[SOLVED] Buying a new PC in Serbia (Budget ~$1000)

[dovlePC]

Hey everyone, I'm considering buying a new PC and, since I'm afraid of building one from scratch, I've opted for buying a pre-built configuration. Considering I'm from Serbia, I can't use most of the websites like Amazon, NewEgg, etc so I was hoping one of you would help me find a diamond in the rough on Serbian websites.

I just want a gaming rig that's well balanced and doesn't have a dud component that bottlenecks the performance of the entire PC. Also, a build that leaves room for future upgrades would be ideal.

Websites that are available to me:

1) Huge marketplace aka Serbian Amazon/Ebay
Kompjuteri - KupujemProdajem - There could be a really good deal here

2) Serbian retail stores
Gaming računari - CT shop
Računari / Kompjuteri - CT shop
Monitor
RAČUNARI - USPON DOO
Desktop računari | Tehnomanija
Gigatron Računari | Gigatron
Brand Name Računari | Gigatron



Approximate Purchase Date: This month.

Budget Range: $800-$1000 or 95,000-120,000 Serbian Dinars
(I can go a tad bit higher if it would make a huge difference.)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming

Are you buying a monitor: No

Do you need to buy OS: No

Location: Serbia

Overclocking: Maybe (if I can figure it out)

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080, 60hz refresh rate (would like to upgrade to a 144hz eventually)

 

[DavidM012]

There are no good deals on used/refurbed pc's imo. 90% of what you buy new is a warranty.

If you buy a prebuilt and spent that much on it you're stuck for troubleshooting it since you're worried to void the warranty if you touch anything.

If you buy a PC and do not know every single component and what it's make and model is and what it's supposed to do you'll be similarly clueless with regard to troubleshooting.

If you buy a second hand PC that does not specify the make, model and part number of the memory you'll be shafted to know if it's meant to be compatible or not or if the mobo is working or not, for example. It might not have any useful documentation or labels. A second hand pc with undocumented parts (and used drives) is literally only a bunch of old parts in a box.

Similarly if you do not know the make and model of everything in the PC before you buy it:

You could be well shafted to troubleshoot it or get a refund. If you touch it, they say you tampered with it. If you don't know what it is you'll probably be ripped off.

If you do not know what the make and model of the motherboard, and what bios version is meant to be pre-installed, you won't understand what cpu will be compatible out of the box, and which cpus will require a bios update to work with it.

If you don't know how to update a bios you'll be stuck. If you buy a board that doesn't have a 'flashback' facility and you have a cpu that requires an update you'll be stuck. You can't start the mobo without a cpu, mem and display hardware installed.

If you buy second hand or new prebuilt pc, it will likely have deficiencies with the power supply and cooler particularlys.

So, get to know the PC components anyway. You can simulate a build with PC Partpicker.

Some general build advice: Don't skimp on the Mobo, Psu or Cooler. Buy a cooler that's larger than your CPU needs. Familiarize with the PSU tier list. Always buy a new psu with your new components. Thermalright Assassin is an affordable, ubiquitious overkill six pipe cooler which is very useful in any scenario, if available in your region.

There's lots to cross reference when choosing a build including price, and availability in your region.

When you select a motherboard search for and read a review or two before committing to purchase it to learn of any deficiencies, rather than learn about it after you have purchased one.

Is it impossible to buy a PC nowadays? No. The second hand market is for experienced and knowledgeable builders - who often wouldn't touch it with a barge pole anyway. Want a CPU with bent pins that you can't return to the seller? Don't go there. A badly packaged mobo with misaligned contacts in the socket? No thx.

Buying second hand isn't what it used to be. That's something to learn fast nowadays. The newer ddr4 level hardware is a lot more tetchy than the older less sophisticated pre-ddr4 era.

Do not buy a second hand GPU full stop. Never. It's either been gamed or mined to death already. Unless it's from some old dear who only played minesweeper and then be suspicious.

You need to buy:

Cpu:
Cooler: Always buy overkill or larger than needed.

Mobo: Always read the review

Memory: Always check the mobo QVL (memory support list) for compatibility to choose the correct memory for it. Also have to cross reference for availability in your region.

Drive: Sata 3 ssd or m.2 n.v.m.e ssd . n.v.m.e is more modern and faster.

Case: With airflow and fans. Browse around. The newer ones with glass side panels aren't to my taste. RGB lighting isn't to my taste. Some call it 'the unicorn puke'. However you may not be able to avoid purchasing at least some RGB unicorn puke unless you want to spend hours poring over specifications and QVL (memory compatibility lists) to find Non RGB versions of things.

