First ever build - suggested spec

Chris Williams

Chris Williams

Chris Williams

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Joined
28 Aug 2017
Posts
6
Hi all,

Been debating for a long time on what spec my first gaming PC should be. Think I'm finally settled on the below, but I'm keen to get people's thoughts. Main reason I went for an AMD GPU was so I could use Freesync on the monitor. I'm not going to be a hardcore PC gamer, but don't want something that is too basic.

Intel Core i5-7600k - £200
Radeon RX 580 GPU - £279
ASUS Prime B250-plus - £70
Corsair DDR4 3000 16gb - £90 (already purchased)
Wireless adapter - £15
Corsair VS 450W PS - £40
Case - £30
Toshiba P300 3TB hard drive - £72
ASUS 24x DVDRW 24d5mt sata - £15
Paste and cooler - £19
Acer XG270HU 27" (Freesync, 1440p and 144Hz) - £379

£1209

Thanks
 
Have you considered a Ryzen build?

I would budget for a better quality PSU with such a quality build - approx £60/£70
 
Tbh I doubt he will overclock it - perhaps a little but will not be pushing it.

This is another option. Still pushing his budget a bit an no ssd unfortunately

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The memory is quality value and will hit the 3000MHz with the latest Gigabyte BIOS (f7/F8). I chose the GIgabyte board for the UK RMA and great customer service - plus it's a proven board - but if you prefer Asus no problem (but their after care sucks).

A[L]C said:
Tbh I doubt he will overclock it - perhaps a little but will not be pushing it.
Click to expand...

No need to overclock - but know that the 1600 will hit 3.7GHz with the supplied Wraith - so win win if/when he does clock.

I added an SSD (just seen your edit - so can be removed) as it would be sorely missed from a build like this.

And you really need to change to 2 x 8Gb sticks - no value/point in 4 x 4gb - as Ryzen only does dual channel.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £1,095.59
(includes shipping: £13.20)




EDIT: Approve of the Vega if you can get it - there's mention that it will scale better with the Ryzen CPU from the forums. Not looked into this in detail myself yet...
​
 
A[L]C said:
do you think the 580 would be man enough for 1440p or should he drop to 1080p?
Click to expand...
It would manage but there would be compromises in settings - and this would increase with new releases.

Ideally you would pair it with the 1080p screen.
 
Ok, so after much deliberation I think I've finally settled on what I'm going to get. It's a lot more than I wanted to spend as I need the monitor as well, but hopefully it'll last me a while

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Processor
ASUS PRIME B350-PLUS Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3000 MHz 4 x 4Gb RAM
Radeon RX Vega 56 8Gb GPU
BifFenix Whisper M Series 550W PSU
Toshiba P300 3Tb hard drive
Acer XG270HU monitor (Freesync, 1440p, 144Hz)
BitFenix Neos Black/Blue case

It's about £1,300

I know I'm missing an SSD, but aside from a decrease in load time for the OS, will it give any other performance gain? And is the rest ok?

Thanks
 
Chris Williams said:
Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3000 MHz 4 x 4Gb RAM
Click to expand...
Unless you're getting these sticks cheaply(?) - i would still suggest 2 x 8Gb as you're limiting your upgrade path (unlikely admittedly), and it puts more stress on the IMC if overclocking.

Also, if the board develops a troublesome DIMM slot (not unknown) - you'll be down 4Gb - if you were to have 2 x 8Gb you could switch sockets.

But if you're getting them a lot cheaper, fair enough.

Chris Williams said:
I know I'm missing an SSD, but aside from a decrease in load time for the OS, will it give any other performance gain? And is the rest ok?
Click to expand...

The SSD would add an overall VIM to your system - punchier, faster, reactive - not just post benefits - but it can be easily added when you have more funds. They really is no going back once you've had one...
 
I'm hoping to purchase the sticks through someone on here. I would normally go 2 x 8Gb but for £95 I'm not going to argue. Saves me a bit of cash seeing as though I've gone way over budget.
 
Chris Williams said:
Ok, so after much deliberation I think I've finally settled on what I'm going to get. It's a lot more than I wanted to spend as I need the monitor as well, but hopefully it'll last me a while

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Processor
ASUS PRIME B350-PLUS Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance DDR4 3000 MHz 4 x 4Gb RAM
Radeon RX Vega 56 8Gb GPU
BifFenix Whisper M Series 550W PSU
Toshiba P300 3Tb hard drive
Acer XG270HU monitor (Freesync, 1440p, 144Hz)
BitFenix Neos Black/Blue case

It's about £1,300

I know I'm missing an SSD, but aside from a decrease in load time for the OS, will it give any other performance gain? And is the rest ok?

Thanks
Click to expand...

DO NOT get 4 sticks of RAM at that speed, get 2. You're already hitting the IMC's limit. Don't overstress it with extra sticks. The guy who suggested 4X4 has some kind of fundamental misunderstanding of how RAM works.

Get an SSD! How are you going to get a machine with a 12 thread CPU and a Vega card and no SSD? That's insane.

Get the ASUS Strix B-350-F. It looks the business (gorgeous compared to the B350 Plus) has RGB lighting, and is a fantastic board.

Get a CPU cooler! The stock cooler won't let you hit max clocks. Look at a Noctua NH-U12S or NH-U14S (check Noctua's website for compatibility of those coolers with your chosen mobo. The 12S will fit for sure. 14S check compatibility)

SSD will make everything in the operating system faster, and the games you install will load much faster. Some games run like arse on an HDD (Watch Dogs 2 for example) compared to SSD complete with stuttering and other issues. SSD is life. Get one. :)
 
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