It’s not quite on par with the 3600; you can definitely see a gap in pure CPU performance— CLICK Sure, it's still a powerhouse, but it doesn't hit the same levels as the 3600. The iGPU just had to take a slice of the pie, I guess 🙂
wiredotter14 said:I’d personally grab an AMD B450 with four slots and pair it with a used GPU because: - you’ve got room for a CPU upgrade later - you can just toss in two more sticks of RAM if you start with 2x4GB
But look, if upgrading isn't on the table, then 1x8GB on an A320 is fine. You can always add another 8GB down the line. Otherwise, I'm with you on the GTX 1050 Ti—honestly, don't waste your money there. Better to stretch the budget for a 1650 Super or hunt down a used AMD Radeon RX 580 that still has some warranty left. Or, if you're feeling reckless, buy something dirt cheap with zero warranty and just say "screw it" if it dies. Those games will run on a GTX 950 too. The only exception is if you're aiming for an AMD FreeSync monitor; then you either go Nvidia GTX 1000 series or newer, or stick with an AMD card.
👍
fadedorca66 said:Why not just throw in an APU? I guess he really went all out on this one, maybe.
Because you can fit a decent gaming rig (with a new or used GPU) within this exact budget. I wouldn't cripple my graphics if I can squeeze in an RX580-tier card and a 6C/12T CPU.
But for shits and giggles:
CPU AMD Ryzen 5 Pro 4650G tray + Wraith Stealth cooler, s. AM4 ASRock B450M Steel Legend, AM4 DDR4 16GB (2x8) G.Skill 3000MHz AEGIS C16, F4-3000C16D-16GISB Kingston SSD 480GB A400 2.5" SATA, SA400S37/480G Zalman Z1 NEO Midi Tower Black EVGA 500W Power Supply, PPA5004901
Total: $1224 Best Buy
By the way, the Steel Legend is $227 available at Best Buy, which is a killer price for this tier. This setup will handle older titles quite well, and maybe even some slightly newer ones. However, it’s still incomparably weaker than any dedicated GPU solution. The only perk here is getting a better foundation for the platform and some room for upgrades. This build is basically just waiting for an RTX 3060 or 3070 to drop in.
Even if not everyone wants to plan for an upgrade a few hundred bucks down the line, it's something to keep in mind.
That’s an option, sure. But my point is that dropping $367 on a 1050Ti in 2020 is just insane... Basically, for this budget, you might top out at something like a Gigabyte B450M Pro4 or a DS3H, mainly because having 4 RAM slots is a plus. Beyond that, there isn't much of a massive upgrade available; nobody is going to squeeze an MSI Tomahawk into a $1233 budget anyway. Plus, they definitely won't be overclocking.
If I were buying a used GPU, I'd only touch it if it came with at least a six-month warranty. Otherwise, you're basically buying a pig in a poke. For instance, I picked up a used AMD Radeon RX 580 last year, and the warranty expired back in January. Lately, I've been seeing artifacts pop up on the screen, so I'm pretty much just waiting for the day it finally dies. If a new card with a full warranty fits within the budget—I'd sacrifice two RAM slots in a heartbeat for that peace of mind.
Fair enough, you win. Having a 2-year warranty on an SSD makes all the difference 🙂 Spending $367 on a card that’s four years old, when for $50 you can get something 60-70% more powerful and brand new—that is the definition of a good deal.
Even if I were playing exclusively Super Mario, I wouldn't touch a 1050Ti in 2020 for that kind of money. With a decent card, at least you have the option to try something actually challenging. He probably mentioned COD2 because he isn't expecting any "wow" gaming experience for this budget. However, it is doable with a 1650S if you're smart about how you put the build together.
Nobody is ever going to notice the difference in a Hard Drive, period. The motherboard is "better"? In what way? Just because it says B450 instead of Intel H110? These are all entry-level boards that basically only differ by having a few extra connectors here or there. If you had at least picked a board with four RAM slots, maybe I'd agree, but as it stands, there is zero real difference.
