New Rig- Pre Built?

[Viper69]

I was talking to a buddy of mine who builds rigs for a living. For his personal setup, he said "I'm tired of building rigs, for my personal, I might go with a prebuilt one, I've seen some good deals"

I'm at a point with some of my software where Win7 is not supported if I want to update. I might update my OS w/my current setup, or maybe go the route my buddy is going to do.

I'm busy working a lot, and may not have time to build a new system, trouble shoot IF needed- my current rig in sig file was easy to put together in that respect. I'm just not sure if I have the time to build one etc.

Are the pre-built computers out there good? I haven't looked at a pre-built system in eons. Back when I was building, the stores had pre-made systems, but they were always with older parts and a home-made one would be faster all the time.- hands down. Unless you were buying from Falcon Northwest.

Is that still the case? I don't need bleeding speed.

I'm doing dig photography, and sure gaming would be nice too.

I don't need a new monitor- I like mine, nor do I need speakers.

I'd say my price point is $1,000- but I suspect that price is too low due to crypto hogging up all the chips, plus vid cards are so expensive and so many different models now! but I'll certainly go higher if necessary. I did for my rig in sig file when I built. You can't futureproof a system, but my rig in the sig file has held me all this time with no issues to be honest.

Any suggestions, ideas, input etc is appreciated.

 

[EarthDog]

Are the pre-built computers out there good?

Yes. Depends on the brand though.. Maingear, Stincebuilt, iBuypower, all quality builders IMO.

due to crypto hogging up all the chips

Huh? THere are plenty of chips out there.. they used to use GPUs, now, it's only for those bawls deep already it seems. GPU prices are still high and likely to remain that high without significant drops soon.

 

[Viper69]

Yes. Depends on the brand though.. Maingear, Stincebuilt, iBuypower, all quality builders IMO.


Huh? THere are plenty of chips out there.. they used to use GPUs, now, it's only for those bawls deep already it seems. GPU prices are still high and likely to remain that high without significant drops soon.

Sorry ED, I meant GPU chips...NOT CPUs...I wasn't clear. Man, I "never" thought prices would go so high on the GPUs, what a disaster. Thanks for the info!

 

[Niku-Sama]

he should get this beast!

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Treasure-Desktop-Computer-Bluetooth/dp/B0BB37DG68?th=1

 

[EarthDog]

Well, hopefully the AMD GPUs coming out in a couple of weeks will change things on the mid-range and lower side. From what little I understand (rumors) their flagship is going to cost around $999, but it's going to be no faster than the $1100 4080. If that's true, perhaps it will knock the 4080 down $100. That's a chunk of money, but normal when new cards release to see an adjustment of this calibur.

he should get this beast!

https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Treasure-Desktop-Computer-Bluetooth/dp/B0BB37DG68?th=1

Not sure what that is on the outside of the case, but........I suddenly want to Rhino Liner mine.....................

 

[Viper69]

Well, hopefully the AMD GPUs coming out in a couple of weeks will change things on the mid-range and lower side. From what little I understand (rumors) their flagship is going to cost around $999, but it's going to be no faster than the $1100 4080. If that's true, perhaps it will knock the 4080 down $100. That's a chunk of money, but normal when new cards release.

WOW, the price points and variety of models blows my mind. I've been casually looking for the past year, not reading spec reports mind you. And I heard the vid card prices were dropping a bit, but the question by the writer on AnandTech or another site was the usual-- get something now with the lowered prices, OR wait for the new cards to drop. That was about 2 months ago I THINK.

I checked out the makers you listed, thanks a lot, those are all new to me. I like building, but just not sure I have the time.

$1100 man, I remember when the expensive top cards were "only" 500$, and less if I go way back. I always bought the card just below the top end more/less. Never needed the fastest system, just enough to play games etc, and hold me reasonably fast for a few years.

Now, there are far MORE choices than ever in components!

 

[EarthDog]

but the question by the writer on AnandTech or another site was the usual-- get something now with the lowered prices, OR wait for the new cards to drop. That was about 2 months ago I THINK.

