Spec check please:

champ222 · 2 Jul 2025 at 15:51

Hi All

I'm spec-ing up a system for the company i work for.

Primary use is a driving sim that we will use on exhibition stands to help encourage people onto the stand.
Secondary use, is demonstrating GPU computing of power analysis calculations of our software. It may never happen, but its nice to have the option. For this we need CUDA cores, which is why ive picked Nvidia 5070 over AMD 9070.

ive already blown the budget by £300 lol

My basket at OcUK:

1 x MSI Pro B650M-A WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-378-MS) = £149.99
1 x Gainward GeForce RTX 5070 Python III 12GB GDDR7 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-GNW-04591) = £499.99
1 x Crucial Pro 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - White (SKU: MEM-CRU-03115) = £79.99
1 x Corsair Force MP600 CORE XT REV 2.0 1TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-CRS-04680) = £63.95
1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core 5.30GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DV-AM) = £278.99
1 x Asus Prime AP201 MicroATX Case - Black (SKU: CA-062-AS) = £89.99
1 x Be Quiet! Power Zone 2 750W ATX 3.1 80 Plus Platinum Power Supply (SKU: POW-BEQ-04387) = £119.98

Total: £1,294.87 (includes delivery: £11.98)

Mr Mcgoo · 2 Jul 2025 at 16:50

to be honest that's a good spec driving sim system. i would however change the case as asus are overpriced personally. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lian-li-a3-matx-black-cas-lia-02350.html

mickyflinn · 2 Jul 2025 at 17:15

Hi.

CPU the 9700x is probably the best all-round but you would need a cooler

Money saving alternatives.

My basket at OcUK:

1 x Asrock B850M-X WiFi R2.0 (Socket AM5) DDR5 mATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-ASR-05290) = £124.99
1 x Team Group MP44L 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-TMG-03128) = £49.99
1 x Phanteks AMP GH 750W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02517) = £84.95

Total: £267.92 (includes delivery: £7.99)

Gray2233 · 2 Jul 2025 at 21:29

My basket at OcUK:

1 x Phanteks AMP GH 750W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02517) = £84.95
1 x Asrock B850M-X WiFi R2.0 (Socket AM5) DDR5 mATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-ASR-05290) = £124.99
1 x PNY XLR8 Gaming EPIC-X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-51200C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-PNY-04564) = £77.99
1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D Six Core 5.30GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-AMD-04829) = £269.99
1 x Gainward GeForce RTX 5070 Phoenix 12GB GDDR7 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-GNW-04587) = £494.98
1 x Crucial P3 PLUS 500GB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 NVMe Solid State Drive (SKU: HD-079-CR) = £51.95
1 x Aerocool Dryft Mini v2 Micro-ATX Case (SKU: CAS-AER-00607) = £55.00
1 x Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB Black CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02724) = £29.99

Total: £1,201.82 (includes delivery: £11.98)

It is a little bit blingy but you can switch off the RGB or even just hide the tower out of sight.

Some sims benefit from X3D CPU's, others don't, I'd double check for whichever you're running but the 7600X3D should arguably be superior in at least some titles.

Otherwise it comes in cheaper and offers at least on par if not better components.

tamzzy · 2 Jul 2025 at 21:32

Gray2233 said:
1 x Crucial P3 PLUS 500GB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 NVMe Solid State Drive (SKU: HD-079-CR) = £51.95

swap the crucial for this:

mickyflinn said:
1 x Team Group MP44L 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-TMG-03128) = £49.99

otherwise, totally agree with the spec

Tetras · 2 Jul 2025 at 21:42

Gray2233 said:
Some sims benefit from X3D CPU's, others don't, I'd double check for whichever you're running but the 7600X3D should arguably be superior in at least some titles.

Ac is one of the games that seems to have a big boost from X3D and I think OP mentioned it elsewhere.

champ222 said:
1 x Asus Prime AP201 MicroATX Case - Black (SKU: CA-062-AS) = £89.99

If you're trying to draw people toward the exhibition, wouldn't you like a window with showy parts?

Gray2233 · 2 Jul 2025 at 22:01

Tetras said:
Ac is one of the games that seems to have a big boost from X3D and I think OP mentioned it elsewhere.

It's actually one of the titles which sees a lot of improvement from the 9000 series chips too, a 9600 for £200 would offer further savings and around 15-30% uplift in Assetto Corsa over a 7600/7700 depending on res.

Granted the 7600X3D would still be superior.

https://www.techspot.com/review/2878-amd-ryzen-5-9600x/#Assetto_Corsa_Competizione

champ222 · 3 Jul 2025 at 09:08

Mr Mcgoo said:
to be honest that's a good spec driving sim system. i would however change the case as asus are overpriced personally. https://www.overclockers.co.uk/lian-li-a3-matx-black-cas-lia-02350.html

I had the wood version of that case in my basked originally, but it seemed better geared up for radiators than air coolers, i'll take another look.

mickyflinn said:
Hi.

CPU the 9700x is probably the best all-round but you would need a cooler

Money saving alternatives.

