Second machine build for some basic 1080p gaming

masto

masto

masto

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Joined
29 Apr 2012
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120
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Sevenoaks
Hi,

My son has been hogging my main PC recently - playing Overwatch, HotS, and Diablo 3. I'd like to build him something of his own that's going to be capable of running these games and similar with decent quality at 1080p, but without spending a fortune (I'm aiming to keep this to around £800).

The case and PSU are there for future upgrades (plus I let him choose a case that he liked). The graphics card will be replaced down the line once he either starts playing more demanding titles, or we make the move to 1440p. Decided to go Ryzen as it seems to offer better value these days, and AM4 should be around long enough to allow us to upgrade if needed.

I've got a spare 256GB SSD, 24" monitor, keyboard/mouse, and Windows license I can use for this build, so am just looking at the following:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £818.20
(includes shipping: £12.30)



​



I tossed up going for a 1500x rather than the 1600 as it's marginally faster without any OC, but figured the extra cores would be better in the long run.

I've got a few questions I'm hoping someone can comment on:

I couldn't get an exact match on the memory in the board support list, but am hoping it'll run at 2933. Will there be any clearance issues with the cooler, and should I go for Corsair LP DIMMs instead?

I've seen people having issues booting with earlier BIOS versions on AM4 boards. Do you think I can expect the board to come with a relatively new BIOS (needs F4 or above for Ryzen 5) so I can boot this without having to send it back to be flashed?

Any alternative graphics cards that are in stock that you'd recommend over what I've chosen?

Any comments before I click checkout?

Thanks!
Mark
 
You should get a GTX 1060 6GB. 3GB is already short for some titles @ 1080p.

3200MHz RAM is also available for about £5 more.

I'd get a better quality PSU. This one has 10 years warranty:

My basket at Overclockers UK:




BIOS compatibility with Ryzen 5/3 is a bit of pot luck, although recently the feedback from buyers has been good. Recommend you try just one RAM stick in every slot till it boots, and update the BIOS. If that doesn't work then ask Gigabyte to collect it and update it for you. OcUK can also do this but only if you post it back to them.​
 
Cheers for the recommendations, Danny75. Will go with that PSU instead. Good shout on the 3200 memory. The red LED version is a bit more expensive, but might get that to match the board.

I shouldn't really have been trying to cut corners on the gfx card, and you've confirmed that. That's a good price for a 6GB 1060 but I've not used a single fan card for decades though... how is the noise going to be on something like that? I'm currently using a 6GB Strix OC 1060 with three fans, which is relatively quiet. I might just blow the budget and get a better 1060 like the MSI Gaming X 6GB - it'll probably save me money in the long term.

(this sort of spec creep always happens whenever I try putting something together... I'm now thinking I could bump it up to a nice even £1k and get a 1700 instead of the 1600 :rolleyes:).

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £928.16
(includes shipping: £12.30)



​
 
Last edited:
You don't get much quieter than the MSI Gamings that's for sure, only thing is for that price... £40 more gets you a GTX 1070. As long as it's not a blower-type fan, noise on GTX 1060 single fan cards is not really an issue. You shouldn't hear it at all when idling, may even turn itself off, and only audible when gaming.

It'll look good though, and the MSI is a solid choice. You could pair it with an MSI B350M Mortar with red led underglow, if you're going for that red led theme. Also has an RGB led connector for strips, slightly better audio codec and strengthened PCIe slot.

I would get the 1600X and a good cooler if spending £1K. That will ensure the fastest clocks, better a 4.0GHz 1600X than a 3.8/3.9GHz 1700, for gaming.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £1,012.19
(includes shipping: £12.30)



​

The cooler has to be 120mm or under in height, for that case.

For an order like that, I've heard if you call OcUK and ask, they sometimes waive the shipping fee.
 
Yep, was just looking at the Mortar, after switching the card to the MSI Gaming.

It's getting to the stage where this is going to replace my machine, I think!

I think the spec is now pretty much settled, apart from the CPU. My current machine is used for a bit more than gaming - I run headless Linux VMs, and also do some work with Visual Studio and SQL Server, so if I end up using this and passing my i5 onto my son, the 1700 may be a better option, longer term, although it would compromise gaming performance a little.

Thanks again for your help. I've got a couple of hours to decide before the next day delivery cut off...
 
It is crazy to spend that much on a GTX 1060 imo. You are only £50 off a GTX 1070.

Going with the R5 1600 and stock cooler would allow for the GTX 1070. Might need a different case though as the Zotac gpu looks pretty tall.
 
Yep, £310 for a 1060... may as well get a 1070. And so it goes on... I need to stop this spec creep and let sanity return.... going back to the original plan, with Danny75's recommendations (had to change the RAM though as the listed one was out of stock). This is what I'm going to order...

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £848.16
(includes shipping: £12.30)





Thanks for the help.​
 
masto said:
Yep, £310 for a 1060... may as well get a 1070. And so it goes on... I need to stop this spec creep and let sanity return.... going back to the original plan, with Danny75's recommendations (had to change the RAM though as the listed one was out of stock). This is what I'm going to order...
Click to expand...

Except it wouldn't have increased the overall cost as the R5 1600 and stock cooler would have saved £80 or so over the R5 1600X and Cryorig cooler.

The GTX 1060 you have in your spec now is more like the price you should be paying. The pricing is all over the place at the moment with the mining craze.
 
lee32uk said:
Except it wouldn't have increased the overall cost as the R5 1600 and stock cooler would have saved £80 or so over the R5 1600X and Cryorig cooler.
Click to expand...

True. I was originally aiming for about £800 rather than £1000 though.

lee32uk said:
The GTX 1060 you have in your spec now is more like the price you should be paying. The pricing is all over the place at the moment with the mining craze.
Click to expand...

Prices do seem a bit crazy. Hopefully when people give up mining there'll be a flood of second-hand high end cards going cheap...
 
I ended up ordering the parts listed in post 7. Should be here tomorrow. It's been a while since I built a machine, so I'm looking forward to it.

The 6GB card probably is more than enough for what he's currently playing, but it'll help in the future with other games, I reckon.
 
Parts arrived this afternoon and I’ve started playing....

The board was running an old BIOS - F2, but it managed to boot with a single DIMM and got flashed to F6.

Got the memory running at 3200 just by setting the frequency. Not messed with the CPU multiplier yet. I need to do some reading as it’s been a long, long time since I had an AMD CPU and did any overclocking (Athlon 64 was the last).

It idles at 20 and hits 53 under a 15 minute RealBench. Not bad for a stock cooler! Well, unless the Gigabyte app isn’t reporting it right, that is.

Nice getting stuff delivered next day - makes for a pleasant buying experience. My son snarfed up all the Haribo before I noticed though.

I really like the case.

Only thing I need now is a fan splitter. Only got the one front case fan running as the board only has 2 case fan headers.

Thanks again for the help.
 
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