Is this spec good for gaming and all-round performance?

[Oussebon]

Some sites also do performance analyses of specific titles, comparing low, medium, high, ultra:

Rage 2 system requirements, benchmarks, and performance analysis

Here's what sort of CPU and GPU you'll need to get Rage 2 running at 60fps or even 144fps.

www.pcgamer.com

Gears 5 system requirements, settings, benchmarks, and performance analysis

Gears 5 is more demanding than Gears 4, but it can still run on a wide range of hardware.

www.pcgamer.com

Comparisons tend to be at 1080p, but it can give you an idea of what settings to drop down a notch for the best performance gains with little to no quality loss.

Other sites do performance analyses of various titles too:

PC Performance Analyses Archives - DSOGaming

www.dsogaming.com

TechPowerUp

www.techpowerup.com

 

[Scott]

I would drop the cooler and the gel, favouring either a H100x or the stock AMD cooler. Regardless of choice I wouldn't bother with the Gel.

 

[films&games]

Hi,

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 & XBOX Game Pass w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 5700 XT 50TH ANNIVERSARY - INCLUDES 2 GAME CODES!!

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint -OR- Borderlands 3 & XBOX Game Pass w/ select AMD Radeon GPUs
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)

Get Ghost Recon: Breakpoint with select SAMSUNG SSDs!
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V2 Series High Performance CPU Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
COOLER MASTER MASTERGEL MAKER THERMAL COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 14 working days
Price: £1,681.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/zpFrJTtwBt/


Would the above modified spec provide much more performance than the PCS spec that I suggested in Post #18 of this thread?

I am thinking about the extra possible performance from the the faster m.2 SSD and the AMD Radeon graphic card vs the RTX 2060 Super?

Which graphics card would be better for demanding games?

For the case that I have choose are the extra fans and more expensive thermal paste needed?

My old PCS build, which I am still using only has a 500GB 3.5" HDD so I might reduce the standard HDD to 2TB. Does the HDD cache size make a big difference in standard mechanical HDDs.

Are the ADATA m.2 SSDs still good performanc even though faster ones are available?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.

 

[Oussebon]

I stand by what I said before in post #18 - that the Inferno R2 is a much, much better purchase.

The spec you've posted above is £300 more (20%+) for 10% more gaming performance at most. 10% is not so very much - by the time the RTX 2060 Super struggles in games, the 5700XT will not be far behind.

Buy the Inferno R2, and you already have £300 banked in your pocket for a new GPU in 3 years time, making it a much, much better performing system for the same money.

 

[films&games]

Hi,

@Oussebon I know you have previously suggested a 'fixed' spec to save money and if getting a cheap case with extra fans just get a better case.

Well, what do you think about this revised spec: a different case, no extra fans, no thermal compound, but a better CPU cooler?

Case
CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 750D FULL TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs

The Outer Worlds -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF X570-PLUS GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Price: £1,674.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/U573xDnGKK/

I have increased the PSU to 650W from 550W if I needed to install a better graphics card in about 3/4 years time.

Are ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 a good choice compared to either the SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2 or INTEL® 760p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD in terms of read/write speeds?

Might it be a good option to have a smaller capacity m.2 and a 3TB 7200rpm HDD?

For example, a 500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2 and a 3TB HDD?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.

 

[Oussebon]

The 750D is huge, so make sure you're happy with the size.
560mm x 235mm x 546mm (Approx H x W x D)

The SX6000 is fine. Performance in games will be equal and loading times will be near identical. e.g.

Anthem load times tested: HDD vs SATA SSD vs NVMe SSD

How much will an SSD help Anthem's load times compared to a hard drive?

www.pcgamer.com

Remembre that your motherboard supports PCIe 4.0 SSDs, so in a year or two when PCIe 4.0 SSDs have matured a bit and reached the kinds of speeds we can really expect to see from them (~7000MB/S) you'll be able to get something far, far faster than the 970 Evo anyway. If you decide you want that.

A 500GB SSD is fine. A 1TB SSD gives you more freedom about what you have installed at any point, and will be a little faster

 

[films&games]

Hi,

@Oussebon here are my current PCS build's case dimensions along with the two case options that I have been thinking about for my new PCS build. In terms of the two cases Fractal Focus G and the Corsair - which one would provide the best airflow?

I am thinking of cable management, where the cables are not all in the way of the components inside the case.

Would I still need the CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler if choosing either PCS case minus the extra fans?

In win Fanqua (Maelstrom T900) Dimensions: 480 x 225 x 456 mm (Approx H x W x D)

FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window) 444mm x 205mm x 464mm (Approx H x W x D)

CORSAIR OBSIDIAN SERIES™ 750D FULL TOWER
560mm x 235mm x 546mm (Approx H x W x D)

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.

 

[Oussebon]

I am thinking of cable management, where the cables are not all in the way of the components inside the case.

Most modern PC cases have space for the cables behind the motherboard tray. PCS will cable manage the system.

e.g.

Note the cables being tucked into rubber grommets and tied up neatly out of sight.

PC Specialist Enigma S1 Review | bit-tech.net

PC Specialist pairs a Core i5-9600K with Nvidia's GTX 1660 Ti in this £1,200 gaming rig.

www.bit-tech.net

And that was in the Meshify C which is even smaller:
Case dimensions (LxWxH) 395 x 212 x 440 mm

Mini PCs (as in, mini ITX systems) can suffer from issues with managing cabling as they often don't have space behind the mobo to stuff the cables down. But your average normal PC case does.

I'm not saying don't buy the 750D - if you like it and think it looks good, it's fine - I'm just saying it's a bit big, so make sure you're happy.

