New £2k Gaming PC inc Monitor

[jomala]

Purchase Timeframe: One month

Budget: About £2000

Usage: Gaming mostly (PUBG, next GTA, STALKER2 maybe, some strategy games, ...) but I'd also like my Rust compile times to go down too.

Preferences:
* I built my last two PCs, but it feels like ages ago so happy to buy pre-built.
* My second build re-used the PSU, drives and case from the first, and very happy to reuse the drives and case again, unless that's a bad idea.
* Previously I've used Intel and nVidia but happy to switch.

Current Hardware:

OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
Monitor: Asus VC239
Case: Antec P180 (tower)
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-6600 CPU @ 3.30GHz (4 Cores)
Motherboard: ASUS Z170-P
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
PSU: Corsair HX 520w
RAM: 16GB
Disks:
* Samsung SSD 830: 256GB (Boot)
* Samsung SSD 870 EVO 1TB
* Samsung HDD HD103UJ 1TB

Does this have any resale value? If not, any reason not to reuse the case and SSDs and HDD?

Peripherals: Happy to stick with my current mouse, keyboard and headset.

Special Needs/Requirements (inc Wi-Fi): Usually wired, but should have Wifi. New monitor required too note. I've purchased Windows 11 already.

First guess:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x ASUS ROG Strix XG27WCS 27" 2560x1440 Fast VA 180Hz 1ms ELMB Sync Curved Gaming Monitor (SKU: MON-ASU-02551) = £207.95
• 1 x Sapphire Pure Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming OC 16GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-SPR-03982) = £599.99
• 1 x MSI MAG B850 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI (AMD AM5) B850 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-MSI-03993) = £219.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB 64GB (2X32GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C32 6400MHz Dual Channel Kit - (SKU: MEM-CRS-03242) = £209.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 9 7900 Twelve Core 5.40GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DU-AM) = £329.99
• 1 x Kolink Continuum 1200W 80 Platinum Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-03M-KK) = £149.99
• 1 x Crucial T500 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-CRU-01090) = £128.98
• 1 x Noctua NH-D9L CPU Cooler - 92mm (SKU: HS-028-NC) = £53.99

Total: £1,900.87 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

Comments please!

 

[Nabinium]

1 x Sapphire Pure Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming OC 16GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-SPR-03982) = £599.99

Just a comment on the new build you've listed, the Pure 9070 XT in your basket is actually £679.99, not £599.99, if you visit the product page.

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 9 7900 Twelve Core 5.40GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DU-AM) = £329.99

This is £299.99.

Must have been errors, as the Pure 9070 XT hasn't been £599.99 since early July.

 

[Tetras]

Does this have any resale value?

Not a lot, but yes.

If not, any reason not to reuse the case and SSDs and HDD?

Nope.

1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB 64GB (2X32GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C32 6400MHz Dual Channel Kit - (SKU: MEM-CRS-03242) = £209.99

If you're going AM5, I'd get a 6000 EXPO kit.

1 x Noctua NH-D9L CPU Cooler - 92mm (SKU: HS-028-NC) = £53.99

This is a low profile cooler intended for height restricted systems.

1 x AMD Ryzen 9 7900 Twelve Core 5.40GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DU-AM) = £329.99

The 6x6 CPUs are not ideal for gaming, you'd be better off with the 7800X3D.

1 x Kolink Continuum 1200W 80 Platinum Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-03M-KK) = £149.99

You don't NEED an ATX 3.x PSU for an AMD card like the 9070 XT (with a few exceptions), but at this point I'd prefer one. You could look at Phanteks AMP GH (the 1000 version is Platinum rated).

1 x ASUS ROG Strix XG27WCS 27" 2560x1440 Fast VA 180Hz 1ms ELMB Sync Curved Gaming Monitor (SKU: MON-ASU-02551) = £207.95

Are you aware of the pros/cons with VA versus IPS?

* Previously I've used Intel and nVidia but happy to switch.

You could go with a 5070 Ti and 265K, but the 265K is a better choice for productivity/mixed usage rather than just gaming.

 

[dfour]

Alternative

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Sixteen Core 5.70GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DE-AM) = £469.99
• 1 x Gigabyte B850 GAMING X WIFI6E (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03858) = £194.99
• 1 x Kingston FURY Beast EXPO RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-KNG-03706) = £112.99
• 1 x XFX Quicksilver Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming Edition 16GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-XFX-05452) = £619.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 1000W 80PLUS Platinum ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02521) = £128.99
• 1 x UK Mains Plug with 13A Fuse to IEC C13 Socket Lead 10A 2m (SKU: ACC-OCS-01709) = £0.00
• 1 x Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02665) = £29.99
• 1 x Gigabyte Aorus 7300 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-GIG-05732) = £129.95

Total: £1,686.89 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

Max cores for your rust compliing. IPS screen for better colour and viewing angles. Better cooler to deal with the extra heat of a 16 core cpu but I couldnt find any data about what size cooler your case can accomodate.

