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Suggest A PC's official prebuilt buying guide (applies worldwide!)
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For Additional Guidance, Check Out Our Discord Server! https://discord.gg/aPqaTnG
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Types of prebuilt companies:
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OEMs: Dell, HP, Acer, Lenovo, Asus
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Ready to ship prebuilt companies (non OEMs): Newegg, Skytech, CyberPower, Yeyian
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Custom PC builders: Yourself :), IBuyPower, Skytech, NZXT, CyberPower, Maingear, Origin, CLX, Falcon Northwest, DigitalStorm, Lyte etc.
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How to get the best bang for the buck prebuilt:
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Check deals sites mentioned in websites to check tabs or check PCs in the prebuilt hot lists.
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If there's no deals active on the sites on "websites to check" tabs, then find the cheapest store from there; to find out do the following:
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1. Take a look at this site. Only use this site as a rough guide as requirements vary software to software: https://www.logicalincrements.com/
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2. Select your price range and sort price "low to high" on the websites
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3. For gaming, GPU should be prioritized and 16GB RAM is usually recommended. GPU hierarchy: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html
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4. For professional work, CPU should be prioritized and 32GB RAM is usually recommended. CPU hierarchy: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-hierarchy,4312.html
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5. Use Honey for possible coupons.
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6. DO NOT PAY FOR WINDOWS! "No Operating System" just means you'll get unactivated Windows which have such minor restrictions such as not being able to personalize and you get the "Activate Windows" watermark. Other than that, it will function normally.
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7. Do not select anti-virus software when choosing a prebuilt. The built-in Windows Defender is lightweight and offers good protection. Otherwise, chances are it can affect overall system performance as it runs in the background.
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The usual cheapest stores:
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USA: Newegg, Best Buy, CyberPower PC, Skytech Gaming, MicroCenter, Walmart, Lenovo
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Canada: Newegg, Canada Computers, Best Buy, Memory Express, Lenovo
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UK: AWD-IT, Palicomp
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Australia: BPC Tech, TechFast
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Germany/EU: Agando, CSL Computer, MemoryPC
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Also use the OctoShop extension to track restocks
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Chrome: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/octoshop-in-stock-alerts/ahajkaoongodcmoohkcceoklokapadfh/related?hl=en-US
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FireFox: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/octoshop-in-stock-price-alerts/?utm_source=addons.mozilla.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=search
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What prebuilts to avoid and why? (only get these PCs as last resort or if it's at a really cheap price!)
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Big OEM companies (Dell, HP, Acer Lenovo). HP OMEN and Lenovo Legion are an exception to this rule. I will explain the following reasons:
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1. High chance of overheating due to insufficient cooling solutions (no airflow and weak low-profile coolers).
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2. Proprietary parts (which means limited upgradeability)
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3. Bloatware (So it's generally recommended to uninstall it as it can limit performance).
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4. Bad build quality
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5. XMP (aka Extreme Memory Profile) is not supported in most OEM prebuilts. That means that you can only add certain types of RAM (which is a lot slower than usual RAM). HP OMENs are an exception to this due to recent BIOS update that allows it. Compatible RAM for most OEM PCs: https://www.crucial.com/memory/ddr4/ct8g4dfra32a
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MSI and ASUS prebuilts due to bad thermals and reportedly a bent SSD in a MSI prebuilt.
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IBuyPower, CLX, Maingear, DigitalStorm, MSI, Build Redux, Origin, Corsair, PowerGPU and Falcon Northwest because they are ridiculously overpriced.
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What to do after you got your PC:
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1. If your PC has bad cooling, upgrading cooler or adding fans is recommended. Refer to the cooler tier list and more importantly check reviews for some information. Cooler tier list: https://linustechtips.com/topic/891730-cpu-cooler-performance-tier-list/
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 How to upgrade CPU cooler?
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 • Check cooler height and CPU cooler clearance of the case before purchasing a cooler
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 • You can search measure the CPU cooler clearance when you get your PC or if possible search up the case and that should tell you this infomation already.
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 • When your new cooler arrives, if you have an AMD CPU, its very crucial to twist the old cooler before removing it to replace it otherwise you will have your CPU stick to the cooler.
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 • Remove thermal paste (steps to do that are there: https://youtu.be/66n1ahoObGM also apples to Intel)
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 • Refer to cooler's installation manual to install your new cooler
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 How to add more case fans?
