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Prebuilt or build my own?
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Prebuilt or build my own?Posted:

zBenji
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I'm pretty new to what to get for a PC and I want to know if either I should buy a prebuilt one or just build one from scratch. I'm stuck in between because of my budget.

What I'm looking for:
Budget: My budget right now is $550 USD.
Peripherals & Monitor: I don't need a monitor, keyboard or mouse.
Games: I only plan to play games like Rust, GH3, PUBG, and others.
Software: I don't edit or do anything. I just want to be able to play with my friends that switched over to PC. So "The Basics" I'm guessing.
Aesthetics: I don't mind as long as it's neat and workable!
When: I'm either going to buy the parts to build one or buy a prebuilt one next week!


I have 3 options for a prebuilt one and I don't know if they are good for my budget / the price for it. I'm going to have a link for the prebuilt ones and I just need help on picking the best option.

Prebuilt:
Option 1: [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Option 2: [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Option 3: I'm just gonna say what it has it in it because it's on Craigslist.
It does NOT have a GPU in it.
Case: Cougar QBX
CPU: Intel i5-7500
Motherboard: ASRock H170M-ITX/DL
RAM: Corsair ValueSelect 8GB DDR4
SSD: Kingston 240GB
PSU: EVGA 450w B1
Price: $375 USD


Or should I just build my own with my budget being at $550?
-
If you think I should just build one instead of buying any of the prebuilt ones, please help me find the best parts for my budget.

Thank you so much!
#2. Posted:
MushroomElm
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Building your own, but the thing is that right now budget PCs are terrible because of Cryptominers. Budget cards, even, now cost more than what they should.

Regardless of that, I suggest saving that 550 and trying to get up to 1K. Both of those builds are terrible for one major reason: integrated graphics. Other reasons, too, obiously. That just stands out.
#3. Posted:
SHOTTYLEAN
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This is what I'd start out with, it should handle all those games at 720p - 1080p low/medium mixed depending on each game. Down the road I'd add more RAM to total 16gb and a dedicated graphics card like a 1060 or whatever they decide to call the new gen 1160/2060. Then you can pretty much handle anything out there at 1080p.

PCPartPicker part list: [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]
Price breakdown by merchant: [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($168.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($95.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT - S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - B3 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $568.51
#4. Posted:
21
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zBenji wrote Prebuilt: Option 1: [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Ew, no.

zBenji wrote Option 2: [ Register or Signin to view external links. ]

Absolutely not.

zBenji wrote Option 3: I'm just gonna say what it has it in it because it's on Craigslist.
It does NOT have a GPU in it.
Case: Cougar QBX
CPU: Intel i5-7500
Motherboard: ASRock H170M-ITX/DL
RAM: Corsair ValueSelect 8GB DDR4
SSD: Kingston 240GB
PSU: EVGA 450w B1
Price: $375 USD

This. Buy this. Grab a used GTX 960 for $100, or even a GTX 970 for $150-175 and add whichever used GPU you buy to this system. A GTX 970 will perform significantly better than an R5 2400G APU. Even the GTX 960 is a considerable improvement over the Vega 11 graphics in the R5 2400G. So this is by far the best way to get the best gaming performance with your budget.

OP, so you know;
GTX 970 = roughly GTX 1060 3GB performance
GTX 960 = trades blows with 1050/1050Ti. Sometimes the 960 falls behind the 1050, sometimes it beats the 1050Ti, but usually it falls somewhere in between the 2.
R5 2400G(Vega 11 graphics) = worse than GT 1030, for the most part.

SHOTTYLEAN wrote CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($168.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($95.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston - A400 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT - S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - B3 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $568.51

Swap the S340 for an Eclipse P300. The S340 is poo. It was a good choice when it was new. In fact, it was unbeatable when it was new, but it's an old case now. Eclipse P300 or P400 are better options than the S340 now. Also, swap the EVGA PSU for a CX450M to get this parts list within budget. Everything else is fine.
#5. Posted:
FKX
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Recently, myself and 13 have had different opinions which is great on routes to go with prebuilts or building from scratch, it allows for a few options to go over for those asking the question, however their idea here i can second strongly.

I would however look into increasing your budget by a bit, 800-1k, get the base unit and use it for a bit, do a upgrade on the case to get that done with and save a bit more, Cryptominers have taken a toll on pricing in a stupid way but as 13 has brought to my attention this is slowly sorting itself out which can allow you to get a better Gpu in the future (1-2 month time) like a 1060 new or even a 1070 used.
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