My basket at OcUK:

1 x Asrock B850M-X WiFi R2.0 (Socket AM5) DDR5 mATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-ASR-05290) = £124.99

1 x Team Group MP44L 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-TMG-03128) = £49.99

1 x Phanteks AMP GH 750W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02517) = £84.95

Total: £267.92 (includes delivery: £7.99)

I had kept with B650 because i was getting recommendations from the Hardware Unboxed video. They havent done the B850 boards yet i dont think. There doesnt seem to be any real advantage over the B650. I'll check out that board though, Thanks

My basket at OcUK:

Gray2233 said:
1 x Phanteks AMP GH 750W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02517) = £84.95

1 x Asrock B850M-X WiFi R2.0 (Socket AM5) DDR5 mATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-ASR-05290) = £124.99

1 x PNY XLR8 Gaming EPIC-X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-51200C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-PNY-04564) = £77.99

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D Six Core 5.30GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-AMD-04829) = £269.99

1 x Gainward GeForce RTX 5070 Phoenix 12GB GDDR7 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-GNW-04587) = £494.98

1 x Crucial P3 PLUS 500GB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 NVMe Solid State Drive (SKU: HD-079-CR) = £51.95

1 x Aerocool Dryft Mini v2 Micro-ATX Case (SKU: CAS-AER-00607) = £55.00

1 x Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB Black CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02724) = £29.99

Total: £1,201.82 (includes delivery: £11.98)

It is a little bit blingy but you can switch off the RGB or even just hide the tower out of sight.

Some sims benefit from X3D CPU's, others don't, I'd double check for whichever you're running but the 7600X3D should arguably be superior in at least some titles

Otherwise it comes in cheaper and offers at least on par if not better components.

Good Shout, i had forgotten there was a 7600X3D! An X3D cpu was my first choice, but the 7800 is out of budget. I'll probably do that.

A few recommendations for that PSU now, so i'll check that out too.

Tetras said:
Ac is one of the games that seems to have a big boost from X3D and I think OP mentioned it elsewhere.

If you're trying to draw people toward the exhibition, wouldn't you like a window with showy parts?

Showy PCs arent our business, so i'm not sure it will make a huge difference either way. I was thinking mesh purely for better cooling. The event this is most utilised is in a marquee in the summer, so ambient temps might be high.

Thanks guys

champ222 · 3 Jul 2025 at 09:21

Also, is there a 5070 card to go for? i just picked the cheapest for pricing guide, but there are a bunch at similar prices.

tamzzy · 3 Jul 2025 at 09:43

If you're going with the Lian li A3, I would get the python 3 instead.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/gainward-geforce-rtx-5070-python-iii-12gb-gddr7-pci-express-graphics-card-gra-gnw-04591.html

The phoenix is 331mm long (the A3 only supports up to 334mm with an atx PSU at mounting position 2.5/3 iirc)
The python 3 is 291mm - so better clearances

Also the Lian li A3 does not come with fans so you'll need to get some

mickyflinn · 3 Jul 2025 at 09:55

champ222 said:
I had kept with B650 because i was getting recommendations from the Hardware Unboxed video. They havent done the B850 boards yet i dont think. There doesnt seem to be any real advantage over the B650. I'll check out that board though, Thanks

B850 boards come with PCIE5 compared to PCIE4 on the b650 , not a big difference but nevertheless it's a more up to date feature..

champ222 · 3 Jul 2025 at 10:30

ok, here we go:

My basket at OcUK:

1 x MSI Pro B650M-A WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-378-MS) = £149.99
1 x Gainward GeForce RTX 5070 Python III 12GB GDDR7 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-GNW-04591) = £499.99
1 x Phanteks AMP GH 750W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02517) = £84.95
1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600X3D Six Core 5.30GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-AMD-04829) = £269.99
1 x Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB Black CPU Cooler - 120mm (SKU: COO-TLR-02724) = £29.98
1 x Team Group MP44L 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-TMG-03128) = £50.00
1 x Lian Li A3 mATX Wood Edition - Black (SKU: CAS-LIA-02630) = £69.94
2 x CORSAIR RS120 120mm PWM Black Triple Fan Pack (SKU: COO-CRS-02483) = £23.99
1 x PNY XLR8 Gaming EPIC-X 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 PC5-51200C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-PNY-04564) = £77.99

Total: £1,292.80 (includes delivery: £11.98)

Its close enough to the budget once they claim the VAT back

champ222 · 3 Jul 2025 at 15:55

i ran out of time and ordered it.

Thanks for the help guys

tamzzy · 3 Jul 2025 at 19:29

Only thing to say is that b650 board may not support the 7600x3d out of the box.
May need a bios update first.

champ222 · 3 Jul 2025 at 21:47

tamzzy said:
Only thing to say is that b650 board may not support the 7600x3d out of the box.
May need a bios update first.

Ahh, that's a good point... hopefully I can flash the bios without a cpu

tamzzy · 3 Jul 2025 at 21:50

champ222 said:
Ahh, that's a good point... hopefully I can flash the bios without a cpu

yes you will be able to. it has bios flashback (doesn't need cpu nor ram installed)

Updating BIOS with Flash BIOS Button
1. Please download the latest BIOS file that matches your motherboard model fromthe MSI® website.
2. Rename the BIOS file to MSI.ROM, and save it to the root of the USB storage device.
3. Connect the power supply to CPU_PWR1 and ATX_PWR1. (No need to install CPUand memory.)
4. Plug the USB storage device that contains the MSI.ROM file into the Flash BIOSPort on the rear I/O panel.
5. Press the Flash BIOS Button to update BIOS, and the LED starts flashing.
6. The LED will be off when the process is completed.

it doesn't say specifically, but i recall that the usb drive needs to be fat32 formatted

champ222 · 3 Jul 2025 at 21:54

I just read that in the manual... your faster than I am. Thanks