First Ever Gaming PC

[hobnobs]

Hi guys,

Back in March (when lock-down first began) I decided that I was going to buy my first desktop PC (currently gaming on my laptop 1070). Over the last 5 months I've been saving and waiting for the new Nvidia 30 series with the goal to purchase a system the moment they launch. The good news is that all that waiting has allowed me to save quite a bit so I'm looking to purchase a higher end spec.

However, I want to get your opinions on cases. It looks like the new 3090 cards are going to be at least 300mm, which is quite a bit longer than the 2080 cards. Also they're rumoured to used 350-400 Watts? My flat is on the top floor of a building and it can get quite warm (especially in the summer). Basically, I'm looking for a large case without having to worry about over-heating. Or do I need extra fans? I'll also be using my current LG-27UK650 (4k 60hz) until 4k 144hz becomes the new standard.

Budget = £3,500 (could go a couple hundred more if the upgrades are worth it)

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY S2 BLACKOUT TEMPERED GLASS
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12 Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.6GHz/70MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready! - Will change to 3090 when available
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 2500MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/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 H115i RGB PLATINUM 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)
Wireless/Wired Networking
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 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
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
NONE
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 15 to 17 working days
Price: £2,575.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

 

[SpyderTracks]

The 3090 isn't a gaming card, it's a replacement for the Titan which is really designed for enthusiast renderers, hence the 24Gb VRAM and much larger size of card. The performance benefit over the top tier gaming GPU (2080ti) and the Titan is usually very minimal and not at all worth it for gaming.

The 3080 would be far more appropriate for a gaming build.

 

[hobnobs]

Thanks for the response. If that's the case, it's interesting that they're not releasing a 3080ti variant like they did with 2080 series. If the 3080 can run pretty much all games at 4k 60 with ray tracing I'll happily get it.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks for the response. If that's the case, it's interesting that they're not releasing a 3080ti variant like they did with 2080 series. If the 3080 can run pretty much all games at 4k 60 with ray tracing I'll happily get it.

The xx80ti normally comes out about 6 months to a year after the initial release of the xx80. On the 1000 series it was roughly a year later, on the 900 series about 6 months, on the 700 series (800 series were mobile only) it was about 8 months and so on.

The 2000 series were actually the unusual release when they released the 2080ti only a week or so after the 2080, that was the first time that had happened.

There's a pretty huge expected price difference between the 3080 at around £800 to the 3090 at around £1500 or even £2000, based on that gap, I reckon they've returned to a big gap and will release the 3080ti to plug that hole of both performance and price at a later time.

This is all obviously pure guesswork at the moment, nothing can be said for certain, but it would make sense if current rumours are true.

3080 will be more suited to 4k 144Hz, it's overpowered for 4k 60 as it's more powerful than the 2080ti which would manage about 80FPS at 4k.

 

[hobnobs]

Thanks again. Really interesting insight. 4k 144hz 3080 would be amazing, especially with the rumours of much better ray tracing performance as well. Regarding the PC case. Was that fine? I've read that Fractal are one of the better makes?

 

[Scott]

Case is a beauty. I would opt for the Strix motherboard though. It's one of the few times where the brand is worth the extra cash.

I've been reading conflicting information regarding the naming of the cards. I had read that the 3090 was actually a different name for the 3080Ti..... but also that the 3090 wasn't actually going to be released with that name. I've seen the RTX Titan 2 being named such and a whole host of other things.

The 3080 is allegedly 10GB of VRam with the 3080Ti coming in at 20GB, but that goes against other info that states 24GB. It's wild at the moment so we will just need to hold on over the next few days, it's going to be some ride

One of the rumours I read said the 3080Ti is being released only a month or 3 after the 3080, so will just have to wait and see. I'm actually considering splurging on the 3080Ti this time. Not sure what the going rate for a 2080 will be by then though. Might even sell my whole system and set my sights on a 3900XT build..... decisions decisions.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks again. Really interesting insight. 4k 144hz 3080 would be amazing, especially with the rumours of much better ray tracing performance as well. Regarding the PC case. Was that fine? I've read that Fractal are one of the better makes?

