go go with either, lol.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Anandtech presented results from Intel showing good improvements vs previous gen Intel CPUs . https://www.anandtech.com/show/16959/intel-innovation-alder-lake-november-4th
Sure the CPUs has not been released on market yet and results can vary....but compared to 11th Gen it looks good.
Unfortunately Intel are by now just flat out liars when it comes to releases and marketing hype. It's not even like they're even bothering to just extend the truth, they actual purposefully mislead people, and that's why they have NDA's on third party reviews until midnight before release. They're entirely reliant on pre orders, as as soon as 3rd party reviews hit, sales drop hugely.





And then even tried to get people to dismiss benchmarks entirely because they keep getting trounced:


Plus Intel are haemorrhaging investors currently due to their shady tactics, and they have to do something drastic to turn it around anytime soon

 

m.kwood

Member
Unfortunately Intel are by now just flat out liars when it comes to releases and marketing hype. It's not even like they're even bothering to just extend the truth, they actual purposefully mislead people, and that's why they have NDA's on third party reviews until midnight before release. They're entirely reliant on pre orders, as as soon as 3rd party reviews hit, sales drop hugely.





And then even tried to get people to dismiss benchmarks entirely because they keep getting trounced:


Plus Intel are haemorrhaging investors currently due to their shady tactics, and they have to do something drastic to turn it around anytime soon

So, based on all this, what CPU would you recommend? 😅 This is alot of information to me and from what you’ve shown, I’ve been convinced against intel. Is selecting a different CPU all I have to do? Is there nothing else that needs changing to support it?
 

KriSta

Silver Level Poster
Well even Linus Sebastian at Linus Techtips is cautiously optimistic in his walkthrough of AlderLake and also of the new DDR5 standard .
So while Intel might be lying , they do have something different in the pipeline with a host of other new technologies that comes with it . I´ve never been an Intel fanboy myself and I have over the years used both AMD and Intel products . AMD Bulldozer architecture was all in all a huge failure , same as Intel P4 was very bad compared to AMD Athlon XP , same as Rambus memory with Intel failed vs DDR memory used with AMD . But competition is good for everyone and perhaps Intel is onto something with Alder Lake .
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Well even Linus Sebastian at Linus Techtips is cautiously optimistic in his walkthrough of AlderLake and also of the new DDR5 standard .
So while Intel might be lying , they do have something different in the pipeline with a host of other new technologies that comes with it . I´ve never been an Intel fanboy myself and I have over the years used both AMD and Intel products . AMD Bulldozer architecture was all in all a huge failure , same as Intel P4 was very bad compared to AMD Athlon XP , same as Rambus memory with Intel failed vs DDR memory used with AMD . But competition is good for everyone and perhaps Intel is onto something with Alder Lake .
Yes, but the point is, going off Intels own marketing hype, they're claiming up to 30% improvement over AMD 5000.

But if you look at their graphs, it was only a couple of games that were over 15% better than the 5000 series.

And those tests by Intels own admission were done on Windows 11 before the fix for the AMD L3 cache issue was rolled out.

That issue caused a 15% deterioration in AMD performance.

So that means a three of those games will beat the 5000s, but most will be worse.

Intel-Alder-3.jpg


And then you factor in cost.

The 5600x is currently around £270 most places, although usually cheaper with SI's.

The 12600k which Intel themselves are touting as the competitor to the 5600x is going to retail for £290 most places (may well go up if stocks are low).

And that's just basing it on AMD's current 5000 series which are now a year old.

Their 5000 series refresh are due for release in January, and touted as being up to 25% improvement over 5000 series.


That's coming from AMD so as always, wait for 3rd party reviews.

I long for competition, but I value honesty above all else. Intel have been shady as anything for a long time now, they are solely responsible for the stagnation in the PC market for such a long time until AMD started swinging boots again. I can't abide their poor treatment of their customers and investors.

For me, Intel should be comparing these to 10th Gen which is still their best performing CPU's to date. 11th Gen was DOA.

I am interested to see what benefits the Big/Little design of Alder Lake is actually for in the desktop space on X86 architecture, because I can't for the life of me work out why they've taken that approach. For mobile, totally get it, but just can't see it in the desktop space.
 

m.kwood

Member
Yes, but the point is, going off Intels own marketing hype, they're claiming up to 30% improvement over AMD 5000.

But if you look at their graphs, it was only a couple of games that were over 15% better than the 5000 series.

And those tests by Intels own admission were done on Windows 11 before the fix for the AMD L3 cache issue was rolled out.

That issue caused a 15% deterioration in AMD performance.

So that means a three of those games will beat the 5000s, but most will be worse.

View attachment 30188

And then you factor in cost.

