Is this a good PC deal?

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Earbanean

937 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3200338 26-Feb-2024 20:04

Qazzy03:

If you only have motherboard slot power I think the best GPU you might be able to get in terms of grunt are these 1650 GTX

https://www.computerlounge.co.nz/shop/components/graphics-cards/desktop/zotac-geforce-gtx-1650-amp-core-gddr6-4gb-graphics-card

https://www.computerlounge.co.nz/shop/components/graphics-cards/desktop/asus-geforce-gtx-1650-phoenix-oc-4gb-graphics-card

For RAM i am assuming you are rocking DDR3?

If so, some cheap deals here $15 for 8GB, https://www.cheapies.nz/node/45586

Yeah, just single slot, motherboard power. Also, PSU only 280W. So I think if I am going to keep this a little bit longer, then the GPU will want to be cheapest around. That's why I thought maybe the GT 1030 for around $150. Note, that's still an improvement on the existing HD 8570. As I say though, that might just be throwing good money after bad, considering the rest of the machine.

Earbanean

937 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3200727 28-Feb-2024 10:01

I still haven't decided whether I'll spend a bit of money to keep the current box going for a while longer or bite the bullet and replace it now. However, based on all the really good advice posted in this thread, I've decided that when I do replace the PC, I'll definitely do a custom build myself. It's not something I'd ever considered before, but after the posts here and doing a bit of research, putting one togther looks really straight forward and more cost effective than pre-built. So, thanks heaps for the great input. The hard part seems to be deciding on components from such a vast array of options. It will also be a great learning 'stretch' project for me. I thought my next one of those was going to be buying and configuring a Mikrotik router...

eonsim

398 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#3200912 28-Feb-2024 15:43

Earbanean:

I still haven't decided whether I'll spend a bit of money to keep the current box going for a while longer or bite the bullet and replace it now. However, based on all the really good advice posted in this thread, I've decided that when I do replace the PC, I'll definitely do a custom build myself. It's not something I'd ever considered before, but after the posts here and doing a bit of research, putting one togther looks really straight forward and more cost effective than pre-built. So, thanks heaps for the great input. The hard part seems to be deciding on components from such a vast array of options. It will also be a great learning 'stretch' project for me. I thought my next one of those was going to be buying and configuring a Mikrotik router...

When you get around to that maybe play with https://nz.pcpartpicker.com/list/ it can do some simple checks to see if the parts you select are compatible with each other. You can also save and share the configuration which makes it easy for others to comment on it.

Earbanean

937 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3200933 28-Feb-2024 16:53

eonsim:

When you get around to that maybe play with https://nz.pcpartpicker.com/list/ it can do some simple checks to see if the parts you select are compatible with each other. You can also save and share the configuration which makes it easy for others to comment on it.

Yep, already all over that now. It definitely helps the compatibility requirements, but still lots of options to consider on the price vs performance spectrum.

cddt

1551 posts

Uber Geek

#3201055 28-Feb-2024 20:50

Also it may have been referenced earlier in the thread but check out pyronic.al - various tiers of builds with parts based on price and availability in NZ stores.

My referral links: BigPipe | Mercury

networkn

Networkn
32350 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3201064 28-Feb-2024 21:42

All good if you want to build it for youself for the experience or enjoyment/interest, but DTC Online have a shop in Dominion Road. I haven't built a PC since I discovered them, as their built PC cost with excellent workmanship including excellent cable management is not worth my time in extra cost. One mistake can cost you MANY MANY hours or quite large sums of money, I just want my stuff to 'work' these days.

I have no vested interest, I just think they are really great value.

Earbanean

937 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3208150 19-Mar-2024 19:18

I worried that putting a new card in my existing PC was sending good money after bad - and unfortunately that's how it panned out. I grabbed a GT 1030 for $160 and everything was fine for a couple of weeks. My son even noticed the improvement over the old Radeon card for Fortnite. However, the machine has now died completely. On power up, the fans spin for a second or two then there is a beep and it stops. I'm not sure what more I can do without spending any more money on it.

So, anyway I reckon it's time to take the plunge and build a new PC. I'm actually quite looking forward to the challenge and learning. I've been given a used GTX 1060 for free and I can get a work discount on Samsung stuff. So I think I can build something pretty decent under $1,500. I think my strategy is to have a slightly better case, MoBo and PSU, with DDR5, USB-C and excess power capacity. Then hopefully, I'll be able to upgrade other parts in the future without changing base set up.

