PCSpecialist at curry's

R

riverbed

Member
If I was considering buying this pc off the shelf from curry's would I be able to get a better deal/pc by going for an off the shelf or custom build here.
This is basically on my budget with the addition of another monitor to go with my old Asus VS248.
maily just general use with some gaming but not really top AAA games. Max budget £1500

PCSPECIALIST Flux 330 Gaming PC - Intel® Core™ i7, RTX 4070, 1 TB SSD £1349​

Technical specifications for PCSPECIALIST Flux 330 Gaming PC - Intel® Core™ i7, RTX 4070, 1 TB SSD

Operating system Windows 11 Home
PERFORMANCE Graphics card
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070
- 12 GB GDDR6
RAM
- 16 GB DDR4 (3600 MHz)
- 128 GB maximum installable RAM
Processor- Intel® Core™ i7-12700F Processor
- 12-core
- 2.1 GHz / 4.9 GHz
- 25 MB cache
Storage
1 TB SSD
Motherboard ASUS PRIME B760-PLUS D4
CONNECTIVITY
WiFi
- WiFi 6E
- 2x2
- Up to 2.4 Gbps
Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet port
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.3
Ports
- USB Type-C x 1
- USB 3.2 x 3
- USB 2.0 x 2
- HDMI 2.1 x 1
- DisplayPort 1.4a x 3
- 3.5 mm jack x 3
Other features
- RGB Lighting
- Tempered glass side panel
- Corsair RMe Series 80 Plus Gold 750 W PSU
Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series ARGB liquid cooler
SOUND
Audio software
Realtek 7.1-channel high definition audio
GENERAL
Manufacturer’s guarantee
- 1 Year Collect & Return
- 1 Year Parts
- 3 Year Labour
Box contents
- PCSpecialist Flux 330 Gaming PC (PCS-D2552950)
- Power cable
- Driver discs
- Manual
- Welcome pack


Thanks for any help


​


 
Ekans2011

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
riverbed said:
If I was considering buying this pc off the shelf from curry's would I be able to get a better deal/pc by going for an off the shelf or custom build here.
This is basically on my budget with the addition of another monitor to go with my old Asus VS248.
maily just general use with some gaming but not really top AAA games. Max budget £1500

PCSPECIALIST Flux 330 Gaming PC - Intel® Core™ i7, RTX 4070, 1 TB SSD £1349​

Technical specifications for PCSPECIALIST Flux 330 Gaming PC - Intel® Core™ i7, RTX 4070, 1 TB SSD

Operating system Windows 11 Home
PERFORMANCE Graphics card
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070
- 12 GB GDDR6
RAM
- 16 GB DDR4 (3600 MHz)
- 128 GB maximum installable RAM
Processor- Intel® Core™ i7-12700F Processor
- 12-core
- 2.1 GHz / 4.9 GHz
- 25 MB cache
Storage
1 TB SSD
Motherboard ASUS PRIME B760-PLUS D4
CONNECTIVITY
WiFi
- WiFi 6E
- 2x2
- Up to 2.4 Gbps
Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet port
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.3
Ports
- USB Type-C x 1
- USB 3.2 x 3
- USB 2.0 x 2
- HDMI 2.1 x 1
- DisplayPort 1.4a x 3
- 3.5 mm jack x 3
Other features
- RGB Lighting
- Tempered glass side panel
- Corsair RMe Series 80 Plus Gold 750 W PSU
Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series ARGB liquid cooler
SOUND
Audio software
Realtek 7.1-channel high definition audio
GENERAL
Manufacturer’s guarantee
- 1 Year Collect & Return
- 1 Year Parts
- 3 Year Labour
Box contents
- PCSpecialist Flux 330 Gaming PC (PCS-D2552950)
- Power cable
- Driver discs
- Manual
- Welcome pack


Thanks for any help


​


Click to expand...
There's no reason to buy a PC right now, the new hardware will be announced at CES in a week.

I'd suggest to wait and then seek advice here.

Don't buy that pre-built because it's a dead platform that won't be worth anything by the end of 2024.

