Posts by wiredotter14

What resolution and refresh rate are you planning to run on your monitor?

Samuel Gonzalez85 said:What do we think about this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/292924973952?ul_noapp=true?

Pros and cons?

Cons:

Standard shipping from the USA/California/Texas to worldwide |

Zero warranty and you might get hit with customs fees.

Just buy cheap mechanical stuff locally; Redragon is fine enough.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...KR8XB7XF&psc=1

Corsair TX650M

Might end up being about $217.
Amazon claims a 7-year warranty here.

Local prices are sitting around $60.

I think so, they handle assembly and shipping.

Just check those monitors. If they're older models, there's a good chance they won't have HDMI or HDMI ports—they might just be stuck with DVI or VGA. If that's the case, you'll need an adapter, like something that plugs into the monitor's DVI port so you can actually use an HDMI cable. (A passive adapter should only run you about five bucks.)

Now, if they're ancient and only have VGA, things get a bit more complicated. But honestly, I doubt we're dealing with hardware that old, especially since someone's planning on doing photo editing on them.

Something like this—you gotta drop the price, $200 is way too much for that card.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/graphics-card-listing

Look for a card that doesn't need a PCIe power connector.

You could also just grab a used GT 1030 GDDR5 since it pulls even less power.

Everything's just easier now. It isn't even more complicated. Especially with the BIOS—you can tweak memory and CPU clocks in a couple of clicks. Back when I was running a Q6600, it was a total mess. My first real rig had an E8400. Before that, I was stuck with Celerons and a Pentium 4 1.8.
Nowadays I'm on an i7 920 (a 2009 build I've upgraded over the years), and honestly, what I'm looking forward to most with my next upgrade is how simple it'll be.

Most things are automated these days. The Ryzen 2000 series fixed a lot of the headaches from the 1000 series, like memory compatibility and stuff.

So with something like a Ryzen 2600, you basically leave the memory at stock settings; you just have to pick the right speed if the BIOS defaults to the bare minimum (2133MHz).

Regarding free assembly, personally, I’d rather build it myself, even if it means hunting parts from different stores. But Micro Center has decent prices on pretty much everything, so if they'll put it together for free, why not?

Finally seeing the price on that RAM. $267 At 2x8GB, it’s a solid deal and you're basically futureproofing with 16GB.

It’s just a "basic" RAM model, but twice the capacity is still twice the capacity. 😁

jadebadger7 said:I’d probably grab the GPU on an installment plan and then just pay cash for the rest of the build—so honestly, that RX590 deal mentioned above that comes bundled with three games looks pretty solid to me. 🙂
I did have a quick question regarding the RAM that Smartic picked out, though; I noticed it’s clocked at 2666MHz. I’ve read a few times that Ryzen chips really thrive when you feed them faster RAM, so is it worth my while to go with an 8GB (2x4) kit of something faster, or is this specific kit he put together actually fine?

P.S. That RAM seems suspiciously cheap to me, which is why I'm asking.

Look, Ryzen likes fast RAM, but in actual gaming, it doesn't matter that much. Differences are tiny, if they exist at all.
He probably suggested cheaper 16GB RAM because you said you don't want to mess with the PC; it's a "set it and forget it" move. You won't have to worry about upgrades, and the budget stays intact with 16GB.
Don't sweat the quality; it'll run at that frequency just fine.

As for the graphics card, sure, you can buy it separately. But keep in mind: if you buy a "complete" build, the shop usually puts it together for free. If you buy the GPU solo, they might charge you for the labor.
You could probably negotiate with them—pay for the GPU on a credit card and the rest in cash, then ask them to treat it as one single order so they'll assemble the whole thing for you. (Just double-check with the store first so there's no misunderstanding).

By the way, you can now pair newer Nvidia cards with FreeSync monitors—that tech used to stop screen tearing and stuttering.

If you're shopping for a new monitor, FreeSync is a solid bet. It doesn't really bump up the price much, and it means you aren't locked into one brand anymore; you can grab either Nvidia or AMD without any hassle.

It used to be that Nvidia only played nice with their own G-Sync tech, which meant you had to shell out a lot more for those specific G-Sync monitors.

Look, for the long haul, it doesn't make much of a difference; those CPUs are basically twins. You're looking at maybe a 4-8% performance gap, so there's zero reason to pay extra for a 1600.

As for GPUs, you can pair Nvidia with Ryzen without any issues. They play nice together just fine.

