Pre-built or custom build?

[TheRelinquished]

Hello, this will be the first time that I will be posting on this website. I apologize in advance if I write things with incorrect terms or have misconceptions about certain products or practices.

 

The purpose of my post is to decide whether to buy computer parts to build a desktop or to buy a pre-built desktop. I've ruled out laptops due to already having one and wanting to spend the money on a good system that can't be plucked out of a bag. Currently the conflict I'm having is surrounded by these categories: upgradability, cost, performance, and warranty. I understand that when considering both options that these have a major role to play in my decision.

 

I know to a degree that I would like and intel build using a gtx gpu. the reason for this is that I understand Intel's products much better than AMD's. However if anyone can send me videos or links that will educate me on AMD I will gladly consider it. This may sound ambitious but I want a system that will be able to do 4k HDR graphics for movies, if it can do it for games then that will be a bonus. Also having the option to get into VR in the future is something that I would like but is not necessary. In all honesty even though I've spent 6 months of research in my spare time I'm still not sure what the requirements will be for the computer.

 

In terms of upgradability I do wish to have this feature yet I fear that a majority of pre-built pcs warranty would be void if I replaced parts. Considering the price inflation for GPU's today it would be nice to buy a decent one soon and upgrade to a stellar one in the future. The cost is another thing that really concerns me. I currently make minimum wage (14$/h) in Ontario Canada.  To give you an idea I make just under $2000 in a month at full time while going to school full time. $2000 Canadian is just under $1500 American, So to get an overkill system that is 4 grand in the US is about three months of straight earnings. So I'm looking to get my moneys worth.

 

In terms of performance the most I will probably put it through currently is games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, overhaul and 4k mods on Fallout 4 and Skyrim, Halo: Wars 2/Infinity/collection. The main reason I'm looking into the desktop is actually to play Halo Infinity and the Master Chief collection at better condition than the One X can perform. Basically I want to take advantage of the quality and colours that new triple A titles can dish out now.

 

In terms of warranty my main concern is once again upgradability and more importantly overclocking. I know that overclocking reduces the estimated life of the hardware of a pc, and sometimes the warranty can become void due to that. Also whenever I watch videos on overclocking it sounds like I'm watching a video in a foreign language. In all honesty I'm utterly intimidated at the notion of overclocking without an experts supervision. I can be enticed to overclock my future system if my warranty will still cover it if I do overclock it. Water cooling also sounds awesome because it can be effective and silent, but the risk of damaging the hardware scares me greatly so I think I will stick to fans as a side note.

 

I understand that there is approximately over twenty things that I asked in this post but any tips even on a single thing will be greatly appreciated. I understand that my knowledge is very limited and that may be frustrating to the experienced people on this website so I apologize for any annoyance I may have caused. Thank anyone who has read through this for listening to my issue and I wish you all a good day.

 

TLDR; Beginner doesn't know what type or how to get a proper desktop and is asking for help.

[Fasauceome]

6 minutes ago, TheRelinquished said:

I know to a degree that I would like and intel build using a gtx gpu. the reason for this is that I understand Intel's products much better than AMD's.

Intel does not make GTX, that's Nvidia. Intel doesn't make graphics cards (yet).

 

I think this thread is best accompanied by a budget in your currency, and people will come in with parts lists with good value, and if you want people to explain their choices then they will be happy to do so.

[moadoc19]

1 minute ago, fasauceome said:

Intel does not make GTX, that's Nvidia. Intel doesn't make graphics cards (yet).

 

I think this thread is best accompanied by a budget in your currency, and people will come in with parts lists with good value, and if you want people to explain their choices then they will be happy to do so.

Yep and if you decide to go prebuilt there are some good sites like Digital storm and origin etc.

[Acid Panda]

well if you wanna play safe and not loose sleep then a prebuilt is a good idea.

if you want to save money but not a huge amount and have the enjoyment and flexibility of building your own pc then do so.

for overclocking most good motherboards will have a pre set profiles that can be used to oc. i use one to get a 6700k to 4.6ghz.

components i would go for a 9700/600k though opinions do vary on those chips. also for gpu go for the range of a RTX 2070 up, though if you got a second hand 1080ti you would not see huge differences.

also building yourself you will potentially have more scope for getting new parts as some pc builders use odd components that can be limited to buying upgrades only from them.

