New Build Approx. £2500 Budget

PhilipOmnis

PhilipOmnis

PhilipOmnis

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Hello,

I put a post up a while ago regarding getting a build, however had to wait due to financial restrictions. I'm now in a good place and looking to get the best I can for approximately £2500. I'm willing to be flexible if a couple of extra hundred is worth the plunge. I do not currently have a monitor that would do this build justice however I'm intending to wait until a later date to get this unless it's really worth looking into now.

I'm looking for the highest end possible for the budget, capable of gaming and streaming. I also do video-editing as well. Ideally looking to future-proof myself as this will probably be the last purchase until I'm old and frail.

I'm not sure if this is the correct place for posting this, and I have also excluded from the budget having it assembled by the Overclockers team, as this is something I'd like to do rather than home-assembly.

Many thanks for your time, friends.
 

PhilipOmnis

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Firstly you guys have been awesomely helpful, thank you so much! I honestly don't know which to choose from! I had a quick query, and this is probably an extremely dumb question, but if I could afford to, is the upgrade from a 2080 Super to a Ti worth it? I'll definitely be buying a monitor to go with the rig, but I'm looking at waiting 'til around Black Friday/Christmas time to do this so that I can concentrate on getting the most out of the build right now.

Again, thank you so much guys. I don't even know where to start with picking out of your options but you've all been insanely helpful.
 

PhilipOmnis

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After a long hard look, I think I'm going to go for @tamzzy 's build. I'm still unsure about this Ti shenanigans as I can find it for between £1000 to £1100 online and am confused if it is worth the extra push budget wise. Secondly, with some items now out-of-stock, should I wait for a re-stock or find alternatives?

Many thanks all.
 

PhilipOmnis

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tamzzy said:
your long hard look took too long :( missed quite a few deals along the way, unfortuntately.
Click to expand...

I'm a bit naive when it comes to these things so didn't realise I'd need to take action so fast! Everything keeps fluctuating between being out of stock as well, further confusing my simple mind.

I think the build I'm going to go for is:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £2,442.61 (includes shipping: £14.70)
​




Unfortunately I'll have to swap out the original recommended SSDs as they're currently out of stock (any immediate recommendations please do let me know as again, no idea what I'm doing XD), and the 2080Ti is on pre-order for the 16th.
I've also opted for your original motherboard choice @tamzzy as I do not require Wi-Fi at all (running ethernet for the best speeds from my fibre-optic provider) so unless there's any other reasons I'll stick with this one. Honestly I'm such a novice I've really appreciated everyone's help.
 

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Plec said:
What monitor will you be using with this build?

Money could be saved on the memory if you didn't want RGB (better quality too) plus the PSU, although no denying the quality. Plus, a quality air cooler has less points of failure and will cool just as effectively if you hadn't considered this option - but nothing wrong with the AIO. And, needless to say, that 2080Ti is very expensive/wasted unless considering 4K immediately.

I would also consider a better (silent) case for such a premium build e.g.:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
​
Click to expand...

Taking recommendations but saving the monitor until later this year, I can either divert some budget to it now and call it a day or build the rig now and deal with the monitor in the festive season (when I have some more cash =P). I definitely had 4K in mind, but as you said, could be wasted. Thanks for your recommendations. I've never worked with AIO before, so if you have any recommendations on the air cooler I'll look into it. I'm not too worried about value if the quality of RGB is better (I've not looked into this but will do) and the same with the PSU. Basically I won't be upgrading for some time but am looking to spend the money while I have it.
 

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tamzzy said:
what is your budget and when exactly are you going to buy?
Click to expand...

I'm literally poised to buy as soon as. I've just got life biting me in the rear at the moment so I needed an hour to just put it all together and submit it to the correct part of the forum (I keep meaning to ask, where do I drop my build to discuss them putting it together?)

I'm prioritising performance over bling, so I'm glad to swap out the RAM for higher quality lower decoration. I'm aiming for £2500, however if an extra £100/£200 would make a meaningful difference anywhere I can put the money together. Also @Plec thanks for all your help too!

It looks like you guys aren't over-enamored by the 2080Ti unless I have more cash than I know what to do with, so perhaps a 2080 Super (I know you're not all convinced by them but I have the money if the performance is justifiable) is a wiser choice.

I can submit this tomorrow or Friday if there's something I'm happy with however I feel very out-of-my-depth with some aspects of the discussion (swapping out SSDs making sure I'm getting the right quality ones, getting the RAM recommended by @Plec if not direct from Overclockers Website and overclocking myself etc).

Also love the chatting vibe going on here despite having no idea what you're all talking about :D
 

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@tamzzy

Hey bud, apologies I didn't respond sooner, it didn't alert me. Also sorry if it wasn't clear but yes, intend to get OC to build it. I am able to install certain elements later myself if required e.g. SSD etc but ideally I'd like to just get it done in one sitting for warranty's sake and for the overclocking that they do (presuming that's still a thing? Last build I got from here was 8 years ago so my memory is a little off).

