Better Gaming Small Form Factor PC ($1500-$2000 CAD budget)

[Kaelxcat]

Budget (including currency): $1500-2000

Country: Canada

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: Revit, Adobe Suite, Gaming (WoW Shadowlands, Cyberpunk 2077, AC: Valhalla, Watch Dogs: Legion)

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

I currently have an MSI Infinite S 9SA-083CA (i5-9400F GTX1650 8GB DDR4 512GB M.2 SSD). I also have a spare Samsung Evo 500gb M.2 ssd in an external enclosure to toss in if needed. I want RGB, but I'd rather spend my budget on performance related aspects of the build.

 

I was fine with my mini desktop, but since I got a Asus Zephyrus G14 ( Ryzen 9 2060mq), I've barely turned it on because it can't handle what I'm putting it through. I do most of my work and gaming on the laptop now. Yet, it has been struggling to run Legion and Valhalla on more than medium-high specs, and I'd like a desktop to be able to run those on High settings. 

 

I'm open to either upgrading the MSI, since I love how portable it is (I can fit it into a small backpack and travel with it)! Or, I could start from scratch and build an entirely new PC. Either way, my budget is the same and I would like to have it built in time for my semester starting in January.

 

Additionally, my current monitor is an MSI Optix G24 (75hz display) so I'm looking to upgrade that to a 4k-ish monitor, but I'd rather spend the current budget on pc components. Basically, willing to put up with this outdated monitor for another year to get a better built desktop now.

 

Thanks!

 

[Mohammad Saleh]

r5 5600x

3060ti

16 trident z neo 3200meganertz ram

asrock b550 phantom gaming mini itx motherboard

nzxt mini itx rgb case

silverstone sfx650 watt 80+ gold psu

noctua low profile amd cooler

[Daniel Z.]

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/FNprxr/gskill-aegis-16gb-2-x-8gb-ddr4-3000-memory-f43000c16d16gisb

 

Get that for more RAM. Then get a 3070 or a 3080 if you can find one in stock and install the GPU and RAM in the current system. You don't really need more. It's insanely hard to get a case the size of that MSI in Canada, I really don't think you'd be able to find one under 300-400 dollars. 

[Kaelxcat]

Just now, Daniel Z. said:

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product/FNprxr/gskill-aegis-16gb-2-x-8gb-ddr4-3000-memory-f43000c16d16gisb

 

Get that for more RAM. Then get a 3070 or a 3080 if you can find one in stock and install the GPU and RAM in the current system. You don't really need more. It's insanely hard to get a case the size of that MSI in Canada, I really don't think you'd be able to find one under 300-400 dollars. 

Do you think I'll have power supply issues putting in a 3070 or 3080? Or fitting it into the case?

[Daniel Z.]

2 minutes ago, Kaelxcat said:

Do you think I'll have power supply issues putting in a 3070 or 3080? Or fitting it into the case?

Oh yeah, that's true. The power supply isn't nearly enough. From pictures, looks like the 3070 has to be at most 2 slots wide. Length shouldn't be a big deal unless it's a massive cooler. Every two fan, two slot card will fit as far as I know. A few three fan cards might fit. Try to get a founders edition or similar size 3060 Ti or 3070. Then get the power supply I linked here

https://www.newegg.ca/seasonic-ss-500l1u-500w-eps12v/p/N82E16817151129?Item=N82E16817151129

[Kaelxcat]

I'm noticing that the new AMD gpus are in stock. Would one of those work? I'm hesitant to pay scalper prices for a Nvidia one lol.

 

Would I be losing out on performance pairing an newly released AMD gpu with the Intel i5-9400F as compared to the Nvidia 3060Ti/3070? 

 

Also, are there any motherboard compatability issues I should be concerned about? Since the MSI Infinite S likely has a propriety motherboard. Or do I just need to verify the correct gpu connectors are on the board since I'm not touching the cpu?

 

Sorry! Total building noob here.

 

Thanks!

[Daniel Z.]

5 minutes ago, Kaelxcat said:

I'm noticing that the new AMD gpus are in stock. Would one of those work? I'm hesitant to pay scalper prices for a Nvidia one lol.

 

Would I be losing out on performance pairing an newly released AMD gpu with the Intel i5-9400F as compared to the Nvidia 3060Ti/3070? 

