Question Build VS Buy with current GPU market.

zanemoseley

Senior member
Feb 27, 2011
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I've been building PC's since 2000 but not built one in a while. Need to upgrade my old i5 2500k gaming rig so I can go back and hit some of the FPS's I've missed over the last few years.

Normally I would go straight for building one to get the best bang for the buck but I'm way behind on the tech and keep hearing the GPU cards are selling for close to what a pre built gaming PC costs due to crypto mining.. My budget is $1500 - $2k, Intel and Geforce preferred.
 

DAPUNISHER

Super Moderator CPU Forum Mod and Elite Member
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If you go prebuilt, avoid proprietary hardware from Dell or HP. Buy from an S.I. like Newegg ABS so you can later upgrade or replace parts with off the shelf hardware if wanted/needed. And you are spot on, that the GPU is what is making a prebuilt a viable alternative now.

If you want to see how DIY stacks up, use https://pcpartpicker.com/ They have everything you need including the parts list and price calculator. It will even warn you of potential incompatibilities. Post back here if you need help with any of it.
 
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VirtualLarry

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Aug 25, 2001
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If you go prebuilt, avoid proprietary hardware from Dell or HP. Buy from an S.I. like Newegg ABS so you can later upgrade or replace parts with off the shelf hardware if wanted/needed.
This! That's what I also told a friend of mine fairly recently, avoid Dell / HP / Lenovo proprietary rigs, get something like a Newegg ABS or MicroCenter PowerSpec system, that are at least upgradable using standard parts.
 

zanemoseley

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Feb 27, 2011
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The ABS units look pretty nice but have questionable items like case, PSU and CPU cooler. Is there a pre-built brand that you would recommend that use higher quality components.
 

UsandThem

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May 4, 2000
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The ABS units look pretty nice but have questionable items like case, PSU and CPU cooler. Is there a pre-built brand that you would recommend that use higher quality components.
ABS uses many different off-the-shelf components, just like other similar type builders (Cyber Power, etc.). From the various ABS builds I've seen in the price range you want to stay in, they all seem to use good components (not high-end, but "good" enough).

They offer many different cases, power supplies, etc. However, the nicer the components, the higher the prices.

Otherwise, you might just need to build your own so you can use the exact components you want.
 
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UsandThem

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May 4, 2000
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If I stretch my budget what do you think of the Corsair Vengence i7200 gaming rig?


It's got some nice Corsair components and comes liquid cooled out of the box.

Or should I just buy an equivalent ABS and save the cash?
The Corsair is nice, but nothing really that fancy over a Cyber Power or ABS build.

Corsair are good parts, but you're paying a premium for the Corsair name.

I'd personally just watch for a sale for a good Cyber Power over on Slickdeals, and Costco also has decent Cyber Power deals from time to time as well.

Even with the insane GPU prices, you should be able to get a decent build with an RTX 3070 (or 3070ti) card for under $2k.

Even out with a good coupon code, here's one for $2075 with slightly better specs than the Corsair at $2400.

https://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Year-End-2021
 
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zanemoseley

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Feb 27, 2011
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That looks pretty nice, I do like that they show the specs on the components so you can see what's at least a decent brand instead of generic. With the ABS machines you're often left guessing what the components really are. One of the ABS rigs I was looking at apparently had a crappy CPU cooler and everyone said it needed to be upgraded ASAP, the Corsair and this CyberPowerPC and already come with basic liquid coolers. I'm all for saving money but not at the cost of a crippled machine from the start, would rather pay up front for decent parts.
 
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In2Photos

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Mar 21, 2007
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You could also consider having one built by companies like powergpu or redux. They use the same parts that you can buy but they can actually get the parts. IMO they are far superior to the prebuilts and are reasonably priced. Might be worth a look.
 

MalVeauX

Senior member
Dec 19, 2008
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Hi,

If you compare a pre-built to self-built the prices are no longer that different with a few exceptions (which change daily to weekly). Personally if you're dropping cash I would want exact components so that you get the look and feel you want. There's no cheap way to get a solid GPU, so its just one of those things that you have to bite the bullet on. I would say get a pre-built simply if you don't want to fool with doing anything other than unboxing and turning it on.

Very best,