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PCEra: Can you help me decide if this is a good deal?

CrimzonSamurai

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,660
I'm thinking about getting back into PC gaming. To make a long story short, I took my ancient Alienware to MicroCenter today to see what it would take to get it back in fighting shape. It's basically a lost cause. I'd have to replace everything but the case itself. The build we went over ended up costing about $1500, which is a bit above my current budget. I went home and started looking at pre-built systems under $1000, and I found this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0771BZY8Z/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

  • AMD RYZEN 5 1400 4-Core 3.2 GHz (3.4 GHz Turbo) | 1 TB 7200RPM Hard Drive | A320 Micro-ATX Motherboard
  • 16GB G. Skill Ripjaws Gaming Memory DDR4 2400 MHz with Heat Spreader (Not Generic Memory) | Windows 10 Home
  • GTX 1060 3GB GDDR5 Graphics Card | Video Output: Dual-link DVI, DisplayPort (version 1.4), HDMI | 5 x USB 3.0, 3 x USB 2.0
For only $850 that seems like a really good deal to me. It's only marginally less powerful than the build I went over at MicroCenter and since I'd have to replace everything in my old rig anyway, seems like I might as well just buy new. Reviews seem pretty positive, 76% 5-star. I've been out of the PC game for a few years now, though, so I'm not sure if there are any red flags here that I'm not seeing. Any advice would be much appreciated!
 

Deleted member 8408

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,648
What's the power supply and who is it made by? Who is the vendor for the motherboard?

Those are the two most important things to consider when looking at pre-built systems. They are they foundations of your computer and can screw you over if they are not of high quality.
 
Android Sophia

Android Sophia

The Absolute Sword
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
6,109
The biggest thing to be wary of is the 3GB 1060. You really want a 6GB model if you can get it.

GHG said:
What's the power supply and who is it made by? Who is the vendor for the motherboard?

Those are the two most important things to consider when looking at pre-built systems. They are they foundations of your computer and can screw you over if they are not of high quality.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah, this is a good point too. Some prebuilts have good power supplies (mine came with a fantastic 600W), some cheap out and have the bare minimum cheap ones.
 
ColdSun

ColdSun

Together, we are strangers
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
3,291
The question I'd ask is how long do you plan on using this computer for gaming, and what kind of games do you plan on playing?

As is, the 4-core is suitable for current games, but time will tell how it'll hold up due to the proliferation of higher core counts, and the next batch of consoles also featuring more cores.
Additionally, the 1060 with only 3GB of ram would be a limiting factor.
16GB of ram though is adequate though
 
Kaeden

Kaeden

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,899
US
You really wanna get an SSD in there if you can, unless I missed it. Just something to think about.
 
Kudo

Kudo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,877
Bad deal.
GPU, RAM, no SSD are all bargain bin tier parts, and I'd expect the same for the PSU in the build.
You can get better if you build it yourself.
 

Jerykk

Banned
Dec 26, 2017
1,184
The videocard is a red flag. A 3 GB card doesn't really cut it in 2018. I'm guessing the motherboard, hard drive and PSU are cheap, generic brands too. Also, considering the size of current games, a single 1TB drive probably won't cut it either. As a general rule, you want a hard drive dedicated to your OS and apps and another HD dedicated to games. Ideally, both of those drives are SSDs. At the very least, get a 256 GB SSD for your boot drive and use the 1TB for games.
 
Rizific

Rizific

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,949
Only one ram stick, 3gb 1060, case looks sketch. I wouldn't call that a "really good deal". And putting a matx mobo in a mid-size/full size case is ridiculous. Don't be ridiculous.
 
OP
OP
CrimzonSamurai

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,660
GHG said:
What's the power supply and who is it made by? Who is the vendor for the motherboard?

