will I have thermal/compatibility issues, and will this be noisy?

[Cardiff117]

I'm using this with my TUF VG27AQ1A Quad HD 27". Main usage = intermediate creative media, e.g. Blender/unity/Ableton, but also mid 1440p gaming.
Case
FRACTAL POP SILENT CASE TG (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Eight Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.4GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B650-PLUS (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
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 200 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
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
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £1,506.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[sck451]

I would go for the 7700 CPU: it's more efficient and cheaper. I would also get a better motherboard: the Prime B650 is pretty cheap and not that amazing. For your big multicore workloads it might prove a limiting factor. I'd get the Tuf board instead.

I'd also recommend a much better SSD setup. Ideally I'd want two, but I'd at least want a better one, such as the Solidigm P41+.

The 7700 and 4070 are pretty efficient and not the most heat-generating components; that said, the Pop Silent isn't the most effective case for cooling... But it is pretty and very quiet.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I would personally want a better case on that build, the Pop Silent really is more of a budget option and not the best with cooling.

 

[sck451]

The Pop cases are pretty good. I have a Pop Silent Mini (it's an office PC) and it's very well built. That said, the nature of any "silent" case is that it limits airflow and cooling. I would suggest that if silence is a priority, it's a pretty good choice, but I would actually prefer something different, like the Focus 2, the Meshify 2 C, the 4000D, or even the Pop Air (all of which you could order with "send in my own case").

 

[TonyCarter]

Works out £47 more to do those changes suggested above.

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 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
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
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/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
DeepCool AG400 Performance ARGB 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
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
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 3 to 5 working days
Price: £1,553.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/zBPkTMjT6g/

 

[Cardiff117]

aye thankyou guys, sorry late response, got very busy and had to put the custom pc on hold for a while. cheers for the in depth comments and the reconfigured pc much appreciated!

 

[Cardiff117]

I would go for the 7700 CPU: it's more efficient and cheaper. I would also get a better motherboard: the Prime B650 is pretty cheap and not that amazing. For your big multicore workloads it might prove a limiting factor. I'd get the Tuf board instead.

I'd also recommend a much better SSD setup. Ideally I'd want two, but I'd at least want a better one, such as the Solidigm P41+.

The 7700 and 4070 are pretty efficient and not the most heat-generating components; that said, the Pop Silent isn't the most effective case for cooling... But it is pretty and very quiet.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE - ( is this overkill? should I opt for the 4000D instead)
Promotional Item
Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5) - (knocked it down a peg as suggested though I can afford the 7700x but guessing its not worth/ less efficient?)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6) - ( do I need PCIe 5.0? or is this motherboard already good enough for my build?)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti / RX 7700 XT AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW) - (noted the comments on upgrading this, though I already have a samsung t17 1tb so I thought It'd be cheaper to just have one solidgm 1tb at p44)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET - ( is this overkill, will a 850W supply be plenty?)
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
DeepCool AK620 ZERO DARK High-Performance Dual Tower 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
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS - (confused here, I need around 8 usb ins - for multiple audio interfaces and digital instruments - or 6 with a usb hub for low power devices). would this selection be an additional 2 ports ( 1 type c) on top of the minimum of 2*2.0, 2*3.0, and 2 more on the front? are there better usb expansion options?
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
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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
- sorry if this is a lot of questions, but this is a lot of money for me, and I'd rather get it right now than have to troubleshoot upgrades later down the line.

 

[TonyCarter]

Regarding Case:
If the budget allows, the stick with the Fractal Define.

The Fractal Define is a 'quiet' case, so it prioritises noise levels over airflow. There's nothing overly 'loud' about the 4000D Airflow, and the 7700 CPU is an efficient one so doesn't create a lot of heat anyway (so doesn't need fans on full to cool it).

The 4000D has a mesh front & top, so lots of air can come in and escape. The Fractal Define has 2 x 1" wide slots for air at the front, and has the option for a ventilated top (but I don't know if the PCS version offers/includes this, as the photos show a solid top). If it does, then that would allow for extra cooling...at the expense of a little extra noise.

Fractal Define 7

4000D

With the same cooler, same workload, same temps, you'd hear slightly more noise from the 4000D...BUT in most cases the 4000D would be keeping the machine cooler as it's getting more fresh air than the Define.

I don't think either case will struggle with the workload from a very efficient 7700 and 4070, but you only have air cooler options available for the Define, and limited amount of places for the air to enter .

---

Regarding SSD:
Is the Samsung T17 (T7 I assume) an external drive? If so, then it will be relatively slow compared modern PCIe connected NVME m.2 drives (think 1000MB/s vs 4000-7000MB/s of an internal). But if you're happy to use that as your sole storage solution, then there's no problem sticking to a single drive internally. Just be aware that a larger boot drive just tends to mean you'll fill it up with junk, reduce performance, and risk losing lots if the drive fails or if you have to reinstall (not reset) Windows.

Why more than one storage drive?

I've been meaning to put something like this together for a while. In recent weeks I've found myself writing this more and more so thought I would just post my thoughts in a thread that I could link to. So the reason for this thread is to try and give insight as to the reasoning behind having...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

---

Regarding Motherboard:
You only need PCIe 5.0 if you have a device/PCIe card that needs it. It is also backwards compatible with older PCIe versions so there's no compatibility issues. But PCIe 5.0 will usually cost you more as it's a premium item.

---

Regarding PSU:
The extra overhead is for 1) allowing for future CPU or GPU upgrades without having to strip the machine down to replace the PSU; 2) to allow for the 2-3x TDP transient spikes that the 40-series GPUs are exhibiting. In most cases they just cause a BSOD or crash, but a higher level PSU will allow for them better without triggering the protections.

