PC Sherdog PC Build/Buy Thread, v6: My Power Supply Burned Down My House

[nhbbear]

I learned completely to my surprise that there was a promotion to obtain a free Siberia Steelseries 200 headset with the purchase of an MSI Stealth Pro GS63 laptop by merely posting a review and providing proof of purchase. I was delighted. 4-8 weeks to ship. Thing is that I already have a Sennheiser HD 650 and a HyperX Cloud. So I want to sell it, but that means I'll probably halve my resale value just by cracking the box. People are like that with "used" headphones, and I totally get it. Dilemmas.

I was pissed that’s the hyper cloud alpha does not support the Xbox and you can not use game chat. But i really don’t be care and will buy no more gaming headsets. I have the sennheiser gap 600s, which sound pretty good, but the ear cups are tiny and uncomfortable

 

[reveler]

still using the same computer since 2012. i purposefully bought a good cpu and weak gpu knowing i would update the gpu later. past due for an upgrade.

existing components:
i7 3770 3.4 ghz
8 gigs ram
460 watt power supply

existing card:
amd radeon 7500 series. this is a 64 mb card which was bottom of the line in 2012, certainly out of style for today's games

new card:
-looking to spend around $200 or less
-something that will be well-balanced with existing components. in other words, won't just create a new bottleneck. needs to work with a 460 watt power supply.

any ideas?

how about this for a new gaming rig, instead of buying a new card for old rig.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227854

ive had old rig for over 6+ years, seems like im due for a failure in power supply, HD, ram, motherboard, etc. no sense getting a new card when all the other components could take a shit any given day, right?

 

[PEB]

 

[jefferz]

While older prebuilts are a great option for value oriented builds, they can have funky quirks. Make sure you do your research first.

 

[reveler]

how about this for a new gaming rig, instead of buying a new card for old rig.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227854

ive had old rig for over 6+ years, seems like im due for a failure in power supply, HD, ram, motherboard, etc. no sense getting a new card when all the other components could take a shit any given day, right?

or how about this one, fancier

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...83102367&cm_re=bearcat-_-83-102-367-_-Product

 

[Madmick]

I was pissed that’s the hyper cloud alpha does not support the Xbox and you can not use game chat. But i really don’t be care and will buy no more gaming headsets. I have the sennheiser gap 600s, which sound pretty good, but the ear cups are tiny and uncomfortable

Cans arrived two days after filing the reward online. Came via 2-day Priority Mail.

I've never been more impressed with a bonus deal. Bravo, MSI. Bravo.

 

[reveler]

Don't buy that card.
An AMD RX580 8gb is a little bit more than your budget but this is one of those times that spending a little bit extra goes a long ways. By spending an extra $20, you get almost a 50% increase in performance over that 1050ti.
Here's an RX580 8gb for $210 after a $20 mail in rebate.
www.amazon.com/dp/B06XZQMMHJ/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_o7kGBbXCPW1MK

Graphics card prices were inflated due to the crypto currency mining boom. The boom has died and most video card prices have fallen back to normal, except the low end cards like the GTX1050ti. That card should be $140 max. They're terrible right now for the price/performance ratio.

what about the rx 580 but 4gb instead of 8 gb. this looks like a decent prebuilt.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227854

at 1080, seems like the vram doesnt move the needle.

 

[jefferz]

what about the rx 580 but 4gb instead of 8 gb. this looks like a decent prebuilt.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227854

at 1080, seems like the vram doesnt move the needle.

That’s a really unbalanced system imo. The CPU is really powerful but the GPU is good enough for 1080p medium settings gaming. The 8gb version of the gpu would have been a lot better.
Personally I’d pass and wait until you find an 8gb version, but it’s kind of rare in prebuilts. If you were to go to Newegg and compare the 4gb vs 8gb version, there’s only about a $20 difference. With the 8gb version, you’d probably get an extra year or so out of it before it has to be upgraded.

 

[90 50]

That’s a really unbalanced system imo. The CPU is really powerful but the GPU is good enough for 1080p medium settings gaming. The 8gb version of the gpu would have been a lot better.
Personally I’d pass and wait until you find an 8gb version, but it’s kind of rare in prebuilts. If you were to go to Newegg and compare the 4gb vs 8gb version, there’s only about a $20 difference. With the 8gb version, you’d probably get an extra year or so out of it before it has to be upgraded.

And no ssd only an hdd

For 1/2 the price could probably build something shopping local c-list used that is on par or maybe better depending on what he can use over from the previous build.

