Returning To PC Gaming

[Clone_Jesus]

Hi all,

Hope everyone is doing well

I'm looking to pack up and sell the consoles and make a return to PC gaming. It's probably been around 15 years since I last bought a PC - so I've taken the time to do a bit of research online to understand what would suit my needs. I'm looking for something around the £1,000 mark. I'm not too worried about playing every game at 1440p - with absolutely flawless performance - however. I am looking for something decent that can comfortably handle the latest and new games over the next few years. I've put a build together below and i'm looking for some feedback if possible Thanks

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
ASUS Prime B550M-K B550 Chipset - USB 3.2 - Dual M.2 - Gen4 PCIe
32GB DDR4 3200Mhz
1TB NVME Drive
240GB SSD
NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4070 12GB
600W PSU EVGA 80+

 

[Tetras]

I'd change your spec as follows:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 5600G Six Core 3.9GHz (Socket AM4) APU with RX Vega Graphics - Retail (SKU: CP-3CW-AM) = £125.00
• 1 x Gigabyte B550M DS3H (AMD AM4) B550 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-5BR-GI) = £89.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 32GB (2x16GB) 3600 MHz AMD Ryzen Tuned DDR4 Memory Dual Kit (CMK32GX4M2Z3600C18) (SKU: MY-4CL-CS) = £79.99
• 1 x SAPPHIRE PULSE AMD Radeon™ RX 7800 XT Gaming Graphics Card with 16GB GDDR6, AMD RDNA™ 3 architecture (SKU: GRA-SPR-00764) = £499.99
• 1 x AMD - Starfield Radeon Game Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-00542) = £0.00
• 1 x WD Blue SN570 250GB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS250G3B0C) (SKU: HD-587-WD) = £22.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN570 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3B0C) (SKU: HD-589-WD) = £39.95
• 1 x AeroCool Trinity V2 Mini Tower PC Case - Black (SKU: CA-23J-AE) = £41.98
• 1 x Seasonic Focus GX-650 650W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-06V-SS) = £94.99

Total: £1,002.88 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

Swap the 5600G for 5600, if you can find one.

 

[Clone_Jesus]

I'd change your spec as follows:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 5600G Six Core 3.9GHz (Socket AM4) APU with RX Vega Graphics - Retail (SKU: CP-3CW-AM) = £125.00
• 1 x Gigabyte B550M DS3H (AMD AM4) B550 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-5BR-GI) = £89.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance LPX Black 32GB (2x16GB) 3600 MHz AMD Ryzen Tuned DDR4 Memory Dual Kit (CMK32GX4M2Z3600C18) (SKU: MY-4CL-CS) = £79.99
• 1 x SAPPHIRE PULSE AMD Radeon™ RX 7800 XT Gaming Graphics Card with 16GB GDDR6, AMD RDNA™ 3 architecture (SKU: GRA-SPR-00764) = £499.99
• 1 x AMD - Starfield Radeon Game Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-00542) = £0.00
• 1 x WD Blue SN570 250GB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS250G3B0C) (SKU: HD-587-WD) = £22.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN570 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3B0C) (SKU: HD-589-WD) = £39.95
• 1 x AeroCool Trinity V2 Mini Tower PC Case - Black (SKU: CA-23J-AE) = £41.98
• 1 x Seasonic Focus GX-650 650W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-06V-SS) = £94.99

Total: £1,002.88 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

Swap the 5600G for 5600, if you can find one.

Thanks for the reply Tetras. That's a good help. Will have a look on OcUK.

Just to help me understand - as I am a bit "out of the loop" (that is being generous haha) - Is it more beneficial spending the money on a better graphics card than the processer here? Was the Ryzen 7 processor essentially too much for my build and not beneficial?

 

[Tetras]

Was the Ryzen 7 processor essentially too much for my build and not beneficial?

