Question New System Purchase

[trickynick]

Hi,

Here is a link to my current build on PCPArtPIcker: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/gZxknt

I put this PC together roughly 6 years ago, but some parts were upgraded. I am now at a point where upgrading won't help due to the age. I will probably keeo the 500GB SSD and 2 TB HDD. I will keep my Win 10 Pro OS. It's retail version so will move it to the new computer. The other HDDs will go. I don't know if anything else can be kept.

I need a new system, probably prebuilt, as I am now legally blind and putting a new PC together will be too difficult for me.

I'd like to have a system that will last me for 6 years like my current one has. I'd like to keep the budget low as possible. I don't play FPS games. I normally play Simulation games like RimWorld, Factorio, ATS. I got a new monitor and installed it and Factorio is no longer playable.

I don't care about brands (AMD vs Intel or AMD vs nVidia). I would prefer trusted companies that stand behind their builds.

Can anyone help me find a new system?

EDIT2: I will be keeping both monitors as well as my mouse and keyboard.

EDIT: I don't really have a set budget, but I'd like it as low as possible with quality parts. I don't want to open the case up with my pisspoor vision. Each time I try to build one I always come out to 2500 give or take a few hundred and that price will be hard to explain.

 

[Lafong]

Can you spend 1000 dollars? If not, what maximum? 1500?

Where will you buy: USA? In person or online? Amazon? Costco? Best Buy?

You want pre-built and have vision problems, so don't know how useful your existing drives will be. Whatever is on them will have to be transferred to the new drives in the new system unless you don't care about it.

Any new pre-built would presumably have it's own new Windows license. So your existing Windows license will likely be irrelevant.

Standard idea would be something like a Dell, but not a big difference from other brands. You pays your money and you takes your chances.

With any pre-built, you may be forced to compromise and accept stuff you'd prefer to avoid.

Can't go much farther without more details from you on budget. "As low as possible" doesn't tell us much. Any tolerable pre-built would likely be 600 and up. A random 1000 dollar machine might be fine for you......any new machine on the shelves should have a lot stronger CPU than your i5-6400.

You need to determine how much of your current "problems" are due to inadequate video card rather than inadequate CPU horsepower or not enough RAM. Your game settings may come into play.

 

[trickynick]

Ideally I'd like to spend around 1500 but may go as high as 2000. I could do a DIY, but I think I'd have issues with connecting the power button and stuff case those jumpers are really small.

This would be in the USA - Online would be fine. Store doesn't matter as long as they support their products.

Connecting them shouldn't be an issue...the data cords and power cords I think are big enough for me to see. So once they are connected I could move the software over.

If you know of a way for me to install those jumpers without too much trouble, I may take a crack at building it myself again.

EDIT: I don't know what is causing Factorio not to play without slowing my PC to a stutter. It's the only game that does this that I've tested (also tested FF8 Remastered).

 

[Lafong]

Two ideas off the top of my head:

1; go to Best Buy, Costco, Microcenter or any face to face brick and mortar store you can buy from. Find 2 or 3 machines in your budget. Write down complete specs. Post the specs back here so we can shoot holes in it.

2; similar idea, but go online to maybe Dell or Amazon or Newegg. Pick out two or 3 in your budget. Post a link to them so we can examine.

I can't help you with AMD.

If Intel at the 1500 to 2000 dollar level, I would try to:

1; avoid spinning drives entirely

2; probably try to get 16 GB DDR 5 RAM. You may be forced into 32 GB RAM or DDR 4 RAM. Expect a gross overcharge for moving from 16 to 32.

3; No reason to get Windows 11 or any "Pro" version of Windows; but you may be forced into it.

4; you now have 500 GB SSD and 2 TB spinner. Know what you will do with them before you buy the new machine. Reuse them or not? How? Ideal final situation would be either one maybe 2 TB SSD for "everything" or maybe one 500 GB SSD for Windows and applications and a separate 1 TB or 2 TB SSD for everything else...no spinning drives at all.

5; avoid a narrow slim-line type case to allow possible future cooler upgrades.

6; ideally avoid liquid cooling, although might be forced on a $1500 or $2000 PC. Be careful.

7; likely acceptable Intel CPUs: i5-12400 or above up through i7-12700k; i5-13600K; conceivably others

8; air coolers on pre-built machines are likely modest. May be noisier than you'd like due to high rpm fans.

Case details and air flow likely modest on pre-built. Be prepared for some degree of fan/cooling issues you'd prefer to avoid. You may have to accept temps higher than you'd otherwise like.

Pre-built power supplies are modest. You'll have to accept that.

Accept that pre-builts are largely "appliances" to be eventually replaced rather than rebuilt over time. They have limitations, both proprietary and otherwise.

I'd probably try to avoid Acer brand.

Expect to spend time in customer support hell if the dice don't roll your way.

Costco and Amazon might (?) have better return policies if unhappy in the first 30 days?

Is Microcenter available to you?? I think you can walk into a Microcenter store, pick out a pile of parts, and they will assemble them for you for a fee. I think Newegg has something similar. I have NO details on how that works. Could be a total disaster.

 

[trickynick]

I did a build on NewEgg. I hope they put it together, but am not sure.

https://newegg.io/9f3f6ab

Is it good? Will it last me a few years?

 

[USAFRet]

I will keep my Win 10 Pro OS. It's retail version so will move it to the new computer.

The license you can move.
The actual installed OS, probably not.

And a prebuilt will come with its own license and install.

 

[trickynick]

Here is an AMD Build I put together: https://newegg.io/a9234173
Here is the Intel Build I put together above: https://newegg.io/9f3f6ab

Are these good builds? Critiques? Does NewEgg put them together?

 

[Lafong]

I did a build on NewEgg. I hope they put it together, but am not sure.

https://newegg.io/9f3f6ab

Is it good? Will it last me a few years?

It's not what I would choose, but is "good" enough.

It may die in 5 minutes or last 20 years.

Newegg will just ship the parts to your address UNLESS you have gone through their web site and found out how to get them to build it for you. I do NOT know if or how that is done.

I have no idea what you actually thought you did.

Did you cough up a credit card and authorize payment? Do you think you bought anything other than a pile of parts to be shipped to an address?

Newegg is primarily known as seller of parts. I've only seen rumors that they do anything else.

 

[trickynick]

After a bit of research, I've found they did offer building of systems, however, they hae since discontinued it. So I did find the answer to that question.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

You might want to consider the HP Omen series especially the HP Omen 45L, if your budget allows. They currently have heavily discounted gaming PC's. If you use the promo code 10gamer2022 you'll get a 10% discount off the price.

Just stay far away from Alienware. Gamers Nexus prefers to call them Failienware.