Question Find me a better, cheaper pre-built than this:

[thestrangebrew1]

Friend's kid is looking at this rig at Best Buy: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypo...2v9QrYEcqRhfmfbmsZ0aAnwrEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Not sure what games he plays, but he's around 15yo so I'm assuming Fortnight, MineCraft, Roblox etc. I'm thinking the 5060 8gb might struggle a bit, but I'm also not sure what resolution he plays at.

Edit: $1200 is probably going to be the max in terms of budget, give or take $100

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I found this which I think would be better: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberp...tb-pcie-4-0-ssd-white/6617071.p?skuId=6617071

 

[manly]

Friends don't let friends buy GPUs with 8GB VRAM.

This config seems okay?

https://www.newegg.com/skytech-gaming-desktop-pcs-amd-radeon-rx-9060-xt-amd-ryzen-7-7700-32gb-ddr5-1tb-nvme-ssd-st-azure3-2203-b-al-black/p/3D5-000Z-002Z5?Item=9SIA1HJKGB3489

OK BBY has one option too:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/skytech-gaming-crystal-gaming-desktop-pc-amd-ryzen-7-7700-16gb-memory-amd-radeon-rx-9060xt-16gb-1tb-nvme-ssd-black/6636908.p?skuId=6636908

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Friends don't let friends buy GPUs with 8GB VRAM.

Haha yea I wasn't sure about the processor. 9700 sounded newer although it may not be better. IDK lol

 

[manly]

Haha yea I wasn't sure about the processor. 9700 sounded newer although it may not be better. IDK lol

Ryzen 7 7700 (Zen 4) is a bit older, but still a competent chip. With this pre-built, I think it's more than enough.
The main concern is that they'll choose cheaper components to hit a certain price point, i.e. the DRAM is a little slower and the PSU is probably not Tier A.

I have no experience with them, but Skytech Gaming and CyberPowerPC are both based in SoCal and have some level of success in gaming PC sales. These brands are also sold at Costco.

Just noticed Skytech has more configs (naturally) on their own web site. For $1300, you get the 7800X3D and a beefy PSU.

Azure3

skytechgaming.com

 

[thestrangebrew1]

I think for the price, and since they're most likely to purchase from BB in case there's an issue, the 2nd link should work for them. BB is about 30 minutes away and can get support if needed vs. having to ship it back. The boy said his monitor supports up to 4k, I assume the 16gb vram helps with this resolution?

 

[manly]

I think for the price, and since they're most likely to purchase from BB in case there's an issue, the 2nd link should work for them. BB is about 30 minutes away and can get support if needed vs. having to ship it back. The boy said his monitor supports up to 4k, I assume the 16gb vram helps with this resolution?

The 9060 XT just isn't a 4K gaming GPU. The kid will probably run games at 1440p, although those popular teenage games don't need a whole lot of GPU muscle to run well.

The 16GB VRAM is more for future-proofing.
Note the system RAM is only 16GB, a bit weak but that can be easily upgraded for cheap.


Won't help your friend, but this is pretty good for $1500:

https://slickdeals.net/f/18434485-ibuypower-element-pro-gaming-desktop-ryzen-9-7900x-rx-9070xt-32gb-ram-2tb-ssd-1499-free-shipping

 

[manly]

The Best Buy deal previously linked went down by $60.

The Skytech 7800X3D system went down by $40.

Skytech Gaming Azure 3 Desktop PC: Ryzen 7 7800X3D, RX 9060 XT 16GB, 32GB DDR5, 1TB SSD, 850W $1260.99

eCoupon at checkout: SWARM Cheaper than the previous popular FP deal. SPECS:CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D Graphics: AMD Radeon 9060XT 16GB RAM: 32GB DDR5 5200MHZ RGB Case: Azure 3 Black Primary Hard Driv

slickdeals.net

 

[DAPUNISHER]

I worked on CyberpowerPCs numerous times in the 2010s. Most were 4-5 years old, and the only reason they brought them to me was for advice and upgrades. The Apevia PSU in one finally started dying after almost 8 years. That was the worst problem I saw.

The 9060XT 16GB is far and away the best card out of the models available in the systems linked so far.

Recommend against getting bullied or suckered into the Geek Squad warranty. It's all off the shelf parts, so if anything goes wrong after the Manufacturer's warranty expires, it is the perfect time for them to start learning to do their own break/fix.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Well his mom said they got the pc the other day and the kid said it's not working. Something about the monitor glitching. I'm heading over there at lunch to see what's really going on and hopefully I'll be able to diagnose/fix it. I'm not too sure what "glitching" it's doing, but she said they went out and bought a new monitor and it was doing the same thing according to her son. If I had to guess, it's a refresh rate or driver issue at this point. Hope fully the gpu isn't nuked.

EDIT: I suggested he try changing his resolution and apparently that worked!