Help me spec a gaming PC!
Discussion
Hi All
I’m looking to buy a new gaming PC but only have a basic understanding of spec.
I am currently running an Alienware laptop that I bought 6 years ago for £2,500 – for its time it was well spec’d with 16GB of RAM and a 1070 graphics card, but the processor is where it is really showing its age. All I really play is Cities Skylines, which I could reliably get 100fps on high settings many years ago, but 2 dozen DLC packs and lots of mods later have brought this down to 20-30fps – playable but not buttery smooth.
I’m looking to upgrade in time for the release of Cities Skylines 2, due for release in late October 2023.
System settings for this are as follows:
RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit | Windows® 11
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-9700K | AMD® Ryzen™ 5 5600X
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ RTX 2080 Ti (11GB) | AMD® Radeon™ RX 6800 XT (16GB)
Sound Card: TBC
The original game used a ton of RAM the more asset mods you downloaded so I assume the sequel will be similar.
I want to make sure I am futureproofed for all the DLCs and I’d also like a PC that I’m going to be able to get 5-6 years out of, like my current machine has. I am more of a console gamer, typically only using a PC for strategy games like CS, Civ and Total War and also for emulating older consoles – PS2, Gamecube, etc – but now and again I’ll go on a Steam binge, so it’s nice to be able to play new PC games, too.
So what I’d like is:
Minimum 64GB of RAM
Desktop – I no longer require a laptop
Something that’ll play AAA games although on max settings isn’t essential.
Crucially, it is something that will last, as-is, for another 6 years. I don’t want to have to upgrade it in 3 years' time. I basically want plug-and-play.
All I tend to do is tick the most expensive options when configuring a rig, I appreciate it is overkill for what I need and I’d rather not spend £5,000 if I can avoid it but when recommending alternate spec, please can you advise WHY you’ve chosen those options over a better/more expensive part?
This is what I put together online so far… Cost includes 3-year Warranty and accident protection.
Am I being really stupid spending this month?
I know it is overkill, but is it actually stupid or would this be something that might even last me longer than 6 years?
I’m looking to buy a new gaming PC but only have a basic understanding of spec.
I am currently running an Alienware laptop that I bought 6 years ago for £2,500 – for its time it was well spec’d with 16GB of RAM and a 1070 graphics card, but the processor is where it is really showing its age. All I really play is Cities Skylines, which I could reliably get 100fps on high settings many years ago, but 2 dozen DLC packs and lots of mods later have brought this down to 20-30fps – playable but not buttery smooth.
I’m looking to upgrade in time for the release of Cities Skylines 2, due for release in late October 2023.
System settings for this are as follows:
RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit | Windows® 11
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-9700K | AMD® Ryzen™ 5 5600X
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ RTX 2080 Ti (11GB) | AMD® Radeon™ RX 6800 XT (16GB)
Sound Card: TBC
The original game used a ton of RAM the more asset mods you downloaded so I assume the sequel will be similar.
I want to make sure I am futureproofed for all the DLCs and I’d also like a PC that I’m going to be able to get 5-6 years out of, like my current machine has. I am more of a console gamer, typically only using a PC for strategy games like CS, Civ and Total War and also for emulating older consoles – PS2, Gamecube, etc – but now and again I’ll go on a Steam binge, so it’s nice to be able to play new PC games, too.
So what I’d like is:
Minimum 64GB of RAM
Desktop – I no longer require a laptop
Something that’ll play AAA games although on max settings isn’t essential.
Crucially, it is something that will last, as-is, for another 6 years. I don’t want to have to upgrade it in 3 years' time. I basically want plug-and-play.
All I tend to do is tick the most expensive options when configuring a rig, I appreciate it is overkill for what I need and I’d rather not spend £5,000 if I can avoid it but when recommending alternate spec, please can you advise WHY you’ve chosen those options over a better/more expensive part?
This is what I put together online so far… Cost includes 3-year Warranty and accident protection.
Am I being really stupid spending this month?
I know it is overkill, but is it actually stupid or would this be something that might even last me longer than 6 years?
Taking the advice onboard and speaking with friends, I imagine I'll go for the following:
Motherboard: Z690
CPU: i7 13700K
RAM: 64GB DD4 3600MHz
GPU: TXT 4070 Ti
SSD: 2TB Samsung M.2
HDD: 4GB Seagate Barracuda
Comes in at about £2,500, so half the cost... Even if it is getting tired after 3 years, I'm no worse off than spending £5,000 on a 6-year rig...
Motherboard: Z690
CPU: i7 13700K
RAM: 64GB DD4 3600MHz
GPU: TXT 4070 Ti
SSD: 2TB Samsung M.2
HDD: 4GB Seagate Barracuda
Comes in at about £2,500, so half the cost... Even if it is getting tired after 3 years, I'm no worse off than spending £5,000 on a 6-year rig...
Gassing Station | Video Games | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff