Desktop Computers

  • Guest, it's time once again for the massively important and exciting FoH Asshat Tournament!



    Go here and give us your nominations!
    Who's been the biggest Asshat in the last year? Give us your worst ones!

Noodleface

A Mod Real Quick
38,278
15,111
Limiting FPS to the max refresh rate of your monitor is usually just good practice, really helps deliver more consistent frametimes.
Yeah usually it didn't make a difference on my last PC, I just liked the big numbers. This PC has issues where I lose streaming performance if I don't do it. Almost like it'd rendering too much and my stream can't handle it. If I limit games to 144 they stream fine at 60fps
 

Xexx

Vyemm Raider
7,745
1,810
Does anyone buy sound cards anymore? I’m not sure why but I’ve ALWAYS bought one on a PC build. However as I was slowly buying parts for my winter build I wondered if it’s even worth it. Their is a 7.1 setup on my PC that has speakers set up around the basement but I don’t think it matters anymore does it?
 

Janx

<Silver Donator>
6,595
17,977
Does anyone buy sound cards anymore? I’m not sure why but I’ve ALWAYS bought one on a PC build. However as I was slowly buying parts for my winter build I wondered if it’s even worth it. Their is a 7.1 setup on my PC that has speakers set up around the basement but I don’t think it matters anymore does it?
Not really. On board solutions are pretty solid.
 
  • 2Like
Reactions: 1 users

wilkxus

<Bronze Donator>
519
210
Soundcards are a waste of money except for special use cases with onboard digital audio being so clean. Last sound card I bought was for an Athlon or Duron build in early 2000s.... was shit, or EQ sound was shit, or both heh. Never since.
 

Noodleface

A Mod Real Quick
38,278
15,111
I should clarify though that I use a focusrite 2i2 as my audio interface, which I guess is sort of like an external soundcard
 

Langemede

Golden Knight of the Realm
108
46
Looking for suggestions on a desktop, preferably pre-built.

Requirements:
- Able to run AutoCad 2020LT

Games I play:
- Eve
- Wow
- Trove
- Stardew Valley

Budget:
1200-1500, honestly I don't know if this should include a monitor or not.

Would appreciate any suggestions, as I haven't owned a desktop since about 1998.

Thanks
 

Daidraco

Avatar of War Slayer
10,077
10,405
Looking for suggestions on a desktop, preferably pre-built.

Requirements:
- Able to run AutoCad 2020LT

Games I play:
- Eve
- Wow
- Trove
- Stardew Valley

Budget:
1200-1500, honestly I don't know if this should include a monitor or not.

Would appreciate any suggestions, as I haven't owned a desktop since about 1998.

Thanks



I personally, dont think you should buy a custom built PC. Alienware is overpriced by at least $1000 on a system that can be built for $1400. The most comparable Cyber Power PC has at least a $900 markup. Dell is a shit show. Corsair, if you can even find one right now - has a markup of $1100 (at least a month ago on a comparable system.) iBuyPower cuts back on components as well, but has a lower end markup of about $600 on a comparable. Maingear is overpriced last I checked, but I cant find the history for a comparable system. There are others like Falcon-NW etc. but they are just as pricey, if not more.

When I say markup for those brands, I dont necesarrily mean pure profit for them. Some use proprietary cases, some use tons of RGB. Some throw in a standard warranty. etc. etc. But the point is, if you want the best bang for your buck - you're going to have to build it yourself. If I had to choose, it would be an iBuyPower system just because they "look" like they have a lower margin. Each part, unless its proprietary, is going to have it's own warranty. If your video card dies, you can just shoot it back to Nvidia, Asus, w/e, for example.

The games you're playing are kind of at a dead point in graphical improvement. Eve has been long in the tooth for years and their engine is dated and old, limiting how much new tech they can introduce. Trove and Stardew Valley can be ran by a potato. WoW is probably the only game on that list that has its system requirements changing with Shadow Lands. I personally am going to turn off particle effects for "others" when that option goes live.. so that'll help a ton. Not only for visibility, but also for system performance.

There are plenty of us here to help you build it, and answer any questions you may have.
Noodles build a few pages back I think is in your price range and will run far and above anything that you'll throw at it without overclocking anything. Your biggest hurdle will be just finding the parts you want available. People will say to wait for the 3000 series to come out from Nvidia, regardless of what you choose, but that's your choice. An Nvidia 2700 Super isnt going to all of a sudden plummet in price, for example.

Here is my girlfriends build that I did a month or so ago. The only thing I would change for QOL for you is the memory, putting it at 32 Gigs instead for AutoCad. :

EVGA DG 76 Case, $65
EVGA Gold 700W power supply, $80
AMD Ryzen 3700X, $290 (comes with stock cooler if you're not going to OC it)
Corsair 16 GB 3200 Mhz, $75
Sabrent 1 TB M.2, $140
GeForce 2070 Super, $470
MSI Gaming X470 Max, $115
Windows 10 64 bit Pro Key $3.50
128 USB 3.0 Drive $18
Startech Pin Converter Chord $8
HDMI 10ft Cable $25
----------
$1292.50 w/o Tax.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Tarisk

Pathetic Reaction Bot
1,568
370
I've actually somewhat gone back to buying sound cards recently with the purchase of an external. and TBH I'm glad I did. Main reason I did it, was because my on board was acting up in the sense that it just stopped working on some mic feeds, but when I tried it out I noticed an improvement in sound quality big time. Went from the onboard that my ASROCK had to a SoundblasterX g6 (almost did a 7) and I honestly couldn't be happier. Plus if I want, it is compatable with my PS4 so I can swap it over there if I want to game on that.
 

