New PC for photo editing and light gaming

DB_SamX

DB_SamX

DB_SamX

Soldato
Joined
17 Feb 2006
Posts
8,963
Location
Winchester
My current PC is from 2010 and although I have upgraded it over the years, it just cannot keep up with modern photo editing software or games. I am looking to spend around £1k on best value for money PC I can buy off-the-shelf, or customised. I don't think I am still up to date these days to build it from scratch myself. I only play Age of Empires 2 DE, and not much else, and Lightroom a few times a year, so I don't need anything top end.

I already have two SSDs which I'll use as secondary storage, 2 monitors, kb and mouse, etc.

I think I want the following:
i5 13600k or better
32GB DDR4 3600Mhz or better
NVIDIA 3060 GPU or better
2TB Samsung EVO 970 or better
Not fussed on type of case, power, cooling, etc.

Any suggestions?
THis is close, but not quite. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ocuk-gaming-pyrite-gaming-pc-intel-core-i5-11400f-nvidia-rtx-3060-gaming-fs-1eh-og.html?configurator_state_form[slots][413321]
The sku =XX-02B-IN&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413322][SKU]=MY-0AJ-TG&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413323][SKU]=GX-1FH-GI&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][414045][SKU]=HD-24P-SA&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][414044][SKU]=&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413315][SKU]=&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413316][SKU]=SW-18N-MS&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[_TOKEN]=56D.ASYH_WKXZI-IX3NSYFC3YDIQICJP2QWAMASLDNZHGAW.C6SUTRJCDE7ZLBFCBARSUF_LAHECUD1CDCJJN-IMKEY2G1WVUVUV2RYJJG&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[GROUPKEY]=[/URL] was not found
 
Last edited:
Overclockers will charge you about £100 to £150 for a custom build why don't you put a build together and get them to make it.

Something like this.

My basket at OcUK:

Total: £1,272.85 (includes delivery: £11.98)​



​
 
Intel Core i5-13600K (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail
CP-6AV-IN
£330 (incl. VAT)
£260 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard
MB-37M-MS
£130 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
Corsair RMe Series RM850e Fully Modular Low-Noise ATX Power Supply v2 (CP-9020263-UK)
CA-27N-CS
£125 (incl. VAT)
£105 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
TeamGroup Vulcan 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLBD532G5600HC36BDC01)
MY-0BB-TG
£90 (incl. VAT)
£80 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
Kolink Umbra EX180 ARGB CPU Cooler - 120mm
HS-000-KK
£33 (incl. VAT)
£20 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-Bit DVD - OEM (KW9-00632)
SW-18J-MS
£120 (incl. VAT)
£108 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
This is the closest I could get to your requested spec for 1K:

My basket at OcUK:

Total: £968.88 (includes delivery: £7.99)​
 
Intel Core i5-12600K 3.70GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail
CP-69X-IN
£240 (incl. VAT)
£170 (incl. VAT)
FREE DELIVERY
Find out more
Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C18 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CMK32GX4M2D3600C18)
MY-4D1-CS
£71 (incl. VAT)
£60 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
AeroCool Trinity V2 Mini Tower PC Case - Black
CA-23J-AE
£42 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
Thanks both. Having looked and tried a few configurations, I'm also struggling to get my ideal spec under £1k. Will have a think if i increase my budget, as well as if I build it myself. I won't look to upgrade until November.
 
Speaking to my brother this week, he thinks I can kust upgrade my current set up, keeping my case (Lian Li PC7FB), PSU (OCZ Fatal1ty 750 W), hard drives and fans. If I can, this would be my target:

Your Order

1 X Intel Core i5-13600K (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail - £299.99
SKU: CP-6AV-IN
1 X MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard - £149.99
SKU: MB-37M-MS
1 X MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X OC 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £278.98
SKU: GX-374-MS
1 X Samsung 980 Pro 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive - £129.95
SKU: HD-24P-SA
1 X Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-Bit DVD - OEM (KW9-00632) - £109.99
SKU: SW-18J-MS
1 X Corsair Vengeance EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-41600C40 5200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK32GX5M2B5200Z40) - £99.95
SKU: MY-4DP-CS
Grand Total: £1,076.84

I've picked from recommendations above, but could probably keep an eye on sales, etc for similar equivalent components. Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
DB_SamX said:
Speaking to my brother this week, he thinks I can kust upgrade my current set up, keeping my case (Lian Li PC7FB), PSU (OCZ Fatal1ty 750 W), hard drives and fans. If I can, this would be my target:

Your Order

1 X Intel Core i5-13600K (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail - £299.99
SKU: CP-6AV-IN
1 X MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard - £149.99
SKU: MB-37M-MS
1 X MSI GeForce RTX 3060 Ventus 2X OC 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £278.98
SKU: GX-374-MS
1 X Samsung 980 Pro 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive - £129.95
SKU: HD-24P-SA
1 X Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-Bit DVD - OEM (KW9-00632) - £109.99
SKU: SW-18J-MS
1 X Corsair Vengeance EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-41600C40 5200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK32GX5M2B5200Z40) - £99.95
SKU: MY-4DP-CS
Grand Total: £1,076.84

I've picked from recommendations above, but could probably keep an eye on sales, etc for similar equivalent components. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
You could save £100 by installing windows yourself and picking up a cheap key or reusing a win 10 key if you already have one and upgrading it to win 11.
 
