Advice for buying a gaming PC!

Man, that’s pretty rough for $2333 😬 I’d probably go with an AMD Ryzen 5 1600 box and an EVGA GTX 1060 FTW, plus a much better motherboard, I guess.

crimsonstag84 said:Umm, that's terrible for $2333 😬 I'd go with an AMD Ryzen 5 1600 box and an EVGA GTX 1060 FTW on a better motherboard, obviously.

Haha, I told him the same thing—to wait, because it seemed off to me too. 🙂 Please, if you have a moment, put something together for under $700? He needs to save enough for a keyboard and a monitor. Apparently, his old laptop died, so he has to buy everything from scratch.

ASUS Prime B350M-A motherboard, AM4 socket, ready for Ryzen.
Maybe an AMD Ryzen 5 1600 box, 3.2GHz, 16MB, on the AM4 platform?
I guess I’m looking at a 120GB Patriot Flare SSD, using a SATA3 interface—specifically the PFL120GS25SSDR model.
Seagate BarraCuda High-Performance 1TB HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, HDWD110UZSVA
It looks like we're looking at a Zalman 500-GVM modular PSU here—500W, ATX12V V2.3, with active PFC and an 80 Plus Bronze rating. I guess it's a decent enough option for certain builds.
It looks like we're looking at an 8GB stick of DDR4—specifically that CL17 Crucial module running at 2400MHz. Just a single 8GB stick, I assume.
EVGA GTX 1060 FTW 6GB, 6 GB GDDR5, 192-bit, 1797/8008 MHz
Maybe the Zalman R1 mid tower case? I guess it could work.

Total: $2.25Cash on delivery—ADM handles both assembly and shipping for free.

Thanks. I stopped by Best Buy today and they were pushing this PowerColor RX 580 with 8GB of GDDR5. Is that actually a smart move, or is there something better in that price bracket?

It’s pretty much on par with the 1060 6GB, so that should work fine. I guess the real question is what the price tag looks like and if they can actually get their hands on one. There's a bit of a shortage on RX 580 cards right now, maybe.

They’re currently priced at $2,178.75. Is it actually worth it? 😁

At that price point, I guess it’s worth it. It definitely holds its own against the 1060—you get more VRAM, FreeSync support, better DX12 performance, and stuff like that.

Well then, much appreciated. 😉

Greetings,

I have two questions for the group, though I’m certainly open to any observations or critiques you might care to share...

Is this particular build actually worth the asking price within its specific bracket? https://www.newegg.com/p/avenio-topga...-02240557.aspx

Or perhaps there is a more sensible way to allocate a similar budget?

Much appreciated!

casuallynx8 said:Hey there,

I have two quick questions—though I'm definitely open to any thoughts or advice you guys might have...

Is this setup actually worth it at this price point? https://www.microcenter.com/avenio-topga...-02240557.aspx

Or is there something better out there for roughly the same amount of cash?

Thanks!

Honestly, you should never buy pre-built PCs. What you're looking at here is a total rip-off... It's much better to wait until the community can help you put together a solid build for a fair price.

Larry Ortiz5 said:Buying pre-built PCs is generally a losing game; what you're looking at right now just isn't worth the money. You’d be much better off waiting for someone to help you put together a decent custom build instead.

It's not quite my style😁 , but I appreciate the input.

Does anyone have any configuration suggestions for $1667, with a budget cap of $6,000? It needs to handle gaming and schoolwork.

casuallynx8 said:Not my style 😁 , but thanks.

Alright, anyone got a build suggestion for $1667, $6000 cap? Needs to handle gaming and schoolwork.

Cash or financing? And does this include peripherals (mouse, keyboard, monitor)?

Just the tower itself, mind you—no monitor or anything else included.