EDIT:

Thanks for the breakdown btw. Hasn't helped my decision much but at least made it clearer! Makes the 2080 Super not as good value for money but still better performance. I suppose I could consider going for the 2070 super, and then saving that money toward upgrading in the future.
 
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PhilipOmnis

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tamzzy said:
hmmm...just had a look at ocuk's prices again. i really don't think i can, in good conscience, recommend a full build to be built by ocuk currently.
prices are being gouged to hell and back. by £200 or more when compared to shopping for the best deals online...and i haven't factored the build cost into it yet - which is usually in the region of £100-150
Click to expand...

Hey bud, thanks for the message. That's a real pain. I did factor in the build cost outside of my budget, meaning that it doesn't affect what we've discussed so far. I may entertain the idea of fully building myself, but I don't have a dedicated space or toolkit for doing so. Also dread the thought of having to wait for individual parts to arrive (area is notorious for "Wasn't home" cards being shoved through the letterbox). Does OCUK fluctuate often or can I expect this to be the standard for the next month or so?
 

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@orbitalwalsh Do it to which part? =P If you are enthusiastic for Plec's build, I'll give it another look over. Maybe swap the 2070 for a 2080 Super 'cause why not. Along with grabbing the RAM it'll push me over my budget but that's with the addition of the monitor. Would OCUK do a partial build if I didn't include something like RAM? Almost seems daft to pay for a build that's not complete :D

EDIT: There was a sneaky ninja edit I see in there! Not sure what you mean by 'MASTER' unless you're referring to @Plec being one (which I'm sure there's no debate).
 

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tamzzy said:
okay. maybe i neglected to add that one would also need a brain, a functioning set of eyes and two hands (with 2 thumbs and fingers that work) too...
(and maybe youtube if it is one's first time building)

otherwise, yes, all you actually do need, is a screwdriver :p
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Possible to squeeze a brain into my current budget? Any recommendations for YouTube videos? While I'd rather have it all done for me neatly in a bow, I'll entertain the idea =P If I do go for a build, I suppose I should start shopping around as well. Any recommendations regarding guides for overclocking as well? I know we're going into entirely different territory I'm just feeling somewhat overwhelmed :D
 

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tamzzy said:
think of it as saving ~£300. that's more than enough for a night out with strippers your mates
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I don't even...

Okay, so I'll bite on buying as I've just looked elsewhere as a first glance. Could get the build recommended by @orbitalwalsh with some minor changes. £2136.89.

That build is:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £2,070.82 (includes shipping: £15.90)
​



Also includes Crucial Ballistix Sport LT 32GB 3200MHz RAM (not on OC to add to basket.)

So a saving of approx. £120 on parts. £100/£150 on labor instead of OCUK building for me. And free delivery on all parts.

No CPU Thermal Paste is included, any recommendations on that one as I've never dealt with that before either.
 

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orbitalwalsh said:
thats just finding every ounce of FPS - if your got the budget great - downside is you cant slap in intels next line of 10 core CPUs in a few year- though doubt you will. AMD AM4 platform, yes you could chuck in a 16+ core ryzen 4*** in a few years time , but like intel 2021 will need a new motherboard socket. To be honest both intel and amd 8 core will last a GOOD few years!!!!

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £2,534.77 (includes shipping: £15.90)
​

ditch the white PSU- now full price and 7 yr warranty - too expensive

again, intel is chasing FPS - not the best value - well X570 isnt a value board . worth shifting through some gaming benchmarks for what you play and plan to play !

i'd be happy with either 9700k or 3700x !!! actually changing my 2700 non X at 4ghz to 3600X as i need better core speed then cores
Click to expand...

Did you just...spec another build. I love you guys, lol.

Having spent the last 5 years glad to get more than 20 FPS on some games (don't ask me how I coped) I'm interested in chasing FPS, not just best value (hence the contemplation of a 2080Ti). I'm just not exactly made of money and can afford the extra cost if it is justifiable. Did you sub out some parts to make that build affordable and forgive my complete ignorance on PSUs, is it not worth the extra £100 for what I get from the white one?
 

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Plec said:
Orbi, this was a clean, wholesome family-friendly thread (ignoring @tamzzy's impote memory problems) - and then in you come with your blue bag of confusion :D

@tamzzy - do you think @PhilipOmnis's head would pop if i @'ed ESAT right now? ^^^ :D


He did - and it's pure Orbi MORE power :D
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My head is literally already popping. Anarchy. Pure anarchy. @orbitalwalsh - I'm presuming if I'm just burning money for the sake of it at this point, putting a 2080Ti in your first spec is acceptable and the more powerful of the two, yes? My initial idea was to spend £2500 on a rig. No monitor, just a flat £2500 for the rig. Swapping out the PSU from my last quoted build would put me at £2036. Bearing in mind we're now discussing monitors I wouldn't mind the extra £££s to spare, however I had full intention of spending that on the rig; so 2080Ti is plausible. A "Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2080 Ti TURBO 11G" is floating for around £1040, putting my total cost at approx. £2336 if I swapped the Super for a Ti.

