Comments/thoughts on this system

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kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek

#261751 13-Dec-2019 11:21

So after my video card failed yesterday, I'm considering bringing forward my upgrade. Well, I had a look online. Things are a touch cheaper than I expected.

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/WKSGGPC50027/GGPC-Crusader-GTX-1660-SUPER-Gaming-PC-Intel-Core

What's this system like? I'm a part-time gamer i.e. FIFA, GTA but am also looking forward to MS Flight Simulator next year.... with all games I get very annoyed with poor graphics.

I have been using a GTX750TI video card which has been not bad but my PC has been struggling to run a good frame rate on FIFA and FSX graphics were below average.

Outside of this, it's internet browsing and some other bespoke apps such as photoshop, visual studio etc.

I was expecting to but not wanting to spend between $2K $2.5K for a decent system. Is this decent or is it very entry-level given how I'll use it?

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Geek @ Coastguard NZ
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#2374638 13-Dec-2019 11:29

PSU is a little on the low side for my tastes, would rather see a 500W+ in there.

If not adding existing HDD's, then get another large (480GB+) SSD thrown into it. Flight Sim is going to be a beast for space I'd say.

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ShinyChrome

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#2374858 13-Dec-2019 16:14

You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.

Or if you don't mind giving team red a go. You get a bigger SSD and SMT processor for swapping sides, but some software may be more stable/better with the Intel/Nvidia combo.

I would probably start about there for a GFX card; 5700/XT or RTX2060S at a minimum for optimal 1080p60 play and having a chance at running MS:FS. Those two are a wash in current games, with one doing better in some games than the other.

If you want higher res/ frame rate, or better quality parts since a lot of pre-builts tend to use cheap out on PSUs/MB/RAM, I would probably go DIY, or bump up your budget to $3K.

kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2375184 14-Dec-2019 09:55

ShinyChrome:

You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.

Or if you don't mind giving team red a go. You get a bigger SSD and SMT processor for swapping sides, but some software may be more stable/better with the Intel/Nvidia combo.

I would probably start about there for a GFX card; 5700/XT or RTX2060S at a minimum for optimal 1080p60 play and having a chance at running MS:FS. Those two are a wash in current games, with one doing better in some games than the other.

If you want higher res/ frame rate, or better quality parts since a lot of pre-builts tend to use cheap out on PSUs/MB/RAM, I would probably go DIY, or bump up your budget to $3K.

Thanks for the reply. You've taken me into that higher price point though. I was expecting that price range which may delay the upgrade. The obvious thing is spend more and get better... if I was looking at $2K then $2.5 would be the repy, $2.5 then $3K would be next if you know what I mean.

How does that extra $500 compare though? given I'm a part-time gamer and 70% of what I do isn't gaming.

I can add extra HDD/SSD later if I want or need.

Jase2985

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#2375235 14-Dec-2019 11:19

you need a SSD from the get go, smallest would be a 256gb one for the OS drive.

you can still get a lot of PC for less than 2k these days

https://www.computerlounge.co.nz/gaming/core-series#487

have a look at a few from the above site as examples, also google reviews/specs of what the games you play need to run and see if you can fit that in your budget.

Deamo

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#2375242 14-Dec-2019 11:26

I would think that crusader system is plenty good enough for your use case.

My brother recently bought a gtx1060 and he says it's happily running 7 days to die at 1080 on his phenom x2 system

kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2375256 14-Dec-2019 12:12

Jase2985:

you need a SSD from the get go, smallest would be a 256gb one for the OS drive.

you can still get a lot of PC for less than 2k these days

https://www.computerlounge.co.nz/gaming/core-series#487

have a look at a few from the above site as examples, also google reviews/specs of what the games you play need to run and see if you can fit that in your budget.

Thanks also especially for the link.

This one stood out for an extra couple hundred

https://www.computerlounge.co.nz/pcsystems/shop/systems/gaming/core/amd/core-amd-stage-2/edit-configuration/2b74716c-9de0-4f29-85cd-ab2300c74f9e

Noticeable difference from the PB Crusader was the 550W power and also CPU speed 2.9Ghz on the Intel vs 3.6Ghz for the Ryzen on the Computer Lounge.

rb99

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#2375264 14-Dec-2019 12:53

They option a gtx 1660 Super for $40 more (or a Super Gaming for 90, though don't know what the difference is, maybe 3 fans instead of 2 ?).

Seems to be considered decent, though its not like I know what I'm talking about.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/15010/the-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-super-review-feat-evga

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Dial111

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Ultimate Geek

#2375301 14-Dec-2019 15:22

With that budget you could get a superior build if you build your own and look at team red.

nz.pcpartpicker is your friend.

kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2375898 15-Dec-2019 17:42

Dial111:

With that budget you could get a superior build if you build your own and look at team red.

nz.pcpartpicker is your friend.