For a 1K build my rule of thumb is a decent i5/Ryzen 5 (i5-12400F or Ryzen 5600) and then the best graphics card you can squeeze into the build. They're decent enough CPUs for anything up to a 4070/7800. When we get into 7900 XT or 4070 Ti/4080 territory, then I'd change to a 13600K (or higher) or Ryzen 5 7600 (or higher).

The 5800X I'm not keen on, because it is priced too close to a Ryzen 5 7500F or 7600 and it is better to be on AM5 if you have a budget that can stretch that far.

 

[Clone_Jesus]

Nice one, thanks again I'll have a look at the 7500/7600 on the AM5 and see how that works out price wise

 

[Clone_Jesus]

Hi Tetras,

I've re-jigged things a bit and looked at the AM5 with the 7600x. Seems like it would give me a bit more scope to "futureproof"? I've had to bring down the price of the graphics card to stay within budget though.

Anything that jumps out that looks out of place? Been quite enjoyable doing a bit of research and getting back up to speed! Thanks again

AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
Heatsink Fan
ASUS TUF A620M - Plus Wifi
32GB DDR5 5200Mhz
2TB NVMe
AMD RX 6700XT 12GB
750W PSU Gigabyte P750GM 80+ Gold Modular

 

[Tetras]

5200 is too slow for a non-X3D CPU, I'd get at least 5600, preferably 6000.

That PSU has a somewhat interesting history, which you can read more about here:

Gigabyte GP-P750GM Power Supply Review: Lacking the Explosive Character

Gigabyte's new GP-P750GM is less prone to fire, but still faces tough competition.

www.tomshardware.com

Personally, I still wouldn't buy an updated one (or any PSU with a 5 year warranty), but it is your call.

 

[Clone_Jesus]

5200 is too slow for a non-X3D CPU, I'd get at least 5600, preferably 6000.

That PSU has a somewhat interesting history, which you can read more about here:

Gigabyte GP-P750GM Power Supply Review: Lacking the Explosive Character

Gigabyte's new GP-P750GM is less prone to fire, but still faces tough competition.

www.tomshardware.com

Personally, I still wouldn't buy an updated one (or any PSU with a 5 year warranty), but it is your call.

Thanks Tetras.

Can comfortably go to 6000 - for some reason I had in my head that AM5 limit was 5200... which is obviously nonsense

The other PSU i was looking at was:

750W PSU - CORSAIR TX750M GOLD​

Corsair seem to get a better write up for PSUs?

 

[Tetras]

for some reason I had in my head that AM5 limit was 5200... which is obviously nonsense

No, you're correct, it is the limit (the stock limit)

750W PSU - CORSAIR TX750M GOLD

I didn't know they even made these anymore, but they're decent PSUs (with a 7 year warranty) *. The RMe is probably the modern equivalent, same warranty length, but fully modular.

* Review here:

Corsair TX-M Series 750 W Review

If you need a PSU with high build quality and don't care about the semi-modular cable design, or top-performance in all areas, the TX750M fits the bill. It uses better parts than the RM750 and is sold at about the same price. However, the RM750 provides notably higher overall performance, and...

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Clone_Jesus]

5200 is too slow for a non-X3D CPU, I'd get at least 5600, preferably 6000.

That PSU has a somewhat interesting history, which you can read more about here:

Gigabyte GP-P750GM Power Supply Review: Lacking the Explosive Character

Gigabyte's new GP-P750GM is less prone to fire, but still faces tough competition.

www.tomshardware.com

Personally, I still wouldn't buy an updated one (or any PSU with a 5 year warranty), but it is your call.

Hi Tetras,

I'm now thinking of going with the Ryzen 7 5800X 3D after reading some reviews on it. Overall it pushes by budget up - but all good.


Don't judge the white build please haha. My only concern was the cooling/RAM clearance here and whether the motherboard would be up to task?

