Solved Need help buying/building a new computer

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Whiskers

PCHF Member
Feb 19, 2018
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Hello everyone, first of all let me just say i just found out about this website and it's been great browsing through some of these threads, i even saw some questions i didn't knew i had answered. :)

Now for my "problem":

I decided to upgrade from my laptop i want to keepit to take to school (it's getting bad to play in, GT 720m and I7-3537U 2GHz/2.5GHz) and get want to get a Desktop to play at home, nothing too fancy or expensive, around 700 to 800€.

So, since i never built a whole PC (i only added RAM in my laptop, switched a HDD in my old desktop and it's GPU, that's it), i decided that it might be a good idea to get a pre-built desktop and only change parts as i needed, in the future, however i will probably get screwed in the price, so i'm asking for some guidance here. If it helps, i'm planning on playing at 1080p on medium settings and higher for at least one year, and then be able to play in low setting for 2 more, if possible, and still get good FPS, 40+.

The 2 pre built PCs i saw for sale were the following:

AMD Ryzen 3 1200 quad-core até 3.4GHz
Nvidia 1050ti 4GB DDR5
8GB DDR4 Ram
1TB HDD 7200 rpm

580,90€

and

Intel® Core™ i5-7400 até 3.50 GHz (geração 7 Intel)
Nvidia 1050ti 4GB DDR5
8GB DDR4 Ram
1TB HDD 7200 rpm

644,90 €

Now, i know it doesn't say much, for example the PSU and motherboard, so i'm actually planning on passing by the store tomorrow to ask about all the details.

About the peripherals, if i add around 150€ to the desktop's price i can get a keyboard/mouse/headset and a Samsung/Philips 21.5" 1920*1080 monitor.

To be honest, i don't know what else to say, so i'll let you guys ask if you need anything, and...
thanks!
 
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Hi Whiskers, Welcome to PCHF! :)

I would go with the Ryzen system since you can upgrade the processor down the road to a new generation of Ryzen CPU's since the AM4 socket will last until 2020. The Intel CPU cannot be upgraded to an 8000 series chip since that will require a new motherboard whereas the Ryzen system will just need a BIOS update to support later iterations of Ryzen CPU's.

Can you see what power supply the Ryzen system has?
 
Hello again,

I've talked to the store salesman and he showed me the PSU and motherboard that come with the desktops.

The Ryzen build has a "Prime A320M-K" motherboard from Asus and the Intel build has a "H110M-D" motherboard, also from Asus. Also both computers have the same PSU, a "Tooq Ecopower II 500W atx power supply".

Thanks!
 
Whiskers said:
Tooq Ecopower II 500W atx power supply
Click to expand...
Avoid at all costs, to give you an idea how poor of a quality that brand is a 500W from them costs 10.50 € whereas a good brand will cost a minimum of around 40 €

Got a link to the store from where these builds are on offer so we can check what if any decent PSUs they have.
 
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Hello phillpower2, thank you for heads up, i was actually planning on getting that build in the weekend, especially since the people at the store "forgot" to mention they cut the price in the PSU :p. Thanks for the warning.

The link to the store is the following, https://www.chip7.pt/, however they are portuguese (as am i), so i searched for some pricier 500W PSUs to post here in case you can't figure out the language :p.

LC- POWER 500W V2.2 120MM = 29,90€

NOX - URANO SX 500W = 32,90€

AEROCOOL KICKASS 500W 80PLUS BRONZE - KCAS500S = 41,90€

CM 500W ACTIVE PFC GREEN POWER SIL = 47,90€ (EDIT: The CM here is for Cooler Master, which from what i could gather is a good brand?)

COOLER MASTER 500WATX - B2500 BULK - RS - 500 - ACABB1 - BU = 50,90€

AEROCOOL STRIKE-X 500W 80PLUS BRONZE - STRIKEX500 = 68,90€

I didn't post all of them, and i ignored the ones under 29,90€ also, if you think i need to go higher than 500W i'll post others.

NOTE: https://www.chip7.pt/?q=500w&idx=products&p=0, this is the link with "500W" typed in the search bar. In case you find it helpful.
 
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Another question, since i can't find it online and forgot to ask at the store, will the motherboard include a wifi "connector", or will i need a dongle if i want to use Wi-Fi? It's not very doable to have a ethernet cable or even a powerline adaptor where i'm planning to setup the desktop.

EDIT: Actually i just found a video about the motherboard, and i'm almost sure i can't, and i found some powerline adaptors with a socket (since that was my problem, i only have 1 power socket in that specific place), i will most likely go with the powerline adaptor then.
 
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Being honest I wouldn't touch any of those brands of PSU, check the links in my sig and you will see for yourself what are brands to trust and brands to avoid;

PSU guidance - 10 stripe - Johnny Lucky - PC Mech - PSU Review Database Toms PSU tier list 2.0 PSU Lemon List


Any Gold efficiency rated 500W Corsair would do as would any Bronze efficiency or above rated 500W PSU from either EVGA or Seasonic, avoid the CX and VS range of Corsairs and any other brand that says White or are not a minimum of at least Bronze efficiency rated.

Some info on powerline adaptors here

You are welcome btw :)
 
Thanks again for all the suggestions, and those links were really helpful (i still have some left to read), but i just have to ask, especially since i'm already quite a bit over my initial budget, even before posting here(which would be around 500-600€): What if i just bought one of the cooler master ones, since in one of your links it's not as bad as the others, and about one year from now (or earlier if it's only the PSU), when i have some more money set aside to upgrade the computer i started with the PSU?

I mean i could obviously wait a few more months to raise the budget, but since my laptop is a little mediocre i was trying to get a desktop now, as i'm getting a little frustrated with mine, and later upgrade as necessary.

To clear it up: (even i was a bit confused by myself back there) what if i got the COOLER MASTER 500WATX (or another one from the same store, because of shipping costs, etc...) for now, and later upgrade to a better one (since i'm already over budget), don't be afraid to say i'm being stupid and/or ignorant about the whole affair, because i am, at least ignorant haha.

EDIT: There are corsair PSUs in the same shop but they're VS and CX versions, it's like they're trying to make my life hard.
 
I would go with the Corsair CX 500 Watt PSU at least for the short term as even the CX series are slightly better than those junky brands of PSU's that you listed in your previous post.

Then after a few months, once you have saved up enough money I would go with with this Corsair model, Corsair 550 W RM550x Series 80 PLUS Gold Full Modular ATX Power Supply.
 
Whiskers, take a look at the links in my sig and then let us know what options you may have available and we can take a look.

Other folks opinions are always welcome but I have to disagree with Evan on the CX range of Corsair PSUs, I do agree though that they are better than the other junk.

What Corsair say about their CX range below;

CX-M and CX Series PC power supplies are an excellent choice for basic system builds and desktop PC computer upgrades.

Check the Toms PSU tier list link in my sig and you will see that the CX, CXM and VS range of Corsair PSUs only make tier 4 which is just above the bottom of the pile :(
 
Hi, thank you both for replying, you actually convinced me to wait another month or two to raise my budget to get a better psu, there really aren't any good ones in the store, so i'll order the PSU online and maybe even change the other specs if the price changes.

Sorry for wasting your time, but mine wasn't wasted, at all, i learned a lot in here! And that's why i decided to wait a little bit more.

All in all, thank you for the support and stopping me from making a mistake. :)

Untill next time.
 
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You have not wasted anyone's time, we volunteer here to hopefully help people make the right decision or resolve their computer issues, you feel that you have learned from posting here so sounds to me like things are working.

You are welcome btw and thank you for concluding your thread (y)
 
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