Build Advice New Build or Buy, £2000 GBP Budget

Mar 29, 2023
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1
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Hello all.

Looking at either building a new system or buying a decent premade, what would people suggest to go for component wise?

There are a couple bits I can possibly use from my current system eg EVGA 1200w modular PSU, Case (Fractal Design XL2) unless it'd be better to upgrade them as well. I'd like it to be able to run 2 screens at same time, screen 1 would be for me gaming or doing work, while screen 2 would be for movie/stream playback while family is in room, then gaming for me when I'm on my own.

Overall looking for a sensible build for the budget, that'll run games at 4k with decent/high settings, I don't need it to be the top of the line, unless it needs to be (if that makes sense?). The games I generally play are older so hopefully not too demanding (Cities Skylines, GTA5, World of Tanks, World of Warcraft) although I am interested in a few newer games (Cities Skyline 2 (when it comes out), Final Fantasy 7 Remake, Jurassic World Evo 2, etc). The business use really isn't demanding at all, just banking and accounts work. Streaming is.....well streaming :)

I have no idea what are good parts these days as it's been well over 10 years since I was up to date on pc parts,

Approximate Purchase Date: ASAP
Budget Range: £2000 GBP
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Business use, watching videos/streams (netflix, twitch, prime etc)
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: All/whole system (maybe less PSU, Case and Fans)
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Any UK based
Location: Essex, England
Parts Preferences: No preference
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: Screen 1 (3840x1200), Screen 2 (3840x2160) both are 60hz screens
Additional Comments: Quiet, currently have a build in a Fractal XL2 with a total of 12 fans, that even sat next to I can't hear above the very slight sound of the AIO CPU cooler, so looking for same in noise level. No RGB or any other flashly stuff needed, pc will be tucked under my desk not on display. I have plenty of quiet 120mm fans knocking about.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current system is over 10 years old, so it's about time, and I currently have the money to be able to do so

Thanks
 
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Here's a case with better airflow (front mesh panel).

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/KLQcCJ/fractal-design-pop-air-atx-mid-tower-case-fd-c-poa1a-01
Fractal Design Pop Air ATX Mid Tower Case £83.47

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...ully-modular-atx-power-supply-mpg-a850g-pcie5
MSI MPG A850G PCIE5 850W 80+ Gold Modular ATX Power Supply £129.98

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...aming-x-atx-lga1700-motherboard-b760-gaming-x
Gigabyte B760 GAMING X £157.96

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...13400f-25-ghz-10-core-processor-bx8071513400f
Intel Core i5-13400F £205.85

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/JN8bt6/deepcool-ak500-6899-cfm-cpu-cooler-r-ak500-bknnmt-g
DeepCool AK500 CPU Cooler £55.47

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...ddr5-5600-cl28-memory-f5-5600j2834f16gx2-rs5w
G.Skill Ripjaws S5 DDR5-5600 32GB (2x16GB) CL28 £135.59

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...tb-m2-2280-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds200t3x0e
Western Digital Black SN770 2TB M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 NVME SSD £119.99

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...2-gb-video-card-rtx-4070-ti-gaming-x-trio-12g
MSI GAMING X TRIO GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12GB Video Card £847.69

Total: £1736.00 inc VAT

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...dows-11-home-retail-download-64-bit-kw9-00664
Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - Download 64-bit £103.33

A better look at those components.

https://www.fractal-design.com/products/cases/pop/pop-air/black-solid/

https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B760-GAMING-X-rev-10#kf

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/u...3400f-processor-20m-cache-up-to-4-60-ghz.html

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...formance-CPU-Cooler-1700-AM5/2022/16040.shtml

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ak500-review

https://www.msi.com/Graphics-Card/GeForce-RTX-4070-Ti-GAMING-X-TRIO-12G
 
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Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
You could certainly look into keeping the chassis. But you may want to buy new chassis fans.

If the power supply is as old as the system is, probably due for a replacement.

Why_Me has good suggestions for parts, a good mid-range CPU/Motherboard/Memory.