The 5600x is currently around £270 most places, although usually cheaper with SI's.

The 12600k which Intel themselves are touting as the competitor to the 5600x is going to retail for £290 most places (may well go up if stocks are low).

And that's just basing it on AMD's current 5000 series which are now a year old.

Their 5000 series refresh are due for release in January, and touted as being up to 25% improvement over 5000 series.


That's coming from AMD so as always, wait for 3rd party reviews.

I long for competition, but I value honesty above all else. Intel have been shady as anything for a long time now, they are solely responsible for the stagnation in the PC market for such a long time until AMD started swinging boots again. I can't abide their poor treatment of their customers and investors.

For me, Intel should be comparing these to 10th Gen which is still their best performing CPU's to date. 11th Gen was DOA.

I am interested to see what benefits the Big/Little design of Alder Lake is actually for in the desktop space on X86 architecture, because I can't for the life of me work out why they've taken that approach. For mobile, totally get it, but just can't see it in the desktop space.
You all have thoroughly convinced me to switch to an AMD cpu now, lol. Is there a particular one you’d recommend, that is as good as the intel one I had selected on my specs? Also, do I need to change anything else in my specs to support a different brand of cpu, or is that unnecessary?

If there are any other changes you’d recommend to my setup before I go ahead and purchase Id appreciate that too. I remember in the configuration menu, I had to change the cooler from what i think was 240 to 120 instead because of an issue with the length of the graphics card/size of the case I selected. Is that bad? Or would it still work fine?

Also, I mentioned in a previous message but incase that was unseen, my budget for this pc, including monitor, is 2.5k. Although if possible I wouldn’t want to have to spend all of that 😂

Many thanks
 

Bigfoot

Grand Master
For your budget, I would go with something like this. The 3060 is on ore-order, but so are most NVidia graphics cards. I would get a 1440p monitor elsewhere.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (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 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/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 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i 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
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 10/11 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 (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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,024.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/MwR8rV!42z/
 

m.kwood

Member
For your budget, I would go with something like this. The 3060 is on ore-order, but so are most NVidia graphics cards. I would get a 1440p monitor elsewhere.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING WIFI (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 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/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 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i 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
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 10/11 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 (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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,024.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/MwR8rV!42z/
Hi!

Thanks so much for the recommendations. The only thing is I’d really like the pink and white case I chose in the original specs I sent here, and that has compatibility issues with the cooler you recommended.

Also, if possible, Id like to get the pc asap, so Im a bit iffy on getting parts to pre-order.
 

Bigfoot

Grand Master
Hi!

Thanks so much for the recommendations. The only thing is I’d really like the pink and white case I chose in the original specs I sent here, and that has compatibility issues with the cooler you recommended.

Also, if possible, Id like to get the pc asap, so Im a bit iffy on getting parts to pre-order.
The 5800x needs good cooling. That means a case with good airflow and a good AIO cooler. Most on here would not recommend the own brand cases and coolers, especially for the 5800x. While it is nice to have a good looking case, it is vital to ensure that the case keeps the contents cool. If you want a white case, you can always buy one at Amazon (or elsewhere) and send it in to PCS (others can advise you here). There is an NVidia 1440p card available (ASUS Dual 3070), which would add about £150 to the build. A 1440p monitor will cost from about £250 - £400 and others will be able to advise you better than me on these.
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
The 5800x needs good cooling. That means a case with good airflow and a good AIO cooler. Most on here would not recommend the own brand cases and coolers, especially for the 5800x. While it is nice to have a good looking case, it is vital to ensure that the case keeps the contents cool. If you want a white case, you can always buy one at Amazon (or elsewhere) and send it in to PCS (others can advise you here). There is an NVidia 1440p card available (ASUS Dual 3070), which would add about £150 to the build. A 1440p monitor will cost from about £250 - £400 and others will be able to advise you better than me on these.
I'd say get the 4000X or the 220T in white and then set the fans to pink if that's the colour scheme you like. I think the Spectrum is probably the best of the PCS cases, but I'd rather something better myself at this budget.
 

m.kwood

Member
I'd say get the 4000X or the 220T in white and then set the fans to pink if that's the colour scheme you like. I think the Spectrum is probably the best of the PCS cases, but I'd rather something better myself at this budget.
Hi, after asking around on other places too Ive updated my specs a bit. What would you say about this case/setup? Good to buy?

Case
NZXT H511 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (WHITE) (I figured if I got this white one I could leave some bits white and add pink vinyl wrap)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-11700K (3.6GHz) 16MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z590-P (LGA1200, USB 3.2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6700 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 5400RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/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 RGB PRO XT Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
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 [KUK-00003]
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 14 to 17 working days
 
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