Missing the montitor

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x BenQ MOBIUZ EX2710Q 27" QHD 165Hz 1ms, FreeSync Premium Pro, HDRi IPS Gaming Monitor (SKU: MO-13H-BQ) = £168.95

Total: £168.95 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[jomala]

@Tetras - Thank you so much for this!

• For the CPU, I think you're suggesting that a better AMD option is AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail but for my usage (e.g. including software development) you'd suggest Intel Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (Arrow Lake) Socket LGA 1851 Processor - Retail, right? That's actually cheaper but would also require switching motherboard, yes? So better actually to get the bundle bundle with the MSI z890?
• What cooler do you suggest? Something like the be quiet Pure Rock 3 PRO Black CPU Cooler - 120mm then?
• I didn't know about IPS vs VA but I know a bit more now. It sounds like IPS would suit me better (which is what you are hinting, I assume). Something like the AOC 27" Q27G4XF, or are there good reasons to spend more?
• The 9070 XT in my basket is down as "pre-order" currently. Any suggestion what card I should select instead? Gigabyte still good?

Current attempt
My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB EXPO 64GB (2X32GB) DDR5 C40 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-CRS-05108) = £169.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 1000W 80PLUS Platinum ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02521) = £128.99
• 1 x UK Mains Plug with 13A Fuse to IEC C13 Socket Lead 10A 2m (SKU: ACC-OCS-01709) = £0.00
• 1 x OcUK Gaming Z87 Bundle - Intel Ultra 7 265K - MSI Z890 (SKU: PRO-INT-05764) = £449.99
• 1 x be quiet Pure Rock 3 PRO Black CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-BEQ-04690) = £41.99
• 1 x AOC 27" Q27G4XF 2560x1440 Fast IPS 180Hz 1ms A-Sync Widescreen Gaming Monitor (SKU: MON-AOC-03326) = £178.99
• 1 x Gigabyte Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC 16GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-GIG-04216) = £569.99

Total: £1,539.94 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

Very happy to take further advice of any sort.

 

[jomala]

@dfour - Thank you! (Saw this after responding to @Tetras.)

• Looks like you're suggesting an extra £200 on the CPU and Mobo, but then less on the memory and cooler. Mostly to boost non-gaming?
• And another £50 on the GPU. Because it's worth it?
• Are you suggesting that I shouldn't just continue on with my SATA drives and would benefit from moving to a 2TB SSD?
• My case is pretty chunk, so it can probably hold any cooler, I'm guessing. Not the most expensive mistake if it can't! But your suggestion is a pre-order. Assume any similar cooler could also work?

 

[jomala]

Combining the advice so far
My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 1000W 80PLUS Platinum ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02521) = £128.99
• 1 x UK Mains Plug with 13A Fuse to IEC C13 Socket Lead 10A 2m (SKU: ACC-OCS-01709) = £0.00
  (SKU: MO-13H-BQ)[/url] = £168.94
• 1 x Kingston FURY Beast EXPO RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-KNG-03706) = £113.00
• 1 x XFX Quicksilver Radeon RX 9070 XT Gaming Edition 16GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-XFX-05452) = £619.99
• 1 x BenQ MOBIUZ EX2710Q 27" QHD 165Hz 1ms, FreeSync Premium Pro, HDRi IPS Gaming Monitor (SKU: MO-13H-BQ) = £168.94
• 1 x Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02665) = £29.99

AND EITHER

• 1 x OcUK Gaming Z87 Bundle - Intel Ultra 7 265K - MSI Z890 (SKU: PRO-INT-05764) = £449.99

OR

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 9 7950X Sixteen Core 5.70GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DE-AM) = £470.00
• 1 x Gigabyte B850 GAMING X WIFI6E (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03858) = £194.98

Happy to hear more suggestions, especially if you can compare against this! Will probably aim to order in 10 days when I've time to do the build.

 

[Tetras]

For the CPU, I think you're suggesting that a better AMD option is AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail but for my usage (e.g. including software development) you'd suggest Intel Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (Arrow Lake) Socket LGA 1851 Processor - Retail, right? That's actually cheaper but would also require switching motherboard, yes? So better actually to get the bundle bundle with the MSI z890?

The 7800X3D/9800X3D are really the supreme gaming CPUs, they're good at improving the framerate consistency in any game and they're great for games which love the 3D cache.

