Question Advice / recommendations wanted!

[PeterSullivan]

Hi all - long time user, occasional poster I'm looking for some advice / input from the community about an upgrade to my 7 year old rig that I'm making. I've been saving up for ages for this, so would really appreciate knowing if this build looks;

1. Good value for money
2. Will play current games at 1440p at top settings
3. Able to be relatively future proofed.

On me - I am a big fan of gaming but don't have as much time as I'd like for it, so when I can it's really important to me that I can play on max settings and with a good framerate. However, I don't do video editing or any of that stuff. Budget is £3,000 for a full upgrade but obvs would be happy to spend less if I can hit my objectives!

Potential upgrade specs are;

Case: Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Evo Gaming Case - White

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-12700K - 12-Core [8P @ 3.60GHz-5.00GHz / 4E @ 2.70GHz-3.80GHz] - 25MB Cache + UHD Graphics, Ultimate OC Compatible

GPU: MSI GeForce® RTX 3080 12GB LHR - Ray Tracing Technology, DX12®, VR Ready, HDMI, DP - 4 MIN. Monitor Support (Single Card)

CPU Overclocking: Pro OC (Overclock up to 10%)

CPU Cooling: MSI MAG Coreliquid 240R V2 240mm RGB Liquid Cooler, Extreme OC Compatible

Motherboard: MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WIFI DDR5: ATX w/USB3.2, 4x M.2

RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5/4800mhz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance w/Heat Spreader)

Power Supply: MSI MPG A850GF 850W 80+ Gold Modular Gaming Power Supply

NVME Drive: 1TB (1x1TB) MSI SPATIUM M450 M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD - 3600MB /s Read & 3000MB/s Write (Single Drive)

Hard Drive (HDD & SSHD): 1TB Seagate BarraCuda SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 7200RPM Hard Drive (1 Drive)

Operating System: Windows 11 Home - with FREE trial of Microsoft 365 and 1 month Xbox Game Pass (64-bit Edition) (No Recovery Media)

Monitor: iiyama G-Master Red Eagle GB3467WQSU-B1 34" WQHD VA 165Hz Curved Gaming Monitor
GB3467WQSU-B1 [I've gotten used to Ultrawide, so would rather this than 4K]

Total cost - £2,990 (like I said, been saving for ages!)

Any and all constructive comments really appreciated!

 

[PeterSullivan]

OC. Don't bother. There's honestly not enough gain to warrant the expense in heat and issues.

Psu. Can do better. Should do better.

Cooler. NO. Msi makes good motherboards. They dabble in everything else, and it doesn't always work out in their favor.

HDD. In that budget? Absolutely not.

Case. There are better, for an air cooled system unless you really, really like the look. The Meshify 2 is considerably better, if same build quality, for airflow.

WQHD is standard 1440p (2560x1440) resolution, 16:9 ultrawide. Get those same sizes in 1080p or 4k.

Nice ideas, but honestly what you are doing is buying a Ferrari and thinking about paying someone to put grandma's rims and tires on it.

Hi Karadjgne - thanks for your comment. As per the thread above, I'm removing the OC and changing the cooling and HDD to an SSD. Have also switched to the Meshify 2.

Monitor-wise, now looking at this; https://www.box.co.uk/9H.LKKLA.TBE-BenQ-MOBIUZ-EX3410R-34-WQHD-144Hz-1ms-F_4112742.html I really like ultra-wide for the games I play, so quite keen to stick with 21:9 and 3440 x 1440.

With those changes, is it more in line with what would be considered a "good" upgrade?

 

[Why_Me]

If you build it yourself (plenty of how to youtube vids) or call around to local mom & pops PC / laptop repair shops and have them build it for you for a small fee if you bring them the components you can save a decent amount of money. This build down below gives you an idea of the cost you're looking at.

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal-design-pop-mini-air-rgb-black-tg-clear-tint
Fractal Pop Mini Air RGB Black mATX Tempered Glass PC Case £94.99

https://www.cclonline.com/focus-gx-850-seasonic-focus-gx-850w-modular-power-supply-80-plus-gold/

Seasonic Focus GX 850W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply £110.53

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09NVZFLSY
MSI MAG B660M MORTAR £190.27

https://www.box.co.uk/BX8071512700F-Intel-Core-i7-12700F-12th-Gen-Desktop-Pr_4094467.html
Intel Core i7-12700F £326.49

https://computerorbit.com/products/deepcool-ak620-high-performance-cooler
DeepCool AK620 CPU Cooler £69.00

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/32g...00-5200-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-40-xmp-30-125v
Corsair Vengeance DDR5 5200 32GB (2x16GB) CL40 £167.99

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MLJD32L
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Internal SSD £182.33

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...dr6x-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-1dt-gi.html
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Eagle 12GB Graphics Card £949.99

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/windows-11-home-edition-64-bit-english-international-usb
Windows 11 Home Edition 64-bit USB - English £110.48

Total: £2202.07 inc VAT

A better look at those components.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-MORTAR

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ak620-review

https://global.deepcool.com/product...-High-Performance-CPU-Cooler/2021/13067.shtml

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

i7 12700 / 12700F gaming benchmarks.

