Configuration for non-gamer

E

EdwDee

Member
Hi good experts. I am looking to replace my ageing computer and while I have speced and built previous computers myself things have moved on and getting some advice from people more up to date than me seems a good idea.

My current configuration has an AMD FX-8320 processor (8 core), 16gb RAM, 256Gb SSD and a couple of 1Tb disks. I have 2 MSI 24" monitors (1920 x 1080, 75 Hz, 4ms); I mainly access the internet via wifi (5Ghz). For backup I periodically sync essential files to local cloud storage. I have an aging Dell Laser printer. I currently run Windows 10 (Home). The rationale for updating is simply the system's age (8 or 9 years); the clock battery has died, the processor fan makes odd noises on startup and my processor is not supported to upgrade to Windows 11. Otherwise its OK but sometimes a little slow.

As the post title implies, I'm not into gaming but use my computer almost daily for a variety of things - none of them intensively or commercially: a little 2D and 3D modelling (autocad clone, Sketchup), Website application building/maintaining (netbeans, apache, php, mysql), audio editing (audacity), video editing (OBS studio), admin (word excel, powerpoint, Thunderbird etc), maybe occasional database work (postgres or sql-server). I occasionally view steamed films or DVDs.

While my budget is far from unlimited , a few pounds here or there is not an issue. I prefer to over-spec on an initial configuration rather than have to modify (and possibly destabalise) the system at a later date; while probably not the cheapest solution this strategy has worked well for me in the past.

Thanks in advance to anyone who offers advice or suggestions. I've added some rationale (initalics) to justify configuration decisions and I coloured (blue) where I'm specifically asking advice.

The configuration I came up with is :
Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
rationale: I'm not into coloured lights and this case is full sized and has a useful number of front mounted USB ports
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Rationale: current processor is AMD and that has worked well; this is a step up
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B650-PLUS (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Rationale: compatible with chosen CPU
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Rationale: a step up from my current machine; more memory is always useful
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 - HDMI
Some advice useful here. Possibly, given I'm not gaming, I could omit the graphics card and just use onboard graphics - though if ever I get a desk large enough for a 3rd monitor this card would support it :)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
Ratinale: Mirror (raid 1) system drive as losing the system drive (and installed programs) is a pain
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
2nd Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Rationale: same as I currently use
RAID
RAID 1 (MIRRORED VOLUME - 2 x same size & model HDD / SSD)
Ratinale: mirror system drive
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Rationale: so I can read and occasionally write DVDs. External DVD so I can use it on my laptop
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Rationale: Its cheap and possibly I will need it some day
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W CV SERIES™ CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Advice here please. Is this large enough if I have the graphics card. The configurator didn't object to it but it looks a little suspect to me
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Do I really need another. Should be an option to omit it
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H115i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Advice please - Is this necessary or suitable? I assume (Hope!) the coloured lights can be turned off
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Rationale: I don't think I need anything more than this
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Advice please. Do I need this or does the motherboard ave onboard LAN connectivity
Wireless Network Card
ASUS PCE-AX3000 Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2400Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/2.4GHz
Ratinale: does dual band WIFI
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Rationale: can never have too many USB ports; I currently have an expansion card with extra USB ports
Firewire
2 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin)
Rationale: may be useful
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Advice please. Is it worth getting Windows 11 Pro to get Hyper-V and sandbox. On occassions having Remote Desktop would be useful
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Business 2021 (1 Digital License)
Rationale: I think I've got my monies worth out of my current office 2003/2007 suite.
Anti-Virus
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Really should be an option to omit this. I don't use or want Norton
Browser
Firefox™
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K120 USB KEYBOARD
Rationale: so the system as it comes is self sufficient. Eventually I would use my current mouse and keyboard
 
