Advice for returning PC Gamer - £1000 - £1200

Jackth91

Jackth91

Jackth91

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6 Dec 2020
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Hi all, this is my first post on this forum and so many thanks in advance your help and advice...

I'm a returning PC Gamer after a far too long hiatus of 10 years, I'm looking to build my first PC. I was never knowledgeable on the hardware side of things back then and my level of knowledge now on the state of play currently has come about after a few weeks of online research. I have a few components in-mind but it seems my budget is being blown on the graphics cards!

What I am looking for: 1440p gaming with longevity (or easy upgradeability)

Budget: £1000 - £1200 (PC only) - ideally on the lower end of this, although if there's clear value in spending the extra dosh then happy to do this.

I would ideally like a system that can be upgraded in the future, if I decide a bit further down the line I want more from it (if this is bad logic however, please say!)

Finally, I gather that prices, particularly for graphics cards, are inflated currently, but I'm really not sure whether this is here to stay for a while, or whether its just the time of year. If the latter, I'd be happy to buy a cheaper graphics card for the here and now, if it meant I could get what I'm looking for when prices drop. If it's the former, then I'd be willing to bite the bullet and buy now - I'm fairly impatient to get something together soon and don't want to wait 6+ months potentially if its the difference of a few hundred.

Any help on any of the above would be greatly appreciated, and apologies if I have missed any information out. Thanks!
 
Im assuming you dont want WIFI

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,203.14 (includes shipping: £12.30)
​

The 5700xxt is a great 1440p card and is actually available to buy. I have it there as a place holder for a rtx 3060ti or a rx 6700 (when they are released) as it makes more sense to buy the newest tech new when its available.
The b450 board will get a bios upgrade soon that will allow you to use the new ryzen 5*** series should you want one later.
Some places may sell some of the parts cheaper to cut your spend down.
 
Yes the prices of gpu are mental atm.

Its the nearest card I found to the price of a rx 3060ti as you cant add one to the build as they are all out of stock.
 
Also £230 for a 3600? That's a rip they frequently at £160-180 but imo the new ones or a 10400
MSI Tomohawk 450 for £100, I paid about that last year, if I was bulidng today I'll want at least B550
 
Wait even old cards? Didn't know might try to buy the new cards and sell my current maybe I could get back what I paid if not more which would make it worth it

But I'm also too lazy to sell
 
These are OCUK prices and as this site is run for and paid by OCUK you cant advertise competitors on here. Yes they can be found cheaper but almost everywhere is out of stock atm for 3600's.
 
Honestly, given the current state of the market especially with GPUs. You'd be better off buying 2nd hand.
 
dfour said:
Im assuming you dont want WIFI

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,203.14 (includes shipping: £12.30)
​

The 5700xxt is a great 1440p card and is actually available to buy. I have it there as a place holder for a rtx 3060ti or a rx 6700 (when they are released) as it makes more sense to buy the newest tech new when its available.
The b450 board will get a bios upgrade soon that will allow you to use the new ryzen 5*** series should you want one later.
Some places may sell some of the parts cheaper to cut your spend down.
Click to expand...


Thanks for putting this together...

So would the B450 be sufficient for future upgrades, or is it worth spending more on one now? I was also recommended the 5700xt and have found it cheaper elsewhere for now. As you say, I will probably look to upgrade in the future. I was also told the Ryzen 7 3700x was the best option for 1440p for price/performance??

Apologies if these queries seem silly, as I say I am very much new to this. Thanks a lot!
 
Yes the b450 will be fine for future upgrades, mainly the cpu to a ryzen 5 series. Pcie4 makes very littel difference to gpus over pcie3 in real world applications like games.

The 3700x might be better in the furture if all the newer games start using more threads ie 16 but a 5600x destroys the 3700x in almost everything atm (if you can find one) :( The 3600 is the best price to performance chip for gaming in general atm until the 5600x becomes generally available next year.

Also I was trying to keep in your budget :P
 
Completely disagree with the above.

B550 is the most sensible motherboard chipset at minimum, for a new gaming PC now.

I’d also go for a 750w PSU at that price point at least.

That 5700 XT is ridiculously over priced and poor value too. Can’t believe your actually recommending someone buy one at that price. Are you insane?

OP if your a good ninja, try keep your eyes peeled for a Ryzen 5600X CPU (£280-300 RRP) and a 3070 FE (£469) at the only place that sells them.

There are a few places like Discord servers and Twitter feeds that have alerts etc to help you find stock, not saying it’s easy, but it’s possible.

It’s unfortunate that with the pandemic and all these new product launches, stock is god awful to get hold of, for the good next gen products. So right now is a pain in the rear to try buy. Even things like PSUs are becoming gold dust to find atm!
 
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Sparx said:
Completely disagree with the above.

B550 is the most sensible motherboard chipset at minimum, for a new gaming PC now.

I’d also go for a 750w PSU at that price point at least.

That 5700 XT is ridiculously over priced and poor value too. Can’t believe your actually recommending someone buy one at that price. Are you insane?

OP if your a good ninja, try keep your eyes peeled for a Ryzen 5600X CPU (£280-200 RRP) and a 3070 FE (£469) at the only place that sells them.

There are a few places like Discord servers and Twitter feeds that have alerts etc to help you find stock, not saying it’s easy, but it’s possible.