DB_SamX said:
My current PC is from 2010 and although I have upgraded it over the years, it just cannot keep up with modern photo editing software or games. I am looking to spend around £1k on best value for money PC I can buy off-the-shelf, or customised. I don't think I am still up to date these days to build it from scratch myself. I only play Age of Empires 2 DE, and not much else, and Lightroom a few times a year, so I don't need anything top end.

I already have two SSDs which I'll use as secondary storage, 2 monitors, kb and mouse, etc.

I think I want the following:
i5 13600k or better
32GB DDR4 3600Mhz or better
NVIDIA 3060 GPU or better
2TB Samsung EVO 970 or better
Not fussed on type of case, power, cooling, etc.

Any suggestions?
THis is close, but not quite. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ocuk-gaming-pyrite-gaming-pc-intel-core-i5-11400f-nvidia-rtx-3060-gaming-fs-1eh-og.html?configurator_state_form[slots][413321]
The sku =XX-02B-IN&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413322][SKU]=MY-0AJ-TG&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413323][SKU]=GX-1FH-GI&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][414045][SKU]=HD-24P-SA&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][414044][SKU]=&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413315][SKU]=&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[SLOTS][413316][SKU]=SW-18N-MS&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[_TOKEN]=56D.ASYH_WKXZI-IX3NSYFC3YDIQICJP2QWAMASLDNZHGAW.C6SUTRJCDE7ZLBFCBARSUF_LAHECUD1CDCJJN-IMKEY2G1WVUVUV2RYJJG&CONFIGURATOR_STATE_FORM[GROUPKEY]=[/URL] [/QUOTE] HAVE YOU CONSIDERED A MAC MINI WITH AN M1 OR M2 CHIP? THEY ARE POSSIBLE TO PICK UP FOR AROUND £500 IF YOU GO USED ROUTE AND WOULD BE VERY TOUGH TO BEAT FOR THAT USE CASE AND PRICE. YOU COULD PLAY AGE OF EMPIRES I BELIEVE VIA PARALLELS ON THEM. ( [URL]HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=35-JWSMKEKM[/URL] ) was not found
Click to expand...
 
sHo0sH said:
Have you considered a Mac mini with an M1 or M2 chip? They are possible to pick up for around £500 if you go used route and would be very tough to beat for that use case and price.
You could play age of empires I believe via parallels on them. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35-JWsmKEKM )
Click to expand...
No, going Mac doesn't tempt me at all, but thanks for the suggestion.
 
 
Intel Core i5-14600K (Raptor Lake-S) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail
PRO-INT-00802
£320 (incl. VAT)
£230 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
TeamGroup Vulcan EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C40 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLABD532G5600HC40BDC01)
MY-0B3-TG
£90 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
MSI B760 Gaming Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard
MB-37M-MS
£130 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
DB_SamX said:
Presume everything is compatible?
Click to expand...
You have EXPO RAM with an Intel system, I would get the XMP kit.

If you're expecting to use the drive in slot 1 (below the CPU), I'd get the version without the heatsink, or the SN850X which is on offer, because the board already has one for that slot.
 
Tetras said:
You have EXPO RAM with an Intel system, I would get the XMP kit.

If you're expecting to use the drive in slot 1 (below the CPU), I'd get the version without the heatsink, or the SN850X which is on offer, because the board already has one for that slot.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I forgot yet again about the Ram and I'll get the non heatsink version !
 
Pleased to report that I purchased the parts during Black Friday and built this with my brother after Christmas and it's been such an improvement obviously.

MSI B760 Gaming Plus mobo = £130 after cashback
i5-14600k = £310
Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB 6000Mhz CL36 = £97
Crucial P5 Plus 2TB NVMe = £91
Thermalright PS120SE cooler = Free! (I purchased it for £34, then the price dropped to £30 within a few days. When I asked the retailer for a refund of the difference, they told me they couldn't do that, but would just refund me the whole amount!)
Windows 11 Pro = £6 (I was going to re-use my existing Windows 10 key as an upgrade, but I messed up because it was only Home edition and the license wasn't valid)

Total = £634.

I am using my existing case, PSU, fans and other HD as mentioned above, and old GTX 1080 8GB. I'll eventually upgrade to a 3xxx or 4xxx card. Looking for a new mouse now, because my old but trusty Logitech G5 isn't being recognised by Windows 11 properly and it's no longer supported by Logitech's own software so I can't configure the sensitivity and extra buttons. :(
 
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