[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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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...


I had some hands on experience with one recently. It FAR surpassed past memory of their builds, it was (also) made of off the shelf parts of various quality. In this particular instance the GPU, a 3070, was bad and they made good on it quickly. I was astounded.

IMO if the choice HAD to be either of these two, I would get the one I could get parts as replacement to correct its deficiencies. The HP is pretty much going to be what it is.
 
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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 Dell Nvidia GPUs are actually kind of interesting though, a very basic board, might be good for water cooling.

I half trust brands like ASUS, since they tend to use their cheapest off the shelf parts, but they often use the worst power supplies they can find. At least you can upgrade later after moving to a new case.
 
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Solution
Eximo said:
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.
Click to expand...


Yes, that is a strong point, in that some of these motherboards are off standard(s) and completely impossible to replace outside that proprietary part. It's a crap thing to do.

I have been a steadfast user of Dell as a brand for productivity builds. Optiplex from 2nd to 4th gen are legendary for their ruggedness. My go to choice for a work laptop is still Dell, but admittedly had a tough time finding one that everything wasn't soldered in.
 
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Think of it this way. The 11700k/10700k are Ferrari's. And you need something to get you to the store and back, work, school, whatever. A Ferrari would be sweet for sure, but you can't go more than 70mph on the highway, can't go more than 40mph through town, can't really jump on that 12cyl beast of a motor at all.

And that's what you'll run into with a lesser gpu. A cpu capable of high production, but doesn't really get any better fps because it'll be gpu limited. A 11400 at a fraction of the price is only a few fps behind.

Very, very few games are using 10+ threads, and you are looking at 16, and only gaming you'll not get your money's worth without a gpu to match it.
 
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Karadjgne said:
Think of it this way. The 11700k/10700k are Ferrari's. And you need something to get you to the store and back, work, school, whatever. A Ferrari would be sweet for sure, but you can't go more than 70mph on the highway, can't go more than 40mph through town, can't really jump on that 12cyl beast of a motor at all.

And that's what you'll run into with a lesser gpu. A cpu capable of high production, but doesn't really get any better fps because it'll be gpu limited. A 11400 at a fraction of the price is only a few fps behind.

Very, very few games are using 10+ threads, and you are looking at 16, and only gaming you'll not get your money's worth without a gpu to match it.
Click to expand...
Very good analogy and helps explain a lot. However isn't the point of getting the good CPU now so that I can upgrade later? If I get an i5 with a 3060, will I be able to upgrade the GPU later? Or is it best to focus on a case and PSU? I guess I'm asking what would need to be upgraded first in the realm of gaming? I would guess GPU due to games graphics changing so much, but idk much about hardware.
 
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An HP Omen is upgradable but is also a massive pain when it comes to things not being compatible with it, plus their motherboard and chipset are likely to be ass. Don't buy from HP.

CyberPower is a mid-tier system builder, and what you are paying the premium for, over just buying those parts on Amazon, is the warranty and not having to build it yourself.
However, the warranty will be a total waste of time and you probably would not be able to claim on it if something did happen to your machine. You probably void it just by switching the thing on. Plus I would always prefer to know that someone competent (me) has put my PC together so I would never consider buying a prebuild. However we live in strange, strange times, and actually the only way to purchase an RTX3060 is from an OEM, so sure, go for it.

You can always sell their cruddy case, SSD, Mechanical Spinner and CPU Cooler on eBay, and buy actual good parts with the money. The keyboard? IDK. Maybe just throw it in the garbage.

All the rest of the parts are decent.
 
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Eximo said:
11600KF is actually cheaper than the 11400F at CyberPower right now. Probably moving a lot more of the latter since they have been so positively reviewed everywhere.
Click to expand...
I saw that too which is why I jumped on it. But if I can't get good parts with an i7 and decent GPU for under $1800, I may have to settle for an i5.
 
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Heffy420 said:
I saw that too which is why I jumped on it. But if I can't get good parts with an i7 and decent GPU for under $1800, I may have to settle for an i5.
Click to expand...

If you're primarily gaming then the 8-core i7 won't make much difference over the 6-core i5. The extra 2 cores really come in useful for things like video editing or professional 3D CAD applications. If you work in Finance or Accounting and you're regularly dealing with weighty Excel sheets, they can be really helpful. But for general home use a 6-core, HT-enabled CPU is really all you would need.
 
