Fresh from my own experience—the real question isn't what we suggest, it's whether you can actually find it in stock. Online retailers aren't keeping their sites updated like they used to, plus there’s a general hardware shortage (both older stock and new arrivals haven't hit the shelves in meaningful quantities).
Would you (or someone you know) be able to put together a custom build by picking out individual components?
If I were in your shoes, I'd spend my time refreshing Best Buy looking for a Gainward or Palit RTX 3060Ti for $1300. Check back several times a day, and the second you see it—grab it. Once it arrives, let me know, and then we can build out the rest of the rig around it to make it as high-end as possible.
Generally speaking, this is the strongest path for gaming within that budget. Based on what is currently available:
There aren't any massive hardware sales happening right now, aside from SSDs, since their prices are constantly dropping while capacities keep climbing. Honestly, whether you wait or buy now, you're basically looking at the same outcome.
What kind of budget are we actually looking at here?
Things have definitely gotten more expensive lately because of supply shortages, though some budget-friendly options like the i3 10100f still sit below $233
Another route is to grab a 4c8t Xeon from overseas via sites like eBay or AliExpress for next to nothing (we're talking under $167), then pick up two 8GB DDR3 sticks for your board. Your motherboard's official website should have a CPU support list—just cross-reference that with Intel Arc to see which ones offer 4 cores and 8 threads.
That setup would be solid enough to run modern titles and actually let you tap into the full potential of your RX 580, since right now you're leaving performance on the table. Let's be real, though: even with an upgrade, you won't be cranking max settings and high FPS in heavy hitters like RDR2
boldharbor7, honestly, paying that much for an R5 3600 just doesn't make sense... Plus, that AsRock Challenger is just a basic, entry-level cooler; it’s definitely not cutting it for a 5700XT. Look, my advice? Stick with Intel. You aren't losing any gaming performance, and you'll walk away with extra cash in your pocket for an RTX 3060Ti. Just don't get ripped off—keep an eye on the Links for something around $3,900-$1333
It's a strange market right now, but Intel and Nvidia are actually the more budget-friendly and practical moves. 😁
Lawrence Garcia89 said:What kind of place is this for shopping? ADM. I see they have great prices and even some AMD gpu stock arrived.
Just watch out so you don't get screwed over; the real question is whether they actually have the stock. When those new items show up, they often just plan to get them, and they don't even update the website regarding availability.
Forget about hunting for used i7s around town. You’re either looking at an Intel Xeon from overseas or just going with something brand new.
If you check the CPU support list here https://www.asus.com/supportonly/B85M-K/HelpDesk_CPU/, your best bet is hitting up AliExpress to hunt for an Intel Xeon E3-1230 v3 or whatever else fits the budget, provided they offer free shipping. Just make sure to double-check on Intel Ark that you're actually getting a 4-core, 8-thread processor, and verify that the free shipping applies to the US. Most importantly, ensure it says V3 at the end so it actually works with the 1150 socket.
Next step—if you decide to go the used route—grab some 8GB of DDR3, and then you can probably squeeze in something like an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super. I saw some used ones listed on eBay $400 that even came with a one-year warranty. Otherwise, brand new cards are running closer to $667 . Honestly, going the used route is strictly about "resurrecting" an old rig. It isn't going to handle modern AAA titles smoothly for very long before you start seeing major stuttering.
I honestly don't think there's any point in chasing the Intel Core i5-9600K anymore; they've started getting way too $667 expensive. If you're building right now, aiming for an Intel Core i5-10400F is definitely the way to go. Prices have been hovering around $383 lately, or roughly $433 these days. Pair it with a solid B460 motherboard—just steer clear of AsRock on the LGA1200 socket—and grab some 3000MHz 2x8GB RAM. You can find decent boards for about 800-$300; the main thing is ensuring you can run faster RAM and that if you ever decide to upgrade to an i7 or i9 down the road, you won't melt the board 😁 and actually get the performance boost you need.