Your monitor is completely unsuitable for gaming because it's an old 1080p, TN, 60Hz display that severely limits your experience.
 
Paul1964

Paul1964

Gold Level Poster
Ekans2011 said:
Don't buy that pre-built because it's a dead platform that won't be worth anything by the end of 2024.

Your monitor is completely unsuitable for gaming because it's an old 1080p, TN, 60Hz display that severely limits your experience.
Click to expand...
I concur.

It's 12th Gen Intel so has probably been sat in a warehouse gathering dust for the past 2 to 3 years. Best avoided.

For gaming you ought to be looking at an AMD system, with an AMD 7800 X3D or 9800 X3D and the new Intel B580 GPU has excellent price to performance. As Ekans2011 already mentioned, it's worth waiting to see what is announced for new GPUs from AMD and NVidia ion the next week or 2.

Out of interest this comes in on budget. it has an AMD 9700X CPU. The 9800X3D blows your budget unfortunately. It includes a pair of 24" IPS 1080p monitors as well. It's WAY better than the 3 year old system from Curry's. If you need something NOW then this would certainly do the job but it's best to wait a couple of weeks for the reasons already discussed. Other members might make suggestions to improve this.

Case
PCS SPECTRUM II ARGB MID TOWER CASE (PWM)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.5GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME A620M-K (mATX, AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB SPARKLE INTEL ARC B580 TITAN OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 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
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
ASUS VA24EHF 24" - 1920 x 1080, IPS, 100Hz
Monitor
ASUS VA24EHF 24" - 1920 x 1080, IPS, 100Hz
Monitor Cables
2m DisplayPort Adapter Cable - DP to HDMI
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Christmas Delivery No Longer Guaranteed
Price: £1,467.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/97cthmsFCP/
 
BlessedSquirrel

BlessedSquirrel

We love you Ukraine
Wouldn't recommend the 9700x, but it's moot anyway as all prices will have changed with new GPUs and CPU's being announced on the 6th

 
R

riverbed

Member
Paul1964 said:
I concur.

It's 12th Gen Intel so has probably been sat in a warehouse gathering dust for the past 2 to 3 years. Best avoided.

For gaming you ought to be looking at an AMD system, with an AMD 7800 X3D or 9800 X3D and the new Intel B580 GPU has excellent price to performance. As Ekans2011 already mentioned, it's worth waiting to see what is announced for new GPUs from AMD and NVidia ion the next week or 2.

Out of interest this comes in on budget. it has an AMD 9700X CPU. The 9800X3D blows your budget unfortunately. It includes a pair of 24" IPS 1080p monitors as well. It's WAY better than the 3 year old system from Curry's. If you need something NOW then this would certainly do the job but it's best to wait a couple of weeks for the reasons already discussed. Other members might make suggestions to improve this.

Case
PCS SPECTRUM II ARGB MID TOWER CASE (PWM)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9700X Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.5GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME A620M-K (mATX, AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB SPARKLE INTEL ARC B580 TITAN OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 6500MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 V3 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 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 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 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
Microsoft® Edge
Monitor
ASUS VA24EHF 24" - 1920 x 1080, IPS, 100Hz
Monitor
ASUS VA24EHF 24" - 1920 x 1080, IPS, 100Hz
Monitor Cables
2m DisplayPort Adapter Cable - DP to HDMI
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Christmas Delivery No Longer Guaranteed
Price: £1,467.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/97cthmsFCP/
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestions, I might just change a few bits and go with this set up.
 
Ekans2011

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
riverbed said:
Thanks for the suggestions, I might just change a few bits and go with this set up.
Click to expand...
If you've decided not to wait for the new hardware and instead make the buy (NOT recommended), here's what I'd look for in a very basic PC with some futurability (better case, motherboard, ram, cooler, double M.2, 1 year C&R).

You may consider a budget 1080p monitor, like this AOC.