Q

QH7

Bronze Level Poster
You can remove Norton.
1680006312692.png
 
E

EdwDee

Member
Thank you CountingDown for you advice. I've decided to retain the GPU and have followed your advice re the motherboard - though this required that I get a higher spec power supply (RMx or above) - something about the motherboard requiring 2 x EPS12V cables. This is a bit of overkill as its a 750w power supply whereas I only require a 450w supply but I guess its something one has to live with.
The motherboard you suggested has good built-in wifi so I removed the wifi card.
I took your advice re RAID and removed it - and replaced one of the HDD by an SSD.
I also opted for Windows 10 professional
I added a DVD drive (I'll check that the case can accommodate it); i retained the external DVD drive for my lap top
With the changes it comes out at a little over £2000
Below is the final spec. If anything still looks obviously wrong, please let me know, otherwise I'll order it next week.
Thanks again for your advice.
Current spec:
Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-A GAMING WIFI (WIFI 6E, DDR5, PCIe 5.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 - HDMI
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW


url: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/Fk8nEZc48X/
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler (AMD)
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
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Firewire
2 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin)
Operating System
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00005]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2021 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Monitor Cables
1 x 2m DisplayPort Adapter Cable - DP to HDMI
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K120 USB KEYBOARD
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
CountingDown said:
There are a couple of tweaks I would make but they would add to the cost and take it to £2153. As that goes beyond your budget, I am looking to see if anything else can be trimmed:

- Do you need the DP to HDMI cable? Far as I know, all monitors have HDMI ports and the GPU will have HDMI.

- Do you need Win 11 Pro? I only ask as the differences between W11 H vs P are very small. According to Microsoft, the 2 main areas is that Pro has Bitlocker Device Encryption (no clue if you use Bitlocker) and Windows Information Protection (which seems to be mainly related to enterprise level data). Outsides of those, I believe (though I don't know for sure), there is little difference.

- Do you need the SATA HDD? Can you transfer drives from your existing system?

Assuming all those can be removed, then I'd change the RAM to the highest speed possible (AMD chips love higher frequencies), upgrade the primary drive to the fastest possible, and up the cooler to a more robust option (The PCS coolers are generic ones and may result in your CPU not running at it's best):

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-A GAMING WIFI (WIFI 6E, DDR5, PCIe 5.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 - HDMI
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 SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE RGB 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Firewire
2 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin)
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2021 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K120 USB KEYBOARD
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 13 to 16 working days
Price: £2,070.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/7DGGh79Erp/

The only area of the build I am still iffy about is the GPU...the 1650 is, frankly, archaic. When it comes to things like AutoCAD etc, I honestly have no clue whether it will be better than integrated graphics or not....I have no clue whatsoever on how good the iGPUs in the latest gen chips are. @SpyderTracks You seem to have very good knowledge on the 7000 series CPUs...any thoughts?
Click to expand...
For any kind of hardware rendering like autocad you really want an RTX card, so 2060 as a minimum. Reason being is that the tensor cores make such a huge impact to render times that any old style GTX card is really redundant these days.

I wouldn't suggest on board graphics for hardware rendering.

To balance it within budget, you could happily drop down to the 7800x which would still be leaps and bounds better than an FX processor, although they were high core count they were notoriously hot to the point they generally throttled under most uses anyway but even despite that, performance was literally nothing compared to the 7000 series.
 
Last edited:
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
SpyderTracks said:
For any kind of hardware rendering like autocad you really want an RTX card, so 2060 as a minimum. Reason being is that the tensor cores make such a huge impact to render times that any old style GTX card is really redundant these days.

