My first upgrade in many years please review

[weare one]

Hi all

First time posting and after lots of searching I have decided on PC Specialist for my new upgrade system.

Now I am not a gamer so most of you will hopefully say this is overkill but certainly a few years future proofing has been built in.

My normal use for this system will be the following all running at same time

Photoshop.
Word, between 2 and 6 docs always open.
Excel spreadsheet.
Firefox, at least 6 if not more tabs always open
Thunderbird for emails.

Any and all suggestions will be much appreciated.


Case
COOLERMASTER K350 GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 1700 Eight Core CPU (3.0GHz-3.7GHz/20MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B350-PLUS (DDR4, 6Gb/s, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
FREE Rocket League with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
1st Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 850 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
2nd Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting
2x 50cm Blue 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)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1200 867Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Monitor
IIYAMA X2783HSU-B1 27" AMVA+ LED WIDESCREEN, 1920x1080
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK270 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO

Total Order Price £1,476.00

 

[Oussebon]

Now I am not a gamer so most of you will hopefully say this is overkill but certainly a few years future proofing has been built in.

When you say you're not a gamer, do you mean you won't be gaming at all?

If so you could ditch the GTX 1060 in favour of one of the cheaper GPUs. I'm not sure how much photoshop would benefit from a 1060 over a 1050 ti.

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Photoshop-CC-2017-NVIDIA-GeForce-GPU-Performance-899

Photoshop.
Word, between 2 and 6 docs always open.
Excel spreadsheet.
Firefox, at least 6 if not more tabs always open
Thunderbird for emails.

16gb RAM might be useful there.

Memory Card Reader
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (XD, MS, CF, SD, etc) + 1 x USB 2.0 PORT

You'd probably be better off with an external one, since the internal one seems to be USB 2 only. You could get external ones more or less anywhere you like if you need formats not supported by the one PCS sell. Also the cases like the K350 that do have space for an internal one tend not to be ideal in terms of the performance and features they offer for the price.

1st Hard Disk
250GB Samsung 850 2.5" EVO SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 540MB/sR | 520MB/sW)

Your mobo has an M.2 slot which would allow for the much faster but similarly priced PM961.


An Intel build would give higher performance in photoshop, and general office tasks and would in fact cost pretty well the same:

https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/a...-2017-AMD-Ryzen-7-1700X-1800X-Performance-907

Your build above with an in i7 7700k and Z270H mobo but the same other bits: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-pc/8BsCkSCCRR/- £1480

Something like this may be a bit more balanced:


Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 200R COMPACT GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270H GAMING: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 Ti - DVI, HDMI, DP
FREE Rocket League with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
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 802.11 AC1200 867Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
IIYAMA X2783HSU-B1 27" AMVA+ LED WIDESCREEN, 1920x1080
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK270 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,448.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-pc/Bbd9Q2C4bE/


It's mostly the tweaks above, trading in the 1060 for a 1050 ti and 16gb RAM.

Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler

The Noctua cooler is better and cheaper than the H60. PCS aren't selling the Noctua cooler with Ryzen builds at the moment, but if going with an Intel build you might as well. Most cases don't fit the Noctua - the Corsair 200R is the cheapest that does (and is a decent enough case). I ditched the blue LEDs since it doesn't have a side window.

If you want a Window sand blue LEDs you can always get a case like the Fractal Define S has one, is large enough for the Noctua, and is an excellent case anyway (plus an external DVD drive if you need a DVD drive)

 

[weare one]

Hi Oussebon

Thank you very much for your detailed reply; you have certainly given me lots to think about.

Correct I will not be playing games at all.

GPUs…..I did actually wonder if Photoshop would benefit much

Ram…..My bad I actually downgraded form 16gb to 8gb thinking the hyper threading of the Ryzen would compensate.

Memory Card Reader…..thanks for the tip

Hard Disk…..never had a M.2 so will look into it

i7 7700k…..I was considering this before Ryzen came out and again I thought hyper threading was the way to go

Processor Cooling…..Expert advice much appreciated


Case/DVD drive…..The one thing that I am auld fashioned about…I like an internal DVD drive…..will re-think

Once again thank you very much for your advice and links, I’m so glad I had the foresight to post here :rockon:

 

[weare one]

Hi Oussebon

When I click your link I get
£1,508.00 inc. VAT
not a great deal but I’m struggling to work out what parts are different.

Your build above with an in i7 7700k and Z270H mobo but the same other bits: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-pc/8BsCkSCCRR/- £1480

Something like this may be a bit more balanced:


Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 200R COMPACT GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270H GAMING: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 Ti - DVI, HDMI, DP
FREE Rocket League with select GTX 10 Series GPUs!
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
M.2 SSD Drive
256GB SAMSUNG PM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 2800MB/R, 1100MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
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 802.11 AC1200 867Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor
IIYAMA X2783HSU-B1 27" AMVA+ LED WIDESCREEN, 1920x1080
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK270 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days
Quantity
1

Price £1,448.00 including VAT and delivery

Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z270-pc/Bbd9Q2C4bE/

 

[Oussebon]

Ram…..My bad I actually downgraded form 16gb to 8gb thinking the hyper threading of the Ryzen would compensate.

i7 7700k…..I was considering this before Ryzen came out and again I thought hyper threading was the way to go

The i7 and Ryzen both have hyperthreading. Well, Intel's version is called hyperthreading (HT), AMD Ryzen's is called Simultaneous Multithreading (SMT). What the R7 has is twice as many cores (and therefore threads). Which is a huge advantage for things that use a lot of cores and threads, or for things that are pretty demanding on a small number of threads if you want to run loads of them together e.g. virtual machines. But, from what you said, that doesn't apply to you.

Photoshop is relatively lightly threaded and gradually opening more and more browser tabs will eat your RAM more than your CPU. Besides which 6 tabs isn't all that much. I'll often have 20-50 open in IE and Chrome (as might many people) and that's not a problem.

Case/DVD drive…..The one thing that I am auld fashioned about…I like an internal DVD drive…..will re-think

The 200R in the spec above is fine if you want a perfectly respectable case with an internal dvd drive. it just doesn't have a side window. If you want a case with a side window for LED lighting and room for the Noctua cooler then the CM690 III is the cheapest one that fits the bill.

That said you don't need the Noctua by any stretch of the imagination. The CM212x would be more than sufficient and should fit into pretty much every case.

When I click your link I get
£1,508.00 inc. VAT
not a great deal but I’m struggling to work out what parts are different.

Curious. I opened the link in another browser with a clean internet history and it still came out £1448.

Are you getting it delivered to the ROI? If so, the extra delivery and higher VAT there seems to take the price to £1508.

In which case that would make the spec I drew up £32 more expensive than what you originally had. You could drop the cooler down to the CM212x which would reduce the cost by £31. And drop the case to something like the Corsair Spec 03 for another £14 savings.

You might like to add the silver warranty upgrade for an extra 11 months of carriage costs cover.

 

[weare one]

Great advice all round Oussebon thank you very much :rockon:

And I really appreciate the time that it must have taken you for all the info and links unk: