Advice needed, it's been a while.

[ruprud]

Hi Guys,

After over 11 years of service (and a few upgrades along the way), my last PCS build has died and I’m trying to spec the next one. It’s been a while since I’ve done this & I’m hoping the forum can help with suggestions – I’m a bit like the fat kid staring at the pick n mix right now.

Mainly for gaming, I’ll be upgrading the monitor to a Samsung 32" G75T QHD 240Hz or similar in the next couple of months and moving the current screen to position 2 for office / email.

Looking for something that’ll handle current games at high detail Far Cry, Eve, Cyberpunk etc as well as doubling as a reasonably quiet workstation when WFH.

Original budget went out the window when I started playing with the configurator, and currently at about £2,600.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 4000X RGB Tempered Glass Mid-Tower ATX Case
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 16-Core Processor i7-13700K (3.4GHz) 36MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z790-P (DDR5, LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
4TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 200 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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 11 Professional 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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 9 to 11 working days
Promotional Item
Get Marvel's Midnight Suns with select GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs!

Price: £2,603.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[ruprud]

Hi,

Could I do better for the budget waiting for the new AMD processors? And if it's marginal, do the components above need tweaking?

Appreciate any feedback, I'm without a decent PC right now and not sure which direction to go.

 

[Scott]

I would definitely hold off for the X3D performance and pricing to come out. At the very least it could impact the Intel pricing.

Other than that, the build could definitely use some tweaking. Are you set on a 240hz monitor due to the refresh? 99.9% wouldn't notice the difference over 144hz on anything but the desktop.

The unique link from your spec allows us to go in and easily suggest changes. If you could copy that into your post it would help:

Please read before posting:- Collaboration of Helpful Hints

NB: These forums are not an official support channel. None of us work for PCS, we're all either customers or techies who just like to help out where possible. For any official support, you need to contact PCS directly either through your PCS account, or via the contact details on the main...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[ruprud]

Thanks Scott,

Not set on 240hz, but liked the look of the monitor.
Main use is games, some old but would like the ability to push high settings on new tittles for a while. Also thinking about VR at some point.

Always been a fan of AMD GPU's, but the last time I speced a PCS build was 11 years ago. Things have moved on since & I'm not as up to speed as I'd like.

Tweaked Cooling, Ram, Case & drives


Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 16-Core Processor i7-13700K (3.4GHz) 36MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z790-P (DDR5, LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
10GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 990 PRO M.2, PCIe 4.0 NVMe (up to 7450MB/R, 6900MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
8TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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 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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 8 to 10 working days
Promotional Item
Get Marvel's Midnight Suns with select GeForce RTX 30 Series GPUs!
Price: £2,892.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/CsHqVr63vU/

 

[ruprud]

Hi Guys, ordered and 6 days in pre production so hopefully building next week.

Decided I can't wait for the new AMD chips
Will be upgrading to 4K Monitors.
RAM upgraded to Dominator Platinum DDR5 6,000

Any last minute advice?
More fans?
Bigger PSU?
Motherboard?

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 16-Core Processor i7-13700K (3.4GHz) 30MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z790-P (DDR5, LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 990 PRO M.2, PCIe 4.0 NVMe (up to 7450MB/R, 6900MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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 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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo
Price: £0.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/VFXHTxmPYU/

 

[SpyderTracks]

4070ti will average around 75fps at 4k, it's about on par with the 3080

The GPU benchmarks hierarchy 2024: Ten years of graphics card hardware tested and ranked

We've run hundreds of GPU benchmarks on Nvidia, AMD, and Intel graphics cards and ranked them in our comprehensive hierarchy, with over 80 GPUs tested.

www.tomshardware.com

What 4k monitors are you planning? I would imagine, based off of the last gen GPUs, a 4070Ti may struggle at high refresh 4k.

PSU: I'd want to up that to 1000w minimum for future-proofing

Drives: You could save £80 and drop down to a slower drive for the 2TB one (the Paradigm one should be fine)....running games from it should make no real difference...I run my system on a drive comparable to the PCS one and, when I game, I have no issues with speeds etc. Regarding the Ironwolf, I believe they can be noisy (just was considering your need for a quiet workstation)

Thermal paste: You can save £9 by removing it...the cooler comes with high grade paste already applied

 

[Scott]

4070ti will average around 75fps at 4k, it's about on par with the 3080

The GPU benchmarks hierarchy 2024: Ten years of graphics card hardware tested and ranked

We've run hundreds of GPU benchmarks on Nvidia, AMD, and Intel graphics cards and ranked them in our comprehensive hierarchy, with over 80 GPUs tested.

www.tomshardware.com

That's pretty poor from Nvidia isn't it

The 3070 was on par with the 2080Ti, never mind the 3070Ti.

 

[ruprud]

Thanks Guys, the input is much appreciated,

Monitor will probably be Samsung 34" G55T UWQHD, 165Hz or similar.
Went with the 4070 for lower power draw & noise level.
The Ironwolf is storage & catchall - I have about 3gb of historical data to transfer and sort through at some point)

For an extra £70:
I can lose the Artic White Thermal paste
I can swap the 2TB Samsung pro for Solidigm P41
Swap 850w PSU for 1000w PSU
Swap Asus Prime MB for the Asus ROG Strix Z790F Wifi

Does that sound sensible?

I've been without a PC since the last one died so waiting for AMD isn't an option.

