Best Bang for Buck Gaming PC Build - £1500

[Sir Stallion]

Don't shoot me!!!.....I have always been a console player (Still am), but I'm thinking of building my own 4K Gaming PC and I am a total PC noob.

I will hopefully be using the PC for:

• 4K Streaming of Netflix
• 4K Gaming at 60fps or higher at max/ultra settings if possible with my budget (FPS, Football manager, most new AAA titles). Would also love to have a crack at the old Command an Conquers too if possible, entire series).
• Working from home (Full MS office suite etc nothing special), mostly connecting to a Citrix farm so running off of hosted servers.
• Triple monitor setup.

Things I don't need:

• Windows 10
• Monitor (Already have a 4K monitor)
• Keyboard
• Mouse

I want to squeeze the best possible visual gaming experience for a budget of around £1500 (could stretch a little more if needed).

I don't mind subtle RGB but definitely do not want to go OTT with this, I'm not a fan of rainbow pulsing etc. Ill most likely stick to one solid colour theme, Black with Blue orWhite lighting.

Like I say I'm a total newbie to all of this so if someone could pop a build together for me it would be much appreciated to get me on the right road. Always been an intel fan but I'm not against AMD. Whatever gives best performance for my budget really.

Any help appreciated.
Cheers

 

[NovaKill4]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

4k gaming at max/ultra settings and maintaining a solid min FPS of 60 in the latest AAA titles is not going to be possible with your budget unfortunatley, but i think you can get close.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Corsair RM Series RM650 650W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020194-UK)= £89.99
• 1 x TeamGroup 1TB L5 Lite SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 3D NAND Solid State Drive= £109.99
• 1 x MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX (Socket AM4) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £106.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £218.99
• 1 x Phanteks Eclipse P300 Glass Midi Tower Case - White= £54.95
• 2 x Noctua NF-P14s REDUX PWM 1500RPM 140mm Quiet Case Fan= £13.99
• 1 x EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Black Gaming 8192MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £728.99
• 1 x Team Group Dark Pro "8Pack Edition" 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C14 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/= £128.99

Total: £1,480.07 (includes shipping: £13.20)​

​

Idealy paying an extra £100 to get the 3700x would be nice, giving an extra 2c/4t for longevity. 2080 super should do good job in 4k but will struggle to keep max settings in some newer AAA's.
I added 2 extra fans in the build to go in the front of the case to help bring in cooler air from the front, the case comes with a single exhaust fan.
I have prioritized getting the fastest GPU possible so the SSD is not the latest and gratest but tbh you wouldn't notice a difference in game. The RAM is 3200mhz which is good but the sweet spot is 3600 for 3rd gen Ryzen, again if you can stretch then go for the 3600 version, extra £40 i think.
I was going to recommend an aftermarket cooler but i think the stock cooler is half decent with the 3600x and as you are on a tight budget for 4k it may be worth trying that out the stock one first and see how the temps go.

 

[Sir Stallion]

Hi and welcome to the forum!

4k gaming at max/ultra settings and maintaining a solid min FPS of 60 in the latest AAA titles is not going to be possible with your budget unfortunatley, but i think you can get close.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Corsair RM Series RM650 650W '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020194-UK)= £89.99
• 1 x TeamGroup 1TB L5 Lite SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 3D NAND Solid State Drive= £109.99
• 1 x MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX (Socket AM4) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £106.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 3600X Six Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £218.99
• 1 x Phanteks Eclipse P300 Glass Midi Tower Case - White= £54.95
• 2 x Noctua NF-P14s REDUX PWM 1500RPM 140mm Quiet Case Fan= £13.99
• 1 x EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Super Black Gaming 8192MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £728.99
• 1 x Team Group Dark Pro "8Pack Edition" 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C14 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/= £128.99

Total: £1,480.07 (includes shipping: £13.20)
​

Idealy paying an extra £100 to get the 3700x would be nice, giving an extra 2c/4t for longevity. 2080 super should do good job in 4k but will struggle to keep max settings in some newer AAA's.
I added 2 extra fans in the build to go in the front of the case to help bring in cooler air from the front, the case comes with a single exhaust fan.
I have prioritized getting the fastest GPU possible so the SSD is not the latest and gratest but tbh you wouldn't notice a difference in game. The RAM is 3200mhz which is good but the sweet spot is 3600 for 3rd gen Ryzen, again if you can stretch then go for the 3600 version, extra £40 i think.
I was going to recommend an aftermarket cooler but i think the stock cooler is half decent with the 3600x and as you are on a tight budget for 4k it may be worth trying that out the stock one first and see how the temps go.

