Help selecting new gaming/work desktop

jadamsuw

Member
May 14, 2012
25
2
71
Hi all-

Thanks in advance for any help, and hopefully I've put this in the right spot.

My homebuilt desktop died after 10+ years, falling victim to a power surge, and unfortunately I don't have the bandwidth to do another home build and the machine is old enough that fixing it isn't worth it, so for the first time in decades I'm looking at buying a prefab machine and appreciate any guidance.

For gaming, my favorite games are generally fairly resource-intensive strategy games (Civilization, Europa Universalis, those sorts of games) and graphically intensive RPGs/action games. I do play shooters occasionally, but not competitively. Being able to set the graphics on the highest settings is fun, and all things being equal I'd pay to be able to do that, but not absolutely mandatory and I don't want to be gouged for the absolute best graphics card.

For work, I mostly do a lot of word processing, Excel spreadsheets, and video streaming. Can be processor/memory intensive. My hope is to include a high-end, large display and webcam that are good for both uses. Could be included or bought separately, though.

I haven't generally used it for streaming other media, although it's possible that could change.

I prefer Windows for my desktop. I would like the computer to be relatively easily upgradeable in the future. Ideally there would be some extra bays for the old drives from my defunct desktop.

Budget is around $2000, but I'm OK going above $2000 for something that is particularly worth it and/or likely to have more longevity. I'd probably cap at around $3000, but again, flexible if something is worth it for longevity - I'd rather pay more up front and have it last longer.

I appreciate any help and tips. Thank you!
 
  • Like
Reactions: DAPUNISHER

DAPUNISHER

Super Moderator CPU Forum Mod and Elite Member
Super Moderator
Aug 22, 2001
28,615
21,030
146
Can't recommend any particular prebuilt. I can offer some advice though. You may be on top of all of this already, but just in case -

Many are literally hot boxes. Fancy cases with terrible airflow. Doesn't matter how many fans there are if it can't pull air in and/or exhaust it.

Big OEMs have a lot of systems using proprietary parts, avoid those too. Usually the mainstream lines. But it is the wild west so due diligence is required.

Buy from a company that uses off the shelf parts so that it is upgradable. A couple of examples are Newegg's ABS and CyberPower. Those are really hit or miss too, so read user feedback on the one you are interested in.

Make certain it has 2 sticks/dual channel ram, or you are stuck dealing with that yourself. Added expense and problems matching, mixing, or having to replace are unacceptable. And DDR5 is likely to come with a price premium that is not nearly worth it performance wise, so I would pick DDR4 for Intel 12th gen.

The other cooling issue is CPU cooling. I have seen far too many pre-builts with disgustingly under spec'd coolers for the CPU being used. Best if you can pick it yourself, or if not, make certain it is at least a 240mm AIO for i7 and Ryzen 7, or even bigger for Ryzen 9 and i9. Or a high end air cooler like the Noctua 14 and 15 series, Dark Rock Pro 4, or similar. Because there is no guarantee, unless you pick the right company, that you will be able to tweak what you need to in the UEFI. The board can have custom firmware for the OEM or S.I. that does not permit it. Many companies and their models do use a straight up, right off the shelf board though. But something to be aware of.

Speaking of CPUs - I recommend Ryzen 7 5700x and above or i7 12700 or above. I would avoid 10th and 11th gen Intel, and 3000 series Ryzen despite the discounts on them. Saving a couple of hundred dollars isn't worth it imo. Pick the most modern platform from either brand.

If you can spec the PSU great, if not make certain it is a good one.

GPU - I would look for a RTX 3070 or RX 6800XT or better.
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,379
10,069
126
All really good advice, @DAPUNISHER !

I bought a Dell G5 gaming PC, barebones off of ebay for $300, and built it out, intending to re-sell. The case is indeed "hot box garbage". Look up GamersNexus review on it, it wasn't pretty.
 
  • Wow
Reactions: DAPUNISHER

DAPUNISHER

Super Moderator CPU Forum Mod and Elite Member
Super Moderator
Aug 22, 2001
28,615
21,030
146
All really good advice, @DAPUNISHER !

I bought a Dell G5 gaming PC, barebones off of ebay for $300, and built it out, intending to re-sell. The case is indeed "hot box garbage". Look up GamersNexus review on it, it wasn't pretty.
I serviced a few of those G5s. My reaction -

do-not-want-dog.jpg
 
  • Haha
Reactions: VirtualLarry

jadamsuw

Member
May 14, 2012
25
2
71
Excellent advice, thank you! It used to be that Alienware and Falcon Northwest had pretty solid reputations, but is that no longer the case?
 

DAPUNISHER

Super Moderator CPU Forum Mod and Elite Member
Super Moderator
Aug 22, 2001
28,615
21,030
146
Excellent advice, thank you! It used to be that Alienware and Falcon Northwest had pretty solid reputations, but is that no longer the case?
Alienware is Dell, and has gone downhill considerably. Proprietary parts are typical from what I have seen of the newer ones. Falcon Northwest is stupid money, no way I'd spend that much. The Talon starts at close to 4K for either Intel or AMD, no thanks.

There are lots of boutique brands now, have a look around and see what you can find.

Alternatively, you can use https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ to put together a build. Really would not take long to put together, install everything, and get back to your workflow and gaming. If you are feeling really rusty, there are a ton of guides out there. One example -


And there are a number of cases that have all the front I/O stuff consolidated into one block connector. I noticed that is one of the most intimidating parts of the build for DIYers that don't have much experience with it. One example - https://www.amazon.com/NZXT-H510-Flow-CA-H52FW-01-Water-Cooling/dp/B09CW354GD

We can help you if you decide to go that route. Otherwise, I'd probably opt for something like ABS from Newegg.
 

jadamsuw

Member
May 14, 2012
25
2
71
Oh my goodness, 4k for the Talon?! I had a computer from them many many years back... 15-20 maybe? I loved it, but I don't recall them being that prohibitively expensive, even adjusting for the era. I'm definitely more intimidated by trying to pull off the construction these days than picking the parts. Family life hasn't been kind to my hardware skills, which weren't amazing to begin with!

But I suppose I could probably also just get a local shop to help if I went that route.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DAPUNISHER

DAPUNISHER

Super Moderator CPU Forum Mod and Elite Member
Super Moderator
Aug 22, 2001
28,615
21,030
146
But I suppose I could probably also just get a local shop to help if I went that route.
That is a great idea. Just vet the shops with local reviews first.