Little help?

[SunsOfSagan]

First time doing this and I'm tying myself in knots over it - any help appreciated!

I want it to handle pretty much any game I throw at it at 1440p with decent settings. Not looking to run the latest AAA titles with everything maxed out, but I'd like them to be able to chug along smoothly while still looking pretty.
For context, I'm playing a lot of Sea of Thieves with my wife at the moment and it would be nice to push the graphics further than 'rare'. And I've got my eye on Cyberpunk 2077 this year without a desire to run it at full whack.

Other considerations:
- I do a bit of photo editing with Photoshop. Purely a hobby, not work, so cutting-edge speed is not a priority. As long as the build can handle it without getting in my way, I'm happy.
- I might like to do a bit of casual streaming at some point in the future. This is by no means essential - something I'd be sharing with friends.
- Recommendations on a suitable monitor welcome. I've left this blank for now as unsure if I'd prefer to source this elsewhere.

My budget maxes out around £1250 so there's a little wiggle room here but I'm equally happy to spend less!

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-9600K (3.7 GHz) 9 MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF Z390-PLUS GAMING: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB PCS 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 470MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 18 working days
Price: £1,115.00 including VAT and Delivery

URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-pc/2XsRfjtWzA/

 

[SunsOfSagan]

So, for your uses, an AMD system would be a better option. The GPU you selected is a very low end 1440p card and wouldn't be the best choice. I would be looking at 1440p 144Hz here which around your budget will get a good system and should do reasonably well at editing and occasional streaming (ideally you'd want a better chip for both):


Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core CPU (3.8GHz-4.4GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
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
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
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 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 16 to 18 working days
Price: £1,306.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/WnBJudk6rq/

Paired with a monitor like this:

Illyama G-Master Monitor

You've been a great help. Thank you for your time.

 

[Deleted member 17413]

If you are doing photo editing arent you going to want at least a IPS monitor? And a bit more RAM?
Although RAM might be more a issue if it were video I suppose

 

[SunsOfSagan]

If you are doing photo editing arent you going to want at least a IPS monitor? And a bit more RAM?
Although RAM might be more a issue if it were video I suppose

Currently have use of my work monitor which is IPS but that won't be the case if/when we go back to the office. I'll probably hold off on purchasing a monitor until then and see if I feel it's truly necessary for my needs. It's really just playing around with holiday snaps and such - I've been chugging along with 8GB on the old machine my friend built for me so 16GB will still feel like an upgrade.

 

[Bigfoot]

For photo editing you really need to get a monitor that covers a wide percentage of the sRGB colour gamut if you are posting online or the wider Adobe RGB gamut for printing. These tend to be IPS monitors, which also have very wide viewing angles, but are typically slower in response than most gamers want. You should also regularly calibrate the monitor. Without this your editing effort will be mostly pointless, as otherwise it will be as if you are editing with coloured sunglasses where you don’t know the colour or degree of darkness of the lenses.

 

[SunsOfSagan]

I'm looking to amend my order to add 3 additional Corsair RGB fans. This is because I am a weak man who can't last more than a few days before his self-imposed "they're not needed for actual cooling in this build and therefore not worth the extra cost" rule surrenders to his need for things to look extra pretty.

With this in mind, a quick question as the language on site isn't 100% clear: do PCS install the fans for you as part of the build?

If no, it might be enough to stay my hand. I realise they're not particularly hard to install myself, but I am also a lazy man and if I'm going to be doing it anyway I'll hold off and possibly invest in a cheaper kit.

If yes... well I'm a few quid down but yay aesthetics.

Edit: noted this has been moved to this thread. Apologies for not continuing here, I wasn't sure if it would be considered bad form to revive one I haven't updated in a week! For reference: build as recommended by Nursemorph above with minor tweaks, but I switched out for the Corsair iCUE 220T case.

 

[AgentCooper]

Yes, they'll install them for you

 

[SunsOfSagan]

Yes, they'll install them for you

I'll go break the news to my bank account. Thanks!

 

[AgentCooper]

Your bank manager...

 

[SunsOfSagan]

Just want to say thanks to everyone for your all of your help, both in this thread and across the forum. I've been browsing all week as one is wont to do while impotently refreshing the orders page. It's been a proper crash course in how PCs are put together and I've learned a lot just from reading all the guidance posted here.

 

[SunsOfSagan]

Sorry - me again! I've a few (hopefully last) questions following a little more research. I've already put this to PCS in an email but conscious it could take some time for them to get back. Any insights greatly appreciated.

As I mentioned, I switched to the Corsair iCUE 220T case, which is bundled with 3 Corsair SP120 fans and a Lighting Node Core (because ooh shiny), and then added 3 additional Corsair LL120 fans to the build. I am aware that Corsair's iCUE software cannot run the RGB for two different models of fan off the same lighting node, but that it can recognise more than one lighting node at a time. With this in mind:

- Does the LL120 3-pack from PCS include its own Lighting Node Pro and RGB hub? I suspect this is the case but PCS's product info only specifies "+ controller kit"
- If so, can this node and hub be configured separately to run the LL120s alongside the included Lighting Core node already running the SP120s? I've tried to ascertain whether the motherboard (ASUS TUF X570-PLUS gaming) would accommodate this configuration, but I'm not hugely experienced in this area and still unclear.
- Bonus question: again assuming a Lighting Node Pro for the LL120 3-pack, would this leave a port free to accommodate an RGB strip if I decide to add one later? I'm not wedded to the idea of doing this - just curious and trying to learn!