ASUS Prime B350M-A motherboard, AM4 $258
Intel Core i5-7400 processor, 3.5GHz 16Mb, AM4 1,$276
Kingston SSD 120GB A400, 2.5", SATA3, TLC, 500 MB/s read, 320 MB/s write, 7mm, SA400S37/120G $170
1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, HDWD110UZSVA $143
MS RAIDER Silver gaming case, no PSU, MB: ATX, mATX. External slots 2X 5.25“, 1X3.5“, internal $77
DDR4 (2x4GB) PC4-19200 2400MHz CL12 Kingston HyperX Savage, HX424C12SB2K2/8 $243
EVGA GTX 1050 2G OC graphics card, 2GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort (V809-2287R) 1,$28
500W FSP Fortron/Source Hyper power supply, ATX 2.31, HP500, PPA5005003 $154

This is listed on eBay for $2015 PayPal $1000 if you pay cash, which brings it down to about $900.

It's like choosing a heavy-duty truck engine with smaller tires. I went for a stronger CPU and a "weaker" GPU—which is fine for 1080p—so the rig acts as a solid foundation for when someone wants to swap in a beefier card in a few years once they need more muscle.

Just tell me how old the user is and what kind of games they play. Might need a different mix depending on that.

Hang tight. You'll definitely get more input from the rest of the crew here on the forum...

@analogtiger19 I'm not really feeling this build. 😛 The Configuration 1500x just doesn't seem worth it—you've got a motherboard without a heatsink, overpriced RAM, and honestly, the GPU is a bit weak for what you're spending.

ASUS ROG Strix B350, AM4, AMD ready
Intel Core i5-8400 BOX, 3.2GHz 16MB, AM4
Kingston SSD 120GB A400, 2.5", SATA3, TLC, Read speed 500 MB/s, Write speed 320 MB/s, 7mm, SA400S37/120G
HDD 1TB Seagate Barracuda, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, HDWD110UZSVA
MS CYCLOPS V midi tower case
500W XFX XT500 Power Supply, ATX 2.31, P1-500B-XTFR
DDR4 8GB (1x8) PC4-19200 2400MHz CL15 G.Skill, F4-2400C15S-8GNT
EVGA GTX 1050 Ti 4GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort

$2.00 - ADM

Thanks a lot, guys...

@analogtiger19/">@@analogtiger19 The kid is starting high school this fall, and as for what games they actually want to play, I honestly haven't a clue. I could ask, but my philosophy is usually to aim for a balanced, optimal build rather than overspending on a top-tier GPU at the expense of everything else. Though, I suppose I could be wrong there...

@crimsonstag84/">@@crimsonstag84 Does that price include the cash discount, or is that the standard rate?

That price is for cash. If you're paying by card, expect it to be about 6% higher, and if you want to go with installments, it’ll probably jump up more than 10%.

Radeon RX 570 isn't even worth considering, it's such a waste. That Radeon RX 570 would just sit there looking foolish...

crimsonstag84 said:@analogtiger19 This build isn't much of a setup 😛 The 1500X is a bad deal, there's no heatsink on the board, the RAM is overpriced, and the GPU is way too weak for this budget.

Gigabyte GA-AB350M-Gaming 3 motherboard, AM4, AMD ready
AMD Ryzen 5 1600, 3.2GHz 16MB, AM4
Kingston SSD 120GB A400, 2.5", Clock speed 3, TLC, 500 MB/s read, 320 MB/s write, 7mm, SA400S37/120G
1TB Seagate BarraCuda HDD, 3.5", 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, SATA3, HDWD110UZSVA
MS CYCLOPS V midi tower case
500W XFX XT500 power supply, ATX 2.31, P1-500B-XTFR
DDR4 8GB (1x8) PC4-19200 2400MHz CL15 G.Skill, F2-2400C15S-8GNT
MSI GTX1050Ti 4GB OC, 4GB GDDR5, DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort

$2.00 - ADM

Nicely put together 👍
You can swap the GPU whenever you want, and the rest of the rig can handle it when the time comes.
Plus, the 1050Ti is solid for 1080p.

crimsonstag84 said:@analogtiger19 This build is a mess. 😛 Buying a 1500X is a waste, there's no heatsink on the board, the RAM is overpriced, and that GPU is way too weak for what you're spending.

That’s why you’re here, to fix it. 🙂