Build or buy a pc

[Ecoop]

Should I build a pc with a Radeon RX 6600 CORE 8GB Graphics Card, AMD Ryzen 5 5500, ASUS Prime B450M-A Il Micro-ATX Motherboard, CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR4 RAM 16GB 3200MHz, Corsair mp600 Ipx 2tb nume ssd, ARESGAME AGV Series 650W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply, Apevia PRODIGY-WH Micro ATX Computer Case
OR
Buy a Lenovo - LOQ Tower Gaming Desktop - Intel i5 14400F - 16GB Memory
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 - 512GB SDD - Luna Gray? I know the custom pc will be more upgradable? What pc will preform better playing games?

 

[eidairaman1]

Should I build a pc with a Radeon RX 6600 CORE 8GB Graphics Card, AMD Ryzen 5 5500, ASUS Prime B450M-A Il Micro-ATX Motherboard, CORSAIR VENGEANCE DDR4 RAM 16GB 3200MHz, Corsair mp600 Ipx 2tb nume ssd, ARESGAME AGV Series 650W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply, Apevia PRODIGY-WH Micro ATX Computer Case
OR
Buy a Lenovo - LOQ Tower Gaming Desktop - Intel i5 14400F - 16GB Memory
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 - 512GB SDD - Luna Gray? I know the custom pc will be more upgradable? What pc will preform better playing games?

Build

 

[maxx2575]

my gut would say to build, but that's because I find building my pc's to be fun and the price savings is just a bonus.

also I think we need more info.
are you willing to change your build if we can help you chose better parts?

 

[Ecoop]

my gut would say to build, but that's because I find building my pc's to be fun and the price savings is just a bonus.

also I think we need more info.
are you willing to change your build if we can help you chose better parts?

Yes I’d change my build but I want to stay under $550.

 

[maxx2575]

what do you plan to do with this computer? just game or also work?

Yes I’d change my build but I want to stay under $550.

here's something I came up with, I know it's 20$ over budget but I think going from 16GB of ram to 32 is worth 20$.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Dfwvfd

also the 1TB NVME SSD will be fine for now. I say later on get yourself a like 2-4TB hard drive to go with it.

also yeah, the RX 6600 even beats the RTX 3050 8GB let alone the fact that the prebuild probably only comes with a 4/6GB 3050

 

[Ecoop]

what do you plan to do with this computer? just game or also work?

Just game

what do you plan to do with this computer? just game or also work?


here's something I came up with, I know it's 20$ over budget but I think going from 16GB of ram to 32 is worth 20$.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Dfwvfd

also the 1TB NVME SSD will be fine for now. I say later on get yourself a like 2-4TB hard drive to go with it.

also yeah, the RX 6600 even beats the RTX 3050 8GB let alone the fact that the prebuild probably only comes with a 4/6GB 3050

The prebuilt is a 8gb 3050

 

[eidairaman1]

Just game


The prebuilt is a 8gb 3050

what do you plan to do with this computer? just game or also work?


here's something I came up with, I know it's 20$ over budget but I think going from 16GB of ram to 32 is worth 20$.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Dfwvfd

also the 1TB NVME SSD will be fine for now. I say later on get yourself a like 2-4TB hard drive to go with it.

also yeah, the RX 6600 even beats the RTX 3050 8GB let alone the fact that the prebuild probably only comes with a 4/6GB 3050

Yeah the RX6600 leads by 20 fps, and overall costs less than nv cards, you'd be paying a nv tax with thertx 3050.

Also 13th and 14th gen core i cpus have been suffering from physical degradation problems (breaking apart internally).

Your best and safest bet is to do the build option, you can also upgrade it over time.

 

[Ruru]

Building.

-you'll get exactly what you're paying for
-no surprises in the form of unstandard parts etc. unlike some prebuilds have
-building a PC is fun

 

[DaemonForce]

Build. You know exactly what you're getting into before getting into it. If you're okay knowing what it can and can't do, make it happen.

 

[arbiter]

Also 13th and 14th gen core i cpus have been suffering from physical degradation problems (breaking apart internally).

Latest bios have fixed that issue so as long as update bios early on be fine

 

[Bill_Bright]

I find building my pc's to be fun and the price savings is just a bonus.

I agree that building one's own is fun and rewarding, but rarely is there a price savings - at least not without some significant compromises along with the possibility of using parts already on hand, such as keyboard, mouse, and monitor, case, PSU, etc. that you don't have to spend additional money on.

Dell, HP, and Acer, for example, can go to ASUS, Microsoft, AMD, Micron, Corsair, Samsung and CoolerMaster and promise to buy 1,000,000 motherboards, Windows licenses, CPUs, RAM, PSUs, SSDs and cases over the next year, then demand and get significant volume discounts. Individual buyers/builders don't have that purchasing power. Yes, careful research (and a lot of patience) with Amazon, Newegg, MicroCenter, B&H and you can find some good sales on some parts - but it may not be the exact motherboard or graphics card you wanted.

