Spec Review

[CiaranOD]

Hi Guys,

I'm hoping you can help me. I am a complete beginner when it comes to computers, but having zero hobbies to call my own, I've decided that PC gaming is something I'd like to get into. I love flight simulator games and there is a game called DCS World that I would like to have a crack at. I've only ever been a PlayStation kind of guy, but that was a few years ago now. When it comes to computers, I really do know next to nothing.

The guys at PC Specialist, quoted me the below. I have to say, they have been extremely helpful, answering all my questions.
Does the below look like a good quote for a gaming PC? I have monitors / keyboard / mouse. Apart from gaming, I'd also like to be able to use the computer for the usual everyday tasks, streaming / internet, web conferencing ( I probably need a headset and webcam), work (remote login). I use my current laptop for these functions and its on its last legs. I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything, when I attempt to do a mundane task, I realize, wait I need this component, but I didn't have it included in the quote, if you get me.

Anyway, any advice is very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275Q QUIET CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B550-F GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3070 - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
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 [KK3-00002]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 13 to 15 working days
Price: €1,820.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[AgentCooper]

What monitor have you got and what's your budget? There's a couple of bits I'd change but I don't want to spend money you don't have...

 

[CiaranOD]

Hi AgentCooper,

I have two standard HDMI Samsung monitors, the exact model are LC24F396FHUXEN. I was advised that I would need a new monitor to work with the graphics card or that I could get a DisplayPort to HDMI adaptor. I was thinking of getting the adaptor now just to get me up and running and then I can come back later for the better monitor. I'm pretty bang on my budget with what I got quoted. But I guess I would need two adaptors, one for each monitor?

Cheers.

 

[AgentCooper]

You could save a considerable amount of money on this as your screens are 1080p 60Hz. The RTX 3070 is designed for 1440p 144Hz as a minimum. Are you just using the one screen to game on?

 

[CiaranOD]

I was thinking I would use the one monitor for the game and the second monitor I could be using at the same time to do other things. Probably looking up stuff on the internet related to the game to help me along. I 'm guessing using two monitors as one big monitor would be difficult in a game setting. Do you not think I should stick with the RTX 3070 so that I'm 'futureproofed' so to speak.

 

[AgentCooper]

I was thinking I would use the one monitor for the game and the second monitor I could be using at the same time to do other things. Probably looking up stuff on the internet related to the game to help me along. I 'm guessing using two monitors as one big monitor would be difficult in a game setting. Do you not think I should stick with the RTX 3070 so that I'm 'futureproofed' so to speak.

I wouldn't, by the time you get a new monitor a 4070 might be out and that's diminishing returns. What I'd do is get a system now that suits the current monitor but future proof the base build so when you decide to treat yourself to a new monitor in a year or two you'll just need a new GPU and it'll slot right in the system. Something like this...

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
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 [KK3-00002]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
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 13 to 15 working days
Price: €1,520.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/nnMcUF2tUZ/

EDIT - You could potentially have the RTX 2060 in there for a bit of extra graphical grunt and don't mind spending extra. You'd still ideally want to upgrade monitor and GPU in the long term, though.

 

[CiaranOD]

Thanks very much AgentCooper. So you don't reckon I need the 2x120mm Case fan for cooling? Would this be a quiet computer? I asked the team and said I could think about going for the Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler.

And what is the difference in case. I see you selected tempered glass over carbide quiet case.

I also got the below message when I hit proceed..

You have selected a 750W power supply, but based on our calculations you actually only need a 450W power supply. We have calculated your specification to require around of 354W power including a 20% allowance. Although it is not a mandatory requirement to select a lower wattage power supply, doing so will save you money and the last thing we'd like to do is over charge you!
Please note that whilst we aim to dispatch all orders for delivery before Christmas, the following products are on a pre-order basis and therefore a delivery date cannot be guaranteed: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)

Would I need an adaptor to hook up my monitors if using the 6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready! or the 6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!

Thanks again for all your help.

Cheers.

