New PC help solely for 1 game

[HotDogMan]

I have a budget of £700 and don't need a monitor and all I will use the PC for is playing each yearly release of the Football Manager series (currently Football Manager 2020), the only other thing I will possibly do on it is browse the internet but that will rarely be done however I will need a wireless connection (added the £18 one as it seems to be suggested more often) for the Football Manager patches / updates.

I do not save anything of note on my PC's / Laptops either so hard drive space isn't a big deal, my main PC that has been in use since 2013 currently has 813GB space free of 916GB and that has been used for the same thing as this PC will be used for, nothing else but Football Manager.

I have also never used the 3D or 2D match engine so I don't think a major graphics card is needed as I'm set in my ways and still prefer the immersiveness of only commentary, integrated graphics have always been more than enough I've found however I've added a graphics card as it isn't clear to me if the CPU I've ordered has decent integrated graphics.

I looked through a lot of threads and the one with similar needs to mine was in this thread and I have slightly modded the setup @Oussebon recommended to this:

Case
PCS 6003B BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
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
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 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
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Firefox™
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 12 to 13 working days
Price: £701.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Eda0MqPDZV/

I have guessed at most of the changes and really need advice on everything but more so the following:

I just went for the cheapest case, I've no idea here and don't need anything flashy just something that is beneficial I suppose with regards to airflow and keeping the system cool, is the case I've put okay? If not what would be recommended for my setup?
Is it worth paying the little extra for the 3600x rather than the 3600, most people still seem to be picking the 3600?
As I wrote above I think integrated graphics is enough but I'm unsure if this CPU even has them, if it does will they be good enough as I don't use the 3D or 2D match at all?
Storage drive, I'm sure I only need one drive and 512GB should be way more than enough however there are multiple options for where to fit them, typically I would just go for a HDD on the 1st storage option but reading through the forums it seems a SSD running of the 1st M.2 would be better? I have no clue here so any guidance / changes to the configuration I've put would be really helpful.
I added a DVD drive as I've always had one, what if the internet collapses, DVD drives would be needed right? I'm scared to go without one, should I take it off?
Extra fans, do I need them or are they already in the case and is there enough?

Please feel free to realise how little I know and to change the configuration to something more suitable if you wish, someone also said to me that I'd be better going for an intel based CPU as they are better on the single core performance but I've no clue on that, if you guys agree could you possibly recommend an intel based setup?

 

[SpyderTracks]

I just went for the cheapest case, I've no idea here and don't need anything flashy just something that is beneficial I suppose with regards to airflow and keeping the system cool, is the case I've put okay? If not what would be recommended for my setup?

The case is really important to the build exactly as you describe, for aiding good airflow and keeping temps lower. Personally, i'd suggest the Fractal Focus G which is £49, does bump up the cost a little, but it's an excellent budget case that will allow for upgrades in the future as well as good cooling in the meantime.

Is it worth paying the little extra for the 3600x rather than the 3600, most people still seem to be picking the 3600?

No, the 3600x is literally almost no benefit to the 3600. The 3600 is a really impressive CPU, will do well.

As I wrote above I think integrated graphics is enough but I'm unsure if this CPU even has them, if it does will they be good enough as I don't use the 3D or 2D match at all?

Yes, the 1030 will do fine for your uses, just basic output. The CPU itself doesn't have integrated so you do need the additional card, but the 1030 will be fine for FM

Storage drive, I'm sure I only need one drive and 512GB should be way more than enough however there are multiple options for where to fit them, typically I would just go for a HDD on the 1st storage option but reading through the forums it seems a SSD running of the 1st M.2 would be better? I have no clue here so any guidance / changes to the configuration I've put would be really helpful.

So you've selected an M2 SSD, they are the new format of the older SATA SSD's, they're much faster and much smaller also. The one you've selected is a great drive and very fast, it outperforms a standard SATA SSD by about 5 times!

I added a DVD drive as I've always had one, what if the internet collapses, DVD drives would be needed right? I'm scared to go without one, should I take it off?

Very few cases actually fit DVD drives anymore as there's really no need, you just download everything. If you select the Fractal Focus G, it doesn't have space for the DVD drive. You can buy external USB drives from the next row down in the configurator labelled as "External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive". They don't cost much and you can just put them away when not using them. I haven't used a DVD drive for about 10 years now, everything I get it online.

Extra fans, do I need them or are they already in the case and is there enough?

The Fractal Focus G has excellent airflow and you wouldn't need any extra fans.

The only additional I would add would be silver warranty which is at the bottom for £5, extends the return to base and parts to 1 year from 3 months.

