(Australia) Help! First time building a PC, aiming for 1440p gaming

[mudkipscience]

Budget: ~$1500 Australian dollars for the PC itself, another $500 for things like display, peripherals, speakers, etc.

 

Country: Australia

 

Use case: Will be using it mainly for gaming (hopefully at 1440p) but would be nice to have some headroom for potentially streaming. Additionally, this PC will be using wifi because my router is way too far away to realistically use ethernet. I don't play any competitive games so this shouldn't be an issue.

Aesthetics: I'd like to go with a white themed PC but I don't know how well that would match with the parts I've chosen...

 

Parts list: https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/FyWDz6

• CPU: Ryzen 5600 - Seems to be the best value CPU in Australia, anything Intel is a huge price increase. Have thought about going with the 5700x for the two extra cores but not sure if I'd need them (and the upgrade + decent CPU cooler would be about a 33% price increase)
• Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard - Motherboard with WiFi 6E, a front panel USB-C header and good reviews.
• Cooler: I'm gonna be using the stock cooler. Don't plan to do any overclocking at the moment, so I think I'll get away with this?
• RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory - Cheapest DDR4-3600 CL16 RAM I could get. I've been told this is the sweet spot for Ryzen 5000
• Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive - Fast NVMe storage, reputabe brand. I have a 1TB Intel 660p NVMe drive on hand that I can chuck in for extra storage, too.
• GPU: Asus DUAL OC GeForce RTX 3070 8 GB Video Card - Cheapest 3070 I could find, good reviews. It's about 70 aussie dollars to get this over a 3060ti - I think this is worth it? Going with NVIDIA over AMD for DLSS and NVENC.
• PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 PE 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply - Modular PSU with good reviews, I believe it also has some headroom for future upgrades.
• Case: NZXT H5 Flow RGB ATX Mid Tower Case - Nice looking case, comes with decent fans from what I've read.

 

For the mouse and monitor, I just chose some placeholders to get a rough value of how much this will end up costing me. I've decided on a keyboard (Keychron V1) but not a mouse or display. Will be going to look at some displays today though!

 

Appreciate any recommendations or part swaps for cost reductions or better value, and thanks for the help!

[Why_Me]

Your build works but I would look at a 1080P monitor if you want decent frame rates.

[mudkipscience]

25 minutes ago, Why_Me said:

Your build works but I would look at a 1080P monitor if you want decent frame rates.

Isn't the 3070 a 1440p card? What would be a better card for 1440p?

[PDifolco]

34 minutes ago, mudkipscience said:

Isn't the 3070 a 1440p card? What would be a better card for 1440p?

3070 lacks VRAM for 1440P+ with only 8GB

Try to get a 6700XT/6750XT or 6800  (but this last is A$700)

[Nay-Nay9]

I would probably look for a cheaper SSD (maybe a crucial p3) and put the money you save into a better PSU. 650w is probably fine for the rig you speced out but there won't be much headroom for future upgrades. The PSU model you chose is good I would just get the 750/850w version. The 3070 is (probably) fine for 1440p as long as you don't mind turning down the settings a little bit.

[SorryBella]

8 hours ago, Nay-Nay9 said:

I would probably look for a cheaper SSD (maybe a crucial p3)

To quote XqC: And then what? You saved a whopping 5$, for a significantly worse 50% full read and write speed and latency, and you ended up not getting a better PSU out of that. Compression should really only start in the final phase where we got the best performing component that we could without compromising what you want to prioritize beyond that like looks. And when you do it, you got to make sure that the plus isn't just "its cheaper".

10 hours ago, mudkipscience said:

CPU: Ryzen 5600 - Seems to be the best value CPU in Australia, anything Intel is a huge price increase.

