Spec me a new gaming pc please.

[DisrupTor75]

As the title says, I could use a hand in deciding what route to go with regards putting together or buying a new system.

It's been quite a few years since I last built a pc and it's served me well but now might be the time to let loose for once and get something special. With being out of the building game for so long I seem to have lost some of the confidence to build one in case of accidental damage so was thinking of possibly buying one outright from ocuk to save me the hassle of building it myself for once.

So, with a max budget of £2500.00 I put together this list of parts that I hope are all compatible and if assembled would make for a really good gaming pc but if there is a pre-build that would do the job just as well and save a few quid I am all for that too.

Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Midi-Tower - Black Window

Order Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Midi-Tower - Black Window now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Asus TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard

Order Asus TUF Gaming Z790-Plus WIFI (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Intel Core i7-13700KF (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail

Order Intel Core i7-13700KF (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

ASUS TUF GAMING LC 240 ARGB Performance CPU Liquid Cooler - 240mm

Order ASUS TUF GAMING LC 240 ARGB Performance CPU Liquid Cooler - 240mm now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Corsair Vengeance RGB EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMH32GX5M2B5600Z36)

Order Corsair Vengeance RGB EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMH32GX5M2B5600Z36) now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Gaming X TRIO 12GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card

Order MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Gaming X TRIO 12GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Corsair RMx Series RM850x 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (CP-9020200-UK)

Order Corsair RMx Series RM850x 80 PLUS Gold Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (CP-9020200-UK) now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

WD Black SN770 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS200T3X0E)

Order WD Black SN770 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS200T3X0E) now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Samsung 2TB 870 QVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 64 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-77Q2T0BW)

Order Samsung 2TB 870 QVO SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 64 Layer 3D V-NAND Solid State Drive (MZ-77Q2T0BW) now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Lian-Li ST120 Addressable RGB 120mm Black Fan with Controller - Triple Pack

Order Lian Li ST120 Addressable RGB 120mm Black Fan with Controller - Triple Pack now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-Bit DVD - OEM (KW9-00632)

Order Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-Bit DVD - OEM (KW9-00632) now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

Grand Total £2,211.85

Two of the ready made systems I was considering are below.

OcUK Gaming Falchion - Intel Core i5/i7 Nvidia RTX 4070 12GB Gaming PC

Order OcUK Gaming Falchion - Intel Core i5/i7, Nvidia RTX 4070 12GB Gaming PC now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

OcUK Gaming Radiance Ember - Intel Core i5 RTX 4070Ti - Powered By Asus Gam | OcUK

Order now online and benefit from fast delivery.

www.overclockers.co.uk

So, for a really good gaming machine, do I source those parts and pluck up the courage to attemp a new build, change any parts for a better bang-for-buck, or go for one of the two ready made systems?

Thanks for any good advice on this and any suggestions welcome.

 

[Tetras]

I'd make the following changes to your build:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i7-13700F (Raptor Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6BD-IN) = £359.99
• 1 x Gigabyte B760 GAMING X AX (LGA 1700) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-5BU-GI) = £199.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK32GX5M2B5600C36) (SKU: MY-4D7-CS) = £109.99
• 1 x MSI GeForce RTX 4070Ti Gaming X Trio 12GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-391-MS) = £878.99
• 2 x WD Black SN770 2TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS200T3X0E) (SKU: HD-58G-WD) = £124.99
• 1 x be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 850W ATX 3.0 80 Plus Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-14R-BQ) = £124.99
• 1 x Phanteks Eclipse G300A Mid-Tower High Airflow PC Case - Black (SKU: CA-0C0-PT) = £65.00
• 1 x Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-Bit DVD - OEM (KW9-00632) (SKU: SW-18J-MS) = £99.94

Total: £2,100.86 (includes delivery: £11.98)​

With this cooler (under £50).

List of changes:
- Downgraded CPU from KF to F (overclocking features lost).
- Downgraded motherboard from Z to B (overclocking features lost).
- Upgraded GPU from non-Ti to Ti.
- Switched the QVO to a second SN770, not a fan of the QVO (review).
- Switched case to a cheaper one with pre-installed fans.

The £50 or so saving should help go toward the build cost if you're asking OCUK to build it.

Purely from a performance POV, I think the first build (11600KF + 4070 Ti) is better value and especially at higher resolutions, the £500 extra cost for the 13600KF + 4070 Ti is not worth it. But, would I personally be keen on buying a 11th gen system? Not particularly.

