[SOLVED] Looking to buy a gaming PC

[dirtyharry77]

I've been in the IT field for many years, but not really a gamer. A friend wants my help buying a gaming PC for her son. Budget is around $1000 - $1500 give or take, just for the PC (not including monitor, keyboard, etc).

I haven't had to build a PC in many years, so not really wanting to spend a bunch of time doing so. Plus don't want to burn up the kids budget paying me. So mostly looking to buy something already built. Sounds like he mostly plays shooters. Fortnite, COD are what he plays on the consoles. Warranty is also a priority.

I realize timing might not be the best because of the chip shortage.

 

[sonofjesse]

Tell them to go MC. They can build a real pc for 1800.

 

[InvalidError]

Tell them to go MC. They can build a real pc for 1800.

For most people, that isn't an option because there is no MicroCenter within a reasonable distance and all of the deals are in-store-only.

 

[dirtyharry77]

Awesome man glad you got it all figured out with a better budget!

Sometimes people come on here with like a 600-800$ budget, and its just so hard now a days to do anything under 1500$ that economically makes sense to buy. If your looking for a pc that can do what you want it to, and not the bare minimum yano.

I think that build will work great for the kid who will be using it. Also I would trust a ASUS prebuilt more than a cyberpower or ibuypower any day of the week. Good job man!

Thanks for your helpful suggestions!!

 

[Jason H.]

5600x stomps on a 3800x. 5600x is $289. 3800x is $344. The 3800x is a bad buy no matter which way you look at it in comparison.

The 11400 and 5600x go head to head ± on wins depending on the title, but rarely more than a few meaningless fps difference. The 11400 is $269, the 5600x is $289, so a choice in motherboard is going to be the determining factor. The B550 boards are all good performance and better priced on average, the budget B560 boards are junk and offer pretty much 0 upgrade path to a stronger cpu whereas even the budget B550 can handle upto a 5900x with no worries.

Generally you'll get more for your money with Amd, but the trade off is its less plug-and-play than Intel.

Im gonna be honest here. I forgot about the new CPU's. Been out of the loop for a little bit with some life changes haha.

I was wrong.

 

[dirtyharry77]

Tell them to go MC. They can build a real pc for 1800.

That seems like a cool site, didn't know about them! Though I tried to build one with the same specs as the ASUS from Newegg: They are sold out of all the video cards. Even with the 3060, it still comes out to significantly more money.

 

[sonofjesse]

if you go to an MC in person they can hold cards for their builds. So say a 3060 next week in a truck hits your first on the list. They have 150 build fee. Good prices.

Makes it easier to get a video card.

 

[Why_Me]

This build will beat any previous builds posted in this thread like a rented mule while doing it for cheaper yet with better quality components. btw that video card down below is meant for 1080P resolution.

https://www.newegg.com/black-phanteks-eclipse-p360a-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811854103
Phanteks Eclipse P360A ATX Mid Tower Case $79.99

Exhaust fan for that case.

https://www.amazon.com/Antec-120mm-Performance-Connector-Single/dp/B08PVL8FJJ/
Antec 120mm Case Fan $5.99

https://www.newegg.com/evga-g3-series-220-g3-0550-y1-550w/p/N82E16817438095
EVGA SuperNOVA 550 80+ GOLD 550W Modular Power Supply $50.00

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144396
MSI MAG B560M BAZOOKA $139.99

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/intel-...ked-desktop-processor/6452218.p?skuId=6452218
Intel Core i5-11400 $189.99

https://www.amazon.com/Gelid-Solutions-Phantom-Cooler-Case/dp/B076KYYSRW
Gelid Solutions Phantom CPU Cooler $36.99

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-Ballistix-Desktop-Gaming-BL2K8G32C16U4B/dp/B083TRRT16/
Crucial Ballistix DDR4 3200MHz 16GB (8GBx2) CL16 $87.99

https://www.amazon.com/PNY-CS2130-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B0869B4Q66/
PNY CS2130 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4 Internal SSD $114.99

https://www.ebay.com/itm/304045093215
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC GAMING $799.97

Total: $1506

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-XB253Q-Gpbmiiprzx-Compatible-DisplayHDR400/dp/B087GTR74D/
Acer Predator XB253Q 24.5" FHD (1920 x 1080) 144Hz IPS NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible Gaming Monitor $249.99

https://www.amazon.com/Pro-USB-Activation-Original-Lifetime/dp/B09733KX1S/
Windоws 10 Pro USB 32 / 64 bit $73.00

Review of that cpu. Look for Core i5 11400F + Opt on the benchmarks.

https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/intel-core-i5-11400f-processor-review,1.html

A better look at that board.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B560M-BAZOOKA

A better look at that case.

https://www.phanteks.com/Eclipse-P360A.html

This card is being sold by Swing Computers .. they're legit. If this build is meant for gaming then its all about Frames Per Second.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/294230287409
ZOTAC Gaming GeForce 3060 RTX Twin Edge OC 12GB GDDR6 Graphics Card $799.99

Swing Computers computer and electronics repair and global reseller

Swing is an electronics repair and distribution company. Our mission is to make high end products globally accessible. We build top of the line systems designed for gamers and professionals alike. We put every PC and laptop through a rigorous QA procedure to ensure we deliver with the highest...

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[Why_Me]

5600x stomps on a 3800x. 5600x is $289. 3800x is $344. The 3800x is a bad buy no matter which way you look at it in comparison.

The 11400 and 5600x go head to head ± on wins depending on the title, but rarely more than a few meaningless fps difference. The 11400 is $269, the 5600x is $289, so a choice in motherboard is going to be the determining factor. The B550 boards are all good performance and better priced on average, the budget B560 boards are junk and offer pretty much 0 upgrade path to a stronger cpu whereas even the budget B550 can handle upto a 5900x with no worries.

Generally you'll get more for your money with Amd, but the trade off is its less plug-and-play than Intel.

First off the 5600x is $100 more than the 11400 (1TB SSD right there) and secondly the upgrade path (slim as it is) would be the 11700F and thirdly why do you say all B60 boards are junk?

This set up allows to run that cpu with the PL off in the bios 24/7.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144396
MSI MAG B560M BAZOOKA $139.99

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/intel-...ked-desktop-processor/6452218.p?skuId=6452218
Intel Core i5-11400 $189.99

https://www.amazon.com/Gelid-Solutions-Phantom-Cooler-Case/dp/B076KYYSRW
Gelid Solutions Phantom CPU Cooler $36.99

Total: $367

Temps for that $140 board.