Gaming & Video Encoding build (currently around £1k)

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So, i started a thread a little earlier about upgrading an older pc: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/t...or-older-pc-mainly-ram-but-also-gpu.18845304/ but i also started having a look at upgrading to a new pc.

What will it be mainly used for?

- gaming at 1080 (maybe more in the future, but currently at 1080). I'm looking for nice performance (doesn't need to be maxed out settings) on games like assassin's creed odyssey, resident evil 2 & the division 2.

- video encoding, a hobby but i enjoy it (using programs like handbrake, so a cpu based encoder)

I'm also looking for value for money & don't mind going with an amd cpu instead of intel. Oh, and this will be my first pc build.

After some browsing, here's what i've come up with initially:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,009.19 (includes shipping: £15.30)

ps, a couple of things:

- why the 2700X? figured it would be worth it from a video encoding point of view.
- why the Fractal case? not really a fan of case lights or side windows, so was looking for a case which is quiet, without many lights, at a decent price. Air flow will be important because the cpu runs at almost 100% when encoding video.
- no hard drives added to the list as i should be able to reuse an existing ssd & hd; will also be using an exisiting monitor for now.

Also, would it be better to go for an rx 580 or will the 570 be enough for my current needs? Price is currently around £1k but there's some flexibilty there.

Been a while since i looked at pc hardware, so advice would be appreciated ;) Also, wouldn't be suprised if i've got something wrong (motherboard not compatible with cpu, something like that :p). Maybe i've missed something out?

Thanks again ;)
 
a tiny bit overbudget (£50 as you get free shipping)
but for a good reason.
1) better mobo with better VRMs for running that 2700x at full tilt during video encoding - also has wifi thrown into the mix
2) 32gb ram instead, depending on how serious you are with video encoding, may find 16gb running out relatively quickly - especially if dealing with 4k videos
3) much better GPU for gaming (vega 56 is nearly double the performance of the rx570)
4) cheaped out on the case to fit the budget, but still decent airflow, and also comes with 3 fans as standard
5) not specced windows as you can get it for £15 or less, if you know where to look :)

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,064.24 (includes shipping: £12.30)​
 
Agree regarding upping mobo a bit for reasons stated.

I've been using Wondershare for encoding for a couple of years (Handbrake lacked a codec option I needed). Prior to that I'd use Handbrake and it didn't use much RAM just the notorious 100% CPU usage. If that hasn't changed and you're not actually creating/editing video (or much), only encoding videos with a different codec/container and so on, then 32 GB won't be needed.

Regarding the case in the original spec, it's a huge full tower, and it looks like it would be quite a waste of space for what's going in it. There are good quiet mid-tower options. If it turns out that 16GB RAM would be fine (please comment on the encoding) and budget is flexible, then you could go with the better motherboard and GPU in Tamzzy's spec plus a nice case and ideally an aftermarket cooler to help with cooling and noise.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,094.04 (includes shipping: £13.20)​

The additional fan is similar to the included 140mm front fan and bears the same name. However, the additional one will have faster max RPM so you'd have to bear that in mind when tuning the settings.

The newer BeQuiet Silent Base 601 can be found elsewhere for not much more than the cost of this Pure Base 600.
 
Thanks for the advice about the motherboard & (@tamzzy) about the os. Re 16gb ram, i'm hoping that should be enough - main concern is gaming since new 16gb seems to be becoming the 'recommended ram' for newer games (8gb minimum) - @Danny, yes, video encoding via programs like handbrake doesn't use much ram, hardly any - it's pretty much cpu based.

Casewise, watched some reviews about the be quiet 600/601 (@Danny - can see why you mentioned adding a fan) & the cooler. I like the way it looks but i'm not convinced about the cooling. Am leaning towards: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/phan...i-tower-case-with-window-black-ca-031-pt.html or one of the variants, like:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/phanteks-enthoo-pro-mid-tower-case-with-window-black-ca-002-pt.html
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/phanteks-enthoo-pro-mid-tower-case-black-ca-003-pt.html

Even though some of those have a window, i'm less concerned about that. i also like the bay(s) at the top of the front panel (i know, more people aren't using them), mainly for the use of a hot swap hd caddy (using an antec one which i could switch over).

ps, also re case, yeah, if i don't 'need' a full tower case (i've got used to an antec 1200) to keep hardware cool especially if the pc is on for long periods, a smaller case should be fine.

pps, thoughts on: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/be-q...us-silver-modular-power-supply-ca-11t-bq.html versus the antec power supply? Asking because ocuk's gaming pc configurator (doesn't list all power supplies) puts together a similar pre built pc to the spec recommended, together with an aftermarket cooler (would need to have a word about the better motherboard) for a similar price.

Thanks again ;)

oh, looks like the vega went up £30 (discount removed) :p
 
Last edited:
thanks for clarifying that ;)

ps, i appreciate the vega 56 is a better card, but is there a reason why most (not all) vega 56 have a 2 year warranty? 590's, 580's seem to all go with 3 years.
 
ps, i appreciate the vega 56 is a better card, but is is there a reason why most (not all) vega 56 have a 2 year warranty? 590's, 580's seem to all go with 3 years.
honestly, not sure :confused: i find it a bit strange too...

new spec:
My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,083.04 (includes shipping: £13.20)​
 
i've posted this in another thread, but i think it's also relevant here.
if you can wait, then ryzen 3000 is rumoured to shake the market up.

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apparently the midrange 3600x performs similarly, in cinebench to the i9 9900k which costs USD 499.
even if the prices end up as 10-20% more expensive, it's still miles cheaper than current offerings.

again, these are all rumours, so a large pinch of salt is required.
 
lol, just when i was about to finalise the spec :p A few years back i would have said 'but i want to play the games now :( so i'm buying' (enjoyed division 1 & looking forward to division 2 next month). Now, however, (hadn't really been aware of ryzen 3 until now: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-ryzen-3000-everything-we-know,38233.html looks very tempting if true - have i got that right? ryzen3 'potentially' 25% faster than the ryzen2 and competing with 9900k?

hmmm, in the cold light of day, since the more powerful the cpu, at a decent price, the better for me (especially with cpu video encoding) i think it probably will make sense for me to wait a few months. Yeah, i've read that ryzen 3 can be used in the same motherboard as ryzen 2, but why go through the hassle of changing cpu so soon.

Current pc has lasted me since early 2010, so waiting a few months for an improved cpu doesn't sound so bad (even with free games offer - games usually get discounted a few months later anyway). After seeing your reply & browsing the ryzen 3 thread: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/amd-zen-2-ryzen-3000.18825852/ pretty much sums up my current thinking: https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/posts/32485087

the rest of the specs fit what i'm after, so will keep this thread bookmarked & also keep an eye on the ryzen 3 thread, but yes, on reflection, think i might be kicking myself in a few months time if don't wait.

Thanks again.
 
have i got that right? ryzen3 'potentially' 25% faster than the ryzen2 and competing with 9900k?
potentially being the keyword here. at ces, amd showed that their amd 8 core was at around the same performance as the 9900k @4.7ghz all core.
how does that translate to gaming? no one knows for certain
but if amd increases their IPC and clockspeeds, it can be very competitive indeed.
and if prices are semi-accurate...well... :)
 
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