Big A Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Any PC guys still in here? My current PC is damn old and I have come to the realization that it would be best to replace it. Only would get used a couple times a week at bests for some gaming and web searching and emails. Would ideally like to stay in the 5-700 range. So I wanted to see what others would recommend. Am i better off rounding up parts and building or with black Friday and the holidays coming up would i find better deals already built? Also not against a used PC if it came from a trusted source. Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ODoyle Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 https://www.microcenter.com/product/624824/powerspec-g163-gaming-computer Not the best out there but not terrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pat Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 https://www.microcenter.com/product/624824/powerspec-g163-gaming-computer Not the best out there but not terrible. That's pretty solid for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmrmnhrm Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 If you can tolerate it, wait for spring. By then Zen3 and RTX3k/BigNavi should be pretty well established in the channels, pushing the prices of current generation hardware down nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrodh Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 +1 for Microcenters Powerspec PC's in General. I spent over 2 months watching deals / potentially building my own from scratch and I got a great deal last holiday season on one of their models. My budget was more but I couldn't be happier with it so far. Really good build quality for a prebuilt, runs quiet and well. Definitely would recommend them over a lot of the other prebuilts. Alternatively might want to watch https://slickdeals.net/deals/desktop/ Now's a great time to buy these gaming desktops. Definitely be some legit deals in here now and throughout the holiday season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big A Posted November 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 https://www.microcenter.com/product/624824/powerspec-g163-gaming-computer Not the best out there but not terrible. Thanks for the link and help so far everyone. I have been looking at the one you linked and the one below on amazon as kind of a base line. My hardest time now is trying to decipher how much better one is from another. https://www.amazon.com/SkyTech-Blaze-Gaming-Computer-Desktop/dp/B07RG8KM2C/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=gaming+pc&qid=1605704969&refinements=p_36%3A-75100&rnid=2421879011&sr=8-5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrodh Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 Thanks for the link and help so far everyone. I have been looking at the one you linked and the one below on amazon as kind of a base line. My hardest time now is trying to decipher how much better one is from another. https://www.amazon.com/SkyTech-Blaze-Gaming-Computer-Desktop/dp/B07RG8KM2C/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=gaming+pc&qid=1605704969&refinements=p_36%3A-75100&rnid=2421879011&sr=8-5 The microcenter one James linked too is significantly better than the Amazon link you provided. Per previous response I have a powerspec/Microcenter private label PC myself. My budget was different but the build quality and performance is amazing for the money. Biggest things you are really comparing in this build is Graphics cards Processor Memory (most will have 8GB or 16GB in your price point (should be DDR4 with current builds). 16GB is a significant performance upgrade over 8. The below website is great for comparing computer parts helps a lot with the graphics cards and processors especially when doing different brands. https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1650-vs-AMD-RX-580/4039vs3923 There are a bunch of other things you can look at in a given build but those three things are where your performance mostly comes from. Having a SSD (Solid Slate Drive) as the harddrive is also highly recommended, even a small one for the operating system and your common files helps with load times. and such. Obviously the more space the better if you plan on installing a lot of things/games/etc. Going to make a very generic statement in that for the most part with PC's bigger numbers are better. With the two computers in this thread you have all three of the major performance factors are WORSE on the amazon PC. Microcenter PC 6 core 3.6 processor 16 GB of Ram 8GB Graphics Card VS. Amazon PC 6 core 3.4 Processor 8 GB of Ram 4GB Graphics card Hope this helps! I'm no professional though haha... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pat Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 (edited) The microcenter one James linked too is significantly better than the Amazon link you provided. Per previous response I have a powerspec/Microcenter private label PC myself. My budget was different but the build quality and performance is amazing for the money. Biggest things you are really comparing in this build is Graphics cards Processor Memory (most will have 8GB or 16GB in your price point (should be DDR4 with current builds). 16GB is a significant performance upgrade over 8. The below website is great for comparing computer parts helps a lot with the graphics cards and processors especially when doing different brands. https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1650-vs-AMD-RX-580/4039vs3923 There are a bunch of other things you can look at in a given build but those three things are where your performance mostly comes from. Having a SSD (Solid Slate Drive) as the harddrive is also highly recommended, even a small one for the operating system and your common files helps with load times. and such. Obviously the more space the better if you plan on installing a lot of things/games/etc. Going to make a very generic statement in that for the most part with PC's bigger numbers are better. With the two computers in this thread you have all three of the major performance factors are WORSE on the amazon PC. Microcenter PC 6 core 3.6 processor 16 GB of Ram 8GB Graphics Card VS. Amazon PC 6 core 3.4 Processor 8 GB of Ram 4GB Graphics card Hope this helps! I'm no professional though haha... Oh boy, where do I start. Hi, professional here. Please don't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever use UserBenchmark for comparing anything. They have a very clear Intel bias, and have been banned from both r/Intel and r/AMD on Reddit as well as other PC communities for being complete bullshit. When AMD started curb stomping Intel a couple years ago, they changed their rules so that Intel still wins, no matter what the actual performance is. Memory amount is, in absolutely no way, a measure of performance. However, for gaming, 16GB should be your target minimum in 2020. That said, my spare R5 1600AF machine that I have hooked up to a TV has 8GB and still plays everything modern just fine. Also, the 8GB machine you posted has faster memory, and Ryzen loves fast memory. The 200 mhz difference between the Ryzen 5 2600 and the Ryzen 5 3600 isn't the reason the 3600 is better. No one is going to notice 200 mhz difference on a CPU. The real reason the 3600 is better is because the Zen 2 architecture it is running is much faster than the 2600's Zen+ architecture. This means that for a given clock speed (lets say both were running 3.5 ghz for simplicity), the R5 3600 can do more work for the given speed its running. This is called "Instructions Per Clock", or IPC. However, for casual gaming, either one is just fine. My personal gaming rig has a 2600 in it. GPU memory at the prices you are looking at isn't really important. We are talking lower end 1080p gaming either way, and the 1650 and the RX 580 perform pretty closely, with the 580 being just barely ahead. GPU memory only matters at higher resolutions where assets are larger in size. What matters is raw compute. Edited November 19, 2020 by Rally Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oh8sti Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 I have a gaming laptop since I travel and play FPS games with friends all the time. I think I paid $1200 for mine in July. MSI Radier GE75 might be the best bang for the buck in a laptop https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GE75-Raider-9SX/Overview Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerrodh Posted November 20, 2020 Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 Oh boy, where do I start. Hi, professional here. Please don't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever use UserBenchmark for comparing anything. They have a very clear Intel bias, and have been banned from both r/Intel and r/AMD on Reddit as well as other PC communities for being complete bullshit. When AMD started curb stomping Intel a couple years ago, they changed their rules so that Intel still wins, no matter what the actual performance is. Memory amount is, in absolutely no way, a measure of performance. However, for gaming, 16GB should be your target minimum in 2020. That said, my spare R5 1600AF machine that I have hooked up to a TV has 8GB and still plays everything modern just fine. Also, the 8GB machine you posted has faster memory, and Ryzen loves fast memory. The 200 mhz difference between the Ryzen 5 2600 and the Ryzen 5 3600 isn't the reason the 3600 is better. No one is going to notice 200 mhz difference on a CPU. The real reason the 3600 is better is because the Zen 2 architecture it is running is much faster than the 2600's Zen+ architecture. This means that for a given clock speed (lets say both were running 3.5 ghz for simplicity), the R5 3600 can do more work for the given speed its running. This is called "Instructions Per Clock", or IPC. However, for casual gaming, either one is just fine. My personal gaming rig has a 2600 in it. GPU memory at the prices you are looking at isn't really important. We are talking lower end 1080p gaming either way, and the 1650 and the RX 580 perform pretty closely, with the 580 being just barely ahead. GPU memory only matters at higher resolutions where assets are larger in size. What matters is raw compute. Didn't know the hate of userbenchmark (though the mentioned comparison has the AMD card being significantly better so my post still stands the micro center build is way better than the amazon). Are there better websites for comparing cards & processors? I don't quite get the point about that memory doesn't affect performance in gaming yet you said the 16gig should be the target minimum... If it doesn't affect performance why can't he just go with 8gigs? Ding ding ding it DOES affect performance substantially in some games. Other games you wouldn't notice a difference. Very large games GTA5, Total War & other large Army Strategy games and such, City and World Builder games, etc. absolutely benefit from 16 to even 32gigs of ram. I played quite a bit of Total War games and City builders and upgraded to 32gigs because of this and made a big difference. I'm not trying to start a pissing contest I'm absolutely sure you know 1000x more about PC's than I do. But stating memory doesn't effect gaming performance is wrong it absolutely does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmrmnhrm Posted November 20, 2020 Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 Are there better websites for comparing cards & processors? Tom's Hardware Anandtech Storage Review Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unfunnyryan Posted November 20, 2020 Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 I'll give a plus to the microcenter powerspec machines. A friend got a great deal on a machine with a 3800x and 2070 super in it. Big plus is you have the return window and you dont have to ship it incase anything isnt right with the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big A Posted November 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 Thanks for information above everyone. I now believe I have 3 front-runners. It seems my best bet is to up the budget some. I like the microcenter options due to points in Ryans post. -PowerSpec G163 Gaming Computer AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6GHz Processor; AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5; 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM; 500GB SSD for $700 -PowerSpec G228 Gaming Computer Intel Core i5 10400F 2.9GHz Processor; NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super 6GB GDDR6; 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM; 500GB SSD for $800 -ABS Challenger Gaming PC - Intel i3-10100 - GeForce GTX 1660 Super - 8GB DDR4 - 512GB SSD for $700 Any votes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unfunnyryan Posted November 20, 2020 Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 Thanks for information above everyone. I now believe I have 3 front-runners. It seems my best bet is to up the budget some. I like the microcenter options due to points in Ryans post. -PowerSpec G163 Gaming Computer AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6GHz Processor; AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5; 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM; 500GB SSD for $700 -PowerSpec G228 Gaming Computer Intel Core i5 10400F 2.9GHz Processor; NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super 6GB GDDR6; 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM; 500GB SSD for $800 -ABS Challenger Gaming PC - Intel i3-10100 - GeForce GTX 1660 Super - 8GB DDR4 - 512GB SSD for $700 Any votes? -PowerSpec G163 Gaming Computer AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6GHz Processor; AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5; 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM; 500GB SSD for $700 This is better in every way than that $800 one, thats honestly a hell of a deal for something ready to run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big A Posted November 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 -PowerSpec G163 Gaming Computer AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6GHz Processor; AMD Radeon RX 580 8GB GDDR5; 16GB DDR4-2666 RAM; 500GB SSD for $700 This is better in every way than that $800 one, thats honestly a hell of a deal for something ready to run. Interesting, i would of guessed the 1660 super would be worth the added money over the RX580. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rally Pat Posted November 20, 2020 Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 (edited) Interesting, i would of guessed the 1660 super would be worth the added money over the RX580. The 1660 Super is definitely faster than the RX 580. Its basically a 1660ti with a discount. The 3600 is clocked a lot faster, though. I would say its a tossup. Edited November 20, 2020 by Rally Pat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShowHBK Posted November 21, 2020 Report Share Posted November 21, 2020 What's going on in here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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