The problem is, from what I've seen in a few cases, half of what's listed online isn't actually in stock (specifically at places like Best Buy or Micro Center). Giving advice feels pretty futile when we don't know what's actually on the shelves; they don't update their sites and end up suggesting weird alternatives to customers. For example, they claim to have an MSI B460 in stock, but then you show up and it's nowhere to be found...
Also, by saving some cash on the CPU, you'll have enough left over for an NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti. I've noticed Palit cards pop up on Links for $1300 every couple of days, maybe just a few units at a time. I know several people who've snagged one (both here on the forums and in real life), so just keep a close eye on their page and order the second you see it. Though, if you're planning on sticking to 1080p at 60Hz, you probably won't even need it.
A few years back, I struggled to move a PC worth even $100 for two whole months, despite having landed what was easily the best deal in the entire state for that price point.
The reality is simple: there just isn't any demand for low-end gear. Sure, if you're selling in a major hub like NYC, you might get more inquiries, but people are still going to lowball you on the price.
The links showed an RTX 3070 - $1633 and $1667 if I remember correctly. One was a Gigabyte Windforce model (the cheaper option), and I can't quite recall the other one, though I think it was an Asus
Comparing 4K TN to 1080p IPS is like comparing apples to oranges—they are worlds apart.
If you're planning to use Adobe Photoshop, you absolutely need an IPS panel. Your main decision will really just be whether you want a 24" 1080p setup, a 27" 1440p model, or a larger 32" screen.
For what it's worth, this particular model has been a solid budget pick for quite some time:https://www.nabava.net/search.php?q=Samsung Monitor
It’s worth every penny for basic use, but if you require high color accuracy for professional design work, then $667 falls far short of the premium options on the market.
If you're willing to spend a little more, try this:
That said, if your main goal is gaming, you'll get much more bang for your buck by grabbing an i3-10100F and putting whatever budget is left toward a beefier used GPU. Going the i5 plus GT 1030 route means you're paying nearly as much for the CPU as you would for a Ryzen, yet you aren't gaining any real speed from a dedicated card. In my opinion, it’s just a terrible value proposition.
It’s middle-of-the-road—neither great nor awful. If they actually have them in stock (the listing says they do), then it's an option. The cooler seems solid based on the reviews I've seen.
Yeah, regarding those APUs being sold—they aren't officially released for retail stores; they're strictly intended for OEM channels. Honestly, the manufacturers should have been much clearer about what these chips are actually capable of and where their limits lie.
Are you talking about the RTX 3060 Ti? They’re basically out of stock as of today.
That price is just wishful thinking. With demand this high, those numbers aren't going to happen—prices are being pumped up, and supply is going to be tight for a while.
Keep in mind, MSRP is listed for the USA, whereas over there they show prices without sales tax. To get a realistic idea of what we'd actually pay, take the USD amount, convert it to Euros, and then tack on an extra 25% to account for tax. That would give you a much closer estimate. If things were actually normal—but they definitely aren't right now.
It’s a bit of a confusing mess. If you try searching Google for a BIOS for the Ryzen 4000 series—specifically for a 4650G on a B450 board—you end up getting results for Zen 3 instead. It feels like they skipped a beat by branding them as the 5000 series, even though the 4000 APUs are actually based on Zen 2 architecture.
To make matters worse, almost every reviewer out there was testing with X570 chipsets. You don't see many home users running these because the 4000 APUs were primarily designed for OEM machines, which means finding actual user feedback online is nearly impossible.
Anyway, I saw some discussions on Reddit claiming people just slotted them straight into B450 boards. I even saw some random guy on YouTube who bought a B450, this specific APU, and some DDR4 RAM, then just plugged everything in and it worked perfectly. This happened right at launch when BIOS support wasn't even certain yet. It turns out that as long as the motherboard has a Zen 2 BIOS, it should work since the architecture is identical, even if these specific chips aren't explicitly listed on the official support pages (much like those XT scams).