Spec needed for office PC, but with option to upgrade to play GTA in a year or two

[Skirrow]

Hi all,

The PC I was advised to buy on this forum 10 years ago has done me proud and is still alive and kicking after a few upgrades, but it's now time to move on.

It's my main work PC and I use it all day, every day. It has 3 monitors and regularly has 10s of chrome tabs open and usually has numerous excel sheets open. Also sometimes use Photoshop, Lightroom and Illustrator.

- Don't care about how the case looks as it's hidden behind my desk.
- I have a SATA 3 SSD I can salvage to put windows on (unless a different drive is recommended) so no storage needed.
- I generally don't game, but it'd be good if I was able to play GTA 6 on it when it eventually comes out. I won't need to play it with everything on max, just run it smoothly. Would be happy to stick a £150 or so GFX card when the time comes. So I guess just making it upgradable for gaming later is what I'm after.
- Budget £500 (less it better, a little more is possible if it'll get me good bang for buck)

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[tamzzy]

- I have a SATA 3 SSD I can salvage to put windows on (unless a different drive is recommended) so no storage needed.

what size? i'm assuming it's 256gb given the age of the pc?
you'd be better off swapping it for a bigger ssd, especially if you want to play gta6

 

[mickyflinn]

AM5 build with 6600 GPU which will good for 1080p gaming.

Case has 5 fans so plenty airflow And is on offer

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £179.99
• 1 x Gigabyte B650M D3HP AX (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03566) = £104.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance EXPO/XMP 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-CRS-00996) = £82.99
• 1 x Kolink Observatory MX Glass ARGB Midi Tower Case - Black (SKU: CA-083-KK) = £34.99
• 1 x be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 10 550W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (SKU: CA-14U-BQ) = £49.99
• 1 x PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 Fighter 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-1AD-PC) = £179.99

Total: £632.94 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[Skirrow]

what size? i'm assuming it's 256gb given the age of the pc?
you'd be better off swapping it for a bigger ssd, especially if you want to play gta6

500gb (added it more recently) THink I currently have OS on the SSD and then everything else on mechanical hard drives. Would I be better going over 500gb?

 

[Skirrow]

AM5 build with 6600 GPU which will good for 1080p gaming.

Case has 5 fans so plenty airflow And is on offer

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £179.99
• 1 x Gigabyte B650M D3HP AX (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03566) = £104.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance EXPO/XMP 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-CRS-00996) = £82.99
• 1 x Kolink Observatory MX Glass ARGB Midi Tower Case - Black (SKU: CA-083-KK) = £34.99
• 1 x be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 10 550W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (SKU: CA-14U-BQ) = £49.99
• 1 x PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 Fighter 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-1AD-PC) = £179.99

Total: £632.94 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

Thanks! Regarding the GFX, could I leave that out, or fit a cheap one for now, and then upgrade when GTA6 comes out?

The immediate build doesn't need to be able to game, but does need to support 3 monitors

**EDIT** I see the mobo supports triple monitors. but would leaving the GFX card out for now be a bad idea for any other reasons?

 

[tamzzy]

500gb (added it more recently) THink I currently have OS on the SSD and then everything else on mechanical hard drives. Would I be better going over 500gb?

a 500gb SSD is fine as long as it fits everything you use frequently
HDDs are basically for large-file storage only
if you're putting any programs on the HDD then I would suggest getting a larger SSD as well

also, what case do you have and are you amenable to reusing the case?

 

[mickyflinn]

Thanks! Regarding the GFX, could I leave that out, or fit a cheap one for now, and then upgrade when GTA6 comes out?

The immediate build doesn't need to be able to game, but does need to support 3 monitors

**EDIT** I see the mobo supports triple monitors. but would leaving the GFX card out for now be a bad idea for any other reasons?

The 7600 does have integrated graphics but I'm not sure how many monitors it supports.

@tamzzy , @Tetras @Craig_d1 mite be able to help.

8600g supports upto 4 monitors with it integrated graphics.

 

[Skirrow]

a 500gb SSD is fine as long as it fits everything you use frequently
HDDs are basically for large-file storage only
if you're putting any programs on the HDD then I would suggest getting a larger SSD as well

also, what case do you have and are you amenable to reusing the case?

