Posts by Robert Rodriguez2

Paul Williams11 said:Thoughts on this build?

1. MSI X470 gaming M7 AC, 7B77-001R, AM4
2. AMD Ryzen 7 2700 x, 3.70GHz, 16MB Cache, s.AM4, YD270XBGAFBOX
3. DDR4 32GB (2x16GB) PC4-25600U 3200MHz CL16 Corsair Vengeance LPX black, CMK32GX4M2B3200C16
4. Palit GTX1060 StormX 6G, 6GB GDDR5, 192-bit, 1708/2000MHz, NE51060015J9F
5. Fractal Design Define R6 Black TG, TIP C, USB-C, FD-CA-DEF-R6C-BK-TGL
6. Corsair TX650M, ATX 2.4, CP-9020130-EU
7. Samsung 970 EVO PLUS M.2, Read: 3500MB/s, Write: 3200MB/s, Samsung MZ-V7S500BW

The PC is for work. I need it to last 5 or 6 years without needing an upgrade.
Any compatibility issues here?
Thanks.

That PSU is massive overkill for this setup. If it were me, I'd swap the r2700 for something cheaper, grab a basic case and a more reasonable power supply, then put that extra cash toward storage—maybe a 1TB SATA SSD alongside the M.2.

I'm not about to sit around waiting for some Ryzen 5 and GTX 1070 build to show up, I'd have spent half my paycheck by then haha

Keith Nguyen7 said:There’s zero chance that fits in a microtower. You need specific cards built for those small cases because the slots themselves are shorter than standard ones. Those specialty cards usually cost way more, so you're better off just finding a decent case and moving everything over.
That's basically the whole problem with those office mini towers. Upgrades are always hit a wall because of the space. I ran into this exact mess recently and just swapped the motherboard and everything into a regular case I had lying around.

Don't talk nonsense... it's a standard microATX case. Normal cards like a PowerColor Radeon RX Series will fit in there just fine.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:View on imgur
What’s this actually worth?

It's listed under services, but the guy wants $500 and looks like he'll settle for $1300. Seems overpriced to me.

Just jumping in here—this guy already dumped his old gear for $500 because the hardware was shot...🙂😠

View on imgur
What would you guys value this at?

The listing is under services, but this guy is looking for $500 and seems like he'll try to lowball me down to $1,300. Seems way overpriced to me.

Ashley Chase92 said:One more thing—can I install Windows 7 on an SSD? Windows 10 is driving me insane, so I’d rather just go back to 7 if it actually works.

You won't find any supported drivers for that laptop on 7. It's easier to just tweak the Windows 10 Start menu since it's clearly what's bugging you; everything else feels basically the same as 7 anyway.

Just grab Classic Shell and you'll have that old-school Start menu back.

:

crimsonstag84 said:Samsung 870 EVO 250GB - $122

Look at this nonsense. A year ago, I dropped $150 on a 120GB drive 🤣

Bryan Hughes96 said:Cheers

The PC my son uses for gaming has a Core i5-6400, and a lot of newer titles are flagging the CPU as insufficient.

Anyone have a suggestion for an upgrade that actually makes a difference?

Thanks

Best,

Specs: Core i5-6400

16 GB DDR4 RAM
Asrock B150 Gaming K4
GeForce GTX 1050 Ti

Don't take those in-game performance warnings too seriously.
That rig is plenty for both old and new games. Depending on what you're playing, you can easily run things on medium or even high settings.

Larry Ortiz5 said:Intel is in my blood 😁 and I can't help it. Honestly, I was looking at that RAM and a similar motherboard too. Not sure if I should pull the trigger yet, but I know I'd have peace of mind for years... plus, I could sell this i5 4670k, the Gigabyte Z87-HD3, and 8 gigs of RAM to recoup some cash..

intel fanboy lol

So you're really gonna drop an extra couple hundred bucks just for a tiny bump in performance?

Personally, I'd rather grab a Ryzen 7 1700 or a 2700 for that kind of money.

Adam Williams2 said:I'm thinking along the same lines, actually looking at grabbing something like this

http://prntscr.com/ljkosf

That’s about $7,200 cash, or $7,700 on credit. By skipping the GPU right now, I’m saving roughly $600, which covers that monitor we talked about earlier.🤷

I can always pick up a card later if I need more muscle. It's not a big deal.🤷 😁

Look, kids play Fortnite, COD, and FIFA on consoles these days. A GPU is never going to be "perfect," but my goal isn't high-end graphics—it's stability. I just don't want the system stuttering. If you get what I mean. Watching them try to play on this old Acer laptop is painful; everything freezes constantly, even on low settings. I just want to avoid that. If crimsonstag84's build provides smooth, lag-free gameplay, then that's the one. I'll pull the trigger on it immediately.😁

Keep in mind a desktop and a laptop at the same price point aren't even in the same league; the desktop wins every time. As for smoothness? You won't have an issue there. Honestly, if anything causes trouble, it'll probably be a weak Wi-Fi connection rather than the PC itself.

