Support NeoGAF

[Freeman76]

I recently came into some money and I'm thinking about entering into the PC zone. Always been a console gamer, but figured if I can afford it, why not see if I can enjoy my hobby even more with a PC that outperforms my current gen consoles.

Problem is, I dont know where to start. Looked in PC Specialist (i'm in the UK) and was overwhelmed by all the different options, Nvidia, Radeon....i5, i7, just lost me.

Thought I might offer up what I'm looking for and see what you guys might suggest?

Budget around £2.5k

I game solely on an OLED S95B 65" from the couch, primarily using my Elite V2 controller.

Just need something to run the latest and greatest (eg CP2077, Starfield, RDR2, GW2) in 4k with high frames.

Many thanks!

 

[Bojji]

7800x3d
Motherboard for it
32gb ddr5 (6000MHz at least?)
Rest for GPU - 4080 probably

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

You will probably be disappointed using a PC on a TV from the couch. PCMR defense force coming at me in 3.. 2.. 1..

 

[Bojji]

You will probably be disappointed using a PC on a TV from the couch. PCMR defense force coming at me in 3.. 2.. 1..

I use it like that for months and it's good with BT keyboard and mouse.

 

[Lux R7]

You will probably be disappointed using a PC on a TV from the couch. PCMR defense force coming at me in 3.. 2.. 1..

0...it's my setup and it's amazing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[SlimySnake]

7800x3d
Motherboard for it
32gb ddr5 (6000MHz at least?)
Rest for GPU - 4080 probably

This. except for $2.5k you should be able to buy a 4090 along with those other parts.

maybe downgrade your ram to ddr4 if its going over your budget.

 

[Lux R7]

7800x3d
Motherboard for it
32gb ddr5 (6000MHz at least?)
Rest for GPU - 4080 probably

pretty much something like this

however op i suggest you to try to learn something about pc parts and pc building if you want one, it's pretty useful

 

[fersnake]

7800x3d
Motherboard for it
32gb ddr5 (6000MHz at least?)
Rest for GPU - 4080 probably

case closed. well that and adding the psu is around 2k and not counting taxes and no case and peripherals.

ps. and forgot the ssds or all the rgb you can put it in and cooling (fans or watercooling)

 

[DryvBy]

You'll need to convert that £ into the Monopoly money we call the dollar for me to help. And I'm not going to Google it because I'm cranky.

 

[Black_Stride]

Youll have to forgive me for not knowing which PC stores are best in the UK so ill be listing MSRP prices.

Native 4K is a farce.
DLSS your way to 4K.

So that pretty much locks you into buying an Nvidia card.
RTX 4070 - 600 dollars
RTX 4070Ti - 800 dollars - The 4070Ti is def 200 dollars better than the 4070 btw.
RTX 4090 - 1600 dollars

AMD AM5 motherboard: I believe in MSI so any of them will get the job done. - B650 is totally fine and will save you like 100 dollars vs getting X670, but if you need the extra PCIE lanes and USB ports get an X670.

CPU - 7800X3D - You cant go wrong with the 7800X3D

850W - 1000W power supply from like Corsair or SuperFlower

32GB DDR5 - 6000 mt - 150ish dollars.

Samsung 990 Pro or Western Digital SN850X 1 - 2TB OS drive where youll also put your most played games and most used apps.
Crucial P3 2 - 4TB drive where youll put most of your storage and games, the perf difference in gaming between the P3 and the more expensive drives is negligible.


Thats well in your budget, you can splurge a bit on either the motherboard, more storage, the case or if you can squeeze it a 4090.
The 4080 isnt good value, the 4070Ti is right on its heels and the 4090 is almost twice as fast, so both of those cards end up being the better buy.


When I was last in the UK Arctic had the P and F12 - 14 5 packs that were absolutely amazing value, they daisy chain together so you dont even need to use multiple fan headers and even come in RGB if thats your poison.

If you are aircooling your case - and you should be.
The Fractal Torrent is pretty much the gold standard:

The Peerless Assassin is the best value CPU especially for an 7800X3D, itll keep that bitch cool as fuck.