Cheers, probably will add another TB. I never seem to be able to have enough and they don't look too expensive. Are the SATA ones as good as the PCIe ones?

Case is OcUK Value Imp MicroATX Tower Case (500w PSU)- would be open to reusing it if it's worth it

 

[tamzzy]

Case is OcUK Value Imp MicroATX Tower Case (500w PSU)- would be open to reusing it if it's worth it

i can't find a picture of that case, but i would suspect it doesn't have any usb 3 ports and that psu needs replacing

Are the SATA ones as good as the PCIe ones?

they're basically at price parity. i wouldn't consider a SATA SSD a good investment unless your computer has no m.2 slots (your new one will, so just get a pcie ssd)

are you also intending to transplant your current hard drives over? and how many?

 

[Skirrow]

Yeah., PSU is 10 years old so probably makes sense to replace that now. In fact probably a bad idea to keep the case as it was only a cheap one at the time (26 quid) and its had its day I reckon

Currently I have 2 drives, both SATA, which I'd probably want to transplant. So it'd be 2 SATA plus the new 1TB m.2 drive.

 

[tamzzy]

@Skirrow This would be my recommendation:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 8600G Six Core 4.3GHz (Socket AM5) APU with Radeon 760M Graphics (SKU: PRO-AMD-01797) = £149.99
• 1 x Gigabyte B650M D3HP AX (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03566) = £104.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance EXPO/XMP 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-CRS-00996) = £82.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN580 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-00540) = £48.95
• 1 x CORSAIR CX Series CX650 80 PLUS Bronze ATX Power Supply (SKU: POW-CRS-01135) = £46.99
• 1 x Kolink Inspire Series K2 Plus ARGB Micro-ATX Case - Black Window (SKU: CA-07B-KK) = £42.95

Total: £484.85 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

the 8600G is suitable for light gaming and the mobo already has 3 display outputs, so the system will support triple display without the need for a separate gpu
however, i've also specced a 650w psu should you choose to put in a mid-range GPU in the future
the CPU also comes with a stock cooler so no need to buy an extra (though can do if you want a quieter system)

the case is a bit of a meh (too expensive), ideally would want to spend less, however the cheaper MATX-sized cases stocked at OCUK are terrible
if you don't mind having a big case for a small system then this would be my recommendation: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/kolink-observatory-hf-mesh-argb-midi-tower-case-white-ca-07t-kk.html
for £32 it's a great case and i've just built in one last week, so first-hand recommendation. it also comes with 6 RGB fans (can turn off the RGB if you don't want them on)

 

[Tetras]

**EDIT** I see the mobo supports triple monitors. but would leaving the GFX card out for now be a bad idea for any other reasons?

Probably not, but do keep in mind that some apps (even Photoshop) are starting to use the GPU more and the integrated graphics in the 7000/9000 series is very basic. The G models have graphics that is significantly better, though they're also slower CPUs, so you're making a compromise.

 

[Skirrow]

Thanks

@Skirrow This would be my recommendation:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 8600G Six Core 4.3GHz (Socket AM5) APU with Radeon 760M Graphics (SKU: PRO-AMD-01797) = £149.99
• 1 x Gigabyte B650M D3HP AX (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03566) = £104.99
• 1 x Corsair Vengeance EXPO/XMP 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-CRS-00996) = £82.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN580 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-00540) = £48.95
• 1 x CORSAIR CX Series CX650 80 PLUS Bronze ATX Power Supply (SKU: POW-CRS-01135) = £46.99
• 1 x Kolink Inspire Series K2 Plus ARGB Micro-ATX Case - Black Window (SKU: CA-07B-KK) = £42.95

Total: £484.85 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

the 8600G is suitable for light gaming and the mobo already has 3 display outputs, so the system will support triple display without the need for a separate gpu
however, i've also specced a 650w psu should you choose to put in a mid-range GPU in the future
the CPU also comes with a stock cooler so no need to buy an extra (though can do if you want a quieter system)

the case is a bit of a meh (too expensive), ideally would want to spend less, however the cheaper MATX-sized cases stocked at OCUK are terrible
if you don't mind having a big case for a small system then this would be my recommendation: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/kolink-observatory-hf-mesh-argb-midi-tower-case-white-ca-07t-kk.html
for £32 it's a great case and i've just built in one last week, so first-hand recommendation. it also comes with 6 RGB fans (can turn off the RGB if you don't want them on)

Thanks! I'll have a look at the 2 cases - not too bothered about the tenner price difference either way.