Adam Williams2 said:I'm looking at the same setup myself. Thinking about pulling the trigger on this combo.

http://prntscr.com/ljkosf

That’s roughly $7,200 cash, or $7,700 on credit. Skipping the GPU saves me about $600—just enough to grab that monitor we talked about earlier.🤷

The graphics card is an easy fix later. Buy a better one tomorrow if I need to.🤷 😁

Seems right to me. You don't even need a separate CPU cooler unless you're pushing it too hard. Those Ryzen 1600 and 2600 chips come with decent coolers that'll handle stock speeds just fine.

Adam Williams2 said:What if I ditch this expensive GPU, grab a bigger SSD instead, and just take the graphics card from crimsonstag84's build? Would that still work?

Then once I actually have some cash and need the power, I'll just swap in a better card. 🤷

My current laptop only has 8GB of RAM and I'm stuck with it for two years, so I figure doubling up on the desktop is the smarter move. As for the SSD, I just know it's faster than an old-school hard drive; I don't really know anything else about them.😁

Adam Williams2, just take crimsonstag84's setup but swap that 240GB SSD for a 500GB one. That’s it. Anything more is overkill for kids. Down the road when they grow up and want to play something heavy, you can just pop in a new CPU or GPU without touching the rest of the rig.

You guys are forgetting that we're talking about kids who don't need anything more than an RX 580 and a Ryzen 5 1600/2600 to run stuff at 1080p...

Everything they actually need can be had for less than the original budget. I’d honestly just grab an RX 580 now, then swap it for something similar in that same tier in three years once the warranty runs out.

wiredotter14 said:That i3 8100 is a total joke for that price.

$600For a motherboard and CPU combo, you're looking at pure entry-level junk.

Instead of an i3 which is just a 4core/4thread CPU, grab an AMD Ryzen 1600 or 1600X—you get 6core/12thread instead.

https://www.newegg.com/p/ryzen+1600

Pair it with a B350 or B450 board for about $200.

Now that's a real upgrade. Staying on an i3 isn't even worth mentioning.

As for the GPU, your best bet is hunting down used gear. Aim for at least an RX580 8GB or a GTX 1060 6GB, or just stick with what you have.
Truth is, that R9 280 x isn't much worse than the GTX 1050 you mentioned.

I'm with him on the Ryzen 5 1600 or 1600x plus a decent B350/B450 board.

Regarding the GPU, like wiredotter14 said, find something used with a warranty.

Timothy Kim60 said:AMD Radeon RX 580

If we grab it through this site for $230, it's finally affordable for us. $539

Pretty decent deal... I just hate the way it looks. 🕺

Nicole Garcia43 said:Ugh, just like that... all that self-confidence I spent the last two weeks building up? Gone. Just completely evaporated...😬

Yeah, that’s exactly why I went along with it. Especially since I'm pinning my hopes on the little one taking over all the future upgrades... ☕

Yeah, maybe we actually *will* end up needing an optical drive after all. Then again, I've got one on my home laptop, so maybe I can just skip it for now... I'll have to sleep on it and give it some more thought.

Then there were those folks on the forum who just couldn't catch a break... 😁

I honestly don't know. I might just grab an option for around $50 through some software deals sites. I still need to do more digging. Then again, I'd like to think eBay wouldn't be messing around with anything illegal.

Software deals has a lifetime offer for $233 regarding Office 2016, but honestly, checking with my school sounds like a much better plan.

Thanks.

Friendly advice: if you aren't planning on running a business or a freelance gig from that rig, just cut corners on the software—like Windows and Office. You'll save nearly $300.

If it's just a home PC for school and gaming, nobody's coming to audit your license. I'd bet 90% of people here aren't even running an original OS.

Also, I'd go with the Smartic build. It's a solid balance, has a decent upgrade path for both the CPU and the GPU, so the PC stays relevant for years. 😁

Arthur Bishop24 said:Which one of these power supplies should I grab?

https://www.newegg.com/p/750w-gold.html

or

https://www.newegg.com/gold&results=6

People on Newegg swear by Seasonic, but a buddy of mine who mines crypto says Fortron is unbeatable.

Seasonic... biggest player globally... they make the highest quality units.👍

Bradley Lewis59 said:Yeah, you need it. I once tried staring at a 30Hz screen and it was pure torture.

I was dead inside for the first month after swapping from a 75Hz CRT to a 60Hz LCD... eventually got used to it.😁

Arthur Bishop24 said:Thanks for the advice.

So, if I'm getting this right, Ryzen is basically the better all-arounder compared to Intel?

Exactly. Like the new guy said, with AMD, you aren't constantly looking over your shoulder for hardware failures. You can actually buy a new motherboard years down the line. Intel isn't like that—they swap out platforms every single year, which pretty much kills any chance of finding a compatible board if something breaks in two or three years.

Timothy Kim60 said:Kingston SSD 480GB A400 $212

Cooler Master case MasterCase 5 - $183

It’d be nice if Fractal cases were priced lower $167 👍