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core CPU (3.8GHz-5.3GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 4.0, Wi-Fi 6)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB INTEL ARC B580 LIMITED EDITION - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR, 4700MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR H100x RGB ELITE HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 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™
Monitor Cables
2m DisplayPort Adapter Cable - DP to HDMI
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 5 to 7 working days
Price: £1,369.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/2gkbNX6KyJ/
 
Last edited:
R

riverbed

Member
I'm presuming that even with new hardware announce at CES it would still take another month or more before any became available , so unless I wish to wait till mid Febuary......
 
Ekans2011

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
riverbed said:
I'm presuming that even with new hardware announce at CES it would still take another month or more before any became available , so unless I wish to wait till mid Febuary......
Click to expand...
The first wave should be ready on January 21st, but it will only include high-end components that are out of your budget.
The official release date will be announced in 3-4 days, and I believe the wait is worthwhile in any case because the prices may change. :)
 
R

riverbed

Member
Ok Thanks, likely I'll spend the next 3-4 days doing a bit of head scatching anyway before I order so I'll see what happens
 
BlessedSquirrel

BlessedSquirrel

We love you Ukraine
riverbed said:
Ok Thanks, likely I'll spend the next 3-4 days doing a bit of head scatching anyway before I order so I'll see what happens
Click to expand...
At this level, the Intel B580 is a great card, there is nothing currently that can compete, not really anywhere near, it's around a 4060ti level of performance for a cost under the 4060, quite incredible value really.

The driver performance with which they had major issues on the first generation A series cards, is still ongoing, although far better, but do be aware of that, I do think a lot of issues have been improved already since first release, so bear in mind time windows when looking at reviews, most of the initial reviews from 3 weeks ago or so were pretty damning about drivers, but the more recent reviews haven't experienced the same issues on later drivers




The 1080p cards tend not to be announced for several months after the high end cards, so I don't expect anything certainly from NVidia for a good while yet at the entry level GPU side. AMD have confirmed they're not competing in the high end, so perhaps they will include some 1080p cards with their initial release window.

The Intel has literally just been released, so it's got that future proofing side to it, whereas the current AMD / NVidia cards are now right at the end of their 2 year lifecycle and were underprovisioned anyway, even for 1080p gaming.

So I'd definitely wait for the announcement on the 6th as that will include release dates for the first batch (usually up to 2 weeks or so after the announcement), and if anything may solidify that the Intel B580 is the best option.

But also, we're expecting a new wave of 9800X3D chips to hit the market before Chinese new year, which hopefully will stabilise pricing, due to shortages, prices crept higher than they should have been. Hopefully that may affect the lineup also. There is also a top end gaming / multithreaded workhorse being announced which is the 9950X3D, there have been lots of rumours up till now but nothing confirmed, but it may turn out that that takes the place as the new gaming king in which case we'd also expect the 9800X3D pricing to come down as a result, which will in turn affect the 7000 series pricing.

It's all a bit of a ripple effect.

Definitely hold out a few more days and then we can put something really strong together
 
Last edited:
R

riverbed

Member
Hi I just wanted to bump this post up to see if I could get any changes to the recommendations now the CES has mainly happened.
Max budget is £1300 - £1500 at a push
I have two monitors, not the best but that's what I've got for now, may upgrade the oldest at a later date.
monitors asus vs248 and Acer Nitro XF270M3
I'd like to have at least 1tb of ssd
For general use with some gaming but not really top AAA games
I have no intention of buying the curry's one I listed at the top
Thanks.
 
Ekans2011

Ekans2011

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
riverbed said:
Hi I just wanted to bump this post up to see if I could get any changes to the recommendations now the CES has mainly happened.
Max budget is £1300 - £1500 at a push
I have two monitors, not the best but that's what I've got for now, may upgrade the oldest at a later date.
monitors asus vs248 and Acer Nitro XF270M3
I'd like to have at least 1tb of ssd
For general use with some gaming but not really top AAA games
I have no intention of buying the curry's one I listed at the top
Thanks.
Click to expand...
My recommendation is the same as post 7. There were no low-end GPUs unveiled at CES, and they will most likely appear later this year. If you're looking for a simple system for general use and occasional gaming, I think you can go with that one that fits your budget. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top