[SOLVED] Which PC is best overall and why?

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Heffy420

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Mar 22, 2017
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So I've narrowed my search down to 2 custom prebuilt PCs. Please let me know which is best and why. I will want to upgrade when I need to. Please bare with me as I did my best at copy and pasting these specs. Thanks!!

CAS: CyberPowerPC ELUNA 242V Premium RGB Gaming Case Mid-Tower w/ Tempered Glass Window Panel + 3x ARGB Fans (Black Color)
CC: None
COOLANT: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ Processor i7-11700KF 8/16 3.60GHz [Turbo 4.9GHz] 16MB Cache LGA1200 [w/o Integrated Graphic] [+14]
CS_FAN: Default case fans
ENGRAVING: None
FAN: CyberPowerPC MasterLiquid Lite 120mm ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler with Dual Chamber Pump & Copper Cold Plate
FREEBIE_CU: None
FREEBIE_MB: None
HDD: 240GB WD Green SSD + 1TB SATA III Hard Drive Combo (Combo Drive)
HDD2: None
HEADSET: None
IUSB: Built-in USB Ports (Based on motherboard and case selection)
KEYBOARD: CyberPowerPC Multimedia USB Gaming Keyboard
MEMORY: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/3000MHz Dual Channel Memory (Crucial Ballistix Sport)
MICROPHONE: None
MONITOR: None
MOPAD: None
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS PRIME Z590-V ATX, ARGB, 1GbE LAN, 2 PCIe x16, 3 PCIe x1, 4 SATA3, 3x M.2 SATA/PCIe
MOUSE: CyberPowerPC Standard 4000 DPI with Weight System Optical Gaming Mouse
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)
OVERCLOCK: No Overclocking
POWERSUPPLY: 750 Watts - Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 Series 750W 80 PLUS GOLD Ultra Quiet Full Modular Power Supply
PRO_WIRING: None
RUSH: Extra 4 week lead times for selected video cards, Eligible for 5% Instant Rebate when enter “NORUSH” During Checkout.
SERVICE: 3 Years FREE Service Plan (INCLUDES LABOR AND LIFETIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT)
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
SPEAKERS: None
USBHD: None
VIDEO: [Extra 4 Weeks Lead Time] GeForce RTX™ 3060 12GB GDDR6 Video Card (Ampere) [VR Ready] (Single Card)
WARRANTY: STANDARD WARRANTY: 1 Year Parts WARRANTY
WNC: None
WTV: None
_PRICE: (+1689) WITH COUPONS $1604.55

OMEN 30L Desktop GT13-0255st
Windows 10 ADV
Intel® Core™ i7-10700K W/Liquid Cooling(3.8 GHz up to 5.1 GHz, 16 MB L3 cache, 8 cores)
HyperX® 16 GB DDR4-3200 XMP SDRAM (2 x 8 GB)
No Optane
No RAID
512 GB Intel® SSD 32 GB Intel® Optane™ memory
No Secondary storage
No Third storage
No Fourth Storage
NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 3060 Ti (8 GB GDDR6 dedicated)
Front Bezel Shadow Black Glass, Dark Chrome Logo Side Cover Glass with Cooler Master 500 W Bronze efficiency power supply
Realtek Wi-Fi 5 (2x2) and Bluetooth® 5 combo, MU-MIMO supported
Office Trial
McAfee Livesafe (30 day)
HP black wired keyboard with volume control and wired optical mouse kit
HP OMEN 30L DESKTOP PC
BU RCTO OMN DoradoOC Z490
CKIT HP CTO OMEN 1C20 US
20C1 Cycle AV
OSLOC US
MISC HEVC MEDIA EXTENSION HP
WARR 1/1/0 US
PRICE: AFTER COUPON $1664
 
Solution
Eximo
Been a lot of videos recently about OEM builds. I think I would avoid HP and Dell/Alienware, and Lenovo to some extent. Dell is scraping the bottom of the barrel to make desktop builds profitable, forcing you to buy warranty support being the prime example (Even though it says free), and the instant you call them about a problem, they are losing money, and their service level shows.