This. except for $2.5k you should be able to buy a 4090 along with those other parts.

maybe downgrade your ram to ddr4 if its going over your budget.

The cheapest 4090 ive seen from the UK is 1500 pounds and its a Zotac trinity......never buy Zotac.
Youll realistically be looking closer to 1600 - 1700 pounds.
AM5 doesnt support DDR4.

 

[existensmaximum]

You will probably be disappointed using a PC on a TV from the couch. PCMR defense force coming at me in 3.. 2.. 1..

Why disappointed? It's the best of both worlds. I would never play any other way (with a controller).

 

[Black_Stride]

You will probably be disappointed using a PC on a TV from the couch. PCMR defense force coming at me in 3.. 2.. 1..

Yup we are here.

I used a TV as monitor from 2009 till like 2014.......had no issues whatsoever.

 

[Quixz]

I recently came into some money and I'm thinking about entering into the PC zone. Always been a console gamer, but figured if I can afford it, why not see if I can enjoy my hobby even more with a PC that outperforms my current gen consoles.

Problem is, I dont know where to start. Looked in PC Specialist (i'm in the UK) and was overwhelmed by all the different options, Nvidia, Radeon....i5, i7, just lost me.

Thought I might offer up what I'm looking for and see what you guys might suggest?

Budget around £2.5k

I game solely on an OLED S95B 65" from the couch, primarily using my Elite V2 controller.

Just need something to run the latest and greatest (eg CP2077, Starfield, RDR2, GW2) in 4k with high frames.

Many thanks!

Similar to what I have but you can save some money by avoiding Corsair and Gigabyte. (Never had any issues with these 2)

You are extremely close to a 4090 with a bit more cash!

 

[OverHeat]

Youll have to forgive me for not knowing which PC stores are best in the UK so ill be listing MSRP prices.

Native 4K is a farce.
DLSS your way to 4K.

So that pretty much locks you into buying an Nvidia card.
RTX 4070 - 600 dollars
RTX 4070Ti - 800 dollars - The 4070Ti is def 200 dollars better than the 4070 btw.
RTX 4090 - 1600 dollars

AMD AM5 motherboard: I believe in MSI so any of them will get the job done. - B650 is totally fine and will save you like 100 dollars vs getting X670, but if you need the extra PCIE lanes and USB ports get an X670.

CPU - 7800X3D - You cant go wrong with the 7800X3D

850W - 1000W power supply from like Corsair or SuperFlower

32GB DDR5 - 6000 mt - 150ish dollars.

Samsung 990 Pro or Western Digital SN850X 1 - 2TB OS drive where youll also put your most played games and most used apps.
Crucial P3 2 - 4TB drive where youll put most of your storage and games, the perf difference in gaming between the P3 and the more expensive drives is negligible.


Thats well in your budget, you can splurge a bit on either the motherboard, more storage, the case or if you can squeeze it a 4090.
The 4080 isnt good value, the 4070Ti is right on its heels and the 4090 is almost twice as fast, so both of those cards end up being the better buy.


When I was last in the UK Arctic had the P and F12 - 14 5 packs that were absolutely amazing value, they daisy chain together so you dont even need to use multiple fan headers and even come in RGB if thats your poison.

If you are aircooling your case - and you should be.
The Fractal Torrent is pretty much the gold standard:

The Peerless Assassin is the best value CPU especially for an 7800X3D, itll keep that bitch cool as fuck.

The cheapest 4090 ive seen from the UK is 1500 pounds and its a Zotac trinity......never buy Zotac.
Youll realistically be looking closer to 1600 - 1700 pounds.
AM5 doesnt support DDR4.

Got 2 Zotac never had a problem with them

 

[Romulus]

I feel like the 4070ti is great card for the money.

 

[Black_Stride]

Got 2 Zotac never had a problem with them

These guys:

 

[Kabelly]

You will probably be disappointed using a PC on a TV from the couch. PCMR defense force coming at me in 3.. 2.. 1..

replying on my PC from my couch on my LG C1. PC gaming on a couch is fine unless you're uber lazy.

Anyways OP, just watch a lot of youtube videos. I spent like 2 weeks before I really settled on what I wanted.

If you want 4K you're going to want to be willing to spend the money. I've had my PC for two years and I exclusively use a controller for games.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

I'd spend the money elsewhere. If you're a console guy used to being on the couch with a big TV, you'll probably fade away from PC gaming, even with it outperforming consoles.
I have a hard time gaming from a desk. Plus a lot of ports suck these days. ha!
I thought about doing one of those handhelds as my "pc gaming". I have no issues using handhelds.

 

[Reckheim]

I'm also thinking of building a new pc. Has there been any news on when we might hear about the 5000 series? Do we know if it will be a while?

 

[Zug]

You will probably be disappointed using a PC on a TV from the couch. PCMR defense force coming at me in 3.. 2.. 1..

Been playing that way on PC since 2006 give or take.
You just need a Blutooth keyboard with touchpad for navigation (Microsoft or Logitech one) and an optional hard mousepad + wireless mouse for pure PC games (STR and such).
Any Xbox pad works natively with everything on Windows.
Best of both worlds.

 

[Banjo64]

I’m not a big PC guy, so feel free to ignore, but unlike the US I think we get pretty good value on pre-built over here:

£1249

Intel 13400F - RTX 4070 - 32GB Ram - 2TB nvme - 120MM Liquid Cooler Gaming PC | hotukdeals

www.hotukdeals.com

• X= Mini CUBE Mesh Tempered Glass RGB Case
• Adata 32GB (2x16GB) 4800Mhz DDR5 Memory (mhz specs on site)
• ASRock B760M-HDV/M.2 Micro ATX White Motherboard
• Intel Core i5 13400F 10 Core, 16 Thread 4.6GHz Turbo
• Zotac Nvidia RTX 4070 12GB Graphics Card
• X= Infinity 120mm Liquid Cooler White CPU Cooler
• Corsair RM750 V2 750W Gold Rated Modular PSU
• Adata Legend 700 2TB NVME

Websites allow you to swap parts if you desire something else.

Good luck with your build mate.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

You will probably be disappointed using a PC on a TV from the couch. PCMR defense force coming at me in 3.. 2.. 1..

Comments like this kept me from coming back to PC gaming for years.

Utter bullshit.

 

[Zug]

I’m not a big PC guy, so feel free to ignore, but unlike the US I think we get pretty good value on pre-built over here:

£1249

Intel 13400F - RTX 4070 - 32GB Ram - 2TB nvme - 120MM Liquid Cooler Gaming PC | hotukdeals

www.hotukdeals.com

• X= Mini CUBE Mesh Tempered Glass RGB Case
• Adata 32GB (2x16GB) 4800Mhz DDR5 Memory (mhz specs on site)
• ASRock B760M-HDV/M.2 Micro ATX White Motherboard
• Intel Core i5 13400F 10 Core, 16 Thread 4.6GHz Turbo
• Zotac Nvidia RTX 4070 12GB Graphics Card
• X= Infinity 120mm Liquid Cooler White CPU Cooler
• Corsair RM750 V2 750W Gold Rated Modular PSU
• Adata Legend 700 2TB NVME

Websites allow you to swap parts if you desire something else.

Good luck with your build mate.

It's good value indeed for a nice looking build, but performance wise it will deliver barely more than what PS5/XSX if you add the "PC overhead tax".
For 2500£ a 4090 can be probably be squeezed at the expense of the rest (storage, ram speed, or overall fancyness). If not, I would lower slightly the budget and go for a 4070ti which can eat anything @4k/DLSS and has better value than a 4080 imo.