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 • Check your PC's case or PC for case fan compatibility (can be found in manufacterer's website)
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 • Here is how you install case fans: https://youtu.be/T_Jjzgq_htU
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2. For OEM PCs, reinstall Windows (Select the "fully clean the drive" option) to remove bloatware: https://youtu.be/vsScvaNXQa4
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3. Download/update your GPU and CPU chipset drivers:
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 • For PCs with Intel CPUs: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/detect.html
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 • For PCs with AMD CPUs: https://www.amd.com/en/support/kb/faq/chipset-install
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 • For PCs with NVIDIA GPUs: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx
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 • For PCs with AMD GPUs: https://www.amd.com/en/support
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Pricing guide for a strictly gaming PC with the following GPUs:
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Guide covers USA, Canada, UK, Australia and Germany
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1080p1440p4KDon't get these unless for heavy productivity
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Below 3050: <$750, <$1000 CAD, <£600, <$900 AUD, <600€6700: $850 USD, $1100 CAD, £700, $1100 AUD, 850€7900 XTX: $2200 USD, $3000 CAD, £1700, $2700 AUD, 2000€3090
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3050: $750 USD, $1000 CAD, £600, $900 AUD, 600€3060Ti: $1000 USD, $1350 CAD, £750, $1300 AUD, 850€7900 XT: $1800 USD, $2500 CAD, £1400, $2100 AUD, 1500€3090Ti
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6600 XT: $850 USD, $1300 CAD, £700, $1000 AUD, 700€6700XT: $1000 USD, $1500 CAD, £800, $1300 AUD, 850€ 4070 Ti: $1800 USD, $2500 CAD, £1400, $2100 AUD, 1500€4090
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3060 Ti: $900 USD, $1300 CAD, £750, $1000 AUD, 750€6750XT Don't get unless extremely close or same price4080: $2300 USD, $3000 CAD, £1800, $3000 AUD, 2100€
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6700XT: $950 USD, $1400 CAD, £800, $1050 AUD, 800€3070: $1150 USD, $1600 CAD, £850, $1500 AUD, 950€4090: $3100 USD, $4700 CAD, £2600, $4700 AUD, 3000€
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6650XT: Don't get unless extremely close or same price to 6600 XT3070Ti: Don't get unless extremely close or same price
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4060 Ti: $1050 USD, $1500 CAD, £800, $1300 AUD, 900€6800: $1250 USD, $1700 CAD, £950, $1500 AUD, 950€
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4060: $950 USD, $1300 CAD, £700, $1050 AUD, 800€6800XT: $1350 USD, $1900 CAD, £1100, $1800 AUD, 1050€
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4070: $1350 USD, $2000 CAD, £1050, $1800 AUD, 1100€
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Recommended specs for each use case:
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DISCLAIMER: This is only a general specs guide. It's not app specific which their requirements can vastly vary, always check system requirements and benchmarks for your required applications after you've look at this guide.
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Everyday usage minimum specs:Everyday usage recommended specs:
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2 core CPU (Like Intel Celeron G5900)4 core CPU (Like Intel Core i3 10100F)
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Integrated graphicsIntegrated graphics
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4-8GB RAM8GB-16GB RAM
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240GB+ total storage (SSD is preferable)240GB+ total storage (SSD is preferable)
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Gaming minimum specs (Triple AAA):1080p Gaming recommended specs (Triple AAA):1440p Gaming recommended specs (Triple AAA):4K Gaming recommended specs (Triple AAA):
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4 core/ 8 thread CPU (such as Intel Core i3 12100F)6-8 cores/ 12-16 thread CPU (such as Intel Core i5 12400F)6-8 cores/ 12-16 thread CPU (such as Intel Core i5 12400F)4 core/ 8 thread CPU (such as Intel Core i3 12100F)
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NVIDIA Geforce/AMD Radeon GPU 4GB+ VRAM NVIDIA GeForce/AMD Radeon GPU with 6GB+ VRAMNVIDIA GeForce/AMD Radeon GPU with 8GB+ VRAMNVIDIA GeForce/AMD Radeon GPU with 10GB+ VRAM
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16GB RAM (2x8GB RAM is preferable to enable dual channel mode)16-32GB RAM (2x8GB RAM or 2x16GB is preferable to enable dual channel mode)16-32GB RAM (2x8GB RAM or 2x16GB is preferable to enable dual channel mode)16-32GB RAM (2x8GB RAM or 2x16GB is preferable to enable dual channel mode)
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500GB total storage (SSD is preferable)1TB+ total storage (SSD is preferable)1TB+ total storage (SSD is preferable)1TB+ total storage (SSD is preferable)
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Photo editing minimum specs: 1080p Photo editing recommended specs: 1440p Photo editing recommended specs: 4K Photo editing recommended specs: