Question New gaming PC for the upcoming Harry Potter game.

[In2Photos]

I am looking to build a new gaming PC for my daughter. Currently she is using an older Dell XPS system with a 4790 and a GTX 1660. There is a new Harry Potter game coming out in February that she really wants to play and it looks like her current PC doesn't hit the minimum specs.



1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing. Gaming mostly, possibly some streaming. Valorant, Red Dead 2, Harry Potter, plus some other titles

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread Looking to stay around $1200-$1300. She will be paying for half.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. US

4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc. Fond of MSI mobos, and want to stick with AMD for CPU right now.

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. Might reuse an SSD but that's it.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. Default

8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? 2 1080p monitors, 144Hz

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it. Soonish

10. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software? No.

Here is a link to PC part picker https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Familyman_19/saved/#view=bqswYJ for her build. My biggest questions are whether or not to go with the 5700X over the 5600X and 3070 vs 6800 non XT. so any thoughts on those options would be great. Also, it there are any bargains out there for some of the parts let me know.

 

[Tech Junky]

https://www.microcenter.com/product/660239/intel-arc-a770-dual-fan-16gb-gddr6-pcie-40-graphics-card ~$100 less same / better performance


https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Ckpqgb - current
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YGpqgb - Intel ~$100 difference with current ADL CPU / GPU + PCIE 5 slot

When it comes down to it though there's a 1000 different ways to do this sort of thing. With either build though they should be good for a ew years at least. Both would require a complete rebuild though going into the new generations of CPU moving forward due to them changing the specs of the socket moving forward.

The new AM5 "should" be compatible longer than the Intel LGA1700 as it's expected to change again in 2023 / 2025 / etc. AMD AM5 might last a bit longer if they follow their recipe they've used with the prior setups but, since they went LGA for AM5 there might be some twists to the success formula of the past and they might follow suit of Intel to be able to cram more performance into newer CPU's.

 

[In2Photos]

Not really interested in the Intel GPU market for her. I want something established. I would love to go AM5, but current pricing would add $200-$300 to the system.

 

[Tech Junky]

Yeah AMD inflated the price though they dropped the CPU prices recently. Doesn't help though that the boards are still sky high. The AMD GPUs seem decent for some savings as well.

 

[In2Photos]

I actually managed to put together an AM5 build in the budget. Hmmm

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Familyman_19/saved/#view=Z4pXRB

 

[Tech Junky]

If you click edit and share that link we can see it. The link you posted is giving a permission denied.

Being on budget though is impressive though considering the market.

 

[In2Photos]

If you click edit and share that link we can see it. The link you posted is giving a permission denied.

Being on budget though is impressive though considering the market.

My bad, try again.

 

[Tech Junky]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3MTW8r

The only thing I changed was the cooler to the 6 pipe I'm using with a 12700K as it holds up to the heat really well. Also, an easy method for applying it is to use the IDC graphite pad instead of paste. Easier to move things around w/o cleaning off the cooler / CPU every time.

And the MOBO comparison has more M2 slots using the ASRock option if adding more capacity might be needed later.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/zFzhP6,CFzhP6/

As to the Case comparison. I find it useful to have a USBC that does full 20gbps speeds vs using an AIC but, the cheaper option would be the AIC if she's going to need a high bandwidth port for AR/VR down the road.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/jqTzK8,gWFbt6/

The 226 at full CPU load w/ graphite hitting under 50C. Also, using the P12/P14 Arctic fans you picked with 2 of them attached to the CPU cooler only hitting 1800RPM's and still barely audible. I've been using those fans for years across builds.


Looking at the case specs you can use 140's which will keep the noise down even more and then just use one of the included fans for the exhaust. IMO would be worth the extra cost of another 5-pack P14's @ $41 You'll be able to use the P12's on the cooler + exhaust and then the P14's on the F/T intakes. You'll end up with a spare for each size though you won't need it most likely as if there's an issue they send out replacements pretty quick for free. I cracked on of them while messing around with the airflow while powered on and had a replacement in under a week.

 

[In2Photos]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3MTW8r

The only thing I changed was the cooler to the 6 pipe I'm using with a 12700K as it holds up to the heat really well. Also, an easy method for applying it is to use the IDC graphite pad instead of paste. Easier to move things around w/o cleaning off the cooler / CPU every time.

