first ever gaming pc

b4db0y95

Member
After being a console gamer for many years I've decided to transition from my PS5/Series X to something a bit more beefier, I have ordered the following spec PC with a £3500 budget in mind;

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 24-Core Processor i9-13900K (3.0GHz) 36MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z790-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 360 Series ARGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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
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
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS & UK OFFSHORE ISLANDS / N IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 15 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo


Currently have a 1440p 165hz monitor but at some stage I'll get a high refresh 4K. Nice to know I'll be able to max out settings & RT at 1440p to get some high FPS
 

voodoo

Active member
I'm no expert but usually advise is a smaller m.2 drive for the operating system like the samsung 980 500gb then what you need for games.plus not sure if that cooler will be the best maybe one of the corsair ones which come with Paste applied.This is advise I was given but someone might give you some more specific advice.
 
This will run like a Jet fighter will out perform anything other than a similar system on the market... I would look at getting more ssd storage for those games you intend to take for a spin on it.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
After being a console gamer for many years I've decided to transition from my PS5/Series X to something a bit more beefier, I have ordered the following spec PC with a £3500 budget in mind;

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 24-Core Processor i9-13900K (3.0GHz) 36MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z790-PLUS WIFI (DDR5, LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB DDR5 5600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
24GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 4090 - HDMI, DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 7300MB/R, 6900MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ - MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead, 1.0mm Core)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 360 Series ARGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
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
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
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Gold Warranty (2 Year Collect & Return, 2 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS & UK OFFSHORE ISLANDS / N IRELAND
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 15 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland
Logo Branding
PCSpecialist Logo


Currently have a 1440p 165hz monitor but at some stage I'll get a high refresh 4K. Nice to know I'll be able to max out settings & RT at 1440p to get some high FPS
What kinds of games are you playing? The 4090 is vastly overpowered for 1440p even with full RT

I wouldn't suggest that cooler either, and you could reduce to the 13700k without affecting performance whilst requiring far lesser cooling.

You've also got quite slow RAM for a modern system.
 

b4db0y95

Member
What kinds of games are you playing? The 4090 is vastly overpowered for 1440p even with full RT

I wouldn't suggest that cooler either, and you could reduce to the 13700k without affecting performance whilst requiring far lesser cooling.

You've also got quite slow RAM for a modern system.
I play a whole array of games but the initial ones will be the likes of; cyberpunk, resident evil 4, Hogwarts legacy etc intend to run these maxed out with RT. I thought 5600MHz DDR5 was quick at the time no 6000 was available. What is the issue with this cooler it has a 360mm radiator ?
 

b4db0y95

Member
Hi guys, so my PC is finally in building as of today. Does anyone know do they upload photos of the components before assembly and the full PC once built or attach any notes etc ?
 

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Hi guys, so my PC is finally in building as of today. Does anyone know do they upload photos of the components before assembly and the full PC once built or attach any notes etc ?
The simple answer is no, once is built out will go into treating, once it passes that it will go to despatch, once DPD have out you'll get an email giving you a delivery time, I'd recommend downloading the DPD app to track it with.

At each stage you get an email
 

b4db0y95

Member
The simple answer is no, once is built out will go into treating, once it passes that it will go to despatch, once DPD have out you'll get an email giving you a delivery time, I'd recommend downloading the DPD app to track it with.

At each stage you get an email
That’s a bit disappointing to be honest. Hopefully it’s the correct components and no damage in transit. DPD are crap
 

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
Similar here with DPD experience. Certainly one of the better ones for reliability and information. Evri/Hermes/Whatever they call themselves this month are more suspect to me.
 

b4db0y95

Member
Never had any problem with them, in fact I'd rate them amongst the best
I’m in Northern Ireland. Dad had pc damaged in transit twice with DPD also just fine them very unreliable. Tried to get a pallet delivery but only seems to be allowed for water cooled builds
 

Steveyg

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
I’m in Northern Ireland. Dad had pc damaged in transit twice with DPD also just fine them very unreliable. Tried to get a pallet delivery but only seems to be allowed for water cooled builds
Aye there a pain in the hole over here, they all seem to be in fariness though
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
I’m in Northern Ireland. Dad had pc damaged in transit twice with DPD also just fine them very unreliable. Tried to get a pallet delivery but only seems to be allowed for water cooled builds
If you call up you may be able to arrange an alternative delivery method.
 

Robbie

Gold Level Poster
My PC has recently been on 3 trips with DPD and all seems fine, no external damage to the box so I've no issues with them.

In regards to them taking pictures and uploading them, that's kind of irrelevant, just assume it's in perfect condition when it's dispatched. If there's any damage to the box when you receive it, make sure to put "Unchecked" when signing. PCS can then claim with the carrier if there are any issues. Obviously going to Ireland there's a higher risk of damage or things becoming loose, but it's fairly protected inside the box too, as long as they aren't doing anything too stupid with the shipment it should be ok.

Also, I take it you didn't change your build based on previous comments?
 

Robbie

Gold Level Poster
It's the old maxim "you get what you pay for".....the PCS rad, whilst being a 360mm, is a generic cheap rad...it may do the job, sure, but the likelihood that your CPU won't run at it's maximum efficiency is very high. Put it a different way...it would be like buying a brand-new high performance Mercedes and then putting the radiator from a Ford Fiesta in it....there is no way it will perform as well which will impact the performance of the car.

Corsair coolers are the price they are for a reason...they excel in doing their job. If the CPU was a lesser variant ie one that didn't run mega-hot, then it would not be a problem

Exactly this, it is such a weird misconception why people spend so much on CPU/GPU and then try and save money on cooling/PSU/RAM
 

b4db0y95

Member
Exactly this, it is such a weird misconception why people spend so much on CPU/GPU and then try and save money on cooling/PSU/RAM
Honestly don’t think it’ll be an issue it’ll still cool the CPU haha also ended up going for a platinum 1200W PSU and I have Corsair dominator RAM which is probably one of the best.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Honestly don’t think it’ll be an issue it’ll still cool the CPU haha also ended up going for a platinum 1200W PSU and I have Corsair dominator RAM which is probably one of the best.
That's the point though, it won't keep it from thermal throttling. It's clear you're not able to hear the feedback, it's a shame to skimp on such an important aspect of the platform.
 
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