Question Need New PC

Yankee_LT · Tuesday at 7:01 PM

I thought I would come here to get some advice. What type of PC (and where could I purchase it) could I get around the 1200.00 dollar mark for gaming?

Thank you.

USAFRet · Tuesday at 7:02 PM

Yankee_LT said:
I thought I would come here to get some advice. What type of PC (and where could I purchase it) could I get around the 1200.00 dollar mark for gaming?

Thank you.

Start here:

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

Post in the systems forum.

Yankee_LT · Wednesday at 4:30 PM

Oh, so there's proper etiquette for me to follow? It's a simple question. If it can't be answered simply, I have come to the wrong site.

Eximo · Wednesday at 5:05 PM

Not that simple. And knowing what types of games you want to play inform the hardware choices.

At $1200 the difference between needing a monitor, mouse, keyboard, operating system, headphones or anything else beyond a basic tower will make for a huge swing in performance.

Doesn't sound like you are interested in building a system either.

If you just want something off the shelf. HP Omen series, MSI, perhaps ASUS are decent places to get computers that you may be able to upgrade/maintain.

There are also dozens of boutique builders out there that charge a hefty premium for basic components like Cyberpower, iBuyPower. Newegg's house brand ABS. NZXT's build service.

USAFRet · Wednesday at 5:07 PM

Yankee_LT said:
Oh, so there's proper etiquette for me to follow? It's a simple question. If it can't be answered simply, I have come to the wrong site.

We're just trying to help you to not buy a $1200 piece of crap.

Yankee_LT · 2024-08-01T14:26:45-0400

My mistake, USAF. I had no idea that you were looking out for my best interest. Thank you. Eximo. Correct, I couldn't build a PC myself. And I'm aware of the companies you listed.

logainofhades · 2024-08-01T14:38:17-0400

Yankee_LT said:
My mistake, USAF. I had no idea that you were looking out for my best interest. Thank you. Eximo. Correct, I couldn't build a PC myself. And I'm aware of the companies you listed.

Yea following that guide makes it easier for us to help you get the best system for your money, even if going with a prebuilt. Games you want to play, what resolution, and whether you need monitor and peripherals are vital to that. Do you happen to live near a Microcenter? They also do builds under their Power Spec branding, and even can build a system for you, from parts your purchase yourself.

Yankee_LT · 2024-08-01T20:17:56-0400

I believe there is a Microcenter south of me, which may be 45 minutes away. I considered finding a PC with an Nvidia 3080 Ti Founders Edition instead of the 4080 Super. Maybe I can save more money that way. Stick with an i7 and not go with the i9 32 gigs of memory instead of 64 gigs. But still stick with a 1000w power supply.

Eximo · 2024-08-02T09:17:01-0400

Little point in buying a 3080 Ti retail. 4070 Super is about the same performance. 4080 Super bumps you up a whole tier in terms of GPU size. 4070 Ti Super is a cut down 4080.

Zerk2012 · 2024-08-02T10:40:27-0400

Yankee_LT said:
I believe there is a Microcenter south of me, which may be 45 minutes away. I considered finding a PC with an Nvidia 3080 Ti Founders Edition instead of the 4080 Super. Maybe I can save more money that way. Stick with an i7 and not go with the i9 32 gigs of memory instead of 64 gigs. But still stick with a 1000w power supply.

A video card in that price range is going to eat up most of your budget.
If you refuse to help us help you then not much we can even do.

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

Yankee_LT · 2024-08-02T12:51:07-0400

Ok, how about I do this? I could keep my current PC and build it off the motherboard, which is an MSI Z270 M5. If I do this and go with the 3080 (ti) or 3090, what would be my best options for upgrading the CPU and Memory?

USAFRet · 2024-08-02T12:53:31-0400

Yankee_LT said:
Ok, how about I do this? I could keep my current PC and build it off the motherboard, which is an MSI Z270 M5. If I do this and go with the 3080 (ti) or 3090, what would be my best options for upgrading the CPU and Memory?

Here is the applicable CPU list for your motherboard:
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/Z270-GAMING-M5/support#cpu

What CPU do you have now?

Yankee_LT · 2024-08-02T13:01:10-0400

With that reference, do you believe the i7-6700K would be the best choice?

Yankee_LT · 2024-08-02T13:11:55-0400

My current CPU is the i7 7700k 4.2 GHz.

USAFRet · 2024-08-02T13:16:47-0400

Yankee_LT said:
My current CPU is the i7 7700k 4.2 GHz.

You already have the best CPU for that motherboard.

A 6700K would be a significant downgrade.

Eximo · 2024-08-02T13:45:21-0400

i7-7700k is roughly equivalent to an i3-12100.

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compar...-i3-12100-vs-Intel-i7-7700K-vs-Intel-i3-10100

With support for Windows 10 ending next October, really should consider a platform upgrade sooner rather than later. 7th gen does not support Windows 11.

But yes, you could get a GPU and drop it in there as long as you have a decent enough power supply.

At Microcenter, if you wanted to stick with Intel:

12900K bundle $420, Z790 motherboard and 32GB of DDR5 6000.
Adding a 4070 (not a 4070 Super), a 1TB drive, 750W ATX 3.0 PSU, Cheap CPU cooler comes to a total of $1215, + $150 build service. No OS.

With a Ryzen 7600X bundle (with 32GB memory as well) the total comes to $1150 + $150 build service. No OS.

If you don't mind open box and refurbished systems some decent deals at Newegg:

I rather like this one 7700X + 3070
https://www.newegg.com/abs-ala284-gladiator/p/N82E16883360249C?Item=N82E16883360249C

12700KF + 3070 Ti
https://www.newegg.com/abs-ali603-gladiator/p/N82E16883360268C?Item=N82E16883360268C

https://www.newegg.com/abs-ali603-gladiator/p/N82E16883360268R

https://www.newegg.com/abs-sa13700f4070-stratos-aqua/p/N82E16883360404C?Item=N82E16883360404C

Yankee_LT · 2024-08-02T17:28:53-0400

Thank you, Eximo. I'm currently having an issue, and I won't make a move until I find out what's wrong. Is my motherboard or CPU faulty, or maybe both are? Why? When I go into my bios and load settings that were saved to clock my CPU at 4.7 (4.20 base), it doesn't hold the configuration when rebooting, nor does it hold its base setting. Instead, it loads at 2.10 GHz, which makes my PC balk at games that are over ten years old. So what I have now is a PC that's basically a paperweight.

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