Gaming Building a gaming PC

[r3idy]

So I am looking to delve into the PC gaming world (beyond FM) and was thinking of putting together something along the lines of the pcpartpicker entry level builds. Example can be found here.

Any thoughts on a build like this? Will be using existing PSU, case etc.. so looking for a motherboard, cpu, gpu and ram combo.

Odd storage configuration. If your budget can stretch to it I would go with a single 256GB nvme SSD for Windows + 1 TB S-ATA storage drive for gaming.

Alternatively go for a single 512GB NVME SSD then add in a S-ATA Drive at a later date

Graphics is ok with a 1650 Super but it's relative to the games you want to play really. What kind of games you into ?

 

[Fortitude]

It’s the ASUS TUF 3090 OC. You are right, I should bust their ass just like Basil and his ‘’chef.’’


I was in the discord, but turned it off. Got ridiculous because I was getting 100s of notifications per hour that zotac cards were in stock on Amazon. I don’t know what was going on, but they would keep coming and going. Then same thing happened with PNY cards, so I had enough of that because I only saw Asus cards twice in a week and they were gone in a flash. I don’t mind being informed Zoltac and PNY cards are in stock, but this was constant bombardment. I think the discord works well for other cards.

@Fortitude next time I am just going to wait for Amazon. They usually last, but they sell what they have got and don’t just make up numbers. Not sure how Currys did. I don’t even think I will get the free game they promised me with the card. The amount of interest they gained just looking at the outstanding preorders last few months will be ridiculous. They should be giving a game free to the people who waited more than 3 months.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASUS-NVI...947872?hash=item3db105bb20:g:uEcAAOSwHF1fyTE4

2 people bought that...

Yea, Amazon have really left an impression this go-round in both the GPU and console markets, which, depending on how you see it is a good/really bad thing, but if the traditional shops can't do better than what they've served up, it can't be helped.

Do you know which are literally the rarest cards to come by? I barely see TUF's anywhere and ftw3 ultras are gone before the discord even goes public. Aorus Xtreme is also like gold dust - are these frontrunners, or are there even more obscure cards out there?

I said to myself if I can get an ftw3, I'll be content, but can't see that happening at all.

 

[ArjenIsM3]

Yea, Amazon have really left an impression this go-round in both the GPU and console markets, which, depending on how you see it is a good/really bad thing, but if the traditional shops can't do better than what they've served up, it can't be helped.

Do you know which are literally the rarest cards to come by? I barely see TUF's anywhere and ftw3 ultras are gone before the discord even goes public. Aorus Xtreme is also like gold dust - are these frontrunners, or are there even more obscure cards out there?

I said to myself if I can get an ftw3, I'll be content, but can't see that happening at all.

I know there's a lot of people in The Netherlands who are after the MSI RTX3080 Gaming X Trio - myself included. The new Suprim card is also fantastic. Probably the best there is.

 

[Fortitude]

I know there's a lot of people in The Netherlands who are after the MSI RTX3080 Gaming X Trio - myself included. The new Suprim card is also fantastic. Probably the best there is.

Oh wow, really? Do u want 3080 suprim?

 

[ArjenIsM3]

Oh wow, really? Do u want 3080 suprim?

Who doesn't?

 

[Fortitude]

Who doesn't?

Well, then.

 

[Balljy]

Yea, Amazon have really left an impression this go-round in both the GPU and console markets, which, depending on how you see it is a good/really bad thing, but if the traditional shops can't do better than what they've served up, it can't be helped.

Do you know which are literally the rarest cards to come by? I barely see TUF's anywhere and ftw3 ultras are gone before the discord even goes public. Aorus Xtreme is also like gold dust - are these frontrunners, or are there even more obscure cards out there?

I said to myself if I can get an ftw3, I'll be content, but can't see that happening at all.

It's possible to get the FTW3 Ultra as as I managed to luck out and snag one for my card a few weeks ago. It ended up being Amazon Global so was from America but the only difference there was a bit of a wait for it to be delivered. I had to click so quickly though, scanned the price and noticed it began with 7 so was fine price wise and then clicked buy now as quickly as I could.

