£1100 PC build - please suggest

[OverDrive]

Hello everyone,

My girlfriend's son would like his first gaming PC for his birthday next week Our budget is around £1100 all in, including monitor and peripherals. Something that would yield good 1080p gaming performance would be great. I was thinking of building on the AM4 platform, perhaps using a Ryzen 5 5500, he then has upgrade options on that platform in the future when the price of higher tier 5000 series CPUs come down. I appreciate that Zen 3 will be the last AM4 chips.

Regarding the GPU, I was thinking of the RX 6600. However, open to NVIDIA options too.

I'm totally open to suggestions. I also know that Intel have come out with new processors in the last few months, and I'm not fully up to speed with the current range and how they compare to Zen 3.

Would really appreciate some advice and build suggestions. I would like the PC to be something that he can upgrade himself in the future as he learns more, so a good quality 750w PSU would be nice, as I'm sure he would want a more powerful GPU in the future.

Thank you all for your help with this.

PS, please don't factor in the cost of a Windows licence - I have this already.

 

[mickyflinn]

5600 is a far better cpu than the 5500 which limits to pcie3, 12400 or 12400f if you go intel is another decent option would advise the 12400 as the onboard graphics can be a life saver.

Wi-Fi needed ? RGB ?

 

[StarShock]

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming B660M-Plus WIFI D4 - Intel B660 DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6HU-AS) = £169.99
• 1 x Intel Core i5-12400F 2.50GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6AR-IN) = £164.99
• 1 x PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 XT Fighter 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-1AA-PC) = £359.99
• 1 x AMD Xbox Game Pass - Radeon - Equipped for Battle Game Bundle (SKU: XX-035-AM) = £0.00
• 1 x Super Flower Golden Green HX 650W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black (SKU: CA-004-SF) = £64.99
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AK-TG) = £49.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN570 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3B0C) (SKU: HD-589-WD) = £74.99
• 1 x Kolink Citadel Mesh Micro-ATX Case - Black (SKU: CA-051-KK) = £52.99
• 1 x LG 24" 24GN600-B 1920x1080 IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync Widescreen LED Backlit Gaming Monitor (SKU: MO-160-LG) = £149.99

Total: £1,087.92 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

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Feels like years since I've done a spec that didn't involve the caveat "don't buy now if you don't have to" Solid PSU but only 650w rather than 750w. 12400 trades blows with the 5600x for a little less money. 6600xt at this price feels like a steal just at the moment, specially after the last couple years​

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[mickyflinn]

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i5-12400 2.50GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6AL-IN) = £188.99
• 1 x MSI Pro B660M-A WIFI DDR4 - Intel B660 DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-36L-MS) = £134.99
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AK-TG) = £49.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP 650W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-09Q-PT) = £74.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN570 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3B0C) (SKU: HD-589-WD) = £74.98
• 1 x Aerocool Aero One Mini Eclipse ARGB Micro- ATX Case - Black Tempered Glass (SKU: CA-21N-AE) = £59.99
• 1 x PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 XT Fighter 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-1AA-PC) = £359.99
• 1 x AMD Xbox Game Pass - Radeon - Equipped for Battle Game Bundle (SKU: XX-035-AM) = £0.00
• 1 x LG 24GL600F 24" 1920x1080 TN 144Hz 1ms FreeSync Widescreen LED Gaming Monitor (SKU: MO-154-LG) = £129.95
• 1 x Cooler Master Devastator III Combo Gaming Bundle 7 Colour LED Backlighting - UK Layout (SKU: KB-03R-CM) = £24.95

Total: £1,098.82 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

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[Craig_d1]

Did a little 5600X build below, but used a 6600 card to get a 27" monitor. you could drop to a 24" and get a 6600Xt