If gaming is the main priority, then these CPUs are what I'd choose.

The 12 core CPUs like 7900/7900X are great for mixed usage or primarily productivity, but not the best choice for mainly gaming.

In so far as compiling, it depends on how single threaded/multi threaded your development environment is. If primarily single threaded, then there's no meaningful advantage from higher core count CPUs. The 7800X3D/9800X3D are still very good for workstation usage in most cases, since they have 8 fast cores, so don't get the impression they're weak CPUs outside of gaming (especially coming from an old i5-6600).

The 265K has the potential to be MUCH faster than the 7800X3D/9800X3D in multithreaded apps, but the gaming performance is only so-so.

If you're primarily gaming then I'd just get one of the X3Ds and only consider alternatives if you really need the extra multithreaded performance.

The 265K would need a different motherboard, yes.

What cooler do you suggest? Something like the be quiet Pure Rock 3 PRO Black CPU Cooler - 120mm then?

The most widely recommended/reviewed cooler for these CPUs is a peerless assassin/phantom spirit. They might require some manual config (fan curve), but can handle these CPUs for a very modest price.

I don't know how the Pure Rock 3 compares.

Note that if you have an old Noctua, most models can get mounting kits from Noctua to make them compatible with newer sockets.

If you're going for a high core count CPU, I'd be aware that air cooling isn't optimal at high loads and is best done with some undervolting/power limiting.

I didn't know about IPS vs VA but I know a bit more now. It sounds like IPS would suit me better (which is what you are hinting, I assume). Something like the AOC 27" Q27G4XF, or are there good reasons to spend more?

Monitors aren't my thing so I can't recommend one, but IPS is generally considered a safe bet and I think that's what your current panel is? There have been comments on here that VA less than impressive for motion.

The 9070 XT in my basket is down as "pre-order" currently. Any suggestion what card I should select instead? Gigabyte still good?

You can find some roundups online, e.g.

(There's a table that compares coolers in the review)

Sapphire Radeon RX 9070 XT Pulse Review

Sapphire’s Radeon RX 9070 XT Pulse trades flashy extras for substance, to hit its $600 MSRP. There's no RGB lighting or factory overclock, but you get an outstanding cooler that runs whisper-quiet at full load with good temperatures. Performance where it counts.

www.techpowerup.com

The main thing I'd suggest is that you don't pay near to the 5070 Ti.

 

[jomala]

If you're going for a high core count CPU, I'd be aware that air cooling isn't optimal at high loads and is best done with some undervolting/power limiting.

So better to use an all-in-one (AIO) water cooler?

suggests that the dissipation wattage would only be about 250W for a two fan radiator, so it'd need to be a three fan like https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ther...all-in-one-cpu-cooler-360m-coo-tlr-04551.html or https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lian...ll-in-one-cpu-cooler-black-coo-lia-04595.html to improved on an air cooler, I think. But perhaps AIO two-fan systems have other advantages?

Note that any of these would require a change of case to get vents for two or three fans on top, but that's not a big deal. However, once I'm doing that, it seems sensible to maybe change the SSD too, in which case maybe a prebuilt is a good plan. Something like this? (Sadly, OC aren't offering 3-fan AIOs here.)

OcUK Tech Labs AMD Ryzen AM5 Midi Gaming PC Configurator (SKU: SYS-OCT-00044) = £1,762.92

• Case: 1 x PHANTEKS Eclipse G370A - ATX Mid-Tower Case - Black
• Processor: 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Eight Core 5.50GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail
• Motherboard: 1 x MSI PRO B850-P WIFI (AMD AM5) B850 ATX Motherboard
• Memory: 1 x Kingston FURY Beast EXPO RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit
• Cooler: 1 x Lian Li Galahad II Trinity AIO 240mm ARGB All In One CPU Cooler - Black
• Graphics Card: 1 x Sapphire Pure Radeon RX 9070 Gaming OC 16GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card
• Power Supply: 1 x CORSAIR RMe Series RM1000e Fully Modular ATX 3.1 Power Supply (CP-9020297-UK)
• M.2 Solid State Drive: 1 x WD Black SN7100 2TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe 4.0 Solid State Drive

Sorry - so many questions!

 

[Tetras]

So better to use an all-in-one (AIO) water cooler?

Any 8 core CPU like the 7800X3D/9800X3D or the 9700X in your pre-build don't need an AIO, they can be cooled with a decent 2+-fan tower cooler like the peerless assassin.

240mm AIOs are more what I'd consider for aesthetics, since the best air tower coolers can rival their cooling performance.

