Question Need help with first PC build. Thanks :)

FishHead0012

Prominent
Aug 1, 2022
3
1
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Hi there,

I'm building my first PC for gaming and work purposes.

I currently have an ultrawide 1440p 120Hz monitor and would like to optimize it.

Should I go for AMD or Nvidia? Is liquid cooling better?

I'm not that experienced in the world of PC building, so I really appreciate any help.

My budget is around 2000 pounds.

If you have any questions, please ask.
Many thanks. :)
 
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Honestly, when it comes to GPU selection it's personal preference and whatever you're going to be doing with it. AMD may be the cheaper route right now as nVidia's prices are still super inflated.

Liquid cooling is always an upgrade (unless you choose a really low-end setup) but it also isn't for everyone.
 

Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
Liquid cooling can help the boost clocks a little, but for typical gaming, no need. CPUs are fast enough and your resolution is high enough that most of the burden is on the GPU. It is more beneficial to pay for the next tier of graphics card then to liquid cool one, or pay the premium for pre-watercooled GPUs. Really best done on the highest end cards.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K 3.4 GHz 16-Core Processor (£376.99 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (£38.90 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI PRO Z790-S WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (£204.97 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£103.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI VENTUS 3X E OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card (£769.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Deepcool MATREXX 55 MESH ATX Mid Tower Case (£42.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair RM850x (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£129.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - Download 64-bit (£108.42 @ Ebuyer)
Case Fan: Phanteks M25-120 PWM 84.26 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack (£26.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Custom: Type 4 12VHPWR Cable (£19.99)
Total: £1912.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-06 19:35 BST+0100
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
@FishHead0012

This:

"I'm not that experienced in the world of PC building, so I really appreciate any help."

Nothing wrong with that - everyone starts somewhere.

The specs etc. are important but so is the assembly process.

My suggestion is to be sure that you carefully read the documentation for all components being installed.

Beginning with the Motherboard's User Guide/Manual.

Work through the User Guide step by step in advance. Make notes on what is applicable or required to the build you have in mind. Highlight and underline. Find instructions or other information that is not clear to you. Resolve those matters before doing anything.

Pay close attention to all fine print and caveats. Check the manufacturer's website for any updates or new information.

Plan the assembly step by step. Work in a clean, well lit environment. Make sure that you have the proper tools - mostly screwdrivers that securely fit the screwheads. Forcing in screws is a sure way to slip and gouge the motherboard.

Do not connect any external cables - especially power until the case assembly is completed. And double-checked.

Carefully pre-thread all screw holes beforehand. Doing so reduces the need for extra force during final assembly.

Plug and unplug connectors a few time to loosen things up. Seat and unseat cards, RAM, and case connections. Again, there will likely be some tightness or stiffness. Gradually get things worked into place even if it takes a few attempts. Do each component just by itself as much as possible. Slowly, steadily, methodically.

Stop working if you get tired, confused, distracted, or something is simply not right. Do not force anything in any manner.

No YouTube fixes or solutions. Likely to be wrong, risky, or directly damaging.

Do not rush. That is when many mistakes occur.

Last ( but not really last) once the build is booted up and running refrain from immediately loading in games, apps, utilities, etc..

Allow Windows time to get itself updated. Leave everything else on hold for a couple of days.

Otherwise if problems occur it will be more difficult to diagnose the cause: hardware, software, OS, assembly, a bad component - whatever.

A bit of extra time planning and waiting could save many later hours of troubleshooting and/or repairs.

Just my suggestions.
 
The 120mm fan goes inside the back of that case for a rear exhaust fan.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-13700F 2.1 GHz 16-Core Processor (£354.95 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: *Deepcool AG620 BK ARGB 67.88 CFM CPU Cooler (£57.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: *MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (£145.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Memory: *Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (£118.58 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: *Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£103.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: *MSI VENTUS 3X E OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card (£769.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: *Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB ATX Mid Tower Case (£74.99 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: *Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£104.99 @ AWD-IT)
Operating System: *Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - Download 64-bit (£108.42 @ Ebuyer)
Case Fan: *ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan (£8.50 @ AWD-IT)
Total: £1847.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-06 20:21 BST+0100


A better look at those components.


https://www.intel.com/content/www/u...-30m-cache-up-to-5-20-ghz/specifications.html

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...al-Tower-CPU-Cooler-1700-AM5/2022/16082.shtml

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/mem...0mt-s-c30-memory-kit-black-cmk32gx5m2b6000c30

https://www.crucial.com/products/ssd/crucial-p5-plus-ssd

https://www.msi.com/Graphics-Card/GeForce-RTX-4070-Ti-VENTUS-3X-12G-OC

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/psu...ular-low-noise-atx-power-supply-cp-9020263-na

https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/focus/focus-2/rgb-black-tg-clear-tint/

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIG4vFQbDn4
 
What is the main purpose for this pc?
Sounds like gaming is primary.

