Prospective Build

[houghtonbee]

First PC build in just over 11 years following sterling service from my last PCS build. I've been reading the great advice given on this forum and hopefully I'm on track with these specs.

Requirements - looking for a gaming PC that will remain relevant for some time, and be upgradeable. The sort of games I'd be looking at are primarily Football Manager, GTA 6 when released, EA FC, future Total War releases, for example. I won't be going above 1440p gaming for now as that's all my current monitor will handle, it's a fairly recent purchase so not looking to change any time soon but 4k may be a future consideration, not that I've ever been a graphics snob! No interest in video editing or streaming etc.

Monitor - Philips 32M1C5500VL 165hz QHD, specs here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Gaming-32M1C5500Vl-Curved-Monitor/dp/B0BH569RTQ?th=1

Budget -£1900. I'm a smidge over here, which is fine. I suppose my main question is am I going for overkill with this set up for 1440p gaming? If I can lower the specs/cost without a huge reduction in performance it'll win me some bonus points with the wife!


Case
CORSAIR FRAME 4000D RS ARGB MODULAR
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core CPU (4.2GHz-5.0GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X870-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz CL40 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB XFX RADEON™ RX 7800 XT SWFT 210 - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR ELITE MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6200 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR NAUTILUS 240 RS ARGB 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
Google Chrome™
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 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,907.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/ZSBvjazgeK/

 

[sck451]

Looks like a great start. I'd make a few changes (memory speed should be CL30 if possible, and you could downgrade the motherboard to save a little money). Then I'd ask if you can move the Windows licence from the old PC? If so, you can save money and spend it on the latest and greatest CPU. It won't be a massive benefit in most games, but in sim games like Football Manager it could be huge...

If you can do this, this is the build I'd suggest:

Case
CORSAIR FRAME 4000D RS ARGB MODULAR
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B850-PLUS WIFI (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
16GB XFX RADEON™ RX 7800 XT SWFT 210 - HDMI, 3 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR ELITE MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6200 MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR NAUTILUS 240 RS ARGB 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
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
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 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,873.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/dKTf0MX7jm/

 

[houghtonbee]

I have my old HDD with Windows 10 on it, I'm guessing its not as simple as connecting the HDD to the new mobo, entering BIOS to boot from it first time round and installing W11 to the 1st SSD?!!

 

[Ekans2011]

I have my old HDD with Windows 10 on it, I'm guessing its not as simple as connecting the HDD to the new mobo, entering BIOS to boot from it first time round and installing W11 to the 1st SSD?!!

You can't boot your old HDD because it is an entirely different system.
You must clean install Windows 10 on the new computer, get it licensed using your Microsoft account, and then upgrade to Windows 11.

 

[sck451]

I have my old HDD with Windows 10 on it, I'm guessing its not as simple as connecting the HDD to the new mobo, entering BIOS to boot from it first time round and installing W11 to the 1st SSD?!!

Technically you can transfer a boot drive. But don't. You'll regret it and a clean installation is really, really not difficult.

 

[houghtonbee]

I never linked my Windows key to my MS account, nor copied any installation media and the old pc is dead

Old Lady No Longer Booting

Hi there, throwing a hail mary pass here and hoping someone might be able to help. 11 year old PCS computer that has served me exceptionally well has seemingly breathed her last. I had been starting my research on purchasing a new one later this year and I believe everything important is backed...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

So I guess that's an expensive lesson learned as I have nothing other than the original Windows 7 install key which is on a sticker on the base unit.

Taking @sck451's suggestions on board I'll be going with the 7800 CPU to keep myself in budget and the rest of the build as they've posted plus the W11 license, showing as £1858 currently. The 7800 GPU is currently showing out of stock until June (hoping thats a worst case scenario date!) so I can't post the full specs, I'll park it for a little while.

 

[sck451]

I never linked my Windows key to my MS account, nor copied any installation media and the old pc is dead

Old Lady No Longer Booting

Hi there, throwing a hail mary pass here and hoping someone might be able to help. 11 year old PCS computer that has served me exceptionally well has seemingly breathed her last. I had been starting my research on purchasing a new one later this year and I believe everything important is backed...

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

So I guess that's an expensive lesson learned as I have nothing other than the original Windows 7 install key which is on a sticker on the base unit.

Taking @sck451's suggestions on board I'll be going with the 7800 CPU to keep myself in budget and the rest of the build as they've posted plus the W11 license, showing as £1858 currently. The 7800 GPU is currently showing out of stock until June (hoping thats a worst case scenario date!) so I can't post the full specs, I'll park it for a little while.

That's unfortunate. I hope the 7800 XT will come into stock again. I know it says 1 June as an ETA, but the nature of the graphics card market is such that these things aren't always accurate. Sadly there really isn't anything else in the same broad area of price and performance...

Your other option, depending on how technically confident you are, is to order the system without a graphics card and order it separately to fit yourself. It's really not that difficult. 7800 XTs are pretty easy to find in stock for a price in the £460 region.

 

[houghtonbee]

That's unfortunate. I hope the 7800 XT will come into stock again. I know it says 1 June as an ETA, but the nature of the graphics card market is such that these things aren't always accurate. Sadly there really isn't anything else in the same broad area of price and performance...

Your other option, depending on how technically confident you are, is to order the system without a graphics card and order it separately to fit yourself. It's really not that difficult. 7800 XTs are pretty easy to find in stock for a price in the £460 region.

No issues with installing a GPU, have done it before. Seems to save £50 on the PCS build price as well for this supplier linked from the AMD website

GV-R78XTGAMING OC-16GD GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7800 XT

Order now and receive your items quickly and securely. - GV-R78XTGAMING OC-16GD GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC 16GB RDNA 3 Graphics Card.

box.co.uk

plus a whopping fiver extra off for joining their mailing list! Will I need to add a GPU support bracket for this one? I've also never had an overclocked component previously afaik, is there anything to be aware of with this, will I need more power than the 850w PSU?

 

[Scott]

850w is fine but if you want to cover any future upgrade to an upper tier card then 1000w would be a good shout. I always recommend 1000w but it's always with a budget consideration, 850w in this instance is a good balance for the budget as there were other areas to consider first.

I would get the bracket anyway. It's never going to go wrong for the price.

 

[houghtonbee]

No issues with installing a GPU, have done it before. Seems to save £50 on the PCS build price as well for this supplier linked from the AMD website

GV-R78XTGAMING OC-16GD GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7800 XT

Order now and receive your items quickly and securely. - GV-R78XTGAMING OC-16GD GIGABYTE Radeon RX 7800 XT GAMING OC 16GB RDNA 3 Graphics Card.

box.co.uk

plus a whopping fiver extra off for joining their mailing list! Will I need to add a GPU support bracket for this one? I've also never had an overclocked component previously afaik, is there anything to be aware of with this, will I need more power than the 850w PSU?

For those following this thread, the 7800 XT are now showing back in stock with a range of options, the cheapest of which is the one I've linked to on my previous post. It calculates as a £531 addition to my build, versus £460 to purchase and install myself, quite a difference.

 

[Scott]

It's the way it goes with the pricing model. It depends on what their cost was at the time of ordering and their margin etc, there are many factors in the pricing. The end consumer sometimes gets good wins, sometimes losses, you're getting peace of mind with that price as well though as PCS would be responsible during warranty periods, otherwise you're responsible for the GPU etc.

It's the magic of being able to choose items as well. You can get the best value for yourself. Some people would happily pay that additional money for what I've stated above, people like myself would rather take on the task and have the savings opportunity. Each option is valid