EDIT: @Plec - Frankly one of the reasons I hadn't intended to do so straight away was because I wasn't entirely sure. Unhelpfully for you, I'm happy to take recommendations. This will probably be the only time in my life I can appreciate the 'premium' experience so I'm intending on making it what it's worth, but with a Ti it certainly puts me toward the end of my budget. I'd gladly get something that does it justice, but there would be no more frivolous purchases at that point, it would be best value for money on what to get that makes full use of it.

Apologies for any incoherence. Between the sleep deprivation of the manflu I'm experiencing and the current confusion from this thread, I'm not much use to anyone.
 

PhilipOmnis

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orbitalwalsh said:
@PhilipOmnis

what @Plec runs...

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £2,565.49 (includes shipping: £12.60)
​

yes, 2080 ti is an animal ! 2080 super needed to be more powerful and should have been a cut down 2080ti chip, not full 2080 chip as there is still a good jump between the two !

but... it still could happen if AMD makes a break for 2080/2080ti performance next year.


JUST DONT FORGET TO REGISTER 4 YR WARRANTY (extra UK year with Gaming OC)

turbo card... will drive you nuts ! unless you water cool it!!!! or slap on AIO GPU kit !

should have been 2.5 slot and wider width

also, @Plec
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1LiuUGio2T/
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You'll have to forgive my ignorance, what's the difference between a turbo and other more expensive models?

tamzzy said:
probably


many ways to skin a cat, so to speak


don't know how i feel about 9700k, it's 8 cores with no hyperthreading, whereas the 3700x is 8 cores WITH hyperthreading. yes 9700k is great if you're chasing down every last FPS for the system, but i suspect 3700x would age better.
no rights or wrongs with this one. only speculation.


BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, if we're heading that way, @orbitalwalsh might as well just spec the 9900k lol :p



you don't need to spend that much tbh. £2500 on a whole system (ie inc peripherals etc) is more than sufficient. what you'll see is actually less bang for buck as you climb the performance tree.
it's probably more value if you buy a decent system now (ie not top end), and upgrade in in a few years time
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Oh goodness, I honestly don't know when you put it like that. Does it mostly come down to CPU and GPU at this point for 'not top end'? Perhaps squeezing FPS may not be a big deal if I have to think seriously about upgrading in the future. That and making space for the monitor. I think I might need to save this budget it and put it toward a hair transplant at the rate we're going =P
 

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Plec said:
I need more 2Tb drives (but not at present prices) and you RGB'd me!!! (And a 2070Super will suffice :p)


Agree with this on the whole - we will spend your money (Well, Orbi will spend that and more) - but without that screen spec we could be doing you a disservice (i.e. over speccing/spending). Especially, as we could be looking to save money in areas (that PSU) to get you a more immersive experience with a better panel (still doesn't have to be 4k).

Do you have an example panel size that you're thinking of - 27", 32" ULTRA wide - you may be restricted in size due to space which again may regulate/structure of the spec.
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Space is no issue, I'm used to playing on a variety of screens. I use my PC on an old 19" monitor at this point since it's for work rather than gaming, and my gaming console on a 42" 4K TV, so I am comfortable with just about anything. Immersive experience sounds on par with what I would be interested in. While I'm all for size, I know 24"/27" is generally agreed as a good size for gaming but I'm pretty flexible if you think one size is better. Sorry to be so indecisive about these things!

@tamzzy Another build? Are you mad Sir? =P I'm fine for peripherals however I could probably do with a new keyboard/mouse if you recommend that set. At this point I'm starting to get fuller image of what is generally being recommended. If I'm going full u-turn and building myself, then I'm not too worried about shopping all parts from OCUK. Out of interest, is there a benefit of running a 2TB SSD vs two 1TB ones as previously speccd (I know they're out of stock on OCUK atm.)
 

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tamzzy said:
well it's only a tweak on what i've previously suggested. :) so not really a full "new" spec per se


correct i've specced a 2tb ssd precisely because the 1tb version is out of stock (and also more expensive - at ocuk)
depends on how you see it, some people like to segregate their data, some won't.
1 drive = all data lost if it fails
2 drives = half data lost if it fails, but double the chance of failure since there's 2 drives involved
(but as always, backup, backup, backup)

so much of a muchness really.
i guess also with 2 drives, one can run RAID, but not really needed for your usage scenario.
Click to expand...

