New PC for photo editing and light gaming

DB_SamX · 23 Sep 2023 at 16:10

My current PC is from 2010 and although I have upgraded it over the years, it just cannot keep up with modern photo editing software or games. I am looking to spend around £1k on best value for money PC I can buy off-the-shelf, or customised. I don't think I am still up to date these days to build it from scratch myself. I only play Age of Empires 2 DE, and not much else, and Lightroom a few times a year, so I don't need anything top end.

I already have two SSDs which I'll use as secondary storage, 2 monitors, kb and mouse, etc.

I think I want the following:
i5 13600k or better
32GB DDR4 3600Mhz or better
NVIDIA 3060 GPU or better
2TB Samsung EVO 970 or better
Not fussed on type of case, power, cooling, etc.

Any suggestions?
THis is close, but not quite. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ocuk-gaming-pyrite-gaming-pc-intel-core-i5-11400f-nvidia-rtx-3060-gaming-fs-1eh-og.html?configurator_state_form[slots][413321]

mickyflinn · 23 Sep 2023 at 17:18

Overclockers will charge you about £100 to £150 for a custom build why don't you put a build together and get them to make it.

Something like this.

My basket at OcUK:

1 x Intel Core i5-13600K (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6AV-IN) = £299.99
1 x MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-37M-MS) = £149.99
1 x Corsair RMe Series RM850e Fully Modular Low-Noise ATX Power Supply v2 (CP-9020263-UK) (SKU: CA-27N-CS) = £104.98
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLBD532G5600HC36BDC01) (SKU: MY-0BB-TG) = £99.95
1 x Samsung 980 Pro 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive (SKU: HD-24P-SA) = £118.99
1 x MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X OC 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-374-MS) = £278.99
1 x Phanteks Eclipse G300A Mid-Tower High Airflow PC Case - Black (SKU: CA-0C0-PT) = £64.99
1 x Kolink Umbra EX180 ARGB CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: HS-000-KK) = £32.99
1 x Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-Bit DVD - OEM (KW9-00632) (SKU: SW-18J-MS) = £109.99

Total: £1,272.85 (includes delivery: £11.98)

Tetras · 23 Sep 2023 at 18:05

This is the closest I could get to your requested spec for 1K:

My basket at OcUK:

1 x Intel Core i5-12600K 3.70GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-69X-IN) = £239.99
1 x Gigabyte B660M DS3H AX - Intel B660 DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-5AH-GI) = £129.95
1 x Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C18 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMK32GX4M2D3600C18) (SKU: MY-4D1-CS) = £79.99
1 x MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X OC 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-374-MS) = £278.99
1 x Seagate FireCuda 520 2TB SSD PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive (ZP2000GV3A012) (SKU: HD-3EX-SE) = £94.99
1 x AeroCool Trinity V2 Mini Tower PC Case - Black (SKU: CA-23J-AE) = £41.99
1 x Seasonic Focus GX-650 650W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-06V-SS) = £94.99

Total: £968.88 (includes delivery: £7.99)

DB_SamX · 23 Sep 2023 at 18:39

Thanks both. Having looked and tried a few configurations, I'm also struggling to get my ideal spec under £1k. Will have a think if i increase my budget, as well as if I build it myself. I won't look to upgrade until November.

DB_SamX · 29 Sep 2023 at 15:02

Speaking to my brother this week, he thinks I can kust upgrade my current set up, keeping my case (Lian Li PC7FB), PSU (OCZ Fatal1ty 750 W), hard drives and fans. If I can, this would be my target:

Your Order

1 X Intel Core i5-13600K (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail - £299.99
SKU: CP-6AV-IN

1 X MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard - £149.99
SKU: MB-37M-MS

1 X MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X OC 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £278.98
SKU: GX-374-MS

1 X Samsung 980 Pro 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive - £129.95
SKU: HD-24P-SA

1 X Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-Bit DVD - OEM (KW9-00632) - £109.99
SKU: SW-18J-MS

1 X Corsair Vengeance EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-41600C40 5200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK32GX5M2B5200Z40) - £99.95
SKU: MY-4DP-CS

Grand Total: £1,076.84

I've picked from recommendations above, but could probably keep an eye on sales, etc for similar equivalent components. Thoughts?

Tetras · 29 Sep 2023 at 15:23

You have EXPO memory kit with an Intel system, would get the Vulcans that mickyflinn suggested.

DB_SamX · 30 Sep 2023 at 10:30

Tetras said:
You have EXPO memory kit with an Intel system, would get the Vulcans that mickyflinn suggested.

Ta. Just went to read what expo memory is. Have been out of the loop for years.

Joxeon · 2 Oct 2023 at 17:49

DB_SamX said:
Speaking to my brother this week, he thinks I can kust upgrade my current set up, keeping my case (Lian Li PC7FB), PSU (OCZ Fatal1ty 750 W), hard drives and fans. If I can, this would be my target:

Your Order

1 X Intel Core i5-13600K (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail - £299.99
SKU: CP-6AV-IN

1 X MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard - £149.99
SKU: MB-37M-MS

1 X MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X OC 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £278.98
SKU: GX-374-MS

1 X Samsung 980 Pro 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive - £129.95
SKU: HD-24P-SA

1 X Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-Bit DVD - OEM (KW9-00632) - £109.99
SKU: SW-18J-MS

1 X Corsair Vengeance EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-41600C40 5200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK32GX5M2B5200Z40) - £99.95
SKU: MY-4DP-CS

Grand Total: £1,076.84

I've picked from recommendations above, but could probably keep an eye on sales, etc for similar equivalent components. Thoughts?