I wouldn't suggest on board graphics for hardware rendering.
Click to expand...
I'd actually aim for one of the Quadros if you can get it in the budget. We use RTX 4000 Quadros here in the office and they work great for AutoCAD, Revit, SmartPlant, etc. Although they are on the pricey side

I'd honestly recommend dropping a tier on the CPU for the benefit of a good GPU if you're rendering a lot

The 7900X is obviously a great choice but you'll still very good performance from the 7800X and you could use the cost saving to bump the GPU. This is all case by case though depending on the main function of the machine. Things like CAD can be really specific depending on how it's used whether you'd want a better GPU or better CPU
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
CountingDown said:
From my understanding, the 3050 is a pretty poor GPU from a gaming standpoint...however, given it's an RTX card and a massive leap up from a 1650, I figure it would be fine. So, drop the CPU down to the 7700x (is there a 7800x coming?):

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Eight Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.4GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-A GAMING WIFI (WIFI 6E, DDR5, PCIe 5.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3050 - HDMI, DP, LHR
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 SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE RGB 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Firewire
2 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin)
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2021 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K120 USB KEYBOARD
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 13 to 16 working days
Price: £2,090.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/44ngAxEsWK/

Potentially drop the case down to the Corsair 4000x to save £40...you lose the internal Optical drive but the airflow is better (the Define is amazing for soundproofing but lacks slightly on cooling)
Click to expand...
The 3050 is quite a strange card, doesn't really gain much over the 2060 and the increased VRAM on the 2060 would be beneficial in this instance at 12gb rather than the 8gb on the 3050
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
There's loads of options here, and none of them wrong. I've dropped the USB card as the new boards have a slew of USB connectivity (most 10-15 ports). It's mainly office that takes you over the budget, do you not have a license you can transfer?

Same with Windows, you would hopefully have a license you could transfer to save £100 there. The aforementioned Quadro card is where I would aim for your uses. The only thing to consider with this card is its use of mDP cables, rather than full size DP. You would need to ensure your monitor supports mDP for a straight cable connection, or consider mDP to DP adapters.

Spec below is where I land.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Eight Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.4GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, PCIe 5.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
PNY NVIDIA T1000 - 4GB GDDR6, 896 CUDA Cores - 4 x mDP
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 SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE RGB 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Firewire
2 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin)
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2021 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K120 USB KEYBOARD
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 13 to 16 working days
Price: £2,065.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/b5ECA!YvYP/
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
This is where I'd be aiming, I think the T1000 is quite light on the CUDA core for something at it's price. I know I sacrificed the DVD drive but you can get an external one and it saves quite a bit on the case even though the Fractal Define 7 is a very very good case it really is a premium option

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS 2 ARGB GAMING CASE (BLACK)
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Eight Core CPU (4.5GHz-5.4GHz/40MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
PNY NVIDIA RTX A2000 - 6GB GDDR6, 3328 CUDA Cores - 4 x mDP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR, 1625MB/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 RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE RGB 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Firewire
2 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin)
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2021 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K120 USB KEYBOARD
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 13 to 16 working days
Price: £2,018.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/zNVHSPpTEs/
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
CountingDown said:
Yeah, I only chose the 3050 as the configurator does not have any 2000 Series cards at all. Of course, the OP could always source their own
Click to expand...
Damn, they must have sold out, that's a shame, the 2060 12GB was actually useful for entry level work like this.

In fact, this was the only area where that card actually made any sense.
 
E

EdwDee

Member
Thank you all for your comments. It is much appreciated.

Firstly the simple stuff:
why order a DP ->HDMI cable - because I have two MSI MP242C monitors, each with HDMI and VGA connectors and the GPU has only 1 HDMI connector. I note that the GPU uses DisplayPort 1.4a - so I need a mini display port to HDMI cable (thanks Scott) - but there is not an option for this so I've deleted it and will source it elsewhere.

Why Windows 11 pro - while I'm not a gamer I like to play and would like to experiment with Hyper-V. If I don;t get it now I never will.

Why the SATA HDD - I could move one from my existing computer but I would prefer to leave it intact until I get all my software and general environment set up on the new computer. In the grand scheme of things its not a huge expense.

Why Office license - my current version is 2003 - I could transfer it but I feel I've had good use out of it and could do with a more up-to-date version.

