£1200 build, been out of the game a while - any thoughts?

[AJK]

EDIT: Didn't want to bump an old thread just for this, but I went ahead and bought it, and built the PC!

I ended up dropping to 32GB DDR5 (which is working just fine at the moment, I may regret it in the future but we'll see!), changed some bits around from recommendations and stock supply at OCUK, but there it is! Can confirm, i5-6600k/GTX 1070 -> i5-14600k/RTX 5070 was well worth the upgrade

Hi all! So, I've not been around the PC build/gaming scene for a loonnnggg time (life, kids, etc. you get the idea). But that time has come - I need a new workhorse. My current machine just isn't cutting it any more!

My very creaky 9 year old:

• i5-6600k
• GTX 1070
• 16GB RAM

Requirements:

• Plays modern games at good settings, 1440p, for a long time - I won't be upgrading for years. I know nothing's completely future proof but looking to get a "solid" machine.
• Will also be used for software development workload including running containers, local database(s) and multiple copies of Visual Studio - this won't be its primary use but it's why I want 64GB RAM, my work machine is overloaded at 32.

Here's what I've been working on so far, picking up some tips and suggestions from other threads on here recently - no peripherals required:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Asus Prime B760M-A WIFI D4 (LGA 1700) DDR4 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6KG-AS) = £109.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB Pro 64GB (2x32GB) DDR4 PC4-29200C18 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMW64GX4M2D3600C18) (SKU: MY-4CD-CS) = £124.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN5000 2TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-02651) = £112.99
• 1 x Thermalright Assassin X120 Refined SE ARGB CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02726) = £17.99
• 1 x Lian Li Edge Gold 750W Black Power Supply (SKU: POW-LIA-03766) = £85.99
• 1 x Intel Core i5-14600K (Raptor Lake-S) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-INT-00802) = £200.00
• 1 x Aerocool Dryft Mini v2 Micro-ATX Case (SKU: CAS-AER-00607) = £54.99
• 1 x Palit GeForce RTX 5070 Infinity 3 OC SFF 12GB GDDR7 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-PAL-04406) = £500.00

Total: £1,206.94 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

Or here's a version with DDR5 - I don't know if DDR5 is worth the extra £65 for my use case, which is a mid-level machine I'm going to use for a long time. Would it actually make any noticeable difference day to day? Would I just be better off with tried and true DDR4?

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Gigabyte B760M AORUS ELITE AX (LGA 1700) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03574) = £149.99
• 1 x Kingston FURY Beast 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C40 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KF556C40BBK2-64) (SKU: MY-29W-KS) = £149.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN5000 2TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-02651) = £112.99
• 1 x Thermalright Assassin X120 Refined SE ARGB CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02726) = £17.99
• 1 x Lian Li Edge Gold 750W Black Power Supply (SKU: POW-LIA-03766) = £85.99
• 1 x Intel Core i5-14600K (Raptor Lake-S) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-INT-00802) = £199.99
• 1 x Aerocool Dryft Mini v2 Micro-ATX Case (SKU: CAS-AER-00607) = £55.00
• 1 x Palit GeForce RTX 5070 Infinity 3 OC SFF 12GB GDDR7 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-PAL-04406) = £499.99

Total: £1,271.93 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

What do you guys think? Is this going to last me another 10 years?

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

[tamzzy]

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Gigabyte B760M AORUS ELITE AX (LGA 1700) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03574) = £149.99
• 1 x Kingston FURY Beast 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C40 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KF556C40BBK2-64) (SKU: MY-29W-KS) = £149.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN5000 2TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-02651) = £112.99
• 1 x Thermalright Assassin X120 Refined SE ARGB CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02726) = £17.99
• 1 x Lian Li Edge Gold 750W Black Power Supply (SKU: POW-LIA-03766) = £85.99
• 1 x Intel Core i5-14600K (Raptor Lake-S) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-INT-00802) = £199.99
• 1 x Aerocool Dryft Mini v2 Micro-ATX Case (SKU: CAS-AER-00607) = £55.00
• 1 x Palit GeForce RTX 5070 Infinity 3 OC SFF 12GB GDDR7 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-PAL-04406) = £499.99

Total: £1,271.93 (includes delivery: £0.00)

i would go with this build. the only things i would change are:

SSD: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/team...pcie-4.0-solid-state-drive-sto-tmg-03129.html
The SN5000 is QLC nand so you'd see a large write speed drop after the pseudo SLC buffer is depleted. The MP44L is TLC nand. And also, better endurance on the MP44L (1024TBW vs 900TBW)
And best of all, cheaper

With the savings from the SSD, get a better cooler: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ther...0-se-argb-cpu-cooler-120mm-coo-tlr-02724.html
As with all intel chips, they are all heavily thermally limited, so better cooler = holds boost clocks for longer = faster workflow

 

[Rob_B]

It'll perform well, but as I'm sure you're aware your CPU upgrade options are extremely limited, if that's ok then great.

