Computer- buy or build

vmaxer

Well, seems the motherboard on my Dell XPS 8900 has bit the dust. Just wondering if I should buy or build my next one.

Any suggestions?

mdaudioguy

Building (DIY) may be more fun, but doesn't necessarily save you money. If you have a specific result in mind, you need to determine whether or not a pre-built PC can satisfy that. With DIY, you have more options, the biggest of which, imo, is how much future customization/expansion you want to have.

My go-to resource for many builds has been https://pcpartpicker.com/. I'm by no means an expert, but I've put together many PCs over the years for myself and others, and I've always enjoyed the process!

vmaxer

Thanks for the link. Not sure which way I will go yet.

Toolfan66

A good PowerSpec from Micro Center could do the trick, Doesn't come loaded with all the extra crap you don't need. Kinda like building one without building the tower. Just a thought.

I have two of them, and love them..

Edit: Don't look like they carry as many as they once did, maybe covid has been the issue in getting parts..

maximillian

If you have children then you could use the opportunity to build and do the research together. I did this during summer 2021 with my oldest (18yo) and asked him to spec. out parts based on some initial guidance. We reviewed together and settled on the components. Then I used the build to teach my son the process. In the end he had a great gaming PC (well, it was the "family's" but he used it mainly).

ZLTFUL

Just a heads up...GPUs are a VERY impacted commodity ATM.
Between COVID, supply chain disruptions, shipping delays, scalpers, and a resurgence of crypto-currency, GPUs, if you can find them, are going for 2-5 times more than their MSRP...usually on the higher end of the spectrum.

CPUs and memory are still not quite as impacted but many in the sector are watching Taiwan (TSMC is a major silicon provider in the marketspace) as they are experiencing the worst water shortages in years and the fabs are having to ship in water as restrictions on water usage tighten.

It is definitely not a buyers market for the DIYer at the moment. Rarely do I ever recommend pre-built over DIY, but I would point you in the direction of someone like xoticpc.com or the like to get a computer specced exactly how you want without the stigma that is associated with pre-built brands like Dell and HP (they aren't bad at all but they do make compromises to meet price point/profit margins).

billbillw

If you are not a gamer, then building one with an Intel CPU that has built in graphics would probably be worthwhile right now...especially if you are within driving range of a Microcenter. I've built all my computers for something like 20 years now. If you are a gamer, GPUs are impossible to find at retail price right now. Buying a pre-built with a gaming GPU is about the only way to get one at a decent price.

Another option might be to find a compatible motherboard (z270 maybe) off eBay, get a new case and move the hardware from the Dell box to the aftermarket build. You could reuse most of the components.

vmaxer

I’ve spent a lot of time looking around today, too many choices. I wish we had a Micro Center close. Nearest one is about 5.5 hours away.

Milito

I agree with ZLTFUL. GPU's are way overpriced right now as far as a good one if you can find one. The best way to get a good GPU right now is like he said, buy a pre-built one if you need one soon.

Now if you don't use it for gaming and could get by with a low end GPU and could find one at a decent price. I would recommend building one as you can pick your parts and get higher quality parts and build a higher quality computer. If you do decide to build you own, search for the GPU first as you want to lock one down before you buy any other parts. It wouldn't be smart to buy all of the other parts first and then find you can't get the GPU you want at a decent price and be stuck with parts you can't use.

I've been building my own computers since the mid 90's. Any other time I would say build your own, but product supply is very different right now than if has been in the past and not just in computers as we all know.

Toolfan66

I had no idea on the GPU's, I'm sure that is why the low numbers of PowerSpec from Micro Center. Guess I should be super happy I purchased the two we have..

CGTIII

Can't offer advice or suggestions without knowing how the system will likely and potentially be used. Also need to know restrictions and preferences such as size, price, performance, connectivity, and longevity.

vmaxer

I’m sorry I failed to mention how it will be used. I’m not a gamer, I guess the most demanding use is Photoshop. I use my computer mostly for Microsoft Office programs and internet. Once in a while I may edit a video or two. I would like it to last a long time with the ability to upgrade. No restrictions on size, a full tower is ok.

The GPU’s do seem to be an issue at the moment, no idea when that will change.

Thanks for the input.

billbillw

If you are not a gamer, just get an Intel with built in graphics. They are more than enough for desktop/photoshop use. The Intel chips that don't end in F usually have the graphics built in.

By the way, if that Dell 8900 had a 6th gen Core i7, you probably don't need much more power unless you want to do video encoding. I'd really consider just doing a board swap. You could probably find an H270 board on eBay for ~$100. It probably wouldn't fit in the Dell case, so you'd need a new case ($50), a power supply ($50) and a CPU cooling fan since Dell tends to use proprietary cooling ($20). The memory, drives, and video card (if you have one) could all be migrated to a new case build.

stangman67

I would generally recommend build but right now is about the worst time to do so so a prebuilt is the way to go. Parts availability is gonna get worse before it gets better. Don't see an end anytime soon

vmaxer

billbillw wrote: »

If you are not a gamer, just get an Intel with built in graphics. They are more than enough for desktop/photoshop use. The Intel chips that don't end in F usually have the graphics built in.

By the way, if that Dell 8900 had a 6th gen Core i7, you probably don't need much more power unless you want to do video encoding. I'd really consider just doing a board swap. You could probably find an H270 board on eBay for ~$100. It probably wouldn't fit in the Dell case, so you'd need a new case ($50), a power supply ($50) and a CPU cooling fan since Dell tends to use proprietary cooling ($20). The memory, drives, and video card (if you have one) could all be migrated to a new case build.

