New system - help with finalisation, please

Aquilea

Aquilea

Aquilea

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Joined
10 Feb 2020
Posts
6
Hello (first time poster here!) :)

I am finally ready to send my i7-920 (including NEC 24wmgx3 monitor) into retirement and have put together the below specs for a new system.
My brain is in a mess from reading & watching too many reviews, so some sanity from here would be very much appreciated. :)

I have set myself a budget of about £2,000 for the PC, but there is a little wriggle room if necessary.

Games (RPG, space sim, strategy) will be the main use for the PC, with some photo editing as well.

I am hesitating between choosing 3800X / RTX 2070 Super or 3900X / Radeon 5700xt. I don't mind upgrading the GPU later on but would prefer to have a mobo & CPU that will last me a good while. So I suppose that would give the 3900X the nod... :D

(For my new screen, Dell's AW3420dw is my favourite.)


My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £1,841.82 (includes shipping: £15.90)
​
 
Thanks a lot @lee32uk and @orbitalwalsh !
I was ready to order and now you made me think very hard! :eek: I am grateful for your suggestions.

The Elite mobo doesn't have WiFi afaik, so I suppose I need an adapter? Or is there an alternative with WiFi?

The AOC screen wasn't on my radar, will look into it but that sounds like a nice way to fit more hardware into the PC!

Very tempted by the 2080 TI, although that is a lot of money for a GPU. It should last me a long time I suppose.

So the 2070 super wouldn't be enough for either AOC or Alienware screen?
I was prepared to step up to a faster CPU but hadn't thought about the GPU.

I was planning to have the PC built by OC as I have never done it before. Thinking about it now, during it's life I have replaced GPU, PSU, RAM and all hard drives of my current PC myself (although not at once). So I guess that is 50% there? ;)
So perhaps I should tackle the challenge as you all on these forums make it sound straightforward enough.
 
Since I want to replace my monitor at the same time I might as well get a combination that will last me a while (had my NEC for 11 years).

I had a pretty tough time last year and want to treat myself. So will see how far I can stretch. :D
And agree re. prices... I know new cards are coming out in the summer but there will always be a new thing just round the corner.

What about the CPU? The 3700X will be fine with the 2080ti and the rest of the spec, right?

And one more question:
If I did go with the 2080ti, would air-cooling still be ok or would I need water-cooling for sure?
 
I think I need to be slightly sensible and say NO to the 2080ti. :rolleyes:
If I go "down" to an 2080 super I can afford the Alienware screen after all (don't start tempting me with 43" :D). I don't need to run everything on ultra (esp. compared to what I am used to).

I can stretch to the Aorus Ultra, or is there another mobo in that price range that is better?

And you are right, eSport is not for me, so 3700X will be fine.

One really silly question..
As the PC won't have a CD drive - how do I install Windows? I suppose Google has the answer but if there is any pitfall I should be aware of please advise. ;)
 
Thanks for all the help!
I am swamped with work and non-computer real life today. :rolleyes:
Will rethink my options and decide what my priorities are. 2080 super sadly not really a compromise between 2070 super and ti. And I don't want to skimp on a mobo, either.

I am edging towards building the PC myself (would be the first one)... That would save some money - if not nerves - and perhaps allow me to stretch to a ti after all? Temptation, temptation...

So reading & watching tutorials at the moment.
I never knew there were so many different thermal pastes! :eek:
 
Right, I am nearly there. :D

As this will be my first build (slightly worried but excited, too), I would prefer components that are working "out of the box" and are not too taxing for the novice.
I don't mind if this means spending a bit more.

  • Phanteks P600s
  • Ryzen 3700X
  • beQuiet! Dark Rock Pro 4
  • Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master
  • Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Aorus
  • Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-29200C18 3600MHz
  • Corsair MP510 960GB
  • Corsair RM750I 750W '80 PLUS GOLD'

The things I remain torn over are:
  • Cheaper motherboard (Asus TUF X570)?
  • Slightly more expensive motherboard (Crosshair VIII Hero - but w/o wifi)?
    I have the money so don't mind spending more for a board that has everything and keeps me happy for a long time to come.
  • Slightly bonkers 2080 super (MSI 2080 Super Gaming X Trio)?
    Just because I am unsure if the 2070 super is enough for the ultrawide
  • Or.... go nuts and get the 2080 ti! Even with the cheaper TUF mobo it would cost £500 more overall than my "vanilla list" above. :p
    I am not knowledgeable enough to understand if anything approaching its performance (but less costly) is on the horizon...

(Just ordered the screen and there is a £150 cashback offer... so the 2080 ti would only be 350 more if I went with the TUF!! :D:confused:)

Any thoughts welcome!
 
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