Opinions on modifying a dell or buying prebuilt gaming pc

[jacobbones]

So basically I was going to modify a low end dell.
Its an I5 with 8gb ram and a 750ti right now

Was going to put it in a new case add a power supply and fans with a corsair 750 and a 1060 6gb card. End up costing me 6-700. 800 if I up ram to 16gb

Or other idea is just buy this prebuilt
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-omen-by-hp-desktop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1070-1tb-hard-drive-brushed-aluminum/5759917.p?skuId=5759917

figure better video card no work and extra $400 bucks. What you guys think
?

 

[Lutfij]

Can you please pass on the specs to your Dell?
List them like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
OS:

^ You could consequently state the SKU to your Dell unit.

The HP could be a good purchase seeing that you get a GTX1070 in that system for around 1,300USD. You could actually build a system yourself and get away with a self rewarding experience as well as experience when it comes to diagnosing issues with your system.

 

[jacobbones]

Its a dell 3847

I have a gaming PC I built few years back with a 660 ti. But its dated.
Building a new one would be the way to go if it wasn't gonna be 1k just for the video card alone.

The dell is just a media player in the living room. Was gonna update that so I can play on the couch on the Big tv

 

[gondo]

If you do decide to upgrade you can choose a nice case you like. Get a good power supply. Those 2 things alone can last you 10+ years of future upgrades. It's the foundation of all future upgrades. That alone is something to think about.

To save money you can keep the motherboard/CPU/memory of your current DELL and just swap it into the new case. If you want to speed up the system now just add an SSD hard drive and reinstall windows onto it. If you don't have, you may want to consider buying Windows 10 to install.

Lastly look at your monitor you currently have or may think about getting. This will determine which video card you want to get. If you are going to use a 24" 1080p 144Hz monitor for gaming then an NVidia 1060 or AMD RX580 would be perfect. Don't rule out an AMD video card. You have to figure on if you would maybe use a Freesync Monitor.

All of this gets you started with a custom built machine and all you would require is a case, power supply, and video card for now. Later on you could upgrade the board/cpu/RAM and you already have the rest.

 

[jacobbones]

whats your thoughts on the prebuilt? Other than lack of SSD seems like decent specs

I keep thinking upgrading the dell is a waste. I have gaming rig with a I7 and 660ti but the fact that a new video card would cost me as much as the pre-built makes me wanna just buy that then in a few years when that's out dated and if the markets come back down to earth I can build the next one.

I use the dell to watch movies on and stuck a 750ti for giggles last year but have come to find I prefer to game on the couch so want to get a gaming pc for the living room as I need to keep my other PC where it is

 

[gondo]

video card which may be oThe prebuilt has a 1070verkill. It's overkill for 1080p. Being an HP the case and power supply is mediocre. The memory would be as well but that's not a big deal as long as it works.

I think the big question is what do you require for a video card. Do you need a 1060 for 1080p gaming, or do you want to get into 1070 or 1080 territory for some 2k/4k gaming. That will determine where to get started.

Personally the specs of your Dell are fine for now. 8GB is enough. Really all you need is a better video card. I'd stick a new video card in and call it a day. Start upgrading that system piece by piece till you have a nice gaming system for the living room. If you look at Coolermaster they have some really nice micro ATX cases with tempered glass for around $50. You can remove all the drive cages as well and install brackets for water cooling. Really nice for the price. Check out Coolermaster Masterbox 3.1.

You could build a nice living room rig less expensive that that HP, or not much more, but much higher quality. And the initial cost can be made much less by reusing the Dell as a starting point. Just checked and the HP is also a 7th gen I7 not the new 8th gen. Also it doesn't have USB 3.1 ports. I wouldn't buy a computer without USB 3.1.