So, this SEEMS like a crazy discount on a "Gaming PC". Could anyone check?

[Claymore]

Alright, so I've kind of been telling myself that my next PC, I would probably try to build one myself (I have a friend who built his own, said he'd be happy to help). But I saw this in a marketing email, and to be honest it *seems* like a pretty good deal:

https://www.microcenter.com/product/...sktop-computer

Truth is, I really don't know all that much about computers, or hardware. I know SSD is "the future" and 1tb is the highest I've seen, and it seems like an awful lot of RAM. But beyond that, other than the "-$400 discount", I don't know if that's some truly amazing deal or not?

Truth be told, I wasn't planning on even buying or building a PC until probably the end of the year (when I've finished paying off my own debt), but I saw I could potentially qualify for 24 month 0% APR, which is definitely enticing. But only is this is a truly AMAZING deal. If it's just "okay", then I'd probably prefer to wait until I can build my own (if only for the experience of it), but I've had pretty good luck with Micro Center.

Thanks in advance!

[Toybox]

Decent motherboard/CPU combo, but there's too many unknown quantities there, even if the numbers are good.

750W PSU is fine, but there's a world of difference between a top tier PSU & a crap tier PSU. The fact they're not listing the make/model isn't a good sign.
2070s is a stellar card, but it's probably a cheap blower/reference design if they're not listing the model.
Again, what memory are they using? Doesn't say. Same with the SSD.

[jellmoo]

The devil is in the details, and to be honest, the details are scant.

Pre-builts are fine and often can be a good deal as they will sometimes slap together machines with overstock and give it a little discount.But, if you go to a local mom and pop shop you could pick the exact parts you want (do some research) and have them assemble it for you for a small fee. The price would likely be close, and there would be no doubt as to whether you had quality parts.

[Kagthul]

MicroCenter's PowerSpec are assembled in-house out of off the shelf parts. Its most likely an EVGA or Corsair PSU, and they likely used G. Skill or whatever they had on the shelf for RAM.

Theyre usually pretty decent.

However, im not sure that price is all that great given that the 2070S is literally about to be replaced with a card that is almost twice as fast.

[kail]

It looks great for the price tbh but the lack of details on what exact SSD they are using is somewhat concerning. Even if the SSD is a complete flop, you could buy a decent 1tb for $150 or so and use the 1tb drive it comes with as spare storage.

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However, im not sure that price is all that great given that the 2070S is literally about to be replaced with a card that is almost twice as fast.

I'm sure that's the main drive for the discount offered. The 20 series is pretty much getting kicked out by the 30 that performs better for a lower cost. If one were to compare the 2070 super to a 30XX card, maybe a hypothetical 3060 would be close which would have to be at least $150 or so cheaper than the 3070. Again, just hypothetical assumptions.

[Kagthul]

Its about exactly what it would cost you to simply build it yourself:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QFxFWb

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($294.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($65.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB BLACK GAMING Video Card ($534.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H510 ATX Mid Tower Case ($68.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ Best Buy)
Total: $1344.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-09-21 21:04 EDT-0400

And given that the 3070 is less than a month away and wouldn't increase the price at all.....

I'd wait.

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I'm sure that's the main drive for the discount offered. The 20 series is pretty much getting kicked out by the 30 that performs better for a lower cost. If one were to compare the 2070 super to a 30XX card, maybe a hypothetical 3060 would be close which would have to be at least $150 or so cheaper than the 3070. Again, just hypothetical assumptions.

THeyll be using the InLand brand that is their in-house brand for the SSD. Theyre fine. They use the same NAND and Phizon controller as every other midrange SSDs.

As for a 3060 - given that the 3070 is about as fast as the 2080Ti, the 3060 is likely to be far more powerful than a 3070 - looking at 3080S territory.

[Yelmurc]

Wait for the 3070 and build it yourself. The knowledge you gain in doing so has value.

[Moozart]

Its about exactly what it would cost you to simply build it yourself:



And given that the 3070 is less than a month away and wouldn't increase the price at all.....

I'd wait.

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THeyll be using the InLand brand that is their in-house brand for the SSD. Theyre fine. They use the same NAND and Phizon controller as every other midrange SSDs.

As for a 3060 - given that the 3070 is about as fast as the 2080Ti, the 3060 is likely to be far more powerful than a 3070 - looking at 3080S territory.

ROFL, you say that as if anyone is actually going to get ANY of the 3070's when they come out. The bots are going to buy those up too. I got HELLA lucky to get my Gigabyte 3080 ordered.

[Kagthul]

ROFL, you say that as if anyone is actually going to get ANY of the 3070's when they come out. The bots are going to buy those up too. I got HELLA lucky to get my Gigabyte 3080 ordered.

The reason its coming out in October is precisely because of that. Its six more weeks of production, which is not insignificant. And its been in production as long, or longer than the 3080s. Thats why they release the midrange - high midrange cards later in the cycle.

[Claymore]

I’m on mobile atm so I can’t respond to you guys individually, but REALLY appreciate the insights you guys offer!

I think yeah, I’ll hold off and try to build my own in a couple months. Seems the smart choice for a lot of reasons, plus I honestly would love to actually have put one together myself!

Now having said that, would any of you guys have any further insights on parts I should be keeping an eye out for, particularly when they go on discount? Since I’m not in any rush, I’m wondering if I could wind up saving a lot of money, getting a part here and there on the cheap, than trying to buy it all at once?

Oh! And I’m also a little unsure what kind of computer case to look for? I 100% do NOT want to mess with liquid cooling, so I’m imagining that’s going to narrow my options quite a bit, since most towers today that look cool or interesting, seem to rely on liquid cooling (plus tons of LED’s).

[Ringthane]

One of the questions in the Q&A says the PSU is a Powerspec unit. Never heard of them. Probably going to be something you'll be replacing sooner than later, IMHO. According to someone else, theirs had Forza memory. Never heard of that either.

In this case, I'd either build my own or look for something with more name-brand parts. It's not a bargain if you have to replace a bunch of stuff right after the warranty ends.

[Kagthul]

One of the questions in the Q&A says the PSU is a Powerspec unit. Never heard of them. Probably going to be something you'll be replacing sooner than later, IMHO. According to someone else, theirs had Forza memory. Never heard of that either.

In this case, I'd either build my own or look for something with more name-brand parts. It's not a bargain if you have to replace a bunch of stuff right after the warranty ends.

PowerSpec is their in-house brand. They change OEMs for them fairly frequently. For quite a while, they were the same (exactly the same) as Corsair CX units, but im not sure if they still are.