That’s great thanks for the welcome, direction and advice. Much appreciated. Taking everything you have said on board I think I may actually to wait it out a little longer to increase the budget and do it right first time. I want to comfortably hit the mark if I can so that I don’t have to upgrade too much over the next few years. I have noticed another 2K build thread that I think I might follow using your advice. I will just have to put the build on hold a little while longer.

Thanks again for your time and assistance! Much appreciated

 

[Sparx]

4K gaming is a struggle for anyone my friend. You have to spend thousands of £££ annually to keep it up.

If you're not afraid to turn down some graphic settings, no reason why you can't go for the build like NovaKill4 suggested now.

That said the only thing I would try aim for is the 3700X, otherwise 2080 Super is still plentiful for GPU power!!

 

[Sir Stallion]

4K gaming is a struggle for anyone my friend. You have to spend thousands of £££ annually to keep it up.

If you're not afraid to turn down some graphic settings, no reason why you can't go for the build like NovaKill4 suggested now.

That said the only thing I would try aim for is the 3700X, otherwise 2080 Super is still plentiful for GPU power!!

Thanks much appreciated!! Might take the plunge then and go for 3700X......although on the other hand.....are new Ryzen chips out soon? Is it worth waiting if they are? as I am assuming older chips would drop in price?

So much to think about and learn, I think I’ll do some more research on NovaKill4’s build and upgrade certain aspects if newer parts are released soon. I will increase the budget by more if it means getting the right build, I want it to look aesthetically nice too without going for the rainbow look. Really just want to understand all components and do the best build I can.

 

[aoaaron]

Thanks much appreciated!! Might take the plunge then and go for 3700X......although on the other hand.....are new Ryzen chips out soon? Is it worth waiting if they are? as I am assuming older chips would drop in price?

So much to think about and learn, I think I’ll do some more research on NovaKill4’s build and upgrade certain aspects if newer parts are released soon. I will increase the budget by more if it means getting the right build, I want it to look aesthetically nice too without going for the rainbow look. Really just want to understand all components and do the best build I can.

2080 super is enough for 4k gaming in most games other than kingdom come deliverance. you will have to decrease shadows to medium and foilage in most games but its enough.
bang for buck, it has to be the 3600. i wouldn't even get the X.

 

[Quartz]

Would also love to have a crack at the old Command an Conquers too if possible, entire series).

C&C3 is locked at 30 fps and is utterly gorgeous at 4K on max settings.

4K gaming is a struggle for anyone my friend. You have to spend thousands of £££ annually to keep it up.

Not true. A cheap 4K monitor costs a few hundred and a 2060S should be more than adequate. Unless, of course, you want max settings and there even a 2080 Ti can't cope with RTX at 4K.

 

[Sir Stallion]

2080 super is enough for 4k gaming in most games other than kingdom come deliverance. you will have to decrease shadows to medium and foilage in most games but its enough.
bang for buck, it has to be the 3600. i wouldn't even get the X.

Well that’s thrown a spanner in the works, conflicting advice lol. If you are correct I could be on to a winner with NovaKill4’s build.

 

[Sir Stallion]

C&C3 is locked at 30 fps and is utterly gorgeous at 4K on max settings.



Not true. A cheap 4K monitor costs a few hundred and a 2060S should be more than adequate. Unless, of course, you want max settings and there even a 2080 Ti can't cope with RTX at 4K.

 

[Sir Stallion]

C&C3 is locked at 30 fps and is utterly gorgeous at 4K on max settings.

Would love to see this! Great games I heard Red Alert was getting the 4K treatment too, hope so.

 

[aoaaron]

Well that’s thrown a spanner in the works, conflicting advice lol. If you are correct I could be on to a winner with NovaKill4’s build.

I have an 8086k and an RTX 2080 and I was able to play any game I tried except Kingdom Come Deliverance at 4k which was horrible.
Even something quite demanding like Rise of the Tomb Raider was very playable.