Custom 12V only power supplies are becoming common too (Though not quite the ATX 12VO standard), as well as custom motherboards. Makes replacing parts nearly impossible later on. I've done it with an Optiplex 9020, but that was at least a standard sized motherboard, recent models, not so much.

OEM GPUs are pretty crappy generally, small heatsinks. High end...
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The top PC is made of mostly off the shelf parts and should allow you to upgrade with such. Intel 11th gen is mostly a dead end in itself so far as we know, but will offer PCI gen 4 support.

I have dealt with one Omen, but cannot recall if anything was specifically proprietary. The fact that they don't list a name brand motherboard or PSU give me pause.

Cyber has really upped their game as of late.

Of note with that upper build, if you can get them to spec almost ANY other M.2 than a WD Green would be good.
 
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punkncat said:
The top PC is made of mostly off the shelf parts and should allow you to upgrade with such. Intel 11th gen is mostly a dead end in itself so far as we know, but will offer PCI gen 4 support.

I have dealt with one Omen, but cannot recall if anything was specifically proprietary. The fact that they don't list a name brand motherboard or PSU give me pause.

Cyber has really upped their game as of late.

Of note with that upper build, if you can get them to spec almost ANY other M.2 than a WD Green would be good.
Click to expand...
Could you possibly view the site and suggest a better SSD? Is WD not a good brand anymore? Or just need more?
 
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Neither. Honestly.

The 11700k is the better cpu, by a hair. Not really enough of a difference to make the price difference worth it.
Then CP sticks the better cpu with the worse speed ram, and a totally inadequate cooler that won't even allow you to fully utilize the cpu without overheating.
Then sticks in a 3060.

The Omen has a cheaper but still respectable cpu that's almost as good as the CP, gives better ram, storage is confusing (no Optane, but 512Gb Intel ssd/ 32Gb Intel Optane memory) , and a 3060ti, and totally fails to mention cpu cooling (w/liquid cooling?) or give you a halfway decent psu. CM Bronze 500w is bottom tier. As is, the Omens spec decent, but their airflow is abominable and the pc in general doesn't live upto its ability.

Either would be nice for an office, but for gaming pc's both leave a lot to be desired. You could spec out ibuypower and get much better credentials, just check it physically before booting.
 
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USAFRet said:
What will this be used for?
For games, neither.

And CyberPower (or iBuyPower)...never, just on principle. OK, if it were free, maybe.
Click to expand...
Totally for gaming! I have them both "in the cart" ready to go. I bought a prebuilt CP a few years ago and got a lemon. But I'm now reading that they are a competing brand. What do you recommend for a good upgradeable gaming PC for around $1500?
 
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lvt said:
There is no best PC overall, there is only a PC that is the most suitable for the job.

Most of the time people simply want to have the most powerful PC with a fixed budget.
Click to expand...
Honestly I just want to play all games for a while without having to upgrade too soon. I got 5 kids and this is a now or never situation. I don't want to stream, I don't want to edit or record. Just want to play. Thanks!
 
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Heffy420 said:
Honestly I just want to play all games for a while without having to upgrade too soon. I got 5 kids and this is a now or never situation. I don't want to stream, I don't want to edit or record. Just want to play. Thanks!
Click to expand...

My advice is that you should drop all the unnecessary fancies like RGB fans, liquid cooling....

Stay with a regular desktop computer with a balanced gaming configuration, it will work smoothly for the next 5 years, even longer.
 
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lvt said:
My advice is that you should drop all the unnecessary fancies like RGB fans, liquid cooling....

Stay with a regular desktop computer with a balanced gaming configuration, it will work smoothly for the next 5 years, even longer.
Click to expand...
Well, what build do your recommend? Can I tweek these builds?
 
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Heffy420 said:
Well, what build do your recommend? Can I tweek these builds?
Click to expand...