But on current generation platform it flips. AU market seemed to have yet get the memo that AM5 board is a bit overboard in price, so LGA1700 relative board specification simplicity edges it out even without accounting that LGA1700 supports DDR4 which is astronomically cheaper in AU.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  ($429.00 @ Centre Com) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG620 ARGB CPU Cooler  ($78.00 @ MSY Technology) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO B760M-A WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($248.00 @ Amazon Australia) 
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($85.00 @ Scorptec) 
Total: $840.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-12 20:48 AEDT+1100

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($515.00 @ Centre Com) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler  ($39.00 @ MSY Technology) 
Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($316.68 @ Amazon Australia) 
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  ($201.10 @ Amazon Australia) 
Total: $1071.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-12 22:13 AEDT+1100

 

12 hours ago, mudkipscience said:

Motherboard with WiFi 6E, a front panel USB-C header

Ill just cut off to this and go from there. For an obsolete platform, you wanna spend as little money as possible on the motherboard.

12 hours ago, mudkipscience said:

I've been told this is the sweet spot for Ryzen 5000

If it werent so tragically priced. 3200C16 is actually a far better value now and either way youre not going to get a massively good quality DRAM chip going for the 3600.

12 hours ago, mudkipscience said:

Nice looking case, comes with decent fans from what I've read.

And still chokes like the OG H510. If you want the same archetype, look for Fractal Design Pop Air.

12 hours ago, mudkipscience said:

~$1500 Australian dollars for the PC itself, another $500 for things like display, peripherals, speakers, etc.

Combined 2000. Peripherals come and go, PC especially long cycle parts like PSU, Case, CPU Coolers, and Storage is going to be a longer time investment than them. And in that same vein:

12 hours ago, mudkipscience said:

(hopefully at 1440p)

12 hours ago, Why_Me said:

I would look at a 1080P monitor

+1. And in the case of a monitor, 2nd monitor is life changing to own. So don't toss it to Gumtree once you got your 1440p monitor, get a dual monitor stand instead.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13400F 2.5 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($329.00 @ Centre Com) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG620 ARGB CPU Cooler  ($78.00 @ MSY Technology) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO B760M-A WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($248.00 @ Amazon Australia) 
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($85.00 @ Scorptec) 
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP44L 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($129.00 @ Centre Com) 
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card  ($549.00 @ Centre Com) 
Case: Silverstone FARA H1M MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($54.00 @ MSY Technology) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($179.00 @ Scorptec) 
Monitor: Gigabyte G24F 2 23.8" 1920 x 1080 180 Hz Monitor  ($229.00 @ BPC Technology) 
Mouse: Logitech G203 Lightsync Wired Optical Mouse  ($35.00 @ MSY Technology) 
Custom: Keychron V1 QMK Custom Mechanical Keyboard ($129.00)
Custom: 7Hz Salnotes Zero ($25.00)
Total: $2069.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-12 22:38 AEDT+1100

 

[mudkipscience]

On 11/12/2023 at 10:38 PM, SorryBella said:

To quote XqC: And then what? You saved a whopping 5$, for a significantly worse 50% full read and write speed and latency, and you ended up not getting a better PSU out of that. Compression should really only start in the final phase where we got the best performing component that we could without compromising what you want to prioritize beyond that like looks. And when you do it, you got to make sure that the plus isn't just "its cheaper".

But on current generation platform it flips. AU market seemed to have yet get the memo that AM5 board is a bit overboard in price, so LGA1700 relative board specification simplicity edges it out even without accounting that LGA1700 supports DDR4 which is astronomically cheaper in AU.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor  ($429.00 @ Centre Com) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG620 ARGB CPU Cooler  ($78.00 @ MSY Technology) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO B760M-A WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($248.00 @ Amazon Australia) 
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($85.00 @ Scorptec) 
Total: $840.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-12 20:48 AEDT+1100

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($515.00 @ Centre Com) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler  ($39.00 @ MSY Technology) 
Motherboard: MSI B650 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($316.68 @ Amazon Australia) 
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  ($201.10 @ Amazon Australia) 
Total: $1071.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-12 22:13 AEDT+1100

 

Ill just cut off to this and go from there. For an obsolete platform, you wanna spend as little money as possible on the motherboard.

If it werent so tragically priced. 3200C16 is actually a far better value now and either way youre not going to get a massively good quality DRAM chip going for the 3600.

