Custom-built PC advice needed!

Prepar3D - Lockheed Martin has taken the FSX platform into a new level aimed at the professional.

Custom-built PC advice needed!

Postby dominikv95 » Thu Jul 25, 2019 10:35 am

Hi everyone!

I used to be a flight sim maniac for years, but life got in the way and I left it all behind about 6 years ago. A lot has changed in the technology-side-of-things, and luckily also in the money-side-of things for me, which means that I have a healthy budget to get back into the flight sim world. i used to only use FSX, but I've done enough research already to know that Prepar3d is the platform I will be going with now.

This is the custom PC that I want to have built for me (here, in the UK), that fits in my budget and I would like to ask for some opinions and advice on it. if it matters - maybe, for the GPU advice - I will be using an Ultra-Wide Curved 49'' Samsung monitor or a regular 40''+ TV; unlikely to be using a 3 monitor set up, as the monitors' bezels annoy me when flying. I also want to get a head-tracker (not VR goggles). Also, all of my questions are in bold italics:

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Eight Core Processor i9-9900K (3.6GHz) 16MB Cache

Is it worth upgrading to the i9-9920X? It would take me slightly above my budget to be honest, but is it even worth considering?


Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z390-F GAMING: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs - RGB Ready

Is this a good motherboard? (I have no idea what a motherboard actually is/does)


Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (4 x 8GB)

How much does the MHz matter? I've seen them as low as 2600MHz or as high as 3600MHz.


Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2080 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!

Is it true that Prepar3d is not very GPU hungry? The shop who would build this PC recommended I go for 2070 instead, but because the price difference is only around £150 ($200) I think I'm going to stick with the 2080 SUPER. I could also get the 2080 Ti 11GB, but is there a point?


1st Storage Drive
2TB Samsung 860 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (upto 550MB/sR | 520MB/sW)


1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)


Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET

I am worried that 650W is not enough! Do I need a more powerful one?


Processor Cooling
Corsair H100x Hydro Cooler w/ PCS Ultra Quiet Fans


Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING


Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)


Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11 AC1900 1,300Mbps/5GHz, 600Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD


USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS


Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]


Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)


I do know that this is a very powerful PC, however I just want to make sure that I am not missing something or getting something that isn't worth it, only because it fits within my budget. I have very very limited I.T. knowledge and the only way for me to try and figure out the best set up is by picking the most expensive components and putting them together. I will be doing VATSIM flying only, therefore PMDGs, FlightSimLabs and airport sceneries etc. will all be installed too and I want to get the best performance possible.

Any opinions and advice is highly appreciated.

Thank you

Dominik
dominikv95
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Re: Custom-built PC advice needed!

Postby Canuck1955 » Thu Jul 25, 2019 12:02 pm

As you live in the UK I would strongly suggest you purchase parts or a system from these folk.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/

I have friends in the UK who have used them and are more than happy with the service. I urge you not to buy any PC "off the shelf".

alternatively if you wish to build your own system this is an excellent resource

https://pcpartpicker.com/

It will suggest what goes well with what under the system builder tab. Buliding your own PC is very satisfying and actually quite simple. There are many YT videos to assist there. And you will save $$ whilst at the same time getting better components than are possible from the big retailers.
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Re: Custom-built PC advice needed!

Postby Canuck1955 » Thu Jul 25, 2019 12:14 pm

My take on your system

CPU I wish I could afford that!

MB - I have the same one and have no complaints.

RAM - MHz does matter and your choice is pretty good. Though I would consider 2 x 16 sticks.

Graphics - dead jealous. I went down the AMD route with my last upgrade and now regret it. For FSim NV is superior.

PSU - consider upping to 1000W from Corair then you will have absolutely no worries. 650 while capable is on the low end.

Cooling - I have run Corsair for the past 5 years no issues and it is almost silent.

Big fan of all things corsair here! Their mechanical keyboards are a delight to use.
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Re: Custom-built PC advice needed!

Postby dominikv95 » Thu Jul 25, 2019 12:53 pm

Canuck1955 wrote:As you live in the UK I would strongly suggest you purchase parts or a system from these folk.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/

I have friends in the UK who have used them and are more than happy with the service. I urge you not to buy any PC "off the shelf".

alternatively if you wish to build your own system this is an excellent resource

https://pcpartpicker.com/

It will suggest what goes well with what under the system builder tab. Buliding your own PC is very satisfying and actually quite simple. There are many YT videos to assist there. And you will save $$ whilst at the same time getting better components than are possible from the big retailers.



Thanks for your prompt reply! I would never by a PC 'off the shelf'. I've just looked at overclockers.co.uk and they seem quite pricey. I want to use pcspecialist.co.uk. They're a huge company with 17 years experience and a 4.4 rating on google with almost 500 reviews, so I feel comfortable using them and they are very reasonably priced (around £500 cheaper than overclockers on this custom-built PC). I would never build it myself (as in, put it together myself) as I simply have no idea what I'm doing haha
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Re: Custom-built PC advice needed!

Postby dominikv95 » Thu Jul 25, 2019 12:55 pm

Canuck1955 wrote:My take on your system

CPU I wish I could afford that!

MB - I have the same one and have no complaints.

RAM - MHz does matter and your choice is pretty good. Though I would consider 2 x 16 sticks.

Graphics - dead jealous. I went down the AMD route with my last upgrade and now regret it. For FSim NV is superior.

PSU - consider upping to 1000W from Corair then you will have absolutely no worries. 650 while capable is on the low end.

Cooling - I have run Corsair for the past 5 years no issues and it is almost silent.

Big fan of all things corsair here! Their mechanical keyboards are a delight to use.


Thanks for the individual comments. Just one question: why 2 x 16GB of RAM instead?
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