Daidraco

Avatar of War Slayer
10,077
10,405
I no way believe that these companies are marking up $1000 on their systems
"When I say markup for those brands, I dont necesarrily mean pure profit for them. Some use proprietary cases, some use tons of RGB. Some throw in a standard warranty. etc. etc. But the point is, if you want the best bang for your buck - you're going to have to build it yourself. If I had to choose, it would be an iBuyPower system just because they "look" like they have a lower margin. Each part, unless its proprietary, is going to have it's own warranty. If your video card dies, you can just shoot it back to Nvidia, Asus, w/e, for example. "

I mean, I know its hard to make it to the second paragraph sometimes. But heyyyyy
 

slippery

<Bronze Donator>
7,910
7,732
I really agree it's just not worth buying a prebuilt. Their are tons of youtube videos that can show you, and the shit really is easy.
 

Malakriss

Golden Baronet of the Realm
12,660
11,973
Ordering pre-builts right now is like ordering from a pizza chain without a coupon through ubereats.

When it's not a pandemic and there's a legit holiday sale going on you might find an "okay" deal somewhere but you're paying $25 for a medium pepperoni right now.
 

Fucker

Log Wizard
12,669
28,802
Looking for suggestions on a desktop, preferably pre-built.

Requirements:
- Able to run AutoCad 2020LT

Games I play:
- Eve
- Wow
- Trove
- Stardew Valley

Budget:
1200-1500, honestly I don't know if this should include a monitor or not.

Would appreciate any suggestions, as I haven't owned a desktop since about 1998.

Thanks

Maingear is rated pretty well, I believe. A bit higher priced than others, but they have USA support and take care of their customers.
 

Xexx

Vyemm Raider
7,745
1,810
Looking for suggestions on a desktop, preferably pre-built.

Requirements:
- Able to run AutoCad 2020LT

Games I play:
- Eve
- Wow
- Trove
- Stardew Valley

Budget:
1200-1500, honestly I don't know if this should include a monitor or not.

Would appreciate any suggestions, as I haven't owned a desktop since about 1998.

Thanks
I will sway from the others and say it’s fine to buy a prebuilt. If you’re ok with the premium go for it. I’d say CyberpowerPC or Ibuypower since you can pick out the components and while their is a markup you can use pcpartpicker to gauge it.

I personally build all mine but remember we are used to it buy now. How often do we build and press power and it’s good to go with no troubleshooting or potential blue screens? It happens but I’d say 50/50 even when you’re sure it’s all correct. However to a novice this would be a nightmare to figure out when you have no background on building. Some people would pay just to avoid this. I personally picked out a Digital Storm build for my best friend, it took 2weeks to ship but 2 of those days were after windows install and they stressed the machine. If you don’t mind the premium that would be the place to go. The others are fine too but cost wise they are cheaper than Digital Storm.

if you have a microcenter nearby they can also build for you which is far better than prebuilt or trying yourself when you have no knowledge.
 

TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
42,744
109,115
My speaker upgrade arrives today Brahma Brahma I'll let you know if it was worth the $270.

I am most excited that I can just bluetooth to it on my PC and Work Laptop. If the PS4 can also use them in this way I'll be extremely pleased.
 
  • 1Solidarity
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 users

Noodleface

A Mod Real Quick
38,278
15,111
"When I say markup for those brands, I dont necesarrily mean pure profit for them. Some use proprietary cases, some use tons of RGB. Some throw in a standard warranty. etc. etc. But the point is, if you want the best bang for your buck - you're going to have to build it yourself. If I had to choose, it would be an iBuyPower system just because they "look" like they have a lower margin. Each part, unless its proprietary, is going to have it's own warranty. If your video card dies, you can just shoot it back to Nvidia, Asus, w/e, for example. "

I mean, I know its hard to make it to the second paragraph sometimes. But heyyyyy
I can read man, I just didn't see where you got $900-1000 from. I would never suggest an Alienware to an enthusiast or anything - but you're paying for what you get. Plus Dell CS isn't bad or anything.
 

Brahma

Obi-Bro Kenobi-X
12,512
45,580
I will sway from the others and say it’s fine to buy a prebuilt. If you’re ok with the premium go for it. I’d say CyberpowerPC or Ibuypower since you can pick out the components and while their is a markup you can use pcpartpicker to gauge it.

I personally build all mine but remember we are used to it buy now. How often do we build and press power and it’s good to go with no troubleshooting or potential blue screens? It happens but I’d say 50/50 even when you’re sure it’s all correct. However to a novice this would be a nightmare to figure out when you have no background on building. Some people would pay just to avoid this. I personally picked out a Digital Storm build for my best friend, it took 2weeks to ship but 2 of those days were after windows install and they stressed the machine. If you don’t mind the premium that would be the place to go. The others are fine too but cost wise they are cheaper than Digital Storm.

if you have a microcenter nearby they can also build for you which is far better than prebuilt or trying yourself when you have no knowledge.

I think those days are gone when people thought buying pre-built was evil. The cost is damn close to doing it yourself, plus warranties. I didn't build my last machine, and part picker had my build at just 150 bucks less than pre-built at the time.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions: 1 user

Lanx

<Prior Amod>
65,363
147,469
yea, for the past 10 years i've been telling friends and family just to buy dells.

even my nephews gaming rigs, just go buy dell

why give $$$ to evil dell?, i'm too old for this free tech support bullshit, some indian named jerry will help you out instead.

of course i've been building pc's i still have my 30pin, 1meg simms into a box labeled old computer shit. (and i think it's time to upgrade my aging old htpc)