Best PC companies, please

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Paul K
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Re: Best PC companies, please

Post by Paul K »

Hi Ben,

I hadn't heard of slimline internal DVD players before, so thanks for that. Having looked them up, the case still needs a bay accessible from the front, like the older larger players. So, that's narrowing my choice of cases considerably. No worries - at least I know what I'm looking for. :)

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Re: Best PC companies, please

Post by chrispbits »

Hi Paul, there are still plenty of cases around that allow installation of full size DVD/CD drives, even if you have to open the front door to get to it. Like Ben I use mine to rip my CDs to FLAC then archive them - at least mostly done; I got bored after about 250 CDs.

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Re: Best PC companies, please

Post by TSR2 »

Took me just over a year mate 😂

In saying that, new stuff I tend to buy on Bandcamp on flac, older stuff I get on musicmagpie on CD and rip
Ben.:tunes:

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Paul K
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Re: Best PC companies, please

Post by Paul K »

Continued thanks for all the help and suggestion, gents - much appreciated.

Now, about monitors and resolutions. I currently have a 23" monitor ( measured diagonally ) at 1920 x 1080, and I'm inclined to get something slightly larger, with maybe a resolution of 2560 x 1440. Not sure if it's worth the additional expense, however. *-)

For those folks running MSFS ( or any other graphics-intensive games ) what size monitor do you have and what resolution ? Are you happy with what you've got ?

I'm almost there with my specs now.

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Paul K
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Re: Best PC companies, please

Post by Paul K »

Hi all,

I've settled on PC Specialists, as they made my existing one, and Brian Franklin recommends them too. Thanks for all the other recommendations , gents. :thumbsup:

Just about finished putting my spec together, as below. It's a compromise between affordability and, particularly at the moment - availability. Just a few things that come to mind:

Four SSDs - is that wise, or should I stick an HD in there somewhere ? The O/S needs to go on the first M.2 SSD, according to PC Specialists so that's staying put. MSFS is going on the second M.2 ( 4TB ) one.

Neither the CPU or GPU are at the cutting edge, but after looking things up, they seem more than adequate for MSFS, DCS, Elite Dangerous, Star Citizen etc. They are also available right now.

As for a monitor, I'm going for a 27" 1440p one, but have yet to choose which. Anyone else using a 1440p monitor ?

Comments are very welcome, as there's still time to change any of this. :)



Case
BE QUIET! DARK BASE PRO 900 REV. 2 FULL TOWER GAMING CASE

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 18 Core Processor i9-10980XE (3.0GHz) 24.75MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING II: ATX, USB 3.2, SATA 6 GB/s, Wi-Fi AC - ARGB Ready


Memory (RAM)
64GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2666MHz (4 x 16GB)


Graphics Card

12GB ASUS DUAL GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP

1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)

2nd Storage Drive

2TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)

1st M.2 SSD Drive OS DRIVE
2TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 3000 MB/W)

2nd M.2 SSD Drive MS Flight Sim Drive
4TB CORSAIR MP400 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 3480 MB/R, 3000 MB/W)

DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
16x BLU-RAY WRITER DRIVE, 16x DVD ±R/±RW & SOFTWARE

Power Supply

CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD, ULTRA QUIET

Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 200 Series High Performance CPU Cooler

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Nigel H-J
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Re: Best PC companies, please

Post by Nigel H-J »

A really great computer Paul, can see you having some fantastic flights with that setup :thumbsup:

As for a monitor just had a look at one place and there is a saving of some £40 for Black Friday!!


https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc ... lsrc=aw.ds

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Nigel.
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Re: Best PC companies, please

Post by TSR2 »

Hi Paul, good spec, I'd be inclined towards the Samsung EVO rather than the QVO (not the evo pro). Is there a reason why you didn't standardise on the Samsung Drives for the M.2 units?
Ben.:tunes:

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Paul K
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Re: Best PC companies, please

Post by Paul K »

Nigel H-J wrote:
12 Nov 2021, 17:06
As for a monitor just had a look at one place and there is a saving of some £40 for Black Friday!!

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/gaming/pc ... lsrc=aw.ds
Hi Nigel, thanks for that. I'm going for a 27" 1440p monitor if I can find one that's available now, and reasonably priced, but Curry's/PC World is a possible source - as long as it's a reputable brand with good reviews.


TSR2 wrote:
12 Nov 2021, 19:46
Hi Paul, good spec, I'd be inclined towards the Samsung EVO rather than the QVO (not the evo pro). Is there a reason why you didn't standardise on the Samsung Drives for the M.2 units?
Hi Ben,

The Samsung EVO drives on offer from PC Specialists are only 250 or 500 GB, but the QVO drives are much bigger, and that's why I chose them. As for not standardizing, I suppose I could make them both 4TB. I know I'm going a bit over the top with SSD storage, but I'd like to devote one of the M.2 drives purely to MSFS, and that's why it is bigger than the other, which will be for the OS. Is there any advantage in having them the same size ?

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Re: Best PC companies, please

Post by TSR2 »

Hi mate, it wasn’t so much the size as the brand. The QVO drives don’t have the same warranty as the EVO or EVO pro, but if you’re using them for general storage they’ll be fine.

I’ve done a similar thing with my M.2 drives, one is for the OS and the other is for MSFS, all be it they’re both 1TB Samsung 970 EVO plus devices (which are actually slightly better performing than the 980 strangely.
Ben.:tunes:

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Re: Best PC companies, please

Post by TSR2 »

WRT monitors, when I got this PC, I splashed out on an LG34WL750B which is the ultra wide 3440x1440. Everyone I know was raving about LG. Now call me a snob, but I remember Lucky Goldstar back in the day, and they were never all that. However I went against my better judgement and got it and it was great, nice stand, although I didn't like the Ultra Wide once I go it, it was just too wide for me, it felt unnatural. Anyway just after 12 months the panel died. TBH I thought it was my graphics card or cable or something, but no, the panel was fried. This time I bought a trusty Samsung LU28R55. I've never had a problem with a Samsung monitor, and to date, its great. Its a much more natural view for me (I do use it for work etc too).

Someone later told me that the LG's actually had a 2 year warranty and I did send it off, and it did come back repaired, with a new panel. But its sitting here gathering dust. I plugged it in when it came back to make sure it was working, and that's the last it was on.

Good monitors are like hens teeth at the moment and between 30 - 50 % more expensive than 18 months ago, so shop around. Dell monitors are really very good indeed and sometimes you can pick them up in their outlet store. Some of their high end business monitors come with the best stands you can get IMHO.
Ben.:tunes:

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