Rough idea is:

Core i5-14400F
GTX 1060 (free)
Not sure about MoBo, maybe ASRock B760M Steel Legend WiFi mATX
Corsair RM750e ($166 at Amazon AU seems cheap)
Samsung 980 Pro 1TB SSD ($125 through work)
Lian Li Lancool 216 case
Cheapish 2x8Gb RAM. Maybe TeamGroup T-Force Delta DDR5 for $129

On current pricing that comes in at about $1,217 for hardware and I'm pretty sure there will be Easter weekend sales on some or all of that. I'll also need to get a Windows licence, because I don't think I can now transfer the OEM from the existing box.

So that's my first effort. Any obvious flaws or glaringly worthwhile changes?

AliExpress

Shop now on AliExpress (affiliate link).

Qazzy03

478 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3208216 19-Mar-2024 20:51

Earbanean:

However, the machine has now died completely. On power up, the fans spin for a second or two then there is a beep and it stops. I'm not sure what more I can do without spending any more money on it.

Sometimes the motherboard manual has codes for certain beeps but it can be difficult to do trouble shooting if you dont have a whole lot of spare parts around.

On the new build i can throw in my own 2 cents.

I own the Lian Li Lancool 216 case.
I like it, cable management is nice and easy, the HDD cage is great.
I stuck with the stock fans it came with and didn't add any extra.
However when I first booted the case up, the fans went to max RPM and sounded like a jet plane.

Fixed it with this free software and been sweet and silent ever since https://getfancontrol.com/

Oh and I hated the RBG fans, so I unplugged the power to the RGB lights lol.
Lastly the case had instructions for air mode and water mode.... I couldnt for the life of me work out how to do that, so I just installed my motherboard with whatever set up factory has it as out of the box.
I think it is in water mode but whatever, works for me.

Personally I would go for the AMD 7600 $354.00 for the CPU over the 14400F, why tends to be more power efficient, the motherboard socket is open for new generations and does pretty good in gaming. The 14400F is better for 'productivity' work loads and is a little behind the 7600 in gaming.

https://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=7327471

For ram I would go for 2x16GB instead of the 2X8GB... personal preference, my firefox eats a lot of ram for some reason and I have been hitting my max allocation recently in Helldivers 2.

Earbanean

937 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3208444 20-Mar-2024 10:15

Great, thanks for the feedback.

Qazzy03:

Personally I would go for the AMD 7600 $354.00 for the CPU over the 14400F, why tends to be more power efficient, the motherboard socket is open for new generations and does pretty good in gaming. The 14400F is better for 'productivity' work loads and is a little behind the 7600 in gaming.

The PC will be primarily for productivity work. Light gaming by my kids will be a secondary function. So, rightly or wrongly, I was leaning more towards the i5 or i7.

Qazzy03:

https://pricespy.co.nz/product.php?p=7327471

For ram I would go for 2x16GB instead of the 2X8GB... personal preference, my firefox eats a lot of ram for some reason and I have been hitting my max allocation recently in Helldivers 2.

Yeah, probably worth doing 2x16Gb now, rather than upgrading sooner or later. There seem to be heaps of 2x16 kit options available to try to choose from.

Earbanean

937 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3219661 17-Apr-2024 20:48

Just to put a postscript on this thread. With Easter weekend sales, I took the plunge and grabbed all the parts for a PC. I was also given a free hand-me-down GTX 1060 card and was able to reuse the 500 Gb 2.5" SSD and Windows licence from my old PC. The whole lot came in at a shade under $1,300, which was significantly cheaper than the Dell discussed at the start of the thread.

It took me a day and a half to get it all put together (with some YouTube help) and it started first go and works great. The resulting PC is much better spec'ed and infinitely more upgradeable than the Dell and I've learned absolutely heaps in the process. I'm not 100% sure about the RGB appearance and the case is probably bigger than what I envisioned, but overall a really great result all round.

Thanks to everyone who helped send me down this path.

Specs:

CPU: Core i5-14400F
GPU: ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1060-06G-GAMING
MoBo: ASRock B760M Steel Legend WiFi mATX
Case: Lian Li Lancool 216
PSU: Corsair RM750e
RAM: Corsair Vengence (2x16Gb) 6400 MHz CL32
M.2 SSD: WD Black SN770 1Tb
SATA SSD: Samsung 860 EVO 500 Gb
OS: Windows 11 Pro

The end result:

Edit: Formatting of Specs list

Qazzy03

478 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3219673 17-Apr-2024 21:32

Nice, looks tidy as.

Note- If you don't like the front Fan RGB, you can unplug the power connectors from here on the non window side panel, I have the same case and just unplugged the LED cable and lights are off.

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