Greetings. I find myself pondering whether picking up last year's model of the Dell Alienware m15 still constitutes a sound investment if one is merely aiming for mid-range settings during gameplay. My son is heading off to college soon, and he’s expressed an interest in playing a few rounds of CS, Destiny, or similar titles whenever he finds a spare moment between his studies. We already have a decent rig at home for high-end gaming, so this would strictly be a secondary device—something for those rare instances when he actually has the luxury of free time. We’ve been looking at a specific Dell Alienware m15 82B500ATSC, featuring a 15.6" 1920x1080 display at 120Hz, powered by an Intel Core 5 4600H, with a 1TB + 256GB SSD/256GB SSD combo, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, priced at roughly $400.
It certainly doesn't have to be a Dell; I am quite open to other brands as long as the machine serves him well for his coursework and provides that occasional outlet for gaming. Our budget ceiling would be around $2333, though we could potentially stretch a few hundred dollars more if the value is truly there.
I have just one more question left, though I suppose I'm really just looking for some perspective here. We were recently eyeing those new Nvidia RTX 3070 cards, but frankly, after seeing the price tags, I've come to the conclusion that they are simply out of our reach right now. Now, I am fully aware that every new generation brings its own set of technological leaps, but I find it hard to believe that older hardware, like a 2070 or a 2080, suddenly became obsolete overnight.
I am genuinely curious about what kind of performance jump I would actually experience if I jumped from a GTX 1070 up to a 2070—which I’ve seen popping up on eBay for somewhat reasonable amounts lately. In your estimation, what would constitute a "fair" price for such an upgrade?
Take this specific listing, for instance: EVGA RTX 2070 [still under warranty for 2 years] for $1200.
I suspect things won't resolve quite as swiftly regarding the graphics card situation.
It’s most likely the monitor. The rest of the budget was mostly tied up in parts, and a buddy of mine who specializes in custom PC builds actually threw a bit of a tantrum over the whole ultra-wide monitor trend. In our experience, though, the sweet spot for most people seems to be around 27 inches. We were looking at this one:
Those larger displays end up being significantly more expensive, which is always a headache.
Speaking of which, since you're clearly in the loop, do you happen to have any personal recommendations for a solid monitor?
Just like those little nuggets of wisdom you're always tossing around!
It turns out that patience, though often a virtue we dismiss in this frantic, hyper-accelerated age, was actually worth the wait.
I suspect we’re about to find ourselves biting off a significantly larger chunk than we originally anticipated. While I suspect that tracking down a decent Samsung Odyssey Monitor will eventually become a relatively trivial errand, the sheer, unmitigated audacity of current graphics card pricing is frankly exhausting. It feels like every time I turn around, the cost of a GPU has climbed another steep mountain, making the whole endeavor feel less like a hobby and more like a slow drain on one's life savings.
As I promised, I'm checking back in now that we have everything finally dialed in.
Honestly, looking back, making this investment was absolutely worth it because the whole system is running phenomenally. It is genuinely jarring—almost difficult to wrap your head around—just how lightning-fast software uninstalls and installs these days.
When it comes to the actual gaming experience, my son's initial reactions were basically: "Oh my god!" And then just: "I can't believe this."
The bottom line is that he says everything feels significantly smoother and much more responsive. In those titles where he used to sit there staring at loading screens—think Sid Meier's Civilization, Grand Theft Auto, or even Neuromancer—they practically launch instantly now. Well, except for that very first initial load, of course. And regarding Counter-Strike, he claims his FPS has essentially tripled. The next step on our roadmap is tracking down a decent monitor, which might happen by summer, and eventually upgrading to a beefier graphics card.
It’s officially ordered. My only lingering concern, though, is that I can't find any mention of whether a CPU cooler is actually included with that processor or if I'm going to be left stranded without one.
Oh, absolutely. Perhaps that really is the most sensible way to play it.
This build from Micro Center looks pretty solid to me. They’re offering free shipping and a full 36-month warranty, which is quite something. And since I’m not exactly the type of person who swaps out hardware every other weekend, opting for the Ryzen 5 5600 seems like a perfectly justifiable move.
I appreciate all the advice provided here.
Once we get everything assembled and fired up, I'll be sure to check back in and let you know how it performs.
Now, I find myself wondering—would anyone be so kind as to offer a recommendation for a decent monitor that wouldn't break the bank, or would it be more prudent to simply exercise some discipline and wait until I've managed to scrape together enough cash once again?
It’s gone. Completely vanished into thin air. I was staring at the screen just yesterday afternoon, and I swear on my life, it was sitting right there, ready to be snatched up. I haven't the slightest clue what kind of operation that retailer is running over there, but apparently, they've already hiked the price up to $2,900, which is just absolutely preposterous.
Honestly, it isn't as if I'm in some desperate rush to drop cash right this second. I can certainly afford to sit tight for a little while longer.
I happened to spot the most budget-friendly processor available for $840, and frankly, it’s starting to look like a decent enough option.
The grand plan—if you can call it that—is to circle back in the fall or perhaps even early next year to pick up a GPU like an RTX 3070 along with a high-refresh 144Hz monitor capable of handling 4K resolution. Because of that, we aren't exactly looking to skimp on the motherboard or the RAM; we need things to hold up later.
So, if anyone has any solid recommendations heading in that direction, I'm all ears.