That's exactly it, aside from raw gaming power, the expected improvements in full ray tracing capabilities are set to be enormous, we're talking roughly a 70% hit with current cards down to possible 10% hit with the 3000's, that's going to be a game changer.

You just have to look at the new MSFS2020 to see just how incredible full Ray Tracing well implemented can be, it's jaw droppingly beautiful.

 

[hobnobs]

Case is a beauty. I would opt for the Strix motherboard though. It's one of the few times where the brand is worth the extra cash.

I've been reading conflicting information regarding the naming of the cards. I had read that the 3090 was actually a different name for the 3080Ti..... but also that the 3090 wasn't actually going to be released with that name. I've seen the RTX Titan 2 being named such and a whole host of other things.

The 3080 is allegedly 10GB of VRam with the 3080Ti coming in at 20GB, but that goes against other info that states 24GB. It's wild at the moment so we will just need to hold on over the next few days, it's going to be some ride

One of the rumours I read said the 3080Ti is being released only a month or 3 after the 3080, so will just have to wait and see. I'm actually considering splurging on the 3080Ti this time. Not sure what the going rate for a 2080 will be by then though. Might even sell my whole system and set my sights on a 3900XT build..... decisions decisions.

Cheers, I'll add that motherboard to the list. What in particular makes it worth the cash?

I've read all the same conflicting reports regarding the 3090. Some leaks saying it's a titan replacement. Some saying differently. Others think that Nvida are waiting for AMD's new cards before releasing the 3080ti. It's a lot of fun speculation. Guess we'll all know in 2 days time.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Cheers, I'll add that motherboard to the list. What in particular makes it worth the cash?

I've read all the same conflicting reports regarding the 3090. Some leaks saying it's a titan replacement. Some saying differently. Others think that Nvida are waiting for AMD's new cards before releasing the 3080ti. It's a lot of fun speculation. Guess we'll all know in 2 days time.

That's right, it's on Tuesday isn't it.... not long to wait now!

 

[hobnobs]

Based on what I just witnessed, the 3080 for $699 (£700 equivalent?) seems perfect. Does anyone know when PC Specialist will put pre-orders up? (I saw it releases on the 17th but I'm not sure if you'll be able to pre-order earlier)

 

[SpyderTracks]

Based on what I just witnessed, the 3080 for $699 (£700 equivalent?) seems perfect. Does anyone know when PC Specialist will put pre-orders up? (I saw it releases on the 17th but I'm not sure if you'll be able to pre-order earlier)

As soon as pre orders open. We haven’t been told when that is yet, but I would expect over the next few days.

 

[hobnobs]

Out of curiosity I've been reading into the 3950x. Is it worth the upgrade over the 3900x? I'll also be doing some ml work as well as gaming if that matters to the performance.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Out of curiosity I've been reading into the 3950x. Is it worth the upgrade over the 3900x? I'll also be doing some ml work as well as gaming if that matters to the performance.

What's ML work?

 

[hobnobs]

Machine learning, with some data analysis in Python notebooks. 90% of what I'll be doing is gaming so was basically wondering if the extra cash was worth the extra performance

 

[SpyderTracks]

Machine learning, with some data analysis in Python notebooks. 90% of what I'll be doing is gaming so was basically wondering if the extra cash was worth the extra performance

I would say not in that case. If it was 50/50 use case then perhaps but it won’t make any impact on gaming.

 

[hobnobs]

Cheers. Think I've got the spec all ready. Time to spam the F5 button for the next few days/weeks

 

[SpyderTracks]

Cheers. Think I've got the spec all ready. Time to spam the F5 button for the next few days/weeks

Lols! I'm doing exactly the same thing... F5 F5 F5!!!

 

[hobnobs]

I can see they're already greyed out on the site. Think I may have missed out ... what a disaster

 

[SpyderTracks]

I can see they're already greyed out on the site. Think I may have missed out ... what a disaster

They’re greyed our because they’re not in stock yet, they haven’t been selectable since being listed, it’s nothing to do with stocks having run out.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Doesn't look like they are taking pre-orders as it says they are unable to take orders till the 17th

17th is gonna be mental on the forums and the configurator.... I can see a server overload coming on!