Of course you might be RGB positive, neutral or negative: Like, don't mind or dislike. The choice is entirely yours.

Power Supply: Always buy a quality unit. Double check your selection on this forum if not sure. Never mix different power cables from different modular power supply units. Use the cables supplied with the psu only.

Well to reach 144hz gaming you'd eventually be looking at a ryzen 5000 series. (zen 3). Not sure if you'd get your foot in the door with a new build of zen 4 for $1000 tbh. There might be an offer (if available in your region) of a Zen 4 with free ddr 5 memory. If you can find the deal, go for it and save on the cost of memory anyway.

If you want a bash at overclocking, maybe Intel i5-12600 on a z690. Don't think you'll get a foot in the door with new 13th gen intel on $1000 bucks.

Well for the moment have a go on Pcpartpicker, post your selection and ask for tips to improve. Could go on all day about the pitfalls of buying or building a pc.

 

[dovlePC]

I thought buying pre-built rigs was for clueless people (which I am), but I guess not.

This is what I have so far - https://pcpartpicker.com/user/dovlePC/saved/8BB3wP

I basically copied the "Excellent AMD Gaming Build" from the homepage but added a few tweaks based on the Serbian market

You can ignore the pcpartpicker prices, though. Here's how much it would cost me:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3,7GHz (4,6GHz) AM4 - $182
Cooler: ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO - $49.5
Motherboard: ASROCK B550 Phantom Gaming 4 - $92
RAM:Patriot Viper Steel DDR4 16GB 2x8GB 3200MHZ CL 16 - $63
SSD: Crucial P2 M.2 PCIe NVMe 1TB - $65
GPU: ASROCK AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT Challenger D 12GB - $510
Case: NZXT H510 Flow - $99
PSU: Haven't chosen one yet.

All of that amounts to $1060, without the power supply. The GPU particularly is a lot more expensive here than in the US market, so perhaps there's a better option.

As far as "unicorn puke" goes, I don't really care one way or the other. I don't care about aesthetics in general. I just want it to run well.

 

[Why_Me]

https://www.eponuda.com/kompjuteri-napajanja/antec-ne550m-neoeco-modular-550w-napajanje-cena-402712
Antec NE550M NeoECO 550W 80+ Bronze Modular Power Supply 8.500,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/maticne-ploce-cene/msi-mag-b660m-bazooka-ddr4-maticna-ploca-cena-5422998
MSI MAG B660M BAZOOKA DDR4 14.990,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/racunari-pr...cesor-6-core-2-50ghz-4-40ghz-box-cena-5231572
Intel Core i5-12400F 23.167,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/kuleri/deep-cool-gammaxx-400-kuler-cena-403742
DeepCool Gammaxx 400 CPU Cooler 2.940,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/ram-memorij...6-cmk16gx4m2e3200c16-ram-memorija-cena-547159
Corsair VENGEANCE LPX DDR4 3200 16GB (2x8GB) CL16 8.984,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/nesortirano...1tb-p210-520mbs430mbs-p210s1tb25-cena-9136485
Patriot 1TB 2.5 SATA3 SSD 8.973,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/graficke-ka...al-rx6650xt-o8g-graficka-kartica-cena-6835053
Asus AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT 8GB Graphics Card 58.990,00 din

 

[Why_Me]

i5 12400 / 12400F gaming benchmarks.

 

[DavidM012]

Right.

If you don't have a large collection of Direct X 11 games maybe a new intel Arc gpu is for you. It competes on Direct X 12 but left some backwards compatibility behind. Intel may, or may not address the Direct X 11 issues - manyana.

Couple of articles one from this site and one from pcmag.

Here's a list of GPU's that might simplify the selection process. If you can find a way to trim the gpu expense then you could add it on to a better motherboard.

I think you've cheaped out on the mobo with your Ryzen build, perhaps the only way you could fit everything in. It's tier b on this list.

You didn't really super overkill the cooler but it's 210w which is ok, I say reluctantly. You'll hopefully have some fans in your case to well ventilate.

The intel build from Why_Me looks better balanced with a better mobo, hardly any practical difference with the cpu, with the possibility to upgrade the cpu later if needed. Mag Bazooka review. And includes alternative gpu and (tier b) psu for a similar price. Not bad. You don't get overclocking with it but, it's not really suiting your budget, and not strictly needed.

