Proposed replacement desktop for gaming

Seffrid

Member
I'd appreciate any comments on these specs please.

The proposed use is primarily gaming, mainly MMORPGs such as Elder Scrolls Online as well as offline games like Skyrim and Fallout 4. I'm not a competitive gamer so don't need every extra bit of performance. Secondary uses relate solely to routine browsing and emails etc, no other critical stuff like video editing etc I use a BenQ G2420HDBL monitor at 1080p and 60HZ refresh rate. Internet connection is wired from a Virgin Media Super Hub 3 in router mode (shared with a second desktop) with their M250 fibre broadband package, and I do not use any form of wifi. These specs are at the top of my budget which is £1500.

I prefer Nvidia graphics cards and have had an aversion to to liquid cooling since the original liquid cooler in my existing main machine burst and destroyed several components, fortunately just inside the warranty period!

Many thanks for any advice.



Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX K500 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 14-Core Processor i5-13600K (Up to 5.1GHz) 24MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B760M-K D4 (Micro-ATX, LGA1700, USB3.2)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 RGB V3 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 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc Single License
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
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 7 to 9 working days
Price: £1,517.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/fS8t2jbqbu/
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
A 3060 Ti with 1080p 60Hz is not good value for money. I'd give serious thought to upgrading your display. Right now that's the bottleneck. This budget is easily capable of managing 1440p.

Here's a system, though, for £1500, that is way better than the one you have configured. I'd actually go for the AMD Radeon 6750 XT myself: it's way better than the 3060 Ti at this point and barely more expensive. But if you have taken against AMD cards for some reason, the 3060 Ti is probably your best bet for value for money.

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERBOX K500 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D Eight Core CPU (3.4GHz-4.5GHz/100MB CACHE/AM4) Way better and cooler CPU
Motherboard

ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready! Good motherboard
Memory (RAM)

32GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB) Decent RAM
Graphics Card

8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 3000MB/W) Fast boot drive
1st M.2 SSD Drive

1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW) For game storage
Power Supply

CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET Best to over-spec power supplies
Power Cable

1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 200 Series High Performance CPU Cooler Good cooler for the 5800X3D
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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003] Windows 10 Professional costs way more, I doubt you need it
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
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 7 to 9 working days
Price: £1,521.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/TjNKEVT!G3/
 

Seffrid

Member
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll likely go with most of them, but will stick with the 3060 Ti because over the years I have preferred my Nvidia cards to my AMD ones. I'm also probably sticking with Windows 10 as I see nothing of any benefit to me in Windows 11 but I only went for the Professional version as it was the only option under the specs. I'll ask on the phone if they can provide the Home version as I agree that I don't need the Professional one. Thanks again.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll likely go with most of them, but will stick with the 3060 Ti because over the years I have preferred my Nvidia cards to my AMD ones. I'm also probably sticking with Windows 10 as I see nothing of any benefit to me in Windows 11 but I only went for the Professional version as it was the only option under the specs. I'll ask on the phone if they can provide the Home version as I agree that I don't need the Professional one. Thanks again.
Just be aware, windows 10 goes out of support in January 2025.

Windows 11 is a far better OS generally, there's really no need to settle for windows 10, there's no difference with program compatibility.
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll likely go with most of them, but will stick with the 3060 Ti because over the years I have preferred my Nvidia cards to my AMD ones. I'm also probably sticking with Windows 10 as I see nothing of any benefit to me in Windows 11 but I only went for the Professional version as it was the only option under the specs. I'll ask on the phone if they can provide the Home version as I agree that I don't need the Professional one. Thanks again.
As @SpyderTracks says, there's no reason to buy a new PC with Windows 10 now. It costs more and it gives you no advantages, except you get the "fun" of upgrading in a year or so.

As for the 3060 Ti, you're paying the same price for worse performance, less VRAM, less future compatibility. That's your call, of course, but it doesn't seem like ther prudent one to me -- and I say that as the owner of a 3060 Ti!
 

Seffrid

Member
Update: The spec recommended by @sck451, for which many thanks again, has been beset by a couple of unavailable items - notably the cooler and memory. While there is no rush necessarily, the expected date for availability is 1st July and I'm wondering if there is are any similar quality items that could be recommended please? By way of reminder, I'm not interested in liquid coolers. I am undecided on the Windows version as I'm very happy with Windows 10 and can either upgrade later or use 0patch which has proved a boon on my Windows 7 machine, but will otherwise stick with the original recommendations including the AMD graphics card.

Many thanks.
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Update: The spec recommended by @sck451, for which many thanks again, has been beset by a couple of unavailable items - notably the cooler and memory. While there is no rush necessarily, the expected date for availability is 1st July and I'm wondering if there is are any similar quality items that could be recommended please? By way of reminder, I'm not interested in liquid coolers. I am undecided on the Windows version as I'm very happy with Windows 10 and can either upgrade later or use 0patch which has proved a boon on my Windows 7 machine, but will otherwise stick with the original recommendations including the AMD graphics card.

Many thanks.
Get the Corsair RAM and the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 cooler. Should be broadly equivalent in price and performance.
 
Top