There were some hints that certain Radeon cards might perform slightly better on Ryzen than on Intel, but otherwise, sticking with Ryzen plus either Nvidia or AMD Radeon makes no real difference.

An Nvidia GTX1660 isn't dropping in two weeks, but it should show up in a month or two. It’ll definitely outclass the GTX1060, RX580, or RX590, though it will cost more. Bottom line: if you don't mind waiting and it fits your budget, it should be worth it—assuming we're talking somewhere around 2500-$900.

Basically, you go for the 1600 if the price is significantly lower than the 2600. There used to be a $400 gap $167 between them, but lately, the 2600 has dropped in price while the 1600 is slowly getting phased out.

Both are solid chips. A 6-core/12-thread processor was considered high-end just a few years ago, but now you can pick one up for what used to be the price of an old 4-core/4-thread i5.

@crimsonstag84

Tried searching on the forum using "RX580" without a space. Turns out people list different models both ways.

If that's the case, I'd value the RX590 about $67 more than the RX580. It's roughly 5% faster on average, and the Sapphire nitro is a solid card.
Also, whether those specific games are worth it to the OP is just down to personal preference.

The 2600 is the newer generation, but honestly, it's very similar to the 1600.
It uses a "12nm" process instead of "14nm," but those are minor differences.

The 2600 has slightly higher clocks (3.4/3.9GHz vs 3.2/3.6GHz), better memory support, and a slightly better performance percentage per MHz compared to the 1600. Everything else is basically identical. Both are 6-core/12-thread processors.
Let's say it's maybe 5% better in gaming due to those specs, maybe a bit more. Generally, the 2000 series performs better at stock clocks, so if you aren't overclocking, it's the better move.

The differences aren't massive, but if the price is the same, it's definitely worth it. This is an excellent deal for $450 on the site.

Man, what crimsonstag84 put together is spot on. 👍👍

If you aren't looking to mess around, you should probably aim for 16GB of RAM like crimsonstag84 suggested along with an 8GB card. Just to be safe. Some games are already starting to demand more than 4GB of VRAM—basically more than 8GB of DDR4.

It’s not a massive issue at 1080p right now, but if you ever think about bumping up the resolution, you definitely want that 8GB card.

Personally? I’d grab 8GB of RAM and the 8GB version of the RX580. Adding another 8GB later is a total breeze—just pop the case open and click it into the motherboard. But hey, do whatever works for you.

P.S.
Looks like the future has the Ryzen 5 2600 that crimsonstag84 mentioned for about $450. It's priced the same as the 1600, so that's a killer deal.

P.S.2.

@crimsonstag84 I don't see that XFX version for +$133. Honestly, the cleanest 8GB option is the ASRock for $736.

For $790, they're offering the RX590 nitro which comes bundled with 3 games.

The Sapphire nitro is a better build than the ASRock, and the RX590 is roughly 5-10% faster than the RX580.
Given the price gap, it's mostly worth it, not even counting the free games.

If you can wait a month or two, the Nvidia GTX1160 (or GTX1660, depending on what they end up naming it) should drop around 2500-$900. It’ll be noticeably faster. If you aren't in a rush and the budget allows, that would be the smarter move—even if you go with 2x4GB RAM then.

I've no idea what's going on with Best Buy lately, but you should definitely check their online prices against other retailers.

If you're looking for an SSD for gaming and all that—basically what you said about needing everything on a fast drive—then the MX500 is a solid pick. You don't need anything more powerful than that.

Bottom line: you can't expect to future-proof everything when you're stuck with an old platform, a tight budget, and a 4K monitor.

Within your budget, what I suggested would give you better graphics, and the power supply is actually future-proof, so you won't have to swap it out later.
Of course, you could go another route depending on what's available and where you're shopping.

What kind of games are you playing?

Basically, you need a GPU more than anything else.

For an SSD, I'd grab something a bit cheaper—for example, a Crucial BX500 or MX500. The prices on the 500GB models are great, and they're perfectly fine.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0784SLQM6/...ing=UTF8&psc=1
Just remember, it won't boost your actual gaming performance, just the loading speeds.

You don't need more RAM; 8GB is plenty for what you're doing.

If I were you, I'd go for a GPU plus a power supply.
Like this:
https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Radeo...keywords=rx580

It’s not a 4K card, but it's still a massive jump from what you're running now. You could probably squeeze out some 4K if you drop the settings.

