New build, new builder, opinions please

[Cheekytrucker]

Hi, I am based in Northern Ireland and have never built a pc before. I am hoping for any opinions on the parts list I have, suitability and whether I am missing anything. I wish to build a pc for sim racing (new to it also) with a view to being able to add a 3D headset in time and over the longterm being relatively upgradable if necessary. https://************.com/list/wZCr89. All help and advice would be appreciated. Many thanks in advance

 

[Tetras]

You'll have to list the items and prices I'm afraid because competitor links are not allowed on this forum.

If your parts list doesn't include a monitor, can you state the resolution and the games you'll be playing.

 

[Cheekytrucker]

Many thanks for coming back to me.
The games I have been using on the Xbox are Forza motorsport, ASSETTO Corsa competizione. Should I start getting into the sim racing I may look into iracing also. By the time I purchase a rig and dd Base and wheel the costs are mounting.
I intended to initially use a 55" 4k tv to keep the cost down. I prefer to put the money into the basic build and add a monitor /3d headset in the future.
I

 

[Cheekytrucker]

I'll make a list of the parts

 

[Cheekytrucker]

Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case
MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard
AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D 4.2 GHz 8-Core Processor
Noctua NH-U12S chromax.black 55 CFM CPU Cooler
Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory
Western Digital Black SN850X 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
MSI GAMING X SLIM GeForce RTX 4070 12 GB Video Card
Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Iceberg Thermal IceGALE 96 CFM 140 mm Fans 2-Pack (2 packs of 2)
Thermal paste

 

[tamzzy]

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Eight Core 5.00GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DT-AM) = £359.99
• 1 x Asus ROG Strix B650E-F Gaming WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6JX-AS) = £229.99
• 1 x TeamGroup Delta RGB 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C30 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FF3D532G6000HC30DC01) (SKU: MY-0B8-TG) = £109.99
• 1 x Crucial T500 2TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-CRU-01090) = £151.99
• 1 x Phanteks XT Pro Ultra ATX Case Tempered Glass Window, Black (SKU: CAS-PHK-01443) = £66.95
• 1 x Seasonic Focus GX-750 ATX3.0 750W 80 Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-08N-SS) = £119.99
• 1 x Asus GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER Dual EVO 12GB GDDR6X PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-ASU-02141) = £599.99

Total: £1,638.89 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

cut out the corsair lovin' and get a better rig instead

better mobo
cheaper ram, just as good
cheaper ssd, just as good
a proper ATX 3.0 psu with better internal components and longer warranty
better gpu
cheaper case, just as good, and has 4 rgb fans right off the bat

for the cpu cooler just get the thermalright phantom spirit 120 or peerless assassin 120 whichever is cheaper on the day
you don't need to spend extra on thermal paste. all cpu coolers come with included thermal paste that is sufficient for a couple of applications

 

[Cheekytrucker]

Hi, cheers for that.
Am I right in thinking that I am best going with the am5 motherboard and cpu to be as futureproof as possible.
The case you have recommended has 4 rgb fans included, does the rgb need to be lit.... I prefer no fancy lights, just a case that sits in the corner and goes in-noticed.
Many thanks

 

[Tetras]

Alternative build with a higher-end GPU for 4K:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 7700 Eight Core 5.30GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DV-AM) = £314.99
• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming A620-Pro WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-ASU-01162) = £149.99
• 1 x TeamGroup Vulcan EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C38 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLABD532G6000HC38ADC01) (SKU: MY-0B2-TG) = £99.94
• 1 x Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 TI Super Trinity Black 16Gb Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-ZTC-01497) = £800.00
• 1 x WD Blue SN580 2TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-00541) = £112.99
• 1 x Lian Li Lancool 216 Mid-tower PC case - Black (SKU: CA-7BG-LL) = £89.99
• 1 x Seasonic Focus GX-750 ATX3.0 750W 80 Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-08N-SS) = £119.98

Total: £1,699.87 (includes delivery: £11.98)​

CPU comes with a cooler in the box, or you could get the coolers recommended above.

I prefer no fancy lights, just a case that sits in the corner and goes in-noticed.

For this, I like the Lian Li 216 Black or Phanteks P600S, which both include non-RGB black fans if you buy the right version.

Some racing games love the X3D, so I'd keep that in mind.

The 7900 GRE is a good value card that can manage @ 4K too, but you'd need to check how it does in VR because usually nvidia is recommended for VR and I don't know.

4K Gaming Doesn't Have to be Expensive - AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE PC Build

Building an Affordable Radeon RX 7900 GRE 4K Gaming PC ð¥°This video is sponsored by GIGABYTE. You can find all the parts I used below ð*System Specs / Parts...

www.youtube.com

 

[Cheekytrucker]

Hi tetras,
Thank you for that... I'll do a bit more googling of the items mentioned above, pros and cons of each...ahhh I feel a headache coming on.

 

[tamzzy]

The case you have recommended has 4 rgb fans included, does the rgb need to be lit

No, they don't have to be lit. Just don't connect the RGB wire
You should however, still get RGB versions of items if you can. This is because they have higher resale value when you come to upgrade.

