1. #1

    Computer buying question

    Just looking for help on choosing how to go about in getting a gaming desktop computer. My current laptop isn't really able to do anything, barely playing WoW at lowest settings. Im not sure if I should go with a custom online site or try a local store around town. So ill list out my wants:

    1. Budget of $1,000 - $2,500
    2. I'd like to be able to play some newer games at high / ultra high like cyberpunk 2077 or the warhammer total war 3 game coming out.
    3. Im not good with computers so I don't want to build one. If a custom build is needed I can maybe get store to build it for me around town.
    4. Was thinking if I get one from like Bestbuy or something it might be easier to get it fixed than a store thats online only. But I might be wrong on this.
    5. I dont plan on being a streamer or anything if that helps with choosing.

    Im not sure what else to add so ill add more as requested. Thanks in advance
    Last edited by Ozmondo; 2019-10-20 at 08:55 PM.

  2. #2
    I suggest building one?
    You can't find the perfect desktop PC, I suggest you build your own or ask a shop to do it for you with a Radeon RX 5500 and a Ryzen 7 1800x for a solid 1080p 144fps experience on a 144Hz 24" FreeSync monitor, add peripherals and the remaining components and you'd be at the $1,500 range, that's modest and enough if you aren't streaming.
    Last edited by Hekazi; 2019-10-20 at 08:59 PM. Reason: 24" instead of 27" for 1080p

  3. #3
    Is that $1,500 including the cost of labor or just the desktop itself?

    Does that also future proof it a bit as I want it to be usable for around 5 years before it gets too outdated?

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Ozmondo View Post
    Is that $1,500 including the cost of labor or just the desktop itself?

    Does that also future proof it a bit as I want it to be usable for around 5 years before it gets too outdated?
    Cost of labor included depending where you live and which peripherals you get, the computer alone would cost you about $800 and yes, both the CPU and GPU aren't gonna fall behind anytime soon, it will still be a decent setup in 5 years time, you won't have to worry about upgrading unless you start wanting 1440p.


    You can use some examples of builds that include these components here, https://pcpartpicker.com/

  5. #5
    Well he suggested the not-yet-released (that im aware of) RX 5500, which will not be a top-end GPU by any means.... and a first-gen Ryzen 7 instead of something more modern, so im suspect.

    If you want to build it yourself, or pay someone to to do it, and you're looking to make it last 5 years...

    Thatll be a little rough.

    MOST of the machine will probably last 5 years no problems. Youll probably want to upgrade the GPU in there somewhere to maintain fidelity on newer games as they release.

    But you can pretty easily get a good gaming PC that will last 5 years-ish for ~1500$. You could probably skip thee GPU upgrade by splashing out on a very high-end GPU now, but this is just changing when the money is spent from later to now.

    It also depends on if you want this machine to be strictly 1080p or you want to move to 1440p and/or high refresh.

    Ill hold off on making specific hardware recommendations until you let me know what your goals are (1080p/60fps, 1080p/high refresh, 1440p/60, or 1440p high refresh) and how comfortable you are going closer to the top end of the budget, but the BASICS will look like this:

    PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tqf8hy

    CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($194.79 @ OutletPC)
    Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Amazon)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
    Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
    Total: $484.76
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
    Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-20 17:29 EDT-0400
    Case, GPU, and PSU will depend on your performance goals; might also consider an aftermarket cooler (for less noise)

  6. #6
    1080P is fine, honestly my vision probably isn't good enough for anything higher. In regard to frame rate 60 is fine, not sure if I could tell the difference if it was higher either.

    Paying more $1,000 is fine anything past $2,000 though is starting to get too high, but wont break the bank by a long shot.

  7. #7
    Then id look for something like this:

    PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/d8TLDx

    CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($194.79 @ OutletPC)
    CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler ($36.99 @ Amazon)
    Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Amazon)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($74.98 @ Amazon)
    Storage: Intel 660p Series 1.02 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: PowerColor Radeon RX 5700 XT 8 GB Red Dragon Video Card ($409.99 @ Amazon)
    Case: Phanteks P300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.00 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.99 @ B&H)
    Total: $1080.72
    Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
    Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-20 19:09 EDT-0400
    That will crush 1080p/60 for the forseeable life of the machine. It will do 1080p/144hz or higher no problems.

    If you're worried about building it yourself, dont be, its super easy. Legos for adults.

    If you are ABSOLUTELY paralyzed by the idea of building it yourself, i can recommend NZXT's BLD service.

    You pick the parts, they charge you MSRP for the parts, a 50$ build fee, 50$ flat shipping, and for the Windows key.

    The build quality is quite good, and the parts used are all name-brand, off-the-shelf parts, and they have a good warranty.

    letsbld.com

    (an example BLD build that is comparable to the above build - they dont offer Radeon GPUs yet AFAIK - is posted below)

    https://www.letsbld.com/bld/step4?pr...aft=3333505382

    Its not 100% equivalent, but is pretty close. The GPU in the DIY build is slightly better (the 5700XT outperforms the 2060, but not by miles and at 1080p both will do great) but otherwise.. pretty close. And NZXT does all the work, builds it, ships it, warranties it, you name it.