Pop Mini 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

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aukcnCb-64U

 

[emitfudd]

Look at the Lian Li Lancool II mesh perfomance.

 

[Why_Me]

ATX version of that previous build I posted with seperate SSD for your O/S (Windows).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MFBLN7K
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Internal SSD £69.99

https://www.technextday.co.uk/product/gigabyte-z690-gaming-x-intel-socket-1700-ddr5-atx-motherboard
Gigabyte Z690 GAMING X £207.11

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/Z690-GAMING-X-DDR4-rev-10#kf

or ...

https://www.box.co.uk/MAG-Z690-TORPEDO-MSI-MAG-Z690-TORPEDO-Motherboard_4088737.html
MSI MAG Z690 TORPEDO £256.78

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-Z690-TORPEDO

https://www.box.co.uk/Lancool-II-me...Lancool-II-Mesh-Performance-Temp_2994935.html
Lian Li Lancool II Mesh Performance Tempered Glass Midi Tower Case £90.99

Lancool-II-Mesh-Performance

<h2>Born to push the limits</h2> LANCOOL II MESH Performance features a mesh front panel and mesh bottom left shroud panel, honeycomb vent design and built-in PWM fans, ensuring bountiful airflow delivered to your components while the system runs at peak performance. <span...

lian-li.com

 

[Flayed]

If you have waited 7 years, another month or two and see what the next-gen Ryzen platform brings to the table seems sensible.

 

[PeterSullivan]

If you have waited 7 years, another month or two and see what the next-gen Ryzen platform brings to the table seems sensible.

Thanks for the comment - this is very fair! But I feel like I keep thinking like this which is why I never buy an upgrade - there always seems to be a new-gen platform coming in a few months! But I do appreciate your point and will definitely consider it

 

[PeterSullivan]

If you build it yourself (plenty of how to youtube vids) or call around to local mom & pops PC / laptop repair shops and have them build it for you for a small fee if you bring them the components you can save a decent amount of money. This build down below gives you an idea of the cost you're looking at.

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/fractal-design-pop-mini-air-rgb-black-tg-clear-tint
Fractal Pop Mini Air RGB Black mATX Tempered Glass PC Case £94.99

https://www.cclonline.com/focus-gx-850-seasonic-focus-gx-850w-modular-power-supply-80-plus-gold/

Seasonic Focus GX 850W 80+ Gold Modular Power Supply £110.53

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09NVZFLSY
MSI MAG B660M MORTAR £190.27

https://www.box.co.uk/BX8071512700F-Intel-Core-i7-12700F-12th-Gen-Desktop-Pr_4094467.html
Intel Core i7-12700F £326.49

https://computerorbit.com/products/deepcool-ak620-high-performance-cooler
DeepCool AK620 CPU Cooler £69.00

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/32g...00-5200-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-40-xmp-30-125v
Corsair Vengeance DDR5 5200 32GB (2x16GB) CL40 £167.99

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07MLJD32L
Samsung 970 EVO Plus 2TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Internal SSD £182.33

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...dr6x-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-1dt-gi.html
Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Eagle 12GB Graphics Card £949.99

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/windows-11-home-edition-64-bit-english-international-usb
Windows 11 Home Edition 64-bit USB - English £110.48

Total: £2202.07 inc VAT

A better look at those components.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B660M-MORTAR

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ak620-review

https://global.deepcool.com/product...-High-Performance-CPU-Cooler/2021/13067.shtml

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

i7 12700 / 12700F gaming benchmarks.

Pop Mini 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

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aukcnCb-64U

Wow, massively appreciate the effort you've gone to here - thank you! Will look into doing it this way instead and what the cost differential will be!

 

[Lafong]

[/QUOTE]

Wow, massively appreciate the effort you've gone to here - thank you! Will look into doing it this way instead and what the cost differential will be!

Choosing all parts is the way to go if................I SAY IF...........you can find a competent local assembler.

