So, my current rig is 6 years old and makes more noise than I do when I first wake up in the morning.
I'm not a hard core gamer like most of you here, but I do enjoy WoW and some war games, but I'm not into shooters (I do want that new Star Wars game coming out). I used to keep up with PC tech stuff years ago, but I couldn't tell you what's better over what these days. I know the name brands and know to stay away from no-name OEM crap.
I was thinking of buying a Costco gaming PC or possibly ordering from one of the online places. Here are 3 PC's I'm looking at. If anyone has the time to take a peak and offer their advice, I'd greatly appreciate the extra eyes and knowledge!
Thank you :notworthy:
https://www.ibuypower.com/gaming-pcs/easy-pc-builder/result
https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/EVO-Mini-I-200
https://www.costco.com/hp-omen-25l-gaming-desktop---amd-ryzen-7-3700x---radeon-rx-5700.product.100579374.html
I haven't looked at the offers, but I wouldn't buy from the manufacturer direct, like cyberpower or ibuypower. They don't tend to offer the best deals.
Check out Newegg. I've found some great deals there and have bought my last 3 rigs from them.
https://www.newegg.com/ (https://www.newegg.com/)
go with the ryzen build from costco. the rx5700 gpu in it is better than the cyberpower 1660. the ibuypower link didnt work for me just brought me to their home page. those hp omens get good reviews. the PC i just bought has the ryzen7 3700x processor and a rtx2070 super video card. I would have spent more and got the 2080 gpu but i also had to purchase a monitor and a desk. :'( good luck with your purchase!
Thanks Cpt and JH!
One thing to consider if you buy PCs seldom is upgrade capability and support. I buy a top of the line Alienware every 4 to 5years and upgrade it in between. Having good support and plenty of online videos is helpful for those inevitable whoops moments when you are fiddling inside.
I did a cost comp build vs buy Alienware three years ago and the price break difference was less than $300 or about 10% of the cost. For that I got an awesome case and help and updates to
Bios etc that continue to today.
My rig previous to the one I have now (5 years ago) was an ibuypower rig and I did not buy direct, IIRC I bought it from NewEgg IIRC and it is still running nicely for my older daughter.
The rig before that (10 years ago) is a Dell and is still running for my younger daughter.
My son and I built our own desktops 4 years ago and saved 40%. Bought almost all of the parts from Newegg. Since then we have both added RAM and updated graphics cards. He upgraded from an i5 to an i7. As a result, we both have what are still pretty good rigs. I just had to replace my laptop. I priced out offers from Newegg, iBuypower, Cyberpower and Dell. Costco beat them all. Badly.
I've read more than a few websites that this is a bad time to buy a new graphics card with the new versions coming out supposedly in September or the fall. If you can, maybe wait until you see what the new cards can do and their pricing. I built a new PC last year with a RTX 2070 Super and I'm looking forward to see what the new RTX 3000 series can do.
Right Now Is a Terrible Time to Buy a Graphics Card (https://www.tomshardware.com/news/bad-time-to-buy-graphics-card)
Quote from: Con on July 20, 2020, 04:51:13 PM
One thing to consider if you buy PCs seldom is upgrade capability and support. I buy a top of the line Alienware every 4 to 5years and upgrade it in between. Having good support and plenty of online videos is helpful for those inevitable whoops moments when you are fiddling inside.
I did a cost comp build vs buy Alienware three years ago and the price break difference was less than $300 or about 10% of the cost. For that I got an awesome case and help and updates to
Bios etc that continue to today.
^ I bought several from Alienware - but they were bought out by Dell.
I've gone back to Falcon Northwest.
Like you, I don't do shooters, fight sims, graphics design, or other notable CPU hogs. I usually can buy a Falcon Northwest (or Alienware), use it for 5-7 years, and get a new one.
Digital Storm has been good to me.