Yep, that's what most in the know have been saying. What happens, who knows... but I know where I'll hedge my bets...(we won't see a another significant market adjustment until mid-gen or new gen cards if we're lucky).

 

[Viper69]

Yep, that's what most in the know have been saying. What happens, who knows... but I know where I'll hedge my bets...(we won't see a another significant market adjustment until mid-gen or new gen cards if we're lucky).

I was thinking the same as well.

What's your opinion....AMD Ryzen or Intel. I have had chips from both makers, and both served me well.

Any relevant differences I should be aware of?

 

[EarthDog]

Honestly, if you're talking latest gen versus latest gen, it's a toss up. Both are great chips. It may cost you more to get into AMD but the platform will allow for at least one if not two CPU generations. So, if you plan on keeping this for a while (looks at sig, sees a got dang Sandybridge, lol) that may be the way to go. It's apparent you don't miss new technology if you're holding on to that artifact.

But read reviews... search for ours on our front page... lol. The info is there to go along with what the people have to say.

 

[Viper69]

Indeed my rig has lasted a LONG time, more than I thought. Primarily because I stopped gaming and moved on to light CPU/GPU intensive activities hahaha

 

[Niku-Sama]

OOOOOOOOOOOO
LTT did a review of the treasure box i linked earlier!

 

[ZetaRevan]

I'm an AMD fanboy from the AthlonXP days due to the nature of the ability to overclock them. I know they fell behind in the game for years (it's been a long time since I did a build). But I was excited the first time they announced the Ryzen core. Granted I haven't been in a situation to do a new build until now (come March). I saw on another thread that March is a sweet spot for price drops due to general next gen release schedules...although it would be nice to have LTT pick me randomly for the intel $5k upgrade. That's probably the only thing that would get me to go Intel.

 

[Viper69]

Honestly, if you're talking latest gen versus latest gen, it's a toss up. Both are great chips. It may cost you more to get into AMD but the platform will allow for at least one if not two CPU generations. So, if you plan on keeping this for a while (looks at sig, sees a got dang Sandybridge, lol) that may be the way to go. It's apparent you don't miss new technology if you're holding on to that artifact.

But read reviews... search for ours on our front page... lol. The info is there to go along with what the people have to say.

Clearly anything on the market is faster than my Sandbridge hehe. Man, I went to video cards on one of the sites you recommended, and there's 12 or so choices!!

I don't need the fastest computer for gaming. My system below when I built it was a good middle of the road build (except the mATX board, I bought the best), what do you think of this? I saw the difference between DDR4 and DDR5 bandwidth seemed significant. I'm not concerned about the Warhammer gaming bundle.

Only thing I don't know anything about is the iBUYPOWER liquid cooling part, it could be decent, or not, and the PS, I cannot tell who makes it. Whenever I see the maker's name, like ibuypower, instead of a known brand I can look up, makes me think quality of the part is not as good perhaps.

Case:
iBUYPOWER Slate 6 Mesh Front Panel ARGB Gaming Case
Processor:
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Processor (8X 4.5GHz/32MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling:
iBUYPOWER 240mm Addressable RGB Liquid Cooling System
Memory:
32GB [16GB X2] DDR5-5600MHz RGB
Storage:
1TB M.2 NVMe SSD
Video Card:
GeForce RTX 3080 - 10GB GDDR6X (VR-Ready)
Game Bundle:
[Game Bundle] - Warhammer 40K: Darktide Imperial Edition RTX Bundle
Motherboard:
X670 WIFI
Power Supply:
800 Watt - 80 PLUS Gold Certified
Wireless Network:
PCIe or On-Board Wireless Network
Operating System:
Windows 11 Home
Keyboard:
iBUYPOWER RGB Gaming Keyboard
Mouse:
iBUYPOWER Gaming Optical Mouse
iBUYPOWER SafeGuard Packaging:
Ship Video Card Uninstalled and Packaged Separately
Warranty:
3 Year Standard (3 YR Labor + 1 YR Parts) Warranty Service

 

[JLK03F150]

Personally I would look at a bigger AIO cooler with an 8 core 16 thread CPU. It seems all the 280mm coolers are 3rd party and an expensive add, but the IBuyPower 360mm is not much more money.