 

[SpyderTracks]

So reconfigured it's a tiny bit over budget, but worth it:

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
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)
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
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Firefox™
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 12 to 13 working days
Price: £714.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/RD5g9gkyn!/

 

[Scott]

Ideal build above for non-graphical footy manager. If you're running full match simulation you would benefit from more cores, ie the 3700X, but that would take you over budget. It's just worth considering as in full simulation FM will use everything you can throw at it as far as I'm aware.

 

[Oussebon]

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
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)
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
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Firefox™
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 12 to 13 working days
Price: £714.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/RD5g9gkyn!/

Good build there

Drop the external DVD drive and go with the internal once, since it's cheaper. And since the Focus G is one of the few cases that lets you do that

Or

I added a DVD drive as I've always had one, what if the internet collapses, DVD drives would be needed right? I'm scared to go without one, should I take it off?

Drop it altogether. if you don't have a specific need of one you don't need one

Or if your old one functions fine, take it out of the old PC and put it into the new one, which is better for the environment as well as your wallet

 

[SpyderTracks]

Good build there

Drop the external DVD drive and go with the internal once, since it's cheaper. And since the Focus G is one of the few cases that lets you do that

Ah, didn't realise the fractal had space for a DVD, good shout

 

[HotDogMan]

Ideal build above for non-graphical footy manager. If you're running full match simulation you would benefit from more cores, ie the 3700X, but that would take you over budget. It's just worth considering as in full simulation FM will use everything you can throw at it as far as I'm aware.

Full match simulation? My settings are always only commentary at it's very fastest and I watch the stats page/s as it processes, so I guess that is full simulation right as it's processing the whole game?

The best processor I currently use is an i7-4771 (quad core I believe) and that to me is incredibly fast when processing the matches as well as day to day, I assume the 3600 is already a fair bit better than that right and I'm already going to see a good improvement with the 3600 so would it really be worth an added £152 to get the 3700X considering the upgrade I'm already doing?

If it will be a considerable improvement I could do it even though I'd feel sick spending over £750 haha, it'd be £840 after everything however if the 3600 is already a really good upgrade over the 4771 which I assume it is then I think that should be fine.

Drop it altogether. if you don't have a specific need of one you don't need one

Or if your old one functions fine, take it out of the old PC and put it into the new one, which is better for the environment as well as your wallet

Thinking about it now I have an old external that works perfectly fine somewhere in the back of my shed whilst my current one works perfectly too so I will fit that if I can't find the old external, it takes the cost of what @SpyderTracks posted down to £688.

So I've removed the external drive from SpyderTracks build and the cost is £688, should I add arctic paste or is the standard thermal good enough? I assume standard is fine or you guys would have suggested the arctic right?

Is there anything else worth adding there if I up the budget to £750? I'll be looking at ordering this tomorrow evening and also thanks so much for all of your help guys, massively appreciated

 

[Scott]

Full match simulation? My settings are always only commentary at it's very fastest and I watch the stats page/s as it processes, so I guess that is full simulation right as it's processing the whole game?

The best processor I currently use is an i7-4771 (quad core I believe) and that to me is incredibly fast when processing the matches as well as day to day, I assume the 3600 is already a fair bit better than that right and I'm already going to see a good improvement with the 3600 so would it really be worth an added £152 to get the 3700X considering the upgrade I'm already doing?

If it will be a considerable improvement I could do it even though I'd feel sick spending over £750 haha, it'd be £840 after everything however if the 3600 is already a really good upgrade over the 4771 which I assume it is then I think that should be fine.

I don't play footy manager, so I don't know first hand unfortunately. I specced a machine for a friend a number of years ago. When running all competitions and using full detail simulation (not quick simulation) the more cores you threw at it the better. When running quick simulation it preferred frequency and only used a couple of cores. This wasn't the GPU limiting factor, it was purely to do with processing the simulation and making the results more accurate.

This was in around 2017 though, so I dare say the software will have changed. I did a quick google and found this comment, which suggests the software was the same in 2018....

See my post earlier in this thread, the game is designed to use all cores if the user sets the processing to maximum to get a game that is simulated using the full match engine code rather than one simulated using the less realistically accurate quick match engine which takes up considerably less processing requirements so that those with lower specification systems can enjoy playing FM.

Think of it in the same way as you would graphics settings, the better hardware you have the more you can unlock features that provide a more enhanced experience.

From here

How many CPU cores can be used?

I want to buy Intel i9 CPU, and open more than 20+ league in fm2017 , so I want to know how many CPU cores can be used by this game at most?

community.sigames.com

 

[HotDogMan]

From here

How many CPU cores can be used?