If you have to buy a splendiferous tier A psu to overclock a Ryzen and a different six pipe cooler and mobo, would be stretching your budget more. Difference between spending more now on a Ryzen or spending more later on another intel cpu? Maybe you could try to thrash it out some more, maybe about the same, it's all down to what you want.

I'm not insisting on anything, only much for taking some time to consider things and read about them before you buy, and ensuring that you understand what you're purchasing before you spend anything.

 

[dovlePC]

https://www.eponuda.com/kompjuteri-napajanja/antec-ne550m-neoeco-modular-550w-napajanje-cena-402712
Antec NE550M NeoECO 550W 80+ Bronze Modular Power Supply 8.500,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/maticne-ploce-cene/msi-mag-b660m-bazooka-ddr4-maticna-ploca-cena-5422998
MSI MAG B660M BAZOOKA DDR4 14.990,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/racunari-pr...cesor-6-core-2-50ghz-4-40ghz-box-cena-5231572
Intel Core i5-12400F 23.167,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/kuleri/deep-cool-gammaxx-400-kuler-cena-403742
DeepCool Gammaxx 400 CPU Cooler 2.940,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/ram-memorij...6-cmk16gx4m2e3200c16-ram-memorija-cena-547159
Corsair VENGEANCE LPX DDR4 3200 16GB (2x8GB) CL16 8.984,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/nesortirano...1tb-p210-520mbs430mbs-p210s1tb25-cena-9136485
Patriot 1TB 2.5 SATA3 SSD 8.973,00 din

https://www.eponuda.com/graficke-ka...al-rx6650xt-o8g-graficka-kartica-cena-6835053
Asus AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT 8GB Graphics Card 58.990,00 din

This is great, I might actually go with this seeing that you both agree It's balanced. Thanks for the list, Why_Me, and David, thanks for all links and useful information.

I have two more questions, though.

1)Could I save some money by buying some of these components (brand new and with a warranty) from sellers on kupujemprodajem.com?

For example, does this POWERCOLOR Radeon RX 6650 XT 8GB GDDR6 Hellhound have the same specs as the GPU linked above, seeing as it's 12,000 din or about $100 cheaper?

2) I added all the components in pcpartpicker and It's saying I might have to update BIOS to use the CPU? How can I find out if I'm going to have to do this?

 

[Why_Me]

This is great, I might actually go with this seeing that you both agree It's balanced. Thanks for the list, Why_Me, and David, thanks for all links and useful information.

Could I save some money by buying some of these components (brand new and with a warranty) from sellers on kupujemprodajem.com?

For example, does this POWERCOLOR Radeon RX 6650 XT 8GB GDDR6 Hellhound have the same specs as the GPU linked above, seeing as it's 12,000 din or about $100 cheaper?

The Power Color gpu will do just fine ^^

 

[DavidM012]

Well to answer that I'd run a comparison search

They look identical if we're talking about the same thing.

Could also look at benchmarks and search reviews for any known technical problems with either card. There's a comprehensive review if you want to go into it. Basically about middle of the road which is exactly where the budget stands too, as expected.

 

[dovlePC]

The Power Color gpu will do just fine ^^

I'm sorry, i edited the post to add another question just as you were responding to it.

Do you know if I'll need to update BIOS on the motherboard to run the i5-12400F? Because PcPartPicker says that might be the case.

 

[Why_Me]

I'm sorry, i edited the post to add another question just as you were responding to it.

Do you know if I'll need to update BIOS on the motherboard to run the i5-12400F? Because PcPartPicker says that might be the case.

I'd go with the 12400F. Stable and has a 6% edge over the 5600X in most games.

 

[DavidM012]

12th gen ready according to the manual. It's a well supported mainstream board. Here's the link to the msi site for it.

 

[dovlePC]

The Power Color gpu will do just fine ^^

I've done some more research and I've found a PowerColor Fighter Radeon RX 6700 XT for only $40 more that the PowerColor RX 6650 XT. Should I go with the 6700 or is it a bit overkill?

 

[Why_Me]

I've done some more research and I've found a PowerColor Fighter Radeon RX 6700 XT for only $40 more that the PowerColor RX 6650 XT. Should I go with the 6700 or is it a bit overkill?

That's a good gpu ^^

https://www.powercolor.com/product?id=1612512944#spe
Minimum System Power requirement (W): 650W PSU

 

[dovlePC]

That's a good gpu ^^

https://www.powercolor.com/product?id=1612512944#spe
Minimum System Power requirement (W): 650W PSU

So you're saying it can't work with the PSU you linked initially? I'm sorry, I'm literally braindead when it comes to PSUs ... or computer components in general

If not, any idea what could be a good alternative?