For CPUs with higher core counts, if you're running them mainly for games then an air cooler is still enough, but if you max them out (e.g. full multithreaded load) they'll get close to throttle temps and the fans will be loud. You can address this by doing some power limiting/undervolting, or just accept that for those moments you compile you'll lose some top-end performance at/near the throttle temps.

 

[jomala]

Thank you again, @Tetras !

 

[dfour]

Thermalright also do higher end air coolers that can deal with more that than the peerless as you said your case is large. Like the

Frost vortex 140

Frost Vortex 140 SE BLACK – Thermalright

thermalright.com

The royal Pretor 130 ultra

Royal Pretor 130 Ultra BLACK – Thermalright

thermalright.com

Also the frost commander 140

Frost Commander 140 – Thermalright

thermalright.com

This may only have 5 heatpipes but they are 8mm where the rest only use 6mm heeatpipes.

Most of these coolers are available from other retailers as OC dont stock them yet.

 

[WARburton]

Just my 2 pence but..

1 x AMD Ryzen 9 7900 Twelve Core 5.40GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DU-AM) = £329.99

the 9700x can be had for £50 less and will out perform the 7900x in games

1 x Kolink Continuum 1200W 80 Platinum Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-03M-KK) = £149.99

just no... this system will run on a 800+ watt PSU do not buy this pace of crap
there is no way a would spend £2k on a pc and trust it with a Kolink PSU

1 x ASUS ROG Strix XG27WCS 27" 2560x1440 Fast VA 180Hz 1ms ELMB Sync Curved Gaming Monitor (SKU: MON-ASU-02551) = £207.95

Very nice monitor for the price, but come on bro its 2025, 27" is no longer the go to and @ 1440p i would say 32" is the new happy place

1 x Noctua NH-D9L CPU Cooler - 92mm (SKU: HS-028-NC) = £53.99

Good cooler and i want say dont buy it but the PA140 is £25 new

 

[jomala]

@dfour and @WARburton - Thanks for the advice on coolers. I'll look into this further. Can't see the Peerless Assassin 140 at £25 anywhere currently, or the Frost Commander 140, but I'll dig further.

And @WARburton - yes, other have warned me about the PSU, so hopefully you're happy with the Phanteks AMP GH 1000W 80PLUS Platinum ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02521) that I've moved to.

And I appreciate the opinion on the monitor - I did wonder if that was where I was letting the system down. ASUS TUF Gaming VG32AQL1A 32" 2560x1440 IPS 170Hz 1ms FreeSync Widescreen Gaming Monitor look more suitable?

Or, given that I think this set-up will be able to drive many games at 4k with okay FPS, should I be getting a 4k monitor? How do 4k monitors do at reduced resolution when FPS and responsiveness are everything (like in PUBG)? (I note many pros use small 1080p monitors and sit close to them, but I'm not all that serious - I'm just looking forward to my PC not hanging at bad moments!) Would something like the LG UltraGear 4K Gaming Monitor 32GR93U offer that flexibility?

 

[WARburton]

And @WARburton - yes, other have warned me about the PSU, so hopefully you're happy with the Phanteks AMP GH 1000W 80PLUS Platinum ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02521) that I've moved to.

much better.

And I appreciate the opinion on the monitor - I did wonder if that was where I was letting the system down. ASUS TUF Gaming VG32AQL1A 32" 2560x1440 IPS 170Hz 1ms FreeSync Widescreen Gaming Monitor look more suitable?

thats a good monitor, i think in games at 4k you would be under 100fps without FSR. i just sold my 9070xt but at 1440p i was always over 140fps in the games i play without FSR.

 

[dfour]

I have a feeling the royal pretor has replaced the frost commander. The advantage the pretor has is that it has thicker fans which will push more air over the heatsink for better temps at lower noise (in general).

The tuf gaming 32" looks good.

I would stick to 1440p for now as 4k needs a lot more gpu powwer to drive at high refresh rates unles your using upscaling wwhich can cause visual issues.

 

[jomala]

@WARburton, @dfour - Thank you!

I'll update here when I've bought and tested (or when components aren't available and I can't work out the right substitutions!)

 

[Vonhelmet]

FWIW I reckon you could get about £100 selling the RAM, CPU, GPU, motherboard and power supply from your old rig, if you can be arsed. You’ll do better if you’ve got the original packaging, and it’ll be easier to post as well.

 

[jomala]

Thanks, @Vonhelmet. Probably do have the packaging, but not necessarily the will to do it. Would be nice to find it a home though.

 

[Capitano]

Do you care about OLED/QD-OLED for monitors? I would highly recommend down the line if its out of budget now