PC for my son, please help! KINDA URGENT, PART NOT IN STOCK

[alemor311]

Hi all,

I'd like to order a desktop PC for my son who wants to use it for gaming as well as general duties. I know exactly nothing about anything I've seen on the site so am hoping that rather than checking a spec I'd basically be picking at random, (which I've done in the past for me but want this to be right), someone would be good enough to suggest something suitable please?

Budget around £1500 but could be flexible by £100-200 if the improvements warranted the extra. Would need to include a monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Thanks so much in advance, sorry for being clueless!

 

[fullofpenguions]

Hello,

Without knowing what type of games your son plays I've gone for what should be a fairly capable 1440p setup including a monitor. If he plays mainly competitive esports titles like CS2, Fortnite etc - you could make it a bit more specialised to that. I've gone with a fairly basic keyboard and mouse as peripherals are very subjective - he can always upgrade them later. This comes in at exactly £1600 inc VAT and delivery.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X Six Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.3GHz/38MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B650-PLUS (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7700 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3200 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2 x 120mm Black Case Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00027]
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
AOC 27" Q27G2E/BK - 2560 x 1440, 155HZ, 1MS, HDMI
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF K1 Gaming Keyboard & M3 Gen II Mouse Bundle
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,600.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/6esyM7EEdC/

 

[alemor311]

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, very much appreciated. Since posting we've had the offer of grandparents putting in towards it and so we can now push that budget to £2k, I read a thread on here somewhere about it being a good idea to have one hard drive with the operating system on and another for storage so would want to do that and give the other major components as much of a bump as possible.

He wants to play first person shooter games, Elden Ring, GTA (when he's a little older!). He's also talking about connecting a Metaquest VR unit to it wirelessly and banging on about a RTX4070 graphics card. To me, he may as well be speaking Greek but hopefully that'll mean something to you...

Many thanks again

 

[fullofpenguions]

No problem at all. Always fun to have extra budget to play with! The system below will do everything you've mentioned VERY comfortably. I've used the extra budget to upgrade the CPU, RAM, motherboard, storage and graphics card. AMD graphics cards tend to be slightly better value than their Nvidia counterparts at the moment. Unless ray tracing is a consideration for your son (its a technology used in some games - probably most famously Cyberpunk 2077), if that is the case then Nvidia's cards are better for that in this generation. I've done a separate build with a 4070 in it further down which will also do absolutely fine and if your son has mentioned he would like a 4070, then the option is there. Its worth pointing out though that to cover the extra cost of the 4070, I've had to cut back on the quality of some of the other key components compared to the AMD build.

AMD Graphics Card Build - £1968
Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Eight Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.4GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3200 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2 x 120mm Black Case Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
AOC 27" Q27G2E/BK - 2560 x 1440, 155HZ, 1MS, HDMI
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF K1 Gaming Keyboard & M3 Gen II Mouse Bundle
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,968.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/Jz5Vkftkhj/

4070 build - £1988
Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X Six Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.3GHz/38MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB ASUS TUF GEFORCE RTX 4070 OC EDITION - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3100 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3500 MB/R, 3200 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2 x 120mm Black Case Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
AOC 27" Q27G2E/BK - 2560 x 1440, 155HZ, 1MS, HDMI
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF K1 Gaming Keyboard & M3 Gen II Mouse Bundle
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,988.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/AsnxBuu89U/

 

[sck451]

For the AMD build I'd change it a bit from the above. I would go with a lower tier motherboard as you don't need X670E. I'd go for the more efficient 7700 CPU. And I'd go for better storage options.

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7800 XT GAMING - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 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
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
AOC 27" Q27G2E/BK - 2560 x 1440, 155HZ, 1MS, HDMI
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF K1 Gaming Keyboard & M3 Gen II Mouse Bundle
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,946.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/ytQkD3sycz/

Also with the Nvidia card you can for the non-Asus option and save loads of money and spend it on similar upgrades to the storage...

 

[alemor311]

Thanks so much, guys, both your help is very much appreciated. Would I be right in thinking that IF I could stretch then simply swapping the 4070 graphics card into either of the 7800 builds would improve things further? I've just read an article on a PC guide website that says the 7800 is about to claim top spot in that price bracket but that if 4k gaming is of interest the 4070 would still pip it, (tbh I don't know but could ask him. Would that monitor be up to that?). Admittedly they were referencing test results from AMD so I guess there's the possibility of bias...