 

also have a look at Pcpartpicker.com there are lots of guides and builds that people have done and at different prices. also good for finding the best priced parts

[Mbowen]

I'll say this. @Acid Panda has pretty much covered your basics here. 

Most people on this forum are enthusiasts. They'll look at parts and features a bit more heavily then you will because they already look at them all the time and no what to look for. For example, I do used parts all the time. I find it's a great way to make some cash on the side, (I LIVE scapyard wars), so when people here say that you should be spending $XXX on something it still seems outrageous to me. 

Some people here will suggest MAD price range stuff. You should focus on your own price range. If you can afford a pre-built and don't want to deal with the anxiety of possibly breaking a $350+ GPU or CPU when installing it, it may be worth it to you to just buy one.

Now, considering AMD/Intel. There are a lot of things to look at when picking this. My biggest thing is re-selling. Part of the reason some of us have such "balls to the walls" builds ($2-$5k) is because when you invest money into a build, it isn't gone. You can always sell your old build and get some more money for your next one, (Circle of life / investment). I see a lot more demand for older Intel CPUs then AMD. I will suggest Intel but there are things you should know. 

• AMD is cheaper.
• Intel is expensive.
• You get what you pay for.

However, there are some SI companies that actually offer upgrade plans for the future as well as lifetime warranties.

 

Other than that, I can't really help you more without taking my own abilities into account (overclocking etc). If this is your first build, going with a SI to build it isn't bad as long as you know the parts inside and how to work on them. Eventually everyone's PC ends up like a project car. You'll know all the quirks and how to start it, but eventually it will break down and you'll need to know why and how to fix it. So if you go with a SI, still do your research. You never know when you'll have to pop the hood

[Acid Panda]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel - Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz 6-Core OEM/Tray Processor	$262.99 @ SuperBiiz
CPU Cooler	Noctua - NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler	$89.95 @ Amazon
Motherboard	Asus - PRIME Z390-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard	$189.79 @ OutletPC
Memory	Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory	$94.99 @ Amazon
Storage	Samsung - 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$77.98 @ Newegg Business
Storage	Seagate - Barracuda 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$59.78 @ OutletPC
Video Card	Gigabyte - GeForce RTX 2070 8 GB WINDFORCE Video Card	$479.99 @ Newegg
Case	NZXT - H500 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case	$69.99 @ Amazon
Power Supply	EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply	$98.90 @ OutletPC
Operating System	Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit	$99.39 @ OutletPC
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1573.75
	Mail-in rebates	-$50.00
	Total	$1523.75
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-04-15 14:32 EDT-0400

 

this is an exampler build you can get better/different parts.  i included win10 a part of full price since there is no OEM support if you but the really cheap keys but you get no support fom ms if you buy it. i assume you already have a monitor since your not gonna be getting above 60fps at 4k so dont need a gaming monitor with high refresh rate. but you can add it later on.

[TheRelinquished]

Thank you all so much for your time and help with predicament. I cannot express how happy and relieved that you all have helped me. Thinking over your comments I've decided to build my own desktop. While Origin and DigitalStorm do look interesting they are a bit to constricting for my taste. I will use pcpartpicker to help me with my build. A special thank you goes to Acid Panda in giving me a clear idea in cpu overclocking and the type of gpu I will need. When I have a better idea on what my build will look like I would appreciate any critique that you may have on it. Thank you all once again.

[Acid Panda]

12 hours ago, TheRelinquished said:

Thank you all so much for your time and help with predicament. I cannot express how happy and relieved that you all have helped me. Thinking over your comments I've decided to build my own desktop. While Origin and DigitalStorm do look interesting they are a bit to constricting for my taste. I will use pcpartpicker to help me with my build. A special thank you goes to Acid Panda in giving me a clear idea in cpu overclocking and the type of gpu I will need. When I have a better idea on what my build will look like I would appreciate any critique that you may have on it. Thank you all once again.

do check the cpu and gpu perfromence dependencies on what you will need on fallout as i do not play that game (prefer skyrim still). as 2070 might not be enough hence the 2070 and up.