This article will serve as technical reference

www.cbr.com

Best Gaming PCs Under $1000 (Updated 2021)

Wanting to change over from console gaming? A gaming PC might be where it’s at, so here are the best gaming PCs to consider buying in 2021.
www.cbr.com www.cbr.com

You should invest in RAM, GPU, screen and PSU, for example a PC with i7 CPU, a RTX GPU, a 27-in LCD and a 750W PSU will give you peace of mind for the next 5 years.

Why 5 years you may ask? Your computer will continue to work after 5 years, but it's the de facto maintenance interval for air-cooled PC in order to keep it in perfect working condition.

Again, RGB and liquid cooled are not recommendable for your situation, you will be too busy with your kids to fix a bad RGB wiring or a burned water bump 😉
 
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USAFRet said:
No idea.
Probably looks fancy, though.

Then again, I wouldn't buy anything from CyberPower to start with.
Click to expand...
This is part of the problem with getting advice. One person says CP sucks, another says they've stepped their game up. One person says the cooling is not efficient, another says I don't need it. I appreciate all the advice, but an still no closer to making a decision. Lol this is stressful! Seems like there is no good computer to game on for this price, but yet there's so many ppl that claim there is. Uhg. Definitely don't care about looks but if they come free I don't mind.
 
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Heffy420 said:
This is part of the problem with getting advice. One person says CP sucks, another says they've stepped their game up. One person says the cooling is not efficient, another says I don't need it. I appreciate all the advice, but an still no closer to making a decision. Lol this is stressful! Seems like there is no good computer to game on for this price, but yet there's so many ppl that claim there is. Uhg. Definitely don't care about looks but if they come free I don't mind.
Click to expand...
Part of the current problem is GPU price and availability.

A year ago, at that price point, a prebuilt was to be avoided completely.
Especially from janky companies like CyberPower/iBuyPower.

They may have upped their game, I don't know. But practices in the very recent past suggest no. Specifically regarding warranty fix/replacement.

This, from a couple weeks ago:

[SOLVED] - Computer Automatically Restarts With Specific Games (seemingly highly intensive games) And Not With Others

Hi all, Recently, I purchased a prebuilt computer from CyberPower and it has been working pretty well until recently. I got the computer in mid-January and I had no problems playing any games at the time. However, yesterday, I redownloaded Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and noticed that when I...
forums.tomshardware.com forums.tomshardware.com


Today, it is hard to get a good GPU at a reasonable price.
So a prebuilt is a lot more inviting. They have the buying power and contracts to actually get those GPUs.
 
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USAFRet said:
Part of the current problem is GPU price and availability.

A year ago, at that price point, a prebuilt was to be avoided completely.
Especially from janky companies like CyberPower/iBuyPower.

They may have upped their game, I don't know. But practices in the very recent past suggest no. Specifically regarding warranty fix/replacement.

This, from a couple weeks ago:

[SOLVED] - Computer Automatically Restarts With Specific Games (seemingly highly intensive games) And Not With Others

Hi all, Recently, I purchased a prebuilt computer from CyberPower and it has been working pretty well until recently. I got the computer in mid-January and I had no problems playing any games at the time. However, yesterday, I redownloaded Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and noticed that when I...
forums.tomshardware.com forums.tomshardware.com


Today, it is hard to get a good GPU at a reasonable price.
So a prebuilt is a lot more inviting. They have the buying power and contracts to actually get those GPUs.
Click to expand...
Yeah I read a lot about that and it's why I'm even considering a prebuilt, lol. Where do you suggest I go? Most other places I've gone to are usually well over 2k for these specs. Are these specs overkill? Again just wanting to game with no problems for a few years, no streaming, no recording(unless funny little clips etc) and hopefully not upgrade until prices drop. Getting desperate at this point cause if I don't buy soon I'll run out of funds 😲
 
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The 'other places' are more expensive because they stand behind their products better.
That warranty is a direct cost item.