 

[GHG]

Freeman76 use this as a starting point:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/pJ47Xk

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700KF 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor (£368.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (£63.47 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Z790 Pro RS ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (£193.99 @ MoreCoCo)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6800 CL34 Memory (£129.97 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£95.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI RTX 4090 VENTUS 3X 24G OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card (£1585.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse G360A ATX Mid Tower Case (£84.95 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 TT Premium 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£159.95 @ AWD-IT)
Total: £2681.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-09-26 20:35 BST+0100

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/pJ47Xk

You can get a 4090 build in and around that budget, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

 

[IFireflyl]

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/VvyMvj

That should get you what you need within budget. It doesn't consider an OS or peripherals (e.g. mouse, keyboard, et cetera), so keep that in mind.

CPU:Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 chromax.black 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5 g Thermal Paste
Motherboard: Asus ROG STRIX Z690-E GAMING WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory
Storage: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
Video Card: Asus TUF GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card
Case: Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS PLUS 850 Gold 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply

Total Cost: £2329.28

 

[Freeman76]

Thanks for all this guys will read through and digest, appreciate you all taking the time to help out. I emailed PC Specialist and they replied with this suggestion which is £1749

Case LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C 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) 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card 20GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7900 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive 512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR,
4700MB/sW)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive 2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR,
3325MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NOT REQUIRED
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 CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
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 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 [KUK-00003]

I'll marry this up with what you have all suggested and start narrowing it down and adding bits to it.

 

[GHG]

Thanks for all this guys will read through and digest, appreciate you all taking the time to help out. I emailed PC Specialist and they replied with this suggestion which is £1749

Case LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C 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) 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card 20GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7900 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive 512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR,
4700MB/sW)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive 2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR,
3325MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NOT REQUIRED
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 CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
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 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 [KUK-00003]

I'll marry this up with what you have all suggested and start narrowing it down and adding bits to it.

If you're spending so much money I would not suggest a ddr4 AM4 build at all. Do not touch that.

Here's closer to what you should be looking for if you want an AMD CPU build:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/q96wz6

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor (£368.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (£63.47 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (£169.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (£132.75 @ Newegg UK)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£95.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI RTX 4090 VENTUS 3X 24G OC GeForce RTX 4090 24 GB Video Card (£1585.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Case: Phanteks Eclipse G300A (3 Fan) ATX Mid Tower Case (£65.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 TT Premium 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£137.99 @ AWD-IT)
Total: £2617.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-09-26 20:47 BST+0100

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/q96wz6

 

[RoboFu]

Just get a msi or Lenovo prebuilt and call it a day.

 

[GHG]

Just get a msi or Lenovo prebuilt and call it a day.

Ignore this man.

 

[Zug]

IMO AMD isn't worth it until they come up with something that can really match DLSS 2/3.
DLSS is in every game where performance is needed, pure raster performance is useless, though AMD is less cheap on VRAM than Nvidia, gotta give them that.
For CPU I'll go either for an high end Intel (balanced use), or for a x3D AMD CPU (focused on gaming performance).
A "last gen" 5800x3D+DDR4 could be an option compared to a "new gen" 7800x3D+DDR5 if it allows a better GPU for the same price. All in all, it's a price/performance thing.

 

[Freeman76]

Ignore this man.

Whoever it is is already on my ignore list so I didnt even see what he wrote

As you said that email doesnt look great, would rather try and get the best GPU possible for sure

 

[twilo99]

Playing on a PC from a couch is not a problem.

Can confirm, I've been using one on my 5800x3d for almost 3 months now and it works great. I'm even getting away with only one fan on it..

 

[GHG]

Whoever it is is already on my ignore list so I didnt even see what he wrote

As you said that email doesnt look great, would rather try and get the best GPU possible for sure

Ask them to price up an AM5 build with a 7800x3d CPU and see what they come up with.

 

[Black_Stride]

I'm also thinking of building a new pc. Has there been any news on when we might hear about the 5000 series? Do we know if it will be a while?

RTX 4000s have no real competition.
Nvidia have delayed them till 2025+


P.S
Yes, I know the 7800XT is actually a good value card, but people will still rather buy the RTX4070.
Watych the 4070 climb the steam survey while the 7800XT barely makes on the list.

