Went a little over budget. Any feedback?

[moheli]

Any configuration not disclosed is because it remains unchanged from the default option. This system is intended for media consumption, modest gaming and light work on a 2560x1440p 60hz monitor, prioritising longevity and consistency in performance -- hence large investment in cooling.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE S NANO GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-9400F (2.9GHz) 9MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® STRIX B360-I GAMING: Mini-ITX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 Ti - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
500GB Samsung 860 EVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Processor Cooling
Corsair H100x Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
5x Corsair LL120 RGB LED Fan + Controller Kit
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Price: £1,250 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Oussebon]

What was the budget?

 

[moheli]

What was the budget?

£1,200 so it's not too bad. Ideally, I'd have preferred not to spend more than £1,100 but I'd end up compromising too much then.

 

[Oussebon]

The investment in cooling is a waste. You just don't need MOAR FANS!?! And an H100x on a locked i5 is just not even close to being needed even if you got the thing to render videos 24/7.

The case doesn't even have that many mounting points.

I'd also advocate against a "mini" case, on the grounds that it's not actually mini. That isn't surprising when you consider that it needs to house the same quantity of components without frying them. All you get is a system in a very slightly smaller box with fewer upgrade options for which you've paid a premium.

I'd also not really recommend the 2 year warranty. Most of the components individually would cost less than the extra warranty cost to replace,

The QVO is a budget drive, and there are faster ones available for a similar price under the M.2 menu e.g. SX6000

Also Intel's i5s at the moment aren't very good buys, versus AMD's R5s, which are competitive in gaming and more futureproof thanks to the extra threads, and don't really cost more. Also the AMD equivalent motherboards to the B360s (AMD's B450s) support faster RAM.

An RTX 2060 or 2060 Super would be preferable for 1440p gaming.

e.g.

Case
CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275R TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!

Get Call of Duty: Modern Warfare with select NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs!
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W 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
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
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® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
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 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,103.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/ege0WwHuaE/

CORSAIR CARBIDE SERIES™ 275R - 436.5mm x 211mm x 446mm (Approx H x W x D)
FRACTAL DEFINE S NANO: 330mm x 203mm x 400mm (Approx H x W x D)

Footprint's pretty similar, and the height difference isn't massive either

Or if you want a smallish case with RGB fans by Corsair, buy one that already offers that built in:
CORSAIR ICUE 220T RGB: 395mm x 210mm x 450mm (Approx H x W x D)
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 460X: 440mm x 220mm x 464mm (Approx H x W x D)

 

[moheli]

You've given me a lot to think about, Oussebon.

Despite being on a budget, I think I'll stick with Intel purely for preference but reducing my warranty to '3 Years Silver' has allowed me to change from '500GB Samsung 860 EVO SSD' to '500GB Samsung 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe' without any additional costs, in fact I get some money back. And then reducing the number of additional fans allows me to consider a GPU upgrade. As for the case, I'm afraid even the mini ITX might be a tad too big for my desk and anything smaller would compromise ventilation.

I appreciate the input, cheers!

 

[Scott]

Of all the notes suggested I think the 3600 proposal is probably the most significant to be honest. To stick with the Intel is not advisable, I don't think anyone would suggest otherwise.

Obviously it's entirely up to you but I would never select a locked end of the line Intel over the 3600, it's a truly great chip and the socket has some future to it.