Power Supply, GPU and RAM Questions

[GarethC]

This is the first time I’ve put together a gaming PC. I want to be able to run the latest games and new releases for the next few years without needing to upgrade much. I don’t care about about high graphics settings, I just want to be able to run them

This is the build I have come up with. I have a 1050 Ti graphics card to put into it (which I plan to upgrade as soon as I get a game that it can’t handle).

I have a couple of questions;

1. The site tells me that I need 352W of power (inc. 20% allowance) and to make sure my graphics card is factored into this. I have no idea how to make sure so this. Is a 1050 Ti going to be OK here? If it is am I likely to hit problems when I want to upgrade it?

2. The site also tells me to make sure my graphics card fits. The 1050 Ti is very small so shouldn’t be a problem, but is the case likely To give me problems when I want a new card?

3. I’ve gone for 32Gb of RAM but think this might be overkill- would 16Gb be more sensible?

4. Are there any other issues/improvements that I haven’t noticed?

I’d really appreciate any advice as I‘m totally new to this. Many thanks.

Case
CORSAIR 3000D AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700F (Up to 4.9GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME H610M-A-CSM D4 (mATX, LGA1700, DDR4, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
NONE, I ALREADY HAVE A GRAPHICS CARD
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 3500 MB/W)
Power Supply
PCS 250W 80+ BRONZE POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 ARGB V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (INTEL)
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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 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
Price: £642.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-home-office-pc-V/xtTBa4NpD9/

 

[steaky360]

I'd consider what GPU you'd be looking to upgrade too before purchasing as you're building the PC to support that GPU not the 1050Ti. Your best bet (in my opinion, I'm sure there's lots of things folk will want to discuss) would be to tweak your build to have the GPU you are looking to upgrade too installed in, if the configurator doesn't throw up any issues, then that's a good sign. I expect there's several things that folk here will recommend tweaking if possible.

That aside, for example, when I click your spec via the link and check it out even without a GPU you need a larger PSU (it requires 352W the PSU you've selected provides 250W). So you need a larger PSU even before adding your 1050Ti and without making any further changes.

Do you have a budget for the PC?

Please read before posting:- Collaboration of Helpful Hints

NB: These forums are not an official support channel. None of us work for PCS, we're all either customers or techies who just like to help out where possible. For any official support, you need to contact PCS directly either through your PCS account, or via the contact details on the main...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

 

[SpyderTracks]

The 1050ti even on release was underpowered for 1080p gaming, and that was several years ago in 2016. It will struggle even at low settings with modern games.

 

[Scott]

There's not a lot we can advise at this budget level I'm afraid. You can put some parts together to run games, but they wouldn't be recommended as anything you buy at this level isn't going to play games for years as the GPU trend would need a significantly more powerful PSU.

The minimum we would recommend for a basic 1080p gaming rig would be £1000 (and that's cutting the cloth bare). As above, the 1050ti is an office card. It'll barely run Fortnight on low, never mind anything that needs some actual grunt.

We just don't want you spending poorly every few months when you can spend wisely once for years.

Around the £600 mark you are far better off with a PS5. It'll offer a gaming experience equivalent to a £1500 PC.

 

[GarethC]

I'd consider what GPU you'd be looking to upgrade too before purchasing as you're building the PC to support that GPU not the 1050Ti. Your best bet (in my opinion, I'm sure there's lots of things folk will want to discuss) would be to tweak your build to have the GPU you are looking to upgrade too installed in, if the configurator doesn't throw up any issues, then that's a good sign. I expect there's several things that folk here will recommend tweaking if possible.

That aside, for example, when I click your spec via the link and check it out even without a GPU you need a larger PSU (it requires 352W the PSU you've selected provides 250W). So you need a larger PSU even before adding your 1050Ti and without making any further changes.

Do you have a budget for the PC?

Please read before posting:- Collaboration of Helpful Hints

NB: These forums are not an official support channel. None of us work for PCS, we're all either customers or techies who just like to help out where possible. For any official support, you need to contact PCS directly either through your PCS account, or via the contact details on the main...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Thanks for the advice. I’ve seen that if I upgrade the power unit to 550w that doesn’t impact price very much.

My 1050 Ti will do (just about) for the games I want to play right now but I know that won’t be the case for very long at all. As soon as I get round to playing starfield I‘m was planning on upgrading to whatever lets me play it and is compatible with my build. I thought maybe a GeForce 30 series would keep me going another few years (the 1050ti has managed 6 years!).

My budget is pretty much £650. I’m considering the advice another user has given me of getting a a PS5- I prefer keyboard and mouse, and want to play starfield some time, but its hard to justify spending double what I would on a PlayStation if it’s not going to last very long.

6 years ago I managed to get a refurbished desktop for £200 which I put a second hand 1050 Ti into and that has lasted me till now playing AAA games on lowish settings (Fallout 4, Witcher 3, Red Dead 2, Total War series etc.). I was hoping to pull off a similar trick this time but I’m thinking I may have just got lucky last time.

 

[GarethC]

The 1050ti even on release was underpowered for 1080p gaming, and that was several years ago in 2016. It will struggle even at low settings with modern games.

I got it six years ago and till now it’s been enough to at least run all the games I’ve wanted, allbeit on low settings. I know that it doesn’t have long left though. It’ll run Helldivers 2 (which is the Reason I need a new machine) but I’ll need to upgrade before I get Starfield.