And still chokes like the OG H510. If you want the same archetype, look for Fractal Design Pop Air.

Combined 2000. Peripherals come and go, PC especially long cycle parts like PSU, Case, CPU Coolers, and Storage is going to be a longer time investment than them. And in that same vein:

+1. And in the case of a monitor, 2nd monitor is life changing to own. So don't toss it to Gumtree once you got your 1440p monitor, get a dual monitor stand instead.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13400F 2.5 GHz 10-Core Processor  ($329.00 @ Centre Com) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AG620 ARGB CPU Cooler  ($78.00 @ MSY Technology) 
Motherboard: MSI PRO B760M-A WIFI DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard  ($248.00 @ Amazon Australia) 
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($85.00 @ Scorptec) 
Storage: TEAMGROUP MP44L 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($129.00 @ Centre Com) 
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card  ($549.00 @ Centre Com) 
Case: Silverstone FARA H1M MicroATX Mini Tower Case  ($54.00 @ MSY Technology) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($179.00 @ Scorptec) 
Monitor: Gigabyte G24F 2 23.8" 1920 x 1080 180 Hz Monitor  ($229.00 @ BPC Technology) 
Mouse: Logitech G203 Lightsync Wired Optical Mouse  ($35.00 @ MSY Technology) 
Custom: Keychron V1 QMK Custom Mechanical Keyboard ($129.00)
Custom: 7Hz Salnotes Zero ($25.00)
Total: $2069.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-11-12 22:38 AEDT+1100

 

Thanks for the in-depth response! Your parts list at the end is the kind of help I was hoping for. I'm not experienced with PC hardware stuff at all so I really appreciate the help and will probably get the core components you chose (with a more stylish case, perhaps).

 

I've also decided I'll go with 1080p for now. I already have a 1080p monitor (only 60Hz though) I have quite a shallow desk (60cm) so I'm not sure if I'll even benefit from a bigger screen when i sit this close to it. I will eventually get a monitor arm and maybe I can review that then, though.

 

Just a few questions, if I wanted to do any streaming at all would I be better off with the non-F variant of the CPU for its video encoder? Also, from what I read the H5 flow had good airflow with the full mesh front. Where did you find conflicting info?

 

Again, thanks heaps for the help. When black friday comes along in a few weeks I plan to pick this all up and finally move beyond the realm of intel integrated laptop graphics, going to be a huge leap forward for me!

 

[Nay-Nay9]

On 11/12/2023 at 3:38 AM, SorryBella said:

To quote XqC: And then what? You saved a whopping 5$, for a significantly worse 50% full read and write speed and latency, and you ended up not getting a better PSU out of that. Compression should really only start in the final phase where we got the best performing component that we could without compromising what you want to prioritize beyond that like looks. And when you do it, you got to make sure that the plus isn't just "its cheaper

I wasn't aware that it was only about $5 cheaper. I thought it would be closer to $20 and the performance difference shouldn't be at all noticable in games. At $5 going for the better one is probably worth it though.

[SorryBella]

10 hours ago, mudkipscience said:

if I wanted to do any streaming at all would I be better off with the non-F variant of the CPU for its video encoder?

Honestly yeah, i didnt realize that part because of our narrow budget. QSV is a neck better than NVENC and sky high better than AMD VCE inside of the 6700XT in streaming quality at the same bitrate so i would absolutely hit the road on that for OBS encoding.

[mudkipscience]

8 hours ago, SorryBella said:

Honestly yeah, i didnt realize that part because of our narrow budget. QSV is a neck better than NVENC and sky high better than AMD VCE inside of the 6700XT in streaming quality at the same bitrate so i would absolutely hit the road on that for OBS encoding.

Cool, thanks. Might go up to the 13500 given it's only $10 more than the 13400 right now. Black friday sales might even nab something better (or just savings)

 

I've also gone under budget in another part of my setup upgrade, so I have another $150 I'll most likely invest in a nice case. I'm thinking the Fractal Meshify Mini 2