You could save £100 by installing windows yourself and picking up a cheap key or reusing a win 10 key if you already have one and upgrading it to win 11.

sHo0sH · 3 Oct 2023 at 11:13

DB_SamX said:
My current PC is from 2010 and although I have upgraded it over the years, it just cannot keep up with modern photo editing software or games. I am looking to spend around £1k on best value for money PC I can buy off-the-shelf, or customised. I don't think I am still up to date these days to build it from scratch myself. I only play Age of Empires 2 DE, and not much else, and Lightroom a few times a year, so I don't need anything top end.

I already have two SSDs which I'll use as secondary storage, 2 monitors, kb and mouse, etc.

I think I want the following:
i5 13600k or better
32GB DDR4 3600Mhz or better
NVIDIA 3060 GPU or better
2TB Samsung EVO 970 or better
Not fussed on type of case, power, cooling, etc.

Any suggestions?
THis is close, but not quite. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ocuk-gaming-pyrite-gaming-pc-intel-core-i5-11400f-nvidia-rtx-3060-gaming-fs-1eh-og.html?configurator_state_form[slots][413321]

The sku =XX-02B-IN&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413322][SKU]=MY-0AJ-TG&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413323][SKU]=GX-1FH-GI&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][414045][SKU]=HD-24P-SA&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][414044][SKU]=&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413315][SKU]=&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413316][SKU]=SW-18N-MS&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[_TOKEN]=56D.ASYH_WKXZI-IX3NSYFC3YDIQICJP2QWAMASLDNZHGAW.C6SUTRJCDE7ZLBFCBARSUF_LAHECUD1CDCJJN-IMKEY2G1WVUVUV2RYJJG&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[GROUPKEY]=[/URL] [/QUOTE] HAVE YOU CONSIDERED A MAC MINI WITH AN M1 OR M2 CHIP? THEY ARE POSSIBLE TO PICK UP FOR AROUND £500 IF YOU GO USED ROUTE AND WOULD BE VERY TOUGH TO BEAT FOR THAT USE CASE AND PRICE. YOU COULD PLAY AGE OF EMPIRES I BELIEVE VIA PARALLELS ON THEM. ( [URL]HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=35-JWSMKEKM[/URL] ) was not found

DB_SamX · 3 Oct 2023 at 13:39

sHo0sH said:
Have you considered a Mac mini with an M1 or M2 chip? They are possible to pick up for around £500 if you go used route and would be very tough to beat for that use case and price.
You could play age of empires I believe via parallels on them. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35-JWsmKEKM )

No, going Mac doesn't tempt me at all, but thanks for the suggestion.

DB_SamX · 17 Nov 2023 at 19:06

Latest basket, but will be around £630 due to buying on BF sale + msi cashback. Presume everything is compatible?

My basket at OcUK:

1 x Intel Core i5-14600K (Raptor Lake-S) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-INT-00802) = £299.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C40 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLABD532G5600HC40BDC01) (SKU: MY-0B3-TG) = £99.95
1 x Crucial P5 Plus 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 3D NAND NVMe Solid State Drive with Heatsink (SKU: HD-07N-CR) = £119.98
1 x MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-37M-MS) = £160.00

Total: £687.91 (includes delivery: £7.99)

Tetras · 17 Nov 2023 at 19:31

DB_SamX said:
Presume everything is compatible?

You have EXPO RAM with an Intel system, I would get the XMP kit.

If you're expecting to use the drive in slot 1 (below the CPU), I'd get the version without the heatsink, or the SN850X which is on offer, because the board already has one for that slot.

DB_SamX · 18 Nov 2023 at 11:47

Tetras said:
You have EXPO RAM with an Intel system, I would get the XMP kit.

If you're expecting to use the drive in slot 1 (below the CPU), I'd get the version without the heatsink, or the SN850X which is on offer, because the board already has one for that slot.

Thanks! I forgot yet again about the Ram and I'll get the non heatsink version !

DB_SamX · 27 Jan 2024 at 16:46

Pleased to report that I purchased the parts during Black Friday and built this with my brother after Christmas and it's been such an improvement obviously.

MSI B760 Gaming Plus mobo = £130 after cashback
i5-14600k = £310
Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB 6000Mhz CL36 = £97
Crucial P5 Plus 2TB NVMe = £91
Thermalright PS120SE cooler = Free! (I purchased it for £34, then the price dropped to £30 within a few days. When I asked the retailer for a refund of the difference, they told me they couldn't do that, but would just refund me the whole amount!)
Windows 11 Pro = £6 (I was going to re-use my existing Windows 10 key as an upgrade, but I messed up because it was only Home edition and the license wasn't valid)

Total = £634.

I am using my existing case, PSU, fans and other HD as mentioned above, and old GTX 1080 8GB. I'll eventually upgrade to a 3xxx or 4xxx card. Looking for a new mouse now, because my old but trusty Logitech G5 isn't being recognised by Windows 11 properly and it's no longer supported by Logitech's own software so I can't configure the sensitivity and extra buttons.

srekal34 · 2 Feb 2024 at 21:46

Very nice rig for the price, enjoy!