Sorry to drag this out, I'd just like to get this as right as possible without the dreaded upgrade itch rearing it's ugly head too soon!

Also, at the risk of asking two very stupid questions... I understand cable will be more reliable and potentially faster but will the ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT connect to my SKY wireless router?

And potentially even more stupid... I assume any of these will be overly capable of general browsing/email/school work???

Many, many thanks again

 

[TonyCarter]

I might be wrong, but I don't think the 4070 is a 4k GPU, it's more of a 1440p GPU. 4k would be the 4080.

You get much better VFM with the AMD GPUs, especially around pure raster performance, but you lose out with their less refine drivers and poorer upscaling/frame generation/VR technologies.

 

[sck451]

Thanks so much, guys, both your help is very much appreciated. Would I be right in thinking that IF I could stretch then simply swapping the 4070 graphics card into either of the 7800 builds would improve things further? I've just read an article on a PC guide website that says the 7800 is about to claim top spot in that price bracket but that if 4k gaming is of interest the 4070 would still pip it, (tbh I don't know but could ask him. Would that monitor be up to that?). Admittedly they were referencing test results from AMD so I guess there's the possibility of bias...

Sorry to drag this out, I'd just like to get this as right as possible without the dreaded upgrade itch rearing it's ugly head too soon!

Also, at the risk of asking two very stupid questions... I understand cable will be more reliable and potentially faster but will the ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT connect to my SKY wireless router?

And potentially even more stupid... I assume any of these will be overly capable of general browsing/email/school work???

Many, many thanks again

If you're thinking of 4K you should get a 4K monitor now rather than a 1440p one. A monitor should outlast the graphics card by years. I would not plan on upgrading the monitor without also upgrading the graphics card.

Presuming your router has ethernet ports (almost all do) it'll work fine for a wired connection and you're right: it'll be way better.

And yes, any gaming PC will be fine for regular uses: none of those tasks is demanding.

 

[alemor311]

OK, I had another thread on here but the budget has increased so, with what I've been able to remember of the advice from the knowledgeable folks on here I've had another go. Budget is pretty much at the limit and games to be played on it are, I'm informed, Red Dead Redemption, GTA6 (when released) and Ready Or Not etc. Originally had a 4080 GC in there but needed to trim the cost. 1st monitor is, I believe, 1440p and I experimented with the case and motherboard until I stopped seeing the message about front usb ports not working and the GC actually fitting inside! Second monitor is for messaging.

Am I right in thinking 2 M.2 drives is the best way forward? Do I need 1TB for the 1st drive if it's for the OS? What else would you have on there?

Thought I may as well have a more beefy power supply to cope with potential upgrades as I assume it won't draw more power than the components need?

I've tried my best to sensible about this but the saying, "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" feels dangerously applicable to me!!!

Any thoughts from you guys will be read extremely gratefully

Thanks in advance,

Alex

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY 2 LIGHT TEMPERED GLASS
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700 (Up to 4.9GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO (LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 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
ONBOARD 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
AOC Q32V4 31.5" QHD Monitor - 2560 x 1440, 4MS, HDMI, DP
Monitor
MSI 23.8" PRO MP243X - 1920 x 1080, 1MS, 100Hz
Monitor Cables
2m DisplayPort Cable - DP (M) to DP (M)
Keyboard & Mouse
Razer® Ornata V2 Gaming Keyboard
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF GAMING M3 Gen II Mouse
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 6 to 8 working days
Price: £2,720.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/zy83FKx8vV/

 

[alemor311]

OK, apologies for reposting. I had another thread on here regarding a gaming PC for my son but the budget has increased so, with what I've been able to remember of the advice from the knowledgeable folks on here I've had another go. Budget is pretty much at the limit and games to be played on it are, I'm informed, Red Dead Redemption, GTA6 (when released) and Ready Or Not etc. Originally had a 4080 graphics card in there but needed to trim the cost. 1st monitor is, I believe, 1440p and I experimented with the case and motherboard until I stopped seeing the message about front usb ports not working and the graphics card actually fitting inside! I'm told the second monitor is for messaging. Overkill? I think he just wants to feel like he's in "The Matrix"!