Greetings to everyone here. It seems we have finally reached a consensus that we are definitely pulling the trigger on the Ryzen 5 5600X. So far, I’ve only seen those rather underwhelming, understated teasers for the Ryzen 5 5600.
This bundle is currently sitting at Best Buy for $434.99.
We have the funds set aside for this, so I find myself wondering what your thoughts are regarding these specific components and whether that price point actually holds water?
wiredotter14 said:Look, the Intel Core i5-10400F is undeniably a solid value proposition and would serve a GTX 1070 quite adequately, but attempting to compare the "bang for buck" ratio of an Intel Core i5-10400F against a Ryzen 5 5600X—which costs nearly twice as much and offers significantly more muscle—is a bit of a stretch. If it were my rig, I’d personally lean toward the Ryzen 5 5600X (or perhaps just wait for the 5600 to drop) because you end up with a remarkably futureproof platform that won't leave you scrambling for an upgrade in two years. That NVIDIA GTX 1070 still holds its own at 1080p, and honestly, even pushes through 1440p reasonably well. Had you mentioned you were stuck with some ancient, bottom-tier GPU, I’d have told you to grab the Intel Core i5-10400F and put the savings toward a better card, but that isn't the case here. Ultimately, there isn't much of a logical middle ground between the Intel Core i5-10400F and the Ryzen 5 5600X.
This perspective aligns much more closely with my own internal monologue regarding this build. It isn't that I'm opposed to spending $433 less, per se, but I find myself increasingly drawn to the Ryzen 5 5600X. My plan is to sit tight until the 5600 finally makes its appearance on the market—assuming it actually does—and then I'll make my final call on which one to pull the trigger on. Thanks for the input, everyone. Truly appreciated.
Timothy Kim60 said:An older R9 isn't necessarily going to outperform a modern R7 when it comes to gaming, nor is an R7 likely to beat an R5, simply because every single new architecture brings faster per-core speeds—and games absolutely crave that single-core velocity alongside a decent core count (though, let's be honest, we haven't seen a CPU actually pegged at 100% utilization across all cores in a game for years now).
Think of it this way: the Ryzen 5 5600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, performs surprisingly close to last generation's 8-core, 16-thread beast, the Ryzen 7 3700X, when you look at multi-threaded workloads—and since games aren't really those types of heavy lifters, the math changes. As noted in that Linus Tech Tips review I watched recently, the Ryzen 7 3700X probably won't ever outpace the 5600X in actual gameplay; if it does, it’ll be some weird outlier in the distant future, whereas in 99% of scenarios, the 5600X is going to be the winner. You have to factor in that entire window of time where the 5600X will consistently reign supreme.
But honestly, obsessing over CPU speeds at this tier is a bit of a fool's errand unless you're pairing it with a high-end GPU, which these days start at around $2333... If you're looking strictly at pure value, the Intel Core i5-10400F is currently the absolute best bang-for-your-buck at $433, and frankly, I'd suggest dumping whatever money you save into a better graphics card instead. But then again, everything hinges on what your total budget looks like in the end.
Do you think the Ryzen 5 5600X is overkill for this specific GPU? What would you actually recommend if I wanted a genuine upgrade?
Yes. To me, that seems like the only truly rational way to look at the whole situation. I suspect I shall be forced to exercise a bit more patience and wait for a while longer before making any definitive moves. I appreciate the counsel, and as Timothy Kim60 so aptly pointed out, we shall touch base once again just before I pull the trigger on this purchase.
Thanks for all the input and advice. My budget is actually going to be quite a bit higher than we initially discussed, likely landing somewhere between $5,000 and $5,500. A few of my buddies have been running Cyberpunk 2077 on this current setup and they seem generally satisfied, though they do mention it stutters just a tiny bit every now and then. The master plan right now is to swap out the processor, motherboard, and RAM, while the subsequent phase involves picking up a new monitor and a much beefier graphics card. If you think the Ryzen 5 5600X isn't much of an upgrade, or if you feel like the Ryzen 7 3700X is overpriced and overkill for what I need, I’d honestly rather just take that extra cash and put it toward something else entirely. And since things are finally starting to quiet down for a while, giving me some breathing room from constant upgrades, I figured it was a good time to ask about the Ryzen 9.
Thanks. Naturally, we’re going to sit on our hands just a little longer, primarily because you suggested we wait to see how the market reacts once that R5 5600 finally hits the shelves. It’s better to be cautious, isn't it? If I may ask, purely out of a sense of restless curiosity... To my amateur, unrefined eyes, it always seemed as though an R9 would simply overpower an R5 by virtue of its tier. So, my internal logic was leaning toward grabbing an older generation R9 instead. I don't hold any particular allegiance to either Intel or AMD; I've owned both at various points in my life, so I'm not swayed by brand loyalty. But tell me, where does a powerhouse like the i9 even fit into this entire equation?
Honestly, I have absolutely no regrets about refusing to throw money down the drain on things that don't matter.
Good grief, I completely missed the fact that the Ryzen 5 5600X has dipped below $2,700—I mean, I know prices fluctuate wildly, but seeing those numbers move like that caught me totally off guard.
I’ve been sitting here, nursing my coffee and staring at spreadsheets, weighing the possibility that perhaps I should just bite the bullet and opt for an eight-core processor after all.