Gaming PC Build Assistance (£1600 Budget)

[Knight1664]

Hello all - I've had a browse across the forum and this seems like a suitable place to post this thread. Apologies if I've overlooked somewhere more relevant. As the title indicates, I'm looking to spend ~£1600 on a rig within the next few days, not including a monitor. The PC will be used primarily for competitive gaming involving a variety of FPS and MMO titles.

It's been several years since I've been involved with the PC gaming scene and therefore I'm slightly out of the loop in regards to current hardware options. I have however read Scott's build guide so am confident that I have at least a basic understanding of the market, but was hoping to get some input from you guys before purchasing. If anyone would be willing to share some build ideas with me, I'd be very grateful!

Am I right in thinking that a 1080p 144Hz monitor
would be the most suitable choice for optimum in-game performance? Or would the £1600 budget rig warrant getting a 1440p 144Hz monitor instead? I'll initially be using the rig with a 1080p 120Hz monitor, which I understand will be kneecapping the system. I will upgrade the monitor a few weeks after I've got the rig.

Cheers in advance for any input!

 

[Scott]

When you say competitive gaming, do you mean you are actually going to be competing? At what level?

The reason I ask is your monitor suggestions. Anyone competition gaming is going to be running an overclocked 1080p 240+hz monitor. A 144hz monitor just wouldn't be a consideration.

If you are looking to purchase at the extreme end then it may be worth considering an Intel build (short lifespan but you will get a slight advantage). Otherwise an AMD build would be best.

 

[Knight1664]

When you say competitive gaming, do you mean you are actually going to be competing? At what level?

The reason I ask is your monitor suggestions. Anyone competition gaming is going to be running an overclocked 1080p 240+hz monitor. A 144hz monitor just wouldn't be a consideration.

If you are looking to purchase at the extreme end then it may be worth considering an Intel build (short lifespan but you will get a slight advantage). Otherwise an AMD build would be best.

I've mislead you there with my poor choice of words. Sorry for the confusion. I'm no pro gamer and not actually competing at all. I was trying to get across that I'd favour in-game performance over visual quality. I hope this clarifies. Cheers for the input on the build though, I'll be steering towards AMD for this one.

 

[Scott]

This would be a very high end 1080p build. You would be looking at a 144hz monitor minimum for this to make sense. You could drop to the 1660 Super if you were willing to lower the visual fidelity settings in order to gain performance. The 2060 Super should max out 1080p when the settings are sensible in every case.

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Eight Core CPU (3.9GHz-4.5GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-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)
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® Office® 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
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,473.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/XwfHEKyAt6/

 

[Scott]

The 2070 Super would get you right on £1600. This would be for mid/high level 1440p gaming. You would need to dial the visual settings down a little for peak FPS at 1440p but it's definitely doable.

You would need to budget around £300-£350 for the monitor though. You want 144hz and Adaptive sync included.

 

[Knight1664]

The 2070 Super would get you right on £1600. This would be for mid/high level 1440p gaming. You would need to dial the visual settings down a little for peak FPS at 1440p but it's definitely doable.

You would need to budget around £300-£350 for the monitor though. You want 144hz and Adaptive sync included.

Scott, thanks for taking the time to help me out with this. I've spent a couple of days reviewing your suggested build and have made a few alterations. If you could take a look at my revised build and let me know what you think, I'd really appreciate it.

I've added the 2070, upgraded the RAM, changed the CPU cooler and changed the PSU. Would you suggest leaving these changes in place? I'm happy with the cost of the build. Would any improvements to the motherboard and SSD be worthwhile, if I was to extend my budget by slightly more? Or are the current options more than adequate in your opinion? Cheers.

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Eight Core CPU (3.9GHz-4.5GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 1500MB/sR | 1000MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
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)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
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® Office® 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
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,640.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

 

[Scott]

Hi there,

I wouldn't recommend the 660p at all to be honest. It's not a great drive. It's great value, but it's write performance over extended periods is questionable. Last thing you want is a drive to be dud after a few years.

For the cooler, I don't recommend air at all anymore. If you want to be extra cautious, the H100i RGB platinum is the one you want.... you won't regret it but it's more than double the Coolermaster cost that I suggested previously. Regardless, you want a 240mm AIO cooler on there.

For the WIFI, if you need wifi you want the AX200 card. The stock one is not good.

With the airflow case and an AIO cooler you don't need the extra fan at all.

 

[Knight1664]

Thanks Scott. I've reverted back to the original SSD which you suggested and also added the H100i to the build. I read some reviews on the cooler and it seems spot on. Still, getting carried away with additional fans seems quite easy to do.

Will the 650W PSU be sufficient for the build? I recall reading in your guide that the 750W would potentially be more suitable for the 2070S.

I will likely use home plugs for the internet connection so I've canceled out the WiFi card.

 

[Scott]

550W is fine for the 2070S, 650w just gives you some nice headroom and allows for future upgrades should you wish to go for them.

The Corsair units are excellent PSUs, really top shelf. The value they have on them is what they are capable of. Other, cheaper, PSUs really struggle to cope with the wattage labelled on them so often recommended values are inflated to cover such discrepancies. This is likely where the 750w recommendation would be coming from. 750w would cover the 2080Ti with room to spare

 

[Knight1664]

550W is fine for the 2070S, 650w just gives you some nice headroom and allows for future upgrades should you wish to go for them.

The Corsair units are excellent PSUs, really top shelf. The value they have on them is what they are capable of. Other, cheaper, PSUs really struggle to cope with the wattage labelled on them so often recommended values are inflated to cover such discrepancies. This is likely where the 750w recommendation would be coming from. 750w would cover the 2080Ti with room to spare

Hello again Scott. I'll be ordering the machine tonight. I did happen to notice that the Chimera XT is now available to be bought and shipped, straight away. It seems that the only major difference is the CPU and cooler set up.