Those are the two most important things to consider when looking at pre-built systems. They are they foundations of your computer and can screw you over if they are not of high quality.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Hmm, yeah... this information was hard to track down but all I could find on the motherboard was this from an Amazon question:

he motherboard I received in mine was a gigabyte g1 gaming k3..which only supports crossfire...not sli..the second pci slot is x4 only...gtx cards need x8 at least for sli
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Couldn't find anything about the power supply.
ColdSun said:
The question I'd ask is how long do you plan on using this computer for gaming, and what kind of games do you plan on playing?

As is, the 4-core is suitable for current games, but time will tell how it'll hold up due to the proliferation of higher core counts, and the next batch of consoles also featuring more cores.
Additionally, the 1060 with only 3GB of ram would be a limiting factor.
16GB of ram though is adequate though
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

As long as it lasts, I guess. At the moment I want one to jump back into WoW. I tried playing it on my MacBook tonight and it hurt my eyes. I'd like to play some other PC titles and maybe eventually Star Citizen if it's ever finished. Basically what I told the guy at MicroCenter was "I want to run WoW at max settings and have it be able to play Star Citizen without crapping its own pants."

GHG said:
CrimzonSamurai can you show us the list of components you were looking at buying for the build you were considering doing yourself?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah I need to grab it really quick but I'll post it in just a sec.
 
Android Sophia

Android Sophia

The Absolute Sword
The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
6,109
Kudo said:
Bad deal.
GPU, RAM, no SSD are all bargain bin tier parts, and I'd expect the same for the PSU in the build.
You can get better if you build it yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

According to the images, the PSU is a Coolermaster 500W.

Buuuut.....

Rizific said:
Only one ram stick, 3gb 1060, case looks sketch. I wouldn't call that a "really good deal". And putting a matx mobo in a mid-size/full size case is ridiculous. Don't be ridiculous.
Click to expand...
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Jesus, nice catch. I didn't see that. Red flag, red flag, abandon ship, do not pass go, do not collect $200.
 
OP
OP
CrimzonSamurai

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,660
Yeah, so, ok. Not gonna buy that one. Thanks for the advice.

Anyway GHG here's the specs from the MicroCenter build:

  • Core I7-8700K Coffee Lake 3.7GHz LGA 1151 Boxed Processor
  • Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING WIFI LGA 1151 ATX Intel Motherboard
  • Ripjaws V 16GB 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200 PC4-25600 CL 16 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit
  • 860 EVO 250GB MLC V-NAND SATA III 6GB/S 2.5" Internal SSD
  • P300 1TB 7200RPM SATA III 6GB/S 3.5" Internal HD
  • Hyper 212 EVO Universal CPU Cooler
  • SuperNOVA G3 750 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX Power Supply
  • GeForce GTX 1080 Overclocked 8GB GDDR5X w. WindForce Cooling
 

Deleted member 8408

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,648
CrimzonSamurai said:
Yeah, so, ok. Not gonna buy that one. Thanks for the advice.

Anyway GHG here's the specs from the MicroCenter build:

  • Core I7-8700K Coffee Lake 3.7GHz LGA 1151 Boxed Processor
  • Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING WIFI LGA 1151 ATX Intel Motherboard
  • Ripjaws V 16GB 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200 PC4-25600 CL 16 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit
  • 860 EVO 250GB MLC V-NAND SATA III 6GB/S 2.5" Internal SSD
  • P300 1TB 7200RPM SATA III 6GB/S 3.5" Internal HD
  • Hyper 212 EVO Universal CPU Cooler
  • SuperNOVA G3 750 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX Power Supply
  • GeForce GTX 1080 Overclocked 8GB GDDR5X w. WindForce Cooling
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This build is orders of magnitude faster (and higher quality) than the pre-built system you linked in the OP.

If that's the alternative do not even consider the pre-built system.
 
Isee

Isee

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,235
CrimzonSamurai said:
Yeah, so, ok. Not gonna buy that one. Thanks for the advice.

