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Orange4999

Member
Hello all, hope you’ve had a nice day.

I’ve always been a console gamer and currently have PS5 with OLED 55” LG C1. I‘ve been interested in PC gaming as I never had one before so this is my first one and I’m not well informed about it. I’m looking to play AAA games such as Alan Wake 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3. I’m also looking to play CPU intensive games such as Civilisation games, strategy games, simulation games etc that aren’t readily available on PS5.

I’ve put aside £2500 budget. I intend to use a 27” Monitor at 1440p resolution on a desktop up close and I also intend to continue using OLED 55” LG C1 at 4K resolution in 60fps on games such as Alan Wake 2 from a couch, like with PS5.

I understand that a monitor has to be ideally 27” for 1440p, at least 165Hz, and an IPS display. I’ve found those three 1440p monitors from Amazon and Currys:
AOC Q27G3XMN/BK has a VA display but it seems to have really good reviews. Which monitor do you recommend going with or is there a better monitor available on Amazon/Currys?

Case
CORSAIR 3500X ARGB TEMPERED GLASS MID-TOWER (WHITE) - I‘m not really well informed on cases. Would you say that this is a good case for airflow and future upgradeability? I don’t particularly care for aesthetics.
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.5GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5) - This is a placeholder for 9800X3D. I’ve decided to wait for 9800X3D to be available on PCSpecialist since it’s apparently coming out very soon.
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7) - I would have gone with Gigabyte X870 Eagle Wifi7 but that doesn’t have S/PDIF (Optical) Output, so I went for this one that has it.
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 4070 SUPER Twin Edge - HDMI, 3 x DP - I’m thinking of changing this to 12GB Asus Dual Geforce RTX 4070 Super OC Edition. Which type of 4070S do you recommend?
Also, is it worth having a graphics card support bracket or just leave that empty?
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT 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 LINK H150i RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING - Worth upgrading to Artic MX-4 for £9?
Extra Case Fans
4 x Corsair ICUE RS120 ARGB PWM Fan - WHITE - No issue with choosing four extra fans for the case alongside three pre-installed fans for better airflow? These look the same as the pre-installed fans on the 3500X case, or shall I go for the cheaper extra fans?
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £2,194.00 including VAT and Delivery
 
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SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Orange4999 said:
AOC Q27G3XMN/BK has a VA display but it seems to have really good reviews. Which monitor do you recommend going with or is there a better monitor available on Amazon/Currys?
Click to expand...
This would be the monitor I would choose.

It is a lesser panel being VA, but it's a really high quality VA panel, and the reason I'd choose it is that is has full HDR1000 support with proper backlighting giving it a REAL HDR experience.

HDR is such a monumental leap that it's an absolute no brainer, but usually reserved for far more expensive monitors. If you can find one, buy it as quickly as possible as they're crazy popular and sell out fast. Currys normally have stocks.
 
Ekans2011

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Orange4999 said:
Hello all, hope you’ve had a nice day.

I’ve always been a console gamer and currently have PS5 with OLED 55” LG C1. I‘ve been interested in PC gaming as I never had one before so this is my first one and I’m not well informed about it. I’m looking to play AAA games such as Alan Wake 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3. I’m also looking to play CPU intensive games such as Civilisation games, strategy games, simulation games etc that aren’t readily available on PS5.

I’ve put aside £2500 budget. I intend to use a 27” Monitor at 1440p resolution on a desktop up close and I also intend to continue using OLED 55” LG C1 at 4K resolution in 60fps on games such as Alan Wake 2 from a couch, like with PS5.

I understand that a monitor has to be ideally 27” for 1440p, at least 165Hz, and an IPS display. I’ve found those three 1440p monitors from Amazon and Currys:
AOC Q27G3XMN/BK has a VA display but it seems to have really good reviews. Which monitor do you recommend going with or is there a better monitor available on Amazon/Currys?

