Entry level gaming PC

[simaomacaco]

Hi everyone,

I have been out of the game for a while and now looking to building up a fairly basic gaming rig for my daughter, colours and looks are important to her while I am trying to push the spec as far as I can for the budget.

This is what I have so far as a setup:

Intel Core i5-14400F
ASRock B760M-HDV
Nvidia RTX 4060 Ti OCd
Patriot Viper Steel series ddr4-3600 2x16
WD Black SN770 (1TB)
X= Singularity 700W PSU

Any major errors in choices?

Objective:
*She mainly plays fortnite, looking at getting a silky smooth experience at 1080p
*Just started working so not much cash, obv I am helping and getting a bit carried away (man I forget how addictive designing and pimping PCs was... back in my day... yada yada)

 

[yfn_ratchet]

I'm not from the UK, so I can't speak on what's the best picks out there. What I can speak on is that power supply, and it gives me bad vibes—can't peg it as a whitelabeled supply from a decent OEM, the warranty is shockingly short for such a unit (5 years is considered 'good'), and at that price the only wattage match was an Aerocool Integrator... bleugh. Best case scenario, they're neglecting to show you that the cables are actually black and won't help a white aesthetic at all. Worst case... well, I wouldn't put it next to anything I value deeply.

If it's all-white you're going for, I would recommend going with an okay unit like the MSI MAG A650BN or Corsair CX650 and using cable extensions for the front-end looks. Just try and gravitate to 16AWG cables if you can.

Besides that, unless the CPU + Mobo/RAM are a bundle, I would recommend saving a handful of pounds by going back a generation to the i5-13400F or even the i5-12400F given the GPU muscle we have on hand. You might also be interested in an Intel GPU, since the latest B580 (AsRock Steel Legend review linked, if ya want white) is a value princess.

 

[simaomacaco]

gives me bad vibes

It gives me bad vibes too, my daughters pick, on the surface a good find but I couldn't find a manufacturer either so though maybe cheap china ali express...... I had a PSU fail years ago and it was a bit of a mess fixing things, vowed at that point to only go branded with PSU's

since the latest B580 (AsRock Steel Legend review linked, if ya want white)

Awesome, yes, that looks a way better pick. Thanks a bunch!

Thinking the downgrade of the CPU is better given the resolutions she will be running

Q: Intel Core i5-12400K or KF ?
Q: ++Need a white MB board now with built in wifi preferred

I am guessing there is no need for third party cooling? Eg. ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 280
Q: Any overclocking potential with a more serious MB and the cooler?

 

[AtiAmd]

Yep...just get 12400f box and fan is inckuded. A couple mhz wont give her any noticeable difference and use the rest of the money to buy better psu

 

[yfn_ratchet]

Q1: Intel Core i5-12400K or KF ?

Q2: ++Need a white MB board now with built in wifi preferred

Q3: I am guessing there is no need for third party cooling? Eg. ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 280

Q4: Any overclocking potential with a more serious MB and the cooler?

A1: 12400 doesn't come with a K version; it's a 12600 with its (likely defective) E-cores cut off. When it comes to the 12600K/KF, either or is asking for way more power and demand for cooling than it's worth in performance, especially given the price & power band we're working within. As a rule, the F chips are the cheaper option to no performance detriment; no iGPU, but that very much should not be an issue.

A2: When it comes to LGA1700 the boards are limited if you insist on going with the cheaper DDR4 memory; the pragmatic option is likely to nab this B760M-HDV model, a passable DDR5 kit, and an Intel AX200/210 module a la carte.
Of course, you could also put your nose to the ground looking for white-on-silver/black boards that suit your fancy; I can't scout as well across the pond.

A3: On the 12400F, nah not really. If you absolutely require a clean white look, nab a Thermalright cooler in the form factor ya like. They're £25-30ish, and better than stock. For a K/KF model though, 240mm AIO or ~155mm dual tower air cooler, minimum. Those things get HOT.

A4: 'Overclocking' and 'beginner build' don't go hand-in-hand very well, and even then things were pushed near the limit thermally on Alder Lake and over the limit electrically on Raptor Lake. AMD has the more fertile soil for overclocking, especially since you don't have to shell out to tinker with those. The LGA1700 boards I would even point you towards were I to recommend overclocking would be somewhere in the £150 range to start, and £170 if you want it in white.

 

[ebivan]

Why would you pick a bad 700w PSU for this low level build?

I would rather get a good PSU with lower wattage for the same price.

 

[phanbuey]

it's a nice build but you might be better off with a used 12700k, more cores, better latency with DDR4 etc. Or even a 12600K will work here tbh. Save some $$, light OC to 5.0 and call it a day, still an amazing chip.

 

[dirtyferret]

*She mainly plays fortnite, looking at getting a silky smooth experience at 1080p

it's not a high hurdle to jump over and the PC will clear it easily, that said the PSU should not be pushed past that GPU as calling it mediocre would be generous. You said cash is limited so I'm not going to cherry pick each part

 

[Selaya]

id go b550/a520/b450 + 5600x or 5700x3d, imho a much more reasonable choice than going intel

considering you're going for the 4060ti id just go w/ 5600x & b550

 

[jak_2456]

it's a nice build but you might be better off with a used 12700k, more cores, better latency with DDR4 etc. Or even a 12600K will work here tbh. Save some $$, light OC to 5.0 and call it a day, still an amazing chip.

True, but a 12700k or 12600k will be harder to cool, and the power draw will necessitate a beefier PSU. Not to mention that they don't include stock coolers. If you're on a tight budget, these things count. Besides, I think it'd be overkill for the B580. Speaking of which, has Intel gotten their driver issues ironed out at this point?

Why would you pick a bad 700w PSU for this low level build?

I would rather get a good PSU with lower wattage for the same price.

Absolutely. Get a PSU in the neighborhood of 500-600 W for this build. Check each PSU on the tier list too: https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/

Also, out of curiosity, what case do you plan to use with this build? Luckily, you're spoiled for choice in that department. I'd go with the Montech Air 100 ARGB because it's a very solid case that looks nice and includes RGB fans. If you're more up to a challenge, go for the Lian-Li A3-mATX. If you need something lower-cost, the Cooler Master Q300L is also a decent choice.

Oh, and one more thing: make sure you get a Windows license in here too if you don't already have one. I'd refrain from using gray-market key websites as I think they're quite shady.