Anyway GHG here's the specs from the MicroCenter build:

  • Core I7-8700K Coffee Lake 3.7GHz LGA 1151 Boxed Processor
  • Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING WIFI LGA 1151 ATX Intel Motherboard
  • Ripjaws V 16GB 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200 PC4-25600 CL 16 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit
  • 860 EVO 250GB MLC V-NAND SATA III 6GB/S 2.5" Internal SSD
  • P300 1TB 7200RPM SATA III 6GB/S 3.5" Internal HD
  • Hyper 212 EVO Universal CPU Cooler
  • SuperNOVA G3 750 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX Power Supply
  • GeForce GTX 1080 Overclocked 8GB GDDR5X w. WindForce Cooling
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

That's a high end gaming PC. Biggest complain would be the Hyper 212 cooler, which will get the job done, but won't have a lot of headroom for over-clocking. But nothing to complain about.
Just an addition: Nvidia will release their new generation of GPUs soon (presentation will be this month, most probably).
 
OP
OP
CrimzonSamurai

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,660
GHG said:
This build is orders of magnitude faster (and higher quality) than the pre-built system you linked in the OP.

If that's the alternative do not even consider the pre-built system.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The only reason I was considering the pre-built was that it's $600 less than this build and I could actually afford it right now. I can just save up, though, but I'm not as informed about hardware as I was the last time I went through setting up a gaming PC (it's been about a decade) and hence I turned to you guys for sage advice.
 
Rizific

Rizific

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,949
CrimzonSamurai said:
Yeah, so, ok. Not gonna buy that one. Thanks for the advice.

Anyway GHG here's the specs from the MicroCenter build:

  • Core I7-8700K Coffee Lake 3.7GHz LGA 1151 Boxed Processor
  • Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING WIFI LGA 1151 ATX Intel Motherboard
  • Ripjaws V 16GB 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200 PC4-25600 CL 16 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit
  • 860 EVO 250GB MLC V-NAND SATA III 6GB/S 2.5" Internal SSD
  • P300 1TB 7200RPM SATA III 6GB/S 3.5" Internal HD
  • Hyper 212 EVO Universal CPU Cooler
  • SuperNOVA G3 750 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX Power Supply
  • GeForce GTX 1080 Overclocked 8GB GDDR5X w. WindForce Cooling
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Did you tell the person at microcenter your budget? Knocking the 1080 down to a 1070 or 1060 and the i7 down to an i5 would bring you down to your budget. Don't even need that kind of muscle if you want to play wow, but Idk about star citizen.
 
Kaeden

Kaeden

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,899
US
GHG said:
This build is orders of magnitude faster (and higher quality) than the pre-built system you linked in the OP.

If that's the alternative do not even consider the pre-built system.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
But I think this was almost double the price, at like $1500. Completely agreed though that this system is incredibly better in every way.
 
OP
OP
CrimzonSamurai

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,660
Rizific said:
Did you tell the person at microcenter your budget? Knocking the 1080 down to a 1070 or 1060 and the i7 down to an i5 would bring you down to your budget. Don't even need that kind of muscle if you want to play wow, but Idk about star citizen.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Hmm... maybe I'll head back tomorrow and see what the price drop would be with those reductions. Thanks!
Isee said:
That's a high end gaming PC. Biggest complain would be the Hyper 212 cooler, which will get the job done, but won't have a lot of headroom for over-clocking. But nothing to complain about.
Just an addition: Nvidia will release their new generation of GPUs soon (presentation will be this month, most probably).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

So then the idea would be that the price would drop on the 1080?
 
Kudo

Kudo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,877
CrimzonSamurai said:
Yeah, so, ok. Not gonna buy that one. Thanks for the advice.