When I went back to the Discord it was full of people saying it was sold out immediately and me smiling smugly as I had nabbed one

I think the Strix, FTW3 and TUF are the rarest as far as I can see (the Suprim as well but I think that had a recall so isn't properly released yet)

 

[Fortitude]

It's possible to get the FTW3 Ultra as as I managed to luck out and snag one for my card a few weeks ago. It ended up being Amazon Global so was from America but the only difference there was a bit of a wait for it to be delivered. I had to click so quickly though, scanned the price and noticed it began with 7 so was fine price wise and then clicked buy now as quickly as I could.

When I went back to the Discord it was full of people saying it was sold out immediately and me smiling smugly as I had nabbed one

I think the Strix, FTW3 and TUF are the rarest as far as I can see (the Suprim as well but I think that had a recall so isn't properly released yet)

Well played on the FTW3 ultra; I don't think I've seen it 'live' a single time - it's literally unavailable between getting the alert and going to the site location for me. A starting 7, so you nabbed a 3080?

Ultimately, it's the one I wanted from the outset, but the TUF, is no small consolation (if it ever dispatches!)

I noticed, too that the FTW3 Ultras always come on bang in the middle of the night, so it makes sense now if it's US cards being flashed up.

They're so rare I never expect it when I do see one, though. After a billion Palit's and Zotec's you're too weary for the jackpot cards.

 

[Player Red]

Odd storage configuration. If your budget can stretch to it I would go with a single 256GB nvme SSD for Windows + 1 TB S-ATA storage drive for gaming.

Alternatively go for a single 512GB NVME SSD then add in a S-ATA Drive at a later date

Graphics is ok with a 1650 Super but it's relative to the games you want to play really. What kind of games you into ?

For storage just planning on using what i currently have and maybe upgrading further down the line. Currently have windows on a SATA SSD so planning on just moving that over. Would I see a discernable difference using a NVME?

Will be first time delving into pc gaming but likely playing COD, FIFA etc to begin with. May wait until the new year so that the budget stretches a bit further.

 

[r3idy]

NVME

For storage just planning on using what i currently have and maybe upgrading further down the line. Currently have windows on a SATA SSD so planning on just moving that over. Would I see a discernable difference using a NVME?

Will be first time delving into pc gaming but likely playing COD, FIFA etc to begin with. May wait until the new year so that the budget stretches a bit further.

NVME is quite a but faster than S-ATA HDD. If you go for a single Hard Drive solution then NVME is the route.

If you are into COD then hold out as long as you can and get the very best GPU you can.

 

[Bojan11]

Yea, Amazon have really left an impression this go-round in both the GPU and console markets, which, depending on how you see it is a good/really bad thing, but if the traditional shops can't do better than what they've served up, it can't be helped.

Do you know which are literally the rarest cards to come by? I barely see TUF's anywhere and ftw3 ultras are gone before the discord even goes public. Aorus Xtreme is also like gold dust - are these frontrunners, or are there even more obscure cards out there?

I said to myself if I can get an ftw3, I'll be content, but can't see that happening at all.

All Asus cards are rare.

As stated in recent hours by the CFO of NVIDIA, Colette Kress, the company expects that the difficulty in finding the necessary components for the production of the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series video cards will continue until the end of 2020 and probably also until April 2021. The lack of components is not limited to wafers and silicon but also includes substrates and other elements.

Getting a video card of the new NVIDIA GeForce 30 RTX series, despite the continuous launches of new products such as that of the recent RTX 3060 Ti, will therefore be an almost impossible undertaking for several months to come.

Also, for this reason, the prices of the old RTX 20 series started to grow again both in terms of the new and in relation to the second-hand market. In short, it is certainly not a good time for those who want to treat themselves to a new GPU for Christmas.

 

[Fortitude]

All Asus cards are rare.

Read about that via a Google link on my phone. It's a crazy situation. The reseller market is going to remain strong well into next year - or at least until everyone has a Zotac or Palit!

Out of a TUF or a Suprim, which would you opt for?

 

[Balljy]

Well played on the FTW3 ultra; I don't think I've seen it 'live' a single time - it's literally unavailable between getting the alert and going to the site location for me. A starting 7, so you nabbed a 3080?

Ultimately, it's the one I wanted from the outset, but the TUF, is no small consolation (if it ever dispatches!)

I noticed, too that the FTW3 Ultras always come on bang in the middle of the night, so it makes sense now if it's US cards being flashed up.

They're so rare I never expect it when I do see one, though. After a billion Palit's and Zotec's you're too weary for the jackpot cards.