It’s unfortunate that with the pandemic and all these new product launches, stock is god awful to get hold of, for the good next gen products. So right now is a pain in the rear to try buy. Even things like PSUs are becoming gold dust to find atm!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I have just managed to pick up a 3060 ti for just under £400 (please tell me I haven't made a huge mistake! lol) and in-between all the other parts, need to focus on a CPU now - searching diligently for a 5600x.

Would a B550 still be a good pairing for the above?
 
Jackth91 said:
Thanks for the advice. I have just managed to pick up a 3060 ti for just under £400 (please tell me I haven't made a huge mistake! lol) and in-between all the other parts, need to focus on a CPU now - searching diligently for a 5600x.

Would a B550 still be a good pairing for the above?
Click to expand...

Congrats! Not at all, the 3060 Ti is a solid buy for a 1440p rig don’t worry. More so that you didn’t pay stupid money for it either.

Mobo wise I’d go for something like MSI B550 Tomahawk, Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite, MSI B550 MPG Gaming Plus, etc... all about the £140–160 region and good choices.
 
Jackth91 said:
Thanks for the advice. I have just managed to pick up a 3060 ti for just under £400 (please tell me I haven't made a huge mistake! lol) and in-between all the other parts, need to focus on a CPU now - searching diligently for a 5600x.

Would a B550 still be a good pairing for the above?
Click to expand...
Worth noting that currently you have to have at least a b550 to use a5000 series cpu. B450 will update in the new year but I wouldn't personally invest in that platform at this point in time. Stick with an MSI or Asus board and you should be fine.
Bundle deals seen to be in stock more readily than individual CPUs. Have seen 5600x bundles around the £570 mark including ram.
 
sHo0sH said:
Worth noting that currently you have to have at least a b550 to use a5000 series cpu. B450 will update in the new year but I wouldn't personally invest in that platform at this point in time. Stick with an MSI or Asus board and you should be fine.
Bundle deals seen to be in stock more readily than individual CPUs. Have seen 5600x bundles around the £570 mark including ram.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, very helpful.

Yeah I've noticed the same regarding bundles deals, although I'm already covered for ram/ so makes less economic sense. Taken individually they're still overpriced so I'm going to be a bit more patient for a few weeks to see if I can find a 5600x on it's own near RRP. I'm just relieved I managed to find a decent graphics card - the rest should be achievable!!!
 
Sparx said:
Completely disagree with the above.

B550 is the most sensible motherboard chipset at minimum, for a new gaming PC now.
Click to expand...

Not needed unless the OP was going for a ryzen 5 series of the bat and with the scarity of them ATM B550 isnt necessary. Only thing your not getting is pcie4 which is only good for benchmarks atm.

Sparx said:
I’d also go for a 750w PSU at that price point at least.
Click to expand...

Also pointless unless your going to be running a 3090 or 6900xt . A 700W is fine for a 3070 or 6800 series which would be fine for 1440p

Sparx said:
That 5700 XT is ridiculously over priced and poor value too. Can’t believe your actually recommending someone buy one at that price. Are you insane?
Click to expand...

No insanity required. If you had read my notes underneath you would have seen it was a placeholder for a 3060ti or 6700 as its about the same price. :eek::eek::eek:
 
Update: I've managed to pick up a 5600x in a motherboard bundle (MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS) for what seems like an ok price - around £300-310 I've calculated if 5600x purchased on it's own)

I'm almost there now and I'm running close my originaly budget for a 3060 ti and 5600x build, so I'm really happy. Next focus is the PSU - would a 650w suffice or should I spend the extra for a 750w? really appreciate the help you have all provided so far.
 
Jackth91 said:
Update: I've managed to pick up a 5600x in a motherboard bundle (MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS) for what seems like an ok price - around £300-310 I've calculated if 5600x purchased on it's own)

I'm almost there now and I'm running close my originaly budget for a 3060 ti and 5600x build, so I'm really happy. Next focus is the PSU - would a 650w suffice or should I spend the extra for a 750w? really appreciate the help you have all provided so far.
Click to expand...

Good job man, done well keeping it in budget. But if you buy at RRP or close to, it should be anyway. Yes I've seen those bundles at the retailer you probably got it from. My friend ordered one the weekend before last, they shipped it the Wednesday and he got it last Friday. :)

You've got the gold dust components now at least! :D Although PSU stock has become very, very scarce - but they do still exist.

650w will be ample for a 5600X / 3060 Ti. But personally I'd just try get a decent 750w if you can, should you wish to upgrade in the future to say a 3080 or future gen products that are more powerful. Saves you needing a new PSU, or stretching a 650w near it's limits. But if you struggle to find one, by all means get a 650w and be happy to get your rig built asap. ;)
 
Thanks again everyone for your advice so far which has been a huge help as I make progress on my build (still collecting components at this stage). I am just in the market for a PSU and Case, minus other peripherals.

I did have a couple more beginner level questions:

  • Do I need to buy a cpu cooler at this stage for the 5600x? I hear their stock coolers are good and I haven't explored overclocking just yet but may in the future if a cooler was an easy addition further down the line

  • Do I need to buy any additional coolers for the case? I think I will be going for the NZXT H510i case and have heard mixed messaging over the need to buy additional ones for this particular case. What are the key things to bear in mind when selecting fans, or is it relatively straightforward.
Thanks again!
 
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