Ordered new Desktop - Thinking of last minute amendments!

[GeorgeA]

So I ended up ordering the spec below last night

Today I am tempted to amend my order to a 3070 or 3070ti for better 144Hz 1440p gaming.
And my power supply to 750W or 850W

Any thoughts/recommendations? (need to make amendment ASAP as it is currently in pre-production)

----------------

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX MB540 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.7GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB ASUS TUF GAMING GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
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 INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RM SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT 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
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 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
5 DAY DELIVERY TO CYPRUS
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 12 working days
Promotional Item
Get Dying Light 2 with select Samsung SSDs
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo


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[Martinr36]

So what monitor do you have, and what's the budget, yes definitely go for the 850W RMx PSU, scrap bullguard & upgrade to silver warranty

 

[Steveyg]

The 850W RMx upgrade I'd say 100% is a good shout

I have a 3060Ti and it's doing great at 1440p 144hz. Haven't run into any issues yet

If you're going ultrawide or looking at getting into 4K then the 3070 would be a better shout but the 3060Ti is capable

If you ordered last night mate it'll be in preproduction for about 20-25 days usually so hang in there for the wait

 

[GeorgeA]

So what monitor do you have, and what's the budget, yes definitely go for the 850W RMx PSU, scrap bullguard & upgrade to silver warranty

I am buying a new monitor, and obviously I will choose one depending on the Graphics card that I end up going with.
Yes so everyone is talking about 850W RMx so I'll probably go for that.

Yes bullguard is free but I will probably end up using VIPRE anyway as I have a license.

The reason I didn't go for the silver warranty is that I am in Cyprus, and shipping it internationally, so I don't think they'd do free collect&return for me anyway (which is totally understandable!)

As for the budget... well... I could pay up to another £200 more if it's worth the money for better 1440p 1440Hz gaming, which could get the 3070 or the standard 3070ti (but not the ASUS ROG STRIX 3070Ti which is a lot more expensive for some reason!!)

 

[Steveyg]

I am buying a new monitor, and obviously I will choose one depending on the Graphics card that I end up going with.
Yes so everyone is talking about 850W RMx so I'll probably go for that.

Yes bullguard is free but I will probably end up using VIPRE anyway as I have a license.

The reason I didn't go for the silver warranty is that I am in Cyprus, and shipping it internationally, so I don't think they'd do free collect&return for me anyway (which is totally understandable!)

As for the budget... well... I could pay up to another £200 more if it's worth the money for better 1440p 1440Hz gaming, which could get the 3070 or the standard 3070ti (but not the ASUS ROG STRIX 3070Ti which is a lot more expensive for some reason!!)

Hi mate when it comes to commercial anti viruses pretty much none of them offer any more protection than Windows Defender can except they generally come with the potential to cause issues that Windows Defender wont. There isn't a single commercial anti virus on the market that I would recommend over Windows Defender right now and Defender is free with Windows

As for the whether the upgrade is worth it from 3060Ti to 3070 we really can't say until we know what monitor we're pairing it with. You match the GPU to the monitor as best you can

If you let us know your budget for a monitor we can help recommend one

 

[GeorgeA]

Hi mate when it comes to commercial anti viruses pretty much none of them offer any more protection than Windows Defender can except they generally come with the potential to cause issues that Windows Defender wont. There isn't a single commercial anti virus on the market that I would recommend over Windows Defender right now and Defender is free with Windows

As for the whether the upgrade is worth it from 3060Ti to 3070 we really can't say until we know what monitor we're pairing it with. You match the GPU to the monitor as best you can

If you let us know your budget for a monitor we can help recommend one

It's a bit tricky for the monitor, because I am buying one locally and there isn't as much of an exhaustive selection as you might be able to find in the UK. But I can send you later today a list of the ones that are available to me and you can provide recommendations.

 

[Steveyg]

It's a bit tricky for the monitor, because I am buying one locally and there isn't as much of an exhaustive selection as you might be able to find in the UK. But I can send you later today a list of the ones that are available to me and you can provide recommendations.

Yeah sounds good mate we can defs help there

 

[GeorgeA]

Ok here is a list of monitors available that I have my eye on, with the price (coverted to £GBP) that I can get them at locally.

Basically I am interested in ergonomics, being able to play games at a decent framerate with my chosen GPU (which could be 3060Ti to 3070Ti), the various aspects of graphic quality and being a good value for money for what it is offering. Obviously size is important, but not if it comes at the cost of bad frame rate!

34''
Huawei Mateview Gt £500
AOC CU34G2X £500
Monoprice Dark Matter £480

32''
Gigabyte M32QC £493
LG UltraGear 32GP850-B £492
BENQ EX3203R £475
BENQ PD3200Q £375
AOC CQ32G2SE £370
SAMSUNG ODYSSEY G5 £321

27''
BENQ MOBIUZ EX2710Q £458
Viewsonic ELITE XG270QC £430
LG ULTRAGEAR 27GL850-B £425
ASUS TUF GAMING VG27AQ £388
IIYAMA RED EAGLE GB2760QSU-B1 £355
ASUS TUF Gaming VG27WQ1B £344
LG UltraGear 27GN800-B £334
AOC Q27G2U £318
AOC CQ27G2U/BK 27" £308

 

[Steveyg]

Personally mate I would go with this

ASUS TUF GAMING VG27AQ paired with a 3060Ti

Other than that I would probably go with the AOC CU34G2X and a 3070Ti if I wanted to go with Ultrawide and those where my options.

