Spec me a gaming PC... (Updated 02/08/2016)

Thanks for this, some good feedback.

I did look at the Noctua, but I want to aim for an all black build, but I didn't find it in stock.

For the memory, how about https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B083V93HJG As long as there's no RGB involved I'm happy to make changes :)
I'm not sure - I'll try to find out later if those are Micron Rev.E chips, if so then yes that's the stuff!
I like mine big and black too :eek: although there are absolutely no windows, so I really don't care about colours.
 
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I see the Intel 10th Gen CPUs have been announced officially. With a May launch date I think.

I might go for a i9-9900 build now :)
 
I see the Intel 10th Gen CPUs have been announced officially. With a May launch date I think.

I might go for a i9-9900 build now :)

You're looking at current-gen Intel, due to the latest gen coming out?
The approximate comparison would be i9-9900k vs Ryzen 7 3900X; the 3900X will trounce the 9900k in pretty much anything that can take advantage of more cores, but the 9900K will overclock higher and will give you better IPC performance and will win in games. When overclocked, the 9900K tends to use more power, whereas at stock the 3900X does.

Or, did you mean the new Core i9-10900K (or the KF, which is the same but without integrated graphics)? That is a good chip choice - but... there's always a but... Intel has given it a TDP of 125W, and motherboard manufacturers are talking about 250-300W+ delivery to the CPU so that those 5.2-5.3GHz clocks can be maintained across more cores for longer, provided you can cool it sufficiently. That's a LOT of power; for comparison, the 3900X doesn't really go much above ~145W with the standard clocking. And yes, you'd also need a new motherboard anyway (Z490, etc).

I guess what I'm saying is that if your aim is gaming and are fine with higher power usage and potentially having to get better cooling, Comet Lake is definitely worth considering. Otherwise, it's a harder choice.
 
I did mean the 9th gen 9900K. Was thinking the prices for 9th gen CPU and mobo would be pushed down due to the launch of new 10th gen and new chipset.

I watched a few videos about 10th gen Intel CPUs and it was confusing to understand what the speed would actually be under different conditions.

I'm also looking and maybe going for an ITX build, quite like the smaller cases like the NZXT H210i or the H1.

I think my problem is I'm indecisive lol
 
But even as a flagship cpu from a previous gen there are better options in terms of value to performance. Video Rendering might be the only use case that the 9900k will be compelling.
 
How are AMD CPUs and virtualisation? I do a lot of software development but like to do it in VMs to keep my host machine "clean".
 
I don't have specific experience with VMs. I'd presume the higher the core count the better as you can then "pin" cores to specific VMs.
 
Is there still a common consensus that Nvidia cards work better with Intel processors? Or has that long been debunked as myth.

I know that nvidia GPU's tend to be more efficient, run cooler and quieter than AMD.

Not sure if AMD CPU's still run hotter than Intel though.
 
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Is there still a common consensus that Nvidia cards work better with Intel processors? Or has that long been debunked as myth.

I know that nvidia GPU's tend to be more efficient, run cooler and quieter than AMD.

Not sure if AMD CPU's still run hotter than Intel though.
No to both.
From what I've seen both AND and Nvidia cards run similar temps (obviously cooler dependent).
AMD tend to be a little more poerr hungry.
Same for the CPU. If anything AMD should run cooler as they consume less power
 
Not sure if this is the correct place but as a total noob to PC gaming I wanted to double check everything before proceeding. I haven’t owned a Windows PC for 10-15 years so It somewhat out of the loop but obviously building a machine always seems much better value so that’s what I’ll try & do.

I could go more powerful but realistically speaking the vast majority of my gaming (currently on console) is sports games such as FIFA, so don’t think I’ll need anything crazy powerful, but obviously I do want to run those games on the highest settings. Is that build going to be ok?
 
Yup - that's fine for 1080p at high levels for most games. Well balanced system.

As usual, I would add more storage as PC games can be huge these days (over 100GB in some cases).
Why do you need the network card? The mobo has ethernet.
Things such as the network card is exactly why I was checking, when I last built a PC I needed one - will remove that. I will need to add a card for bluetooth though right?

Appreciate the feedback thanks, think I'm pretty much there then, only question I have left is regarding the Ryzen 5 3600, seems to be easily the best value CPU out there at the moment. I specced a 2600 to keep it more in line with the GPU, but would I better off going for the 3600 or would that cause any bottleneck issues with it being so much better than the GPU I have gone for?