That might be quite difficult, depending on your location. How do you find one and how confident are you of their competence?

Assembling by yourself is of course doable, but you have to consider your anxiety level and self-confidence. We don't know anything about that. People will tell you "hey it's easy, we can help you", but lots of people aren't confident checking tire air pressure or oil level in their car.

A key question is what level of customization can you get on a pre-built? Weak points tend to be cooling and power supplies. And of course charging a markup on all parts.

 

[PeterSullivan]

Choosing all parts is the way to go if................I SAY IF...........you can find a competent local assembler.

That might be quite difficult, depending on your location. How do you find one and how confident are you of their competence?

Assembling by yourself is of course doable, but you have to consider your anxiety level and self-confidence. We don't know anything about that. People will tell you "hey it's easy, we can help you", but lots of people aren't confident checking tire air pressure or oil level in their car.

A key question is what level of customization can you get on a pre-built? Weak points tend to be cooling and power supplies.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah in honesty my confidence in sorting it myself is very low - but I'm based in London so would hope there are some competent shops around (will do some research now).

In terms of the pre-build I'm looking at, it seems they can accommodate basically all the suggestions I've had on here - I have updated the PSU to a "Corsair TX850M 850W 80+ Gold Semi-Modular PSU", and the cooling to a "Corsair Hydro Series H100i RGB Pro XT High Performance Liquid Cooling System w/ 240mm Radiator"

Current build, incorporating as much of the feedback as I can (!) is here; https://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/system/infinity-127-DDR5-gaming-pc

Plus this monitor: https://www.box.co.uk/9H.LKKLA.TBE-BenQ-MOBIUZ-EX3410R-34-WQHD-144Hz-1ms-F_4112742.html

Strays ever so slightly over my budget but in an acceptable range (especially if I look in to "Why_Me"'s recommendation).

Would the above address the initial issues pointed out do you feel?

 

[CompuGuy71]

Thanks!

Last question (sorry!) - been browsing some monitors and this one looked a good option, would it suit the overall set up I'm looking at?

https://www.box.co.uk/9H.LKKLA.TBE-BenQ-MOBIUZ-EX3410R-34-WQHD-144Hz-1ms-F_4112742.html

That is a stellar display choice. BENQ are great screens in general. that one is a little large for my personal preference since I sit rather close at my desk but if you want a big, curved screen that is a great choice.

 

[PeterSullivan]

That is a stellar display choice. BENQ are great screens in general. that one is a little large for my personal preference since I sit rather close at my desk but if you want a big, curved screen that is a great choice.

Fantastic - thank you for all of the help! Really appreciate it.

 

[Lafong]

I looked at your most recent parts list at Cyberpower.

Consider using DDR 4 RAM if budget requires. Performance difference would be minimal if any. That would require the DDR 4 version of your motherboard.

MSI Coreliquid 240 mm cooler. I’d get more feedback on that. I’d seriously consider air cooling instead.

MSI A850GF power supply; I’d get more feedback on that.

I see only 1 drive in your system, a 1 TB WD SN570 SSD. Have you decided you only need 1 drive?

I would be a bit nervous about Cyberpower generally…particularly if I had to deal with their customer service department or have any type of significant issue.

Tough to guess how likely that is, but it certainly isn’t just 1 or 2 percent.

Pound hard on finding a competent local builder. If you had to pay them 200 pounds, you’d still be way ahead of Cyberpower PC.

 

[Flayed]

Check out www.cclonline.com they offer pretty good premade PCs that you can customize.

 

[Nighthawk117]

Hi all - long time user, occasional poster I'm looking for some advice / input from the community about an upgrade to my 7 year old rig that I'm making. I've been saving up for ages for this, so would really appreciate knowing if this build looks;

1. Good value for money
2. Will play current games at 1440p at top settings
3. Able to be relatively future proofed.

On me - I am a big fan of gaming but don't have as much time as I'd like for it, so when I can it's really important to me that I can play on max settings and with a good framerate. However, I don't do video editing or any of that stuff. Budget is £3,000 for a full upgrade but obvs would be happy to spend less if I can hit my objectives!