Another layman question coming up. Difference between the SSDs you've specc'd and the Teamgroup 1TB one? I'm just staring at numbers on paper at this point while watching your handy YouTube videos on self-building.
 

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tamzzy said:
the corsair mp510 is an nvme m.2 ssd
teamgroup 1tb is a sata 3 2.5 inch ssd

nvme is approx 6x as fast as sata 3 - in sequential read (and sometimes write) speeds - although in real world loads, this isn't as impressive and there's little difference between nvme and sata3 except when hammering the storage subsystem (eg 4k video editing or same drive file copying)
m.2 is a newer form factor that looks like a stick of chewing gum and fits right onto the motherboard. so no extra wires/connectors like there are to connect a 2.5 inch drive

of course you can get a sata3 m.2 drive - but kinda pointless as they are near enough the same price as a nvme m.2 drive
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Considering cabling is a little bit daunting for a novice, less is good. For the reference of everyone who's taken the time to help out. Firstly thank you, you're all awesome. Secondly; given that I'm now opting to build myself, I will be buying the parts over this weekend in preparation for building next week. If there's any useful tools or resources anyone would recommend (one video suggested twist ties for cable management) I would love you all dearly. Still unsure on the final build as you've all given me loads to think about, but I'm getting there. Looking at potentially the X570 Elite. 3700x CPU, 2080 Super (still on the fence but feel like I ought to at least be a little frivolous), ballistix LT Sport 32GB, 2x 960gb SSD NVMe M.2. - the remaining paraphernalia I feel like is mostly semantics and so will put them up with my final build.

Thanks again for all your help, everyone. If you ever find yourself near my local the pints are on me.
 

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Plec said:
If I was starting afresh - with your budget of ~£2500+ my essentials would be:

  • 3700X (ignoring INTEL for simplicity sake - plus i would anyway)
  • X570 Gigabyte (Elite makes sense with cash back)
  • 2070 SUPER
  • 32GB Crucial Ballistix Sport LT
  • SSD - NVMe within budget but 2TB 2 x 1Tb (would be happy with MX500 to put £100 towards other component)
  • Quality Gold rated 750W
  • Decent silent orientated AIR cooler (like i said i'm bias)
  • Solid case (silent orientated - but again depends on your preferences)
  • And an IPS panel over TN 1440p - personally i would stretch the budget for IPS (again personal preference - as i dislike TN and you have the means to get a quality panel)
EDIT: And a philips to go with your screwdriver - and lots of zip ties.

*Pick apart each component and ask what you want out of it and you should be able to narrow down your spec. AIO may be more your liking, relative silence may not be an issue, you may want 4K but we've bamboozled you out of it...
Click to expand...

A lovely list.

Motherboard sounds good; CPU sounds good; GPU, we've back-pedaled to a 2070 Super now? =P; RAM sounds good, SSD I'm not worried about the extra £100 would rather stick to the NVMe; plenty of PSUs already suggested so good there; I'm unfamiliar with AIO and how to maintain them so happy to stick with air cooler as well; think you suggested a silent case earlier that I'm happy with.

If I'm being honest I'm still not quite sure what it is I want, but as long as I can stream, edit my videos/media and game to the highest acceptable quality then I have no qualms.

With regards to monitors, no clue so will have to look into what's what (no clue with all the technical jargon you're using).

Also for the record I feel utterly bamboozled. :D
 

PhilipOmnis

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orbitalwalsh said:
Apologies, had to take me daughter for hip x-ray , was a superstar.

@tamzzy honestly couldn't go 9900k . 9700k is their poster boy even if they do banish it to the back of the line .
@PhilipOmnis , AMD version of Hyper threading is actually a lot better then Intel's. This is shown by the fact Intel's 9700k 8 core 8 thread beats the previous 8700k 6 cores and 12 threads. As a rule, more cores are better then threads , but AMD is on a steam role. Rumors of 3 threads to one core with next ryzen could be a Destroyer !!!!

Also, the Turbo card is a blower style cooling unit. Loud and hot, other brands and versions are opened fan design so more fans and cooler/quieter .

Also, push the Aorus 1440p monitor if you can and looking for IPS . Nice screen ! Couldn't go back to TN panel due to colour

I also see we've gone from £2500 2080ti and 1440p monitor to 2070super... ;( But ! You've also saved money ! And sense ! Haha

But I'm liking the 32GB, if your like @tamzzy and love Cities Skylines, well needed !!!
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No apologies needed, hope everything went okay with the x-ray. Thanks for clarifying on the Turbo, and the CPU stuff. I'll look into those monitors though it's not as pressing (don't need the monitor for actual assembly). Also, we have time for me to have a crisis of finance and buy the Ti ;P

Also, Cities Skylines is banging so yes, 32GB will be a welcome addition.
 
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