Just to throw another spanner in the works, have you considered ultrawide gaming? I moved from 4k gaming to 21:9 1440p gaming with higher refresh rates and I can comfortably say 21:9 is superior to the 4k FALD set I was using.

It would also mean you might not need a triple monitor setup as you could game in ultrawide resolutions.

I'd personally shift more money towards a good screen if you don't already have one than super powering the CPU/GPU to give 15% more performance.

 

[Sir Stallion]

I have an 8086k and an RTX 2080 and I was able to play any game I tried except Kingdom Come Deliverance at 4k which was horrible.
Even something quite demanding like Rise of the Tomb Raider was very playable.

Just to throw another spanner in the works, have you considered ultrawide gaming? I moved from 4k gaming to 21:9 1440p gaming with higher refresh rates and I can comfortably say 21:9 is superior to the 4k FALD set I was using.

It would also mean you might not need a triple monitor setup as you could game in ultrawide resolutions.

I'd personally shift more money towards a good screen if you don't already have one than super powering the CPU/GPU to give 15% more performance.

I actually quite like this idea! I already have a good 4K monitor but was going to buy another two. I may look into an ultra wide monitor instead which gives me the option of both. Thanks for the idea! What UWide monitor are you running? Would you recommend it?

 

[Quartz]

I'd personally shift more money towards a good screen if you don't already have one than super powering the CPU/GPU to give 15% more performance.

100% this. The screen is the main way you interact with your PC so money spent here is money well spent.

 

[aoaaron]

I actually quite like this idea! I already have a good 4K monitor but was going to buy another two. I may look into an ultra wide monitor instead which gives me the option of both. Thanks for the idea! What UWide monitor are you running? Would you recommend it?

There are 3 monitors to consider:

1. aw3418dw
2. lg 34GK950F
3. samsung CRG9

crg9 is a super ultrawide. its great but the 2080S will mean you probably need to sacrifice settings or FPS for performance. 32:9 compataibility is very hit and miss becasuse people simply don't own the screens to bother patching and fixing games for it. kinda sucks
LG34GK950F has redundant rubbish HDR, an awesome 24hz increase over the AW and a slightly wider color gamut. known build quality issues but nothing a few panel swaps won't sort out, i'm sure.
aw3418dw has 120hz, best build quality, best customer service and a 3 year repair and replace program.

I have an aw3418dw now, tempted to move to the CRG9 because i have the upgrade bug (also eyeying up the logitech G915 keyboard). I can say the Aw3418dw is just perfect for what it is. i just played portal 2 at 120fps and its really going to suck if i have to go to the CRG9 and give that up. the very demanding games like kingdom come deliverance hit 60fps+ at this resolution, so again for 4k/CRG9.. the framerates are going to be a bit nasty. i think i'll come to regret selling it if i do but I'm going through a weird phase.. when ur contemplating spending £200 on a keyboard you know ur a bit weird.. lol.

given you have a 2080S, I think if you favour the best fluidity of gameplay and immersion, a 21:9 monitor will be ur best bet. then its just down to if you value extra screen real estate horizontally, 24hz or better customer service and warranty for 3 years.


then price wise.
CRG9 is 1,200+
LG34-F is 1,100+
AW34 is £900-£1000

There are two AW34s in the members market place atm. I have one for £700 so its a decent time to get a bit of value on an excellent screen.

21:9 high refresh rate ultrawide I guarantee will be supported for a long time and not become outdated. I feel like a 4k 16:9 screen will get old very fast. I've gamed in 4k.. and yeah its more sharp but thats about it. Theres not much next gen about it.


Would I reccomend it? I went from a 65inch 4k FALD TV with the 250+ local dimming zones, best in class LCD contrast and a huge screen size, calibrated.
And yes, I feel the AW34 and any ultrawide with a decent refresh rate beats it. The fluidity of higher hz is amazing. But thats not it. Games feel just right now. They feel like they're not cramped anymore. It feels spacious. I have used a 32:9 screen and they feel a like a lot. The peripheries have fish eye distortion but 21:9 thats really really minimised. I played half of dishonored 2 on my 4k screen and the other half 21:9 and I LOVED it in 21:9. I felt like I was there. Its hard to explain. Even when I played portal 2 now, when I jump I get that weird feeling like when a car is going over a bump as a kid... its really hard to explain but its something I feel 16:9 just can't compete with; also its a very big advantage over TV gaming.