What do you want from the case?
- Room for a bluray drive?
- decent cooling performance?
- No to RGB?
- are you bothered about having a side window?

The 750D is fine. The Fractal Focus G is fine (maybe a little budget for this build? but fine). The Fractal Define R6 is fine if you don't need a side window.

Would I still need the CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler if choosing either PCS case minus the extra fans?

The stock AMD coolers are okay, though an aftermarket cooler would be preferable if you have the budget, and it would help boost CPU performance a smidge too.

 

[films&games]

Most modern PC cases have space for the cables behind the motherboard tray. PCS will cable manage the system.

e.g.

Note the cables being tucked into rubber grommets and tied up neatly out of sight.

PC Specialist Enigma S1 Review | bit-tech.net

PC Specialist pairs a Core i5-9600K with Nvidia's GTX 1660 Ti in this £1,200 gaming rig.

www.bit-tech.net

And that was in the Meshify C which is even smaller:
Case dimensions (LxWxH) 395 x 212 x 440 mm

Mini PCs (as in, mini ITX systems) can suffer from issues with managing cabling as they often don't have space behind the mobo to stuff the cables down. But your average normal PC case does.

I'm not saying don't buy the 750D - if you like it and think it looks good, it's fine - I'm just saying it's a bit big, so make sure you're happy.

What do you want from the case?
- Room for a bluray drive?
- decent cooling performance?
- No to RGB?
- are you bothered about having a side window?

The 750D is fine. The Fractal Focus G is fine (maybe a little budget for this build? but fine). The Fractal Define R6 is fine if you don't need a side window.

The stock AMD coolers are okay, though an aftermarket cooler would be preferable if you have the budget, and it would help boost CPU performance a smidge too.

I have looked at reviews on YouTube of both the 750D youtube.com/watch?v=Qm5lsP1zcnA and Fractual Focus G youtube.com/watch?v=DWzYYLSNd1k.

The 750D has lots of space so that is very good. The Fractal Focus G - looking at the review on YouTube the components can be a tight fit inside the case.

So would it be best for me to keep the CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.

 

[Oussebon]

More space =/= better airflow. It can, but also, it might not. As you then need the fans to be able to move the air through a larger space. Also it depends on the design/airflow e.g. whether there's a drive cage in front of the fans. It's not just as easy as bigger = better.

Reviews of cases tend to focus on the experience of building in the case, which is a moot point here because you're paying PCS to build it for you. It doesn't matter which case is easier to build in.

The 750D is fine. Not great, but fine. It's a large case from 2013, that fared okay against the competition 6 years ago for thermals:

Corsair Obsidian Series 750D

Corsair's latest full-tower Obsidian under the spotlight.

hexus.net

Corsair Obsidian 750D Case Review

www.anandtech.com

If you like the case and you want it, go ahead

What I'm saying is that you don't need to buy it if all you want is decent cooling, as many other cases will do fine or better.

It's hard to recommend cases without knowing specifically what you want from the case. I asked above.

 

[films&games]

More space =/= better airflow. It can, but also, it might not. As you then need the fans to be able to move the air through a larger space. Also it depends on the design/airflow e.g. whether there's a drive cage in front of the fans. It's not just as easy as bigger = better.

Reviews of cases tend to focus on the experience of building in the case, which is a moot point here because you're paying PCS to build it for you. It doesn't matter which case is easier to build in.

The 750D is fine. Not great, but fine. It's a large case from 2013, that fared okay against the competition 6 years ago for thermals:

Corsair Obsidian Series 750D

Corsair's latest full-tower Obsidian under the spotlight.

hexus.net

Corsair Obsidian 750D Case Review

www.anandtech.com

If you like the case and you want it, go ahead

What I'm saying is that you don't need to buy it if all you want is decent cooling, as many other cases will do fine or better.

It's hard to recommend cases without knowing specifically what you want from the case. I asked above.

I would want decent airflow with a reasonable amount of space inside the case, which I think the Fractal Focus G might be okay for. Would this case still be okay with the CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler? I note that the price difference between the 750D and the Focus G is £69 - which could be saved or spent elsewhere.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.

 

[Oussebon]

The Focus G is fine for cooling, and will support that 240mm cooler. And it saves £70 you can spend on whatever (this PC, or anything else)

 

[films&games]

Do you think it would be worth it to get an LED strip of 15 white lights to light up the case along with 2 white LED fans at the front? A strip of LEDs is £10 from PCS.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.

 

[Oussebon]

If it was me I'd add RGB but whatever you feel works best

 

[BlessedSquirrel]

RGB makes us all better people! I realise I may be in a minority when I say that.

 

[Scott]

Corsair RGB cooler is better than the CoolerMaster also.... if RGB is your thing, H100X would be my choice if not.

 

[Oussebon]

If there was a cheaper half-decent cooler than the Coolermaster Lite 240, I'd suggest that. The 120mm AIOs don't seem worth the saving and the £20 air cooler doesn't seem worth it over the stock one. Shame there's no Cooler Master 212x RGB edition on offer for the AM4 PCs ... that'd tick all the boxes.

 

[films&games]

For this PCS build and Focus G case, would it be worth changing the CPU cooler to the Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans instead of the CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 High Performance Liquid Cooler?

Or choose the Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler without the PCS fans?

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.

 

[Oussebon]

I'd stick with the Coolermaster 240 Lite. For your uses it's more than enough.

If you were going to spend £25-50 more on the build, there would be other ways to spend it. Or you could spend the money not on the PC but whatever else if your life you'd rather spend £25-50 on

 

[films&games]

Does the cache size of a mechanical HDD make a big difference to the performance when accessing files?

I am thinking of configuring my new PCS build with either of the following as a 1st Storage option.

2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE

3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated, please.

Thank you.