How do you think this measures up to the custom one you put together for me? It'd be ideal for me to receive delivery of the machine sooner rather than later, but do you think it's quite a significant sacrifice in general performance and longevity? Cheers for your continued support on this.

 

[Knight1664]

Sorry for the double post - @SpyderTracks, I was wondering if you could step in and share your opinion on this also. Scott's configuration looks great, but how should the subtle differences of the Chimera XT sway my decision? Any input is much appreciated.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hello again Scott. I'll be ordering the machine tonight. I did happen to notice that the Chimera XT is now available to be bought and shipped, straight away. It seems that the only major difference is the CPU and cooler set up.

How do you think this measures up to the custom one you put together for me? It'd be ideal for me to receive delivery of the machine sooner rather than later, but do you think it's quite a significant sacrifice in general performance and longevity? Cheers for your continued support on this.

Have you got a link to it? I can't find one in Next Day builds?

PCSPECIALIST - Next Day PCs & Laptops, Prebuilt PCs

Next Day PCs & Laptops available! Choose from our prebuilt PCs and Laptop range for same-day dispatch. Order before 3pm for a prebuilt gaming PC delivered the next day to work, play and share.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[Knight1664]

It's no longer listed as an option. I think the page may have been updated in the last few hours. I noticed your recent post in another thread regarding a review build. That PC seems to be of a fairly similar calibre to the one which Scott configured, but a few hundred quid cheaper. Should I consider that?

 

[SpyderTracks]

It's no longer listed as an option. I think the page may have been updated in the last few hours. I noticed your recent post in another thread regarding a review build. That PC seems to be of a fairly similar calibre to the one which Scott configured, but a few hundred quid cheaper. Should I consider that?

If you mean this one, Inferno L2, it’s an absolute monster: £1800 for £1500 and everything is in stock atm, I would recommend it without hesitation, it’s impossible to get anything near this at the budget.

PCSPECIALIST - Custom Computers and Laptops Built to Order

PCSpecialist is a manufacturer of high quality custom computers and laptops. Configure your ideal computer in just a few simple steps with a broad range available.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[Knight1664]

If you mean this one, Inferno L2, it’s an absolute monster: £1800 for £1500 and everything is in stock atm, I would recommend it without hesitation, it’s impossible to get anything near this at the budget.

PCSPECIALIST - Custom Computers and Laptops Built to Order

PCSpecialist is a manufacturer of high quality custom computers and laptops. Configure your ideal computer in just a few simple steps with a broad range available.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

The case is currently out of stock I believe. Am I right in thinking the lower RAM speed would be negligible during gaming? Also, I'm not too familiar with the CPU cooler which features in this build. Can you shed some light on it? Cheers for the guidance.

 

[SpyderTracks]

The case is currently out of stock I believe. Am I right in thinking the lower RAM speed would be negligible during gaming? Also, I'm not too familiar with the CPU cooler which features in this build. Can you shed some light on it? Cheers for the guidance.

Yeah, sorry Case it out of stock until 1st July, my mistake.

RAM speed being 3000mhz will make almost no difference.

The cooler is a 240mm AIO water cooler. It’s a budget version of the H100i

 

[Knight1664]

No problem. Waiting until then isn't an option, so I'm fairly set on the below build. If you could have a quick look over it and let me know if it looks well-balanced, I'll go ahead and place the order. All parts currently listed as in stock. Just to reiterate, although I'll only be using a 1080p 120hz monitor initially, I'll soon be upgrading to a 1440p 144hz one.

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Eight Core CPU (3.9GHz-4.5GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-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® Office® 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
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,672.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/N60e!gVeue/

 

[SpyderTracks]

You could happily lower to the h100i platinum , but other than that, looks perfect.

 

[Knight1664]

Not sure if it's relevant now but the Chimera XT is listed in next-day builds (not sure why it disappearedthen reappeared as it was there yesterday:

Chimera XT

Just to make it easier, here is the full spec of the Chimera XT (to save having to click through!)


Case
THERMALTAKE V200 2.0 TEMPERED GLASS RGB EDITION GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX 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)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CV SERIES™ CV-650 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm RGB LED Strip
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® Office® 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
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
QTY
1
£1,260.83
ex VAT
£1,513.00
inc VAT and Delivery

Thanks for that mate. So it's a toss up between these two builds. The Chimera XT features a few downgraded options in key component areas, though I'm not sure I'd really witness any evidence of this during my usage of the PC. It would also be ideal to receive the PC within the next few days, on the basis that I could be returning to work very soon and it'd be great to have it before then.

If the more expensive parts inside the custom build option (reference a few posts up) would enable a moderate increase in performance, cooling, longevity etc, then I'd be more inclined to go with that, regardless of the longer delivery time.

If anyone with more knowledge on the matter (virtually all forum users) could give me a steer, hopefully I can make the correct purchase for me, today.

 

[SpyderTracks]

The benefits of the custom build:

X570 board, better upgradeability options in the future, will accept at least upcoming 4000 processors and I'm guessing possibly the next gen also. Plus better VRM capabilities and better connectivity options with regards to M2 slots, USB's etc.

H115i cooler, much much better cooler, leaps and bounds better. Could lead to higher clocks achieved generally even at low boost clocks.

TXm PSU, better for lower noise, plus improved aiflow within the case.

The rest is pretty much the same.

Pricewise, I'd say the custom has better build value for the money. Leaving aside the wait time.