At any price point, AMD and Intel processors have similar performance.
I follow these forums, and my sense is that Ryzen users seem to have more issues, particularly with ram.

In graphics, price/performance performance is probably comparable.
You can look at Tom's gpu hierarchy chart to get a good idea of relative performance.

Liquid cooling is really air cooling.
The difference is where the radiator is located.
AIO coolers do not last forever. The mechanical pump will fail or get clogged.
Air will intrude requiring replacement. Think 5 years.

Modern processors run hot, but they are designed to do so reliably.

Ralston18 had some nice tips.
FWIW, here is
MY build process:

Before anything, while waiting for your parts to be delivered, download
and read, cover to cover your case and motherboard manual.
Buy a long #2 magnetic tip philips screwdriver.
A small led flashlight is also useful.

I find it handy to buy a power switch like this for testing.
1. I assemble the critical parts outside of the case.
That lets me test them for functionality easily.
A wood table or cardboard is fine.
2. Plug in only the necessary parts at first. Ram, cpu, cooler, psu.
Do not force anything. Parts fit only one way.
Attach a monitor to the integrated motherboard adapter if you have one, otherwise to the graphics card.
3. If your motherboard does not have a PWR button, momentarily touch the two pwr front panel pins with a flat blade screwdriver.
4. Repeatedly hit F2 or DEL, and that should get you into the bios display.
5. Boot from a cd or usb stick with memtest86 on it. memtest will exercise your ram and cpu functionality.
They boot from a usb stick and do not use windows.
You can download them here:
If you can run a full pass with NO errors, your ram should be ok.

Running several more passes will sometimes uncover an issue, but it takes more time.

Probably not worth it unless you really suspect a ram issue.
Opinions vary on updating the bios.
Normally, one does not update a bios unless there is a fix for something that is impacting you. I violate this rule on a new build and will update to currency up front.
Use the usb option, not the windows option.
If there is a severe problem, the impact is small.


6. Install windows.
7. Install the motherboard cd drivers. Particularly the lan drivers so you can access the internet.
Do not select the easy install option, or you will get a bunch of utilities and trialware that you don't want. Drivers only.
7. Connect to the internet and install an antivirus program. Microsoft defender is free, easy, and unobtrusive.
8. Install your graphics card and driver if you tested with integrated graphics.
You will need to remove the graphics card later to install your motherboard in the case.
As a tip when screwing the motherboard into the posts, give the screw a small counterclockwise turn until you feel a click.
That lets you know that the screw will engage properly.
Make a note of how the graphics card latches into the pcie slot.
The mechanism will be hidden under the card and may be difficult to work if you have not previously checked how.
9. Update windows to currency.
10. Only now do I take apart what I need to and install it in the case.
11. Now is the time to reinstall your graphics card.
 
I would suggest something like this:

Case comes with a small screen in the front for CPU/GPU clocks or Power usage (configurable). Has front panel Type C.

If you want, i would suggest using the cooler's front fan and included case fan in the front for intake. Replace the cooler's front fan with 1 RGB fan, rear argb and top rgb fans as exhaust.

cooler also has a CPU temp readout.

ATX 3.0 psu with 16pin power connector for future upgrades. 10 year warranty.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor (£359.99 @ Scan.co.uk)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 DIGITAL 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler (£74.99 @ AWD-IT)
Motherboard: ASRock B650E PG RIPTIDE WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (£222.99 @ NeoComputers)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6400 CL32 Memory (£115.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£103.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: XFX Speedster MERC 310 Radeon RX 7900 XT 20 GB Video Card (£777.46 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Deepcool CH510 MESH DIGITAL ATX Mid Tower Case (£69.98 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF A3 - TT Premium Edition 1050 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£147.97 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Case Fan: ID-COOLING XF-12025-ARGB-TRIO 62 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack (£24.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1897.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-10-09 11:57 BST+0100


Would cost a bit more than 2k for an RTX 4080: £1100 - https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...-rtx-4080-16-gb-video-card-ned4080s19t2-1030g