-UPDATED- Help Me Decide Which Gaming Rig Is The Best Value Per $

Llochnessmonster on 10/02/2023 - 14:59
Last edited 19/02/2023 - 19:38 by 1 other user

Updated with latest listings

Buying my first desktop in 5 years. Help me decide which one offers the best value for money and would last me the next 5 years without having to worry about upgrading.

Here are the links:

Gaming PC: Ryzen 5 5600, RTX 3070Ti, B550 Gaming Gen 3, 16GB 3200MHZ RAM, 500GB M.2 SSD, 650W Bronze PSU $1428

[Gaming PC with GeForce RTX 3080, 12400F, B660M, 16GB RAM, 500GB SSD, 750W PSU $1788]
(https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/754708)

Gaming PC: RTX 4070 Ti, i5-12600KF, H610M-A Mobo, 16GB RAM, 500GB NVMe M.2 SSD, 850W Gold PSU $2079

[Intel Core i5 13400F RTX 4070 Ti 12GB Gaming PC $2195]
(https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/750382)

New listings

Gaming PC: RTX 3070, i5-12400F, H610M-A Mobo, 16GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, 700W Gold PSU $1299
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/757277

Gaming PC: RTX 3080, Ryzen 5 5600, B450M Mobo, 16GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, 750W Gold PSU $1599
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/757616

Gaming PC: RX 6750 XT, i3-12100F, H610M Mobo, 16GB RAM, 480G SSD, 700W Gold PSU $999
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/756747

Ryzen 5 5600, RTX 3060Ti, B550M M/B, 16GB 3200MHz RAM, 500GB NVMe SSD, 650W Bronze PSU $1,249+$45 Delivery
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/756618

Thanks.

Poll Options

  • 2
    $1428
  • 2
    $1788
  • 20
    $2079
  • 3
    $2195
  • 0
    $1299
  • 0
    $1599
  • 0
    $999
  • 0
    $1,249+$45
Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • SF3 on 10/02/2023 - 15:03

    lochnessmonster

    Tree fiddy.

  • Muzeeb on 10/02/2023 - 15:18
    +4

    Which Rig Has The Best

    Had to open post to see if we were talking about trucks, oil platforms or the ladies.

    Left disappointed.

  • Mohamed S on 10/02/2023 - 15:32
    +1

    The 13400 is basically the 12600

    Given that the price is so close between the 3080 and 4070ti build you're better off getting the 4070 as it's much better performance and actually comparable to a 3090ti

    I'd also go with the ryzen 7600+ddr5 from the bpc deal for a very similar price, you'll have a much better headroom for upgrading later compared to all the last gen stuff you listed ( intel is changing the socket again next gen)

  • barge-in hunter on 10/02/2023 - 15:53

    I reckon if you’re looking for value, the price to performance of the 5600 & 3070ti is very good.

    There just not the performance gains to justify an extra $350 to get #2. Anything higher is a genuine waste unless you have a good reason for extra processing power

    • [Deactivated] on 10/02/2023 - 16:05

      Its ok value but not great. The board is pretty bad, being essentially an overpriced B450 board due to only having PCIe 3 support despite being B550 and the PSU is a bit of a lottery as always. A 5600 + good board + 3070Ti + 16gb of RAM setup would set you back ~1400 already before case/PSU/SSD. Might as well cop the extra cash for #2 with the decent tier B PSU, mobo and slightly better graphics card.

      • barge-in hunter on 10/02/2023 - 16:25

        Yes you can get better components - but the real world performance increases will be very minimal, hence not worth the money when you’re just looking at price to performance

        • [Deactivated] on 10/02/2023 - 16:31

          Not having PCIe 3 is just poor future proofing, but having a guaranteed good PSU instead of a potential lottery that kills your $1500-2k investment is worth the few extra hundred bucks, the extra performance doesn't matter much now but it'll be within the 5 years. Just shucking the PSU for something better is already $100 give or take.

          • barge-in hunter on 10/02/2023 - 16:43

            @[Deactivated]: “ would last me the next 5 years without having to worry about upgrading.”

