Need Help. Old Dad here buying for 15 year old

Jul 30, 2020
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After doing some research online for desktops that come ready to go and have good service and warranty I came up with 2 builds that could run games at somewhere near the 120fps world. We already own a 240hz Alienware monitor that was used for PS4 gaming so it can handle what I've come up with so far. What I need to know is if I was right?? Are these builds capable of 120fps and which build would be better? They are comparable enough in price that I could go either way. Both are Alienware by Dell. Don't make fun of me, neither me nor my kid can build a computer, and I need to be running Windows for the NEW NORMAL virtual school thing happening.
#1
16GB Dual Channel HyperX™ FURY DDR4 XMP at 3200MHz; up to 64GB

AMD Radeon™ RX 5700 XT 8GB GDDR6

256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)

AMD Ryzen™ 7 3700X (8-Core, 32MB L3 Cache, Max Boost Clock of 4.4GHz)

#2
16GB HyperX™ FURY DDR4 XMP at 3200MHz; up to 64GB

NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 2070 SUPER 8GB GDDR6 (OC Ready)

256GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (Boot) + 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s (Storage)

10th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 10700F (8-Core, 16MB Cache, 2.9GHz to 4.8GHz w/Turbo Boost Max 3.0)

Dark Side of the Moon

Which way would be best for my son. He basically only plays COD and said something about a game called Warzone I think?? I'm a 90's gamer so I'm totally lost nowadays. But I want something he will be happy with for a while and hopefully spending the little extra now will get me out of buying a PS5 later.
Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
 
Can you link to the store page these are on?

It will help suggest any potential alternatives / amendments and give a sense of value.

Is your son likely to want to stream his gameplay to platforms like Twitch?
 
But I want something he will be happy with for a while and hopefully spending the little extra now will get me out of buying a PS5 later.

Your son will probably want both if he's a gamer like mine lol.

As for your basic question BOTH! Imo. Both of those builds are great, if you want to save money id go with AMDs build, if you want higher FPS go with intels. Both those pc's will pump out at over 120 fps for most games at max settings (look up benchmarks using your monitor resolution and pc specs when researching) though.

Honestly It really just comes down to whether you want an AMD build or an Intel build

My opinion would be Intels tho. Dont hate AMD fanbois.
 
Jul 30, 2020
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Your son will probably want both if he's a gamer like mine lol.

As for your basic question BOTH! Imo. Both of those builds are great, if you want to save money id go with AMDs build, if you want higher FPS go with intels. Both those pc's will pump out at over 120 fps for most games at max settings (look up benchmarks using your monitor resolution and pc specs when researching) though.

Honestly It really just comes down to whether you want an AMD build or an Intel build

My opinion would be Intels tho. Dont hate AMD fanbois.

Appreciate the input. I guess its almost the same question as Mac or PC?
There are plenty of people on both sides of the fence.
I think his focus is on FPS because that's what his friends talk about.
Looks like I'll go Intel.
Was just looking for one answer before I pulled the trigger.
Thanks Again!
 
I didn't get the chance to reply earlier, but the honest answer is neither, as they're both really overpriced, and the specs are not optimal.

Something like:

Is just much better value, and that's the first result I found - theyere's probably better still.

Also the Dell system uses a locked i7 CPU. If you are genuinely pushing for as high a framerate as possible - which you seem to be with the 240hz monitor - you'll want an unlocked CPU so it can be overclocked - which has an even higher price premium.
 
Jul 30, 2020
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Well Dang.
Are these computers as reliable as Alienware.
Everywhere I looked Alienware was at the top of the lists as Best Gaming PC's.
If someone as seasoned as you (seem to be on this site) recommends it then I'll definitely take it seriously.
So the Ryzen CPU is better than the i7?
You'd be saving me $200 bucks before taxes so I'd be thrilled. But what could be added to this PC for that extra $200 to make it even better.
I also noticed the build you recommended has a liquid cooler, I was just about to ask if that was a better option, which of course raised the price of my build.
I really appreciate these replies. Like I said, I'm a 90's console gamer. PC's were way to expensive for me back then. I know absolutely nothing. Just like the CyberPower PC?? Never heard of it before. I was just looking at main computer peeps to find something.
 
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I think for me the Alienware AMD spec is right out - because of options like the Cyberpower. The Alienware Intel spec as currently configured is also out because it doesn't really offer enough extra performance to be worth it over the Cyberpower spec. While a beefed up Intel Alienware spec is a possibility but unlikely to be worth the insane price premium versus alternatives.

You'd be saving me $200 bucks before taxes so I'd be thrilled. But what could be added to this PC for that extra $200 to make it even better.
it's a fixed spec that you can't customise, so you can't add stuff to it before buying it. You could add things to it afterwards but unless you need more storage there wouldn't be anything worth it.

if you buy a PC and start replacing things in it almost immediately you probably bought the wrong PC - and you're paying for things twice over.

