Question My friend is looking for a entry build

[Dreadbeard]

I have a friend wanting to upgrade their whole system via. Pre built, budget is £800 and this is what they are looking at right now, does anyone have any advice? Any better systems for the price?

The Reign Scout Core MKIV - Novatech

Buy your Reign Scout Core MKIV pc from Novatech models ready to ship. Custom PC and Laptop configuration available

www.novatech.co.uk

 

[Eximo]

Not amazing. Quite a weak CPU to pair with such a recent GPU (even if it is on the small side) Picture shows a mediocre power supply. Tiny and slow SSD, and a small hard drive. Better ways to spend the money.

I will shop around, but at this level a hand built system is definitely the way to go.

 

[Eximo]

Could also have one made for you:

PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK SPECIFICATION

The specification below has been formatted so you can easily copy and paste this to our forums when discussing your specification. Once you've copied the specification, please click here to continue.
Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5500 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE B550M DS3H: DDR4, USB 3.2, RGB
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6650 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3300 MB/R, 2900 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
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
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 [KK3-00027]
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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
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 8 to 10 working days
Price: £835.00 including VAT and Delivery

 

[punkncat]

Do you or friend have any ability to build yourself?

I am not fully aware of pricing in your locale, but would take a look at hand building along the lines of an R5 3600. In spite of age it is more powerful than that spec CPU as well as a 5500. If you get a decent mobo there will be a good upgrade path in 5xxx series Ryzen. I would also recommend looking at RX variants rather than RTX. Pricing to performance is better for everything aside from the "new gimmicks" such as ray tracing and such crap.

 

[Eximo]

Or this build. The OS puts it over cost, but you don't have to buy it immediately, or at all. Just have a watermark...

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor (£159.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X Refined SE PLUS 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (£31.02 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B550M-P GEN3 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£79.98 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (£62.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Intel 670p 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£69.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Video Card: MSI GAMING X Radeon RX 6650 XT 8 GB Video Card (£219.00 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cougar Archon 2 Mesh RGB ATX Mid Tower Case (£49.50 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£98.95 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM - DVD 64-bit (£110.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £881.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-24 22:01 BST+0100

 

[Eximo]

Do you or friend have any ability to build yourself?

I am not fully aware of pricing in your locale, but would take a look at hand building along the lines of an R5 3600. In spite of age it is more powerful than that spec CPU as well as a 5500. If you get a decent mobo there will be a good upgrade path in 5xxx series Ryzen. I would also recommend looking at RX variants rather than RTX. Pricing to performance is better for everything aside from the "new gimmicks" such as ray tracing and such crap.

5000 series parts are more than affordable at the moment. Just don't want the crippled 4500 or 5500.

6650XT are still quite cheap for the performance they offer.

With a little more could maybe squeeze in the 6700 or 6700XT.

 

[punkncat]

5000 series parts are more than affordable at the moment. Just don't want the crippled 4500 or 5500.

The whole reason I mention the 3600 is a direct relation to what it can be found for here in the US, so since I am not aware of market pricing "over there" my suggestion is more of a check and see than a must do. The new 3600 (I would not recommend buying that CPU used) is a better CPU than both the ones you mention and is significantly less expensive (here) and would pair really well with something like a 6600/6650/6700.
If the rig is to be used for gaming, then moving up to the X3D version(s) of the 5xxx series would be a great post year (or so) update to keep the system relevant.

 

[Dreadbeard]

Could also have one made for you:

PCSPECIALIST.CO.UK SPECIFICATION

The specification below has been formatted so you can easily copy and paste this to our forums when discussing your specification. Once you've copied the specification, please click here to continue.
Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5500 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
GIGABYTE B550M DS3H: DDR4, USB 3.2, RGB
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB AMD RADEON™ RX 6650 XT - HDMI, DP - DX® 12
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (3300 MB/R, 2900 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
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
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 [KK3-00027]
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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
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 8 to 10 working days
Price: £835.00 including VAT and Delivery

How would this fair for gaming @1080p /1440p

 

[Eximo]

How would this fair for gaming @1080p /1440p

It would do quite well for 1080p in most titles. 1440p would depend a lot on the game and settings.

Not an ideal build though, just what fits in the budget. I really don't like the Ryzen 5500 as a long term solution.

If you can increase that to the Ryzen 5600X then it would be a good choice.

 

[Eximo]

The whole reason I mention the 3600 is a direct relation to what it can be found for here in the US, so since I am not aware of market pricing "over there" my suggestion is more of a check and see than a must do. The new 3600 (I would not recommend buying that CPU used) is a better CPU than both the ones you mention and is significantly less expensive (here) and would pair really well with something like a 6600/6650/6700.
If the rig is to be used for gaming, then moving up to the X3D version(s) of the 5xxx series would be a great post year (or so) update to keep the system relevant.

I agree it is a good budget option. But with this high a budget, I don't think it should be the choice. For a 500-600 build it would make a lot sense with the plan to upgrade the CPU later.

But for immediate gaming performance, I would probably look at an Intel quad core at that point.