Need advice concerning purchasing a new pre-built (New to this)

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Faiz1128

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Apr 22, 2017
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I had another thread similar to this but I want to start this one because I need feedback on whether some of the options I found are worth buying. My budget is under 600$, and yes I know this budget sucks. I also know that buying pre builts is dumb and building one is better, but I'd really rather not. Despite all this, I think I have found a decent computer. This is used and doesn't really have any warranties, so let me know if that's a problem. Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-lis...lp_f_freeShipping?ie=UTF8&f_freeShipping=true. Can somebody find out if this has Windows 10 and comes with the keyboard and mouse? Thanks
 
Valantar

Valantar

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Aug 26, 2014
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Doesn't look like a half bad PC for the money. The main Amazon product description says Windows 10, so that should be okay, but it depends on how old the used one is. As for whether that specific used one comes with a keyboard and mouse, I guess you'd have to contact the seller and ask.
 
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Faiz1128

Junior Member
Apr 22, 2017
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Valantar said:
Doesn't look like a half bad PC for the money. The main Amazon product description says Windows 10, so that should be okay, but it depends on how om the used one is. As for whether that specific used one comes with a keyboard and mouse, I guess you'd have to contact the seller and ask.
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I guess other people also think it isn't half bad because it is going out of stock everywhere. It's unfortunate that I can't make my purchase until next month. Can this run CS:GO smoothly at high settings and also more intense games like ghost recon wildlands and gta v smoothly?
 
Valantar

Valantar

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Aug 26, 2014
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What resolution will you be playing at? My understanding is that CS:GO runs smoothly at full HD on anything more powerful than a dead hamster, but GTA V and Ghost Recon: Wildlands is another story. I would expect a GTX 970 to do okay at medium-to-high settings at 1080p for those, but no higher. And to be honest, that will probably still look great. But to be sure, look up some "performance reviews" of the games you're interested in, they usually cover a wide range of CPUs and GPUs.

I would look around, though. It should be possible to find something with an RX 470 or 480 (or 570/580 if you're lucky) at similar prices, which will perform noticeably better.
 
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DaveSimmons

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Aug 12, 2001
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> It's unfortunate that I can't make my purchase until next month.

You should wait to look until you have the money for it. Stock changes, deals change. There's no point in finding the perfect clearance or refurbished PC today if you won't be buying for another 3-5 weeks.
 
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Valantar

Valantar

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Aug 26, 2014
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That is very true. Don't start looking for those kinds of deals until you can actually afford to pull the trigger.

Also, OP, it might be a good idea to look at refurbished OEM machines without dedicated graphics, and adding a GPU yourself. That means you'll have to make sure the PSU has enough power connectors and can deliver sufficient power, but you might end up with a better PC.
 
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Faiz1128

Junior Member
Apr 22, 2017
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Valantar said:
That is very true. Don't start looking for those kinds of deals until you can actually afford to pull the trigger.

Also, OP, it might be a good idea to look at refurbished OEM machines without dedicated graphics, and adding a GPU yourself. That means you'll have to make sure the PSU has enough power connectors and can deliver sufficient power, but you might end up with a better PC.
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Can the aforementioned PC connect to this monitor: https://www.cnet.com/products/viewsonic-va1912wb/specs/
And will this monitor give me a good experience for gaming? I'm not looking into buying a new one, I just want to know if this one is good. BTW, can the price really change that much in 3 weeks? And is the lack of a warranty a major problem that should change my decision?
 
Valantar

Valantar

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Aug 26, 2014
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Faiz1128 said:
Can the aforementioned PC connect to this monitor: https://www.cnet.com/products/viewsonic-va1912wb/specs/
And will this monitor give me a good experience for gaming? I'm not looking into buying a new one, I just want to know if this one is good. BTW, can the price really change that much in 3 weeks? And is the lack of a warranty a major problem that should change my decision?
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Looks like that monitor has a DVI port, so it should connect to any PC/graphics card that has that (which is most of them) or a HDMI or DisplayPort through a cheap adapter. You'll be fine. As for if the monitor is good for gaming, that's very subjective. Most users here would probably say no - it's an old, relatively low resolution panel, probably a TN panel (judging from the viewing angles and contrast ratio). Still, you can only use what you have, and it'll probably be perfectly fine. One thing it has going for it is that it supports higher refresh rates than most displays, up to 85Hz (the "standard" is 60), which will give smoother motion if your GPU can deliver a steady 85fps. Which should be no problem for any modern GPU in the vast majority of games given its 1440x900 resolution. There's a very visible jump in smoothness between 60 and 85Hz, especially for fast-paced games. Personally, I'm a bit of a monitor snob, but in the end, the main thing is that it works. One thing at a time ;)
JWade said:
you should consider looking at delloutlet.com they sometimes have good sales and coupon codes to get a similar system for less.
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That's usually a good idea, yeah. They tend to have some great deals.
 
