#Looking for a replacement desktop which will last some time, budget approx £2.5-3.0k

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formal zenith
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Budget - £2.5-3.0k
Purpose - gaming, including shooters, mmos, heavily modded games like Rimworld and Minecraft
Resolution - I have a 4k monitor
Country - UK

I mocked up the following, but honestly I don't know enough about CPU / motherboard etc to know which parts may be letting the overall down, if any. Any advice on what to improve / what is overkill would be most welcome - thanks!

-# Case: CORSAIR iCUE 5000T LX RGB MID TOWER GAMING CASE
-# Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™ Ultra 7 20-Core Processor 265 (Up to 5.3GHz) 30MB Cache
-# Motherboard: ASUS® ROG STRIX Z890-F GAMING WIFI (LGA1851, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
-# Memory (RAM): 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 5600MHz CL40 (2 x 16GB)
-# Graphics Card: 16GB MSI GEFORCE RTX 5070 Ti SHADOW 3X OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
-# 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 1TB CORSAIR ELITE MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6200 MB/W)
-# 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 4TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
-# Power Supply: CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
-# Power Cable: 1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
-# Processor Cooling: CORSAIR ICUE LINK TITAN 240 RX LCD RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
-# Thermal Paste: STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
-# LED Lighting: 2 x 35cm Corsair LS350 Aurora RGB Light Strips
-# Sound Card: ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
-# Operating System: Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
-# Warranty: 3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
-# Delivery: STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
-# Build Time: Christmas Delivery No Longer Guaranteed

Price: £2,904.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-icue-Z890/20cRdUEskJ/

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Extra context - my mates always joke about how I always manage to fill up the storage on my PC, hence the somewhat OTT storage here.

clear lion
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I'd not go intel right now to be fair, between the Ultra core CPUs being somewhat of a let down, and AMD just confirmed Zen 7 will still be in the AM5 socket, intel just is a poor option

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as for the storage, honestly 4TB is a good shout, 2TB doesn't go that far these days, so 4TB is a good step up

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aside from it being Insmell, the build is quite solid

formal zenith
clear lion
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also, that case you picked, while it isn't bad per se, it is pretty big, and doesn't do much to warrant it's cost beyond vomiting rainbows all over

simple wing
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Well lets put it like this, even I've gone to AMD with my new machine (that I got a couple of days ago) after using Intel for 18 years

clear lion
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I'll put a spec together that I recommend from the above, just a minute

formal zenith
clear lion
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-# Case: CORSAIR 4500X RS-R ARGB PANORAMIC GLASS MID-TOWER (BLACK)
-# Processor (CPU): AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
-# Motherboard: GIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI 7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
-# Memory (RAM): 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 5600MHz CL40 (2 x 16GB)
-# Graphics Card: 16GB PALIT GEFORCE RTX 5070 Ti GAMINGPRO-S - HDMI, 3 x DP
-# 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 1TB SAMSUNG 990 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe 4.0 & 5.0 NVMe (up to 7150MB/R, 6300MB/W)
-# 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 4TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
-# Power Supply: CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
-# Power Cable: 1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
-# Processor Cooling: Arctic Liquid Freezer III PRO 360 ARGB
-# Thermal Paste: STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
-# LED Lighting: 2 x 35cm Corsair LS350 Aurora RGB Light Strips
-# Extra Case Fans-: 1 x PCS ARGB LED Fan
-# Sound Card: ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
-# Operating System: Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
-# Warranty: 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
-# Delivery: STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
-# Build Time: Christmas Delivery No Longer Guaranteed

Price: £2,565.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/FcZN6e3WWD/

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I'd not really recommend running 4k with the 5070TI, it's very much a 1440p GPU, unless you're fine with AI trickery like frame gen and upscaling

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I'd normally recommend a 6000MHz RAM kit, but due to the AI-pocalypse, RAM prices are mad, especially the faster kits

formal zenith
clear lion
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oh yeah, you're looking at a 5090 ideally if you don't want any AI trickery

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bloats it to just shy of 4 grand

formal zenith
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Ouch!

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Ok, thanks so much for the advice, just looking through the build now

clear lion
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the 5080 is fine if you don't mind dialing things back, but if you're doing 4k I feel like it should be done right

formal zenith
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Had a play around, mostly just with RAM and I think a slightly higher spec motherboard, ended up with:
-# Case: CORSAIR FRAME 5000D RS ARGB MODULAR
-# Promotional Item: Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
-# Processor (CPU): AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
-# Motherboard: GIGABYTE X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
-# Memory (RAM): 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
-# Graphics Card: 16GB MSI GEFORCE RTX 5070 Ti SHADOW 3X OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
-# 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 1TB SAMSUNG 990 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe 4.0 & 5.0 NVMe (up to 7150MB/R, 6300MB/W)
-# 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 4TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
-# Power Supply: CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
-# Power Cable: 1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
-# Processor Cooling: CORSAIR ICUE LINK TITAN 360 RX LCD RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
-# Thermal Paste: STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
-# LED Lighting: 2 x 35cm Corsair LS350 Aurora RGB Light Strips
-# Sound Card: ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
-# Operating System: Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
-# Warranty: 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
-# Delivery: STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
-# Build Time: Christmas Delivery No Longer Guaranteed

Price: £2,934.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/xYTqMuP4pX/

PCSPECIALIST - Configure the AMD Am5 PC to your ideal requirements.