However, there's also newer ATX3 PSUs which have extra protections built in which mitigate this...and so don't need such a high power rating. One of these is the recent RM750e (the 'e' is important as it tells you it's the ATX3 model). So you could swap the RM1000W for the RM750e.

Of course, the 1000w plus PSUs also tend to have extra sockets (SATA, PCIe, Molex) for more even more expansion opportunity than just power demand.

---

Regarding USB:
The amount of USB ports depends on both the motherboard and the case. The case could have 20 USB ports, but the motherboard may only have 4 headers to support 8 ports (as they usually power 2 ports each), plus whatever is on the rear IO panel.

The Tuf B650-Plus has 8 ports on the rear of the motherboard, plus allows up to 7 on the front of the case, for a total of 15.

If you need more ports (or of a specific type) then you'd have to drill down into the motherboard & case specs more fully - or get a USB 3.2x2 / Thunderbolt connected hub (to give you the most power/bandwidth (again, dependent on motherboard).

 

[Cardiff117]

wow ok, this is a lot and presented really noob friendly-ly, thankyou so much - and also so quickly!

so im guessing i wouldn't even need a usb expansions PCIe as the motherboard already has almost double what i need - only the define 7 has a flat front, so would i only be able to use the rear usbs? and so would the 4000d be a better option here?
also i understand why u had the 512gb ssd now, my friend told me i may aswell get a 1tb, but i didnt know about the junk files and risk of losing a lot, thankyou! ill keep the t17 as an external backup drive, i didnt know it was so slow, oops.

ill stick with the 1000w too for future proofing and PCIe 4.0 as this is a good pc, but not a premium one.

 

[TonyCarter]

The Define 7 has the USB ports on the top of the case...

...and with the amount you'd like, it'd have to be the Define 7 as the 4000D only has 2 x USB-A and 1 x USB-C on the top.

 

[Cardiff117]

ok, so on the motherboard picture it shows 4 usb 2.0, 2 usb 3.2, and 1 type c, so would i not be able to use 2 of the 4 2.0s?

 

[TonyCarter]

ok, so on the motherboard picture it shows 4 usb 2.0, 2 usb 3.2, and 1 type c, so would i not be able to use 2 of the 4 2.0s?

Correct, as there's nothing on the case to connect them to.

To use the extra heads with a case that doesn't have more ports up-front as standard would require an add-in card to put a couple more around the back...but I don't think it's around that back that you need more...do you?

 

[Cardiff117]

yh i think its already enough what with 4 up front ports plus c, and then 8 on the back. - are add-in cards a premium thing then? one last question, with the 512gb and 1Tb ssd's, is there much point having both as P44 or is p44 for 512, and p41+ for 1tb already good?

 

[TonyCarter]

yh i think its already enough what with 4 up front ports plus c, and then 8 on the back. - are add-in cards a premium thing then? one last question, with the 512gb and 1Tb ssd's, is there much point having both as P44 or is p44 for 512, and p41+ for 1tb already good?

It's not a 'premium' item per se, just that most people don't need 3 dozen USB ports (I use a Thunderbolt hub for my Mac, but that's because I have Thunderbolt peripherals (now they are a premium item).

It's less important to have a super fast secondary drive, as it's only in use when you're reading/writing to it. The primary drive is in use all the time, doing all the system operations and running background tasks. If that is slower then it affects everything (obviously even a slow one will never be as bad as a 2.5" laptop HDD). There's even gen5 SSDs now, but they are about twice the speed, at twice the price, and require a PCIe 5 m.2 slot.

 

[Cardiff117]

Correct, as there's nothing on the case to connect them to.

To use the extra heads with a case that doesn't have more ports up-front as standard would require an add-in card to put a couple more around the back...but I don't think it's around that back that you need more...do you?

ok , and having 512gb p44 is optimal, and a p41+ 1tb is good enough got it cheers! only one other thing im bit confused about, "usb/thunderbolt options" are these separate from the 8 ports on the mother board, so going with the min option of 2 usb 3.0 and 2 usb 2.0 plus front ports.. that doesnt mean i only get 4 of the rear outs of the motherboard right?

 

[TonyCarter]

The 'optional' USB card (I think it's only another 2 anyway) are on top of everything already included.

The Thunderbolt option is expensive (it always was), but at least the AMD motherboard have the option as standard now (used to be Intel motherboards only), and is only useful if you make use of Thunderbolt. I have a TB hub and a TB multi-bay SSD enclosure shared between a PC and Mac.

 

[Cardiff117]

oh ok, ill stick with the extra 2 just in case as its only 8 quid more. thankyou again for the really helpful points and everyone else who commented on this post! very excited to get this new pc as ive been on an hp omen 15 for a while now, and its falling apart, and I'm happy that i can be confident in the chosen parts!

Cheers!

 

[MrWilson]

I will quickly chime in.

I got the Define 7 Case in my PCS build. It comes assembled with the solid top but the ventilated top is included in the box, along with all the other spare parts from the case like SSD mounts.

Very happy with the case, with headphones on you won't notice the case sounds at all, nice and sleek considering its size and weight. It is a large case, and a lot of it is aluminium so is a bit more on the heavier side too!

 

[TonyCarter]

Thanks for the confirmation @MrWilson

I've got no direct experience of either case, so have to take PCS and Corsair/Fractal website info as given...and we know that PCS don't always offer the full retail version of items.

 

[Cardiff117]

I will quickly chime in.

I got the Define 7 Case in my PCS build. It comes assembled with the solid top but the ventilated top is included in the box, along with all the other spare parts from the case like SSD mounts.

Very happy with the case, with headphones on you won't notice the case sounds at all, nice and sleek considering its size and weight. It is a large case, and a lot of it is aluminium so is a bit more on the heavier side too!

aye cheers, good peace of mind hearing from different members. buying it now.