I want to buy Intel i9 CPU, and open more than 20+ league in fm2017 , so I want to know how many CPU cores can be used by this game at most?

community.sigames.com

Cheers, I've read through all of that and an FM19 benchmark thread from the site too and it seems as you said that more cores are used in full match simulation and it is better for those with much larger advanced setups however...

The way I play the game isn't full match simulation going by those threads, the default settings are not full match simulation according to the posts I've read and if anything I strip back options so I'll have less detail plus I only run a maximum of 7 leagues and 15 divisions, I'm sure the 3600 will be great for me and my game setup plus I get to stay in budget which is better for my head haha, thanks for the info and input though.

 

[Scott]

3600 Should have you covered nicely then. There should be an increase in performance but I wouldn't expect it to be crazy. It has faster boost frequency and there are more cores but it's not going to be double the speed or anything like that.

 

[HotDogMan]

I went to purchase the machine on Tuesday night and the SSD was no longer available, I then had a tough time deciding what storage to get so looked at some SSD Vs HDD articles.

I've now decided to go with the setup below, a small SSD for the operating system to go on and then the 1TB HDD, it's only £1 more expensive than the 512GB model so stupid not to, also read a HDD has better longevity than an SSD so I'll put Football manager on that as according to the other forum FM being on an SSD makes little (if any) difference to the game.

I also decided to get a DVD drive, I'll still be using my other PC so don't want to swap the drive over and even if I never use it I'll still feel better knowing I have it...

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
128GB ADATA SX6000 LITE M.2 2280 (1800 MB/R, 1200 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
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)
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
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Firefox™
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 12 to 14 working days
Price: £724.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/bTwB5WtqmK/

The final change I may make is the graphics card, I think I might change to the 4gb 1650 (not super), for just £50 more it looks a fair bit better than the 1030, I'm just over budget then but for me I'd rather have a slightly better than needed card / build than one that's just good enough.

If keeping the build above other than the graphics card whilst keeping the overall cost below £799 would any of the AMD / other cards be better than the Nvidia 1650 (not super)?

 

[Scott]

I don't think that's a good idea but if you're certain that your sources are correct and are firm on those changes then that's fair enough.

128GB is nowhere near enough for a system drive nowadays, unless you absolutely plan to keep it clean and as bare bones as possible.
A conventional drive is MASSIVELY slower than any M2 drive and it will make a difference with the database operations that Footy Manager requires.
SSD drives last just as long as conventional drives now, depending on the budget they will often last longer now and they aren't prone to physical damage that conventional drives are (tick of death).

The 512GB M2 SX6000 would be my choice, it's better than the PCS offering anyway.

 

[HotDogMan]

Thank you @Scott, I'm far from certain my sources are correct haha, I was only reading articles and posts on the FM forum and combined with my limited knowledge I thought I'd be best off posting here first, I've now put the 512GB M2 SX6000 in to the build instead of my suggested changes.

I'm also not properly changing / upgrading the graphics card now, I was dithering on an upgrade today but in truth there's absolutely no need when I'm not going to be playing any other games, I thought it may be beneficial on the off chance I wanted to try some other PC games but that really isn't likely to happen, in 20+ years of using a PC the only games I've ever played were the CM and FM games, Jimmy Whites whirlwind snooker, the original sims, International Cricket Captain and a few browser based games and if something did come out that I had to play on my PC then I can always upgrade later if absolutely necessary.

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GT 1030
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 POWER SUPPLY
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)
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
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Firefox™
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 12 to 14 working days
Price: £699.00 including VAT and Delivery

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

I'm going to be purchasing this tonight (by 3am when I go to bed) and have one final decision, would the Radeon RX 550 2GB card be a better option as according to the comparison sites it is slightly better overall than the GT 1030, both of them will suit my needs perfectly fine but if the RX 550 2GB version is overall better then I may as well get that instead for the sake of £11 hadn't I?

 

[Scott]

I don't think it will really make any odds to be honest. I think the 1030 would do absolutely fine for what you are after so it would likely be £11 wasted. Nvidia tend to be a little more software compatible so in your shoes I would probably stick with it.

 

[HotDogMan]

I don't think it will really make any odds to be honest. I think the 1030 would do absolutely fine for what you are after so it would likely be £11 wasted. Nvidia tend to be a little more software compatible so in your shoes I would probably stick with it.

Perfect, that's exactly what I will do then

Thanks again for all your help (& everyone else who's chipped in too), I'd be so lost and stuck without all the contributions yet instead here I am with a build I'm absolutely delighted with, cheers guys