And skip that $130 power supply Alexander Moore67 suggested; that'll eat your whole budget. Go for something like this instead:
https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CX550M...corsair+cx550m

It's semi-modular, so you won't have a mess of cables if you're using a smaller case.

P.S.

That RX580 4GB Alexander Moore67 linked is a steal, and since Amazon sells it directly, you can just order it from the US.
The only thing is it's the 4GB version, so it might struggle at 4K, but honestly, you'll probably have to lower your settings for new games anyway.

Honestly, either one of those two works fine.

crimsonstag84 hooked you up with a better motherboard, so that’s a solid investment right there.

You’ll have to judge for yourself if paying more for the processor is worth getting that extra ~10% performance during heavy CPU tasks.

Personally? I'd go with what crimsonstag84 suggested. That 1700 x is a killer deal, and with that better board, you won't have any issues upgrading to the 3000 series down the road.

👍👍

Solid combo.

Only if you're obsessed with CPU performance. If the processor is going to be the bottleneck for whatever this rig is actually doing, then dropping an extra 10-15% just to get a 10% speed boost isn't a bad call.

+ Also, not sure if the improved RAM support on the 2000 series makes a real difference. It's got a better memory controller, but how does that actually play out with 16-32GB of high-speed RAM?

fadedorca66 said:I can't believe Best Buy is asking $3000 for that junk. It’s barely worth 4 bucks. I guess you should probably wait until someone builds you something decent instead of rushing out to grab that.

It's not quite as bad as saying it's only worth 4, but some of the specs are completely wrong and totally unoptimized.
For example, putting an H310 motherboard—which is basic entry-level stuff—with an 8700K processor is a massive mistake. Plus, they don't even mention what kind of cooler they paired with the 8700K. Honestly, there's almost a 100% chance that CPU is going to throttle, whether it's because of heat or just lacking enough power.

That pre-built from Best Buy isn't ideal. For multitasking, an 8700K won't give you any real edge over an Intel Core, it just pulls more power. Plus, the PSU is a total mystery—it just says 500W. You can definitely pick better components.

The setup in the Future

A future great SSD with a 5-year warranty, 32GB of RAM, and a decent semi-modular PSU.

The CPU has 8 cores and 16 threads, comes with a perfectly fine cooler, and honestly, you don't even need to overclock this Ryzen 7 2700 xX. The boost clock is plenty good on its own.
If you want to save some cash, grab the standard 2700 instead, spend the difference on an extra cooler, and overclock it yourself.

The platform has staying power. You'll have room to upgrade to newer generations later, likely when they drop those 12 or 16-core chips for this same socket.

You could cut costs on the case, the GPU, or the SSD (though I’d still suggest going with an NVMe SSD if it fits your budget, since this one is a future great SSD).

What Kimberly Gomez34 told you is spot on.

With that platform, you can actually upgrade to a newer generation CPU later ON if you really need to.

TR4 is definitely the beefier platform, but for gaming plus multitasking? It doesn't make much sense. You only grab that stuff for the extra PCIe lanes, quad-channel memory, and those massive 12-32 core processors available right now.
To run quad-channel, you're looking at 4x8GB sticks, which isn't necessary for gaming. You won't see any real benefit from quad-channel since dual-channel is plenty. Better to stick with dual-channel using higher clock speeds that pair well with AMD Ryzen to keep internal latency low—ideally 3000-3200MHz.
For pure gaming, even though it’s overkill, the AM4 platform will generally give you higher clocks and is just better tuned for gaming.
The 2700 or 2700X are actually slightly better for gaming than a Threadripper.

I think what Kimberly Gomez34 wrote is the best advice here. Save the rest of your cash for now, then worry about a CPU upgrade later (if you even need one) and a GPU upgrade (which you'll definitely need sooner or later).

As for the motherboard and cooler, you could go with the ASUS ROG Crosshair Hero and a Noctua NH-D15. That's basically the gold standard right now, and they'll last you a long time.

I'm running an NH-D14 (slightly smaller than the NH-D15) on an Intel Core i7 920. That thing is a 130W stock CPU, and since mine is overclocked, it probably pulls closer to 200W. Even under full load during a stress test, temps don't cross 80C with the fans set at 800RPM. It's dead silent. At max speed, temps drop even more and the fans stay quiet.

Gaming never draws as much power as a stress test does. This is just the worst-case scenario using a CPU from 2008 that pulls twice the power of anything you'd put in an AM4 build.