First gaming PC for teenage son - the return...

[maroom]

Firstly a big thanks to @Oussebon who helped back in 2018 with my son’s first gaming pc. He’s been delighted with it since.

I’m back again as my youngest son is about to turn 13 and wants one as well now.
Like last time, I’m allowing him to spend his savings, and I’m putting in extra to make sure that it will play everything he’s likely to want for the next few years.

He mainly plays FPS games and also does some basic photo, music and video editing.
For games he has a PS4 and old Dell monitor which is 1920 x 1200 at 60 Hz.
However I can see he’ll soon start saving again for a better monitor like his brother who got himself this:
OPTIX AG32CV 32" 1920X1080 VA FREESYNC 165HZ 1MS CURVED WIDESCREEN LED BACKLIT GAMING MONITOR

His only real requirements are good frame rates and RGB fans and lighting like his brother.
Last time my son picked the CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X RGB GAMING CASE which is very nice.
This time I’ve selected the CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE which is similar but maybe overkill.

The budget was £1200 but I’ve already gone over that from incorporating some recommendations in the recent posts!
I would consider a bit extra if worthwhile.

Please let me know what you think.


Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
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 850W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
2x 50cm RGB LED Strip
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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 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 - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,289.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

 

[JUNI0R]

This looks like a very solid build! I've tweaked the case to a 220T which will save a large chunk of the budget. It's a great budget case with 3 included high quality ARGB fans. I've then spent that money on the TUF B550 board and a AIO cooler that the 5600X will massively benefit from. As I've added an AIO that effectively adds 2 fans, I've removed the extra case fan specced. I've also removed one of the RGB strips as a metre of RGB strips in a case with 3 RGB fans already is quite overkill (in my opinion)

When it comes to Monitors, If I may make a recommendation for the MSI Optix G241 or the AOC 24G2U which are 1080p 144hz monitors (instead of 165 hz) but have an IPS panel meaning colours are brighter and viewing angles will be better. From the price that came up on amazon, it's also £70 cheaper. (Both suggestons are £200) They're both popular monitors that we recommend a lot on the forums

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
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 850W RM 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
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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 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 - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,281.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/ZfVCaeg0sW/

 

[sck451]

I pretty much agree with @JUNI0R, though personally I think the AIO is unnecessary for the 5600X. I run one (pretty hard sometimes!) with the stock cooler and have never suffered from high temperatures or throttling. At this kind of budget, I'd rather spend the money on a faster SSD.

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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 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 - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,271.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/qsV!tDF5PN/

 

[Stephen M]

No help on build but depending what he wants to do with music it may be worth dual-booting with Ubuntu Studio. It is free and has a low latency kernel which is much better for music production.

There is also a lot of good free and open source music software.

 

[Ash_]

I’d go for the Lian Li 215 case, the pcs price is an absolute bargain and it is a very capable case.

 

[maroom]

Many thanks for all the suggestions.

I’ll upgrade to the TUF motherboard and reduce to 1 ARGB LED Strip.

I’m not keen on the AIO cooler so will leave that.
I’m tempted by the faster SSD and will think about it.

I’ve just looked and the CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB CASE isn’t showing on the site at the moment.
I also have a slight concern that it’s a bit small and cable management room might be tight for my messy work when changes happen later on.

The LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 GAMING CASE looks good and a better size to me.
I might let my son pick between that and the CORSAIR ICUE 5000X RGB.
Apart from the big jump in price with the 5000X are there any downsides to it?

 

[Scott]

You've specced a really nice build there. I think there are a couple of tweaks that I would recommend, similar to above, but if you're happy with the extra outlay of the case I think it's a fine selection. The only time to cut back on nice things like that is when the budget is really tight, you seem to have a little bit of flex so hopefully this isn't pushing too far.

A couple of points of note. As much as you want the extra grunt for the FPS, bare in mind that the screen will only actually refresh 60 times per second (60hz) so this creates what are called "lost frames". It's basically work for nothing so that people can say they run xxx FPS, they don't really as it's all down to what the display can show. I know what the playground chat is like though so I do understand, I just wanted to make you aware.

With regards to the monitor, pairing with around 144hz is the ideal selection for this particular GPU. The next step would be a 3060 GPU paired with a 1440p monitor, which is a significant upgrade and closer to standard nowadays. The prices go up in kind though, as I'm sure you can imagine. The Monitor would be around £300 with the GPU to power it being around £200 more than the current selection. Possibly not a decision for now, but food for thought for later as 1080p really is dying out.

Anyway, onto the build....

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS WiFi (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 SUPER - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
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 850W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm ARGB LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
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 - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,302.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/uVVetD9fSr/

 

[maroom]

Thanks again for the points and recommendations.

A strange slanting ceiling in his bedroom means he can't really have larger than a 24" screen so 1080p will be fine.
And that will also stop me getting carried away with the GPU!
It's his birthday soon so it won't take him long to save up for a new monitor and he can choose between the 2 @junior has suggested.

Once he's picked the case I'm ready to go. I'm sure he's going to love it.