First build in 8 long years -- £1100 budget

[SymTax]

Just as the title says, it's been 8 years since I built my last PC. I've done a few upgrades on it since then, but they've always been slight QOL changes and nothing drastic.

It's got the stage now where I can barely run games on the lowest settings and reach 30 FPS consistently, so I thought it'd be a good idea to just start from scratch.

I've already got all peripherals sorted, this will just require the case and everything inside it.

I suppose the only key specification is that I want to try and 'futureproof' this as much as possible with my budget. I've got 2 young children so this will likely be the last opportunity in a while to indulge myself on this type of thing.

Your help and suggestions are much appreciated.

 

[SymTax]

I'm running a Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD thats maybe 4 years old and an 500GB HDD that I've used for nearly 8 years.

They both work fine, but I'm conscious on whether they would cause a bottleneck or sorts if I continued using. Ideally I want to ditch the HDD and replace it with an SSD.

 

[SymTax]

Yeah that's pretty much what it's used for now, so I've no issues just carrying that on.

I'll also probably take you up on that suggestion and pick up the 1TB SSD.

Is there anything else that you would suggest could be 'improved' for only a small increase in price? I do have the funds to go slightly higher on the budget if it's really worth it, however what you've specced so far looks more than capable of anything I'd be throwing at it.

 

[SymTax]

Is RTX really worth the £70.00 increase in price?

I'm all for getting it if it's worthwhile, just honestly not that knowledgeable on RTX since my current PC starts overheating at the mere thought of it.

I've also just realised that I've not thought about the OS on this. I've got W10 at the moment, I assume there is a way to 'transfer' this over?

Edit: The HSF is likely something I'd get afterwards to satisfy further urges to spend more money.

 

[SymTax]

I've been given an alternative build suggestions for a similar price point.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £299.99
• 1 x Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT Pulse 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £399.95
• 1 x WD 1TB Blue 7200rpm 64MB Cache Internal Hard Drive (WD10EZEX)= £34.99
• 1 x Samsung 250GB 860 EVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 64 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-76E250B/EU)= £52.99
• 1 x MSI X570-A PRO (AMD AM4) DDR4 X570 Chipset Motherboard= £154.99
• 1 x Corsair RMx Series RMx650 650W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020178-UK)= £109.99
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Grey (TLGD= £89.99

Total: £1,153.99 (includes shipping: £11.10)
​

This comes with a Cooler Master MasterBox MB510L ATX Mid Tower Case at £40-£50, putting the total price to around £1200.00.

Keen to get some thoughts on whether this build would be a suitable alternative. I'm unsure on the reasoning behind a couple of the changes, but honestly don't know enough to make a good judgement call on it.

 

[SymTax]

I wouldn't go with that build.

1. Do you really need a 1TB HDD? You already have storage. The Samsung drive is over priced, you could get a much faster 500gb Sabrent Rocket NvME for that price, or failing that the drive I originally listed which performs similarly but has double the capacity.
2. What do you need the X570 for over the B450 max?
3. Why spend that much on a PSU when you could save £25 with the RM currently on sale? It's still a fantastic unit with a ten year warranty, and more overheard (although you're unlikely to need it).
4. Why that memory when it's the same price as the 3600mhz stuff I listed? I could understand saving cash and getting a 3000-3200 set such as the Crucial Ballistix LT I mentioned but I fail to see the point in the listed change.

Here's some other RAM options I'd take if I were to buy specifically from OCUK and not get the 3600 stuff I originally listed:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Team Group Dark T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Grey (TDGED4= £79.99
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TLGD416G30= £62.99

Total: £142.98 (includes shipping: £0.00)


If you're willing to spend an extra £100 you could easily fit in the 1TB Sabrent Rocket NvME and switch out to the CM case if you prefer it.​

The questions you've asked are similar to my line of thought. I was given this build suggestion by someone, so was interested to hear some opinions on it.

Go with a Sabrent Rocket instead of the 860 EVO. You will have to Google it as it isn't sold on here.

An MSI B450 Tomahawk MAX is a cheaper option. That X570 board doesn't really offer anything extra for the money.

You can get a cheaper 550W psu.

There are also cheaper Ram kits. The 3000 version of that Team Group for example.

I'll almost certainly pick up the Sabrent Rocket suggested by yourself and Gray. Seems like the smart choice.


Edit: Will I need to pick up any thermal paste? I can recall not needing to buy any extra previously, but I'm unsure if it'll be the same now as it was 8 years ago.

 

[SymTax]

Forgive my ignorance, but what makes it a better card than what has been suggested previously? It's slightly more expensive, so is it actually worth the increase?

 

[SymTax]

slighty quieter and slightly cooler.


personally i don't think so.
i think the best value 5700xt is this: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/powe...ddr6-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-19f-pc.html
for £380

you can read this article: https://www.techspot.com/review/1861-rtx-2060-budget-vs-premium-graphics-card/
sums up my rationale and applies to all GPUs

That's a pretty interesting article. Clears up a lot of queries I had about various cards.