Potential upgrade specs are;

Case: Lian Li PC-O11 Dynamic Evo Gaming Case - White

CPU: Intel® Core™ i7-12700K - 12-Core [8P @ 3.60GHz-5.00GHz / 4E @ 2.70GHz-3.80GHz] - 25MB Cache + UHD Graphics, Ultimate OC Compatible

GPU: MSI GeForce® RTX 3080 12GB LHR - Ray Tracing Technology, DX12®, VR Ready, HDMI, DP - 4 MIN. Monitor Support (Single Card)

CPU Overclocking: Pro OC (Overclock up to 10%)

CPU Cooling: MSI MAG Coreliquid 240R V2 240mm RGB Liquid Cooler, Extreme OC Compatible

Motherboard: MSI MAG Z690 Tomahawk WIFI DDR5: ATX w/USB3.2, 4x M.2

RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5/4800mhz Dual Channel Memory (Corsair Vengeance w/Heat Spreader)

Power Supply: MSI MPG A850GF 850W 80+ Gold Modular Gaming Power Supply

NVME Drive: 1TB (1x1TB) MSI SPATIUM M450 M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD - 3600MB /s Read & 3000MB/s Write (Single Drive)

Hard Drive (HDD & SSHD): 1TB Seagate BarraCuda SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 7200RPM Hard Drive (1 Drive)

Operating System: Windows 11 Home - with FREE trial of Microsoft 365 and 1 month Xbox Game Pass (64-bit Edition) (No Recovery Media)

Monitor: iiyama G-Master Red Eagle GB3467WQSU-B1 34" WQHD VA 165Hz Curved Gaming Monitor
GB3467WQSU-B1 [I've gotten used to Ultrawide, so would rather this than 4K]

Total cost - £2,990 (like I said, been saving for ages!)

Any and all constructive comments really appreciated!

It's a very nice build you've specced out there. I wouldn't get that cooler though it's not very reliable. I would consider:

240mm:
https://www.ebuyer.com/1069902-cors...790s-pXcxY6HN8gAOU0_euEIjcVKXPLxoC0AkQAvD_BwE

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ARCTIC-Liq...sprefix=artic+freeze+240m,computers,74&sr=1-2

280mm
https://www.amazon.co.uk/NZXT-Krake...t=&hvlocphy=9046212&hvtargid=pla-883426818421

https://www.amazon.co.uk/ARCTIC-Liq...sprefix=artic+freeze+240m,computers,74&sr=1-1

The Artic Freezer ones have are probably the best performers for the price.

 

[PeterSullivan]

Ok - I have two final builds, based on everything everyone has said -

One with CyberPower (https://www.cyberpowersystem.co.uk/...m_id=Infinity-127-DDR5-Gaming-PC-(NO-MONITOR)

And one with CCL (https://www.cclonline.com/pc/gaming-pcs/nazare/nazare-7380i-icue-rtx-gaming-pc/custom/353/)

Apologies to ask for more advice, as everyone has been incredibly helpful and given me loads to think about. Which of these two would you go for? PSU and cooling seems better with CCL, RAM and storage seems better with CyberPower?

Thanks again everyone! Appreciate the effort a lot!

 

[Lafong]

Ok - I have two final builds, based on everything everyone has said -

Which of these two would you go for?

PSU and cooling seems better with CCL, RAM and storage seems better with CyberPower?

First impressions of those 2 choices:

CCL is about 100 pounds more expensive.

Cyberpower has DDR 5; CCL has DDR 4; not a big deal.

Both have only 1 drive. Is that deliberate?

CCL does not include Windows. Is that deliberate?

CCL has 12700K; Cyberpower has 12700KF; I’d prefer the K to get integrated graphics.

Why do you think Cyberpower storage is better? WD SN 570 at Cyberpower versus Samsung 980 Pro at CCL

 

[PeterSullivan]

First impressions of those 2 choices:

CCL is about 100 pounds more expensive.

Cyberpower has DDR 5; CCL has DDR 4; not a big deal.

Both have only 1 drive. Is that deliberate?

CCL does not include Windows. Is that deliberate?

CCL has 12700K; Cyberpower has 12700KF; I’d prefer the K to get integrated graphics.

Why do you think Cyberpower storage is better? WD SN 570 at Cyberpower versus Samsung 980 Pro at CCL

Hi Lafong - I think the CCL link must have been wrong, as the one I built had Windows 11 and two drives?

I have tried again on PCSPECIALIST instead, as reading online they are very reliable, where CyberPower (apparently) tends to get damaged in transit

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-z690-ddr5-pc/

Thanks for all the help!

 

[Lafong]

I have tried again on PCSPECIALIST instead, as reading online they are very reliable, where CyberPower (apparently) tends to get damaged in transit

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/computers/intel-z690-ddr5-pc/

Thanks for all the help!

I don't see your specific choices at PC Specialist.

All I see is a generic list beginning with an i3 low end processor, followed by a bunch of other stuff to choose from.....not your own choices.

Wrong link?

