Advice on getting the right bang for buck

[darksider]

Hi folks,

loooong time gamer here but I wandered away from the whole pc building thing a decade ago so I have just enough knowledge to be dangerous to myself and my wallet but not enough to actually know what i'm looking at exactly any more.

I'm not saying money is no object but I've got 2 objectives - getting a god tier PC and not getting totally ripped off/misallocating funds on parts not worth a damn.

Here's what i'm starting with (honestly, im almost ramming the stats to max than making educated decisions - Ive tried researching but its hard to parse the reviews), i'd appreciate any and all advice as to where i can trim the fat to make it cheaper or where I should choose a different part to make it better.

Its not entirely a pure gaming machine, I do some light photoshop/indesign work (im a graphic designer) but i'm assuming that pretty much any latest gen stuff is going to be more than capable. i'm not ripping premiere videos on a regular basis or anything like that. But again, that is an assumption that I would apprecaite any advice on since I was told the AMDs are top notch for gaming but if they are absolutely atrocious with photoshop then I might need to reevaluate.

Its also not going to be something i'd intend to upgrade beyond, maybe, a new GPU a couple of years down the line.



TLR - is there anything absolutely horrible choicewise with this build?


Case
NZXT H511 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3090 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 3000 MB/W)
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
PCS FrostFlow 150 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
NOT REQUIRED
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

 

[JUNI0R]

Hi there! This looks like a decent start but some improvements could definelty be made, namely in Case, CPU cooling and PSU areas. Would you be able to provide the full spec as well as well as the link at the bottom? It makes it a lot easier for us to recommend changes!

As I'm sure you're aware, the 3090 is a beast GPU and will need an equally beast monitor to go with it. Do you have any you plan to use or plan to purchase/ a budget in mind?

 

[MrWilson]

Hi there,
There's a few things I would change to be honest.
Case: NZXT looks great but is not great for airflow. A lot of good options available, but the 5000X looks fantastic and has plenty of RGB if that's something that floats your boat.
Gone for 2x16GB RAM to give room for an upgrade to 64GB down the line.
5900x is a great CPU. Handles gaming and productivity comfortably. Despite being a £500 CPU it is arguably the best value chip of the Ryzen 5000 series.
For your needs I think you can save a little going for the 3080ti over the 3090. The 3080ti gives essentially the same gaming performance as the 3090, the main difference being having 12GB of VRAM instead of 24GB. 12GB is no slouch though, and should comfortably cover your uses. The 3090 only comes into play if you're going for heavy duty rendering or similarly intensive workloads.
For storage I've given you a 500GB 980 pro to have your OS and programs on the fastest drive possible. For a 2TB storage drive I have been reliably informed that nabbing yourself an adata xpg sx8200 pro 2tb drive and fitting it yourself is the best value buy at the moment.
For PSU 850W would probably be ample, I like to add a bit of extra room though, which is why I've got 1000W in my own order. RMx is a better quality line of components compared to the TXm, it's fully modular and it runs semi passively so will be quiet under low loads.
You're going to want some quality cooling to look after the 5900x. The H115i Capellix will cool well, run nice and quietly and looks fantastic.
Silver Warranty for £5 is well worth it.
You're going to want a beastly monitor to get the most out of the 3080ti. The pinnacle of gaming is the Samsung G9, a DQHD 49 inch behemoth. With Amazon Prime Day on Monday and Tuesday it could be a good time to get a nice discount.
Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - 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)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i 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
NOT REQUIRED
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 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: £2,910.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/EtWeyY6eZJ/

 

[darksider]

THanks for that. It helps.

Couple of things; would the non watercooling suffice? Beyond the wiping out for dust/cleaning, i dont really want to open it up and mess around with liquids. Ive only pulled and installed the occasional gpu for the last 10 years, thats about the limit of my reach.

Secondly, as above im not really inclined to source a hd fron elsewhere, is there anything particularly wrong with current selection other than a bit more expensive?

Side note, im not into RGB at all but ill certainly look for a diffrrent case with better airflow.

Iw do appreciate the help. I know im basically looking at it like im buying an expensive console so try not to hate me too much.

 

[MrWilson]

So unfortunately, PCS don't have any air coolers that would be up to cooling the 5900x in stock. However, this is an AIO cooler, which means that all the liquid is kept in a closed loop and there is not very much of it, compared to a custom looped watercooled system which has a big reservoir of coolant that gets pumped around. Maintenance is minimal with an AIO, you'll just need to clean the dust off the fans every few months.
I'm also not huge on RGB (much to the chagrin of some of the other users on here 🤪)so I get where you're coming from. Opted for the Fractal Meshify for a more refined design, and taken out a couple of your RGB components. Sticking with the Capellix cooler; it uses iCue software which you can reliably use to turn off the RGB, as well as monitor temperatures and flag up potential issues that could arise with the build.
Gone with the Intel m.2 drive over the Corsair. The Corsair has a lower Write Endurance between the two so it will not last as long as the Intel drive.

We're always happy to help, especially when people are receptive to feedback and allow us to work with them to provide an optimal build for their needs. Always fun working on big budget builds too!

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY S2 TEMPERED GLASS
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X 12 Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.8GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 Ti - 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
2TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2700MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i 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
NOT REQUIRED
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 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: £3,114.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/sMgDg4bCtw/

 

[darksider]

That's brilliant. Thank you. Now i just have to find some patience whilst gpu stocks turn up.