It does have the 6th generation i7 in it. I have a case and power supply and other parts from a previous build.

machone

stangman67 wrote: »

I would generally recommend build but right now is about the worst time to do so so a prebuilt is the way to go. Parts availability is gonna get worse before it gets better. Don't see an end anytime soon

I agree. I was hoping to purchase a 3000 series gpu but I have given up for any time this year. I refuse to pay scalper prices and hope they all burn in H E L L.
No resentment here

stangman67

Haha I was able to grab a 3070 at MSRP from EVGA a few months back. Very lucky, they randomly popped in stock for a few minutes and I happened to be browsing on the site

CGTIII

vmaxer wrote: »

I’m sorry I failed to mention how it will be used. I’m not a gamer, I guess the most demanding use is Photoshop. I use my computer mostly for Microsoft Office programs and internet. Once in a while I may edit a video or two. I would like it to last a long time with the ability to upgrade. No restrictions on size, a full tower is ok.
The GPU’s do seem to be an issue at the moment, no idea when that will change.
Thanks for the input.

Video editing is by far the most demanding of what you mention. Doing that fluidly (depending on resolution, length, and how often) could make the CPU the largest expense of the system but your i7-6700 is probably plenty for doing that occasionally. A lot of folks don't realize that some i3 CPUs are faster than some i5s and some i5s faster than some i7s. I Google "passmark i3-3220", for example and look for the cpubenchmark.net result for it. Unless you're running multithreaded software (you'd know if you were - most video editors are) the critical factor in software performance will be not the total CPU processing power but the single thread speed as listed in the test results for that CPU.

You don't need an expensive GPU, if any. I like nVidia GeForce because their drivers of late are more stable. Among the gaggle of motherboards now, ASUS and MSI are really good.

Samsung is the only SSD brand I buy due to their quality and longevity. Larger SSDs have a longer life as the limitation is usually the TBW (terabytes written to the drive) rather than years or start/stops like spinning drives. Also Steve Gibson, of Spinrite fame, in extensive recent testing of a broad variety of SSDs, says that the Samsungs have substantially tighter performance, meaning fewer read and write errors through their lifetime and potential reliability well beyond their rating. I have one friend/client whose Samsung SSD is now 26% beyond its rated lifetime, yet still performing flawlessly. I will be replacing it as soon as I and they are vaccinated, but the wife of the couple is 92 and diabetic, so I've been limiting contact with them as much as possible - plus she does little on the computer and even that is backed up to my office nightly.

The other place to not skimp is the power supply. I like the Silencer Series, originally from PC Power & Cooling, then OCZ, now Firepower. I also only use APC battery backups. Power loss is one of the surest ways to crash Windows. Please everyone, use a battery backup, change the battery every three years, and cable it to the computer (usually USB) so it can tell the computer to shut down or hibernate when the battery runs too low in an outage.

If you want to run Microsoft Windows consider using a server version. The extra cost will buy you far better quality control in the updates, especially over the deplorable Windows 10, and much better QC of the hardware drivers.

Finally, for a prebuilt system, I only resell and recommend the HP Workstations and Server series. These include the Z220, Z240, Z420, Z440, and now Z2 and Z4 series for single stations. Reasons for this include their warranty (3 years), quality drivers, and use of ECC memory.

Well, this is a lot more than I intended to say, but maybe it will help others down the road as well. :-)

vmaxer

Thanks a lot for all the input/information from everyone, I really appreciate it. Not sure what direction I go yet.

mrloren

Being an IT warehouse manager I see the inventory early. Good luck getting a GPU/Video card, I'm being told Labor day or later for stock to balance out. Monitors are drying up. We currently have 3 models on back order with no ETA.

I've been on the EVGA wait list since September for the 3080 cards. I was lucky to get a 3070 from a friend that knows a scalper. He sold it to me at cost $600.

billbillw

mrloren wrote: »

I've been on the EVGA wait list since September for the 3080 cards. I was lucky to get a 3070 from a friend that knows a scalper. He sold it to me at cost $600.

I've been on the EVGA waitlist for the 3060Ti and the 3060 since they were released. Not one email from them...

machone

billbillw wrote: »

mrloren wrote: »

I've been on the EVGA wait list since September for the 3080 cards. I was lucky to get a 3070 from a friend that knows a scalper. He sold it to me at cost $600.

I've been on the EVGA waitlist for the 3060Ti and the 3060 since they were released. Not one email from them...

I have been on their list for months with zero activity.

stangman67

Yup, as soon a I grabbed my 3070 from evga, I signed up for their step up program for the 3080. I doubt it ever comes to fruition. 4000 series will be out by the time that ever gets fulfilled. They are still on like the first few weeks of queue from the 3070/3080 launch

ZLTFUL

I managed to get a 3070 on release day and my local Best Buy "insider" gave me a heads up on a shipment of 7 6800/6800XTs that they received. I was 2 blocks away at my dentist getting ready to leave and went straight there. The guy in line ahead of me got the last 6800XT, I grabbed the last 6800.
I would like to pick up a 3060 for my Plex/stream server but I am not paying what the scalpers are asking. Been signed up for all of the programs that offer "digital" wait lists since the beginning and haven't gotten a single email yet.

The 3070 is being used for my AI/machine learning lab machine.
The 6800 performs better with my UW 34" 1440P Acer Predator monitor on games.
Both machines are running 5800Xs

The new Plex server build is going from a pair of Dell R630s with dual 12c/24t Xeon E5-2690 v3s and 192GB of RAM to a single 3900XT 12c/24t, 64GB of RAM build as both of my current Dell servers are barely being taxed (2-5% max CPU usage with barely 10% RAM usage under load).
But I needed something that I can move the LSI MegaRaid card that manages my 48 bays of mass storage into.

mrloren

Here is my wait list from EVGA