  8. #8
    So I went to letsbld.com and I tried to compare it your build using the Metro Exodus and it only comes out to 31 FPS and I was wanting to use it for games of at least similar if not better in the future. Any ideas?

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Ozmondo View Post
    So I went to letsbld.com and I tried to compare it your build using the Metro Exodus and it only comes out to 31 FPS and I was wanting to use it for games of at least similar if not better in the future. Any ideas?
    That has to just be NZXT giving you low-ball estimates.

    I selected the 2080Ti and it was only saying 55fps. I know Metro is punishing, but i cant imagine it's so punishing a 2080Ti can only deliver 55fps at 1080p.

    It might be defaulting to RTX on? That would obliterate performance numbers for sure.

    Not sure.

    Looking at actual benchmarks, though, the 2060 does fine in Metro Exodus at 1080p:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwmvZ3HVWw8

    Thats with RTX and DLSS -ON- and he appears to be getting well above 60fps average. 1% lows aren't bad either.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auHQLCH7vQk

    RTX and DLSS off, and seems to be ~100fps or better, with 1% lows still well above 60fps.

    Its got to just be NZXT being pessimistic so as not to be on the wrong side of the estimate.

  10. #10
    Okay sounds good, Ill look into it more and check by my local store to see if they can give me a better price or anything to say.

    If anyone else has anything else to add ill be keeping my eye on this thread for a few more days.

    Thanks again everyone for the help.

  11. #11
    Holy Priest Saphyron's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Netherlight Temple
    Posts
    3,353
    Quote Originally Posted by Ozmondo View Post
    Okay sounds good, Ill look into it more and check by my local store to see if they can give me a better price or anything to say.

    If anyone else has anything else to add ill be keeping my eye on this thread for a few more days.

    Thanks again everyone for the help.
    Kaghthul's build is quite solid I have no qualms with how he has build it.
    Even the letsbld is solid enough. Much more expensive that I would like but if you can't find anyone to build it in your town. Or that you are 100% against not building it yourself its a viable alternative.

    To be honest. Building computers is like lego for adults. I build my first one back in 1998 as a 8 year old. And it has not changed much. Does it fit in the hole that is most likely where it has to go.
    Inactive Wow Player Raider.IO | Inactive D3 Player | Permanent Retired EVE Player | Inactive Wot Player | Retired Openraid Raid Leader| Inactive Overwatch Player | Inactive HotS player | Youtube / Twitter | Steam | My Setup

  12. #12
    Please wait Temp name's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Location
    Under construction
    Posts
    14,631
    Quote Originally Posted by Saphyron View Post
    Kaghthul's build is quite solid I have no qualms with how he has build it.
    Even the letsbld is solid enough. Much more expensive that I would like but if you can't find anyone to build it in your town. Or that you are 100% against not building it yourself its a viable alternative.

    To be honest. Building computers is like lego for adults. I build my first one back in 1998 as a 8 year old. And it has not changed much. Does it fit in the hole that is most likely where it has to go.
    It has changed a fair amount.. It's a lot more standardized now, so it's easier.

    But yeah, Kagthuls builds are pretty decent. I'd probably go with a 650w psu just to be safe though, even if 550 is plenty

  13. #13
    Holy Priest Saphyron's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Netherlight Temple
    Posts
    3,353
    Quote Originally Posted by Temp name View Post
    It has changed a fair amount.. It's a lot more standardized now, so it's easier.

    But yeah, Kagthuls builds are pretty decent. I'd probably go with a 650w psu just to be safe though, even if 550 is plenty
    True you had to have the manual back then since nothing was really written on the motherboard.

    My old man gave me one hint. He said if it clicks into a hole or it fits there that is properly where it has to go or as I like to call it: "If it fits, it sits".
    Obviously I did not do the CPU cause he did not actually want me to ruin the PC if I fucked it up. Back then it was far too easy to ruin the CPU.
    But yeah I agree its easier than it used to but, it was never really hard. Granted I do make mistakes from time to time. Stupid ones like forgetting to release the power cable from a stock cooler and wondering why the CPU was hitting dangerous levels of temperature or forgetting to plug in stuff.
    Last edited by Saphyron; 2019-10-21 at 01:24 PM.
    Inactive Wow Player Raider.IO | Inactive D3 Player | Permanent Retired EVE Player | Inactive Wot Player | Retired Openraid Raid Leader| Inactive Overwatch Player | Inactive HotS player | Youtube / Twitter | Steam | My Setup

  14. #14
    Do you Play wow only or you want to play other games as well?
    let me know then I will guide you better

  15. #15
    What Kagthul suggested seems fine. At this time, so long as you stick with an AMD based build you should be fine. Keep in mind though that you will still need to get a bunch of accessories such as monitor, mouse, keyboard maybe a cam a and headset if you haven't got any of those.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •