Desktop for Gaming and Music Production - Opinions?

[ThoDon]

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
4GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (1 x 4GB)
Was planning to purchase 32GB 3600MHz Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro separately and install myself as it's significantly cheaper elsewhere. Not sure if 32GB is overkill for my needs.
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
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 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 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler (AMD)
Assuming the PCS FrostFlow is an ID-Cooling FrostFlow reskin, I'm assuming a CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 would be a better choice.
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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Price: £1,656.00 including VAT and Delivery
+ £150* for 32GB 3600MHz Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro RAM

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/HFTe!gE7UG/

Budget - Approx. £1,800 for desktop only.
Monitor - 4ms, 144hz, 1440p, 27"
Uses - 1440p gaming, music production, light video editing, multitasking

I'm currently using a Dell Latitude E6430 laptop with an i5-3230M processor, integrated graphics, and 8GB RAM; almost 10 years old. So literally anything would be an upgrade. Anyways, let me know your thoughts! Many thanks.

 

[AgentCooper]

Hi there. I'd suggest a few changes if the budget can be pushed up a wee bit more, this comes in at around £1,840 when you factor in your self purchased RAM (by the way 32GB is a solid choice for music production, as is going for the 3600MHz).

I'd ideally want the H100i/H115i cooler, as they're quieter (will the volume the system itself will produce affect your music making?) and a bit more premium, an 850w PSU for longevity, and a 2TB HDD in there for storage of finished projects, but I don't want to spend money you don't have!

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX TD500 MESH 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)
4GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
12GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6700 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 2500MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid 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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
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: £1,689.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/2QckUsYCkX/

 

[Deleted member 17413]

If this is music production, wouldnt you want to aim for quiet components and case as much as possible?
Would seeking out a Fractal Define 7 case and having it sent in be a good idea?
Also, i've seen mention of using SSD over HDD for storage, I realise its more expensive but thinking silent operation? AgentCooper has already mentioned the Coolermaster 240 (which has been commented on as being noisy too)

PCS are now doing the H100i Elite Capillex so nice to have a high performing AIO with a 240mm again, given the mention of RGB RAM I dont think the Capellix would go amiss either and the Define 7 does come with a glass side as one of its variations too.

 

[AleTax]

If this is music production, wouldnt you want to aim for quiet components and case as much as possible?
Would seeking out a Fractal Define 7 case and having it sent in be a good idea?
Also, i've seen mention of using SSD over HDD for storage, I realise its more expensive but thinking silent operation? AgentCooper has already mentioned the Coolermaster 240 (which has been commented on as being noisy too)

PCS are now doing the H100i Elite Capillex so nice to have a high performing AIO with a 240mm again, given the mention of RGB RAM I dont think the Capellix would go amiss either and the Define 7 does come with a glass side as one of its variations too.

I'm a music producer as well. Extreme silence isn't always necessary since most of time studio monitors will be on blasting sound. And when not listening through studio monitors, mostly headset will be plugged in

 

[AgentCooper]

If this is music production, wouldnt you want to aim for quiet components and case as much as possible?
Would seeking out a Fractal Define 7 case and having it sent in be a good idea?
Also, i've seen mention of using SSD over HDD for storage, I realise its more expensive but thinking silent operation? AgentCooper has already mentioned the Coolermaster 240 (which has been commented on as being noisy too)

PCS are now doing the H100i Elite Capillex so nice to have a high performing AIO with a 240mm again, given the mention of RGB RAM I dont think the Capellix would go amiss either and the Define 7 does come with a glass side as one of its variations too.

I'm a music producer as well. Extreme silence isn't always necessary since most of time studio monitors will be on blasting sound. And when not listening through studio monitors, mostly headset will be plugged in

Both valid points, it’s going to depend on what kind of music OP is making. If it’s purely electronic beats or (like me) using an interface to send the signal from something such as an amp direct to the PC via USB, system noise won’t be an issue. But if they’re trying to delicately mic up an acoustic guitar for a classical piece they’ll definitely not be wanting the pump of the CoolerMaster in the background.