 

[AgentCooper]

The problem with a lot of the ‘quiet’ cases is that they unfortunately restrict airflow throughout the case and your components end up getting a bit toasty in there. The best one to go for is the Fractal Define 7 but that case isn’t cheap, you get what you pay for. The 275R Airflow won’t be a silent case but I believe you can adjust the fan curve to suit the situation via motherboard software. So you can have fans off or low when you’re just browsing the web and then crank them up when the system is under load during gaming.

The fan cooler that’s bundled with the CPU is very good but if you want quieter operation then the Noctua might be a good investment. If you do choose that one you can drop the Arctic thermal paste, the Noctua already comes with good paste pre-applied 👍

The reason why I put the higher wattage PSU in there is mainly to cover you when you eventually want to upgrade your monitor. You’ll need a new GPU as well so it gives you the headroom if the graphics card is a bit more power hungry. It’s also higher quality, fully modular and (perhaps important for you) quieter than the TXm models.

You probably would need to get an adaptor to make sure you could hook both your monitors up to the system 🙂

 

[AgentCooper]

If the GPU ends up being one of the usual brands PCS use (Pallit or Zotac), then you would need a DP to HDMI adaptor as the 1660's from both brand I looked at just had one HDMI connection (the Zotac has 3xDP, the Pallitx1). However, they may put in another brand which may have more than 1xHDMI.

Love your thorough research, @Nursemorph. I bet you're brilliant to have on a pub quiz team

 

[CiaranOD]

Thanks guys, so when you say GPU, you're talking about the graphics card? And in the case of both the 1660 and the 2060 mentioned above, these only have one hdmi connection, so I would need a DP to HDMI adaptor for the other monitor? So I presume there is a DP connection on the GPU beside the HDMI connection?

AgentCooper, when you say I will need to replace the GPU when I get a new monitor, is that something that can be easily done or would I need to send the computer to an expert to upgrade?

Sorry if these questions are ridiculous. I'm on a crash course here

 

[AgentCooper]

Don't worry about it, we've all got to start somewhere!

Graphics card = GPU, they are indeed the same thing. PC Specialist mainly use two brands of card manufacturers (Palit and Zotac), but due to the current global shortage/demand for components they are sourcing from other manufacturers. So you're guaranteed at least 1x HDMI and 1x DisplayPort on the GPU, but there's a chance that the card may have more ports (thanks to Nursemorph for that).

Replacing a GPU is a simple task, remove the power cable from it, you then undo two screws, push back a clip and remove the current one. Then you gently push the new GPU into the slot until the clip clicks back closed and replace the screws and pop the power cables in.

EDIT - Nursemorph has the faster typing fingers today...

 

[CiaranOD]

Thanks very much for the help guys. I'll add a DP to HDMI port to the spec, just in case.

So this is what I think I'll go with. Pretty much what you said AgentCooper and I put in some extra storage. That will leave me with 100 to put towards a joystick and a throttle.

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3600MHz (4 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card
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 [KK3-00002]
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Adapter Cable - DP to HDMI
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 13 to 15 working days
Price: €1,702.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/zfJ4VMd!b0/

For reference, this is the recommended Spec of the game I want to play (DCS World).

OS 64-bit Windows 8/10; DirectX11; CPU: Core i5+ at 3+ GHz or AMD FX / Ryzen; RAM: 16 GB (32 GB for heavy missions); Free hard disk space: 120 GB on Solid State Drive (SSD); Discrete video card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 / AMD Radeon RX VEGA 64 or better; Joystick

 

[CiaranOD]

Hey guys,

I must be doing something wrong, but the most recent spec I posted states a price of EUR1,702.00. However, when I follow the link, I'm seeing a price of EUR1,868.00. Anybody else seeing this or know why this is happening?

Cheers.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hey guys,

I must be doing something wrong, but the most recent spec I posted states a price of EUR1,702.00. However, when I follow the link, I'm seeing a price of EUR1,868.00. Anybody else seeing this or know why this is happening?

Cheers.

Prices have gone up significantly due to stock shortages.