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Most likely you are at 1080p now. With an 11600k? And 3060/ti. Upgrade? OK, so you get a 5060ti on 4 years time. And move to 1440p. Or even maybe 4k.

And get roughly the same fps you get now, but at a higher resolution.

And if you did decide you really need the 11700k or better yet a 10900k, then ebay will have them for half the price you'd have paid new.

It's LGA1200. Seriously doubt Intel will stick with that for another generation, so upgrade path is zip.

Who knows, maybe by the time you upgrade the gpu AMD Zen5 and DDR5 etc will make upgrading anything older, pointless.
 
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Ok I've come up with a build. Lmk what you think please. Also, do I need to add WiFi if the motherboard has it? And if gigabyte not a good brand? Rn they are on sale for 750w PSU and 1tb SSD. Thanks!

BASE_PRICE: [+1765]
• CABLE: None
• CAS: Phanteks Eclipse P400A High Air-Flow ATX Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, ARGB, Full-Size Tempered Glass [+10] (Black Color)
• CC: None
• COOLANT: None
• CPU: Intel® Core™ Processor i5-11600KF 6/12 3.90GHz [Turbo 4.9GHz] 12MB Cache LGA1200 [w/o Integrated Graphic] [-216]
• CS_FAN: Default case fans
• ENGRAVING: None
• FAN: Asetek 570LC 120mm (Fatboy) Liquid CPU Cooling System w/ Copper Cold Plate [+17] (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
• FREEBIE_CU: None
• FREEBIE_MB: None
• HDD: 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 [-18] (Single Drive)
• HDD2: None
• HEADSET: None
• INSTRUCTION: None
• IUSB: Built-in USB Ports (Based on motherboard and case selection)
• KEYBOARD: CyberPowerPC Multimedia USB Gaming Keyboard
• MEMORY: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/3200MHz Dual Channel Memory [+30] (Corsair Vengeance LPX [+30])
• MICROPHONE: None
• MONITOR: None
• MOPAD: None
• MOTHERBOARD: ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E ATX, ARGB, 2.5GbE LAN, 2 PCIe x16, 3 PCIe x1, 6 SATA3, 3x M.2 SATA/PCIe [+41]
• 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: 650 Watts - Corsair RM Series RM650 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Fully Modular Ultra Quiet Power Supply [+60]
• 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: (+1719)
 
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Karadjgne said:
Most likely you are at 1080p now. With an 11600k? And 3060/ti. Upgrade? OK, so you get a 5060ti on 4 years time. And move to 1440p. Or even maybe 4k.

And get roughly the same fps you get now, but at a higher resolution.

And if you did decide you really need the 11700k or better yet a 10900k, then ebay will have them for half the price you'd have paid new.

It's LGA1200. Seriously doubt Intel will stick with that for another generation, so upgrade path is zip.

Who knows, maybe by the time you upgrade the gpu AMD Zen5 and DDR5 etc will make upgrading anything older, pointless.
Click to expand...
Great info thank you!!
 
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TommyTwoTone66 said:
If you're primarily gaming then the 8-core i7 won't make much difference over the 6-core i5. The extra 2 cores really come in useful for things like video editing or professional 3D CAD applications. If you work in Finance or Accounting and you're regularly dealing with weighty Excel sheets, they can be really helpful. But for general home use a 6-core, HT-enabled CPU is really all you would need.
Click to expand...
What do you think of the recent build I posted just above?

BASE_PRICE: [+1765]
• CABLE: None
• CAS: Phanteks Eclipse P400A High Air-Flow ATX Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, ARGB, Full-Size Tempered Glass [+10] (Black Color)
• CC: None
• COOLANT: None
• CPU: Intel® Core™ Processor i5-11600KF 6/12 3.90GHz [Turbo 4.9GHz] 12MB Cache LGA1200 [w/o Integrated Graphic] [-216]
• CS_FAN: Default case fans
• ENGRAVING: None
• FAN: Asetek 570LC 120mm (Fatboy) Liquid CPU Cooling System w/ Copper Cold Plate [+17] (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
• FREEBIE_CU: None
• FREEBIE_MB: None
• HDD: 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 [-18] (Single Drive)
• HDD2: None
• HEADSET: None
• INSTRUCTION: None
• IUSB: Built-in USB Ports (Based on motherboard and case selection)
• KEYBOARD: CyberPowerPC Multimedia USB Gaming Keyboard
• MEMORY: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/3200MHz Dual Channel Memory [+30] (Corsair Vengeance LPX [+30])
• MICROPHONE: None
• MONITOR: None
• MOPAD: None
• MOTHERBOARD: ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E ATX, ARGB, 2.5GbE LAN, 2 PCIe x16, 3 PCIe x1, 6 SATA3, 3x M.2 SATA/PCIe [+41]
• 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: 650 Watts - Corsair RM Series RM650 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Fully Modular Ultra Quiet Power Supply [+60]
• 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: (+1719)
 
