Should I build a gaming rig?

skow · August 5, 2019

Hey so this is my first post on this forum so we'll see how this goes. Anyway, I currently have 2 computers, a laptop for school and a desktop that I'm working with. My desktop is pretty crap. Its rocking an Intel Pentium G3258 overclocked to a whopping 4.16 Ghz, a evga geforce GTX 960 ssc, 8 gb of ram, a coolermaster air cooler, a corsair CM 650 m powersupply, and an azus z something mobo. (yes i know its wack, i was young and dumb then). It can run graphically simple games like minecraft, CSGO, skyrim, etc. but can hardly even load any modern games. My laptop, however, isnt all that bad. It is a Dell XPS with an Intel i5-7300HQ, 4GB GeForce GTX 1050 graphics card, 8 gb of ram, and a 4k monitor. Its able to handle AC odyssey and other high end games at high settings 1080p hovering around ~30 fps, which is playable for me but could be better. With that out of the way my question is, do you think i should just stick with my laptop for the near future and wait for it to be really struggling with games to upgrade, or just jump on the AMD train now and get something that would see me through the next few years. My budget would be around 1-1.5k, so that should be able to get me a ryzen 7, rtx 2070, mobo ,and ram if i salvage my case, cpu cooler, hard drives, and powersupply. What do u guys think?

Cigano · August 5, 2019

Id say it's definitely worth it if you buy a monitor that can take advantage of a 2070 and a ryzen 7 either 1080p 144hz or 1440 75-144hz.

Yatys 93 · August 5, 2019

if you have the spare money or can save it easily enough, then there is no reason not to, if it is something you want to do, that said are you going to be putting yourself sort to afford the pc? if not then go for it as it would be a fairly decent machine, all be it a little heavy and not very portable, and will most likely ruin 30fps gaming for you as you will have seen better

Vasllo · August 5, 2019

If you're unhappy with your current setup, you should upgrade it, that's pretty much the most important point.

You can get some money back selling your parts and keep a few, maybe the case, HD and PSU, and upgrade the rest. I would go with a R5 3600, 16GB and the best GPU you can afford. But also, don't throw all this hardware at a 1080p 60hz monitor, as @Cigano said, you'll need a better monitor to actually use an RTX 2070's power (and I recommend an RTX 2060 Super BTW).

Theburninbeaver · August 5, 2019

Yup I agree with the others. If you are unhappy with your setup now and have the cash to spare do it. 1-1.5k gets you a pretty dank setup. Plus like @Vasllo said, taking some parts from your current build will save money to put towards better parts. Stuff like HDD, PSU, case can all be re-used. But I have two ideas for you.

1. Upgrade your current build. IF YOU ARE WILLING, the used market is a goldmine for your generation of parts. Yes, it's technically a "dead-end" platform but you could save some money going this route. I flip computers on the side and have gotten some pretty nuts prices on parts. If you are willing to find an i7-4770 dell desktop and swap your CPU, boom. Your gaming experience just got way better. AND you can sell that Dell system for about $60-$80 on the used market. Add another 8gb of ram and the last thing is your gpu. An i7-4770 can honestly keep up with a 1080ti in most games. The quad-core i7s are starting to suffer in the 1% lows but if you can upgrade your build for $400-600 that's a good deal to me. If you have questions or need help with used pricing, I'd be happy to help you find good deals in your area (If you are in the US).

2. Go Ryzen. It's easier to just buy all new parts and the warranties are nice. So for 1-1.5k you could get a killer build. This forum has tons of advice, build guides and knowledge. pcpartpicker.com is a great website for planning parts. It checks compatibility and finds the cheapest prices for parts from different sellers. I spend way to much time on this site.

Good luck with whatever you choose!