Another thought actually, would I be better off going with M2 storage? Don't see any reason not to with a build like this, maybe a 1TB initially.

How much further would I need to go to push it on from 1080p, out of interest?
 
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I just use a £15 USB bluetooth dongle.

With regards to the CPU - this has much less of a gaming performance impact than GPU. If you want to up it a bit then definitely go for the new cheaper Ryzen 3 3300X. Both that and the 3600 offer about 10-15% performance increase if not GPU bound on games BUT - you will be GPU bound with the GTX 1660 Super so the difference will likely be minimal.

This system will handle 1440p on most games but detail levels may need to be tweaked. I consider the AMD 5600XT or the RTX 2060 Super as more comfortable 1440p cards.

On storage, my personal preference is to have separate drives - one for Windows and other applications (Photoshop, Office etc) and then a dedicated SSD for gaming.

Maybe keep the 512gb SSD and then add a 1TB for for games. SATA SSDs are fine tbh.
 
I just use a £15 USB bluetooth dongle.

With regards to the CPU - this has much less of a gaming performance impact than GPU. If you want to up it a bit then definitely go for the new cheaper Ryzen 3 3300X. Both that and the 3600 offer about 10-15% performance increase if not GPU bound on games BUT - you will be GPU bound with the GTX 1660 Super so the difference will likely be minimal.

This system will handle 1440p on most games but detail levels may need to be tweaked. I consider the AMD 5600XT or the RTX 2060 Super as more comfortable 1440p cards.

On storage, my personal preference is to have separate drives - one for Windows and other applications (Photoshop, Office etc) and then a dedicated SSD for gaming.

Maybe keep the 512gb SSD and then add a 1TB for for games. SATA SSDs are fine tbh.
Thank you for your help. I did initially think going above the 1660 GPU would be unnecessary for the types of games I play in high quality even for 1440p but in terms of future proofing it sounds like I may be better spending the extra £100 or so & going with the 5600XT (although looking online, the 5700 seems to outperform the 5600XT for a similar price)?

Am I going to do much better than something like this for circa £750-800?

I am going to add a second storage unit but I'll do that in a couple of months once I've moved all my gaming over from the PS4, once I know roughly how much I'll actually need.

I'm going to get the parts bought today I think so apologies for the 20 questions.
 
Thank you for your help. I did initially think going above the 1660 GPU would be unnecessary for the types of games I play in high quality even for 1440p but in terms of future proofing it sounds like I may be better spending the extra £100 or so & going with the 5600XT (although looking online, the 5700 seems to outperform the 5600XT for a similar price)?

Am I going to do much better than something like this for circa £750-800?

Looks fine and will serve you well for 1440p as long as you are not a pro gamer needing 200fps.

Yup - the 5700 is better but it is more expensive. You could argue that the Ryzen 3300X performs identically to the 3600 for £30 less but given the 5700 you might as well stick with the 3600.
 
Looks fine and will serve you well for 1440p as long as you are not a pro gamer needing 200fps.

Yup - the 5700 is better but it is more expensive. You could argue that the Ryzen 3300X performs identically to the 3600 for £30 less but given the 5700 you might as well stick with the 3600.

Prices are for great for GPUs at the moment. A few months back you could pick up a 5700XT for £350 with a decent cooler.
 
Hi guys,

Getting a bit of upgraditus. I am not a complete novice but always on the look out to get the best for the money and the advice on here is second to none.

Here is my current build:


I would like to switch to Ryzen as I have heard they blow Intel out the water currently.

I feel I do not need the below:
PSU
SSD
RAM (overkill)

My budget is around £1,000-£1,200. If anyone has any recommendation, that would be greatly appreciated.
 
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Hi guys,

Getting a bit of upgraditus. I am not a complete novice but always on the look out to get the best for the money and the advice on here is second to none.

Here is my current build:


I would like to switch to Ryzen as I have heard they blow Intel out the water currently.

I feel I do not need the below:
CPU
SSD
RAM (overkill)

My budget is around £1,000-£1,200. If anyone has any recommendation, that would be greatly appreciated.

If you do a lot of gaming i would suggest a reasonable amount of budget goes toward a better GPU.


Though i would probably wait now as the new B550 boards are due shortly.
 
Yeah, GPU definitely. Have to say though, if you are upgrading the GPU you may as well get a 1440p monitor to take advantage of it.
 

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