Spec me a Big Navi-ready gaming PC ~£2k

[TreeUK]

Hey all, I'm a decade out of the loop so I could do with an assist in a full gaming machine spec.
I'll be keeping keyboard, mouse, 1Tb & 2Tb SSD from the current build and I've got an LG 27UK850 4K monitor that'll be a second screen. Edit: Actually I think my SSDs could be end of life so a decent 1Tb NVMe would be ideal, 2Tb seem a bit pricey.

Historically I've always had Intel + Nvidia but AMD seem to be killing it so I'm keen to make the jump.
Ideally I want the base spec to last me a decent number of years with some GPU upgrades along the way.
I know the next gen are just around the corner so graphics-wise a stop gap bump from an Nvidia 970 would be good.

Primary use case is gaming, secondary is Unity development. I want to remember what *Ultra* mode looks like and I want to be ready for those next gen games around the corner.

I need a gaming-focussed monitor (144hz, 1440p), case, CPU, mobo, RAM, PSU, cooler and anything else I might have forgotten. If water-cooling is now sensible and easy to do I'd be interested in that. It'll just be hidden under a desk so doesn't need to be full of LEDs.

Thanks for taking a look, I appreciate it!

 

[Sparx]

So here's my 2p on the matter.

If you're planning on buying a next-gen GPU from say Nvidia in next month or so, I wouldn't invest in anything better than say this 1660S. It's value will likely have minimal impact compared to higher end and much more expensive GPUs, buying anything like a 5700XT or 2070S now will see it's resale value drop a chunk more I expect when next-gen is out. 1660S is still a very capable card and can do 1440p quite well for a stop-gap GPU.

The mobo has some of the best VRMs on the X570 chipset. If you need WiFi I'd go for the X570 Tomahawk board. 8Pack memory is very overclockable (4000Mhz+) have added 32GB as believe should help with the Unity dev work. If you ever upgraded to Ryzen 4000 CPU it would definitely help, from what we know faster RAM 4000MHz+ is a great benefit on Zen 3, so would avoid buying new RAM to get the full benefit of the new CPU. If you don't plan on upgrading you could maybe save £30 on standard Corsair LPX 32GB memory kit.

Monitor is very well regarded 1440p gaming display, on offer still as usually near £500. The 360mm AIO is very well reviewed too and should help keep temps down and run fairly quiet. Case you could spend less, but it is a very nice case with plenty of room to work with -and for rads etc should you ever decide to go full custom water loop in future, or just enjoy the aesthetics and space regardless.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 3700X Eight Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £319.99
• 1 x Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE (AMD AM4) DDR4 X570 Chipset ATX Motherboard= £199.99
• 2 x Team Group 8Pack RIPPED Edition 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C14 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/= £99.95
• 1 x WD Blue SN550 1TB NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T2B0C)= £109.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP 650W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply= £96.95
• 1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER OC 6144MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £218.99
• 1 x LG 27GL850-B 27" 2560x1440 NANO IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync/G-Sync Compatible Widescreen LED Gaming Monit= £439.99
• 1 x Fractal Design Define 7 Mid-Tower Case - Gunmetal Grey Light Tint Tempered Glass= £139.99
• 1 x Arctic Liquid Freezer II High Performance CPU Water Cooler - 280mm= £94.99

Total: £1,820.78 (includes shipping: £0.00)​

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[LiE]

Have a look at this monitor for £390.

Dell 27 Gaming Monitor: S2721DGF

 

[Sparx]

Have a look at this monitor for £390.

Dell 27 Gaming Monitor: S2721DGF

Good shout also, you can get it for £351 with the code DELLMONNJ07 direct from them still.

 

[EsaT]

Ideally I want the base spec to last me a decent number of years with some GPU upgrades along the way.

I need a gaming-focussed monitor (144hz, 1440p), case, CPU, mobo, RAM, PSU, cooler and anything else I might have forgotten. If water-cooling is now sensible and easy to do I'd be interested in that.