Tl;dr - is it technically possible to configure the RGB for two different models of Corsair fans in the iCUE software, using the current components of this build?

If not, I may cancel these fans and buy another SP120 3-pack elsewhere which, as I understand it, could be added to the 3 empty ports on the bundled Lighting Node Core.

 

[AgentCooper]

I know that if you buy a 3 pack of fans from a well-known online retailer, that comes with the lighting node, might be worth using the live chat to see what PCS do.

I have the iCue 220T, the H100i RGB Cooler and 2x8GB RGB RAM in my build and when i'm running iCue, I can control the RGB for the cooler and the RAM but not the front fans. Interestingly, when I downloaded one of the preset patterns that are available from Corsair's website, that worked for the case fans and the RAM but not the cooler.

Not sure why as I've not had a lot of time to play around with it. So in theory all your RGB will work, it may just not be in sync.

 

[SunsOfSagan]

I know that if you buy a 3 pack of fans from a well-known online retailer, that comes with the lighting node, might be worth using the live chat to see what PCS do.

I have the iCue 220T, the H100i RGB Cooler and 2x8GB RGB RAM in my build and when i'm running iCue, I can control the RGB for the cooler and the RAM but not the front fans. Interestingly, when I downloaded one of the preset patterns that are available from Corsair's website, that worked for the case fans and the RAM but not the cooler.

Not sure why as I've not had a lot of time to play around with it. So in theory all your RGB will work, it may just not be in sync.

Live chat confirms it's a Lighting Node Pro! So that's one piece of the puzzle - nice.

Yeah everything I've read over the weekend suggests all sorts of weird and wonderful inconsistencies in getting RGB stuff to play nicely together in iCue. I'm readying my soul for a fair bit of troubleshooting on that front. I consider synced lighting effects a bonus as I'm more concerned with getting colour consistency across RGB devices, so that it looks flashy without prompting an epileptic fit if I can at least do that all in one place then I'm winning.

All speculation based on specs at this stage though - hopefully PCS can give me a definitive answer.

Thanks again

 

[AgentCooper]

Your idea of sourcing a few more SP120 fans would be the quickest route. The luxury (and much quieter) option is ordering 6 of the ML120 fans and replacing the ones in the front of the case with those and adding the other three to the top and rear. However, I don't want to plunge you into further levels of debt 😁

 

[SunsOfSagan]

Your idea of sourcing a few more SP120 fans would be the quickest route. The luxury (and much quieter) option is ordering 6 of the ML120 fans and replacing the ones in the front of the case with those and adding the other three to the top and rear. However, I don't want to plunge you into further levels of debt 😁

I imagine you're right! But you see...

... I am also a lazy man...

In all seriousness though it's good to know I've got that option later down the line if I decide to go full luxury.

 

[SunsOfSagan]

Big yes across the board from PCS! Happy news to receive on a dreary hump day afternoon.

Impressed with the turnaround on a reply too considering their current backlog.

Only downside is I've now run out of things to fuss over until it gets here latest estimated build date 10th September but I won't hold my breath - you can't rush quality.

 

[Deleted member 17413]

The SP120's are static fans arent they?
Have you thought about speaking to PCS and ordering the set of 5 LL120's, with them removing the fans the case comes with?
You would need to arrange it with them, its not a option to remove case fans on the configurator so it wont allow 5 fans as a choice when you try to click Proceed. (can even ask them to leave one of the SP120's but move it to the rear, so front and top are all controllable rpm and then a static exhaust at rear)

If you havent already, I would also change your thermal paste choice to the Arctic Extreme as you are going with a stock cooler.

 

[SunsOfSagan]

The SP120's are static fans arent they?
Have you thought about speaking to PCS and ordering the set of 5 LL120's, with them removing the fans the case comes with?
You would need to arrange it with them, its not a option to remove case fans on the configurator so it wont allow 5 fans as a choice when you try to click Proceed. (can even ask them to leave one of the SP120's but move it to the rear, so front and top are all controllable rpm and then a static exhaust at rear)

If you havent already, I would also change your thermal paste choice to the Arctic Extreme as you are going with a stock cooler.

Was actually looking into this yesterday and I think I'm happy with static pressure for intake. Conscious the front of this case has an air filter and potentially obstructive mesh design, and being 'compact' it's a little crowded around there with the positioning of the HDD bay. I'm not so worried about any additional noise. This Reddit thread came up in my research and the guy's maths seem solid.

Is the paste definitely worth it? I'm up for amending that.

 

[Deleted member 17413]

Its a higher quality than what would otherwise be used, and something like £9.
Its not the best on the market, but will make a difference and in doing so benefit the CPU's "health".

 

[SunsOfSagan]

Cool, thanks very much for the tip! I'll update it today.