Yeah, it was £770 including customs charges so was a good price (pretty much MSRP for a 3080 FTW3). I have noticed that EVGA seem to release to the EU in batches so if you start seeing some popup on sites I would get ready for the Amazon links in the next day or so. Make sure you've got buy now setup as I think that was the difference for me.

 

[Fortitude]

Yeah, it was £770 including customs charges so was a good price (pretty much MSRP for a 3080 FTW3). I have noticed that EVGA seem to release to the EU in batches so if you start seeing some popup on sites I would get ready for the Amazon links in the next day or so. Make sure you've got buy now setup as I think that was the difference for me.

Will try. Cheers.

You did really well there. I assume you're keeping it?

 

[Balljy]

Will try. Cheers.

You did really well there. I assume you're keeping it?

Yeah, I'm keeping it. It's the card I wanted and I'm not inclined to make some money on it when I can just enjoy it for the next couple of years.

The market is crazy though. Even CEX will pay over £900 for the card second hand which is just ludicrous!

 

[Bojan11]

Read about that via a Google link on my phone. It's a crazy situation. The reseller market is going to remain strong well into next year - or at least until everyone has a Zotac or Palit!

Out of a TUF or a Suprim, which would you opt for?

Had a brief look at the Suprim reviews and they pretty good, even though some of the complaints were that the card is too big. In terms of performance, it’s up there and possibly surpasses the Asus models.

Good luck getting one. I would say by now just get whatever comes first.

I am number 3 on the waiting list, so I just stopped looking at discords and stuff because the next shipment I should get mine. You are 80, so no idea when you will get yours. I mean they could get double shipments next week and you could have yours. We seen miracles happen.

I just put the monitor up today, so I am waiting for the card.

 

[Fortitude]

Yeah, I'm keeping it. It's the card I wanted and I'm not inclined to make some money on it when I can just enjoy it for the next couple of years.

The market is crazy though. Even CEX will pay over £900 for the card second hand which is just ludicrous!

Don't blame you. You struck gold.

 

[Fortitude]

Had a brief look at the Suprim reviews and they pretty good, even though some of the complaints were that the card is too big. In terms of performance, it’s up there and possibly surpasses the Asus models.

Good luck getting one. I would say by now just get whatever comes first.

I am number 3 on the waiting list, so I just stopped looking at discords and stuff because the next shipment I should get mine. You are 80, so no idea when you will get yours. I mean they could get double shipments next week and you could have yours. We seen miracles happen.

I just put the monitor up today, so I am waiting for the card.

There were some Suprims but not 3090 so didn't bother you with the info.

Given the time consumption and complete unpredictability of the Discords, I guess it's not worth the time given yours should be just around the corner.

Your poor monitor needs a playmate!

 

[Fortitude]

@Bojan11 if you're interested in a FTW Ultra 3090, I've got a link for you.

Dispatch by end of December.

 

[Bojan11]

@Bojan11 if you're interested in a FTW Ultra 3090, I've got a link for you.

Dispatch by end of December.

Think I will wait for the Asus. Hopefully it’s not long now.

 

[Adamsk7]

Unbelievably I managed to pick up a card from Ebuyer today!
got the PNY 3060Ti XLR8 RGB. Wasn’t my first choice but PNY are decent enough and has a three year warranty. I’m a sucker for RGB too and this has a decent amount. Got it for £429 but strangely their preorder price has now jumped up to £469.

probably slightly over the odds but I am literally a card away from completing my build so I’m happy. It won’t get overclocked and it’s gonna be max 1440p 60 (my monitors specs) so hopefully it won’t get taxed too much.

 

[2mufc0]

Unbelievably I managed to pick up a card from Ebuyer today!
got the PNY 3060Ti XLR8 RGB. Wasn’t my first choice but PNY are decent enough and has a three year warranty. I’m a sucker for RGB too and this has a decent amount. Got it for £429 but strangely their preorder price has now jumped up to £469.

probably slightly over the odds but I am literally a card away from completing my build so I’m happy. It won’t get overclocked and it’s gonna be max 1440p 60 (my monitors specs) so hopefully it won’t get taxed too much.

Congrats mate. My 3070 should be with me in the next 30 mins

 

[Fortitude]

Think I will wait for the Asus. Hopefully it’s not long now.

Fair enough.

Probably the smarter choice.