Anyway GHG here's the specs from the MicroCenter build:

  • Core I7-8700K Coffee Lake 3.7GHz LGA 1151 Boxed Processor
  • Z370 AORUS ULTRA GAMING WIFI LGA 1151 ATX Intel Motherboard
  • Ripjaws V 16GB 2 x 8GB DDR4-3200 PC4-25600 CL 16 Dual Channel Desktop Memory Kit
  • 860 EVO 250GB MLC V-NAND SATA III 6GB/S 2.5" Internal SSD
  • P300 1TB 7200RPM SATA III 6GB/S 3.5" Internal HD
  • Hyper 212 EVO Universal CPU Cooler
  • SuperNOVA G3 750 Watt 80 Plus Gold ATX Power Supply
  • GeForce GTX 1080 Overclocked 8GB GDDR5X w. WindForce Cooling
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Lol, now this is magnitudes better than the one you linked, and will easily last you at least 4 years.
Like someone already mentioned, Nvidia is releasing new GPUs later this month so you could start gathering parts already then grab GPU when they come out, or look for sales now etc. get one cheaper.
 

Deleted member 5491

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,249
With Ryzen you want faster RAM. 2800+ MHz. But 16GB is the right amount (but with 2x8GB sticks)
And you really should consider using a Ryzen 2xxx.
Waaaaay better lateny, better memory controller (for better RAM compatibility) and higher clocks.
The best value there is the R5 2600 and this is also the best for gaming.

GPU wise, go for a card with 6 or 8GB. Everything else won't be enough.
So RX570, RX580 or GTX1060 with the mentioned amount of memory.
 
Baleoce

Baleoce

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,179
I got an amazon machine once, and all the components were as described, apart from the psu which they never even mentioned, and lo and behold it looked like a Fisher price toy when it arrived. Also, the hdd was not even mounted and hanging on by the sata cable. Probably just a bad experience, but yeah.
 
Isee

Isee

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,235
CrimzonSamurai said:
$509.99

Slightly more than a week's pay :P
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

They cost about 800-900 a couple of months back (mostly because of the mining craze).
The big questions are: How much more power would you be able to get with a next gen GPU for $510? Will they be available or are miners going to drive up prices again? and are you willing to wait?

But at what resolution and framerate are you planing to game at in the first place?
 
OP
OP
CrimzonSamurai

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,660
Isee said:
They cost about 800-900 a couple of months back (mostly because of the mining craze).
The big questions are: How much more power would you be able to get with a next gen GPU for $510? Will they be available or are miners going to drive up prices again? and are you willing to wait?

But at what resolution and framerate are you planing to game at in the first place?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

4K and at least a solid 60fps but obviously the higher the better.
 
OP
OP
CrimzonSamurai

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,660
Isee said:
Then wait for the new GPUs. The GTX 1080 can't do that. Even the 1080Ti struggles
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I would be shocked if the price wasn't screwed up by mining but it'll probably take at least that long for me to get the money together anyway.

I mean I'll settle for 1080p but I just want it to look as good as possible if I'm going to get back into PC.
 
XDevil666

XDevil666

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,985
I think I would possibly try to hold on another year, as where at that point now where the next generation of console is on the horizon.

So something like the 1060 3GB I don't believe will be able to cut next gen graphics
 
Isee

Isee

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,235
CrimzonSamurai said:
I would be shocked if the price wasn't screwed up by mining but it'll probably take at least that long for me to get the money together anyway.

I mean I'll settle for 1080p but I just want it to look as good as possible if I'm going to get back into PC.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Definitely wait. 4k/60 is a beast to reach.
 
brokenswiftie

brokenswiftie

Prophet of Truth
Banned
May 30, 2018
2,921
Yeah OP that's not a good build
A seriously bottlenecked GPU, and no SSD.
SERIOUSLY WINDOWS IS A DIFFERENT OS ON AN SSD, DO NOT SKIMP ON THIS

I would go with a build with a minimum these specs

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($178.99 @ Amazon)
Thermal Compound: Thermal Grizzly - Kryonaut 1g 1g Thermal Paste ($10.49 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($147.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 970 Evo 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($107.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($43.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB SC GAMING Video Card ($279.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair - 750D ATX Full Tower Case ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($38.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($94.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1122.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-08 04:21 EDT-0400

Edit: 4k 60 fps would take a beast of a PC, i would stick with one of PRO/X consoles for now
 
Isee

Isee

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
6,235
CrimzonSamurai said:
I was quite mistaken that 4k was more standard than it actually is.
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It's not. The thing about PC gaming is: It's an open platform, people build their system with all kind of different "ideas". There is more then Ultra HD in the gaming world. I'd even say that high fps (100+) and variable refresh rates (Gsync/free Sync) are where the true magic lies. But everybody has a different idea and goal. A GTX 1080 would allow you to play at very high refresh rates at fullHD and melt your brain or to play at true 4k/30 with ultra PC settings which will look amazing or go for something inbetween like 1440p and ~80-120HZ It's up to you to decide what you want :).
 