 

[reveler]

That’s a really unbalanced system imo. The CPU is really powerful but the GPU is good enough for 1080p medium settings gaming. The 8gb version of the gpu would have been a lot better.
Personally I’d pass and wait until you find an 8gb version, but it’s kind of rare in prebuilts. If you were to go to Newegg and compare the 4gb vs 8gb version, there’s only about a $20 difference. With the 8gb version, you’d probably get an extra year or so out of it before it has to be upgraded.

so you're saying the same rig with an i5 would probably be more balanced?

That’s a really unbalanced system imo. The CPU is really powerful but the GPU is good enough for 1080p medium settings gaming. The 8gb version of the gpu would have been a lot better.
Personally I’d pass and wait until you find an 8gb version, but it’s kind of rare in prebuilts. If you were to go to Newegg and compare the 4gb vs 8gb version, there’s only about a $20 difference. With the 8gb version, you’d probably get an extra year or so out of it before it has to be upgraded.

should i just plunk down the coin for a 1080 ti 11 gb system then.

 

[jefferz]

And no ssd only an hdd

For 1/2 the price could probably build something shopping local c-list used that is on par or maybe better depending on what he can use over from the previous build.

It does include an Optane drive though. Not as good as an ssd, sure. But still better than just an HDD.
With the price of SSD’s, it wouldn’t be much more to the cost. You can pick up a good budget 120gb SSD for $25. That would be large enough for Windows and all your other programs. Then you’d have your games on the HDD which would be enhanced by the Optane drive.
Good budget 240gb SSD’s are hitting $40. That’s large enough for Windows, your programs, and a couple of games. Plus you’d still have your Optane enhanced HDD.
As Black Friday approaches, I think we’re going to see some really good sales on SSD’s. We’re already at record low prices and they’re predicted to go even lower. Newegg had a good budget 120gb ssd for $20 yesterday. 960gb Adata SSD’s are going for $110.
I think we’ll see more of that in the near future.

 

[90 50]

It does include an Optane drive though. Not as good as an ssd, sure. But still better than just an HDD.
With the price of SSD’s, it wouldn’t be much more to the cost. You can pick up a good budget 120gb SSD for $25. That would be large enough for Windows and all your other programs. Then you’d have your games on the HDD which would be enhanced by the Optane drive.
Good budget 240gb SSD’s are hitting $40. That’s large enough for Windows, your programs, and a couple of games. Plus you’d still have your Optane enhanced HDD.
As Black Friday approaches, I think we’re going to see some really good sales on SSD’s. We’re already at record low prices and they’re predicted to go even lower. Newegg had a good budget 120gb ssd for $20 yesterday. 960gb Adata SSD’s are going for $110.
I think we’ll see more of that in the near future.

Yeah won’t cost a lot to upgrade but it’s still a new rig that needs an upgrade before you ever power it on.

 

[jefferz]

Yeah won’t cost a lot to upgrade but it’s still a new rig that needs an upgrade before you ever power it on.

If you're spending $780, you can spend an extra $20 on an SSD. If it was $100 more, then I would question the upgrade. I do understand your point about having to upgrade a new system though and I understand some people want an out of the box experience.
If you're willing to spend the $20 extra and put in a couple of hours of your time to reinstall, it is a nice budget upgrade. $20 is meal at home instead of a restaurant, making you coffee at home for a week instead of Starbucks, or a trip to the matinee.
As I stated above, I personally wouldn't buy that system. I'm responding as if someone went ahead and bought the system anyways.
Here's the $20 SSD for anyone interested. Benchmark

 

[90 50]

If you're spending $780, you can spend an extra $20 on an SSD. If it was $100 more, then I would question the upgrade. I do understand your point about having to upgrade a new system though and I understand some people want an out of the box experience.
If you're willing to spend the $20 extra and put in a couple of hours of your time to reinstall, it is a nice budget upgrade. $20 is meal at home instead of a restaurant, making you coffee at home for a week instead of Starbucks, or a trip to the matinee.
As I stated above, I personally wouldn't buy that system. I'm responding as if someone went ahead and bought the system anyways.
Here's the $20 SSD for anyone interested. Benchmark

I totally get all of that, I’m just saying for 800.00, in this day and age you think they would at least have thrown in an ssd big enough for the os.

 

[jefferz]

I totally get all of that, I’m just saying for 800.00, in this day and age you think they would at least have thrown in an ssd big enough for the os.