 

[DenchDeckard]

I recently came into some money and I'm thinking about entering into the PC zone. Always been a console gamer, but figured if I can afford it, why not see if I can enjoy my hobby even more with a PC that outperforms my current gen consoles.

Problem is, I dont know where to start. Looked in PC Specialist (i'm in the UK) and was overwhelmed by all the different options, Nvidia, Radeon....i5, i7, just lost me.

Thought I might offer up what I'm looking for and see what you guys might suggest?

Budget around £2.5k

I game solely on an OLED S95B 65" from the couch, primarily using my Elite V2 controller.

Just need something to run the latest and greatest (eg CP2077, Starfield, RDR2, GW2) in 4k with high frames.

Many thanks!

Hey, have you seen a case you like the look of?

I would 100% go with the second posts specs. If you can stretch to £2,700 pounds ish you will get an amazing build from PCSpecialist. I just spec'd one up and it came to that much. Just choose the case you want.

I spec'd

Lian Li 205 Mesh - Looks amazing in the flesh! Imo
CPU: 7800 X3D
Motherboard: Asus Tuf Gaming B650 plus WiFi
Ram: 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB 6000MHz 2 x 16GB
GPU: Nvidia RTX 4090 - WOWZA
NVME: 2TB Solidigm P44 Pro - Awesome NVME
PSU - Corsair RMX 1000 modular gold
Cooler: PCS Frostflow 240 RGB AIO Cooler

Remove wireless networking as it comes with the mobo - Remove windows 11 license and purchase a key online.

That comes to £2,712.00 and would last you years!

 

[Sleepwalker]

You will probably be disappointed using a PC on a TV from the couch. PCMR defense force coming at me in 3.. 2.. 1..

No no he wont

 

[cinnamonandgravy]

Thanks for all this guys will read through and digest, appreciate you all taking the time to help out. I emailed PC Specialist and they replied with this suggestion which is £1749

Case LIAN LI LANCOOL 205 MESH C 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) 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3600MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card 20GB AMD RADEON™ RX 7900 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive 512GB SOLIDIGM P44 PRO GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7000MB/sR,
4700MB/sW)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive 2TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR,
3325MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NOT REQUIRED
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 CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
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 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 [KUK-00003]

I'll marry this up with what you have all suggested and start narrowing it down and adding bits to it.

nein.

1. if you're going AMD, go 3d cache. otherwise go intel. at least in the states, 12th gen intel i7s are cheap (sales aplently) and so are the motherboards.
2. 3600mhz RAM is sloooooow. go ddr5 6000 or higher, 24gb or 32gb.
3. you dont need two m.2 SSDs. one 2TB m.2 is enough for now.
4. get an nvidia gpu, and throw as much money at it as you can. 4070ti or higher.
5. there are better CPU coolers for comparable money, like the peerless assassin as earlier mentioned (plus, it has "ass" twice in the name)
6. are they selling you a separate power cable?? the power supply already comes with one.

 

[Catphish]

I recently came into some money and I'm thinking about entering into the PC zone. Always been a console gamer, but figured if I can afford it, why not see if I can enjoy my hobby even more with a PC that outperforms my current gen consoles.

Problem is, I dont know where to start. Looked in PC Specialist (i'm in the UK) and was overwhelmed by all the different options, Nvidia, Radeon....i5, i7, just lost me.

Thought I might offer up what I'm looking for and see what you guys might suggest?

Budget around £2.5k

I game solely on an OLED S95B 65" from the couch, primarily using my Elite V2 controller.

Just need something to run the latest and greatest (eg CP2077, Starfield, RDR2, GW2) in 4k with high frames.

Many thanks!

If I were in your position, I'd wait until the 50XX cards drop, then either:

1. Buy a pre-built with a 40xx for much cheaper than they are now, or
2. Buy a pre-built with a 50xx, and save up the additional $1k in the meantime.

I still do not think the 40xx cards, any of them, are worth the current price. But, it'll probably be about 18 months before the 50xx's drop.

