Since you aren't a total hardcore enthusiast, upgrading your CPU down the line shouldn't be much of a headache. Honestly, I think the Ryzen 5 3600 is the smarter play here. I'm not sure if that extra cash would actually justify a better GPU, and frankly, saving some money right now isn't a bad idea. You're barely going to notice the performance gap between the 3600 and the 3700 x anyway. I’d rather pocket the savings now and just jump straight to the zen 4000 series later if it becomes necessary—the future mid-tier gaming chips will probably blow the 3700 x out of the water.
That resolution is basically just pixel count, so it’s pretty much on par with 1440p when you're looking at benchmarks.
Did you track down where the new AMD processors are sitting price-wise? Say, something like the Ryzen 5 3600. Since this game demands a beefy GPU, you really need to figure out if you can cut corners on the CPU. People recommending an 8700K aren't giving you the full picture... sure, it's easy to suggest that chip if money is no object, but modern Ryzens are often right up there with the 8700K.
Anyway, how are you shopping for this? Picking parts from different retailers or just hitting up one place like Best Buy to have them bundle it all together? How are you paying?
Man, if you’d just listened to what wiredotter14 suggested in his last post, all you’d be looking at right now is swapping out the CPU and GPU.
Since you're building this rig for one specific game, go look up some benchmarks for it. We need to see how Intel vs AMD and AMD vs Nvidia actually stack up for that title.
That's just part of Windows, and you definitely need it. It shouldn't be running constantly like that. You usually see it spike during software installs or when launching an app, but otherwise, it should barely touch your CPU—maybe a few percent at most—and use next to no RAM. Try Googling how to fix it; you aren't the only one dealing with this headache.
Look, people can give you a rough idea, but there’s no such thing as a fixed configuration. It all changes depending on which retailer you use, what part of the US you're in, and honestly, just how much the market shifts from week to week.
If I were you, I'd just pull the trigger and buy now. Given how things are looking lately, we could easily run into parts shortages at any moment.
When you plug into the VGA port on the monitor, does it actually say "no signal," or is the screen just dead black? Does the monitor even react at all when you boot up the PC? Have you tried plugging the HDMI adapter directly into the motherboard (assuming there's a port available)?
Regarding those installment plans over at Best Buy. Honestly, most retailers make it a total headache—you don't even see the real price until you hit the checkout screen.
That leaves him with over a thousand bucks left for everything else. Choosing a monitor just comes down to what you like. I run a 31.5" 1440p setup myself. It’s solid for Fortnite and shooters because of the FOV and resolution, plus for strategy games or League, the extra screen real estate is huge.
But if he's chasing max FPS, stick with the 144Hz. That CPU and GPU combo will handle those games easily in either scenario, and they'll hold up fine for much heavier titles too. Don't waste money on Windows. Just grab a cheap key on eBay and install it yourself. Buying it full price is a rip-off.
Alexander Moore67 said:Without a warranty or any way to know if you're just buying a pig in a poke, it's a gamble.
Depends on how much warranty is left.
A decent card—meaning nothing bottom-tier—that spent its life strictly undervolted isn't necessarily a disaster. Cards like the RX 580 or GTX 1070 were pulling about 100W during mining, so it's not the end of the world.
Get a different power supply. For that price, the CV series is pretty mediocre—it's basically just a VS model but with an 80+ Bronze rating. Where are you even buying that?
swiftridge29 said:Power supply is a Corsair CX 500. Budget is around $500, maybe stretching to $667, but if there's anything decent up to $500, that would be great.
Joshua Jones11 said:Sure, I get it's on the low side, but for a start, it'll do. He’s planning to toss in another 1 TB 7400 rpm HDD soon anyway. So the SSD stays dedicated to macOS and his apps, plus whatever he plays most often.
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Just a heads up—he won't be playing much on that rig. "Light gaming" is a pretty subjective term.
If he’s thinking about adding a GPU later (like picking up a used card for a hundred bucks to massively boost performance), then grabbing an Intel Core i3-8100 makes way more sense. It's significantly stronger than that Pentium Gold desktop for roughly the same price, maybe even slightly less, just without the integrated graphics.
If they're grabbing a 144Hz monitor for an RX 580 build, they’ll likely be sticking to games like CS:GO, League, or Fortnite on settings that won't absolutely murder the GPU. At that point, the CPU starts actually mattering.