Unbelievably I managed to pick up a card from Ebuyer today!
got the PNY 3060Ti XLR8 RGB. Wasn’t my first choice but PNY are decent enough and has a three year warranty. I’m a sucker for RGB too and this has a decent amount. Got it for £429 but strangely their preorder price has now jumped up to £469.

probably slightly over the odds but I am literally a card away from completing my build so I’m happy. It won’t get overclocked and it’s gonna be max 1440p 60 (my monitors specs) so hopefully it won’t get taxed too much.

Appreciate your elation, but have they given you an actual dispatch date?

They took my money for a PS5 in September and now it's come to delivering my item, not a dicky bird from them and no update as to when I'll even get it. If that practice is in place for these GPU's, you might be in for a bit of a ride.

 

[Adamsk7]

Fair enough.

Probably the smarter choice.


Appreciate your elation, but have they given you an actual dispatch date?

They took my money for a PS5 in September and now it's come to delivering my item, not a dicky bird from them and no update as to when I'll even get it. If that practice is in place for these GPU's, you might be in for a bit of a ride.

Yeah 15th December. I see if you order now, it’s saying January so hopefully I got in for actual stock and as you say, anyone that ordered with a January date may be waiting a while!

I’m starting to doubt whether I made the right choice though. Should I perhaps have gone for a three fan model? I haven’t built a Pc for nearly 10 yrs now so I don’t know what’s decent and what’s not. I understand PNY is one of the cheaper brands similar to Zotac (interestingly they were one of the best when I last built!haha) etc but do I need to worry about the reliability of this card? Digging online seems to suggest it’ll be no worse than an ASUS or MSI 2 fan config and the warranty seems good at 3 yrs....

 

[Fortitude]

Yeah 15th December. I see if you order now, it’s saying January so hopefully I got in for actual stock and as you say, anyone that ordered with a January date may be waiting a while!

I’m starting to doubt whether I made the right choice though. Should I perhaps have gone for a three fan model? I haven’t built a Pc for nearly 10 yrs now so I don’t know what’s decent and what’s not. I understand PNY is one of the cheaper brands similar to Zotac (interestingly they were one of the best when I last built!haha) etc but do I need to worry about the reliability of this card? Digging online seems to suggest it’ll be no worse than an ASUS or MSI 2 fan config and the warranty seems good at 3 yrs....

Good news that you've got a confirmed delivery date!

@Paxi and @Bojan11 and @Balljy are your guys for the technical info, tbh.

I've been out the game since 2015ish with builds and not kept up with the scene much at all since then; buying a new GPU because my one is simply not cutting it anymore.

 

[Adamsk7]

Good news that you've got a confirmed delivery date!

@Paxi and @Bojan11 and @Balljy are your guys for the technical info, tbh.

I've been out the game since 2015ish with builds and not kept up with the scene much at all since then; buying a new GPU because my one is simply not cutting it anymore.

Yeah it’s a minefield, really. I was expecting to rock up, build a machine easily and be happy but I’ve got lost in a world of reviews, YouTube videos and conflicting reports with a stock crisis so bad it’s taken me the best part of 4 months to source everything. I did get a good deal on lots of my parts though - Corsair RM 750X for £80, Ryzen 7 3700X for £240.... so I’ve done alright overall

thanks for the tip, hopefully someone will chime in and steer me in the right direction!

 

[Adamsk7]

Ha so I cancelled the order! Think I want to just wait for a 3 fan from one of the big boys at an RRP price. Don’t care if it’s a four month wait or whatever as I have a PS5. At £439 for a dual fan from PNY, it was a good deal in the current climate but it looks like that card would retail at under £400 in normal cercumstances.

cancelled as well so someone else could get theirs earlier - not about that scalping life

 

[Balljy]

Ha so I cancelled the order! Think I want to just wait for a 3 fan from one of the big boys at an RRP price. Don’t care if it’s a four month wait or whatever as I have a PS5. At £439 for a dual fan from PNY, it was a good deal in the current climate but it looks like that card would retail at under £400 in normal cercumstances.

cancelled as well so someone else could get theirs earlier - not about that scalping life

There's not a huge difference between them in the 3xxx range but you do tend to get better components and cooling from the better known / premium brands. There is an effect, but it's not huge and a lot of it is down to whether you want to overclock or not. Having said that, an ASUS, EVGA etc is a known quantity so is a safe bet.