 

[aoaaron]

100% this. The screen is the main way you interact with your PC so money spent here is money well spent.

Agreed man! In hindsight if I was to advise anyone on a build, I'd advise prioritising:

1. Screen
2. Audio
3. Keyboard and mouse

CPUs, GPUs, RAM.. they all essentially get outdated. We're at a stage now where a budget 3600 will give you great performance at 4k/ultrawide and the GPUs are in a really precarious position because we're at the cusp of 4k/60 and not over the line.

However a good monitor firstly lasts a long time, secondly its as you said the main means of illustrating the power of whats under the hood. Audio is a great investment too, especially headphones or a good set of speakers because they just don't age. And finally, keyboard and mouse. I'm still rocking a mouse I bought 6 years ago..! And I wish I'd invested in a mechanical keyboard earlier.

 

[paulmapp8306]

Ive been looking a LOT into this type of thing (building one myself) - and come to the conclusion QHD at 120/144hz Hz is way better than 4k at 60hz. Getting 4k at 120/144 hz is almost impossibly even with a 2080ti/super.

As a bit of a side, Id appreciate some monitor advice myself. I want 32" (as the main PC use is music production - I need the space), QHD, 144hz. Not bothered if its curved or flat - actually curved would probably suit me better. Id like Freesync (G-Sync is too pricey and the RTX stuff works with Freesync as I understand it).

Currently looking at an AOC CQ321G1 as HDR400 is pretty pointless (just throwing money at a title). I can get that currently at £330 which I feel is decent. I do have a little more in the fund though if theres anything better within reason.

 

[Quartz]

Getting 4k at 120/144 hz is almost impossibly even with a 2080ti/super.

Depends upon the game. I get 120 fps in Borderlands 2 at 4k, for instance.

 

[paulmapp8306]

I guess. I had looked at 4k for my new build, but cant stretch to a 2080. Im looking at a 2070 super of possibly the Radeon R5700XT (gives me extra cash for elsewhere, but its hotter and noisier).

While specs on both give upwards of 60 FPS in 4k on most newer games, thats about there limit, so QHD with higher FPS is the way for me.

 

[aoaaron]

Ive been looking a LOT into this type of thing (building one myself) - and come to the conclusion QHD at 120/144hz Hz is way better than 4k at 60hz. Getting 4k at 120/144 hz is almost impossibly even with a 2080ti/super.

As a bit of a side, Id appreciate some monitor advice myself. I want 32" (as the main PC use is music production - I need the space), QHD, 144hz. Not bothered if its curved or flat - actually curved would probably suit me better. Id like Freesync (G-Sync is too pricey and the RTX stuff works with Freesync as I understand it).

Currently looking at an AOC CQ321G1 as HDR400 is pretty pointless (just throwing money at a title). I can get that currently at £330 which I feel is decent. I do have a little more in the fund though if theres anything better within reason.

4k/60 is easy though.

im getting 250fps on portal 2 ultrawide 21:9. so i imagine i'd get 144hz 4k. thats just on a 2080.

i can see the logic in getting a 4k / 144hz screen to future proof urself.

i just can't see the logic in getting it over a 21:9 screen because IMO they're just better.

 

[Sparx]

Not true. A cheap 4K monitor costs a few hundred and a 2060S should be more than adequate. Unless, of course, you want max settings and there even a 2080 Ti can't cope with RTX at 4K.

Sorry mate do not agree at all... Have you not seen 4K benchmarks on a 2060S ? You average about 30-50 fps dependant on the game. To me that's not smooth sailing to game on.

When I say 4K gaming is expensive / luxury, I assume running at max settings. You could run it on a 2070S comfortable at mid-high settings or a 2080S at high/ultra settings, or even turning down some dependant if you want 60+ fps or not.

4k/60 is easy though.

im getting 250fps on portal 2 ultrawide 21:9. so i imagine i'd get 144hz 4k. thats just on a 2080

You kidding me? Portal 2 is from early 2011 and so you think 4K gaming is inexpensive?


The above aside, my angle is I'd always suggest 1440p high refresh rate gaming - much more enjoyable (and affordable/realistic) experience than going to 4K imo.