Is this iBuyPower as good a value as it looks?

[bull2118]

I've been pricing out a new build from the ground up. This deal from Costco seems like almost the same value proposition without the chance I screw something up.....

https://www.costco.com/iBuyPower-TRA1348GV2-Gaming-Desktop---9th-Gen-Intel-Core-i7-9700K---GeForce-RTX-2080-SUPER---GeForce-RTX-Call-of-Duty%3a-Modern-Warfare--Game-Bundle.product.100507739.html

It says liquid cooled, is that a hastle or is it plug and play/last for a decade?
Gimme yo thoughts please and thank you.

On another forum someone said a fan is better, could I swap them out?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

AIO coolers are fine now a days, but how long they last is anyone's guess. Eventually the pump will fail, but you get 2 years before you have to worry about that since it comes with the 2yr warranty. The one they chose seems small for the job though, and likely to hold back the potential of the 9700K. Fan will have to ramp up under sustained gaming load, which may be rather loud. Or if the fan curve is set to stay quiet, it will hold back the 9700K even more. Better cooling would be something I'd factor for, but test it stock first, and see what kind of sustained clocks you get. As Ned Stark said "winter is coming" so maybe you could put off better cooling until late next spring or summer depending on where you live. Anyways, it is not a huge deal, but if you want to juice that CPU you may indeed have to replace the cooler as suggested on the other site.

Nice system, and the price is not bonkers with the warranty included. Would have liked to have seen an nvme ssd and USB 3.1 gen 2 at that price point but not a deal breaker. Obviously I would roll my own, but that is a lot of PC for under $2K. Post back what your overall satisfaction with the system is, if you buy it, please.

 

[bull2118]

Would an air cooling system be better? I'd be happy to build if I could get better parts, performance, and quiet operation. I'm not opposed to building, I'm just old now with kids and the simplicity appealed to me.

I don't have the knowledge to overclock or anything (suppose I would Google it if I needed)Was just hoping the 2080 would allow me to play RTS games (Civ, TW) into the future

Id buy and build if better components are definitely worth it.

Side questions. 32in x1440 monitor? Too big? And total noob question, I'm assuming it has Bluetooth so I can throw some headphones on and play?

 

[bull2118]

AIO coolers are fine now a days, but how long they last is anyone's guess. Eventually the pump will fail, but you get 2 years before you have to worry about that since it comes with the 2yr warranty. The one they chose seems small for the job though, and likely to hold back the potential of the 9700K. Fan will have to ramp up under sustained gaming load, which may be rather loud. Or if the fan curve is set to stay quiet, it will hold back the 9700K even more. Better cooling would be something I'd factor for, but test it stock first, and see what kind of sustained clocks you get. As Ned Stark said "winter is coming" so maybe you could put off better cooling until late next spring or summer depending on where you live. Anyways, it is not a huge deal, but if you want to juice that CPU you may indeed have to replace the cooler as suggested on the other site.

Nice system, and the price is not bonkers with the warranty included. Would have liked to have seen an nvme ssd and USB 3.1 gen 2 at that price point but not a deal breaker. Obviously I would roll my own, but that is a lot of PC for under $2K. Post back what your overall satisfaction with the system is, if you buy it, please.

PS. Appreciate this thoughtful response.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Would an air cooling system be better? I'd be happy to build if I could get better parts, performance, and quiet operation. I'm not opposed to building, I'm just old now with kids and the simplicity appealed to me.

I don't have the knowledge to overclock or anything (suppose I would Google it if I needed)Was just hoping the 2080 would allow me to play RTS games (Civ, TW) into the future

I'd buy and build if better components are definitely worth it.

Side questions. 32in x1440 monitor? Too big? And total noob question, I'm assuming it has Bluetooth so I can throw some headphones on and play?

I am typing on a 32" 1440p freesync right now and definitely like this thing. A 2080 Super would pair nicely with one, and let you turn up all the eye candy.

Bluetooth only comes on certain boards, and that pre-built does not have it, but adding USB BT is cheap and effective.

It sounds like you keep a system a long time. Given that, here is an example of an AMD build in the price range using superior components. It lets you use the stock cooler that comes with the CPU. You get 8 more CPU threads, and the most modern feature set i.e. PCIe 4 x16 and x4 support. The ability to upgrade the CPU, requires no overclocking, and does not suffer from most of the security issues Intel CPUs do. The MSI board has wifi and bluetooth as well.

If you prefer Intel, I would recommend the i9 9900 and put the savings from not buying the K model into high end air cooling or a good 240mm or larger AIO. You can pick a relatively inexpensive board too, since you are not an overclocker. Overclocking is the biggest time consumer, quite often, when you have no experience with it. Particularly if instability results. With excellent cooling, either the AMD or Intel system will boost clock well automagically.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($328.90 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI MPG X570 GAMING EDGE WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($199.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo 500 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($112.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER 8 GB BLACK GAMING Video Card ($704.88 @ OutletPC)
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G1+ 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($98.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1725.42
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-09-29 13:21 EDT-0400

 

[bull2118]

Awesome. Thanks. I appreciate the time.

Is the cooler supplied with the CPU sufficient? Any big reason to go AMD over Intel?

I also noticed my current case collects a nice layer of dust on all the important stuff. Any tips on keeping it out? I guess it never really hurt anything.

Any quick tips on a monitor?

 

[Torn Mind]

Awesome. Thanks. I appreciate the time.

Is the cooler supplied with the CPU sufficient? Any big reason to go AMD over Intel?

I also noticed my current case collects a nice layer of dust on all the important stuff. Any tips on keeping it out? I guess it never really hurt anything.

Any quick tips on a monitor?

Configure airflow to create positive air pressure in the case with regards to dust.