Arguably the best thing to do with the $200 is pocket them towards inevitable future upgrades in 2-4 years.

So the Ryzen CPU is better than the i7?
No, but it's not always quite as simple as that.

Of the two PCs you posted, the Alienware ones, the Intel build also has a somewhat better graphics card, the Nvidia RTX 2070 Super.

If you gave the Ryzen build a 2070 Super (Dell don't let you, but let's say you could) then that would close the performance gap. The system with the Intel CPU would still outperform an otherwise-identical system with the Ryzen CPU in gaming, but how much would depend on the game and settings. In most cases the difference would be marginal.

Although note that the CPU is the 10700F, not the K or KF which boost 300MHz higher.

At general market prices you'd see in most stores, the Intel CPU + motherboard will be more expensive than the Ryzen CPU and motherboard. Also, where Intel CPUs can further increase their performance margin over AMD's Ryzen lineup (i.e. if you really do want to squeeze out every last drop of performance you can) is in overclocking. Overclocking requires a CPU with an unlocked multiplier, which in real terms for Intel means it has a -K in the name. e.g. i7 10700K rather than i7 10700. -F means the CPU has no integrated graphics, which isn't usually a big deal.

Overclocking will also want decent CPU cooling - the low profile standard cooler in the Alienware wouldn't cut it, and I've no idea what their liquid CPU cooler is and whether it'd be suitable / ideal, either.

You can overclock AMD CPUs too, but in short there's less mileage in it - Intel CPUs tend to have more performance on the table you can pick up with an overclock.

So you either:
- End up with the i7 10700/F (non-K) which you can't overclock, which would probably be a little faster than the Ryzen CPU, but not wildly, and probably not worth any price premium. That feels, at least to me, like an unsatisfactory half way house between value and squeezing every drop of performance. And costs $200 more than the Cyberpower thing off bestbuy. Which is a lot for performance gains you might not be able to perceive.

- Or, you need to sink yet more money into the Intel build to get it overclocked - which gets very expensive on Alienware and I can't tell you if Alienware's mobo and cooling and the PSU are any good for the task either.

By then, that's getting on for $400 over the ~$1350 Cyberpower thing, which doesn't really sound worth it for, maybe, a 10% framerate difference, probably less much of the time. And even if it is worth it, why buy from Alienware when anywhere else will sell you the same sort of thing for usually a lower price, and with more freedom of component choice.

I also noticed the build you recommended has a liquid cooler, I was just about to ask if that was a better option, which of course raised the price of my build.
It depends - there are lots of different designs of air and liquid cooling. Some air coolers are better than some liquid coolers. I've no idea what Dell's liquid coolers are like. A lot of PCs at this sort of price point will sport 240mm all-in-one liquid coolers, which will generally be adequate to the task, even with a slight overclock.

The stock air cooler on the Dell won't be up to handling an overclock - they don't even let you buy a -K CPU without the liquid cooler.

PC's were way to expensive for me back then. I know absolutely nothing. Just like the CyberPower PC?? Never heard of it before. I was just looking at main computer peeps to find something.
There are a lot of system builders out there besides the big OEMs like Dell, Asus, and so on. Origin, Maingear, CyberpowerPC, ibuypower are some of the better known ones in the US I believe.

Are these computers as reliable as Alienware.
Everywhere I looked Alienware was at the top of the lists as Best Gaming PC's.
If someone as seasoned as you (seem to be on this site) recommends it then I'll definitely take it seriously.

Most of the parts in the builds will be the same, whether it's Dell, Cyberpower, or you in your livingroom building the PC. The CPU's by Intel, even dell's OEM SSDs are made by other companies like Samsung . I don't think there's much in it, ultimately.

I'd suggest assessing priorities for the build versus cost and then reviewing options.
 
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Jul 30, 2020
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Wow. Thanks. After that you've got me sold on a cyberpower PC for the $$.
I am grateful for your reply and the easy understanding of it as well. Sounds like going cyber and spending a little extra to upgrade the small things later is the way to go.
This is his first gaming PC, so I'm sure the upgrade over PS4 graphics will be what makes him happy, and it sounds like this computer will do that. I'm so glad you explained overclocking and overheating to me. It would have been a real bummer to drop $1700 and have a computer overheating all of the time.
One last thing, I noticed the bestbuy link doesn't state the actual wattage of the power supply. Can I assume that Cyperpower would have the appropriate size power device installed already?
You've been great! Thank You, Thank You, Thank You.
 
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Apparently it's a Thermaltake Smart 600W, at least going by reports in the Q&A on the site. 600W is more than enough for that system.

But even if it has a different unit, it should still ship with the PSU it needs to feed it.
 
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