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Faiz1128

Junior Member
Apr 22, 2017
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28v7r41.png
Valantar said:
Looks like that monitor has a DVI port, so it should connect to any PC/graphics card that has that (which is most of them) or a HDMI or DisplayPort through a cheap adapter. You'll be fine. As for if the monitor is good for gaming, that's very subjective. Most users here would probably say no - it's an old, relatively low resolution panel, probably a TN panel (judging from the viewing angles and contrast ratio). Still, you can only use what you have, and it'll probably be perfectly fine. One thing it has going for it is that it supports higher refresh rates than most displays, up to 85Hz (the "standard" is 60), which will give smoother motion if your GPU can deliver a steady 85fps. Which should be no problem for any modern GPU in the vast majority of games given its 1440x900 resolution. There's a very visible jump in smoothness between 60 and 85Hz, especially for fast-paced games. Personally, I'm a bit of a monitor snob, but in the end, the main thing is that it works. One thing at a time ;)

That's usually a good idea, yeah. They tend to have some great deals.
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So, i looked at my monitor and the DVI port does not have the 4 pin connectors or whatever (someone told me it is a DVI-D Dual link) I tried to get a better understanding of DVI online, but i gave up. Will the graphics card in this computer: https://www.amazon.com/G11CD-WS51-O...TF8&qid=1495922393&sr=1-1&keywords=asus+g11cd (the core i5 6400 and gtx 970 model) connect to this monitor? And if so, what cable do i need? For reference, this is the monitor: https://www.cnet.com/products/viewsonic-va1912wb/specs/
 
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DaveSimmons

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Aug 12, 2001
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Cnet: 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 24 pin digital DVI

You only need DVI single-link for 14400 x 900. Your existing DVi cable will probably work with any PC that has a DVI connector.

If it doesn't, you can use the VGA connector with a HDMI to VGA or displayport to VGA adapter like this:

IOGEAR DisplayPort to VGA Adapter Cable, White, GDPVGAW6 - $15 at Amazon - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E98MK2K/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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Faiz1128

Junior Member
Apr 22, 2017
22
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DaveSimmons said:
Cnet: 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 24 pin digital DVI

You only need DVI single-link for 14400 x 900. Your existing DVi cable will probably work with any PC that has a DVI connector.

If it doesn't, you can use the VGA connector with a HDMI to VGA or displayport to VGA adapter like this:

IOGEAR DisplayPort to VGA Adapter Cable, White, GDPVGAW6 - $15 at Amazon - https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00E98MK2K/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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I dont have an existing DVI cable. This monitor was my brother's for work, but he didn't need it anymore so he gave it to me. He only gave me the power cord with it, so I need an amazon link or what each end of the cable should look like.
 
Valantar

Valantar

Golden Member
Aug 26, 2014
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Faiz1128 said:
I dont have an existing DVI cable. This monitor was my brother's for work, but he didn't need it anymore so he gave it to me. He only gave me the power cord with it, so I need an amazon link or what each end of the cable should look like.
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A quick primer on DVI:

There are two distinctions to look for: SL vs. DL, and DVI-D vs. DVI-I.

The first, single- and dual-link, designates the bandwidth of the connector. In general, you need dual link DVI to transmit resolutions above 1080p 60Hz. In other words, this doesn't matter to you.

The DVI-D vs. DVI-I distinction is a bit more muddled, but in general only applies to graphics cards, not monitors. D stands for Digital, while I stands for Integrated, IIRC. The difference is that DVI-D can transmit only a digital (actual DVI) signal, while DVI-I can alternately transmit a VGA signal instead, through a passive DVI-VGA adapter. Technically, there exists DVI-A (analog) as well, but I've never seen an actual DVI-A cable (as all of its necessary pins are there in SL-DVI).

Again, this flexibility applies to graphics cards, not monitors, or more generally signal sources, not sinks. If your monitor (sink) has a DVI input, it's a digital input, and as long as one of the modes supported by your graphics card (source) is a digital DVI signal, you're fine. And as all DVI ports support digital DVI signals (duh), you're fine. HDMI or DisplayPort is also relatively easily adapted to DVI.


A monitor with a resolution as low as the one you're talking about only needs single-link DVI, and DVI on monitors is always DVI-D (digital). Just get a generic cheapo DVI cable at the length you need/want. Pretty much anything should work. This article has some helpful illustrations. Any of the four top images is okay for your use.
 
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Faiz1128

Junior Member
Apr 22, 2017
22
1
11
Valantar said:
A quick primer on DVI:

There are two distinctions to look for: SL vs. DL, and DVI-D vs. DVI-I.

The first, single- and dual-link, designates the bandwidth of the connector. In general, you need dual link DVI to transmit resolutions above 1080p 60Hz. In other words, this doesn't matter to you.

The DVI-D vs. DVI-I distinction is a bit more muddled, but in general only applies to graphics cards, not monitors. D stands for Digital, while I stands for Integrated, IIRC. The difference is that DVI-D can transmit only a digital (actual DVI) signal, while DVI-I can alternately transmit a VGA signal instead, through a passive DVI-VGA adapter. Technically, there exists DVI-A (analog) as well, but I've never seen an actual DVI-A cable (as all of its necessary pins are there in SL-DVI).

Again, this flexibility applies to graphics cards, not monitors, or more generally signal sources, not sinks. If your monitor (sink) has a DVI input, it's a digital input, and as long as one of the modes supported by your graphics card (source) is a digital DVI signal, you're fine. And as all DVI ports support digital DVI signals (duh), you're fine. HDMI or DisplayPort is also relatively easily adapted to DVI.


A monitor with a resolution as low as the one you're talking about only needs single-link DVI, and DVI on monitors is always DVI-D (digital). Just get a generic cheapo DVI cable at the length you need/want. Pretty much anything should work. This article has some helpful illustrations. Any of the four top images is okay for your use.
Click to expand...
Thanks, that helped. I've decided to just buy ad HDMI to DVI adapter
 
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Faiz1128

Junior Member
Apr 22, 2017
22
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Faiz1128 said:
OK, so my budget increased a little bit so I found this PC:https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01JIOFIIM/ref=dp_olp_new_mbc?ie=UTF8&condition=new
I have heard many people saying this PC has great value because you cannot build a PC with these parts for $720 and that it is one of the few pre-built PC on the market with actual retail parts, such as an MSI Bazooka motherboard. It also seems easily upgrade-able. Thoughts?
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Not to mention that it also comes with a wifi adapter, a keyboard, and mouse.
 
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