$780 for that system is right in line with what you can build for roughly the same price. The pcpartpicker list doesn't include the Optane drive or the cost of the Windows license
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Z9sDfH
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($308.99 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: MSI - B360M PRO-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($62.24 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL - EVO SPEAR 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 580 4GB AORUS 4G Video Card ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox MB600L ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.76 @ OutletPC)
Total: $781.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-03 00:42 EDT-0400

I'd go with something like this instead for right around the same price.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($55.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland - 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.89 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Windforce OC Video Card ($354.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool - TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $799.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-03 01:53 EDT-0400
I'm willing to give up some HDD storage for a bigger SSD. If 2tb of HDD storage was essential, you could drop it down to a 120gb SSD. A 1tb HDD and 240gb SSD combo ($81) is about the same price as a 2tb HDD and a 120gb SSD combo ($84).

 

[reveler]

$780 for that system is right in line with what you can build for roughly the same price. The pcpartpicker list doesn't include the Optane drive or the cost of the Windows license
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Z9sDfH
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($308.99 @ Walmart)
Motherboard: MSI - B360M PRO-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($62.24 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL - EVO SPEAR 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($58.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte - Radeon RX 580 4GB AORUS 4G Video Card ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox MB600L ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.76 @ OutletPC)
Total: $781.46
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-03 00:42 EDT-0400

I'd go with something like this instead for right around the same price.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3GHz 8-Core Processor ($179.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($55.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Inland - 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($37.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($42.89 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Windforce OC Video Card ($354.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool - TESSERACT BF ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $799.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-11-03 01:53 EDT-0400
I'm willing to give up some HDD storage for a bigger SSD. If 2tb of HDD storage was essential, you could drop it down to a 120gb SSD. A 1tb HDD and 240gb SSD combo ($81) is about the same price as a 2tb HDD and a 120gb SSD combo ($84).

how about this. getting warmer?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883102539

im assuming any self-built system doesnt come with windows 10, so that is an extra cost.

 

[jefferz]

how about this. getting warmer?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883102539

im assuming any self-built system doesnt come with windows 10, so that is an extra cost.

What’s your budget and/or expectations?

 

[reveler]

What’s your budget?

i dont have a fixed budget, i just want a good price on something which is decent for gaming and is correctly balanced for bottlenecks. it's pretty challenging to line up cpus, gpus, and ram to diagram the bottlenecks, which was my original post that got merged into this thread. i know enough not to match an i3 with dual 1080 ti 11 gb, but everything in between is a bit mysterious.

this started out as just a gpu upgrade but since my system is now over 6 years old, i feel other parts may be due to fail and its time to just get a new machine rather than have to shop under duress post-failure.
i will plan to reuse my existing monitor though (came with the dell xps), which i believe only supports up to 1080p. so, that is another bottleneck.

i'd rather not build my own after watching everyone make fun of that verge video; wouldnt have guessed so many mistakes were made.

 

[jefferz]

i dont have a fixed budget, i just want a good price on something which is decent for gaming and is correctly balanced for bottlenecks. it's pretty challenging to line up cpus, gpus, and ram to diagram the bottlenecks, which was my original post that got merged into this thread. i know enough not to match an i3 with dual 1080 ti 11 gb, but everything in between is a bit mysterious.

this started out as just a gpu upgrade but since my system is now over 6 years old, i feel other parts may be due to fail and its time to just get a new machine rather than have to shop under duress post-failure.
i will plan to reuse my existing monitor though (came with the dell xps), which i believe only supports up to 1080p. so, that is another bottleneck.

i'd rather not build my own after watching everyone make fun of that verge video; wouldnt have guessed so many mistakes were made.

Since budget isn’t a big concern, what resolution do you want to play games at? There’s 1080p, 1440p, or 4K. Prices go up as resolution increases. If you want to do 1080p gaming, all you would need to do is upgrade your video card in your current rig.
1440p and 4K will require completely new hardware.
Are you wanting to upgrade monitors as well or use the one you have? What games do you want to play?

 

[reveler]

Since budget isn’t a big concern, what resolution do you want to play games at? There’s 1080p, 1440p, or 4K. Prices go up as resolution increases. If you want to do 1080p gaming, all you would need to do is upgrade your video card in your current rig.
1440p and 4K will require completely new hardware.
Are you wanting to upgrade monitors as well or use the one you have? What games do you want to play?

i am planning to use my current monitor, which is 1080p. im interested in the new doom (and upcoming expansion), witcher 3, and dark souls 3.