Build Advice Advice on New Build for circa €2,400.00 ?

[jacktannery]

My existing desktop computer is five years old and is slowing down and running out of storage, and I would like to upgrade to a new system, including a new monitor. I have waited until now because I understand there are a new set of CPUs out, and graphics cards have come down in price. Would anyone be able to give me advice on parts?

Approximate Purchase Date: early january
Budget Range: €2,400.00 including monitor
System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming (Warhammer 3; Baldur’s Gate 3), photoshop image processing
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Parts to Upgrade: None
Do you need to buy OS: Yes windows
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: https://www.paradigit.ie or any other Irish-based.
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: New monitor needed
Additional Comments: wifi connection required.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Current system is five years old and I want to updgrage

I would be very grateful for any advice.

 

[Why_Me]

This build is meant for gaming at 1080P. Choose your monitor and O/S. I used Computer Universe just for the fact it's easy to navigate and they ship to Ireland. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page, choose Ireland in the drop down menu as your shipping destination and it will factor in your country's VAT.

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90843335
Fractal Design Pop Air €99,24 incl. VAT

Pop Air

Fractal fuse flair with function in the new Pop series of cases that doesn’t skimp on aesthetics or flexibility. The entire series offers a solid foundation and excellent build quality, giving all users plenty of options and room to maneuver.

www.fractal-design.com

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90792246
NZXT C750 750W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply €117,73 incl. VAT

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90853363
ASUS TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI D4 €189,98 incl. VAT

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90911612
Intel Core i5-12400F €165,27 incl. VAT

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2400f-processor-18m-cache-up-to-4-40-ghz.html

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90800899
be quiet! Pure Rock 2 €36,72 incl. VAT

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90782615
G.Skill Aegis DDR4 3200 32GB (2x16GB) CL16 €88,56 incl. VAT

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90907184
Crucial P3 Plus 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD €155,25 incl. VAT

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90917188
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3060Ti WINDFORCE OC 8GB Graphics Card €539,12 incl. VAT

Total: €1391.87 inc VAT

i7 build ... swap out the cpu and cpu cooler with these.

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90911607
Intel Core i7-12700F €331,20 incl. VAT

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...2700f-processor-25m-cache-up-to-4-90-ghz.html

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90724396
be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 €86,31 incl. VAT

DDR5 build .. swap out the board and RAM with these.

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90853370
ASUS TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI €204,90 incl. VAT

TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

TUF Gaming series distills essential elements of the latest AMD and Intel® platforms, and combines them with game-ready features and proven durability. Engineered with military-grade components, an upgraded power solution and a comprehensive set of cooling options, this motherboard delivers...

www.asus.com

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90848844
Kingston Fury Beast DDR5 5200 32GB (2x16GB) CL40 €154,53 incl. VAT

https://www.techspot.com/review/2391-intel-core-i7-12700/

i7 12700 / 12700 gaming benchmarks

i5 12400 / 12400F gaming benchmarks

 

[jacktannery]

Thanks @Why_Me, that's incredibly helpful. I will go with the i7 and DDR5 build options.

Do you think this monitor would be good? GIGABYTE AORUS G27F 2 68.4 cm (27") Full HD Monitor https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90916618

Finally one stupid question: I note the motherboard has wifi, but do I need to purchase an additional dongle or antena to recieve wifi on the computer?

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks @Why_Me, that's incredibly helpful. I will go with the i7 and DDR5 build options.

Do you think this monitor would be good? GIGABYTE AORUS G27F 2 68.4 cm (27") Full HD Monitor https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90916618

Finally one stupid question: I note the motherboard has wifi, but do I need to purchase an additional dongle or antena to recieve wifi on the computer?

That's a decent monitor for sure ^^

That motherboard comes with an antenna. It's in the pics in the link.

TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

TUF Gaming series distills essential elements of the latest AMD and Intel® platforms, and combines them with game-ready features and proven durability. Engineered with military-grade components, an upgraded power solution and a comprehensive set of cooling options, this motherboard delivers...

www.asus.com

 

[geofelt]

Intel has released the I5-13400 which would be a better cpu pick.
News is that 12th gen prices have been raised by 10% making 13th gen a better buy.
13th gen has improved performance per clock.

I think the $20 price premium for the non F versions is a good buy.
It helps with testing and keeps you running if you should have a discrete graphics card issue.
Also, integrated graphics enables quick Sync
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...uick-sync-video/quick-sync-video-general.html
Helpful for image decoding.

Monitors are a long term investment.
Bust your budget for a good one.
Look for a 4k monitor in a larger size 30" at least.
Plan to keep your old monitor as a side monitor.

One component that is commonly upgraded in the future is the graphics card.
Buy a quality 850w psu up front.
It will only use the power demanded of it regardless of the max capability.

 

[Why_Me]

Intel has released the I5-13400 which would be a better cpu pick.
News is that 12th gen prices have been raised by 10% making 13th gen a better buy.
13th gen has improved performance per clock.

I think the $20 price premium for the non F versions is a good buy.
It helps with testing and keeps you running if you should have a discrete graphics card issue.
Also, integrated graphics enables quick Sync
https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...uick-sync-video/quick-sync-video-general.html
Helpful for image decoding.

Monitors are a long term investment.
Bust your budget for a good one.
Look for a 4k monitor in a larger size 30" at least.
Plan to keep your old monitor as a side monitor.