I came across that site reading these forums. I'm not enough of a 'geek' to know what's be compatible with what.

I'd end up with a mint video card let down by other hardware in there lol.

Dial111

978 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2375987 15-Dec-2019 20:50

kiwis:

Dial111:

With that budget you could get a superior build if you build your own and look at team red.

nz.pcpartpicker is your friend.

I came across that site reading these forums. I'm not enough of a 'geek' to know what's be compatible with what.

I'd end up with a mint video card let down by other hardware in there lol.

The site is quite user friendly and will tell you the power it will draw so you know what psu to go with and if any configurations are incompatible.

Post a build within your budget and myself and others will look over it and recommend any changes to get the best out of your money.

ShinyChrome

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#2376069 16-Dec-2019 08:18

Dial111:

With that budget you could get a superior build if you build your own and look at team red.

nz.pcpartpicker is your friend.

With the likes of online retailers like PBTech, Computer Lounge, MightyApe etc in the pre-made business now, I'm honestly not sure this is true anymore (at least at the ~$2k level).

I have tried to beat a few pre-made configurations recently doing a quick PCPP build, and every time, it's been a wash. Maybe if you wait 6 months to get every single component on a decent sale it might balance out ok, but then the same can be said for waiting for a special on pre-made systems. And with going pre-made a) you don't have to spend tens or hundreds of hours researching; b) you usually get a 1-2 year RTB warranty on the assembly as well as the usually longer individual component warranties; c) it comes pretested and turn-key, so avoids disappointment when you spend a couple of hours putting it together only to find a dud RAM stick, and then the dicking about with RTAs etc

I think it only makes sense when you either want to spend a little extra to get specific parts/configurations, since as soon as you start specifying parts yourself, the price seems to go way up; or you enjoy the building process as much/more than the final product.

Which sucks, because I love any excuse to DIY.

ShinyChrome

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#2376084 16-Dec-2019 08:48

kiwis:

Thanks for the reply. You've taken me into that higher price point though. I was expecting that price range which may delay the upgrade. The obvious thing is spend more and get better... if I was looking at $2K then $2.5 would be the repy, $2.5 then $3K would be next if you know what I mean.

How does that extra $500 compare though? given I'm a part-time gamer and 70% of what I do isn't gaming.

I can add extra HDD/SSD later if I want or need.

If you are buying a PC for gaming, it goes GPU > CPU > RAM > Storage > everything else. I tend to look at it in terms of targeting a particular resolution/frame-rate at a particular graphics settings, so you are looking at reviews, such as the ones I linked, to see what GPU manages to scrape through most games at 1080p60hz / 1440p144hz / whatever; which in turn really is constrained by the display you are intending to use it with.

My suggestions were along the lines of the most common at the mo, a solid 1080p60hz. Since you mentioned expecting (but not wanting) to spend $2-2.5k, I thought going for a RTX2060S/5700 based system at ~$2k would be a nice sweet spot. If you wanted a higher resolution/ frame-rate, only then I would recommend moving to that next price-point (~$2.5-3K). On the flipside, if you only want to play something like Overwatch/Fortnite/Runescape, then you can probably look at jumping down a price bracket.

Since it sounds like you have mostly non-gaming use cases, what apps are you trying to run? Different apps may require a different emphasis on specs ie. encoding requires CPU brute-force. Also, some apps can favor Intel/AMD processors as well.

Also, be aware that the i5-9400F isn't hyper-threaded (in Intel's vernacular), so you are getting 6 cores, 6 threads as opposed to the Ryzen 5 3600, which has simultaneous multi-threading (in AMD's vernacular) for 6 cores, 12 threads. So that will affect compute-bound apps.

Dugimodo

168 posts

Master Geek

#2376093 16-Dec-2019 09:06

While I agree with comments so far I also think you'd be pretty happy with the performance of the PC you linked to start with as long as you stick to 1080P. The graphics card might be a weak link a year or 3 down the track, but it's still much better than a 750Ti.

I game at 2560 x 1080 @ 75hz so slightly more demanding than 1080P and so far have not found any need to upgrade my 1070 I've had for a while now which is maybe 10% better than a 1660 super on average.

You may need to knock a few of the more demanding games down a setting or two but they should still look good and run well.

But if you can afford to spend more the graphics card is the place to focus for gaming.

kiwis

832 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2376320 16-Dec-2019 14:31

Here's what I came up with quickly. $2.5K... really looking to slice some cost off this.

https://nz.pcpartpicker.com/list/zZFmCL

Where could I save costs? CPU is worth getting something high end I believe. I've got several HDD's so I want my tower to have storage slots and power supply for them.

ratsun81

508 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2376341 16-Dec-2019 15:02

To bring the costs down a bit heres one i put together.

https://nz.pcpartpicker.com/list/xRqrMc

for the one you put together you could drop the power supply down.

How many HDD's are you putting in the computer?

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