One thing to bear in mind is warranty and Zotac (5 years for registering it) actually have one of the best out there with EVGA at the moment. If there is a problem you'll get a replacement.

The 3060TI doesn't run a huge wattage so a 2 fan is OK, but a 3 fan model will run cooler and probably more importantly quieter as each fan can go at a lower RPM. I'd check a few of the reviews and get a shortlist of the ones you want then keep an eye out for them

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Review Megathread : nvidia (reddit.com)

Well done for not scalping!

 

[Adamsk7]

There's not a huge difference between them in the 3xxx range but you do tend to get better components and cooling from the better known / premium brands. There is an effect, but it's not huge and a lot of it is down to whether you want to overclock or not. Having said that, an ASUS, EVGA etc is a known quantity so is a safe bet.

The 3060TI doesn't run a huge wattage so a 2 fan is OK, but a 3 fan model will run cooler and probably more importantly quieter as each fan can go at a lower RPM. I'd check a few of the reviews and get a shortlist of the ones you want then keep an eye out for them

GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Review Megathread : nvidia (reddit.com)


Well done for not scalping!

Thanks, I think I made the right choice. I’ve waited for my first choice options for everything about my build and something just didn’t feel right about just going for the only thing I could get at a higher price than it would be.

so far my build is -

BeQuiet Purebase 500 DX case
Corsair RM750X PSU
32GB HyperX Fury 3200
Sabrent rocket 1tb PCI 4.0 NVMe
Crucial MX500 1Tb SSD
Ryzen 7 3700X
MSI B550 Gaming Edge Wifi MB

all of those I’ve got well under the prices they are now. Think it’ll be a good little mid range machine with a top 3060ti or 3070.

 

[Adamsk7]

Well well! It was worth the cancellation! Just picked up an MSI 3060ti Gaming Trio from Novatech for £479 with a delivery date of the 14th!! They are coming in stock guys - 2 orders in one day when I’ve had zero previously

 

[2mufc0]

Got it

Thanks @Balljy wouldn't have got one for months without the discord channel.

 

[Balljy]

Got it

Thanks @Balljy wouldn't have got one for months without the discord channel.

Nice one. FE as well, so a good price

 

[Fortitude]

@Bojan11 scan have taken me down 1 place since last email. Pathetic.

They shouldn't even bother to automate a message if it's going to feel like they're taking the piss.

How have you fared?

 

[Bojan11]

@Bojan11 scan have taken me down 1 place since last email. Pathetic.

They shouldn't even bother to automate a message if it's going to feel like they're taking the piss.

How have you fared?

I am number 2 now. I don’t know how I got pushed up because there’s been no new stock and not sure why the people ahead of me after waiting so long would switch cards. But it doesn’t really make a difference to me, as I expect to get mines when the next Asus delivery is in.

 

[Bojan11]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[Berbaclass]

What’s the best GPU for around the £200 mark? Thinking of building a new PC and I’ve picked out the 10600k as the CPU I think I want to build around but have little knowledge of the GPU market these days.

 

[Adamsk7]

What’s the best GPU for around the £200 mark? Thinking of building a new PC and I’ve picked out the 10600k as the CPU I think I want to build around but have little knowledge of the GPU market these days.

Others may say different but a 1660 Super. Issue you’ll have is there are barely any cards of any kind current available and the ones that are are often price hiked. 1660 super is now £230-250 IF you can even find one.

 

[Rake]

What’s the best GPU for around the £200 mark? Thinking of building a new PC and I’ve picked out the 10600k as the CPU I think I want to build around but have little knowledge of the GPU market these days.

Really depends on the country you are from. Stocks and availability can be wildly different. Also, the 10600k comes without a cooler, so you will have to factor that in as well.

If you have "only" 200 for GPU you are probably on a budget, so you might want to look at the 3600/3700x and put the extra money in a better GPU.

 

[Fortitude]

What are the best GPU benchmarking tools/sites now?

Would like to stress test this card.

 

[Berbaclass]

Really depends on the country you are from. Stocks and availability can be wildly different. Also, the 10600k comes without a cooler, so you will have to factor that in as well.

If you have "only" 200 for GPU you are probably on a budget, so you might want to look at the 3600/3700x and put the extra money in a better GPU.

I’m from the UK. I’m going with the 10600k because I can use the onboard graphics for a month or two to allow me to save up for a proper GPU. I said around 200 but I’m happy to pay more if I have it.