Clueless idiot needing help with PC build

S

sean16

Bronze Level Poster
Hi there, looking for some help with choosing a build for a new PC.

As the title suggests, I'm not entirely clued up and although I've messed around with different builds already, I'm worried that there's going to be components that aren't 100% compatible or that I'll miss something.

I've only had 1 gaming PC so far and it's beginning to show it's age after 7 years, been trying to get it fixed and replaced a few components but I think there's only so much you can do for an old desktop.

I'm looking for something that will run most games at High settings and which is generally future-proof for the next 5 years or hopefully longer, but nothing too crazy. I've been looking at the new RTX graphics cards and I dunno if that would just be overkill for me. (Not that I'd be able to get one right now anyway...)

I'm also not too big on the idea of water cooling because I'm worried, knowing my luck, it'll leak. I know it won't but I just seem to have an aversion towards putting water anywhere near electronics, I'm more of a fan guy.

I honestly have no idea where to start but my monitor is a curved Samsung C24F396 (1920 x 1080) if that might help in finding a suitable graphics card or other parts.

I don't really have a price range in mind, I want to buy a decent PC that will last me so I'm willing to pay however much it would cost and I have plenty saved.

Also wondering which warranty would be worth getting and if I should buy AntiVirus alongside it. I currently use BullGuard on my current PC and could always carry the subscription over.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
chiefsean16 said:
Hi there, looking for some help with choosing a build for a new PC.

As the title suggests, I'm not entirely clued up and although I've messed around with different builds already, I'm worried that there's going to be components that aren't 100% compatible or that I'll miss something.

I've only had 1 gaming PC so far and it's beginning to show it's age after 7 years, been trying to get it fixed and replaced a few components but I think there's only so much you can do for an old desktop.

I'm looking for something that will run most games at High settings and which is generally future-proof for the next 5 years or hopefully longer, but nothing too crazy. I've been looking at the new RTX graphics cards and I dunno if that would just be overkill for me. (Not that I'd be able to get one right now anyway...)

I'm also not too big on the idea of water cooling because I'm worried, knowing my luck, it'll leak. I know it won't but I just seem to have an aversion towards putting water anywhere near electronics, I'm more of a fan guy.

I honestly have no idea where to start but my monitor is a curved Samsung C24F396 (1920 x 1080) if that might help in finding a suitable graphics card or other parts.

I don't really have a price range in mind, I want to buy a decent PC that will last me so I'm willing to pay however much it would cost and I have plenty saved.

Also wondering which warranty would be worth getting and if I should buy AntiVirus alongside it. I currently use BullGuard on my current PC and could always carry the subscription over.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Ok first off get rid of Bullguard it causes more problems than it fixes. Windows Defender is free with Windows and works just as good as any on the market

As for the water cooled builds, they have a non conductive fluid in them. Meaning if there is a leak (which is honestly pretty rare in the closed loop systems we recommend) it wont damage the components. You basically just try to let it dry out and get the fluid out of the case, replace the cooler and everything should be fine. I've been using them for 10 years and have never had an issue with a leak

Price would really help, it helps us know where to make compromises. I'll go for a £1,500 1080p build for now but I'll use components so that it can be upgraded easily. Give me a couple mins
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
You could go for something like this, this should offer really strong 1080p performance but the best part about the build is the components are designed to be a platform that's easily upgraded.

Pop a 1440p 144Hz GPU in there and the build is already set up to handle the power. The 850W PSU will allow you to add whatever components you like without having to worry about power consumption and the 5600X is a very solid current gen CPU that can handle a lot.

Any questions fire away

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB 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
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
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 [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 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
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,486.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/93ffgpzDAV/
 
S

sean16

Bronze Level Poster
Steveyg said:
You could go for something like this, this should offer really strong 1080p performance but the best part about the build is the components are designed to be a platform that's easily upgraded.

Pop a 1440p 144Hz GPU in there and the build is already set up to handle the power. The 850W PSU will allow you to add whatever components you like without having to worry about power consumption and the 5600X is a very solid current gen CPU that can handle a lot.

Any questions fire away

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 220T RGB AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB 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
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
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 [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 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
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,486.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/93ffgpzDAV/
Click to expand...
Thanks! Had a wee look and looks like a good build, though like I said I'm pretty clueless so I don't really have much to add.