Am I right in thinking 2 M.2 drives is the best way forward? Do I need 1TB for the 1st drive if it's for the OS? What else would you have on there?

Thought I may as well have a more beefy power supply to cope with potential upgrades as I assume it won't draw more power than the components need?

I've tried my best to sensible about this but the saying, "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" feels dangerously applicable to me!!!

Any thoughts from you guys will be read extremely gratefully

Thanks in advance,

Alex

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY 2 LIGHT TEMPERED GLASS
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700 (Up to 4.9GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO (LGA1700, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6E)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 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
ONBOARD 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
AOC Q32V4 31.5" QHD Monitor - 2560 x 1440, 4MS, HDMI, DP
Monitor
MSI 23.8" PRO MP243X - 1920 x 1080, 1MS, 100Hz
Monitor Cables
2m DisplayPort Cable - DP (M) to DP (M)
Keyboard & Mouse
Razer® Ornata V2 Gaming Keyboard
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF GAMING M3 Gen II Mouse
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 6 to 8 working days
Price: £2,720.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z790-ddr5-pc/zy83FKx8vV/

 

[alemor311]

Please can someone advise me on the latest reconfigure? Want to make sure the case is appropriate and that the components will be suitable to work together. I'd like to get this ordered ASAP, hopefully in time for Christmas.

Thanks in advance!

 

[sck451]

Honestly I'd go for the build I posted above, perhaps with a 4070 rather than the AMD card I suggested above. Were there reasons you wanted something different?

 

[alemor311]

Honestly I'd go for the build I posted above, perhaps with a 4070 rather than the AMD card I suggested above. Were there reasons you wanted something different?

Only that we'd managed to increase the budget but don't get me wrong, I don't want to spend for the sake of it, only if it's a worthwhile upgrade. That said, with the grandparental contributions to this Christmas/birthday present I also don't want any of them to think we've cheaped out to grab some of the cash for ourselves!!!

As he appears to have his heart set on one, if I swap in a 4070, (not the Ti), it adds approx £200 which is doable band sounds like it will be OK with the other components?

What do you think about the monitors I had on the other configuration? Getting very confused about 1440p and 4k and which graphics card is better for which. Pretty certain 1440p will be more than enough.

Thanks again

 

[SpyderTracks]

Only that we'd managed to increase the budget but don't get me wrong, I don't want to spend for the sake of it, only if it's a worthwhile upgrade. That said, with the grandparental contributions to this Christmas/birthday present I also don't want any of them to think we've cheaped out to grab some of the cash for ourselves!!!

As he appears to have his heart set on one, if I swap in a 4070, (not the Ti), it adds approx £200 which is doable band sounds like it will be OK with the other components?

What do you think about the monitors I had on the other configuration? Getting very confused about 1440p and 4k and which graphics card is better for which. Pretty certain 1440p will be more than enough.

Thanks again

It's a lesser build to the one @sck451 had suggested. Intel are far inferior and more expensive than AMD, they run far hotter, use substantially more power, they're just not very good chips.

 

[alemor311]

Honestly I'd go for the build I posted above, perhaps with a 4070 rather than the AMD card I suggested above. Were there reasons you wanted something different?

Thanks again for looking at this, I really appreciate it. From a little reading the AMD card is better but if the 4070 makes him happy then, given how marginal the difference appears to be, I'll probably go with that. So if you had an extra £700 to play with where would you improve things? As I mentioned, I'm keen to spend the money purely because it's contributions from family members that I don't want to be seen to be pocketing if I don't. I suppose I could just give him the difference if any improvements would be marginal for the money but the idea is that this PC is a big deal so want it to be as good as possible. Does that make sense?

So sorry to be all over the place with this but it feels like the more I read the more confused I get!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Thanks again for looking at this, I really appreciate it. From a little reading the AMD card is better but if the 4070 makes him happy then, given how marginal the difference appears to be, I'll probably go with that. So if you had an extra £700 to play with where would you improve things? As I mentioned, I'm keen to spend the money purely because it's contributions from family members that I don't want to be seen to be pocketing if I don't. I suppose I could just give him the difference if any improvements would be marginal for the money but the idea is that this PC is a big deal so want it to be as good as possible. Does that make sense?

So sorry to be all over the place with this but it feels like the more I read the more confused I get!

To really balance the system, I'd up the GPU to a 4070ti, and then spend the rest on a decent Ultrawide monitor, that would give a really well balanced setup for a long time to come.

