I posted this on General
Basically, I’m looking for suggestions on what a new PC should have, while trying to keep it as cheap as possible (hopefully under $1,500 but definitely not over $2k). It would also pre-built. I’m so out of the loop that I think my PC building days are behind me.
Any help would be great. Thanks!
Do you live near microcenter
No idea. Never heard of it, so probably not.
location is important, because it gives us an idea on what options you have.
[indent preformatted text by 4 spaces](https://www.microcenter.com/site/stores/default.aspx)
Microcenter is a big deal because it opens you up to a lot more options.
Not an advertisement.
But the other day I was checking towliees twitch and he has a reference to a computer website.
Initially I was skeptic but I wanted to see what he was promoting.
The website actually has good options. Key components like CPU, motherboard and gpu are common.
I wanted to see what power supply, heat sink they are providing.
They have some very good 5070 for your range which can be a good investment going into midnight.
Personally I like to buy and build as I am in total control of the quality of parts.
But use ChatGPT if you are overwhelmed with information.
Never. Not even once.
500 miles away. That’s not too bad I guess.
Peppermint I just wanted to make something clear. Micro Center does open your options a lot they are pretty much the Toys R Us for PC users. A better reference would be its a grocery store for PC parts when you’re building a computer
With that said Micro Center is kind of more for PC builders they do have a lot of pre-built options but it’s more of a PC Builders Paradise. Based off your comment of not knowing what a Microcenter was I would assume you you are not the PC Builder type.
Micro Center may be your best bet for pre-built? But if you’re willing to drive to a Micro Center you really need to bring a friend with you who knows how to build computers. You can then pick out your components at Micro Center and your friend can build it for you. Micro Center will also assemble it for a fee.
Even if you were going to pay the small fee to have Micro Center assemble it you really want to take a friend with you who knows a lot about PC parts who can help you pick out the best bang for your buck.
With all of this said when it comes to PC parts no one has better deals than Micro Center. They do have PC experts there that can help you pick out your components and assemble your computer. I’m just not sure what their current fee is for assembling a computer. Since it’s basically a grocery store full of PC parts your first time there may come off a bit daunting
Okay, not worth the drive. If it was within an hour, it would be.
USA still, I presume?
Do you already have a display? If so, what are its specs?
If you want to postpone upgrading and willing to get your feet wet with software, you can always portition your storage drive and install linux on there.
I didn’t read the general chat, but what exactly do you have? Maybe you can save some money here and there.
If you aren’t comfortable building it yourself, is there a shop that will or some highly rated facebook marketplace seller that can for you? I use to live near the LA Area so builders were a dime a dozen for example.
Black Friday is around the corner and hardware price has been on the downward trend for sometime.
Considering they want a prebuilt as they said in the first post, I’d assume they don’t want the hassle of linux
OP: Is WoW your only/main game? Do you do anything else with your PC like streaming, video editing, or other intensive work?
If this is just for WoW mainly then you’d probably want an AMD CPU with “X3D” in it. It handles the game way better than anything Intel has currently. IE 7800X3D, or 9800X3D (there are others but these are the 2 most likely that make sense in this scenario).
Here’s an example PC build that would do everything you want in the game: https://www.newegg.com/skytech-gaming-desktop-pcs-amd-radeon-rx-9060-xt-amd-ryzen-7-7800x3d-32gb-ddr5-1tb-nvme-ssd-st-azure3-2204-b-al-black/p/3D5-000Z-002Z6
I know you don’t have a microcenter near you, but I helped a friend pick out a similar spec’d PC (7600X3D with 9060XT gpu) and they’re playing everything at high/ultra settings with high fps.
Another thing that would help point you in the right direction a little bit would be knowing if you’re going to be playing 1080p, 1440p, 4k and if you have a monitor you’re using already, what specs it has vs what specs you want if you need to buy one
did someone recommend linux ?
edit: oh missed it in the post, mb
merely a suggestion if they don’t want to spend money at this time.
otherwise agreed that system fits the bill quiite nicely.