Case
CORSAIR 3500X ARGB TEMPERED GLASS MID-TOWER (WHITE) - I‘m not really well informed on cases. Would you say that this is a good case for airflow and future upgradeability? I don’t particularly care for aesthetics.
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.5GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5) - This is a placeholder for 9800X3D. I’ve decided to wait for 9800X3D to be available on PCSpecialist since it’s apparently coming out very soon.
Motherboard
GIGABYTE X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7) - I would have gone with Gigabyte X870 Eagle Wifi7 but that doesn’t have S/PDIF (Optical) Output, so I went for this one that has it.
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB ZOTAC GEFORCE RTX 4070 SUPER Twin Edge - HDMI, 3 x DP - I’m thinking of changing this to 12GB Asus Dual Geforce RTX 4070 Super OC Edition. Which type of 4070S do you recommend?
Also, is it worth having a graphics card support bracket or just leave that empty?
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1200W RMx SHIFT 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 LINK H150i RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING - Worth upgrading to Artic MX-4 for £9?
Extra Case Fans
4 x Corsair ICUE RS120 ARGB PWM Fan - WHITE - No issue with choosing four extra fans for the case alongside three pre-installed fans for better airflow? These look the same as the pre-installed fans on the 3500X case, or shall I go for the cheaper extra fans?
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
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
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
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £2,194.00 including VAT and Delivery
Click to expand...
In my opinion, your build is almost spot on.

I'd simply remove the extra fans (unless you want them for aesthetic reasons), as too many fans are bad for airflow if not correctly configured. Those fans are identical to the ones in the case, but they are incompatible with your AIO's LINK technology.
I would choose the RX120 to reduce the number of cables within the case.

I would also consider a 4070ti SUPER (or 7900GRE/XT) for a better 1440p experience, especially given your budget (unless you want to wait until January or February for the next RTX/AMD generation).
 
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O

Orange4999

Member
Ekans2011 said:
In my opinion, your build is almost spot on.

I'd simply remove the extra fans (unless you want them for aesthetic reasons), as too many fans are bad for airflow if not correctly configured. Those fans are identical to the ones in the case, but they are incompatible with your AIO's LINK technology.
I would choose the RX120 to reduce the number of cables within the case.

I would also consider a 4070ti SUPER (or 7900GRE/XT) for a better 1440p experience, especially given your budget (unless you want to wait until January or February for the next RTX/AMD generation).
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply.

Interesting, I thought that more fans means better airflow/cooling for 3500X case but apparently not. I’ll remove extra fans from the order then, thanks!

I was considering starting with 4070 Super for now and see what NVIDIA features are all about. Then, a year later thereabouts or much later, I’ll upgrade to next gen of RTX, or AMD if I didn’t think NVIDIA features are worth it. I’ll keep your advice in mind as I’ll wait for 9800X3D.

I think there’s just one thing left now. Is it worth having Artic MK-4 thermal paste for £9 which seems to have good reviews as I intend to not upgrade 9800X3D CPU for a very long time?
 
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O

Orange4999

Member
I’m thinking of changing the case to this: CORSAIR ICUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER ATX CASE - WHITE

5000X seems to be better than 3500X in terms of airflow and design. Plus, the front three fans are addressable RGB so I can turn these off or turn them down/be more discreet if I want to. It’ll have three front intakes and three top exhausts through AIO so I’m thinking of adding a rear exhaust by ordering one of 120MM THERMALTAKE TOUGHFAN 12 FAN from ‘Extra Case Fans’.

Speaking of AIO, I’ve been looking up on CORSAIR ICUE LINK H150i RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER and apparently some people have issues with the pump being very loud. Should I be looking at CORSAIR ICUE LINK TITAN 240 RX RGB instead? That one will only have two exhaust fans instead of three via H150i.
 
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TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
The fans in the 3500X RGB are addressable.

You can make it quieter or noisier depending on the profile, and it will change noise levels depending on the temp of the coolant - so if it was used to try and cool a 14900K then I'd expect it to be much louder than trying to cool a 9800X3D.