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clear lion
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you're overspending on the motherboard and cooler IMO, the X870E Aorus elite doesn't offer anything the B850 doesn't in your use case

and the Titan while a perfectly solid cooler just doesn't hold a candle to the LF III

formal zenith
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From a short bit of reading, it would appear you're absolutely correct, thanks for the advice! Only thing I am worried about now is having enough USB ports, so will try to tot up exactly how many this would give me

clear lion
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if you run out of rear IO, you're doing something wrong

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also, I'd not really recommend the Frame 5000, it's pretty damn big, and unless you plan to add another 3 fans on the side, it's not living up to it's potential

formal zenith
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I have swapped back to the case you suggested!

clear lion
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the Corsair 4500X can at least showcase the build nicely without taking up so much space

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I'd have recommended a different case, but it's out of stock RN, so went for the next best

formal zenith
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Think I am pretty much back to what you sent but with upgraded RAM and a slightly pricier 5070 ti. Debating the 5080
-# Case: CORSAIR 4500X RS-R ARGB PANORAMIC GLASS MID-TOWER (BLACK)
-# Promotional Item: Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
-# Processor (CPU): AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
-# Motherboard: GIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI 7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
-# Memory (RAM): 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
-# Graphics Card: 16GB MSI GEFORCE RTX 5070 Ti SHADOW 3X OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
-# 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 1TB SAMSUNG 990 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe 4.0 & 5.0 NVMe (up to 7150MB/R, 6300MB/W)
-# 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 4TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
-# Power Supply: CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
-# Power Cable: 1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
-# Processor Cooling: Arctic Liquid Freezer III PRO 360 ARGB
-# Thermal Paste: STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
-# LED Lighting: 2 x 35cm Corsair LS350 Aurora RGB Light Strips
-# Extra Case Fans-: 1 x PCS ARGB LED Fan
-# Sound Card: ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
-# Operating System: Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
-# Warranty: 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
-# Delivery: STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
-# Build Time: Christmas Delivery No Longer Guaranteed

Price: £2,748.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/FC2zm7b9M4/

PCSPECIALIST - Configure the AMD Am5 PC to your ideal requirements.

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The 5080 pops it over £3k though!

clear lion
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the 5080 is a bit of an awkward redheaded step child
for 1440p it's only about 10fps on average better than the 5070ti with ultra settings,
for 4k it's again 10fps over the 5070TI, but the gap is bigger, making it more worth while

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those results are just raw performance, no AI or anything

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the 5080 just doesn't have a niche, it just doesn't shine at 4k or 1440p

formal zenith
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Where do you stand on the ASUS® TUF GAMING B850 vs the GIGABYTE B850 AORUS for the mobo? Read a couple concerning anecdotes about Aorus boards

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Sorry for so many questions - really appreciate the help

clear lion
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the TUF B850 is just a more expensive board that looks worse IMO, unless you needed a 5.1 surround output built in the rear IO it's not nothing over the Gigabyte one

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and as for concerning anecdotes, Asus has plenty of concerning stories of their own, such as how they handled RMAs for their gaming hand helds, or how they handled the initial exploding X3D CPU nightmare

Asus tend to default to blaming the customer first and trying to charge an arm and a leg for repairs

formal zenith
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I have landed here for now:
-# Case: CORSAIR 4500X RS-R ARGB PANORAMIC GLASS MID-TOWER (BLACK)
-# Promotional Item: Get a discount code for 20% off select peripherals at Corsair.com
-# Processor (CPU): AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D Eight Core CPU (Up to 5.2GHz/104MB w/3D V-CACHE/AM5)
-# Motherboard: GIGABYTE B850 AORUS ELITE WIFI 7 (AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 7)
-# Memory (RAM): 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB)
-# Graphics Card: 16GB MSI GEFORCE RTX 5070 Ti SHADOW 3X OC - HDMI, 3 x DP
-# 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 1TB SAMSUNG 990 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe 4.0 & 5.0 NVMe (up to 7150MB/R, 6300MB/W)
-# 1st M.2 SSD Drive: 4TB CORSAIR MP600 PRO NH NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6500 MB/W)
-# Power Supply: CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
-# Power Cable: 1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
-# Processor Cooling: Arctic Liquid Freezer III PRO 360 ARGB
-# Thermal Paste: STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
-# LED Lighting: 2 x 35cm Corsair LS350 Aurora RGB Light Strips
-# Extra Case Fans-: 1 x PCS ARGB LED Fan
-# Sound Card: ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
-# Operating System: Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
-# Warranty: 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
-# Delivery: STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
-# Build Time: Christmas Delivery No Longer Guaranteed

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Thanks for the help, now just hovering over the trigger!

forest glacier
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Just a FYI but there is a tiny difference in performance between the different options for the 5070ti

fallow crown
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is 5TB nvme really necessary? could be cheaper to find an external SSD or just going for a 2TB on ur second nvme

clear lion
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2TB is gone very fast, with morbidly obese games like COD clocking in at 300+GB

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and the 1TB drive is ideally just windows and whatever programs don't give a choice on where they are installed, so in the case windows biffs it or the drive dies, the rest is unaffected

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as for an extenral drive, gaming off an external drive is awful at best

fallow crown
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Fairs, i feel like cod is an exception though, most games are less than 100gb and no one rlly plays 20 AAA games at once

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but yeah i guess it depends if you want pure performance or QoL and aethetics