A "better" motherboard and a faster Hard Drive that won't even feel fast versus a graphics card that’s roughly 60-70% more powerful on average. Tough choice... 🙂
Intel Core i5-7600K box Gigabyte Intel H110 DDR4 8GB (1x8) G.Skill 3000MHz AEGIS , F4-3000C16S-8GISB EVGA 400W Power Supply Kingston Hard Drive 480GB A400 2.5" SATA, SA400S37/480G Palit GTX1650 SUPER StormX OC, 4GB GDDR6, NE6165SS18G1-166F LC-Power LC-7037B-ON, black without PSU, U2, U3 ATX
Total: $1250 gov.us
This should hit right around $550. You've got a GTX 1060 class GPU, a 6-core processor, and half a terabyte of storage. Pretty solid setup for a budget build 🙂
You can't really make a wrong move here, no matter what you pick. In my opinion, the 27" 1440p setup is the sweet spot among these options. It gives you more screen real estate than a standard 24" monitor, and since the pixel density is higher than a 24" 1080p panel, the image quality actually looks sharper than some of those massive 30"+ 1440p displays. If you aren't a hardcore gamer, you could easily grab one of those cheaper 27" 1440p "office" monitors and be perfectly fine. But if you want some actual bells and whistles—like a higher refresh rate and variable sync—then I’d definitely lean toward that 27" AOC model with the 144Hz refresh rate.
Like neonheron9 mentioned, you won't always be hitting over 120FPS in every single title, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have the option to dial back the settings on demanding games just to push that frame rate above 120FPS. As for competitive games—the ones that actually benefit from a high refresh rate—you can easily run them at 150FPS without any issues even at 1440p resolution.
So, the ideal spec list for me would be: 27", 1440p, at least 75Hz, variable sync, and an IPS or VA panel. Just find the cheapest one that hits all those marks and go for it. My initial recommendation was that AOC model (most reviews call it the best value in its class), but like I said, if you stumble upon something cheaper with the exact same specs, grab it.
Personally, I’d never go for those massive monitors for everyday use—you know, just sitting at a desk at a normal distance.
1440p on a 27" looks way sharper than it does on a 32". If you really need an oversized screen, fine, but personally, I think 90% of people would find it overkill for a standard setup. You can get used to it, but I don't think it's worth the hassle. Since he specifically wanted 1080p, I mainly suggested a decent 24" 1080p 75Hz G-Sync monitor. I still maintain that 1440p is a perfect fit for an RTX 3060, provided you don't jump to a screen larger than 30". Again, assuming you're sitting at a standard distance from the monitor.
There just aren't any high-quality 27" 1440p gaming monitors (looking for 75Hz + G-Sync + low input lag) under $667; they're all just basic office displays—that's why I recommended sticking to 24". That 27" AOC model was just an example of what an ideal match for this build might look like.
I wouldn't suggest those components unless I was certain they were solid enough 😬 The cases you mentioned are definitely an upgrade—better build quality, nicer aesthetics, and higher-end materials—but they’ll hit your wallet harder too. The Z1 neo comes with three pre-installed fans, so you won't have to worry about overheating, even if the build quality isn't exactly top-tier. If you really want one of the ones you picked, go for it, just keep in mind the price tag will jump. 🙂
I'd personally steer clear of a 27" 1080p monitor. The pixel density is pretty weak, which makes everything look grainy, especially if you're sitting close to the screen. You're better off going with a high-quality 24" instead, like this: KLIK Ideally, the sweet spot would be a 27" 1440p setup, but that's going to cost quite a bit more: KLIK
Yeah, looking at the budget right now, the RTX 3060 is definitely the best value play. I doubt it’ll stay that way in two or three months, though. Then again, not everyone can afford to just sit around and wait. Regarding how complex graphics get, that's not even a question. The main driver behind graphical evolution is hardware with beefed-up capabilities. It isn't really about the difficulty of creating simulated photorealism; the actual challenge is finding hardware capable of rendering it in real time. And it works the other way, too... Take the legendary Crysis 2007. It came out so demanding that nothing could run it decently. That’s exactly what motivates GPU manufacturers. It's basically a race to see who can grab the market share first. 🙂
Are you sure about that? I find it hard to believe an RTX 3060 could even come close to THESE kinds of performance levels when we're talking about 4K rendering. These are more than impressive results for a card like the RTX 3060.