HOWEVER, when you build you own, your components will be ATX Form Factor compliant. That means your computer can "evolve" over the next several years with all sorts of upgrade options sure to be compatible. If you buy a factory built, they often use proprietary parts. This means upgrade options tend to be limited and more expensive. Ultimately, what this means is a self-built (if done right from the start) can last many years longer as you stretch its useful life through upgrades. Factory builds are more like laptops, and you have to replace the whole thing, even if you only want to upgrade the CPU.

One HUGE advantage to buying a factory built is they are responsible for all warranty support, including Windows support, for at least one year. One number to call for all problems. When you build your own, you are tech support, for Windows too.

You do have a 3rd option. If you can find a trustworthy local computer shop, most will custom build the computer for you, with parts you choose, for a fee, of course. Many will help you choose parts and may even get you a better price as they may opt to build several identical and buy 5 or 10 each of the components for a small volume discount.

I always used to tell my clients who came in with these questions, who didn't want a factory build, but didn't want to build it themselves, that I cannot beat Dell, HP, or Acer in price. But I can always build a better computer, one that actually is custom built, specifically tailored for that client, one that is not proprietary.

The factory guys will tell you they will "custom" build a computer for you but that is nonsense. If you build your own, you can choose, for example from dozens, if not 100s of graphics cards. Dell might offer 2 or 3. And good luck picking a different case from Acer.

I "bought" my first, brand new factory-built "PC" computer as a "divorce is final" treat to myself back in 1992. I drove up to the Gateway factory in Iowa. Gateway was a top quality brand back then, until they were bought out by Acer - but that's for a different discussion. Prior to my Gateway, I had an Altair 8800, and my C64, then I started building "PCs" using used/cannibalized parts I scrounged from wherever.

Anyway, that Gateway was also the last factory built computer I've own, other than laptops.

If you know how to use a #2 Phillips screwdriver, you can build your own PC. I would encourage you to do so. It will be something you can take pride in.

 

[dirtyferret]

I build because I want value for my money but I don't have that much free time so working on PCs and building them is not always fun when there is other stuff to do. Plus if I do have free time I'd rather be gaming than installing software and troubleshooting. I see pros and cons to both building and just buying a PC.

 

[Bill_Bright]

I don't have that much free time so working on PCs and building them is not always fun when there is other stuff to do. Plus if I do have free time I'd rather be gaming than installing software and troubleshooting.

Sure, this is a factor - especially if your priority is gaming or some other activity they enjoy more. That might be watching football, drinking beer and eating pretzels.

The trick, IMO, is to build your new computer BEFORE your old computer dies. Then you can take your time. And hopefully, there will not be any troubleshooting required.

 

[Princess Garnet]

You'll get biased answers asking a tech community.

That being said, I'll be one of them. I have leaned towards building my own because it gives you greater control over what you get. More importantly, this allows one to have a "ship of Theseus" PC, which means if you want to upgrade something, it's rare if not nonexistent that you'll be prevented from doing so because something else is non-standard. OEM PCs have bounced back and forth between doing it the standard way and their own way, so sometimes things are better with them and then other times they are not.

By building it, the price savings is usually small if nonexistent, especially at the cheaper end of pricing because you usually negate this because if you choose parts that aren't very cheap, whereas those cheaper prebuilts are using cheaper parts (and they are able to get better pricing from the parts suppliers on top of that due to buying in volume).

If you do build it, do not do it with the PSU listed in your first post. That is one to avoid.

Between the two PCs you listed though, I'm pretty sure the Core i5 14400 is faster than the Ryzen 5 5500. The latter is like between a 3600X and 5600X in performance (it's basically a 5600 with half the cache), and the the 5000 series is normally (minus the models with extra or lesser cache, like the 5500, 5600G, or any of the X3Ds) more between the 11th and 12th generation in performance. The 14400 is lower end in its series though so it won't be much faster. I usually see it hanging around well below the 12600/12700 in most benchmarks results, so it may be faster than the 5500, but not as substantially as its generation implies. With the graphics card, it goes the other way; the RX 6600 is the faster one. Usually, the graphics card is more important in games, especially if you don't have a very high end one to increase the likelihood it won't be the limitation in whatever you're playing. Some games (Minecraft, simulation, strategy, etc.) are more CPU heavy though.

The above PCPartPicker link looks alright to me because you can upgrade it to a 5700X3D later (which is substantially faster than a 3600X), and the graphics card too (as long as you go with a future lower-mid range part and not something that needs a lot of wattage).