OP
OP
CrimzonSamurai

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,660
Isee said:
It's not. The thing about PC gaming is: It's an open platform, people build their system with all kind of different "ideas". There is more then Ultra HD in the gaming world. I'd even say that high fps (100+) and variable refresh rates (Gsync/free Sync) are where the true magic lies. But everybody has a different idea and goal. A GTX 1080 would allow you to play at very high refresh rates at fullHD and melt your brain or to play at true 4k/30 with ultra PC settings which will look amazing or go for something inbetween like 1440p and ~80-120HZ It's up to you to decide what you want :).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Thanks! Good to learn.

I'm glad I asked before I made any purchases. I guess I'll just save up and see what the new GPUs are like since they'll be out before I can get a free $1500 in the bank. I just wish I had something to play WoW on in the meantime. My 13-inch MacBook Pro has it's recommended graphics settings at 3, everything is just a smudge except for character models. I could try actually booting my old Alienware but it's only got two 512MB GPUs from 2008 so it would probably be even worse :'(.

Also I think the reason I stopped using it is because Windows 8 made the motherboard freak out.
 
Jimrpg

Jimrpg

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,280
The microcenter guy seems like he did a poor job helping you and seemed to only help himself.

There's a huge difference in the two systems you were offered - the GTX 1080 has far better parts and some you may not possibly need if you want to cut costs, the GTX 1060 system while cheap cuts corners where a casual customer wouldn't know about - like the PSU or lack of a SSD. The fact that it has one stick of ram is bizarre and I'd totally avoid that.

If your budget is $1000, you'll find it hard to game at 4k/60 if that is your intention as only the GTX 1080/1080 Ti can do that for most titles on the market right now, a GTX 1070 wouldn't be able to do it unless you want to play less demanding games at 4k. Do you have a 4k TV or 4K monitor already? If not add another few hundred to your budget.

Honestly if you can wait it out, I'd wait until August 20th and see what the new cards can do before purchasing anything.

Also visit the PC building thread and members can help squeeze out better performance for parts. Saving 10-20% on parts, and you'll be able to put that back into the system in terms of performance.
 
OP
OP
CrimzonSamurai

CrimzonSamurai

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,660
arbok26 said:
The microcenter guy seems like he did a poor job helping you and seemed to only help himself.

There's a huge difference in the two systems you were offered - the GTX 1080 has far better parts and some you may not possibly need if you want to cut costs, the GTX 1060 system while cheap cuts corners where a casual customer wouldn't know about - like the PSU or lack of a SSD. The fact that it has one stick of ram is bizarre and I'd totally avoid that.

If your budget is $1000, you'll find it hard to game at 4k/60 if that is your intention as only the GTX 1080/1080 Ti can do that for most titles on the market right now, a GTX 1070 wouldn't be able to do it unless you want to play less demanding games at 4k. Do you have a 4k TV or 4K monitor already? If not add another few hundred to your budget.

Honestly if you can wait it out, I'd wait until August 20th and see what the new cards can do before purchasing anything.

Also visit the PC building thread and members can help squeeze out better performance for parts. Saving 10-20% on parts, and you'll be able to put that back into the system in terms of performance.
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To his credit I did kind of a poor job of explaining my budget and as I've learned here 4k gaming isn't really as common on PCs as I thought it was. I'm going to go back and see if we can knock the price down with a 1070 and an I5. Would still probably have to wait until after the 20th to get the money together anyway.
 
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