is this still overpowered for low level games?

[Gregg83]

hi, I have been trying this for a couple of months, currently have a fan sat on my pc to keep it cool while playing games

i am not a real gamer, usually playing football manager or total war style games. have just slightly edited from Scotts pc building guide on here, would this still be overpowered for low level gaming?

my main concern is the noise, my current pc is basically silent, struggle to hear it is even on!

thanks for any advice


Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275Q QUIET CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 5500 XT - HDMI, DP, DX® 12
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)
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
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
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 (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

 

[polycrac]

I'm still catching up with the current hardware, so you'll need help from someone with more chops to help. But, to help them help you: what screen do you want to use it with, what's your budget (no point them suggesting more than you want to spend) and any uses apart from gaming?

 

[Gregg83]

money wise, i think i am spending too much just because i can. no proper budget, just have a habit of seeing higher numbers and adding more than i need i think

just gaming and internet use, no need for work or editing things

monitor is 60 hz, 1080 if that is what you mean?

 

[SpyderTracks]

money wise, i think i am spending too much just because i can. no proper budget, just have a habit of seeing higher numbers and adding more than i need i think

just gaming and internet use, no need for work or editing things

monitor is 60 hz, 1080 if that is what you mean?

We'll need to know a budget or else we'll configure you a £5000 top tier build. Without knowing what we're working to it's impossible to advise.

That monitor is going to bottleneck any modern system, even a very basic one.

 

[Gregg83]

We'll need to know a budget or else we'll configure you a £5000 top tier build. Without knowing what we're working to it's impossible to advise.

That monitor is going to bottleneck any modern system, even a very basic one.

The budget isn't the issue, so much as do I need it to be this good for basic gaming

My original build was around 1400, and definitely ott. This is round 1100, and not sure how low I can take it

For monitor, again I'm not planning on anything new, no 1st person games or anything. Displays same games now I plan to play later

 

[Gregg83]

I'm just starting a night shift, sorry for not answering anything else straight away and thanks for replying

 

[SpyderTracks]

There's no point ordering an old platform if budget isn't a concern.

This is overpowered but will offer full ray tracing.

I would STRONGLY recommend upgrading your monitor to a proper gaming monitor. You may think it's fine, but until you experience a proper gaming monitor, you won't appreciate how much it's holding back your experience.

Case
NZXT H511 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (WHITE)
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 RTX 2060 - 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)
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
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
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)
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
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
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 15 to 17 working days
Price: £1,303.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/NrFkzYtbGU/

 

[Gregg83]

There's no point ordering an old platform if budget isn't a concern.

This is overpowered but will offer full ray tracing.

I would STRONGLY recommend upgrading your monitor to a proper gaming monitor. You may think it's fine, but until you experience a proper gaming monitor, you won't appreciate how much it's holding back your experience.

Case
NZXT H511 MID-TOWER GAMING CASE (WHITE)
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 RTX 2060 - 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)
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
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
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)
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
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
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 15 to 17 working days
Price: £1,303.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/NrFkzYtbGU/

i am sure you are trying to help, but there is no way i am buying anything just because i can. i might as well go buy a car i cant drive while i am at it!

i definitely dont need a new monitor either. it isnt holding me back at all, because i dont play anything that requires better and never intend to. even if in 5 years time the basic games i play do catch up to require that full ray tracing thing, the rest of the pc will be on its way out so it is just wasting money

 

[SpyderTracks]

i am sure you are trying to help, but there is no way i am buying anything just because i can. i might as well go buy a car i cant drive while i am at it!

i definitely dont need a new monitor either. it isnt holding me back at all, because i dont play anything that requires better and never intend to. even if in 5 years time the basic games i play do catch up to require that full ray tracing thing, the rest of the pc will be on its way out so it is just wasting money

What games are we talking about then? Any game will benefit from 144fps. 60hz isn’t a gaming monitor. If you don’t have adaptive sync also, the experience will be really poor.

Again, if you haven’t experienced a gaming monitor, you won’t understand what you’re missing out on, but it’s very significant.

 

[Gregg83]

i am not a gamer, though i have seen mates use better stuff. as i said before, im only playing football manager and total war style games, nothing that needs any kind of advanced 3d stuff or fancy monitor

 

[SpyderTracks]

i am not a gamer, though i have seen mates use better stuff. as i said before, im only playing football manager and total war style games, nothing that needs any kind of advanced 3d stuff or fancy monitor

Can you be specific and state which versions? Football manager has full 3d rendering nowadays, as does total war.

If you're talking about legacy versions, then we need to know which ones.

If it's really old 2d games, then you don't need a dGPU at all.