 

[Why_Me]

So you're saying it can't work with the PSU you linked initially? I'm sorry, I'm literally braindead when it comes to PSUs ... or computer components in general

If not, any idea what could be a good alternative?

https://www.eponuda.com/kompjuteri-napajanja/antec-ne650m-neoeco-modular-650w-napajanje-cena-402711

 

[dovlePC]

https://www.eponuda.com/kompjuteri-napajanja/antec-ne650m-neoeco-modular-650w-napajanje-cena-402711

I actually already ordered the 550W one, by the way.

There's good news and bad news.

Good news: The store I ordered it from doesn't have it in stock, so I was free to order the 650W one instead.

The bad news: It's the same store as for the 550W and I have a lingering suspicion the 650W is also going to be out of stock.

 

[DavidM012]

Here's the psu tier list again either highlight and right click and search or print out and take to the high street and see if they have anything on it.

Tier A power supplies will obviously be more expensive. Tier B is one you've been suggested already so just look for a 650w on that

Here's a list of power supplies from that store. (all 12 pages). There's a few on the avoid list and a few not sure because they aren't on it at all. If not sure, don't - how can you know what's been tested?

There in one Tier B similar to your antec, a Cooler Master MWE V2 Bronze 750

You could search Cooler Master MWE v2 for reviews to decide if you don't want it or ask opinions if it's actually naff.

'Is Cooler Master MWE 750 bronze good?

Cooler Master MASTERWATT 750 PSU is a real good PSU in the segment with superb build quality, good voltage stability and 80 PLUS Bronze efficiency.' (pctek reviews).


There is also a Seasonic GM which is tier A not clear if it's in stock.

So if you're going to be pressed to spend another $45 (ish) simply because of availability the question is what could you get for that elsewhere from another store?

How exhaustively you have to search to save $45?

 

[dovlePC]

I managed to find that exact same Seasonic GM for $90 and ordered it. Also ordered an ASRock RX 6700 XT for ~$470.

All that remains is to get the Motherboard. The website that advertised the MSI MAG B660M BAZOOKA DDR4 for 14,990 rsd <Mod Edit> up the price and it's actually more like 20-21k rsd.

Should I still go for it or is there a better option in that price range? (on eponuda)

 

[DavidM012]

So your chipset for an intel cpu is b660 ( mid range, does not support overclocking) or z690 (high end, supports overclocking) and the h610 (budget, does not support overclocking) chipset doesn't get mentioned much. There's also an h670 chipset (mid range) that has fewer usb ports. Alder lake chipsets article

Techspot midrange reviews

Whatif gaming reviews


From MSI there is the mag mortar, Tomahawk and Pro

You can look at comparative reviews but sometimes they don't include every model.

There is one definite avoid: 'Garbage board' - the gpu might be OK (read the reviews!) but the motherboard will close off any future upgrade path you might want because it won't run stronger cpus,

So obviously the z690 range is much more expensive.

The reviews seem to agree that an Asus Prime b660 Plus D4 is a reasonable 'budget board'.

 

[DavidM012]

The gigabyte gaming x looks reasonable too. It's a full atx board has 12% off. The review . Main feature to go by is the size of the vrm heatsink - though there are lots of other details too - this one has 3 nvme drive ports.

You might not need that many so could economise with the micro atx boards that only have 1 or 2, but the max you could have is 3 2tb m.2. ssd's for 6tb but you could also economise on drives if you only buy 2 or 3 250gb or 500gb drives for storage eventually.

I think most of the boards are on your site but the starting point is about $175 or 21k rsd.

 

[dovlePC]

I've done a little bit of research and I'm considering getting an ASRock Z690 Pro RS I've found for only $150 or around 18,000 RSD. I know It's an ASRock motherboard which seems to be a red flag as of late but I've looked at some benchmarks and it seems to be performing quite well even outperforming MSI Z690-A PRO - ASRock Z690 PRO RS - Review.

Thoughts?

 

[DavidM012]

For the price. Not great audio apparently (review), could be fixed with a discrete soundcard. Don't know if science has a way to improve the vrm heatsinks. Well they say you could run a 12900 on it. No crazy overclocks, well you're compromising on that feature, though it looks like you're getting something - it'll run ok and there's space to upgrade which is more than can be said for the 'budget' b660 boards.

Why don't they just drop 'budget' and make everything 'middle'? Well that's the mindset and the market you have to deal with.