Question Need A New Rig But I Stink At Building Anything

[hassenpheffer]

Hello All!

So I bought my last (and current) rig through ibuypower over 20 years ago. I have taken very good care of it, replaced this and that, added this and that, but it's come time to buy a new one and retire this soldier. It's served me well.

I absolutely stink at anything technical so I do NOT want to try and build a new rig from scratch. I know I'll mess it up so I'd rather just buy a prebuilt one like my last one.

I don't know if ibuypower is as good as it was back in 2001 so I'd like some advice as to where to purchase a prebuilt rig.

My budget is a modest one at 2k.

The rig is for gaming.

Case can be large as it is going on a desktop. My current one is a Thermaltake Armor+ 20" (H)x 18" (D)x9"(W).

I don't care for aesthetics so any design/color is fine.

No water cooling.

I'm not planning on any tournaments nor do I spend a lot of time playing so it doesn't have to a beast. Just a rig that is reliable and long lasting.

No need for a keyboard or mouse and one SSD is fine for the OS as I have others.

I have 2 GTX 970s currently but those won't be any good for a new rig since RayTracing seems to be thing nowadays. As far as processors and motherboards go I'm good with either AMD or Intel. Same goes for GPUs.

I'm not sure what to else to add so the technical parts (RAM/MB/Power Supply) can be anything as long as it's worth the money and compatible.

Lastly: I realize there's a chip shortage and GPUs are pricey nowadays because of miners so: should I wait for lower prices or newer processors/GPUs or buy now? Get Windows 10 or 11?

I know this is a lot to ask but I would greatly appreciate anyone assistance in finding a business/tech online that builds and builds well.

Thanks in advance!

 

[hassenpheffer]

This would be a perfect PSU for that system. Comes with a 12 year warranty and is from one of the best manufactures of PSU in the world. It is also on a pretty great sale. If you ever send it in for warranty make sure to put in the old PSU!

Thanks!

What signs should I look for if there's an issue with the PSU?

 

[helper800]

Thanks!

What signs should I look for if there's an issue with the PSU?

Random shutdowns and shutdowns under large loads. Before that happens is when you should get the new PSU. That one could potentially damage parts if it buckles under load.

 

[Sub Atomic Genius]

1080p

I'm in the US but there are no Microcenters near me.

Wow! Thanks to all for your help. I've got a lot to sort through.

This might sound dirty and disgusting, but it's really not...
Wanna save some money??
I never would have thought of it a couple years ago, but I'm now a convert...
Don't rule out the idea of "dumpster-diving" behind techie stores, Office Depots, computer and phone outlets, house evictions, store/office closings, etc...
It really is unbelievable what people throw away... Many components of my computer systems (X3) have been scrounged from dumpsters, or bought ultra-cheap on the street...
I have an $1800 MSI laptop and charger from a house eviction dumpster... It was about wrecked, and I did have to sink about $400 into it... But $400 is better than $1800...
I have an HP 3015 LaserJet printer that I pulled from an office building closing's dumpster, in a large plastic bag, not a scratch on it... A $27 off-brand toner cartridge brought it back to life... I pulled six (6) LG 10.1" 16GB Android tablets from the same location the next day...
I have an MSI B350 motherboard in it original box with all accessories... $20... I have an MSI R9 380 video card in perfect condition, and used everyday... $20...
Keep in mind that, from a store manager's standpoint, if there's a hole in the box, the item is not sellable... Management will tell employees to throw it out...
Phones, tablets, computers, monitors, furniture, etc. are all being discarded everyday, everywhere... Just gotta be in the right place at the right time...
LET THIS MESSAGE BE READ BY EVERYBODY... TIMES ARE TIGHT, MONEY IS SHORT... GO AHEAD, TAKE A DIVE... YOU'LL BE VERY SURPRISED...

 

[hassenpheffer]

This would be a perfect PSU for that system. Comes with a 12 year warranty and is from one of the best manufactures of PSU in the world. It is also on a pretty great sale. If you ever send it in for warranty make sure to put in the old PSU!

Wouldn't something stronger be better?

 

[mdd1963]

"Raytracing seems to be a thing..."

Or so they try to their hardest to convince folks, anyway.....!

(Certainly even a single GTX970 could play low/medium details at 1080 on most games if push came to shove, but, it is indeed time for a new GPU as well)

20 years? THat's once heck of a lifetime.

What did I even I have 20 years ago......?

P3-850 from Xmas of 2000?
Slot A /Athlon 650 from 1999? (passed down to kids in 2000, as they needed a Quake 3 system too!)

 

[hassenpheffer]

Is it the same size?

 

[Karadjgne]

Keep in mind that, from a store manager's standpoint, if there's a hole in the box, the item is not sellable... Management will tell employees to throw it out...

Not really. Pretty much guarantee that any store manager who told an employee to throw out anything current just because of a 'hole in the box', wouldn't last a week. Company policy is to return the item to the vendor for credit. Or stick it back on the shelf as 'Open Box' at a reduced markup.

Wouldn't something stronger be better?

Size of PSU does not equal better. I'd put my Corsair Platinum SFX (that's a small form factor psu, size of the palm of a grown man) 600w up against Any Gold rated psu 650w+. A quality 650w psu is designed to hold constant 100% loads with no loss of performance at upto 50°C indefinitely. A junk 650w will be lucky to actually hit 650w output and hold it for several minutes, mostly loosing performance at any temp over 20-30°C. Many supposed Gold units failed hard when subjected to the 'hotbox' tests, putting the unit over 40°C, dropping past Silver and into the Bronze catagory of efficiency. At lower than rated power outputs.

Don't get caught up with branding. Yes Seasonic makes some of the best psus in the business, but they also brand some pretty mediocre stuff too. As does almost every psu manufacturer. SuperFlower also makes some of the best, like the Leadex series platforms, but are not above dumping out some real junk too.

Quality is in the Model, not the Brand. Very big difference between a Corsair CX 750 and Corsair HX 750 for instance.

 

[g-unit1111]

NZXT offers some good options for pre-builts, basic starter builds, and other options.

I'd also recommend Corsair One, they are some of the better pre-built systems out there.