Why windows license - my current license is for this cpu - its a Windows 10 license, upgraded from Windows 7new license. I believe I need a new license for new hardware

Now the more difficult stuff.
Graphics. You have all convinced that on board graphics isn't the way to go. SpyderTracks suggests an RTX (2060) card. The lowest spec option given is an RTX 3050 - this looks ok; I'm not a gamer; it supports multiple monitors and has HDMI and (mini) DP connectors; it adds about £125 over the GTX. I couldn't (financially) justify a RTX4070 Quadros (sorry Steveyg); it would add over £600 against the RTX 3050 and I really would not get the use out of it.

Processor - I want to stick with the 12 core 7090 series as I will hopefully keep the computer for a while. The 7900 seems preferable over the slightly cheaper 7900x (later release date and much lower default TDP 65x against 130w). According to the AMD site the 7900 can use an AMD Wraith Prism air (fan) cooling but I assume liquid cooling is now preferred..

Case - The Corsair 4000x isn't listed as an option. The 4000d only has 2 top front USB ports and is only £25 cheaper than the Fractal (which has 5). Also, I don't think, given my usage, that cooling is likely to be an issue - so I'll stick with the Fractal - I can always fit an additional case fan..

Cooling - I've upped the spec to Corsair 100i as suggested - though it is a bit more expensive. I might add that I've never had a computer with liquid cooling before. Do you periodically change the fluid?

Ram - I don't think I can justify the more expensive RAM at the moment. If I ever suspected it was an issue its something that could be changed at a later date. 1 x 32GB module is marginally cheaper than 2 x 16GB modules - but it always used to be the case that dual channel memory access was better than single channel. Is that still the case?

Primary ssd - I have changed this for a faster one as suggested

The cost now is £2,228 (inc VAT) which is 10% over my original budget but with your collective input I think it will be a better much better system than I originally speced so I will live with it.
I'll wait until next week in case there are any other comments and then I'll go ahead and order it.
Thanks again for your collective inputs and the time and thought you have each put into this.
The updated spec is below:
Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE

Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-A GAMING WIFI (WIFI 6E, DDR5, PCIe 5.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3050 - HDMI, DP, LHR
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 SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE RGB 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Firewire
2 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin)
Operating System
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00005]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2021 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K120 USB KEYBOARD

The URL is: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/K30XPEGJus/
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
This would be better imo.

Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING X670E-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, PCIe 5.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
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 SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE RGB 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Firewire
2 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin)
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2021 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K120 USB KEYBOARD
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 12 to 15 working days
Price: £2,203.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/XzcAxpMXds/
 
S

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
EdwDee said:
Thank you all for your comments. It is much appreciated.

Firstly the simple stuff:
why order a DP ->HDMI cable - because I have two MSI MP242C monitors, each with HDMI and VGA connectors and the GPU has only 1 HDMI connector. I note that the GPU uses DisplayPort 1.4a - so I need a mini display port to HDMI cable (thanks Scott) - but there is not an option for this so I've deleted it and will source it elsewhere.

Why Windows 11 pro - while I'm not a gamer I like to play and would like to experiment with Hyper-V. If I don;t get it now I never will.

Why the SATA HDD - I could move one from my existing computer but I would prefer to leave it intact until I get all my software and general environment set up on the new computer. In the grand scheme of things its not a huge expense.

Why Office license - my current version is 2003 - I could transfer it but I feel I've had good use out of it and could do with a more up-to-date version.

Why windows license - my current license is for this cpu - its a Windows 10 license, upgraded from Windows 7new license. I believe I need a new license for new hardware

Now the more difficult stuff.
Graphics. You have all convinced that on board graphics isn't the way to go. SpyderTracks suggests an RTX (2060) card. The lowest spec option given is an RTX 3050 - this looks ok; I'm not a gamer; it supports multiple monitors and has HDMI and (mini) DP connectors; it adds about £125 over the GTX. I couldn't (financially) justify a RTX4070 Quadros (sorry Steveyg); it would add over £600 against the RTX 3050 and I really would not get the use out of it.