 

[Noughtboy]

I would counter with an AMD build like this. Includes a 7900XT with substantially more RAM better raster performance at the expense of some RT. You should decide what is more important to you and check against titles you play here HUB 7900XT vs 4070ti. Give you scope to drop in a new 8000/9000 series chip as and when you feel necessary. You could swop for the ASUS TUF ATX wifi for saving £45 with cashback without Wifi and less USB ports (4*USB 2.0, 2*3.2 Gen1 and 2*3.2 Gen 2 Type C) may be limiting.

I have not included a Case or cpu cooling option as both as personal preference. I would prefer the Phanteks up above saving £50 or even something else. I don't think those Lian Li fans extra case are great as they have very low static pressure (the ability to move air through an obstacle - something like a mesh or HDD's). The Coolermasters are, I think, a better option. Oh, I have no problem with the Corsair PSU, just giving you a different option.

Samsuns SSD is for boot drive and storage, Seagate is for additional Storage.

I would choose a good air cooler but if you prefer water, that is fine. An excellent Noctua setup won't save you much but will be more reliable and longer lasting. There are other decent options £50/£60 cheaper.

Finally, other options exist for a Windows license key. Just scout around and save an additional £80+


Assuming you go with your original choices, adding on £230, your all in will be £2115 which could conceivably drop to £2000. This allows for you to be on a new platform with a few years left in it and at least three generations of CPUS to choose from in the future as Intel is EOL. The GPU is, I think, better overall certainly from a Rasterisation POV but you decide. You could even go up to the 7900XTX for

Good luck and enjoy your build

My basket at OcUK:

 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core 5.30GHz  (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DV-AM) = £308.99
 1 x MSI Pro B650-P WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-376-MS) = £209.99
 1 x TeamGroup Delta RGB 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FF3D532G6000HC30DC01) (SKU: MY-0B8-TG) = £139.99
 1 x Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XT Pulse 20GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-3A7-SP) = £799.99
 1 x AMD Game On Bundle - Resident Evil 4 (SKU: XX-03E-AM) = £0.00
 1 x Samsung 980 Pro 2TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive (SKU: HD-24P-SA) = £139.99
 1 x Seagate FireCuda 520 2TB SSD PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive (ZP2000GV3A012) (SKU: HD-3EX-SE) = £116.99
 1 x MSI MPG A850GF UK PSU 850W, 80 Plus Gold certified, Fully Modular (SKU: CA-00J-MS) = £129.95
 1 x Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 ARGB 3 in 1 Black Edition Fans - 120mm (SKU: FG-030-CM) = £39.95

Total: £1,893.83 (includes delivery: £7.99)​
​

 

[Noughtboy]

Assuming you go with your original choices, adding on £230

To clarify:
£115 Lian Li Case
£95 ASUS Water cooling (with cashback)
£20 for Windows

 

[Gray2233]

AMD Build:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x TeamGroup Vulcan 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLBD532G5600HC36BDC01) (SKU: MY-0BB-TG) = £99.95
• 1 x MSI MAG A850GL 850W 80 Plus Gold ATX 3.0 PCIE5Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-012-MS) = £119.99
• 1 x Sapphire Radeon RX 7900 XTX Pulse 24GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-3A5-SP) = £979.99
• 1 x AMD Game On Bundle - Resident Evil 4 (SKU: XX-03E-AM) = £0.00
• 1 x Gigabyte B650 Gaming X AX (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-5BF-GI) = £189.95
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DT-AM) = £428.98
• 2 x Seagate FireCuda 520 2TB SSD PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive (ZP2000GV3A012) (SKU: HD-3EX-SE) = £116.99
• 1 x Kolink Observatory Y Mesh ARGB Midi Tower Gaming Case - Black Window (SKU: CA-06E-KK) = £104.99
• 1 x Arctic Liquid Freezer II A-RGB High Performance CPU Water Cooler - 240mm (SKU: HS-07P-AR) = £119.99

Total: £2,277.82 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

​

The GPU and HSF should fit in that case, but OCUK will be able to confirm since they'll be building it for you anyway.

Even if you're not confident in physically building the system, installing Windows yourself is as easy as plugging a USB stick in and it'll save you a pretty penny.

 

[boabs]

dont pay full price for windows

 

[DisrupTor75]

Thank you so much guys for your replies. Seems I have a fair bit to think about before deciding which route to take and I appreciate your advice.

 

[Noughtboy]

BTW, Hardware Unboxed (HUB) recently uploaded an extensive video on B650 motherboards from low spec to the top end. You should check it out to decide on which grabs your fancy. Here is a link HUB 35* B650 Boards Roundup