Is Intel really not much good? My gaming PC specs:

[Dazzlerby]

Morning all,

This will be the first gaming PC I've bought, have been upgrading my old machine for the last 13 years and decided it's finally time to bite the bullet and get a brand new pre-built machine! But then I came on here and saw the sticky about AMD being far superior to Intel and now I'm in a bit of a quandary...

My budget is £1000 but can go a bit higher if needed. Monitor is a 20 inch (1600x900) 60hz but will be upgraded in the coming months (Most likely to a 24 inch 144hz) and I'll also be upgrading the PC at some point in the future, when the time comes. I really don't want a huge tower case as it will be sitting on my desk which isn't all that big.

This machine will be used purely for gaming (Mainly single-player) and browsing the web so, without further ado, how does it look:-

Case
PCS P209 ARGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10600KF (4.1 GHz) 12 MB Cache
Get Humankind & Crysis Trilogy with select Intel® Core™ Processors
Motherboard
Gigabyte H410M H V2: Micro-ATX, DDR4, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 470MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CV SERIES™ CV-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
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
NOT REQUIRED
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 [KK3-00002]
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
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
DPD PICKUP - COLLECT FROM YOUR LOCAL SHOP FROM 12 NOON
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 19 working days

This all comes to £999 so is £1 under my budget!

Thanks for taking the time to look guys, now the question is, should I order it?

Daz

 

[Scott]

I definitely wouldn't recommend ordering it.

This sticky should cover everything you need to know about the reasoning:

Please read before posting:- Collaboration of Helpful Hints

NB: These forums are not an official support channel. None of us work for PCS, we're all either customers or techies who just like to help out where possible. For any official support, you need to contact PCS directly either through your PCS account, or via the contact details on the main...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Various links & information included within.

With £1000 in mind you're struggling for anything properly worthwhile. The limiting factor is budget, even excluding the Intel/AMD option.

You need a MUCH better case for a gaming PC
Much faster RAM
With Intel a far better motherboard, the H chipset is very budget and more aimed at office.
An M2 drive at least for fast storage
We wouldn't recommend a CV PSU for anything but an office based PC
With Intel you would want a better cooler, with AMD low end it would be fine.

 

[Scott]

This is what I would recommend:

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 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 DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 - 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 INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW)
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
STANDARD AMD CPU 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
NOT REQUIRED
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)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 19 working days
Price: £1,263.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/UWXUffAS0N/

 

[Dazzlerby]

Thanks for replying, that looks like a very decent build and I might actually buy it! The only thing I've changed is taken off the HDD as I have a 1TB HDD that I'll take out of my old machine, and upgraded the M.2 drive to 1TB. That's coming in at £1255.

Like I say I'm willing to go a bit overbudget if it means having a decent gaming experience, I'm no hardcore gamer though.

Just for context here's my current setup, please don't laugh though, it runs GTA V fine 😂

Processor: Intel Q9550 @ 2.83 GHz
Ram: 4GB DDR2 @ 399MHz
Motherboard: Foxconn G31MX Series
Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti (MSI)
Storage 1: 447GB SanDisk SSD PLUS 480GB ATA Device (SATA (SSD))
Storage 2: 931GB WL1000GSA3272E ATA Device (SATA )
PSU: No idea, it's been in the case since 2008 when I ordered the PC from my mum's catalogue and it's started to get a bit on the warm side lately while playing games!

What's wrong with the case I originally chose though, is it the lack of front fans?

 

[Martinr36]

Thanks for replying, that looks like a very decent build and I might actually buy it! The only thing I've changed is taken off the HDD as I have a 1TB HDD that I'll take out of my old machine, and upgraded the M.2 drive to 1TB. That's coming in at £1255.

Like I say I'm willing to go a bit overbudget if it means having a decent gaming experience, I'm no hardcore gamer though.

Just for context here's my current setup, please don't laugh though, it runs GTA V fine 😂

Processor: Intel Q9550 @ 2.83 GHz
Ram: 4GB DDR2 @ 399MHz
Motherboard: Foxconn G31MX Series
Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti (MSI)
Storage 1: 447GB SanDisk SSD PLUS 480GB ATA Device (SATA (SSD))
Storage 2: 931GB WL1000GSA3272E ATA Device (SATA )
PSU: No idea, it's been in the case since 2008 when I ordered the PC from my mum's catalogue and it's started to get a bit on the warm side lately while playing games!