 

[GeorgeA]

Personally mate I would go with this

ASUS TUF GAMING VG27AQ paired with a 3060Ti

Other than that I would probably go with the AOC CU34G2X and a 3070Ti if I wanted to go with Ultrawide and those where my options.

Many thanks - i will wait to see if I get more responses and see what I end up going for!

 

[B4zookaw]

I've the ASUS TUF GAMING VG27AQ, paired with a 3070TI. A very good 1440p monitor, very happy with it.

 

[SlimCini]

I am buying a new monitor, and obviously I will choose one depending on the Graphics card that I end up going with.
Yes so everyone is talking about 850W RMx so I'll probably go for that.

Yes bullguard is free but I will probably end up using VIPRE anyway as I have a license.

The reason I didn't go for the silver warranty is that I am in Cyprus, and shipping it internationally, so I don't think they'd do free collect&return for me anyway (which is totally understandable!)

As for the budget... well... I could pay up to another £200 more if it's worth the money for better 1440p 1440Hz gaming, which could get the 3070 or the standard 3070ti (but not the ASUS ROG STRIX 3070Ti which is a lot more expensive for some reason!!)

PCS are charging you £687 for that asus tuf 3060Ti. Or they do £647 for the cheaper lottery 3060Ti.

3060Tis are freely available to buy for cheaper than that online though.

Could save some funds right there. Put that money towards an even better monitor.

 

[JUNI0R]

Just reading through this thread, one thing that hasn't been picked up on is the case. The MB540 is a baaad case... As much as it looks like it does, it's got no front airflow, at all. Our typical Corsair 4000D, 4000X (dependant on what GPU you go for), 5000D, 5000X, Cooler Master TD500, Lian Li 215 and Meshify 2 would all be significantly better options

 

[GeorgeA]

I've the ASUS TUF GAMING VG27AQ, paired with a 3070TI. A very good 1440p monitor, very happy with it.

Personally mate I would go with this

ASUS TUF GAMING VG27AQ paired with a 3060Ti

Other than that I would probably go with the AOC CU34G2X and a 3070Ti if I wanted to go with Ultrawide and those where my options.

So the question then becomes:

Lets assume I go for the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ

Do I then:

a) Pair it with the 3060Ti, as per spec. Would I then still need the 850W RMx PSU?

b) Go for a standard unbranded 3070Ti for an extra £176? Or an ASUS 3070 for that same increase?

 

[GeorgeA]

PCS are charging you £687 for that asus tuf 3060Ti. Or they do £647 for the cheaper lottery 3060Ti.

3060Tis are freely available to buy for cheaper than that online though.

Could save some funds right there. Put that money towards an even better monitor.

Unfortunately international shipping costs may well mean that ordering components separately would eat away at any cost benefits, and I'd rather have the comfort of having PC Specialist install everything for me. But if I was in the UK I'd strongly consider doing what you suggested.

 

[Steveyg]

So the question then becomes:

Lets assume I go for the ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ

Do I then:

a) Pair it with the 3060Ti, as per spec. Would I then still need the 850W RMx PSU?

b) Go for a standard unbranded 3070Ti for an extra £176? Or an ASUS 3070 for that same increase?

The ASUS GPU's just aren't worth the cost increase, I would still keep the 850W PSU with a 3060Ti to allow for future upgrades

It's up to you whether you want a 3060Ti or 3070Ti though

also @JUNI0R made a good point that I missed, that case is terrible mate worth changing

 

[GeorgeA]

Just reading through this thread, one thing that hasn't been picked up on is the case. The MB540 is a baaad case... As much as it looks like it does, it's got no front airflow, at all. Our typical Corsair 4000D, 4000X (dependant on what GPU you go for), 5000D, 5000X, Cooler Master TD500, Lian Li 215 and Meshify 2 would all be significantly better options

Thank you for this. To be honest I chose the case because it looked really slick! But I am happy to change the Case if you think it will be a lot better!
(anyone else want to provide some input for this? I also really like the look of the Lian Li Lancool II but this appears to currently be out of stock, but I could wait until the beginning of April I guess..)

 

[GeorgeA]

The ASUS GPU's just aren't worth the cost increase, I would still keep the 850W PSU with a 3060Ti to allow for future upgrades

It's up to you whether you want a 3060Ti or 3070Ti though

also @JUNI0R made a good point that I missed, that case is terrible mate worth changing

Thank you so much!
Which 1-2 cases would you go for instead, for my spec?

With regards to 3060Ti vs 3070Ti, would upgrading make sense for the 27'' monitor, at the cost of c. £200 extra?

 

[Steveyg]

Thank you for this. To be honest I chose the case because it looked really slick! But I am happy to change the Case if you think it will be a lot better!
(anyone else want to provide some input for this? I also really like the look of the Lian Li Lancool II but this appears to currently be out of stock, but I could wait until the beginning of April I guess..)

The corsair 5000D or 5000X are fantastic choices which would be recommended

The 3060Ti would be capable with the ASUS monitor we've recommended it'll work great. The 3070Ti will work better though, it's a more powerful card but both are good choices. It comes down to how much you want to spend but neither would be a bad choice

 

[Salmon Fisher]

With monitors it's always worth looking at this guy for reviews and tech.

https://youtube.com/c/techlessYT