If you went AM5 pretty much everything is the same price apart from the CPU, something like a 7700/7700X/9700X would be roughly comparable to a 14600K (sometimes faster, sometimes slower) but more expensive. If you want to whack in a 16core CPU in 5 years time you'll have some headroom though.

 

[tamzzy]

something like a 7700/7700X/9700X would be roughly comparable to a 14600K (sometimes faster, sometimes slower)

not for OP's work scenario though. 14600k has 6p 8e cores, you'd need a 7900/9900x to roughly match/improve on it
OP has also kept his rig for years and won't upgrade this new one for years as he said, so i wouldn't factor upgradeability into the equation.
the 14600k is the right call for the budget IMO

software dev:

Intel Core i5-14600K Review - Impressive OC Potential

Intel Core i5-14600K is the most affordable new processor released today. While it may look weaker on paper it still packs an impressive punch, especially for gaming. In our review we reached an impressive 5.7 GHz on all cores, which unlocks quite a bit of additional performance.

www.techpowerup.com

database:

Intel Core i5-14600K Review - Impressive OC Potential

Intel Core i5-14600K is the most affordable new processor released today. While it may look weaker on paper it still packs an impressive punch, especially for gaming. In our review we reached an impressive 5.7 GHz on all cores, which unlocks quite a bit of additional performance.

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Rob_B]

For those things yeah, hence my 'roughly' taking into account the full usage of which gaming was mentioned first and SW Dev as 'not it's main use'.
If you can get the similar performance but it costs £100 extra the upgrade opportunity is worth calling out as that itself has value.

 

[tamzzy]

but it costs £100 extra the upgrade opportunity is worth calling out as that itself has value.

I mean, OP hasn't upgraded in nearly 10 years, in 2034 we'd be telling him to get a whole new build rather than the 10k ryzen series I'd have thought.

 

[Quartz]

Will also be used for software development workload including running containers, local database(s) and multiple copies of Visual Studio - this won't be its primary use but it's why I want 64GB RAM, my work machine is overloaded at 32.

Are you sure you would not be better off with two separate systems? Have Windows 11 Pro on both and RDP from the games system to the development system.

 

[Tetras]

Will also be used for software development workload including running containers, local database(s) and multiple copies of Visual Studio - this won't be its primary use but it's why I want 64GB RAM, my work machine is overloaded at 32.

What do you guys think? Is this going to last me another 10 years?

Based on the recent price cuts, I think a 265K is a better option for multithreaded productivity that you'd like to last for years and it would avoid 14th gen, which we still don't know if they will survive longer-term. Some CPUs are still degrading even with the latest BIOS updates/Intel profiles applied and while it does seem the i5-K is less affected, it is not immune.

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

Build lists not my strong point
But a 9070 is only about £70 more than a 5070
Obviously depends which version/manufacturer of both cards
Any reason not to get a 9070?

 

[tamzzy]

Any reason not to get a 9070?

Money
With the second spec, OP is already over budget

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

Yeah budget is always an issue
Though if not going to upgrade again for
Maybe another 10 years
The extra 70 quid for more vram alone may be
Worth stretching the budget
There's always a point where going for the next level up
Against stretching the budget becomes debatable
Ie is the extra cash vs the extra performance
Really worth it or not

 

[AJK]

Thanks for all the replies everyone, sorry got drawn into a load of stuff yesterday - am looking through replies and I apprecaite all the feedback!

 

[Mcnumpty2323]

The guys are good at build lists
I wouldn't disagree with their choices usually
Though still think if the budget is
A bit flexible
Then personally I would go for the 9070
16gb of vram instead of 12gb alone gives you
A bit more longevity if you only upgrade
Once in a blue moon
The £500 nvidia card should really have 16gb
It's not exactly a cheap card

 

[WARburton]

try having a look in B-Grade, i built a system for a friend for £720 last week there is some real bargains to be had
CPU was a bit of a miss match but he going to grab a 5700x3d when he can

5600x - 32gb ram - 7900xtx - 2tb ssd