 

[ThoDon]

Both valid points, it’s going to depend on what kind of music OP is making. If it’s purely electronic beats or (like me) using an interface to send the signal from something such as an amp direct to the PC via USB, system noise won’t be an issue. But if they’re trying to delicately mic up an acoustic guitar for a classical piece they’ll definitely not be wanting the pump of the CoolerMaster in the background.

I'm a music producer as well. Extreme silence isn't always necessary since most of time studio monitors will be on blasting sound. And when not listening through studio monitors, mostly headset will be plugged in

If this is music production, wouldnt you want to aim for quiet components and case as much as possible?
Would seeking out a Fractal Define 7 case and having it sent in be a good idea?
Also, i've seen mention of using SSD over HDD for storage, I realise its more expensive but thinking silent operation? AgentCooper has already mentioned the Coolermaster 240 (which has been commented on as being noisy too)

PCS are now doing the H100i Elite Capillex so nice to have a high performing AIO with a 240mm again, given the mention of RGB RAM I dont think the Capellix would go amiss either and the Define 7 does come with a glass side as one of its variations too.

Hi, thanks for all the responses. System noise isn’t really an issue as I’ll be using a MIDI keyboard and a headset for the most part.

 

[AgentCooper]

Hi, thanks for all the responses. System noise isn’t really an issue as I’ll be using a MIDI keyboard and a headset for the most part.

Coolio, that makes things easier! What software do you use as your recording medium and will there be lots of plug-ins involved?

 

[Deleted member 17413]

How does the Strix 550 compare to the Tuf 570?
Ive seen Tuf 550 boards paired with the 5800X by mods before, but in tighter budgets.
Wondering where the Strix 550 might sit on that scale.

 

[ThoDon]

Coolio, that makes things easier! What software do you use as your recording medium and will there be lots of plug-ins involved?

I haven’t actually started producing on Windows yet, since my current laptop cannot handle most programs, aha. So not sure. I’ve heard good things about FL Studio, but I don’t need anything too crazy- just for a side hobby. I previously used Logic Pro X on macOS.

 

[ThoDon]

Just a quick couple questions;

1) Am I likely to experience compatibility issues installing the RAM myself? Will the Vengeance RGB pro be too tall assuming the AIO will be mounted on the top of the case? If so, would Vengeance RGB Pro SL, Crucial Ballistix, or TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB be compatible?

2) Is the CoolerMaster Master Liquid 240 RGB?

3) Is the CoolerMaster MasterBox TD500 still a good option? I’m aware they’ve restocked some more cases recently, but not sure how good airflow is for the PCS and AeroCool cases.

Thanks!

 

[MrWilson]

Just a quick couple questions;

1) Am I likely to experience compatibility issues installing the RAM myself? Will the Vengeance RGB pro be too tall assuming the AIO will be mounted on the top of the case? If so, would Vengeance RGB Pro SL, Crucial Ballistix, or TeamGroup T-Force Delta RGB be compatible?

2) Is the CoolerMaster Master Liquid 240 RGB?

3) Is the CoolerMaster MasterBox TD500 still a good option? I’m aware they’ve restocked some more cases recently, but not sure how good airflow is for the PCS and AeroCool cases.

Thanks!

RGB RAM is a bit taller than a stick without it. One benefit of the Corsair RAM is that it is quite short so tends to not get in the way. A good way to check is to put together your build in pcpartpicker, as that configurator is a little better at finding incompatibility issues.

The Coolermaster Cooler is not RGB. If you’re wanting RGB you will need to upgrade to the H100i Elite Capellix. It is more expensive, but they are slightly more efficient coolers, that run quieter and have lots of RGB goodness including a commander node.

PCS have added a few cases in, but they’re all very much at the budget end and not worth considering for most systems. The PCS Spectrum is the only one worth mentioning as it comes with 3 fans. Ultimately though, your starting point should be the Corsair 4000D or 220t if you like RGB. The Coolermaster still holds up very well though, and remains a great option to stick with.