One component that is commonly upgraded in the future is the graphics card.
Buy a quality 850w psu up front.
It will only use the power demanded of it regardless of the max capability.

I'm looking forward to the reviews on the i5 13400 / i7 13700.

https://www.techpowerup.com/302937/...ced-13th-gen-core-desktop-processors-with-65w

 

[jacktannery]

So do you recommend that I wait until the i5 13400 becomes available for purchase?

 

[Why_Me]

So do you recommend that I wait until the i5 13400 becomes available for purchase?

It would save you some money. Here's the US prices for those cpu's.

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-13400f-core-i5-13th-gen/p/N82E16819118431
Intel Core i5-13400F $209.99

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-13400-core-i5-13th-gen/p/N82E16819118430
Intel Core i5-13400 $239.99

 

[Why_Me]

This cpu cooler would be a good match with the 13400 / 13400F.

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90793878
be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 €53,57 incl. VAT

 

[geofelt]

So do you recommend that I wait until the i5 13400 becomes available for purchase?

Definitely. It is now available on newegg.

 

[jacktannery]

Hi, so after six months I am finally ready to order following the amazing advice from @Why_Me and @geofelt.

I just wanted to check that this build is still the best for my budget. Total cost includuding monitor €1,850, which is under budget. Should I upgrade on video card to make best use of 4k resolution, or upgrade monitor to make best use of video card? Or does this look good to go?

Also, PC Parts picker says the motherboard might not work with the CPUand CPU cooler - is this an issue?

Any advice is very welcome.

Intel Core i5-13400 Boxed 10 Cores, 20MB Cache, max. 4.6 GHz 237,61 €

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90917072

be quiet! Shadow Rock 3 51,57 €

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90793878

ASUS TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI 201,35 €

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90853370

Kingston Fury Beast 32GB DDR5 Kit (2x16GB) KF552C40BBK2-32 RAM 114,63 €

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90848844

Crucial P3 Plus Gen4 NVMe SSD, 2TB, M.2 2280, PCIe 4.0, 3D-NAND 108,52 €

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90907184

GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3060Ti WINDFORCE OC 8GB 395,86 €

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90917188

Fractal Design Pop Air Black Solid 89,76 €

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90843346

NZXT C750 80+ Gold (PA-7G1BB-EU) 750 Watt 121,86 €

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90922691

Microsoft Windows 11 Pro 64bit, UK-Version 149,66 €

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90847964

Samsung Curved Monitor U32R590CWP 80.0 cm (31.5") 333,75 €

https://www.computeruniverse.net/en/p/90922122

 

[Nighthawk117]

Also, PC Parts picker says the motherboard might not work with the CPUand CPU cooler - is this an issue?

The Shadow Rock 3 supports LGA 1700 with a new mounting bracket. I believe this is shipped with it as standard now: https://www.bequiet.com/en/contact/lga1700mounting

 

[Nighthawk117]

Should I upgrade on video card to make best use of 4k resolution, or upgrade monitor to make best use of video card? Or does this look good to go?

If you want to game at 4k then the 3060 Ti is not the appropriate GPU. Were you getting 4k for your Photoshop work?

 

[geofelt]

If you have extra budget, buy the better monitor first.
A monitor will last a long time. Bust your budget if need be for a good one.

Some types of games need a very strong gpu for fast action @4k.
But resolution and settings can always be toned down.
More cpu oriented games like strategy or mmo will do fine @4k with a lesser gpu.

 

[jacktannery]

Thanks Nigghthawk117 and geofelt. I went with the 4k monitor based on geofelt's advice above. Does the rest off the build still look ok?

 

[Nighthawk117]

Thanks Nigghthawk117 and geofelt. I went with the 4k monitor based on geofelt's advice above. Does the rest off the build still look ok?

It's a nice build with some good quality components. As stated previously, the 3060 Ti is not a 4k card. It will run some older titles in 4k or less demanding ones. However it will not run the latest titles at 4k, you will be looking at 1440p and 1080p depending on the game. On the plus side, being a 4k panel it has exactly double the pixel height and width of 1080p, this means 1080p divides evenly into it. So it shouldn't look as bad as 1080p on a 1440p monitor if you are forced to drop the resolution.

If the latest triple A games in 4k are important however, you would need a high end GPU. Something with a 7 or an 8 in the name.

The only obvious thing I would change is the SSD, I would drop it in favour of the 2TB Samsung 970 Evo:

Search results | Paradigit

The one-stop IT shop for desktops, laptops, components and more.

www.paradigit.ie

I know it's a gen 3 drive and the Crucial is a gen 4. However it's premium gen 3 vs budget gen 4. The Samsung has a much higher endurance rating at 600TBW for the 1TB drive vs 220TBW on the 1TB Crucial. Double those figures for the 2TB versions. If your doing creative work with large files it may be useful.

If you already own a retail Windows 10 license then the key will work with Windows 11. If your buying Windows 11 then make sure it's not an OEM license. For me personally I buy Windows directly from Microsoft, you will just need a spare memory stick to create the image. The advantage of downloading it though is you will get a more up to date version to start with than you will with the little stick that comes in the Windows 11 box if you buy the physical copy.

 

[jacktannery]

Thanks Nighthawk117, I'll upgrade to the 2TB Samsung SSD.