 

[eidairaman1]

You'll get biased answers asking a tech community.

That being said, I'll be one of them. I have leaned towards building my own because it gives you greater control over what you get. More importantly, this allows one to have a "ship of Theseus" PC, which means if you want to upgrade something, it's rare if not nonexistent that you'll be prevented from doing so because something else is non-standard. OEM PCs have bounced back and forth between doing it the standard way and their own way, so sometimes things are better with them and then other times they are not.

By building it, the price savings is usually small if nonexistent, especially at the cheaper end of pricing because you usually negate this because if you choose parts that aren't very cheap, whereas those cheaper prebuilts are using cheaper parts (and they are able to get better pricing from the parts suppliers on top of that due to buying in volume).

If you do build it, do not do it with the PSU listed in your first post. That is one to avoid.

Between the two PCs you listed though, I'm pretty sure the Core i5 14400 is faster than the Ryzen 5 5500. The latter is like between a 3600X and 5600X in performance (it's basically a 5600 with half the cache), and the the 5000 series is normally (minus the models with extra or lesser cache, like the 5500, 5600G, or any of the X3Ds) more between the 11th and 12th generation in performance. The 14400 is lower end in its series though so it won't be much faster. I usually see it hanging around well below the 12600/12700 in most benchmarks results, so it may be faster than the 5500, but not as substantially as its generation implies. With the graphics card, it goes the other way; the RX 6600 is the faster one. Usually, the graphics card is more important in games, especially if you don't have a very high end one to increase the likelihood it won't be the limitation in whatever you're playing. Some games (Minecraft, simulation, strategy, etc.) are more CPU heavy though.

The above PCPartPicker link looks alright to me because you can upgrade it to a 5700X3D later (which is substantially faster than a 3600X), and the graphics card too (as long as you go with a future lower-mid range part and not something that needs a lot of wattage).

Gpu in that build is inferior though

 

[dgianstefani]

Also 13th and 14th gen core i cpus have been suffering from physical degradation problems (breaking apart internally).

14400F is 12th gen Alder Lake.

 

[Princess Garnet]

Gpu in that build is inferior though

I'm confused as to what you're referring to. In which build is the GPU inferior? And what is it inferior to (that costs the same or less)?

If you're referring to the RX6600 in the PcPartPicker link, what is it inferior to?

The RTX 3050? I mean that can certainly be a bit cheaper, but it's also a bit slower. If you're looking at two things near parity in price/performance but the faster one fits in the budget, you typically pick that one, no?

 

[Shrek]

I don't see how one can save given the economies of scale from a pre-built, but I would avoid getting a unit with proprietary parts.

To me just figuring out which power supply to get seems overwhelming to me.

 

[Athlonite]

I have to agree with those that have said Build.
By building your own PC you'll have a much better understanding of what is in it and how it works it's not hard but for the first time it can seem a little intimidating just take your time and make sure everything is pluggen in how it's meant to be and you should be fine

 

[Bill_Bright]

By building your own PC you'll have a much better understanding of what is in it and how it works

This point is HUGE! Especially for first time builders. If you are unsure about PCIe, HDMI, DisplayPort, pins and pads, standoffs, I/O headers, fan headers, SATA, M.2, various power connectors, building a PC is probably the best way to learn - and much easier and less intimidating than it sounds.

One tip I often give first time builders. While waiting for the parts to arrive, download the various manuals, in particular, the case, PSU and motherboard manual (and graphics card) if not going integrated) and read the installation procedures to become familiar with them. This is especially helpful with the motherboard to learn where the various connectors are located.

 

[AusWolf]

Pre-built PCs are almost always crap for one reason or another. So build.

 

[freeagent]

I bought my first 2 used (HP) because I was kind of chicken to build my own, and the price was right. I ended up upgrading them to the point I was just wasting money.

It is pretty easy to build, and these days it is so easy to assemble the hardware, and software runs so fast that it does not take long to install windows.

 

[Bill_Bright]

but I would avoid getting a unit with proprietary parts.

I agree but don't know how that is possible with a factory built computer without knowing first, the exact components they use. And generally, they don't publish whether or not their components are 100% ATX Form Factor compliant, or if modified and thus proprietary.

 

[Athlonite]

I agree but don't know how that is possible with a factory built computer without knowing first, the exact components they use. And generally, they don't publish whether or not their components are 100% ATX Form Factor compliant, or if modified and thus proprietary.

The easiest thing to do there is to stay far away from big name brands like HP, Dell/Alienware and the likes as they're most likely the ones to use proprietary parts in their Pre Built PC's

 

[maxx2575]

Just game


The prebuilt is a 8gb 3050

if this is your first time building a computer, I'd be down to help you build it. I've got the free time and wouldn't mind spending however long it takes on discord just like I've done with my friends.