What's wrong with the case I originally chose though, is it the lack of front fans?

if you've taken the HDD out to replace with one you've already i got I would advise putting the Intel 670p back to 512 GB (use this for OS and programs) then add 1TB 670 p for your games to go on

 

[Dazzlerby]

if you've taken the HDD out to replace with one you've already i got I would advise putting the Intel 670p back to 512 GB (use this for OS and programs) then add 1TB 670 p for your games to go on

This comes in at £1312 which is not too much over my budget TBH, but may I ask why it's best to have games on a seperate drive to the OS?
Is there a performance boost or something?

Thanks in advance

 

[Scott]

There is both a performance boost (2 lanes vs one lane) and if you ever need to wipe the primary drive, you don't need to copy or re-install/re-download your entire game library.

It just makes good sense for organisation basically. You have one drive that you keep as sparse as possible, and thus running at optimal and the other for all things that you want to run fast.

Your storage drive can then be installed for slow storage such as pictures, music, videos etc.

 

[SpyderTracks]

This comes in at £1312 which is not too much over my budget TBH, but may I ask why it's best to have games on a seperate drive to the OS?
Is there a performance boost or something?

Thanks in advance

Windows 11 will introduce a new technology called directstorage which essentially loads game assets directly from an nvme ssd to the gpu VRAM which speeds things up significantly. Plus with a dedicated game drive if you have to reinstall windows you don't have to reinstall all your games

 

[Dazzlerby]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions guys, I really appreciate it.
This is quite an investment for me and will be the most expensive thing I've purchased online so far.

So, how does this look? I'm pretty sure it's 2x better than my original Intel build for just an extra few hundred quid:-

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 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 DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3000MB/sR | 1600MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
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
STANDARD AMD CPU 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
NOT REQUIRED
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 - Supplied on USB Drive
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
DPD PICKUP - COLLECT FROM YOUR LOCAL SHOP FROM 12 NOON
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 19 working days
Price: £1,337.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Martinr36]

Yep that's looking good, when you place the order make sure they put the OS on the smaller of the 670p as the default action is to put it on the fastest drive which in your case is the 1TB, the other option if your budget could stretch a little further is to upgrade the smaller 670p to a firecuda, which will add about £30 and give you a good fast drive for the OS

 

[A L-pc]

If you're taking the hdd out of your current system, you could save a bit by transferring the Windows license to the new machine and bump your GPU up to RTX3060 and m2 to the Firecuda for £1 more.

.
Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL 215 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 DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP
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 INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
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
STANDARD AMD CPU 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
NOT REQUIRED
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 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 16 to 19 working days
Price: £1,338.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/FF2Kk4F37D/

 

[Dazzlerby]

Yep that's looking good, when you place the order make sure they put the OS on the smaller of the 670p as the default action is to put it on the fastest drive which in your case is the 1TB, the other option if your budget could stretch a little further is to upgrade the smaller 670p to a firecuda, which will add about £30 and give you a good fast drive for the OS

Done!

If you're taking the hdd out of your current system, you could save a bit by transferring the Windows license to the new machine

Erm.... There might not be a windows license 🙄 Please don't tell anyone!

Looks like I'm about ready to order then, unless anyone else has any suggestions/improvements?

This build is £367 over my budget which is not too much at all, and I'm sure it'll give me my best PC gaming experience so far. (Look above to see my current specs).

Thanks to everyone above for contributing and pointing me in the right direction, I'm a fairly tech-savvy old man (41) but keeping up with the latest tech & spec options can be a bit overwhelming.

Daz

 

[Martinr36]

Done!

Erm.... There might not be a windows license 🙄 Please don't tell anyone!

Looks like I'm about ready to order then, unless anyone else has any suggestions/improvements?

This build is £367 over my budget which is not too much at all, and I'm sure it'll give me my best PC gaming experience so far. (Look above to see my current specs).

Thanks to everyone above for contributing and pointing me in the right direction, I'm a fairly tech-savvy old man (41) but keeping up with the latest tech & spec options can be a bit overwhelming.

Daz

You're welcome youngster (I'm 62) 😂

 

[Dazzlerby]

You're welcome youngster (I'm 62) 😂

And looking well!

Seriously, thanks for the help. I nearly ordered the original rig without posting on here and was nervous as hell parting with a grand online. I feel a lot better about ordering this rig even though it's a little bit more money.