So if you have patience, I think it'd be rewarded if you wait for the 50xx's.

Regarding my suggestions on pre-builts, I say that because there's an excellent retailer here in the US called Microcenter that makes fantastic gaming PCs, and usually only price out about $250 more than building it oneself. If you don't have anything like that in the UK, then it might be worth it to learn about building your own rig before stepping in.

Ultimately, go slow, and learn what you can (about all of it; CPUs, GPUs, RAM, storage, etc) before you dive in. The wrong choice can cost you a lot of money and happiness, as a top-end PC only sits on top for about 3 years before being knocked down a peg. And while you may only want to play the current titles, you'll definitely feel a bit salty when something new comes out that you want, and you can't run it full-out. While that will happen eventually, knowledge and planning can keep you on top longer.

edit: I play my PC on a wall-mounted 85", and sit quite comfortably about 7 feet away. I use USB extensions for my mini-kb and for my mouse, which I have situated right on the armrests of my recliner. My full-sized kb is wireless and sits in my lap. Controller when necessary. It's about as comfy and awesome as it gets.

 

[Beechos]

Don't cheap out on a crappy power supply to power this gear.

 

[Rival]

$2500? Do I have the machine for you.

Spoiler

Alienware

 

[Black_Stride]

If I were in your position, I'd wait until the 50XX cards drop, then either:

The RTX 5000 cards are dropping in 2025 or later.
Waiting 2 - 3 years to build a computer when you have the cash now?
You could literally resave the cost of this PC by then and just outright get a new PC again in 2025+.
Youll have enjoyed a bunch of AAA gaming already with this PC you'd have no regrets having owned it.

Nvidia delayed Blackwell because they are so far ahead of the competition they are in no rush to cannibalize themselves.

 

[Catphish]

The RTX 5000 cards are dropping in 2025 or later.
Waiting 2 - 3 years to build a computer when you have the cash now?
You could literally resave the cost of this PC by then and just outright get a new PC again in 2025+.
Youll have enjoyed a bunch of AAA gaming already with this PC you'd have no regrets having owned it.

Nvidia delayed Blackwell because they are so far ahead of the competition they are in no rush to cannibalize themselves.

Like I said. If I were in his position. My perspective, my opinion. Take it or leave it.

 

[Black_Stride]

Like I said. If I were in his position. My perspective, my opinion. Take it or leave it.

You'd wait 2+ years to build a PC?
Why not wait 2+ years in 2025 for Blackwell-next then?

 

[Bonfires Down]

I'm also thinking of building a new pc. Has there been any news on when we might hear about the 5000 series? Do we know if it will be a while?

Yes, it will be a long while. Do not wait. Besides, GPUs are now gradually dropping in price with the new generation being introduced at a similar price/performance as the discounted last generation.

 

[Catphish]

You'd wait 2+ years to build a PC?
Why not wait 2+ years in 2025 for Blackwell-next then?

In my neck of the woods, $2.5k right now gets you a pre-built with a 4080 and an i7, or a 4070 and an i9, leaving nothing for anything else. To me, that's not worth it.

I'd personally wait until I can either score a 4090 with an i9 for $2k, or save up the extra grand and go whole-hog on top-of-the-line when the 50xx's drop.

I've been buying and upgrading PCs for 30 years. This mindset is where my experience puts me. I'd rather delay for something special, than rush to purchase for instant gratification.

 

[Black_Stride]

In my neck of the woods, $2.5k right now gets you a pre-built with a 4080 and an i7, or a 4070 and an i9, leaving nothing for anything else. To me, that's not worth it.

I'd personally wait until I can either score a 4090 with an i9 for $2k, or save up the extra grand and go whole-hog on top-of-the-line when the 50xx's drop.

I've been buying and upgrading PCs for 30 years. This mindset is where my experience puts me. I'd rather delay for something special, than rush to purchase for instant gratification.

I was building PC since highschool and professionally all through college and my first year out.
Ive literally lost count of how many ive put together at all different ranges of the performance spectrum.


