Build Advice Windows 11 PC - - - buy a Prebuilt or build one myself ?

[Max55gamerX]

The short:

So I need to upgrade to Windows 11 soon.
Will a pre-built system on Newegg be a good buy? Or should I just build one myself?

The long:

So I get the Windows 10 / 11 nag screen. I run the compatibility check to see if I can just do a simple upgrade. Can I make an easy upgrade to my current system? Or would it be easier/cheaper to do a new system?

PC Health Check results:

[X] PC must support Secure Boot.
[X] TPN 2.0 must be supported and enabled on this PC. ----- (TPM Not detected)
[X] The processor isn't currently supported for Windows 11. ----- (Intel i5-6600K 3.50GHz)
[OK] There is at least 4GB of system memory (RAM). ----- (16GB)
[OK] The system disk is 64GB or larger. ----- (500GB)
[OK] The processor has two or more cores. ----- (4 Cores)

My current system:

OS: Windows 10 Home
MOBO: ASRock Z170 Pro4S
CPU: Intel i5-6600K 3.50GHz
RAM: DDR4 16GB
PS: ****
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
SSD: 500GB, 2TB
KB/M: Standard PS/2 (USB)
Monitor: Samsung S23B550
Mid-Tower ATX

This system works for my needs I just want to be able to install Windows 11. I do like to game a little, but not excessive. Would a pre-built system from Newegg work for me? Or would something else be better? My monitor, KB/M work fine for me. I'd prefer to keep them, unless they aren't compatible with the newer MOBOs. It's been a few years since I built my current system. So I'm
out of the loop on the current specs.

It doesn't matter if the system is Intel or AMD. Which ever is more reliable. If I need everything for the new system than my max budget is $2000. It would be great to get all parts from Newegg.

 

[JeffreyP55]

The short:

So I need to upgrade to Win11 soon. Will a pre-built system on Newegg be a good buy? Or should I just build one myself?

The long:

So I get the Windows 10 / 11 nag screen. I run the compatibility check to see if I can just do a simple upgrade. Can I make an easy upgrade to my current system? Or would it be easier/cheaper to do a new system?

PC Health Check results:

[X] PC must support Secure Boot.
[X] TPN 2.0 must be supported and enabled on this PC. ----- (TPM Not detected)
[X] The processor isn't currently supported for Windows 11. ----- (Intel i5-6600K 3.50GHz)
[OK] There is at least 4GB of system memory (RAM). ----- (16GB)
[OK] The system disk is 64GB or larger. ----- (500GB)
[OK] The processor has two or more cores. ----- (4 Cores)

My current system:

OS: Windows 10 Home
MOBO: ASRock Z170 Pro4S
CPU: Intel i5-6600K 3.50GHz
RAM: DDR4 16GB
PS: ****
GPU: MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
SSD: 500GB, 2TB
KB/M: Standard PS/2 (USB)
Monitor: Samsung S23B550
Mid-Tower ATX

This system works for my needs I just want to be able to install Windows 11. I do like to game a little, but not excessive. Would a pre-built system from Newegg work for me? Or would something else be better? My monitor, KB/M work fine for me. I'd prefer to keep them, unless they aren't compatible with the newer MOBOs. It's been a few years since I built my current system. So I'm
out of the loop on the current specs.

It doesn't matter if the system is Intel or AMD. Which ever is more reliable. If I need everything for the new system than my max budget is $2000. It would be great to get all parts from Newegg.

Custom will cost more $. Pre-builts come with a ton of garbageware. Better check to see if the hardware is proprietary. Like Dell.. Stay away from that stuff. Pre-built is not really a cheap date either. It is your money.... Spend it wisely. If you have money to burn.. Custom!
You need a plan. Sorry, you may have to do a little search footwork yourself. Familiarize with what's available that can be applied to your needs. Plan on spending a minimum of $1500.00 on a build that will do MOST things.

 

[Lafong]

I have a 6600K myself. It's not qualified for Windows 11 unless I am willing to resort to extraordinary measures.

I'm not. You may be.

Whether you should build your own or buy a pre-built from Newegg is a personal decision. Tens of millions of people do fine with pre-builts.

Most people here would probably steer you toward building it yourself because you get to choose the individual parts and might save a few bucks unless your budget is quite limited.

Newegg is a good source for parts.

Reliability is more of a crap shoot than you'd like. Either AMD or Intel can work.

Your monitor, keyboard, and mouse should be fine with a new PC.

What games do you play and at what settings?

 

[thestryker]

I imagine your system can support secure boot with proper settings in the BIOS, but TPM would require picking up a module for the board. This can potentially be tricky, but I did it with an old MSI and Gigabyte X99 board without it having too high of a cost. This would leave you with just the CPU being "incompatible" which Microsoft provides a workaround for which allows you to update to Windows 11. They do give the caveats that they don't guarantee updates, but I doubt this is really much of a concern.

Installation options: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...ndows-11-e0edbbfb-cfc5-4011-868b-2ce77ac7c70e

As for getting a whole new system you can really go a bunch of different ways, but so long as you know the source of the machine getting a prebuilt can be a decent deal. As GamersNexus has shown the setup of the machines (both physical and software) can be hit and miss so be prepared to potentially reinstall a clean Windows should you get one and ensure everything is properly installed within the system.

I love putting together my own systems, but it's not always the most economical and always takes a while. It really comes down to how much time you want to invest in getting it going and potentially dealing with something going wrong.