I'm likely going to be ordering this time next week, so I'll probably touch base again for one final check before making the purchase.

Hopefully not too much changes price wise between now and then.

 

[SymTax]

this is obviously the best value build
(better value if you swapped the 3700x for the 3600, but your budget allows for a 3700x)

The CPU heatsink you've suggested is out of stock

So if the case I'm buying already comes with fans, would I just replacing those with your suggested fans? Or would I be having them in addition to the original ones.

 

[SymTax]

it's in stock. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/scythe-scmg-5pcgh-mugen-5-pcgh-edition-cpu-cooler-hs-047-sy.html
it's the non-pcgh edition that's out of stock


depends on what case it is. i've specifically specced those fans for that specific case (kolink citadel)

Ah yeah, I looked at the wrong heatsink, my bad

The case you've suggested comes with 2x 120mm fans pre-installed. I'm happy to get some extra if it would be beneficial, but just want to make sure I'd be putting them to good use (And in the most optimal place).

 

[SymTax]

yeah, mount the 2x140mm fans (the arctic p14) at the front as intakes.
leave the stock 120mm rear exhaust fan as it is
the extra 120mm fan that was originally at the front can become an extra exhaust on one of the top fan mounts - or just leave it out as an extra if only having one top mounted fan grinds your ocd (it would for me lol)
don't really need more than 3 decent fans

Alright, I'll probably see what the 1 on top looks like and whether I can deal with it being there or not.

Total build cost is coming out to about £1150.00 with your recommendations, which is roughly inline with what I was budgeting anyway. I wasn't originally planning on getting the CPU cooler, is it really that bad if I skipped it?

 

[SymTax]

not really.
the stock amd cooler isn't bad by any means.
if you needed to save the £50, i'd drop the arctic p14 fans and the scythe cooler

or can opt for a cheaper cooler: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/arct...duo-white-cpu-cooler-2-x-120mm-hs-074-ar.html

I think I'm just biased as I've not used one for 8 years so far. No harm in getting one I guess if it'll help in the long run.


Edit: What type of monitor would be a good match for the PC I'll be building? I wouldn't be getting it just yet, but a few thoughts on what to look for would be helpful.

 

[SymTax]

With regards to my previous post, my current 'main' monitor is a Asus VN247H 24". My 2nd monitor is just some old Acer X193W.

Not even sure how long I've had that 2nd monitor for

 

[SymTax]

best value = aoc q3279vwfd8
best performance at decent value = dell s2719dgf

First option is definitely at the price point I was leaning towards but I'm not sure I really have the space for a 32". I'm sat relatively close to my current monitor as it is, don't think I could handle the size increase at this range.

I've see elsewhere some suggestion of a 24" 1080p at 144hz, although monitors is typically something I've got no real knowledge about.

 

[SymTax]

i've got 2 of these lol.



i wouldn't recommend something i wouldn't use.

Haha, I just genuinely don't know if I've got enough space on my desk for a 32"

Might have to get the ol' measuring tape and some cardboard out to see how it 'feels' in front of me.

 

[SymTax]

So it turns out that it would fit perfectly on my desk. Might hold fire on buying it for now and wait closer to Christmas for the monitor.

 

[SymTax]

So I'm gonna be ordering on Tuesday, maybe Wednesday at the latest.

So far, I've decided on the following:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT Pulse 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £399.95
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £299.99
• 1 x MSI B450M Mortar MAX (Socket AM4) DDR4 mATX Motherboard= £92.99
• 1 x Kolink Citadel Micro-ATX Case - Black= £39.95

Total: £844.58 (includes shipping: £11.70)​

​

Not from OCUK:
Sabrent 1TB Rocket M.2 SSD
Crucial Ballistic Sport LT 3200MHz 2x8GB

My only issue right now is that the Corsair RM750 and the EVGA SuperNOVA 650G3 PSUs that I've been looking at are both out of stock. I suppose that's what I get for waiting so long to order. Both options were going to cost me around £85-£90, depending on which one I went for.

Can anyone recommend some decent alternatives?

 

[SymTax]

The G3 650W for £85.00 says it will be dispatched in 1-3 months, so I've kind of left that one to the wayside now. Is it worth going for the G3 750W at £95.00?

The RM650 is tempting for £89.99 is probably my next choice if the G3 750W isn't worth the cost.

I'm ideally going to keep it modular, otherwise I'd likely grab the 650W Formula Gold that you're using.

 

[SymTax]

Up to you, it's only a fiver difference.

650W will be ample for your build either way, both the Corsair RM and G3 would be great choices.

Fair enough. I'll just decide on the day I suppose.

Thanks for the help

 

[SymTax]

Everything has been ordered. Now to wait till 30th October for the fun to begin