Guidance on my first custom PC

J

JamesSeabrook671

Member
Hi all,

I was hoping someone could cast their eye over this spec and provide me with some honest feedback.

From reading other posts you may find the following details useful:
1) My monitor is a ROG Swift PG278QE - (2560 x 1440), 1ms, 144Hz overclockable 165Hz.
2) RE: processor I am an intel/nvidia man I am afraid (please don't judge me =) )
3) I would be prepared to spend another £100 if necessary.
4) I will not be actively looking to overclock my computer.
5) I am prepared to upgrade my GFX card in 3 years or so.


Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-10700KF (3.8GHz) 16MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z490-F GAMING (LGA1200, USB 3.2, CrossFireX/SLI) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 665p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 2000MB/sR | 1925MB/sW)
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
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode

Thank you in advance to anyone who comments.

Kind regards,

James Seabrook
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
Full disclosure, Intel is not a good selection at this moment in time. However, I'm fed up banging on about it so I'll leave you with your selection and provide the following suggestions based on your build.....

RAM - You want to opt for 2x16GB to reduce the utilisation of the memory controller (more powaaarrr). I doubt you will need 32GB but if the budget is there, there is no harm.

Storage - I would avoid the Intel offerings. They are no better than the budget offerings. If you want premium go for a mid-level samsung. There's no point in going for the high end as Intel doesn't support their speed.

PSU - I would recommend the 750w RMx. You're pushing the limits of 650w with the 3070. The TXm's have been highlighted as problematic lately as well. The RMx's are solid. Extra money but definitely worthwhile.

Cooler - You want to attach a fridge to any high end Intel CPU right now. The H100i RGB platinum would be my minimum recommendation. I've got the H115i Platinum on mine and it keeps it in check nicely.

I would remove Bullguard. Almost all 3rd party AVs are as intrusive as they are useless. The built in Windows Defender is integrated in the OS and its processes. It'll be just as effective for any normal user, Bullguard wouldn't be the recommendation for any users at all.
 
J

JamesSeabrook671

Member
Scott said:
Full disclosure, Intel is not a good selection at this moment in time. However, I'm fed up banging on about it so I'll leave you with your selection and provide the following suggestions based on your build.....

RAM - You want to opt for 2x16GB to reduce the utilisation of the memory controller (more powaaarrr). I doubt you will need 32GB but if the budget is there, there is no harm.

Storage - I would avoid the Intel offerings. They are no better than the budget offerings. If you want premium go for a mid-level samsung. There's no point in going for the high end as Intel doesn't support their speed.

PSU - I would recommend the 750w RMx. You're pushing the limits of 650w with the 3070. The TXm's have been highlighted as problematic lately as well. The RMx's are solid. Extra money but definitely worthwhile.

Cooler - You want to attach a fridge to any high end Intel CPU right now. The H100i RGB platinum would be my minimum recommendation. I've got the H115i Platinum on mine and it keeps it in check nicely.

I would remove Bullguard. Almost all 3rd party AVs are as intrusive as they are useless. The built in Windows Defender is integrated in the OS and its processes. It'll be just as effective for any normal user, Bullguard wouldn't be the recommendation for any users at all.
Click to expand...
Hi Scott,
Thank you for taking the time to review my specs and for your comments.

1) I will reduce my RAM to 2x8GB and spend the cash saved on a better PSU and Cooler. Regarding the cooler, would you defiantly be going for a liquid cooler or would the Noctua NH-U14S fan be a viable upgrade?
2) In response to your point about the M.2 memory. I have read a separate thread on this forum that suggests you should not solely rely on one M.2 SSD Drive as you should consider clean installing Windows every now and again. Instead, taking into consideration what's available on PCS, could i consider a 250GB Samsung 970 EVO (for Windows) plus a budget 500GB M.2 for the games?
3) i didn't realise Bullguard could be removed from the order, an oversight on my part =)
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
I personally wouldn't have anything but a liquid cooler on my system nowadays. They are just far better even in the way they move the air.

I always option 2 M2 drives when the budget is there. I wouldn't go as low as you have suggested though. Either one decent sized primary fast drive (1TB) or 2 separate drives (500Gb & 1TB) would be my preference. You can rely on one drive if you wish, you just get a benefit from having Windows & Programs on a separate drive to large game installations when it comes time to format.
 
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