In addition to the couple of things I mentioned with the Cyberpower, the HP Omen:
32GB Optane is uselsss.
Only a 512GB SSD, of unknown make/model.
Unknown liquid cooler
 
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You can pay a premium for a more high class builder. Maingear, Digital Storm, Falcon Northwest...Might drop down a notch in GPU, but you aren't likely to get a bad system or cheap components (mostly)

I would say CyberPower is okay if you don't mind thoroughly taking the system apart and going through it when you get it. But part selection is important.

i5-11600KF is quite the savings from them in place of the i7-11700KF
They offer a decent mix of Z590 boards, the Mini ITX ones tend to be nicer, so went with i7 SFF builds.
They offer a 1TB Intel NVMe SSD for a reasonable price, gets rid of the hard drive as well. Also Samsung 970 Evo Plus for a premium.
You can go up to their thick 120mm water cooler for not a lot.
You can change the memory from 3000Mhz to 3200Mhz cheaply, and pick a good brand rather than whatever they have that is cheapest. I like Corsair LPX for its versatility.
You can get rid of the terrible mouse and keyboard, buy your own later (Though they are really cheap, they are also really cheap...)
Upgrade to a Corsair RM power supply, 650W
RTX3060

That would work for me if I was in need of parts right now.
 
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*BASE_PRICE: [+1749]
Memorial Day Featured Promotions: None
Message: None
Gaming Chassis: Phanteks Eclipse P200A PERFORMANCE EDITION mini-ITX Gaming Case [-10] (Black)
Laser Engraving: None
Laser Engraving Message: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ Processor i5-11600KF 6/12 3.90GHz [Turbo 4.9GHz] 12MB Cache LGA1200 [w/o Integrated Graphic]
[-140]
Freebie of Processor: None
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: Asetek 570LC 120mm (Fatboy) Liquid CPU Cooling System w/ Copper Cold Plate [+17]
(Single Standard 120MM Fan)
Motherboard: ASRock Z590M-ITX/ax Mini ITX, ARGB, WiFi 6, 1GbE LAN, 1 PCIe x16, 4 SATA3, 2 M.2 SATA/PCIe
RAM / System Memory: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/3200MHz Dual Channel Memory [+30] (Corsair Vengeance LPX [+30])
Video Card: [Extra 4 Weeks Lead Time] GeForce RTX™ 3060 12GB GDDR6 Video Card (Ampere) [VR Ready] (Single
Card)
Power Supply: 650 Watts - Corsair RM Series RM650 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Fully Modular Ultra Quiet Power Supply
[+60]
Primary Hard Drive: 1TB Intel® SSD 670p Series PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD - Seq R/W: Up to 3500/2500 MB/s, Rnd R/W up to
220/330k [+44] (Single Drive)
Secondary Hard Drive: None
External Storage: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
Monitor: None
Cables: None
Speakers: None
Internal Network Card: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Keyboard: None [-5]
Mouse: None [-3]
Mouse Pad: None
Headset: None
Microphone: None
Gaming Gear: None
Wireless Routers/Hubs: None
Video Camera: None
Power & Surge Protection: None
External Accessories: None
Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)
Windows 10 Recovery: None
Professional Wiring: None
Ultra Care Option: None
Warranty: STANDARD WARRANTY: 1 Year Parts WARRANTY
Service: 3 Years FREE Service Plan (INCLUDES LABOR AND LIFETIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT)
Rush Service: Extra 4 week lead times for selected video cards, Eligible for 5% Instant Rebate when enter “NORUSH”
During Checkout.
*_PRICE: (+1772)
 
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USAFRet said:
The 'other places' are more expensive because they stand behind their products better.
That warranty is a direct cost item.

In addition to the couple of things I mentioned with the Cyberpower, the HP Omen:
32GB Optane is uselsss.
Only a 512GB SSD, of unknown make/model.
Unknown liquid cooler
Click to expand...
The HP is probably a no go for me at this point. Do you think I'm trying to hard for the i7 and would be just fine with the i5? Would I be ok buying from CP as long as I buy name brand parts?
 