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Eximo said:
11600KF is actually cheaper than the 11400F at CyberPower right now. Probably moving a lot more of the latter since they have been so positively reviewed everywhere.
Click to expand...
What do you think of this build? Also, do I need to add WiFi if the motherboard has it? And if gigabyte not a good brand? Rn they are on sale for 750w PSU and 1tb SSD. Thanks.

BASE_PRICE: [+1765]
• CABLE: None
• CAS: Phanteks Eclipse P400A High Air-Flow ATX Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, ARGB, Full-Size Tempered Glass [+10] (Black Color)
• CC: None
• COOLANT: None
• CPU: Intel® Core™ Processor i5-11600KF 6/12 3.90GHz [Turbo 4.9GHz] 12MB Cache LGA1200 [w/o Integrated Graphic] [-216]
• CS_FAN: Default case fans
• ENGRAVING: None
• FAN: Asetek 570LC 120mm (Fatboy) Liquid CPU Cooling System w/ Copper Cold Plate [+17] (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
• FREEBIE_CU: None
• FREEBIE_MB: None
• HDD: 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 [-18] (Single Drive)
• HDD2: None
• HEADSET: None
• INSTRUCTION: None
• IUSB: Built-in USB Ports (Based on motherboard and case selection)
• KEYBOARD: CyberPowerPC Multimedia USB Gaming Keyboard
• MEMORY: 16GB (8GBx2) DDR4/3200MHz Dual Channel Memory [+30] (Corsair Vengeance LPX [+30])
• MICROPHONE: None
• MONITOR: None
• MOPAD: None
• MOTHERBOARD: ASRock Z590 Steel Legend WiFi 6E ATX, ARGB, 2.5GbE LAN, 2 PCIe x16, 3 PCIe x1, 6 SATA3, 3x M.2 SATA/PCIe [+41]
• 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: 650 Watts - Corsair RM Series RM650 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Fully Modular Ultra Quiet Power Supply [+60]
• 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: (+1719)
 
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As far as the best prebuilt PC’s available? I would easily say Falcon Northwest PC’s but they do tend to get pricey.

I have recently purchased because of component shortages an Alienware R10 and an HP Omen 30L. The 30L is a really nice PC for a prebuilt. It comes in a fairly standard Mid Tower aluminum case. Someone in a previous comment said they weren't sure about name brand parts. I can say my Omen came with a 750w Corsair Gold 80 PSU, an RTX 3080, a 1TB Western Digital NVME, 2TB Seagate 7200 rpm HDD, 32GB 3200Mhz HyperX Fury memory. The motherboard brand is listed as Dorado. I couldn’t find any info on the liquid cooler as I haven’t removed it for inspection. Not a bad PC for $1999.99 which I purchased directly from Amazon.
 
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Heat_Fan89 said:
As far as the best prebuilt PC’s available? I would easily say Falcon Northwest PC’s but they do tend to get pricey.

I have recently purchased because of component shortages an Alienware R10 and an HP Omen 30L. The 30L is a really nice PC for a prebuilt. It comes in a fairly standard Mid Tower aluminum case. Someone in a previous comment said they weren't sure about name brand parts. I can say my Omen came with a 750w Corsair Gold 80 PSU, an RTX 3080, a 1TB Western Digital NVME, 2TB Seagate 7200 rpm HDD, 32GB 3200Mhz HyperX Fury memory. The motherboard brand is listed as Dorado. I couldn’t find any info on the liquid cooler as I haven’t removed it for inspection. Not a bad PC for $1999.99 which I purchased directly from Amazon.
Click to expand...
That does sound pretty nice! Hopefully what I got will be good enough. Thanks!
 
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