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x WD Blue SN570 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3B0C) (SKU: HD-589-WD) = £74.99
• 1 x AOC Gaming 27G2U/BK 27" 1920x1080 IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync Widescreen LED Gaming Monitor (SKU: MO-055-AO) = £179.99
• 1 x PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 HellHound 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-1AE-PC) = £299.98
• 1 x AMD Xbox Game Pass - Radeon - Equipped for Battle Game Bundle (SKU: XX-035-AM) = £0.00
• 1 x Cooler Master Devastator III Combo Gaming Bundle 7 Colour LED Backlighting - UK Layout (SKU: KB-03R-CM) = £24.95
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 5600X - Gigabyte B550 Aorus Elite AX V2 Bundle (SKU: BU-02C-AM) = £400.97
• 1 x Lian Li Lancool II ARGB Midi-Tower Case - Black with Corsair RM Series RM650 (SKU: BU-00A-LL) = £136.80

Total: £1,117.68 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

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[Journey]

Honestly I think spending more on a good 1440p display and suitable GPU would be a much better idea. You can't upgrade a monitor like you can a CPU or RAM, unless you replace it entirely, and you'll keep a good monitor way longer than a PC that is easily added to or upgraded. Who wants to be playing at 1080p these days with FSR/DLSS to help you in more demanding games if/when applicable.

Something like a GIGABYTE M27Q which can be had for ~£375 and is really good IPS display that supports up to 170Hz refresh, pair that with a 6600XT and you've spent ~£735, leaving ~£365 for the rest of the kit.

Went over a bit, but only by £30. Good scope for upgrading the CPU to something like an i7-13700 in a couple of years, spare RAM slots, and spare M.2 slots as well. PSU is 650w but a good model, with good warranty.

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-G DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
Storage: Kingston NV1 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Case: KOLINK Citadel Mesh MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Power Supply: NZXT C 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Total: ~£397

 

[OverDrive]

Thanks so much for the fantastic replies everyone!!

5600 is a far better cpu than the 5500 which limits to pcie3, 12400 or 12400f if you go intel is another decent option would advise the 12400 as the onboard graphics can be a life saver.

Wi-Fi needed ? RGB ?

The 12400 looks great! Alder Lake was not on the scene when I built my current 5900X rig in Feb last year, so I was not up to speed with Intel's latest offerings. It looks like it performs on par with and sometimes slightly better than the 5600. We would need Wi-Fi and RGB is definitely a bonus, although, I think he can further customise the PC in time.

Feels like years since I've done a spec that didn't involve the caveat "don't buy now if you don't have to" Solid PSU but only 650w rather than 750w. 12400 trades blows with the 5600x for a little less money. 6600xt at this price feels like a steal just at the moment, specially after the last couple years

That's deffo a great price for the 6600xt. It's great to see GPU prices coming back to normal after all the madness of last year! I was also looking at the RTX3060.

Honestly I think spending more on a good 1440p display and suitable GPU would be a much better idea. You can't upgrade a monitor like you can a CPU or RAM, unless you replace it entirely, and you'll keep a good monitor way longer than a PC that is easily added to or upgraded. Who wants to be playing at 1080p these days with FSR/DLSS to help you in more demanding games if/when applicable.

Thanks for the advice and build. I do prefer the option of a 1440p display if possible, it would also present a better desktop experience. Would the 6600XT, or the RTX3060 be acceptable at that resolution?

 

[OverDrive]

PS: I've never built with the Mirco-ATX form factor. Is it preferred over regular ATX now?

EDIT: Ahhh, I see they are a bit less, so beneficial for a budget build

 

[mickyflinn]

@OverDrive

1440p monitor would add at least another £100 to the build cost, mine and @StarShock builds both incorporate a 6600xt which wouldn't be to bad.

PS: I've never built with the Mirco-ATX form factor. Is it preferred over regular ATX now?

Cases are Not so small anymore looks nice a neat with a micro atx motherboard .

 

[Craig_d1]

Honestly I think spending more on a good 1440p display and suitable GPU would be a much better idea. You can't upgrade a monitor like you can a CPU or RAM, unless you replace it entirely, and you'll keep a good monitor way longer than a PC that is easily added to or upgraded. Who wants to be playing at 1080p these days with FSR/DLSS to help you in more demanding games if/when applicable.