I don't see an 800 watt PSU, only 750 & 850. If you get something branded, like the Corsair RM850x Gold you will get a 10 year warranty through Corsair. Most Gold power supplies will have at least a 5 year warranty (many 7-10 year) through the manufacturer.

If you aren't a gamer there should be many less expensive video card choices. IMO the RTX 3080 is still over priced considering the next generation has been released.

 

[Viper69]

There is an 800 PSU in the specs. My current Seasonic has been great. This was prebuilt system. I found their configurator and they have the Corsair you mentioned. I find their configurator easy to navigate and will likely go with them.


I do game. For video cards, what do you think is good, as in fast for the price? I try to get a system that is "futureproof" for about 3 years. My current rig I build in my sig worked that way. It's time for a new system I think.



How much vid card RAM is good now in the modern era hah. I was thinking 10 Gigs based on a convo w/a buddy of mine. Just wanted more input.

 

[Viper69]

Then I went building-- and the price on this config a bit too high for me at 3500$ Back to the drawing board

Case:
NZXT H7 Flow Mesh Front Panel Gaming Case - Black
Case Fans:
Default Case Fan
Processor:
AMD Ryzen 9 7900X Processor (12X 4.7GHz/64MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling:
NZXT Kraken X73 360mm RGB Liquid Cooling System - White
Memory:
16GB [8GB X2] DDR5-4800 Memory Module
Certified Major Brand Gaming Memory [Free Upgrade to 32GB DDR5-6000 TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB]
Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 - 10GB GDDR6X (VR-Ready)
Motherboard:
ASUS ROG STRIX X670E-E GAMING WIFI - WiFi 6E, ARGB Header (3), USB 3.2 Ports (2 Type-C, 10 Type-A), M.2 Slot (4)
Power Supply:
850 Watt - CORSAIR RM850X - 80 PLUS Gold, Fully Modular
Primary Storage:
4TB Samsung 870 QVO SSD -- Read: 560MB/s, Write: 530MB/s
Secondary Storage:
2TB Samsung 870 QVO SSD -- Read: 560MB/s, Write: 530MB/s
Media Card Reader / Writer:
Kingston USB 3.0 High Speed Media Reader
Sound Card:
3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card:
Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)

Operating System:
Windows 11 Home
(64-bit)


I dropped from a Ryzen 9 to a Ryzen 7, and dropped down on the mobo, different ASUS. $2368, still a bit high, I can do it, but I'd like to be under $2000.

The vid card is a placeholder, as I don't feel 8gigs is enough for gaming.

I attached the AMD and NVIDIA card selections- curious to see what all of you think is the best card for the price, and last me about 3 years in terms of gaming.

I'm in no rush to get a system, just want to be prepared should there be some great Xmas deals.

Case:
NZXT H7 Flow Mesh Front Panel Gaming Case - Black
Case Fans:
Default Case Fan
Processor:
AMD Ryzen 7 7700X Processor (8X 4.5GHz/32MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling:
iBUYPOWER 360mm Addressable RGB Liquid Cooling System - Black
Memory:
32 GB [16 GB X2] DDR5-5600MHz Memory Module
TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta (RGB LED)
Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 - 8GB GDDR6 (VR-Ready)
Motherboard:
ASUS PRIME X670-P WIFI - Wifi 6E, ARGB Header (3), USB 3.2 Ports (1 Type-C, 8 Type-A), M.2 Slot (3)
Power Supply:
850 Watt - CORSAIR RM850X - 80 PLUS Gold, Fully Modular
Primary Storage:
2TB Samsung 870 QVO SSD -- Read: 560MB/s, Write: 530MB/s
Media Card Reader / Writer:
Kingston USB 3.0 High Speed Media Reader
Sound Card:
3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card:
Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)
Services:

• Standard Default Cables
• Generic Thermal Paste - Pre-applied
• iBUYPOWER Standard Packaging

Operating System:
Windows 11 Home
(64-bit)

 

[EarthDog]

as I don't feel 8gigs is enough for gaming.