 

[Scott]

Starfields minimum requirement is a 1070Ti. I think they're around 200w so you will want at least a 550w PSU in there.

You could get far more bang for your buck with a second hand PC though. You could at least get minimum requirements inside your budget.

You can play consoles with Keyboard & mouse btw. I don't think it will be long before Starfield is on console either. The experience will be night and day from whatever you buy at this level.

 

[GarethC]

There's not a lot we can advise at this budget level I'm afraid. You can put some parts together to run games, but they wouldn't be recommended as anything you buy at this level isn't going to play games for years as the GPU trend would need a significantly more powerful PSU.

The minimum we would recommend for a basic 1080p gaming rig would be £1000 (and that's cutting the cloth bare). As above, the 1050ti is an office card. It'll barely run Fortnight on low, never mind anything that needs some actual grunt.

We just don't want you spending poorly every few months when you can spend wisely once for years.

Around the £600 mark you are far better off with a PS5. It'll offer a gaming experience equivalent to a £1500 PC.

Thanks for the feedback. I thought about a a PS5, but decided against it as I prefer keyboard and mouse, and want to play Starfield some time. I’m reconsidering now though as it’s hard to justify spending double what I would on a PlayStation if it’s not going to last very long.

6 years ago I managed to get a refurbished desktop for £200 which I put a second hand 1050 Ti into and that has lasted me till now playing AAA games on lowish settings (Fallout 4, Witcher 3, Red Dead 2, Total War series etc.). I was hoping to pull off a similar trick this time but I’m thinking I may have just got lucky last time.

If I were to put £1000 into a rig, how long would you expect it to remain viable for (by that I mean at least able to run new releases)?

 

[GarethC]

Starfields minimum requirement is a 1070Ti. I think they're around 200w so you will want at least a 550w PSU in there.

You could get far more bang for your buck with a second hand PC though. You could at least get minimum requirements inside your budget.

You can play consoles with Keyboard & mouse btw. I don't think it will be long before Starfield is on console either. The experience will be night and day from whatever you buy at this level.

I really appreciate the advice, I think you and Steaky might have saved me making an expensive error. Are there any sites you recommend for second hand PCs or is it just a case of google the specs and see what comes up?

As for keyboard and mouse on consoles, my understanding is that some games support it and some do not, with most of the games I like being on the not list. Starfield is Xbox and PC exclusive for now, there is talk that it might make its way to PlayStation eventually but nothing certain.

 

[SpyderTracks]

but decided against it as I prefer keyboard and mouse, and want to play Starfield some time.

It is down to the game to support keyboard and mouse, this is a fairly recent list of big titles that do:

29+ PS5 games that support keyboard and mouse: Full List (2024)

If you were wondering which games support keyboard and mouse on PS5, here's a list of the top ones.

www.videogamer.com

Plus there are lots of sources saying Microsoft is porting Starfield over to Playstation in the last quarter of this year alongside a major DLC update on XBox

EXCLUSIVE | Microsoft plans Starfield launch for PlayStation 5

For many weeks now, rumours have persisted regarding Microsoft’s intentions to release a number of 1st party games – namely Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves

xboxera.com

We can't comment on non PCS PC's and they don't sell second hand, there are loads of options out there from marketplaces to shops like CEX, but it's not something we can give any guidance on.

 

[GarethC]

It is down to the game to support keyboard and mouse, this is a fairly recent list of big titles that do:

29+ PS5 games that support keyboard and mouse: Full List (2024)

If you were wondering which games support keyboard and mouse on PS5, here's a list of the top ones.

www.videogamer.com

Plus there are lots of sources saying Microsoft is porting Starfield over to Playstation in the last quarter of this year alongside a major DLC update on XBox

EXCLUSIVE | Microsoft plans Starfield launch for PlayStation 5

For many weeks now, rumours have persisted regarding Microsoft’s intentions to release a number of 1st party games – namely Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves

xboxera.com

We can't comment on non PCS PC's and they don't sell second hand, there are loads of options out there from marketplaces to shops like CEX, but it's not something we can give any guidance on.

That makes sense, I forgot whose forum we were on! Thanks so much for the advice, you guys have been really helpful.

 

[SpyderTracks]

That makes sense, I forgot whose forum we were on! Thanks so much for the advice, you guys have been really helpful.

All the best with it, it's a great journey whichever way you go

 

[brigil]

Don’t get bogged down in ps5. If you’re going console route consider the Xbox s. Decent game machine, leaves some budget for a PC that would do office tasks - word, email etc just fine. Best of both worlds?!

 

[SpyderTracks]

Don’t get bogged down in ps5. If you’re going console route consider the Xbox s. Decent game machine, leaves some budget for a PC that would do office tasks - word, email etc just fine. Best of both worlds?!

Just be fully aware of the realities of the Series S

Xbox Series S Has a "Pretty Big Problem" Warns Developer

The Xbox Series S is becoming a bigger and bigger problem for game developers.

comicbook.com

There's a very good reason the PS5 outsells the XBox Series X 10 to 1, it's all down to the games. PS has a far richer gaming experience.

It all depends what you like though, if you're into online shooters, get XBox, if you're into gaming, get PS