Are you willing to upgrade CPU in some years?
Ryzen 3700X would be nicely high end for now and in two years you could get improved Zen3 architecture with likely 12 core (likely 4900X) from nice discount.

Do you prefer darker room illumination when gaming?
While having excellent response times LG 27GL850 has mediocre contrast even for IPS and wouldn't look good outside normally illuminated room.
(that mentioned Dell might use same panel)
And there's now better choise than ever in good heatpipe coolers.
Especially for Ryzen's with lot more honest TDPs than in Intels.

 

[TreeUK]

Do you have any better options for monitors @EsaT? I’m struggling to choose between these two as it is.

Thanks for the rest of the spec @Sparx, I’ll run with it

 

[TreeUK]

@Sparx it looks like there’s a Pro Wifi version of the Aorus mobo that’s a few quid cheaper than the MSi, with that in mind which would you recommend?

 

[Sparx]

Not sure which board you mean.

Do you need WiFi? If so I’d go for the MSI X570 Tomahawk for £219.95.

Otherwise sounds good, only thing I’d maybe look into more is what display will be best for you.

The system itself will be great, just gotta look into the next gen GPUs later next month.

 

[TreeUK]

@Sparx here’s that other version of the AORUS board that has wifi https://www.gigabyte.com/uk/Motherboard/X570-AORUS-PRO-WIFI-rev-10#kf for comparison. I can find it for £215 so it’s practically the same price as the Tomahawk.

The Dell S2721DGF is backlogged to the end of the month but I’m going to go for it

 

[TreeUK]

Is separate thermal paste still a good buy? assuming you still use it with water cooling.

 

[LiE]

Is separate thermal paste still a good buy? assuming you still use it with water cooling.

Yea get some Thermal Grizzly. You’ll have to remove the pre-applied paste that comes on the block of most AIO.

 

[TreeUK]

Oh, the code doesn’t seem to work direct?

 

[Sparx]

Weird, I have it in my basket right now for £351 still using that promo code!

 

[4K8KW10]

Big Navi is rumoured to be very power hungry, so 650-watt PSU won't suffice.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Iiyama G-Master Red Eagle GB2760QSU-B1 27" 2560 x 1440 TN 144hz 1ms FreeSync Gaming Monitor= £279.95
• 1 x Raijintek Silenos Pro ARGB Mid-Tower Gaming Case - Black Tempered Glass= £59.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 9 3900X Twelve Core 4.6GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £458.99
• 1 x Gigabyte X570 AORUS ULTRA (AMD AM4) DDR4 X570 Chipset ATX Motherboard= £299.99
• 1 x Team Group 8Pack RIPPED Edition 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C14 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/= £99.95
• 1 x Phanteks Revolt Pro 1000W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Combo Supply= £149.99
• 1 x Arctic Liquid Freezer II High Performance CPU Water Cooler - 280mm= £94.99
• 1 x Sapphire Radeon RX 5700 XT Pulse 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £399.95
• 1 x WD Blue SN550 1TB NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T2B0C)= £109.99

Total: £1,953.79 (includes shipping: £0.00)​

​

 

[TreeUK]

@4K8KW10 do you think it needs that much power?

 

[LiE]

750-800 will be plenty

 

[4K8KW10]

@4K8KW10 do you think it needs that much power?

PSUs have the highest efficiency at around 50% of their maximum load.

Also, why not a second Big Navi, so you will have space for CrossFire.

 

[Sparx]

@4K8KW10 what a load of rubbish...

Got a source that 1000w PSU is needed?

 

[TreeUK]

Any recommendations for higher PSUs then? I won’t be doing SLI or CrossFire.

 

[ExRayTed]

The PSU Sparx linked is perfect for the job. It has a 10 year warranty, uses quality components and has easily enough power. Ignore 4K8KW10