What kind of gaming? 1080p. I'd take 8gb for 1080p for the next 3 years. 2560x1440 too.. but on a couple of titles you may need to adjust things.

 

[Viper69]

What kind of gaming? 1080p. I'd take 8gb for 1080p for the next 3 years. 2560x1440 too.. but on a couple of titles you may need to adjust things.

My Dell monitor is a 2K, and I honestly don't see the need to get a different monitor. I haven't seen games on larger resolution monitors either. I don't feel I'm missing anything, also my level of gaming will be moderate I think, not every night like it used to be many years ago.

 

[Viper69]

This is an Intel system I configed $2072

Case:
iBUYPOWER RAIDMAX STEALTH S801 Mesh Front Panel ARGB Gaming Case
Case Fans:
Default Case Fan
iBUYPOWER Labs - Noise Reduction:
Sound Damping Foam
Processor:
Intel® Core™ i7-13700KF Processor (8X 3.40GHz + 8X 2.50GHz/30MB L3 Cache)
Processor Cooling:
iBUYPOWER 360mm Addressable RGB Liquid Cooling System - Black
Memory:
16GB [8GB X2] DDR5-4800 Memory Module
Certified Major Brand Gaming Memory [Free Upgrade to 32GB DDR5-6000 TEAMGROUP T-Force Delta RGB]
Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 - 12GB GDDR6 (VR-Ready)
Free Upgrade to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti

Motherboard:
ASUS Prime Z790-P WiFi - WiFi, ARGB Header (3), USB 3.2 Ports (1 Type-C, 3 Type-A), M.2 Slot (3)
Power Supply:
850 Watt - CORSAIR RM850X - 80 PLUS Gold, Fully Modular
Primary Storage:
1TB Samsung 980 PRO M.2 PCIe Gen 4 NVMe SSD -- Gen 4 Read: 6900MB/s; Write: 5000MB/s, Gen 3 Read: 3500MB/s; Write: 3400 MB/s
Secondary Storage:
1TB Samsung 870 QVO SSD -- Read: 560MB/s, Write: 530MB/s
Sound Card:
3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard
Network Card:
Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100)

Operating System:
Windows 11 Home
(64-bit)
Warranty:
3 Year Standard (3 YR Labor + 1 YR Parts) Warranty Service

 

[don256us]

I'm building a system now and I decided that DDR5 was too much money and too little performance increase. I also feel that most of the reviews of DDR5 vs DDR4 show that there isn't any real benefit. You may feel otherwise and I know that someone will disagree but if cost is an issue (it is) and you still want great speed overall, it is helpful to look at the system as a whole.

I feel that Gen4 PCIe is plenty fast enough for both NVMe and GPU. Since we don't SLI anymore, any of the basic chips will do. Intel or AMD. I just bought a 2x16GB OLOy DDR4 kit for less than $80. I bought a brand new X570S chipset Gigabyte AORUS Elite MB for $200. I'm not saying that you need to get these parts but trying to highlight where I saved money yet kept performance.

A Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 Air cooler for my CPU was also only $55-$60. Reviews lead me to believe that it will do a great job.

The Kingston 1 TB Fury has great specs for about $100 even. I think that it's performance is on par with the Samsung 980 for about $50 less.

You're picking safe products but paying a premium for doing so. I'm not saying that you are wrong on any item you selected, I just hope to open your options to product ideas that may save you money.

Perhaps simalar to your parts, I bought an AMD 5700x, 2x16 DDR4 3600MHz, 1TB NVMe Gen 4 and the HSF for about $640 all in. Tax, shipping, etc.

Maybe you'll look at those numbers and find that you are right on target and maybe those numbers will show you a new direction to turn. I don't know. This may not be helpful at all.

Now all that said: I have to wait for each part to arrive. I have to remember from whom I purchased each item. I have to keep track of the warranty per item. I have to asymble it all. There are downsides to it for sure.