Thanks

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 White 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler Asus PRIME B550M-A WIFI II Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Patriot P300 256 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Asus DUAL OC Radeon RX 6750 XT 12 GB Video Card Thermaltake S100 Snow Edition MicroATX Mini Tower Case MSI MPG A750GF WHITE 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply Thermalright TL-S12W 47.6 CFM 120 mm Fan x 2

 

[Tediore]

Hi Tetras,

I'm now thinking of going with the Ryzen 7 5800X 3D after reading some reviews on it. Overall it pushes by budget up - but all good.


Don't judge the white build please haha. My only concern was the cooling/RAM clearance here and whether the motherboard would be up to task?

Thanks

AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 White 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler Asus PRIME B550M-A WIFI II Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Patriot P300 256 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive Asus DUAL OC Radeon RX 6750 XT 12 GB Video Card Thermaltake S100 Snow Edition MicroATX Mini Tower Case MSI MPG A750GF WHITE 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply Thermalright TL-S12W 47.6 CFM 120 mm Fan x 2

This looks like a decent build, though there is no upgrade path from a 5800X3D and you may be better off with the AM5 option long term. The 5800X3D is on par with a 7600X/7700 or thereabouts.

I'd want at least 3600 MHz RAM on AM4.

The AM5 Asus Prime boards aren't well regarded. I don't know if that's the same for their AM4 boards.

I'd ditch the 6750 XT and either stretch to something better like a 6800 or stick to a 6700XT. The 6700 XT should be perfect for your use case and is a great 1440p card.

 

[Clone_Jesus]

Thanks Tediore.

Tetras mentioned with the 7600X then i may struggle with 5200Mhz stock ram when on an AM5? not too sure on the overclocking side of things if this would be the case.

 

[mickyflinn]

Thanks Tediore.

Tetras mentioned with the 7600X then i may struggle with 5200Mhz stock ram when on an AM5? not too sure on the overclocking side of things if this would be the case.

Your pc won't struggle it's just not ideal running at stock that's why there's xmp and expo to get the best out of it.

5600mhz is fine but 6000mhz cl 30 is optimal for AM5

 

[Clone_Jesus]

Your pc won't struggle it's just not ideal running at stock that's why there's xmp and expo to get the best out of it.

5600mhz is fine but 6000mhz cl 30 is optimal for AM5

Perfect - will look into xmp and expo Thanks again. Great help these forums

 

[mickyflinn]

Perfect - will look into xmp and expo Thanks again. Great help these forums

Have you got your parts list together yet ?

 

[Noughtboy]

BTW, stop using a 256GB SSD. For the extra £20 or so just go straight for 1TB

 

[Noughtboy]

You will get excellent bang for back here on the upgradeable AM5 platform here which should see you for good the next three years where you can upgrade the GPU as funds and needs dictate.

My basket at OcUK:

 1 x MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-375-MS) = £199.99
 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz  (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £218.99
 1 x AMD - Starfield Ryzen Game Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-00523) = £0.00
 1 x TeamGroup Delta RGB 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FF3D532G6000HC30DC01) (SKU: MY-0B8-TG) = £139.99
 1 x Phanteks Eclipse G300A Mid-Tower High Airflow PC Case - Black (SKU: CA-0C0-PT) = £64.99
 1 x Seagate FireCuda 520 2TB SSD PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive (ZP2000GV3A012) (SKU: HD-3EX-SE) = £95.00
 1 x Phanteks SK120 Black DRGB PWM Fan - 120mm (SKU: FG-02D-PT) = £7.99
 1 x MSI MAG A850GL 850W 80 Plus Gold ATX 3.0 PCIE5Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-012-MS) = £119.99
 1 x Alpenfohn Dolomit Advanced 120mm ARGB CPU Cooler - Black (SKU: HS-05V-AL) = £34.99
 1 x Asrock RX Radeon 6700 XT Challenger D 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-00X-AK) = £319.99
 1 x AMD - Starfield Radeon Game Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-00542) = £0.00

Total: £1,201.92 (includes delivery: £0.00)​
​

This is £1200 but you can sell one of your Starfield codes for £30-£40 and source a 7500F for about £185 overall saving you £65-£75. You could downgrade to a 750W Corsair to save an additional £10 if you want. That would bring you in about £1125.