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Eximo said:
*BASE_PRICE: [+1749]
Memorial Day Featured Promotions: None
Message: None
Gaming Chassis: Phanteks Eclipse P200A PERFORMANCE EDITION mini-ITX Gaming Case [-10] (Black)
Laser Engraving: None
Laser Engraving Message: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ Processor i5-11600KF 6/12 3.90GHz [Turbo 4.9GHz] 12MB Cache LGA1200 [w/o Integrated Graphic]
[-140]
Freebie of Processor: None
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: Asetek 570LC 120mm (Fatboy) Liquid CPU Cooling System w/ Copper Cold Plate [+17]
(Single Standard 120MM Fan)
Motherboard: ASRock Z590M-ITX/ax Mini ITX, ARGB, WiFi 6, 1GbE LAN, 1 PCIe x16, 4 SATA3, 2 M.2 SATA/PCIe
RAM / System Memory: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/3200MHz Dual Channel Memory [+30] (Corsair Vengeance LPX [+30])
Video Card: [Extra 4 Weeks Lead Time] GeForce RTX™ 3060 12GB GDDR6 Video Card (Ampere) [VR Ready] (Single
Card)
Power Supply: 650 Watts - Corsair RM Series RM650 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Fully Modular Ultra Quiet Power Supply
[+60]
Primary Hard Drive: 1TB Intel® SSD 670p Series PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD - Seq R/W: Up to 3500/2500 MB/s, Rnd R/W up to
220/330k [+44] (Single Drive)
Secondary Hard Drive: None
External Storage: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
Monitor: None
Cables: None
Speakers: None
Internal Network Card: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Keyboard: None [-5]
Mouse: None [-3]
Mouse Pad: None
Headset: None
Microphone: None
Gaming Gear: None
Wireless Routers/Hubs: None
Video Camera: None
Power & Surge Protection: None
External Accessories: None
Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)
Windows 10 Recovery: None
Professional Wiring: None
Ultra Care Option: None
Warranty: STANDARD WARRANTY: 1 Year Parts WARRANTY
Service: 3 Years FREE Service Plan (INCLUDES LABOR AND LIFETIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT)
Rush Service: Extra 4 week lead times for selected video cards, Eligible for 5% Instant Rebate when enter “NORUSH”
During Checkout.
*_PRICE: (+1772)
Click to expand...
Looks solid but IDK how I feel about paying more for a smaller tower and lesser processer. But what in getting from all this is that I should be good as long as I chose name brand parts and not CP made parts. Will that mini tower be good for future upgrades? How long will the processor last playing games like Rust, Cyberpunk, GTA,etc.? Thank you!
 
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You can always opt for a larger starting model and the chassis of your choice. The reason to use the lesser processor was to put more money towards higher end parts, it is $20-30 here and there, but it adds up quickly. Dropping $140 off the CPU price while maintaining overclocking capability, increasing memory speed, increasing storage speed, and getting a better power supply, pretty decent.

CyberPower doesn't make any parts, they might have a few branded under their name, but they certainly didn't make them. The no-name ones just means they get to pick from what they have in stock and they WILL use the cheapest available that meets the build list.

As to the i5 vs i7, we are talking a 6 core CPU vs 8 core. For the vast majority of games, this will make little difference. I would expect at least 5 years before this system would, perhaps, require considering a CPU replacement(which will mean board and ram as well). Can't predict the future, but generally major game requirements (aside from graphics) don't change all that much between console generations. Most games will be targeted to the currently available PS5 and X Box Series X through most of that lifecycle (which I expect will be a little shorter this time) You'll have your PC master race targeted games from time to time that push the envelope.

Graphics wise, probably consider a GPU replacement a few years from now, maybe a new monitor. RTX3060 is more than enough for 1080p, good enough for 1440p for a while at least.
 
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