- Jun 29, 2023
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The only gaming PC I've owned was built by a friend of mine, so I'm a bit sub-literate when it comes to tech, hence the post. I'm looking for some advice on selecting parts. The short of it is: PC parts down here are horribly overpriced (relative to avg household income), so I'm looking to spend as little as possible on something that will serve me competently (at 1440p) for the next 5 or 6 years. Note: I don't live in the US, however the prices tend to be similar (the only significant differences are with availability, and the fact that it's far more expensive to build a PC down here). I did a list of the parts I initially had in mind, and it was totalling about 900 USD (on PCpartpicker), including the monitor. (Down here, it's more like 1.250 USD, same as a Series X/PS5 console)
I've already done some research on prices and so far, the best choices for GPU (on a performance to $ basis) for me were the RTX 3060 (12GB model, virtua as the 8GB model) and RX 6600, with the former being slightly more expensive (<5%). The price difference from lower-end GPUs were too small for me to consider them. Higher-end boards are way out of my budget.
I've also found a used PowerColor RX 6700 XT for around the same as a new 6600, whose seller (who has a flawless reputation on the site, but few sales made) claims that it was used for mining for 6-12 months, hasn't had any repairs, and is in excellent condition (the seller is selling a bunch, not just 1 or 2 GPUs). The pictures on the ad look good. I don't put too much stock in buying used, but if it saves me a buck or a few hundred and won't give me any headaches afterwards, I'm more than willing, though I'm not sure how good are the purchase assurances in the site/platform for used products. Aside from this one RX 6700, I haven't found any used GPUs at a decent price that aren't +5 years old (whether they sell too well, or just have little availability, I can't tell).
I also keep hearing that 8GB of VRAM isn't enough for future titles (especially since, apparently, current-gen consoles have 10 and 16GB), but I also saw a video on YouTube earlier today where tests showed that that much VRAM (8GB) is only a necessity on poorly-optimized games and on games with maxxed-out (or close to) graphics settings, with few exceptions. Is an 8GB GPU worth it, in any case?
For the CPU, I have no idea. I've been recommended the Ryzen 5600x (for a 3060), but was also told that the Intel 12400F has a better "upgrade path" (whatever that's supposed to mean). Pricing-wise, they're very similar. (Note: I have found only 1 or 2 used 5600xs, with unattractive prices). I probably wouldn't even think about upgrading it for the next 5 years unless I saw a better CPU for a great price, anyhow.
Once again, I'm looking to spend as little as possible wherever I can, without compromising too much.
For the motherboard, I also have no idea. I honestly don't even know what features I'd want or need, other than being functional.
I saw some pretty good offers for decent-sized 1440p, 75hz, so I already have a couple of models in mind.
I'll gladly take suggestions for a PSU, as well.
That's all the important/expensive bits, right? For everything else, it seems pretty straightforward (except maybe for the CPU cooler). RAM and SSD prices down here aren't terrible, so I'm not too worried about those.
Once again, I'm not very knowledgeable on the subject, so I'd appreciate the advice. Thanks.
*Edit: would it also be better to wait for the end of the year? Are prices likely to drop further? Currently, there are some sales happening down here, so there are good % off on a lot of these parts.
P.S.: sorry for the long read.
I've already done some research on prices and so far, the best choices for GPU (on a performance to $ basis) for me were the RTX 3060 (12GB model, virtua as the 8GB model) and RX 6600, with the former being slightly more expensive (<5%). The price difference from lower-end GPUs were too small for me to consider them. Higher-end boards are way out of my budget.
I've also found a used PowerColor RX 6700 XT for around the same as a new 6600, whose seller (who has a flawless reputation on the site, but few sales made) claims that it was used for mining for 6-12 months, hasn't had any repairs, and is in excellent condition (the seller is selling a bunch, not just 1 or 2 GPUs). The pictures on the ad look good. I don't put too much stock in buying used, but if it saves me a buck or a few hundred and won't give me any headaches afterwards, I'm more than willing, though I'm not sure how good are the purchase assurances in the site/platform for used products. Aside from this one RX 6700, I haven't found any used GPUs at a decent price that aren't +5 years old (whether they sell too well, or just have little availability, I can't tell).
I also keep hearing that 8GB of VRAM isn't enough for future titles (especially since, apparently, current-gen consoles have 10 and 16GB), but I also saw a video on YouTube earlier today where tests showed that that much VRAM (8GB) is only a necessity on poorly-optimized games and on games with maxxed-out (or close to) graphics settings, with few exceptions. Is an 8GB GPU worth it, in any case?
For the CPU, I have no idea. I've been recommended the Ryzen 5600x (for a 3060), but was also told that the Intel 12400F has a better "upgrade path" (whatever that's supposed to mean). Pricing-wise, they're very similar. (Note: I have found only 1 or 2 used 5600xs, with unattractive prices). I probably wouldn't even think about upgrading it for the next 5 years unless I saw a better CPU for a great price, anyhow.
Once again, I'm looking to spend as little as possible wherever I can, without compromising too much.
For the motherboard, I also have no idea. I honestly don't even know what features I'd want or need, other than being functional.
I saw some pretty good offers for decent-sized 1440p, 75hz, so I already have a couple of models in mind.
I'll gladly take suggestions for a PSU, as well.
That's all the important/expensive bits, right? For everything else, it seems pretty straightforward (except maybe for the CPU cooler). RAM and SSD prices down here aren't terrible, so I'm not too worried about those.
Once again, I'm not very knowledgeable on the subject, so I'd appreciate the advice. Thanks.
*Edit: would it also be better to wait for the end of the year? Are prices likely to drop further? Currently, there are some sales happening down here, so there are good % off on a lot of these parts.
P.S.: sorry for the long read.
Last edited:
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