Dumb question though but why the 2 SSDs?

Price range really isn't an issue, something as expensive as over £3,000 or so is probably my limit. I really don't mind though, I'm really just looking for something that'll run well and if it costs me a lil extra that's okay.

Am I limiting myself with my monitor though?

Thanks.
 
sck451

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
If you've got the money to spend, I'd suggest upgrading your monitor as well and getting a full 1440p build. That can comfortably be done for £2000-2400 in total, depending on what level of luxury you want.
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
chiefsean16 said:
Thanks! Had a wee look and looks like a good build, though like I said I'm pretty clueless so I don't really have much to add.

Dumb question though but why the 2 SSDs?

Price range really isn't an issue, something as expensive as over £3,000 or so is probably my limit. I really don't mind though, I'm really just looking for something that'll run well and if it costs me a lil extra that's okay.

Am I limiting myself with my monitor though?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
We'll for that kind of budget we should be going straight for a 1440p 144Hz build + a monitor to suit it. I'll see what I can do.

As for the 2 SSD's it's what I always recommend and once you do it I bet you'll never go back. It lets you put your OS and a few key programs on one drive (The Samsung 980 Pro), you want these on the fastest drive available and it'll basically make the operating system run super quick. As long as that drive with the OS doesn't 75% capacity it'll stay lightening quick. It helps reduce bloat too and it also lets windows be independent from your personal files

You can update, change or even remove windows completely without affecting your personal files. So you wont lose any videos you might make or have to download your games again for example

It's just great convenience

Let me have a go at a 1440p build here
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I really only changed the case and GPU to be honest my first build was fairly solid to begin with. I'd pair this with a monitor like the Samsung G5 or the AOC Q27G2U for the less then 2K you have a 1440p 144hz build. You could honestly keep the first case I suggested too

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB 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
12GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6700 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
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 [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 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
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,740.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/dh0TmSXprn
 
S

sean16

Bronze Level Poster
Steveyg said:
I really only changed the case and GPU to be honest my first build was fairly solid to begin with. I'd pair this with a monitor like the Samsung G5 or the AOC Q27G2U for the less then 2K you have a 1440p 144hz build. You could honestly keep the first case I suggested too

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB 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
12GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6700 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ 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)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
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 [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 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
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 10 to 12 working days
Price: £1,740.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/dh0TmSXprn
Click to expand...
Thanks, I really appreciate it.

Is there much difference in quality between 1080 and 1440? I might not upgrade my monitor if it's still fairly good but if it sucks then I'll buy a new one. I don't mind sticking with 1080 if it's only a minor difference. If a new monitor means getting the RX 6700 though, I'd definitely consider it.

Cheers.
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
chiefsean16 said:
Thanks, I really appreciate it.

Is there much difference in quality between 1080 and 1440? I might not upgrade my monitor if it's still fairly good but if it sucks then I'll buy a new one. I don't mind sticking with 1080 if it's only a minor difference. If a new monitor means getting the RX 6700 though, I'd definitely consider it.

Cheers.
Click to expand...
It's honestly astronomical, I just made the jump from 1080 to 1440 in January and I honestly wonder how I ever looked at 1080p and though this is fine.

It's like going from SD TV;s with the old aerials to digital HD TV's. The difference is astounding, genuinely blew me away with the difference
 
S

sean16

Bronze Level Poster
Steveyg said:
It's honestly astronomical, I just made the jump from 1080 to 1440 in January and I honestly wonder how I ever looked at 1080p and though this is fine.

It's like going from SD TV;s with the old aerials to digital HD TV's. The difference is astounding, genuinely blew me away with the difference
Click to expand...
Could I still go for the RX 6700 though without upgrading my monitor? Would I have issues or could I upgrade later on?
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
you wouldn't see any benefit from the 6700 with your existing monitor as it can't output what the 6700 is capable of, in other words the monitor would be a big bottleneck
 
S

sean16

Bronze Level Poster
Martinr36 said:
you wouldn't see any benefit from the 6700 with your existing monitor as it can't output what the 6700 is capable of, in other words the monitor would be a big bottleneck
Click to expand...
Ah true. Might go for the Samsung G5 in that case, I could always use my existing monitor as a second second if I needed it.

Thanks.
 
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