Thanks. It’s similar to another I have bookmarked. I’ll add it to the list.
Yeah, I’d love to do Linux. I just can’t deal with it right now. I have a lot of stuff going on IRL, most isn’t great, and I just can’t imagine trying to deal with it. It is something I want to try down the road. If I can get Linux going at some point in the future that’d be awesome.
Thanks for the suggestion. Yeah, I’d love to, just not right now.
Would any of you be willing to look at some of the PCs I’ve bookmarked and give some thoughts? They’re probably all more than I need for what I do.
The one suggested above: https://www.newegg.com/skytech-gaming-desktop-pcs-amd-radeon-rx-9060-xt-amd-ryzen-7-7800x3d-32gb-ddr5-1tb-nvme-ssd-st-azure3-2204-b-al-black/p/3D5-000Z-002Z6
https://www.newegg.com/stormcraft-gaming-desktop-pc-geforce-rtx-5070-intel-core-i7-14700f-32gb-ddr5-2tb-nvme-ssd-sp1470fcc-570n1-black/p/N82E16883420009
https://www.newegg.com/stormcraft-gaming-desktop-pc-geforce-rtx-5060-ti-intel-core-i7-14700f-32gb-ddr5-2tb-nvme-ssd-sirius/p/N82E16883420027?Item=N82E16883420027
These last too kinda break the budget so I’m probably not going with them.
https://www.ibuypower.com/store/rdy-slate-8mp-b04
https://www.ibuypower.com/store/amd-ryzen-pro-gaming-pc
Anyway, I really do appreciate all the help everyone’s giving.
I like Intel, but they’re not on the map these days unless you can get them really really cheap to justify their lower performance. The 14700F isn’t even in the same league as the 7800X3D in games. The 9800X3D is even better. Skip Intel.
I’m also biased towards AMD over Intel for gaming, especially with Intel 13 and 14 series CPUs having major issues. Even with updated microcodes Intel put out, personally I wouldn’t want to deal with potential problems. (CPU burning up and potential motherboard damage too)
The 2 ibuypower ones you linked and said are over budget also look like they’re charging a couple hundred $ more than what you could get from newegg with similar specs. Though ibuypower might have “better/easier” customer service if you have issues.
You are not wrong my buddy was on his third 14900k RMA. So on time number three instead of sending him a replacement 14900k they sent him a 285k. That says a lot about Intel’s Faith In Their Own 13900k/14900k.
With all of that said he loves the 285k but he’s more of a productivity user and video editor than a gamer
Personal experience, owning both a 14600k and a 13700k, stability issues are overblown. Have had a 13700k since launch and a 14600k for a year. No issues. That said they are both undervolted for heat reasons and have a maximum voltage applied by me.
gaming performance and power inefficiency? yes, they are not good. I got the 13700k before the 7800X3D came out, and the 13700K was comparable to the 5800X3D at the time.
I got the 14600k because it came out to be like $50 after the bonuses. $215, free 1tb nvme ssd, free assassin’s creed shadows, free civ 7.
Between all your current choices, the one proposed by Cilly’s is by far the best option for WoW. Even if you go collect all the parts, you’re not looking at saving much or at all as well.
Prices are starting to go back up again, not sure if this is to prep for black friday, but even before Prime day and such ram prices for example were on the decline for DDR5. Now they’re back at 100+ for a pair of 32Gb.
custom built is mostly just for personal preference. in general most users aren’t going to notice a huge difference in performance or serviceability as long as specs are close enough.
my biggest problem with oem pc’s is that they are often huge and obnoxious looking. glass panels and RGB for days. weird as heck shapes. etc.
these days i’m all about sleek mini itx. i’m using a bronze colored cooler master ncore 100 max. i’ll never go to a mid or full size tower again. OEM builds just don’t really do small form factor justice in terms of hardware power.
right now my mini itx is a tall xbox size and has a 14600k, 64gb ram, an rtx 5070, an 850w psu, and 4tb nvme space.