 

[Scott]

I can't match your exact ordered spec as some parts are out of stock. This is where I would go (although Case and cooler is fine). If the RAM is a big difference in money then the 5600 will be fine.. If you want to save then I would go for the Corsair M2 over the Solidigm, not sure on its endurance.

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 16-Core Processor i7-13700K (3.4GHz) 30MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z790-F GAMING WIFI (DDR5, LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
PCS GRAPHICS CARD SUPPORT BRACKET
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W 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 H150i ELITE RGB 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 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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 13 working days
Price: £2,919.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/zhh2Y!pD4f/

 

[ruprud]

Thanks Guys, I made the suggested changes and updated the order. Everything is in stock so hopefully I'll keep my place in the queue.

Worked out about £100 in total, but I feel a lot more confident with the build.
I think the upgraded PSU & MB will work better for me in the long run.
Stuck with the RGB case, and although it's a small consideration, I think the white aspects of the Asus Prime board would end up grating on me after a while.

Item 1	Amendments Charge: £0.00
Item 2	Change to [STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING] from [ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND]
Item 3	Change to [1TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)] from [1TB SAMSUNG 990 PRO M.2, PCIe 4.0 NVMe (up to 7450MB/R, 6900MB/W)]
Item 4	Change to [2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/W)] from [2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)]
Item 5	Change to [CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET] from [CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET]
Item 6	Change to [ASUS® ROG STRIX Z790-F GAMING WIFI (DDR5, LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready] from [ASUS® PRIME Z790-P (DDR5, LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready]

I'll raise a toast to the forum when I switch it on for the first time

 

[Scott]

If you're sticking with a 1TB for the primary drive I would change that to the Firecuda 530. The 980 pro only really has value at the 500GB level.

 

[ruprud]

If you're sticking with a 1TB for the primary drive I would change that to the Firecuda 530. The 980 pro only really has value at the 500GB level.

Cheers Scott, advice taken.

 

[ruprud]

Just a quick update for people waiting for or placing orders. I ordered 19 Jan with a 9-11 day estimate. Order sat in Pre-production until 10 Feb (16 working days). on 16th, order went from building to testing the same morning. I'm hoping to receive next week, 26-27 days after ordering.

Not by any means a criticism; Cust services have been really helpful when I've called, but if your impatient it might be worth adding the faster service at the point of ordering. I regret not doing it.

 

[Scott]

Just a quick update for people waiting for or placing orders. I ordered 19 Jan with a 9-11 day estimate. Order sat in Pre-production until 10 Feb (16 working days). on 16th, order went from building to testing the same morning. I'm hoping to receive next week, 26-27 days after ordering.

Not by any means a criticism; Cust services have been really helpful when I've called, but if your impatient it might be worth adding the faster service at the point of ordering. I regret not doing it.

You'll likely find it wouldn't have made any difference. It's typically the lead time of the part availability that makes the time extend, rather than the capacity of the factory

 

[Robbie]

I'll raise a toast to the forum when I switch it on for the first time

Or some nice pictures of it running would be nice! 😇

 

[ruprud]

Happily, when it arrives. Got an email Monday evening saying it was awaiting dispatch. Didn't ship yesterday but I've got my hopes up it'll go today.

Next rabbit hole to go down is new Monitor. Something 32"+, 80% gaming 20% productivity. Not fixated on 4k, but like the thought of a wider resolution.

Any views on the ones below?

AOC AGON CU34G3S
Alienware AW3420DW 34 Inch WQHD
Dell S3422DWG 34 inch WQHD
Gigabyte G34WQC 34 inch

​

 

[SpyderTracks]

Happily, when it arrives. Got an email Monday evening saying it was awaiting dispatch. Didn't ship yesterday but I've got my hopes up it'll go today.

Next rabbit hole to go down is new Monitor. Something 32"+, 80% gaming 20% productivity. Not fixated on 4k, but like the thought of a wider resolution.

Any views on the ones below?

AOC AGON CU34G3S
Alienware AW3420DW 34 Inch WQHD
Dell S3422DWG 34 inch WQHD
Gigabyte G34WQC 34 inch

​

They're all great monitors but the Alienware is a real standout one, has to be seen to be believed.

 

[sck451]

Happily, when it arrives. Got an email Monday evening saying it was awaiting dispatch. Didn't ship yesterday but I've got my hopes up it'll go today.

Next rabbit hole to go down is new Monitor. Something 32"+, 80% gaming 20% productivity. Not fixated on 4k, but like the thought of a wider resolution.

Any views on the ones below?

AOC AGON CU34G3S
Alienware AW3420DW 34 Inch WQHD
Dell S3422DWG 34 inch WQHD
Gigabyte G34WQC 34 inch

​

You have three VA panels and the Alienware, an IPS display that isn't that amazing. (I think @SpyderTracks is thinking of the AW3423DW, which is waaaaaaay better and arguably the best gaming display there is.) IPS is definitely preferable for most circumstances.

I'd suggest the LG 34GN850-B as another option to consider.

 

[SpyderTracks]

You have three VA panels and the Alienware, an IPS display that isn't that amazing. (I think @SpyderTracks is thinking of the AW3423DW, which is waaaaaaay better and arguably the best gaming display there is.) IPS is definitely preferable for most circumstances.

I'd suggest the LG 34GN850-B as another option to consider.

Ah, thanks for the correction, yes, that is the alienware I meant

 

[sck451]

Ah, thanks for the correction, yes, that is the alienware I meant

Round 263 of "monitors have stupid incomprehensible names".