Critique this build

[M1k3H]

Hello all,

A good friend of mine has decided to stop buying laptops and instead asked me to help with building him a gaming PC.

Budget wise as cheap as possible (current budget is £1,500).

He mostly plays League of Legends, and would like to play at 100+ fps at 1440p. He'll also potentially play some other games, although not really sure what, so assume perhaps some AAA titles at 60fps+ (medium/high settings).

I've tried to put more money towards items that he'll keep for longer (e.g. mobo, psu), to give him a good base system that he could upgrade the GPU/CPU if his needs change in future.

I have advised him to wait until at least January for a GPU due to the upcoming releases. From a performance point of view, I was thinking something around a 6800's performance should give him what he wants. So either get something like a 7700XT, or whatever comes out that gives him equivalent performance. I've left £420 allocated towards the GPU.

Not included below are Windows (found keys for £40), and a mouse, which he got the Logitech 502 as it was on offer this week.

Any feedback/recommendations are welcome.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Montech SKY ONE Lite Midi-Tower Tempered Glass - White (SKU: CA-004-MO) = £59.99
• 1 x MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-375-MS) = £159.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £179.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance RGB EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel (SKU: MEM-CRS-00997) = £89.99
• 1 x Crucial T500 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-CRU-01090) = £99.95
• 1 x Arctic MX-4 Thermal Compound (4g) (SKU: TH-01B-AR) = £4.99
• 1 x CORSAIR RM Series RM650 Fully Modular 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply (SKU: POW-CRS-01425) = £74.99
• 1 x Gigabyte 27" GS27Q-EK 2560x1440 SS IPS 165Hz 1ms FreeSync Widescreen Gaming Monitor (SKU: MON-GIG-02982) = £139.99
• 1 x Ducky One 3 Classic Fullsize USB RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Cherry Red - Black UK Layout (SKU: KB-2A9-DK) = £89.99

Total: £899.87 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[lee32uk]

Hi

Nothing stands out as being bad value. I paid £9.99 for W11 Pro though, so maybe have another look, as £40 is a bit steep. I wouldn't bother with the extra thermal paste.

 

[M1k3H]

Hi

Nothing stands out as being bad value. I paid £9.99 for W11 Pro though, so maybe have another look, as £40 is a bit steep. I wouldn't bother with the extra thermal paste.

Thanks Lee, okay will have another look.

Ah, will the included CPU cooler come with paste pre-applied? I've always used my own cooler so used to buying paste.

 

[lee32uk]

Thanks Lee, okay will have another look.

Ah, will the included CPU cooler come with paste pre-applied? I've always used my own cooler so used to buying paste.

I bought mine from a key site. Not sure I can link to it but it is a well known one. Had it working fine since June 2023.

Yep the box cooler will have paste already applied.

 

[tamzzy]

the base spec without the 7800xt is £822, so a £70 saving for equivalent parts (with a 750w ATX 3.0 PSU)
since you've already budgeted £420 for a GPU, might as well just get the 7800XT now for £450
obviously if you shop around this spec would also be a few bob cheaper

can recommend the kolink HF mesh for £33. i've just built in one and the build quality is pretty impressive and also comes with 6x ARGB fans too.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £179.99
• 1 x Gigabyte B650 EAGLE AX (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03573) = £124.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance EXPO/XMP 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-CRS-00996) = £82.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN580 2TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-00541) = £86.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 750W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02517) = £84.95
• 1 x Kolink Observatory HF Mesh ARGB Midi Tower Case – White (SKU: CA-07T-KK) = £32.99
• 1 x SAPPHIRE PULSE AMD Radeon™ RX 7800 XT Gaming Graphics Card with 16GB GDDR6, AMD RDNA™ 3 architecture (SKU: GRA-SPR-00764) = £449.98
• 1 x Gigabyte 27" GS27Q-EK 2560x1440 SS IPS 165Hz 1ms FreeSync Widescreen Gaming Monitor (SKU: MON-GIG-02982) = £140.00
• 1 x Ducky One 3 Classic Fullsize USB RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Cherry Red - Black UK Layout (SKU: KB-2A9-DK) = £89.98

Total: £1,272.86 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[Tetras]

All I've done is cost you money. You're welcome, I'm here all week.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £179.99
• 1 x Asrock X870 Pro RS WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-ASR-03308) = £209.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance EXPO/XMP 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-CRS-00996) = £82.99
• 1 x Crucial T500 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-CRU-01090) = £99.95
• 1 x Montech AIR 903 Base Midi-Tower Tempered Glass - White (SKU: CAS-MON-01228) = £49.99
• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming 750W 80 Plus Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-061-AS) = £79.99
• 1 x Thermalright Assassin X 120 Refined SE White CPU Air Cooler (SKU: COO-TLR-03272) = £17.99

• 1 x MSI 27" MAG 274QRFW 2560x1440 IPS 180Hz 1ms A-Sync Widescreen Gaming Monitor (SKU: MON-MSI-01774) = £178.99
• 1 x Razer Ornata V3 X Low Profile Mecha Membrane Backlit USB Gaming Keyboard (RZ03-04470300-R3W1) (SKU: KB-151-RA) = £39.95

Total: £939.83 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

I've tried to put more money towards items that he'll keep for longer (e.g. mobo, psu), to give him a good base system that he could upgrade the GPU/CPU if his needs change in future.

The motherboard in my spec has PCI-E 5.0 graphics and USB4 and it is white so fits in the colour scheme better.

The case has bigger front fans (140mm versus 120mm) and more GPU clearance (400mm versus 350mm).

The cooler is not exciting, but should be nicer than the stock cooler.

Just changed the monitor because it is white to match the build

 

[tamzzy]

1 x Razer Ornata V3 X Low Profile Mecha Membrane Backlit USB Gaming Keyboard (RZ03-04470300-R3W1) (SKU: KB-151-RA) = £39.95

OP specced cherry MX reds, and you went for a membrane rather than a mechanical keyboard? blasphemy!

 

[Tetras]

OP specced cherry MX reds, and you went for a membrane rather than a mechanical keyboard? blasphemy!

I know nothing about keyboards, but I spent an extra £40 already so it was an easy trim

Should have gone with the £13 Logitech, oh well, live and learn.

 

[M1k3H]

Thanks both for the recommendations, I'll forward them to him, although I still think it will be better to wait for the GPU. Even if the new cards don't give big uplift relative to current offerings, the old cards should get discounted.

In the meantime I'll give him my old 5770 that I keep around for troubleshooting, so we can build the pc and be ready for a GPU switchover.

He would also like a mechanical keyboard, so probably sticking to that also.

 

[Tetras]

In the meantime I'll give him my old 5770 that I keep around for troubleshooting, so we can build the pc and be ready for a GPU switchover.

You don't need it anymore, 7000 CPUs except F have graphics.

 

[tamzzy]

Thanks both for the recommendations, I'll forward them to him, although I still think it will be better to wait for the GPU. Even if the new cards don't give big uplift relative to current offerings, the old cards should get discounted.

if you're dead set about waiting then might as well wait a bit longer and get it all together. maybe by that time ryzen 9000 should drop in price.

 

[Quartz]

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £179.99

For gaming, get a X3D CPU.