It's hard to call it regarding the future, especially since we're at a point where a massive wave of newer, more powerful hardware is hitting the market. As hardware evolves, games will naturally become more demanding. Right now, the RTX 3060 is probably your best bang for your buck in this category. The only noticeable jump you could get over the RTX 3060 would be moving up to an RTX 2080 Super, which costs nearly twice as much. That’s why I’m saying if this is your budget—and you don't want to wait another two months—you literally can't do better than this. For performance in current titles, just check out the benchmarks for whatever specific games you care about (for example: CLICK CLICK CLICK), but nobody can tell you for certain how things will run in future titles. If someone claims they know, they have no idea what they're talking about. 🙂
The situation is the same for the processor—the next step up is the 3700X for about $267 more. While the 3600X and 3600XT are technically better than the 3600, it all boils down to a very minor difference since they're essentially the same chips, just paying a few extra bucks for slightly higher clocks and TDP.
My advice? Hold off until something like the RTX 3070 actually hits the shelves here; that would be a significant leap over the RTX 3060. Though, it might take a while before it's actually available at reasonable prices. The MSRP is $500, so roughly $1067, which means once it lands in the US, it'll likely be at least $400 minimum. Generally speaking, this combo will crush anything at 1080p, and it's the sweet spot for 1440p. But VR is a whole different beast because the tech is still evolving. It's a tricky time to be buying with a tight budget if VR is your main goal.
The 2070 Super is decent, though I honestly think Intel has closed the gap significantly with their latest drivers. It’s getting to the point where the 2070S isn't even definitively better anymore -> CLICK You really only see a major difference in Fallout; everything else feels pretty much identical. It definitely isn't worth jumping up in price by $167.
Regarding your budget, I think you've hit the sweet spot
A stronger GPU for VR won't fit within this budget. If you don't mind waiting another month or two, the market should shift quite a bit, and you'll probably be able to get much better gear for the same amount of money.
She mentioned those specific programs along with the Adobe suite. I didn't dig too deep into the details since I don't really follow all this stuff myself. Honestly, given the budget we're working with, it probably doesn't matter exactly which software version we pick—we're aiming for a practical, no-nonsense solution regardless.
To be honest, I have no clue how much she actually knows about it. 🙂
What you suggested is way too complicated. She’s looking for something basically plug&play. She isn't some IT expert who's going to build out a whole GPU farm over a LAN; she just wants to run the Adobe suite. 😁 Honestly, I think with a 3080, everything will fly, and the setup won't be a headache. I’m definitely going to tell her to hold off on buying anything until the 3080 is actually available here. If it doesn't fit the budget, we'll just shift the money from the monitor over to the 3080.
Kuzim, I’ll suggest Octane to her if she thinks she can actually make use of it. The main reason I included that monitor was because I saw it in person once—the image quality was incredible—plus a buddy of mine who does professional photo editing raved about it. Most reviews seem to back that up, too.
Once I find out when the 3080 arrives here in the States, I might just pivot my budget toward the 3080 instead and grab a cheaper monitor like the one you suggested.
I'm still not quite following what you mean by an "Nvidia mid-range farm"? Are you talking about running multiple GPUs in SLI since Octane handles them so efficiently?
EDIT: Best Buy says the 3000 series should be available by late October or early November. 😵
To be honest, I'm not going to pretend I know the first thing about 3D modeling—beyond messing around with Python and some parametric modeling in Pyvist—so I'll take any advice you've got if you actually know your stuff. A mid-range Nvidia farm? Using Octane?
I already mentioned the software she uses, though I'm not sure if she's looking to switch things up. Given that, what kind of monitor would actually make sense here?
The Taichi is way too pricey. Honestly, the VRM and phase regulation on the Tomahawk are top-tier, right up there with high-end offerings—actually, according to some tests, it even outperforms the Taichi. -> CLICK As for extra slots and stuff, I don't see myself ever needing them, so the price gap just isn't worth it to me.
Regarding the monitor, I know it’s probably one of the best out there for this specific setup, so I just went with it without overthinking things too much.
This Patriot is a PCIe 4.0 SSD, which puts it in a different league compared to the Samsung 970. The 980 Pro that just came out is also PCIe 4.0, though it hasn't hit the shelves here yet (which wouldn't surprise me if it ends up being twice the price). In reality, there isn't a huge difference in real-world usage (yet), mostly because software isn't fully optimized to take advantage of those PCIe 4.0 speeds, so this feels more like an investment for the future than anything else.
I could probably spring for 3600MHz RAM for a few extra bucks, and since I'm running a Ryzen, I’ll likely end up doing that. 👍
And for the GPU, definitely... I'm just not sure when they'll actually be available here? The 3080 will probably be around ~$2333, and the 3070 hasn't even launched in the USA yet, so it'll be at least another month before we see them.