For an ultrawide, something like https://www.overclockers.co.uk/aoc-...1ms-freeesync-hdr-1000-hdmi-2.-mo-06a-ao.html

or

Gigabyte 34" M34WQ 3440x1440 IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync KVM Widescreen Gaming Monitor

Order Gigabyte 34" M34WQ 3440x1440 IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync KVM Widescreen Gaming Monitor now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

 

[sck451]

To really balance the system, I'd up the GPU to a 4070ti, and then spend the rest on a decent Ultrawide monitor, that would give a really well balanced setup for a long time to come.

For an ultrawide, something like https://www.overclockers.co.uk/aoc-...1ms-freeesync-hdr-1000-hdmi-2.-mo-06a-ao.html

or

Gigabyte 34" M34WQ 3440x1440 IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync KVM Widescreen Gaming Monitor

Order Gigabyte 34" M34WQ 3440x1440 IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync KVM Widescreen Gaming Monitor now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Precisely what I'd say. If you don't have room for the ultra wide, I'd get a better 1440p display like the MSI MAG274QRF-QD. The 4070 Ti would arguably be overkill but not to a stupid degree.

 

[alemor311]

Precisely what I'd say. If you don't have room for the ultra wide, I'd get a better 1440p display like the MSI MAG274QRF-QD. The 4070 Ti would arguably be overkill but not to a stupid degree.

Thanks to you both, I think I'm nearly there. Only question now is, further up the thread you mentioned that,

"For the AMD build I'd change it a bit from the above. I would go with a lower tier motherboard as you don't need X670E. I'd go for the more efficient 7700 CPU."

Does this mean that, if the GPU is no-longer an AMD unit I need to up the motherboard or were you referring to the processor?

This is what I kind of think you mean... I've upgraded the monitor to one currently available from PC Specialist. The motherboard is the one you had in there but it seems upgrading it to the X670E would be within budget, if worthwhile? This would seem ideal and leave enough left over for a mouse mat and some led's to stick on the back of his monitor!

Your patience with an old guy just trying to get it right is appreciated



Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B650-PLUS (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB ASUS TUF GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti OC EDITION - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 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
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
MSI 27" G274QPX - 2560 x 1440, 1MS, 240Hz
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF K1 Gaming Keyboard & M3 Gen II Mouse Bundle
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £2,560.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/7N64SVyr6C/

 

[TonyCarter]

You can save/reallocate £150 of that cost by simply swapping out the OC GPU for a non-OC version...although it won't be an ASUS branded model. You can then go up a level with the CPU, PSU and motherboard (with built-in wifi/bluetooth) to give you a significantly better gaming experience (and base for upgrades)...

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 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
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
MSI 27" G274QPX - 2560 x 1440, 1MS, 240Hz
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF K1 Gaming Keyboard & M3 Gen II Mouse Bundle
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £2,546.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/zT5je5rmWG/

 

[alemor311]

You can save/reallocate £150 of that cost by simply swapping out the OC GPU for a non-OC version...although it won't be an ASUS branded model. You can then go up a level with the CPU, PSU and motherboard (with built-in wifi/bluetooth) to give you a significantly better gaming experience (and base for upgrades)...

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 3325MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 150 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
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
MSI 27" G274QPX - 2560 x 1440, 1MS, 240Hz
Keyboard & Mouse
ASUS TUF K1 Gaming Keyboard & M3 Gen II Mouse Bundle
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £2,546.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/zT5je5rmWG/

Amazing, thank you. I've shown him and the only thing he'd like is to switch the case for a glass sided one, such as the FRACTAL POP SILENT CASE TG which I'm assuming wouldn't be an issue other than the extra £10? Certainly don't get any warnings when I click, "Proceed".

And the absolute last thing is a second monitor for messaging while gaming. I presume it doesn't have to match the performance of the primary screen? I.e. it could be a 1080 when the primary monitor is 1440? I understand that were you use it for actual gaming as well then performance would suffer as you'd be giving the GPU more work to do but if it's a static screen with messaged popping up then you'd be OK? Personally I'm not massively convinced but he's very keen and if I can get away with it costing less than £100 then I'm alright with it.

You don't think I need any extra fans? (That's definitely the absolute last thing!)

Thanks again

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