Processor - I want to stick with the 12 core 7090 series as I will hopefully keep the computer for a while. The 7900 seems preferable over the slightly cheaper 7900x (later release date and much lower default TDP 65x against 130w). According to the AMD site the 7900 can use an AMD Wraith Prism air (fan) cooling but I assume liquid cooling is now preferred..

Case - The Corsair 4000x isn't listed as an option. The 4000d only has 2 top front USB ports and is only £25 cheaper than the Fractal (which has 5). Also, I don't think, given my usage, that cooling is likely to be an issue - so I'll stick with the Fractal - I can always fit an additional case fan..

Cooling - I've upped the spec to Corsair 100i as suggested - though it is a bit more expensive. I might add that I've never had a computer with liquid cooling before. Do you periodically change the fluid?

Ram - I don't think I can justify the more expensive RAM at the moment. If I ever suspected it was an issue its something that could be changed at a later date. 1 x 32GB module is marginally cheaper than 2 x 16GB modules - but it always used to be the case that dual channel memory access was better than single channel. Is that still the case?

Primary ssd - I have changed this for a faster one as suggested

The cost now is £2,228 (inc VAT) which is 10% over my original budget but with your collective input I think it will be a better much better system than I originally speced so I will live with it.
I'll wait until next week in case there are any other comments and then I'll go ahead and order it.
Thanks again for your collective inputs and the time and thought you have each put into this.
The updated spec is below:
Case
FRACTAL DEFINE 7 BLACK QUIET MID-TOWER CASE

Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 12 Core CPU (4.7GHz-5.6GHz/76MB CACHE/AM5)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X670E-A GAMING WIFI (WIFI 6E, DDR5, PCIe 5.0)
Memory (RAM)
32GB PCS PRO DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3050 - HDMI, DP, LHR
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 SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
External DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
8x Slim USB 2.0 External DVD-RW
Memory Card Reader
USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR iCUE H100i ELITE RGB 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
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
2 PORT (1 x TYPE A, 1 x TYPE C) USB 3.1 PCI-E CARD + STANDARD USB PORTS
Firewire
2 Port IEEE 1394a Firewire PCI-E Card (2 x 6 pin)
Operating System
Windows 11 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00005]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Supplied on USB Drive
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2021 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® K120 USB KEYBOARD

The URL is: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/K30XPEGJus/
Click to expand...
Yeah mate the 3050 is just not a good card and wont be recommended here. I'd rather you order without one and source a second hand 2060 it'd be cheaper and better. The 3050 is just quite frankly bad value for money

RAM speed is critical on the Ryzen CPU's mate, it'll seriously hamper performance if you don't have the fastest possible RAM. I'd honestly recommend going back to DDR4 at 3600Mhz if you're going to get anything other than 6000Mhz in DDR5. It'll save you a fortune and allow you to get the most out of your CPU. Although you'll have to drop back a generation on the CPU on DDR4 RAM

@Scott Balanced it out much better in my opinion, the goal here is to get you the best system possible for your cash and some of the areas you're trying to save in are the areas that will affect performance
 
E

EdwDee

Member
Many thanks Steveyg. I've decided its sensible to go with your suggestions - i.e faster RAM & 12gb RTX 3060 graphics card. It now seems sensible to get the faster options now rather than regretting not having them later.
I note you dropped the HDD 3rd drive to go with a budget. I decided I want to keep the 3rd drive but have replaced it with a 1TB SSD.
The external DVD drive I had specified is now shown as not is stock - so I've upgraded that to a blu-ray drive.
I downgraded from Windows Professional to Windows home as per your suggestion.
With these changes the cost is now £2302 - which is what I will go with - I'll place the order next week.
Thanks again to you and the other respondents for your time and effort. It took a little while for me to get there but your collective sensible advice got me there in the end.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top