Regarding the CPU, based on what Tetras has said, I'm guessing the 8600g would be a better choice than the 7600 that mickyflinn suggested? (the £30 price difference isn't an issue if the 7600 would be better)

 

[tamzzy]

though they're also slower CPUs, so you're making a compromise.

it depends, they're both Zen 4 parts, so the IPC is the same, clockspeeds are also similar (eg 5ghz 8600G, 5ghz 7500f, 5.1ghz 7600, 5.3 7600x)

the main difference is that the -G parts have half the L3 cache (16MB vs 32MB), so for programs that can take advantage of this then there's a ~5-10% performance gap...most of these said programs would be gaming related
most productivity suites AFAIK aren't as L3 cache sensitive, so shouldn't see too much of a drop

Regarding the CPU, based on what Tetras has said, I'm guessing the 8600g would be a better choice than the 7600 that mickyflinn suggested? (the £30 price difference isn't an issue if the 7600 would be better)

see above
for your specific use case, if you don't have the budget to get a decent gpu right now then the 8600g would be a good compromise
if you do have the budget for the gpu, then i would get the 7600 + said gpu
either these options would blow your current pc out of the water though

 

[Skirrow]

Thanks again! I'll go with the 8600g.

It's not so much about the budget for the GPU now. More that I don't game at all at the moment and I probably won't until GTA6 comes out in a couple of years so I might as well get a GPU then and get more value for money. Even then doesn't have to be played on high settings, just want the option to run it if I want to.

My photoshop/light room etc isn't frequent or heavy so probably not worth having a dedicated GPU for,

Anyway, thanks again, everyone. Think I've got all the info I need. Massively appreciated. If this one lasts half as long as the last I built from advice on here then I'll be over the moon.

 

[tamzzy]

More that I don't game at all at the moment and I probably won't until GTA6 comes out in a couple of years so I might as well get a GPU then and get more value for money. Even then doesn't have to be played on high settings, just want the option to run it if I want to.

the graphics on the 8600G is equivalent to the gtx 1060 (or a gtx 970 in old money), so, pretty decent for light gaming

 

[Threepwood]

@Skirrow here is the plan, you have to use the i5 intergrated graphics with just one monitor, until you upgrage to a gpu, I know you don't want rgb but if it is hidden, you don't have to look at it

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i5-12600K 3.70GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-69X-IN) = £179.99
• 1 x be quiet! SYSTEM POWER 10 750W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (SKU: CA-14W-BQ) = £64.99
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AJ-TG) = £55.99
• 1 x Aerocool Bolt Mini TG Micro-ATX case - black (SKU: CA-234-AE) = £24.95
• 1 x be quiet! Shadow Rock Slim 2 CPU Cooler - 135mm (SKU: HS-020-BQ) = £42.95

Total: £368.87 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

 

[Skirrow]

I've already ordered now but thanks for the spec anyway, much appreciated.

 

[Skirrow]

Thanks again everyone, parts arrived today. Could anyone recommend which M2 slot I put the drive in? M2A_CPU or M2C_SB? Or does it not matter?

Spec was tamzzy's:

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 8600G Six Core 4.3GHz (Socket AM5) APU with Radeon 760M Graphics (SKU: PRO-AMD-01797) = £149.99
1 x Gigabyte B650M D3HP AX (Socket AM5) DDR5 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-GIG-03566) = £104.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance EXPO/XMP 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit (SKU: MEM-CRS-00996) = £82.99
1 x WD Blue SN580 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-00540) = £48.95
1 x CORSAIR CX Series CX650 80 PLUS Bronze ATX Power Supply (SKU: POW-CRS-01135) = £46.99
1 x Kolink Inspire Series K2 Plus ARGB Micro-ATX Case - Black Window (SKU: CA-07B-KK) = £42.95

 

[Tetras]

Thanks again everyone, parts arrived today. Could anyone recommend which M2 slot I put the drive in? M2A_CPU or M2C_SB? Or does it not matter?

From what I can gather in the manual, A is CPU and C is chipset, so A is preferable, but realistically you wouldn't notice.