Should you buy or build a gaming PC? (Substitute thread for closed Disqus widget)

[flashn00b]

Another recycled article, another closed widget!

https://www.pcgamer.com/should-you-buy-or-build-a-gaming-pc/

I'm sure everyone can agree that the current situation is such that you're better off buying a Steam Deck and getting a Windows install USB to still use your productivity apps, though I'm actually wondering if anyone can make arguments in favour of PC building in 2022.

I say that while posting from a computer that no one can realistically buy due to the semiconductor shortage.

 

[Why_Me]

Too many peeps these days want to game at 1440 or 4K while on a beer budget. Plenty of good gaming to be had at 1080P, especially if you play first person shooter games such as Warzone, BF ,etc .. and you need those FPS for a smooth game.

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

COUGAR MX330-G Air Mid Tower Computer Case $59.99

https://www.antonline.com/Evga/Computers/Video_Cards/Graphic_Cards/1444072
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 XC GAMING 12GB GDDR6 Graphic Card + EVGA SuperNOVA 650W Power Supply + EVGA X17 Wired Customizable Gaming Mouse + EVGA Z12 RGB USB 2.0 Gaming Keyboard + Xbox Game Pass For PC 2 Month Membership (Email Delivery) $649.95

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144531
MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 $139.99

PRO B660M-A DDR4 Motherboard M-ATX - Intel 12th Gen Processors

The PRO B660M-A DDR4 is a business-oriented micro-ATX motherboard featuring the latest Intel B660 chipset with Core Boost, Memory Boost, M.2 Shield Frozr, 2.5G LAN, Lightning Gen4

www.msi.com

https://www.newegg.com/intel-core-i5-12400f-core-i5-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118360
Intel Core i5-12400F $199.99

https://www.amazon.com/DEEPCOOL-GAMMAXX-Heatpipes-Motherboard-Control/dp/B08C231WQC/
DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX GTE V2 CPU Air Cooler $29.99

https://www.newegg.com/corsair-16gb-288-pin-ddr4-sdram/p/N82E16820236540
CORSAIR Vengeance LPX DDR4 3200 16GB (2x8GB) CL16 $64.99

Are you a human?

www.newegg.com

Team Group CX2 2.5" 1TB SATA III 3D NAND Internal SSD $77.99 Free 16GB USB flash drive w/ purchase, limited offer

Total: $1158

https://www.amazon.com/English-Lifetime-License-Upgrade-Windоws/dp/B09S16YWF7/
Window 10 Pro USB 32 & 64 bit | English | 1 PC | Lifetime License | Free Upgrade To Windоws 11 $129.00

https://www.amazon.com/AOC-27G2-Frameless-Adjustable-Guarantee/dp/B07WSK5W7V/
AOC 27G2 27" Frameless Gaming IPS Monitor, FHD 1080P, 1ms 144Hz, NVIDIA G-SYNC + Adaptive-Sync 209.99

 

[DXCHASE]

It really depends on the situation of the buyer along with the budget they have. If i have to personally pick, id say building is better and you can find good deals on stuff if youre willing to build a pc over a small amount of time. Have everything i need for a new DDR5/12700k/3070TI and i have not paid the same price as some pre-builts out there with this kind of setup.

 

[flashn00b]

To further append to my point... I actually built my PC, and I manually adjusted the price to most of the things I bought to indicate how much i spent to get this thing to its "first boot" stage. Have since bought two extra 120mm fans, a SATA SSD and a 2 TB mechanical drive which are not included in the link below

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/ppjB3Z

If you bought my computer in 2022, you'd be paying well over $1200 Canadian (shipping and taxes excluded) or $950 US dollars and that's WITHOUT the GPU and also making the assumption that you have an old GPU from 2013 that's just lying around. Throw in a 3060 Ti and you'll likely have to add a whopping 1K if i'm being generous. You'll then be paying somewhere between $2200 to $2700 Canadian to get a computer comparable to what I've got (1800 - 2200 USD) because scalpers still have a tight grip on this whole world domination thing.

A Steam Deck and a cheap USB that can fit the Windows Installer .ISO suddenly seems like the more attractive option with this in mind.

 

[Why_Me]

To further append to my point... I actually built my PC, and I manually adjusted the price to most of the things I bought to indicate how much i spent to get this thing to its "first boot" stage. Have since bought two extra 120mm fans, a SATA SSD and a 2 TB mechanical drive which are not included in the link below

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/flashn00b/saved/w7k68d

If you bought my computer in 2022, you'd be paying well over $1200 Canadian (shipping and taxes excluded) or $950 US dollars and that's WITHOUT the GPU and also making the assumption that you have an old GPU from 2013 that's just lying around. Throw in a 3060 Ti and you'll likely have to add a whopping 1K if i'm being generous. You'll then be paying somewhere between $2200 to $2700 Canadian to get a computer comparable to what I've got (1800 - 2200 USD) because scalpers still have a tight grip on this whole world domination thing.

A Steam Deck and a cheap USB that can fit the Windows Installer .ISO suddenly seems like the more attractive option with this in mind.

This part list is private.

 

[flashn00b]

This part list is private.

Sorry about it. Fixed it in the above post and gonna post it now

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/ppjB3Z

 

[Why_Me]

Sorry about it. Fixed it in the above post and gonna post it now

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/ppjB3Z

I think I'd make these changes to that build if the primary purpose was gaming.

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=26&item_id=214995
MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 $179.99

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/PRO-B660M-A-DDR4

https://www.newegg.ca/intel-core-i5-12400f-core-i5-12th-gen/p/N82E16819118360
Intel Core i5-12400F $239.99

https://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=8_129&item_id=167994
be quiet! PURE ROCK 2 CPU Air Cooler $49.99