 

[Cheekytrucker]

Thank you, I hadn't thought about resale value

 

[Craig_d1]

I'd take @tamzzy setup. x3d cpu better gaming cpu, and assetto corsa loves the 3d v cache

you could save further just getting a slightly slower ssd, though the g3 plus still reads at 5000mb/s so is no slouch. zotac 4070super doesn't have the dua bios of the asus card, but you save £50 and have a 5year warranty instead, and the tuf b650 board more than enough. Lacks pcie5 gpu support, but that wont effect this buils(doesn't effect a 4090 so prob wont effect your next gpu upgrade if going mid level so to speak)..I still like the b650e-f board, have the b650e-e version, but the tuf is no frills etc and no rgb
regarding case..yes, you should be able to turn the rgb fans led off in software, or just don't plug in the rgb wires if that fails..all you'll need is the pwn connection for fan power to spin them up
side note...The phanteks case also supports the new zero wires setups where you plug the cables into the back of the board (you would need a board that allows this...the case just has the cutouts on the mobo tray that allows this)...msi calls it project zero, asus the btf design(though that would also require a bft gpu for completely no wires)..gigabyte calling t project stealth. At mo couple of the boards are on preorder and they're a bit more pricey, but maybe gives option for builds in future if it takes off

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Zotac GeForce RTX 4070 Super Twin Edge 12Gb Graphics Card (SKU: GRA-ZTC-01499) = £548.99
• 1 x KIOXIA EXCERIA PLUS G3 2TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-TSH-01121) = £104.99
• 1 x Asus TUF Gaming B650-Plus WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6K0-AS) = £169.99

Total: £831.96 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

 

[Cheekytrucker]

Thanks Craig_d1, that's quite a saving. I'm up for saving where I can as long as the build is able to do what I need it to do now and sill be able to be upgraded if necessary down the road... That is why I'd aimed towards the am5 motherboard.

 

[tamzzy]

that's quite a saving. I'm up for saving where I can as long as the build is able to do what I need it to do now and sill be able to be upgraded if necessary down the road... That is why I'd aimed towards the am5 motherboard.

there's a specific reason i've picked the parts i picked
for the motherboard, the strix b650 e-f has both pcie 5 for the graphics card and ssd (for the future, if you're keeping this rig for any amount of time). pcie 5 isn't useful yet, but it's one for the next few years
for the ssd, went for a high-end pcie4 ssd, again this is one for the future when more games can take advantage of directstorage. if you want a cheaper equivalent: adata xpg gammix s70 blade 2tb (not sold at ocuk) for £115-ish
i'd also pick a slightly better than bargain basement gpu cooling/vrm system. see here:

 

[Cheekytrucker]

I'm thinking to stick with your recommendation for motherboard and cut back on the ssd and ram..
These are easily changed should I need the extra performance and will only come down in price.

 

[Craig_d1]

yep, not disputing, just offering some cheaper alternatives
my own view is if spending £600 might as well spend a little more and get a tripple fan gpu setup..they generally have bigger heatsinks and the 3 fans generally runner at lower rpm's for the same cooling effect as a dual fan gpu. It isn't as good as the asus with the quiet mode setting, but is reference to the fe, andf no one complains about that so will do the job. could always try a fe card tbh, which is in stock at £579 and is all stealth black..tried and tested design and techpowerup gives it a 5/5 rating
ssd i thought wasn't too bad at £105. 5000mb/s read speed is decent..remember xsx has directstorage atm and that ssd runs at 2400mb/s, and ps5 is 5500mb/s...did think of the msi spatium m480 below, with a 7400/7000 read write, it's just out of stock, and has been for several weeks now, but if op is in no rush, an option too..got the 2tb sn850x myself, so not complaining about faster speeds but other build has sn850 in it...diff is 7300 and 6300 respecitely between them, not that I can tell the difference when sitting in front of them
my reasoning for the tuf board..if buying a 4070super now, then going along same lines in future..next rtound 5070super..maybe 4080 level performance(but judging from this gen, not convinced on that)..then 6070...will that be up to 4090 level, which is a big jump over 4080...be nice if it was..a 6070 for £600 that has 4090 levels of performance..that would cater for most people...but that still doesn't saturate pcie4...if op was buying a 4090 now and planned to upgrade that, then i think it's wise to go for pcie5 gpu support but if upgrading at this level, think we should be relatively safe..be another year before the 5070 comes out , 3 years before 6070...5 years well all be on am6, prob with ddr6 ram so we'll all be upgrading our mobo's anyway.
Maybe I'm annoyed that they've put the price up on the b650e-f board again as did get down to £200...now it's £230...that's £60 more than the tuf board and only £30 shy of the b650e-e board, which is better, having 4 nvme slots and the error post it display on it
Ahhhh, so many choices

• 1 x MSI SPATIUM M480 Pro 2TB SSD PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-MSI-00815) = £125.99

 

[tamzzy]

Maybe I'm annoyed that they've put the price up on the b650e-f board again as did get down to £200...now it's £230...

pretty sure the e-f was £190 at one point a couple months ago (not at ocuk ofc)

 

[Cheekytrucker]

Your right, so many choices, my head is pickled. I'm not one to change things regularly, only when it is a necessity... Even my cars (they only get changed when the mechanic says.. "time for it to go Glenn"), so I want to get my choices right.

 

[Craig_d1]

pretty sure the e-f was £190 at one point a couple months ago (not at ocuk ofc)

so it was..just had a search..found it for £209.99 from one of the places that was selling it at £190 notthat long ago. At least a bit more reasonable

 

[Cheekytrucker]

Hi guys.
I have started ordering the components mentioned above... With the the strix b650 e-f motherboard. I was thinking of using a CPU liquid cooler for the rysen 7 7800X3D (ordered). I would prefer one that shows the CPU temperature, would you have any recommendations?
Thank you for all your help and advise.