            Future proofing for upgrades is not needed. The real world performance difference between 3 & 4 is also very questionable

            Honestly, #2 hasn’t got much going for it value wise. If you’re willing to spend that much, then #3 gives you approx 21% more fps in a much newer and power efficient gpu.

            But again, you’d need some pretty power hungry games and use cases (4K video editing etc) to justify the extra cost

            • [Deactivated] on 10/02/2023 - 17:08

              @barge-in hunter: Problem is that jumping from #1 to #3 is like twice as much as the jump from #1 to #2 even if its better overall value, and as you said you'd need some pretty hefty use cases to really make use of it, and someone with that use case would generally have a better idea of what they want rather than just "I need something that will last me 5 years". You just end up with a situation where the higher cost build are a waste because you don't need that level of performance, but the lower cost #1 just isn't that good value anyway before considering the corners that might be cut. Its better than buying parts separately right now, but that's because the prices right now for AM4 isn't great.

              • barge-in hunter on 10/02/2023 - 17:12

                @[Deactivated]: Ok. Op asked for value, that will last 5 years. #1 or #3 are the answers to that, depending on the need for processing power.

                Please understand that I would personally go for better quality components for my own build, but that’s not what op is asking.

  • Transient on 10/02/2023 - 15:57

    Only voted the last one as that had 1TB storage (rest had 500GB), even then you might need to upgrade within the 5 years by adding more storage.

    • FireRunner on 10/02/2023 - 18:07

      You can choose a larger SSD for extra with the other options.
      Though adding your own is pretty simple and you can get much better value

      • Transient on 10/02/2023 - 18:09

        yes, it is easy to do but thought you were after something that didn't need to be upgraded:

        and would last me the next 5 years without having to worry about upgrading.

        • FireRunner on 10/02/2023 - 18:18

          I’m not the op.
          I think it’s worthwhile watching a video to learn how to upgrade the storage yourself but if op isn’t interested and just wants it to work out of the box, the other options aren’t off the table since you can pay for storage upgrades from the seller

          • Transient on 10/02/2023 - 18:20
            +1

            @FireRunner: Sorry - thought you were. I have revoked my vote for the last computer in case op does not have a problem with adding more storage.

            • lochnessmonster on 10/02/2023 - 19:04

              @Transient: Op here, firstly thank you for your contribution. Secondly, on a scale of one to ten, one being a trained organutan can to do to ten being rocket scientist. How hard is it to upgrade ssd myself. Cause if it’s anything above 1, I’m just gonna spend the extra 80 bucks to upgrade to a 1tb ssd

              • Transient on 10/02/2023 - 19:47
                +1

                @lochnessmonster: I'd say 2-3 out of 10.
                Installing storage is about the same or slightly more difficult that installing RAM on a motherboard (just slot it in) or installing a graphics card.

                Steps
                1. I assume you get a SSD for the operating system as part of the build.
                2. Decide what type of storage you want to add. SSD or HDD. HDD is more cost effective but SSD allows faster data transfer. SSDs generally comes in to types: SATA or M2. M2 generally allows faster data transfer than SATA. SATA and M2 are different connections for the SSDs.

                If you buy a SATA SSD or HDD:
                1. Ensure the case has a spare slot to install the SATA SSD/HDD (spare 2.5" bay).
                2. After you have bought the appropriate SSD/HDD, check motherboard (or MBO booklet if you are not familiar with it) to find out where to attach the SATA cable (looks for a SATA 6 or better socket). SATA requires a cable to attach from SSD/HDD to MBO SATA socket. I think SATA 6 cables are still currently the quickest grade of cable for data transfer (haven't installed a HDD in the past 5 years).
                3. Install SSD/HDD to case in appropriate slot.
                4. Attach cable to SSD/HDD and MBO. Note you will probably need to buy a cable (make sure it is long enough) - only a few dollars.
                5. Attach power cable from PSU to SSD/HDD.
                6. Set up SSD/HDD in disk management. Name it / format if needed. Some require set up others don't. YMMV.