 

[Max55gamerX]

I have a 6600K myself. It's not qualified for Windows 11 unless I am willing to resort to extraordinary measures.

I'm not. You may be.

Whether you should build your own or buy a pre-built from Newegg is a personal decision. Tens of millions of people do fine with pre-builts.

Most people here would probably steer you toward building it yourself because you get to choose the individual parts and might save a few bucks unless your budget is quite limited.

Newegg is a good source for parts.

Reliability is more of a crap shoot than you'd like. Either AMD or Intel can work.

Your monitor, keyboard, and mouse should be fine with a new PC.

What games do you play and at what settings?

If it will be a pita to get my 6600K to work, I'm fine with getting or building a new system.

Pre0built or custom doesn't really matter to me. I wanted to know if any pre-built system Newegg had was worth the money. Or maybe a good system, I should build myself. If not what parts should I look at?
Max budget $2000 for anything pre-built or custom.

 

[JeffreyP55]

If it will be a pita to get my 6600K to work, I'm fine with getting or building a new system.

Pre0built or custom doesn't really matter to me. I wanted to know if any pre-built system Newegg had was worth the money. Or maybe a good system, I should build myself. If not what parts should I look at?
Max budget $2000 for anything pre-built or custom.

Newegg is more expensive than Amazon. The return policies on Amazon are easier to stomach. I never buy from Newegg. Maybe Best buy once in a blue moon. But.... Only if there is no other choice.

 

[Lafong]

If it will be a pita to get my 6600K to work, I'm fine with getting or building a new system.

Pre0built or custom doesn't really matter to me. I wanted to know if any pre-built system Newegg had was worth the money. Or maybe a good system, I should build myself. If not what parts should I look at?
Max budget $2000 for anything pre-built or custom.

"Worth the money" is so personal that I won't offer an opinion. Additionally..."prebuilt" is vague. Any answer would obviously depend on details of the components, price, warranty, etc which aren't known right now.

You need to balance the expenditure on the parts. For instance, do you need or want an 800 dollar video card or a 200 dollar video card?

The former would leave you 1200 to spend elsewhere. The latter would leave you 1800. That's a big difference.

You probably would not put a 500 dollar CPU on a 100 dollar motherboard. Or vice versa.

Maybe gaming is of minor importance to you. Maybe moderate. Maybe high.

So we need more details on how you will use the machine. What games, what settings, what other important tasks, what other not so important tasks, any peculiar requirements, any particular preferences.

Maybe you need 500 dollars worth of hard drives? Maybe you need 12 USB ports. Maybe you really like liquid cooling or a bunch of flashing lights and fans.

We don't know. You need to be as specific as possible.

 

[Max55gamerX]

Newegg is more expensive than Amazon. The return policies on Amazon are easier to stomach. I never buy from Newegg. Maybe Best buy once in a blue moon. But.... Only if there is no other choice.

I'm paying down my CC's so I'd planned on using my Newegg store card. I've never had any problem with Newegg before. I'd consider Amazon if I can get the same / comparable systems.

"Worth the money" is so personal that I won't offer an opinion. Additionally..."prebuilt" is vague. Any answer would obviously depend on details of the components, price, warranty, etc which aren't known right now.

You need to balance the expenditure on the parts. For instance, do you need or want an 800 dollar video card or a 200 dollar video card?

The former would leave you 1200 to spend elsewhere. The latter would leave you 1800. That's a big difference.

You probably would not put a 500 dollar CPU on a 100 dollar motherboard. Or vice versa.

Maybe gaming is of minor importance to you. Maybe moderate. Maybe high.

So we need more details on how you will use the machine. What games, what settings, what other important tasks, what other not so important tasks, any peculiar requirements, any particular preferences.

Maybe you need 500 dollars worth of hard drives? Maybe you need 12 USB ports. Maybe you really like liquid cooling or a bunch of flashing lights and fans.

We don't know. You need to be as specific as possible.

Well I'm looking to spend up to $2000 max for my new system I'd like to buy or built casual/mid-level gaming system. A decent mid-tower case with 4-8 case fans (single/multi-colored lights) and side window(s) would work. Front side ports: USB, Audio/phone, etc. I'd also like a internal Blu-ray drive.

I'd like to get a well rounded system.

I can adjust the budget for components to $1600 taking out OS & case costs.

Well how do these look?

For AMD:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X (8 cores, 16 threads, 5.4 GHz boost)
MOBO: MSI MAG B650 TOMAHAWK WIFI (AM5, DDR5, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6)

or

For Intel:

CPU: Intel Core i7-13700K (8 Performance cores, 8 Efficient cores, 24 threads, up to 5.4 GHz)
MOBO: ASUS ROG Strix Z790-A Gaming WiFi D4 (LGA 1700, DDR4, PCIe 5.0, Wi-Fi 6)

Other components:

RAM: Corsair Vengeance 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR5 6000 MHz

SSD: Sabrent Rocket Q 4TB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3, M.2 2280)

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

PSU: Corsair RM850x 850W 80+ Gold Modular PSU

Cooling: Noctua NH-D15 Chromax Black Air Cooler + 6 ARGB fans

Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400A Mid Tower ATX Case (Black) (Side window, ARGB fans)

Optical Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Internal DVD Burner (optional)

OS: Windows 11 Home 64-bit


Both run under $2000. Any changes I should/could make? AMD or Intel?



I will re-use from my current system if possible:
KB/M: Standard PS/2 (USB)
Monitor: Samsung S23B550