However, 'loud' is totally subjective, but I can't hear my AIO pump or fans (in a 6500X case with a total of 10 fans) over the 100mm constant-speed fan in my Thunderbolt enclosure, For example, I'm sitting 18-24" away from it and at 18" I get a <40dBA reading (on the NIOSH SLM app) - and typing on my Apple keyboard will make it peak to c.50dBA. (for reference, the background noise level is c.32dBA).
 
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Orange4999

Member
Ok thank you.

Since 98003XD only needs less cooling than 14900K, is it better to go for iCue Link Titan 240 which is newer and saves me £48?

or just stick with bigger iCue Link H150i, older and more expensive but better for my needs?

I’m considering 4070Ti Super into the build if that matters.
 
T

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Orange4999 said:
Ok thank you.

Since 98003XD only needs less cooling than 14900K, is it better to go for iCue Link Titan 240 which is newer and saves me £48?

or just stick with bigger iCue Link H150i, older and more expensive but better for my needs?

I’m considering 4070Ti Super into the build if that matters.
Click to expand...
The Titan 240 is 2x120mm, which will be noisier for the same cooling performance than the H150i range (3x120mm). The benefit of the Titan over the normal H100i is that it has the newer RX iCUE LINK fans, so connects to the new iCUE LINK system...but the case fans in the 5000X and 3500X are not iCUE LINK fans...so I'd stick to one 'ecosystem' or the other to avoid having multiple controllers.

The compromise is the H115i Elite Capellix, which is 2x140mm fans - so has the performance of the H150i, but with slower fan speeds and thus quieter running.

No matter which you go for, you'll have to customise the fan profiles to your environment, as the default settings can be a bit aggressive (as they're based on older, hotter CPUs).

But adding more fans may make it louder and worse for cooling, as pushing too much air into the case means there isn't enough time for the cooler to transfer the heat to it before exhausting it...so that's another area you'd have to balance yourself (even case, environment, component build is different, so we can't give you a generic profile).

If you want to keep all iCUE LINK fans with their invisible wiring, then go for a case that comes with zero ARGB fans (6500X, 5000D, O11 Dynamic, etc.) and configure it with all iCUE LINK ones on the bottom and/or side, so:

iCUE LINK AIO.jpg


iCUE LINK Fans.jpg


Of course you could go with any of the Corsair case choices and just populate any missing fan slots with the c.50% cheaper RS fans and Elite Capellix AIO.
 
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O

Orange4999

Member
Thank you guys, all very useful info.

I’ve decided to put in a single PCS black fan for £3 so that they can put in a rear exhaust to the back of 5000X, along with three pre-installed front intakes and three exhausts via AIO at the top. That seems to be a balanced airflow.

I was deciding between an unknown PCS black fan or a Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Fan. I went for the unknown fan instead, I assume that the speed of this fan can be controlled.

Thanks for the help. Appreciate it.
 
T

TonyCarter

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Orange4999 said:
Thank you guys, all very useful info.

I’ve decided to put in a single PCS black fan for £3 so that they can put in a rear exhaust to the back of 5000X, along with three pre-installed front intakes and three exhausts via AIO at the top. That seems to be a balanced airflow.

I was deciding between an unknown PCS black fan or a Thermaltake Toughfan 12 Fan. I went for the unknown fan instead, I assume that the speed of this fan can be controlled.

Thanks for the help. Appreciate it.
Click to expand...
PCS normally add a basic exhaust fan anyway if one isn't already included by the case manufacturer.

The only reason I'd specific a 'extra' exhaust fan would be if I wanted a Corsair ARGB RX one to match the AIO.
 
O

Orange4999

Member
TonyCarter said:
PCS normally add a basic exhaust fan anyway if one isn't already included by the case manufacturer.

The only reason I'd specific a 'extra' exhaust fan would be if I wanted a Corsair ARGB RX one to match the AIO.
Click to expand...
Okay. I’ll just leave ‘Extra Case Fans’ empty then if PCS is going to add a basic rear exhaust fan to 5000X free of charge anyway. Appreciate it.
 
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