 

[Tetras]

I'm now thinking of going with the Ryzen 7 5800X 3D after reading some reviews on it. Overall it pushes by budget up - but all good.

Can you share how much the build costs? Hard to comment (or make a rival spec) without that.

My only concern was the cooling/RAM clearance here and whether the motherboard would be up to task?

Thanks

The cooler is compatible I believe, the spec page for the case says max cooler height of 165mm, but I don't know about the board/ram clearance.

Motherboard: as mentioned above, the lower-end PRIME boards have a poor reputation, but the X3D is fairly low power draw, so I wouldn't worry too much.

 

[Clone_Jesus]

You will get excellent bang for back here on the upgradeable AM5 platform here which should see you for good the next three years where you can upgrade the GPU as funds and needs dictate.

My basket at OcUK:

1 x MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-375-MS) = £199.99
1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz  (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £218.99
1 x AMD - Starfield Ryzen Game Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-00523) = £0.00
1 x TeamGroup Delta RGB 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FF3D532G6000HC30DC01) (SKU: MY-0B8-TG) = £139.99
1 x Phanteks Eclipse G300A Mid-Tower High Airflow PC Case - Black (SKU: CA-0C0-PT) = £64.99
1 x Seagate FireCuda 520 2TB SSD PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive (ZP2000GV3A012) (SKU: HD-3EX-SE) = £95.00
1 x Phanteks SK120 Black DRGB PWM Fan - 120mm (SKU: FG-02D-PT) = £7.99
1 x MSI MAG A850GL 850W 80 Plus Gold ATX 3.0 PCIE5Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-012-MS) = £119.99
1 x Alpenfohn Dolomit Advanced 120mm ARGB CPU Cooler - Black (SKU: HS-05V-AL) = £34.99
1 x Asrock RX Radeon 6700 XT Challenger D 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-00X-AK) = £319.99
1 x AMD - Starfield Radeon Game Bundle (SKU: DIG-AMD-00542) = £0.00

Total: £1,201.92 (includes delivery: £0.00)​
​
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​

This is £1200 but you can sell one of your Starfield codes for £30-£40 and source a 7500F for about £185 overall saving you £65-£75. You could downgrade to a 750W Corsair to save an additional £10 if you want. That would bring you in about £1125.

Thanks Noughtboy. I think by the time i decide on my build i will need to upgrade my chosen CPU anyway

I think i have settled on the following:

AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor £219 (Starfield Bundle)

Thermalright Assassin King SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler - However the supplied 7600 stock cooler may suffice? £28

TEAMGROUP T-Force DELTAα RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL38 Memory £98

Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive £92

Kingston NV2 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive £38

Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card - or equivalent. Is there much difference between the selection of 6700XT 12GB cards? £320

Thermaltake S100 Snow Edition MicroATX Mini Tower Case £39

MSI MPG A750GF WHITE 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply £110

Thermalright TL-S12W 47.6 CFM 120 mm Fan £7

MSI PRO B650M-A WIFI Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard - Would i be fine on this rather than the Tomahawk? £165


Total of approx £1,116

 

[Tetras]

However the supplied 7600 stock cooler may suffice? £28

It does suffice for gaming, but the stealth isn't great, these are hot running CPUs and it gets very toasty under full load *. The 7700 non-X has the prism which is much better.

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq_C6pPpJIk

Kingston NV2 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive £38

Would recommend you swap to the SN570.

The 1TB version is rated for only 320 TB written and has a 3 year warranty, whereas the SN570 is rated for 600 TB written and has a 5 year warranty. It (NV2) also has a high likelihood of being QLC in this capacity.