 

Also, are there any motherboard compatability issues I should be concerned about? Since the MSI Infinite S likely has a propriety motherboard. Or do I just need to verify the correct gpu connectors are on the board since I'm not touching the cpu?

 

Sorry! Total building noob here.

 

Thanks!

They're in stock? Best bet is to open up the case and try to measure the room you have. The AMD reference card is around 267mm

[Kaelxcat]

4 minutes ago, Daniel Z. said:

They're in stock? Best bet is to open up the case and try to measure the room you have. The AMD reference card is around 267mm

My bad. I read the page wrong. The AMD 5xxx series are available, not the 6xxx. 

[Gazereths]

Upgrading that pre built might be tricky, no specs for the PSU (does it even have a PCIe power connector? The 1650 doesn't require one iirc) it's certainly not an ATX, is it TFX form factor? Doesn't look like that either.

No specs for GPU clearance / length (is it even a full height card?)

Is that budget Canadian Dollars?

[IkeaGnome]

You might look into the Cooler Master Nr200(p) also. I use the Geeek A60 plus and love it. It has room for a 2070. 

With how upgradable it looks like those Infinite S computers are I think you'd be fine upgrading it depending on space for a GPU and what not unless you want to do a full build

Edit: Only a 450 Watt PSU best case scenario.

[Kaelxcat]

15 minutes ago, Gazereths said:

Upgrading that pre built might be tricky, no specs for the PSU (does it even have a PCIe power connector? The 1650 doesn't require one iirc) it's certainly not an ATX, is it TFX form factor? Doesn't look like that either.

No specs for GPU clearance / length (is it even a full height card?)

Is that budget Canadian Dollars?

Budget is in Canadian Dollars. 

 

Best breakdown of the specs I could find: https://ca.msi.com/Desktop/Infinite-S-9th/Specification

 

Looks like it's an FSP 350W power supply.

[Gazereths]

7 minutes ago, Kaelxcat said:

Budget is in Canadian Dollars. 

 

Best breakdown of the specs I could find: https://ca.msi.com/Desktop/Infinite-S-9th/Specification

 

Looks like it's an FSP 350W power supply.

Looks like it has a single 6+2 pcie, 350w would be too weak for any major upgrade anyway, the 30 series nvidia are pretty power hungry, same for the 60 series AMD.  Maybe wait and see what the lower end of the new cards are when they are released. A SFX Corsair 750w runs about £150 (about $255 Canadian) so you'd need something like that to upgrade to a 3070 and above. 600w for 3060ti.

[Kaelxcat]

1 minute ago, Gazereths said:

Looks like it has a single 6+2 pcie, 350w would be too weak for any major upgrade anyway, the 30 series nvidia are pretty power hungry, same for the 60 series AMD.  Maybe wait and see what the lower end of the new cards are when they are released. A SFX Corsair 750w runs about £150 (about $255 Canadian) so you'd need something like that to upgrade to a 3070 and above. 600w for 3060ti.

Yeah, I was thinking I'd upgrade the power supply (to future proof, if nothing else), but if I can manage to upgrade using the existing MSI and only buy ram, gpu and power supply? I could get a much nicer gpu. Now to find a non-scalper priced 3060Ti or 3070 lol

 

Is there a significant difference between a Nvidia 2080 and 3060Ti/3070 as far as performance for the games I listed?

[Gazereths]

8 minutes ago, Kaelxcat said:

Yeah, I was thinking I'd upgrade the power supply (to future proof, if nothing else), but if I can manage to upgrade using the existing MSI and only buy ram, gpu and power supply? I could get a much nicer gpu. Now to find a non-scalper priced 3060Ti or 3070 lol

 

Is there a significant difference between a Nvidia 2080 and 3060Ti/3070 as far as performance for the games I listed?

Well according to youtuber benchmarks the 3060ti beats the 2080 super in most cases, so would beat the 2080.....For less money, if you can find one.  I know you want it asap, but I personally wouldn't buy a high end 20 series card now, the value is just not there (not that it ever was with the 20 series)

 

[Kaelxcat]

4 minutes ago, Gazereths said:

Well according to youtuber benchmarks the 3060ti beats the 2080 super in most cases, so would beat the 2080.....For less money, if you can find one.  I know you want it asap, but I personally wouldn't buy a high end 20 series card now, the value is just not there (not that it ever was with the 20 series)

Fair point! Good to know