New build with a £2500~ budget

[Rk1012]

Monitor - Currently a BenQ XL2411 but I'll be looking to buy a 1440p 144hz monitor for my new build

Uses - Mostly gaming. A typical use case would be playing a game, with 10 Firefox tabs open and Discord + Spotify. I'll often use Sky Go (which seems to be a massive CPU hog) whilst gaming too.

Budget - I was initially thinking £2500~, but since reading about how some components are overkill it's ended up a lot below that. I'm happy to upgrade anything that may give me a few more years' use (I've had my current very average PC for 7 years now so I'd like this one to stay relevant for as long, if not longer). If upgrading from a 3700->3800 or a 5600X to 5800X/5900X will benefit me more in the long term then I have the budget to cover it and I'm more than happy to spend a bit more.

Note: I've only selected a single 500GB M.2 SSD for the OS. I currently have a 2TB SSD with my games installed so I'll be moving that from my current PC to this new build.

I'm also not sure about AIO liquid coolers so may switch to air cooling if it'll be suitable for this build. I'm not massively fussed about the aesthetics of AIO coolers. Would you have to be changing/refilling the coolant in a liquid cooler after a few years? If air cooling is sufficient then it sounds like less hassle and less to worry about.


Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 500D SE CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
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 [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™
Cable Management
PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products

Price: £1,835.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/KswXNqC4WA/

 

[Steveyg]

Hi, I've made some minor changes

Case the 5000X is back in stock and a fantastic case, it's hard not to recommend and so many quality of life features it's excellent.

Changed the processor to the 5800X which is probably best in slot for gaming at the minute. Changed the motherboard to suit the CPU. Dropped the RAM to 3200Mhz as the speed is practically the same when it comes to gaming between the 3200Mhz and 3600Mhz Corsair RAM that PCS use.

I've also added another 16GB to give you tonnes of RAM for the extra programs you have running, the silver warranty is a bargain at a fiver too

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - 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
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
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 [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
Firefox™
Cable Management
PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,191.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Eu4zKAeXCz/

 

[VirtualDevil]

That's a nice budget, I'm sure the pros will be here shortly with some blinding advice.
Only thing I can add to the party is Silver Warranty for a fiver is a no brainer, so make sure you add that on.

Also a vouch for the Samsung G5 as a 1440p 144hz monitor, £300 and it's been a blast so far with mine.

 

[Steveyg]

That's a nice budget, I'm sure the pros will be here shortly with some blinding advice.
Only thing I can add to the party is Silver Warranty for a fiver is a no brainer, so make sure you add that on.

Also a vouch for the Samsung G5 as a 1440p 144hz monitor, £300 and it's been a blast so far with mine.

I have a G5 with a 3060Ti and love it

If I had a 3070 though I'd be aiming for a 34" ultrawide as opposed to the G5 which is what I'd recommend doing for the above build

 

[Martinr36]

Personally I don't think I'd change anything with that build, as you've pretty much nailed it.

Re the AIO, they are sealed units which do a far better job of cooling and require no more maintenance than than an air cooler

 

[Rk1012]

Hi, I've made some minor changes

Case the 5000X is back in stock and a fantastic case, it's hard not to recommend and so many quality of life features it's excellent.

Changed the processor to the 5800X which is probably best in slot for gaming at the minute. Changed the motherboard to suit the CPU. Dropped the RAM to 3200Mhz as the speed is practically the same when it comes to gaming between the 3200Mhz and 3600Mhz Corsair RAM that PCS use.

I've also added another 16GB to give you tonnes of RAM for the extra programs you have running, the silver warranty is a bargain at a fiver too

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - 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
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
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 [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
Firefox™
Cable Management
PCS 1.5M Zip Cable Tidy - Professional Cable Management
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 - Subject to stock availability on pre-order products
Price: £2,191.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Eu4zKAeXCz/

I'd initially selected that case as I'd read that it's very good with airflow, but the 5000x looks great. I noticed you added another 1TB M.2 drive, is that recommended for a reason? In terms of storage space as long as I can cover the OS then my current 2TB SSD should suffice.

 

[Steveyg]

I'd initially selected that case as I'd read that it's very good with airflow, but the 5000x looks great. I noticed you added another 1TB M.2 drive, is that recommended for a reason? In terms of storage space as long as I can cover the OS then my current 2TB SSD should suffice.

If you only need one M2 for the OS then go for a 500GB Samsung 980 Pro, it's the fastest drive currently available and just put you 2TB SSD in then too

 

[Citrus_9]

Hmm... Obsidian 500D SE is a beautiful case, H115i Elite Cappelix is a beautiful AIO, but overkill for 5600X. I would probably pair it with a 5800X to give the H115i Elite Cappelix some work to do While 5600X is perfect for gaming, 5800X is very good for simulators and strategy games as they're more CPU, not GPU demanding... Don't want to push OP for 5800X, but the budget seems alright to add 5800X which would mean you could throw pretty much any task for the CPU and it could digest it with no issues. Sort of a future proof, if you want to hear that