And yes, running 4K still requires a beefy GPU, even if you are only targeting 60FPS. 4070Ti is the best performance per dollar current generation card available. You could spend less, but you would be looking at cards that are two years old, or AMDs recently launched top end cards, which are actually a little more.

Now you can always opt for more on the CPU front. i7-13700F would also be a good long term choice. And there is also something like a Ryzen 7700X/7700 for a little less (but motherboard prices go back up)
 
Mar 29, 2023
2
1
15
But you may want to buy new chassis fans.

If the power supply is as old as the system is, probably due for a replacement.

Got loads of new fans sitting in a box that I bought as a bulk lot, plus fans currently in my case are quiet and all work. PSU is about 2 years old, so would think that'll be fine.

What about either of these 2?

AMD Build £1697.04. More USB connections on rear than I need, optical audio, 550w power consumption, less on board connectivity/expandability (sata/m2) but enough for current needs.

Intel Build £1803.87. Enough rear panel connections, optical audio, 700w power consumption, better on board connectivity/expandability (sata/m2)
 
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Got loads of new fans sitting in a box that I bought as a bulk lot, plus fans currently in my case are quiet and all work. PSU is about 2 years old, so would think that'll be fine.

What about either of these 2?

AMD Build £1697.04. More USB connections on rear than I need, optical audio, 550w power consumption, less on board connectivity/expandability (sata/m2) but enough for current needs.

Intel Build £1803.87. Enough rear panel connections, optical audio, 700w power consumption, better on board connectivity/expandability (sata/m2)
Haven't looked at the AMD build yet but for the Intel build you want to size up on your cpu cooler for the i7 and you want two sticks of RAM not four sticks so that it doesn't stress the memory controller. A single set of 2x16GB is plenty.

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/9T92FT/deepcool-ak620-6899-cfm-cpu-cooler-r-ak620-bknnmt-g
DeepCool AK620 Dual Tower CPU Cooler £53.99

https://www.deepcool.com/products/C...formance-CPU-Cooler-1700-AM5/2021/13067.shtml

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ak620-review
 
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Looking at the AMD build now and that 5900X gets beat out by the i7 12700 / 12700F.

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product...12700f-21-ghz-12-core-processor-bx8071512700f
Intel Core i7-12700F £297.29

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

Pair the 12700F up with this board down below in order to save a few quid.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09NWFPC34
ASUS TUF Gaming H670-PRO WiFi D4 £186.31


i712700.jpg
 
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For an AMD build with the latest and greatest I would consider the soon to arrive 7800X3D. Its coming in April and will be tied or better than the best gaming CPUs out now.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler (£53.99 @ Scan.co.uk)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B650 AORUS PRO AX ATX AM5 Motherboard (£257.99 @ Newegg UK)
Memory: Patriot Viper Black 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory (£117.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£64.98 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£120.00 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte EAGLE OC GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card (£850.00 @ MoreCoCo)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL ATX Full Tower Case (Purchased For £0.00)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 1200 P2 1200 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For £0.00)
Custom: 7800X3D (£449.99)
Total: £1914.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-03-30 03:38 BST+0100
 
For a 60FPS gaming setup, you dont need the absolute best gaming cpu. A 7600X would be upto the task no issues.

The 7900XT and 4070ti will both 2.5k/4k 60hz gaming. i would suggest the 4070ti for better and wider support for RTX and DLSS in the games in general. If you decide to play games with mods and custom upscaled high red textures, then going for the 7900XT with its 20gb VRAM would be the right choice.

AM5 platform so you upgrade if you wish to do so. The intel platform would potentially require new mobo and maybe new mounting kits for the cooler.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor (£223.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 White 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (£41.90 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock B650E PG RIPTIDE WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard (£256.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory (£119.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (£65.58 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: MSI GAMING X TRIO GeForce RTX 4070 Ti 12 GB Video Card (£847.69 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Define XL R2 ATX Full Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£124.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1680.10
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-03-30 09:08 BST+0100