 

[Gregg83]

to give you an idea of what i have been using, this is my pc i am on. if it didnt over heat when i play games, it would still be perfect for me. silent still, never needed quicker loading or anything like that. bit slow on transferring between drives, but nothing to drive you crazy or anything

got another 6 months by replacing graphics card, but dont want to keep doing that really

Case
SHARKOON BD28 GAMING CASE (Green LED)
Processor (CPU)
AMD FX-9370 Eight Core CPU (4.4GHz-4.7GHz/16MB CACHE/AM3+)
Motherboard
ASUS® 970 PRO GAMING/AURA (DDR3, USB3.0, 6Gb/s, CrossFireX/SLI)
Memory (RAM)
8GB HyperX SAVAGE DUAL-DDR3 2133MHz X.M.P (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 730 - DVI, HDMI, VGA
1st Storage Drive
240GB KINGSTON UV400 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (550MB/R, 490MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W CS SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H80i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1900 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (2 x TYPE A) USB 3.0 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS

 

[Gregg83]

this can run fm20 and thrones of brittania, so 2018 and 2020 versions. they are really basic games far as graphics are concerned, far as i can tell

 

[SpyderTracks]

this can run fm20 and thrones of brittania, so 2018 and 2020 versions. they are really basic games far as graphics are concerned, far as i can tell

They have the option to run with low graphical settings, but they also have the ability to run with very advanced graphics.

Why limit your experience by underspeccing the PC? Kind of defeats the object of a gaming pc? It's up to you of course, but if you're not concerned about budget, why not get something that can run them with decent graphics and have a more immersive experience.

 

[Gregg83]

just feel they arent really good enough games to need it. half the time you are lucky if they get the hair colour right on fm for instance, i dont need to get annoyed by the faces too lol

i think this pc has really got me used to the silence, so my main concern is the general quality. it is really easy to read reviews and want something without ever making use of it, and that is something i want to avoid

 

[skewball]

I think for your personal requirements you have chosen well. The CPU will be good for FM20, I play FM20 on a 3900x and can choose any number of leagues/databases etc. If your priority is noise then maybe add a H100i liquid cooler as I find it runs near silently.
If in the future you upgraded the monitor and GPU you suddenly have a great mid tier gaming PC.
I personally would get a 1440p monitor now if I was you. I have one and it's great having the extra resolution for FM20.

 

[Gregg83]

I think for your personal requirements you have chosen well. The CPU will be good for FM20, I play FM20 on a 3900x and can choose any number of leagues/databases etc. If your priority is noise then maybe add a H100i liquid cooler as I find it runs near silently.
If in the future you upgraded the monitor and GPU you suddenly have a great mid tier gaming PC.
I personally would get a 1440p monitor now if I was you. I have one and it's great having the extra resolution for FM20.

yeah, was thinking about a liquid cooler. scotts guide suggested it wasnt necessary on this low a build, but im using the Corsair H80i V2 Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans at the moment, been great for 4 years

monitor im on now, i picked more for size when reading profile pages on fm than for quality watching games. its just never been something i care about

 

[Gavras]

i am not a gamer, though i have seen mates use better stuff. as i said before, im only playing football manager and total war style games, nothing that needs any kind of advanced 3d stuff or fancy monitor

When you say Total War Games, are you aware of the needs for the likes of Troy and Three Kingdoms on Ultra?

Even Warhammer 2 on Ultra is pretty meaty.

The Campaign sides are CPU heavy and the Battles are GPU heavy.

Even with custom settings they do eat resources.

They also use over 8GB memory.

There is a big difference between playing on medium to playing ultra with max army size set.

After about 2018 game studios have started taking advantage of better hardware, this will just continue.

The biggest jump in gaming is 60hz to 144hz, I have a 1080p monitor and can easily tell the difference between the two settings.

 

[SpyderTracks]

When you say Total War Games, are you aware of the needs for the likes of Troy and Three Kingdoms on Ultra?

Even Warhammer 2 on Ultra is pretty meaty.

The Campaign sides are CPU heavy and the Battles are GPU heavy.

Even with custom settings they do eat resources.

They also use over 8GB memory.

There is a big difference between playing on medium to playing ultra with max army size set.

After about 2018 game studios have started taking advantage of better hardware, this will just continue.

The biggest jump in gaming is 60hz to 144hz, I have a 1080p monitor and can easily tell the difference between the two settings.

This is my point. Because modern GPU’s are so very powerful, even low power games now have full 3D rendering and that’s only going to increase each year.

The latest Total War is very unlike previous versions graphically and has been a major success. They’re unlikely to reverse course.

At the moment, yes sure, you’re playing the games, but you’re missing out on a lot of immersion by not speccing optimally to appreciate what the games have to offer.

 

[Gregg83]

When you say Total War Games, are you aware of the needs for the likes of Troy and Three Kingdoms on Ultra?

Even Warhammer 2 on Ultra is pretty meaty.

The Campaign sides are CPU heavy and the Battles are GPU heavy.

Even with custom settings they do eat resources.

They also use over 8GB memory.

There is a big difference between playing on medium to playing ultra with max army size set.

After about 2018 game studios have started taking advantage of better hardware, this will just continue.

The biggest jump in gaming is 60hz to 144hz, I have a 1080p monitor and can easily tell the difference between the two settings.

again, not interested in ultra settings or a new monitor. more interested in if it works, and will do for a few years maybe

my only real concern is downgrading too far, and not being able to play something like three kingdoms in say, 2022.

for memory, everything i read suggested 16gb is generally best, assuming that will run anything even at a basic rate