And the MOBO comparison has more M2 slots using the ASRock option if adding more capacity might be needed later.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/zFzhP6,CFzhP6/

As to the Case comparison. I find it useful to have a USBC that does full 20gbps speeds vs using an AIC but, the cheaper option would be the AIC if she's going to need a high bandwidth port for AR/VR down the road.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/jqTzK8,gWFbt6/

The 226 at full CPU load w/ graphite hitting under 50C. Also, using the P12/P14 Arctic fans you picked with 2 of them attached to the CPU cooler only hitting 1800RPM's and still barely audible. I've been using those fans for years across builds.
View attachment 71658

Looking at the case specs you can use 140's which will keep the noise down even more and then just use one of the included fans for the exhaust. IMO would be worth the extra cost of another 5-pack P14's @ $41 You'll be able to use the P12's on the cooler + exhaust and then the P14's on the F/T intakes. You'll end up with a spare for each size though you won't need it most likely as if there's an issue they send out replacements pretty quick for free. I cracked on of them while messing around with the airflow while powered on and had a replacement in under a week.

I haven't had a chance to compare the B650 boards yet so I will definitely keep looking. Having extra M.2 slots would be more preferable over the extra PCIe16 slots.

As for fans and case I prefer the Lian Li 216 as it has the USB-C on it as well. The stock configuration of that case provides great cooling, even with just the 3 fans so we may opt for that over the Fractal case plus Arctic fans as it is roughly the same cost at that point.

 

[Tech Junky]

ASR boards tend to have a good mix of tech compared to other options. I went with one that has all three gen 3/4/5 slots to play around with different cards as they come out. ASR also has an Intel board that has a Gen5 M2 slot built in which even now is a rarity.

Now, RE: USBC there's a Gigabyte card w/ 2 TB4 ports that I picked up for $60 on Amazon that might be useful as well. 40gbps of data and 100W of PD is nice to have.. again the whole headset / power options.

As you know though good airflow is key to keeping things running smooth. It's a good investment for long term use regardless of the case being used.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Wow, minimum spec GTX 1070? Really? They're planning on ignoring the installed base of the most common video card in the Steam HW Survey, the GTX 1060?

Last time a PC games company required cutting-edge hardware to play their new game, cutting out most of the installed base, they went under soon after. (Look up LookingGlass Technology, and the requirement for a 32-bit capable DOS system for "The Stygean Abyss".)

 

[Shmee]

Wow, minimum spec GTX 1070? Really? They're planning on ignoring the installed base of the most common video card in the Steam HW Survey, the GTX 1060?

Last time a PC games company required cutting-edge hardware to play their new game, cutting out most of the installed base, they went under soon after. (Look up LookingGlass Technology, and the requirement for a 32-bit capable DOS system for "The Stygean Abyss".)

Those are some quite high minimum specs, especially on the GPU.

For OP, I think the part list looks good, but I would personally go with the 7700X for 8 cores. Though if you think you might upgrade to another CPU later on the same AM5 motherboard, this is less of an issue. Alternatively, you could go with AM4 and get an 8 core or better for cheaper.

 

[igor_kavinski]

For $10 more, you can have this cute mobo: https://www.newegg.com/asrock-b650-livemixer/p/N82E16813162099

 

[In2Photos]

For $10 more, you can have this cute mobo: https://www.newegg.com/asrock-b650-livemixer/p/N82E16813162099

She wants an all black build.

 

[In2Photos]

OK, so I have finalized the list and ordered everything. The memory is on back order, but is expected to be available later this week. If not, I ordered a different kit that was $20 more with free returns at Amazon. I also ended up spending $10 more on the case as the non-RGB version release date was pushed back and I was worried that I wouldn't get it in time for Christmas. I stuck pretty close to the original budget, but my wife and I decided to go ahead and pay for the whole thing for her. Ended up at $1388, but I think I got way more PC than I had planned for originally so I'm good with that. She has something that will exceed her needs now, run the HP game with ease, and can be upgraded down the line if she needs it.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Familyman_19/saved/Z4pXRB

7600X with ID-Cooling SE-226-XT cooler
Team Group 32GB DDR5-5600 (plan to run it at 6000)
Gigabyte B650 Aorus Elite
ASRock 6800XT Taichi
1TB Solidigm P41 NVME
DeepCool 750W Gold PSU
Lian Li 216 Case

Planning to give her everything for Christmas and then help her build it so she is familiar with the parts and not scared to work on it herself if she needs to.

 

[In2Photos]

Wow, minimum spec GTX 1070? Really? They're planning on ignoring the installed base of the most common video card in the Steam HW Survey, the GTX 1060?

Last time a PC games company required cutting-edge hardware to play their new game, cutting out most of the installed base, they went under soon after. (Look up LookingGlass Technology, and the requirement for a 32-bit capable DOS system for "The Stygean Abyss".)

Those are some quite high minimum specs, especially on the GPU.

For OP, I think the part list looks good, but I would personally go with the 7700X for 8 cores. Though if you think you might upgrade to another CPU later on the same AM5 motherboard, this is less of an issue. Alternatively, you could go with AM4 and get an 8 core or better for cheaper.

I agree on the minimum specs being quite high, especially when the game is releasing on all platforms including Nintendo Switch.