Some of your lists have included Windows, some not; some have a K processor, some a KF, not clear if you are choosing 2 drives. I don't see that.

 

[PeterSullivan]

I don't see your specific choices at PC Specialist.

All I see is a generic list beginning with an i3 low end processor, followed by a bunch of other stuff to choose from.....not your own choices.

Wrong link?

Some of your lists have included Windows, some not; some have a K processor, some a KF, not clear if you are choosing 2 drives. I don't see that.

Sorry, it's being difficult and won't let me send a link that actually shows it - so decided this is probably easiest:

Case
CORSAIR iCUE 5000X RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z690-F GAMING WIFI (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 4800MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3080 - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 7000MB/R, 5000MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair iCUE H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan
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 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
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 4 to 6 working days
Price: £2,645.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[Why_Me]

PCSPECIALIST - Custom Computers and Laptops Built to Order

PCSpecialist is a manufacturer of high quality custom computers and laptops. Configure your ideal computer in just a few simple steps with a broad range available.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Case: Lian Li 215
CPU: i7 12700F
Board: Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X
PSU: Corsair RMx 850W
GPU: Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti 12GB
SSD #1: 500GB Samsung EVO Plus M.2
SSD #2: 2TB Samsung EVO Plus M.2
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100x 250w TDP

Total: £2,627.00 inc. VAT

 

[Lafong]

Regarding the drives, both of which are 1 TB.

What is your thought process?

Based largely on capacity requirements? Advertised speed? Price? Brand name? Something else?

One of those drives will have Windows. Presumably the NVMe. What else will be on that drive?

Why or why not a 500 GB NVMe for Windows and a 2 TB storage drive?

I'm just trying to understand what is behind your choices.

I'd try to get feedback on that case and that cooler.

 

[PeterSullivan]

Regarding the drives, both of which are 1 TB.

What is your thought process?

Based largely on capacity requirements? Advertised speed? Price? Brand name? Something else?

One of those drives will have Windows. Presumably the NVMe. What else will be on that drive?

Why or why not a 500 GB NVMe for Windows and a 2 TB storage drive?

I'm just trying to understand what is behind your choices.

I'd try to get feedback on that case and that cooler.

In all honesty there's not much thought process - people replied to my initial post saying to change the hard drive and so I thought I'd keep the NVME drive and then add an SSD one, but it's dawning on me that that's possibly not the best option! Looking at Why_Me's post above + your comment, think I'll update to reflect this now!

 

[PeterSullivan]

PCSPECIALIST - Custom Computers and Laptops Built to Order

PCSpecialist is a manufacturer of high quality custom computers and laptops. Configure your ideal computer in just a few simple steps with a broad range available.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Case: Lian Li 215
CPU: i7 12700F
Board: Gigabyte Z690 Gaming X
PSU: Corsair RMx 850W
GPU: Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti 12GB
SSD #1: 500GB Samsung EVO Plus M.2
SSD #2: 2TB Samsung EVO Plus M.2
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100x 250w TDP

Total: £2,627.00 inc. VAT

How much difference does the MoBo make? Looking onluine the Gigabyte Z690 seems to rank quite a lot lower than the Asus ROG Strix - but not too bothered about that if in practice it makes little difference!

Really appreciate the rest of your suggestions thanks!

 

[Why_Me]

How much difference does the MoBo make? Looking onluine the Gigabyte Z690 seems to rank quite a lot lower than the Asus ROG Strix - but not too bothered about that if in practice it makes little difference!

Really appreciate the rest of your suggestions thanks!

The ROG makes sense if you plan on overclocking but tbh OC waste with these Intel 12 gens.

 

[Lafong]

In all honesty there's not much thought process - people replied to my initial post saying to change the hard drive and so I thought I'd keep the NVME drive and then add an SSD one, but it's dawning on me that that's possibly not the best option! Looking at Why_Me's post above + your comment, think I'll update to reflect this now!

Windows takes up about 30 GB. That is 3 percent of a 1 TB drive.

An NVMe M.2 drive for the operating system and a 2.5 inch SSD for storage IS a good option.

The question is which of each, particularly as regards size.

Standard procedure would be to put Windows and applications on the NVMe and all else on the SSD.

My own operating system drive is small...only 128 GB and has never been even half full. I don't game.

Gaming aside, do you have even a remote idea of how much storage space you would need? 30 GB for Windows plus what for applications plus what for personal data like mp3s or movies or pictures?

I have no idea if games are best put on the operating system drive. If not, you may be perfectly fine with a much smaller NVMe. And maybe a larger 2.5 inch SSD to hold your games.