Something like a GIGABYTE M27Q which can be had for ~£375 and is really good IPS display that supports up to 170Hz refresh, pair that with a 6600XT and you've spent ~£735, leaving ~£365 for the rest of the kit.

Went over a bit, but only by £30. Good scope for upgrading the CPU to something like an i7-13700 in a couple of years, spare RAM slots, and spare M.2 slots as well. PSU is 650w but a good model, with good warranty.

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-G DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
Memory: Team T-FORCE VULCAN Z 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
Storage: Kingston NV1 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive
Case: KOLINK Citadel Mesh MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Power Supply: NZXT C 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Total: ~£397

You think that mobo can deal with a 13700 next year? It doesn't even have a heatsink over vrm's. Some of comparable budget boards struggle with a 12600k. Only thing i could find on it was someone saying how to unlock it as would only supply 100w of power. Thats all i could find... Id be more comfortable paying £134 and get the msi pro b660m-a wifi(same price as non wifi on ocuk)... Thats had plenty of reviews and considered best budget board, from what ive seen
Nice idea about 1440p monitor.. Just thought a bit too far to stretch for budget.. 500gb ssd wont store much once you have os on there either

 

[Journey]

Thanks for the advice and build. I do prefer the option of a 1440p display if possible, it would also present a better desktop experience. Would the 6600XT, or the RTX3060 be acceptable at that resolution?

Yes a much better desktop experience, and with a quality display like I mentioned a much better everything, be that gaming, Netflix, editing photos, or just browsing the web. You literally use the monitor no matter what you are doing with the computer, and as such getting a good monitor, not just a 1440p monitor, is where the benefit comes. Nothing else can be said to have such great advantages or consequence.

 

[OverDrive]

Will the stock cooler that comes with the 12400 be ok? I can see that this CPU can't actually be overclocked, so I'm guessing it will be fine?

 

[Journey]

You think that mobo can deal with a 13700 next year? It doesn't even have a heatsink over vrm's

I had no issues with one and an i7-12700 build, perhaps if the i7-13700 has more E-core it might struggle but I doubt it, also I was using a down draft cooler so there was airflow over the VRM components.
I mean the beauty about a cheapo main board, is if you decide not to upgrade in 18-36 months you've spent less. Looking at what is coming out over that timescale we are going to see some serious kit at low prices as well.
CPU is also less of a factor at 1440p another huge advantage with spending more of the budget on something

500gb ssd wont store much once you have os on there either

Jebus, how much space does your OS take up? Its less than 30GB for a full Windows 11 install with a few commonly used programs as well. If space is an issue, grab a bargain £10 1TB spinning rust drive on an auction site.

 

[StarShock]

Will the stock cooler that comes with the 12400 be ok? I can see that this CPU can't actually be overclocked, so I'm guessing it will be fine?

Its functional, but not great. In most gaming situations it'll do the job without to much trouble, but it can get overwhelmed in torture tests with the power limits off.

 

[Craig_d1]

I had no issues with one and an i7-12700 build, perhaps if the i7-13700 has more E-core it might struggle but I doubt it, also I was using a down draft cooler so there was airflow over the VRM components.
I mean the beauty about a cheapo main board, is if you decide not to upgrade in 18-36 months you've spent less. Looking at what is coming out over that timescale we are going to see some serious kit at low prices as well.
CPU is also less of a factor at 1440p another huge advantage with spending more of the budget on something


Jebus, how much space does your OS take up? Its less than 30GB for a full Windows 11 install with a few commonly used programs as well. If space is an issue, grab a bargain £10 1TB spinning rust drive on an auction site.

It's the games..flight sim +100gb, destiny2 +100gb, forza horizon 5.. +100gb...doesnt take much to fill storage nowadays, and with gamepass I try diff games...I'm over 1tb on my PC and xsx full too...just downloaded quantum break.. 170gb+ ..for £30 more, I'd double size and get 1tb version