Waiting 2+ years for the next big thing is stupid because you are 2+ years from the next big thing.
And that cycle goes on basically indefinitely.


The 5090 is most certainly NOT going to be cheaper than the 4090 as it wont have any competition at since AMD have given up on the highend and saying ill wait for it to go on sale in 2 years is borderline.
The Core Ultra 9 in 2025 is also going to be price hiked and the current i9 is trading blows and losing more often than not to the 7800X3D, of which the AM5 board will have a new X3D chip in 2025 if OP thinks their 7800X3D isnt up to snuff.

As someone whos been building for 30 years im slightly bemused you;d even give someone advice to wait 2 years for the next big thing, when you should know the next big thing is right round the corner so the buyer will be sitting basically forever waiting for something mythical.......the 4090 is the 8800GT/1080Ti of our time, if OP builds a 4090 x AM5 machine, they can literally skip Blackwell all together and upgrade when Blackwell-next drops.
Waiting for Blackwell when its so far out really doesnt make sense.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

I was typing up something, but then I remembered everyone on gaf hates AMD gpus, so just go with what Black_Stride posted OP.

 

[Catphish]

I was building PC since highschool and professionally all through college and my first year out.
Ive literally lost count of how many ive put together at all different ranges of the performance spectrum.


Waiting 2+ years for the next big thing is stupid because you are 2+ years from the next big thing.
And that cycle goes on basically indefinitely.


The 5090 is most certainly NOT going to be cheaper than the 4090 as it wont have any competition at since AMD have given up on the highend and saying ill wait for it to go on sale in 2 years is borderline.
The Core Ultra 9 in 2025 is also going to be price hiked and the current i9 is trading blows and losing more often than not to the 7800X3D, of which the AM5 board will have a new X3D chip in 2025 if OP thinks their 7800X3D isnt up to snuff.

As someone whos been building for 30 years im slightly bemused you;d even give someone advice to wait 2 years for the next big thing, when you should know the next big thing is right round the corner so the buyer will be sitting basically forever waiting for something mythical.......the 4090 is the 8800GT/1080Ti of our time, if OP builds a 4090 x AM5 machine, they can literally skip Blackwell all together and upgrade when Blackwell-next drops.
Waiting for Blackwell when its so far out really doesnt make sense.

Don't know what to tell you, buddy. I gave that as my opinion, because that's what I would do in his position. I appreciate the info you've passed along, but it doesn't change my thinking.

If you read my post, the logic in #1 isn't to wait and buy the next big thing. The primary thought was to wait for the next big thing to drive down prices on the current big thing. Save to buy the more expensive was secondary, should he have that inclination. And there's no guarantee that we're looking at 2+ years for 50xx. It could just as easily be 18 months, which is what I'm betting on. At the very least, hold off until the current peak rig drops to $2k. Then you still have a few hundred left over for games and accessories.

In the end, it's just an opinion. I don't know the future, only where I've been. I'm certainly not going to sit here and argue about it. Sorry to bemuse you, even if only slightly.

 

[El Muerto]

AMD has always been the better buy imo. But everyone on here is pro Nvidia. Nvidia has DLSS (Only compatible in a handful of games) so you'll get better performance with DLSS (frame generation) enabled and also better performance with pathtracing/raytracing with the GTX 4000 series cards. AMD is getting frame generation for all their 6000 series cards and the 5700 series and up early next year and it will be compatible with every game. If you want 4k gaming then for the cpu i'd recommend the AMD Ryzen™ 7 5800X3D. For the GPU an AMD 7800xt or 7900xt. The 4070 has 12gb of vram while the AMD cards have 16gb. If you want an Nvidia card with 16gb then you will have to get a 4080 which is significantly more than the 7900xt and RTX4070. Just check out some youtube vids with benchmarks and come up with your own opinion. I'd also recommend a dualsense. Install DS4Windows so you can use the trackpad as a mouse so you wont need to use a keyboard and mouse every time. Been pc gaming on the couch since Steam big picture mode, building pcs since the dipswitch days.