                If you buy a M2:
                1. Most newer MBOs support M2 NVME. NVME allows faster data transfer than M2 SATA. NVME also come in different standards (PCIe 3 or 4, 4 being the quicker but MBO needs to support it - MBO booklet will say or google compatibility).
                2. Check MBO where to install it (usually MBO will have 1 or 2 M2 slots).
                3. Install it. Usually involves unscrewing a retaining screw (partially or all the way). Slot in the M2. Push M2 so it is parallel to MBO. Reinstall screw. Note there is no data transfer cable! Also no power cable to worry about.
                4. Work out if the M2 needs a heat sink or not. Faster M2s generate a lot of heat so require a heat sink to be attached to keep it relatively cool. If gets too hot, usually there is thermal throttling so that data transfer speeds reduce. I have Samsung 980s. Not the fastest but should not require a heat sink. Some MBOs have heat sinks already on the MBO in the M2 slot, eg, ASUS B660M.
                5. May need to set up the M2 in Disk Management (if you are using Windows). YMMV.

                All the above can be learnt from YouTube videos. If you like playing with Lego or building stuff, this should be easy and fun.

                I think hardest is probably working out which storage you want.

                You can also buy PCIe storage which installs similar to M2 but in a PCIe slot on the MBO. More expensive than I needed so didn't read into it.

                • Grunntt on 11/02/2023 - 11:11
                  +1

                  @Transient: This has to be one of the most helpful and detailed responses I have read on here for quite some time.
                  Wishing more people who respond to a question put in this much effort (or didn't reply when they add nothing to a thread).

              • Transient on 10/02/2023 - 20:02

                @lochnessmonster: I think my last pre-built I bought was 15 years ago. Since then I have upgraded all the components over time (not all at once). I only upgraded the case once so it would have USB 3 instead of USB2. Quite fun if you have the time and you learn a lot. Also fun when you can show others and upgrade together. I think most of the frustration arises when I install a new piece of hardware and the O/S doesn't like it so I need to troubleshoot it.

                For one of my computers it has an i5-8400 CPU. I decided to upgrade to Win 11. MBO website said it supported Win 11. Win 11 requires a security module on the CPU or MBO (to contain passwords, etc - TPM2.0). I did everything instructed but could not activate the TPM. After a few hours googling, ended up buying a TPM ($17) and installing it on the MBO. Changed a setting on BIOs and worked a charm. So for a $17 part, I deferred having to upgrade my MBO/CPU for another 5 or so years.

  • 7ekn00 on 10/02/2023 - 17:34

    Depends on your monitors resolution ;) At > 1440p the GPU matters more than CPU, at lower it's more about CPU!

    • lochnessmonster on 10/02/2023 - 19:16

      I’ve been playing games at 1080P my life. About time I upgrade to 1440p or even 4k (if it even makes a noticeable difference).

      • Transient on 10/02/2023 - 19:49

        If you google, recommendation is generally a RTX 3070 or better for 1440p if you want to turn up the effects.

      • 7ekn00 on 10/02/2023 - 22:52

        Cheapest for 1080p, the most expensive for 4k, any of the middle two for 1440p :P

      • emoticon on 10/02/2023 - 23:18

        I voted for the 4070Ti $2079. That gpu will last you a long time. I was playing at 4k 4/5 years ago with a gtx1070, obviously can't do it with modern games now but the 4070Ti would be perfect for 4k.

        You'll be able to tell a difference with 4K res on and max to near max settings, even on older games. It is much more enjoyable playing with higher res textures.

        I tried going back to 1080 by turning the resolution down, I can't do it. I'm going to save up to buy a PC with at least a 4070Ti or 7900XT / XTX

  • AlienC on 12/02/2023 - 01:36

    Option 1 is definitely the best for value but the 650W power supply makes me a bit nervous.

    The others are definitely nice but if we are going just off these specs you can use the extra money on extra storage and ram.

    But realistically 3 and 4 will get you further and you will be kicking yourself when it is 5+ years time and games are starting to creep on that fps limit edge you desire.

    That is when spending a bit more but not overboard does matter.

    Kind of like bringing extra water on your hike.. you will hate carrying it but will definitely enjoy it when the time comes and you need it.

  • lochnessmonster on 19/02/2023 - 19:44

    I just updated the post with a few of the new listings that popped up in the last few days. Im going to make a final decision by the end of next week. So far it seems that the $2079 is the best choice?

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