Average guy needing advice on a gaming PC/Laptop build

[ProjectSeph]

I'm just a typical worker. Not rich, and not well versed in all the recent advancements in processors, RAM, and video cards.

Currently, I'm rocking an old Metabox custom gaming laptop with:

- intel i7-4790 @3.6ghz
- gtx 980m
I also play hooked up to an nVidia Predator monitor (1440p)

I'm looking to upgrade, and I'll happily spend around $3k AUD (~2k USD/1.5k GBP); give or take a few hundred.
But I won't be able to spend much more than that.

And, I am hopefully looking to somewhat 'future-proof' my system a bit.
(I'm actually surprised at how long the 980m has lasted me in terms of being able to run games well enough. But it definitely hit a wall some time ago...and I've been watching games release for the past few years while I sit here unable to enjoy, or even run them.)


I'm not sure whether it's worth losing portability (not critical for me), to build a PC rig?
Or whether it's easier to just go with a custom built laptop?

And I'm really not sure what video cards would be worthwhile.
I'm seeing a lot of people mentioning that the later models of nVidia cards (e.g. rtx 4060) are a waste of money, and actually perform worse than some older cards. So yeah, I'm a bit confused as to which direction to go.


So, I guess I'd like some advice regarding a general setup.
RAM, Processor, Video card, Best power supply for the aforementioned, anything else crucial I may have forgotten.

Anyway, regardless of the amount of help (if any), I'll appreciate your time, and add the info into my mental library for when purchase time arrives.


Thanks friends

[SlowClick]

Since you're in Oz, have a look at Scorptec's website and look at some of their pre-built gaming PCs.
They also have a PC builder widget so you can put together your own set of parts.
PCPartPicker is good also, but links to Amazon and other such suppliers.

I had my current PC built by Scorptec for about $2700AUD earlier this year.

[ProjectSeph]

Lots of great feedback so far! I greatly appreciate the effort

[Bad 💀 Motha]

So you want a Desktop PC or a Laptop?

[SlowClick]

Slow by handle, Slow by nature --- I meant to write "have a look at Scorptec's website and look at some of their pre-built gaming PCs to see what parts they use.

[Rumpelcrutchskin]

https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/Yf9k9c

[emoticorpse]

What games you wanting to run? What fps you getting now with your laptop? What fps are you expecting to get with the new pc/laptop?

Is this pc going to be considered a "strictly gaming pc" or a "general usage + gaming pc"? I'm wondering because you kind of have to decide between having the absolute best gaming cpu (xxxx3d cpu) or a pc with more cores that can be used for more cpu intensive applications that use multiple cores/threads but isn't the best in gaming. It's kind of a tradeoff. Pick the gaming cpu and you won't have the cores when you need them. Pick the cpu with the cores and won't have the gaming speed you would have.

Jumps in performance aren't what they used to be but a lot of times that's because people are jumping resolutions too which counters the natural gains in fps or whatever they would have had if they stayed at the same resolution.

If you plan on staying at the same 1440p resolution, I would think you really should get a noticeable performance increase with the new build.

Here's one to consider https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/HPFv34

[PopinFRESH]

İlk olarak ProjectSeph tarafından gönderildi:

...
I'm not sure whether it's worth losing portability (not critical for me), to build a PC rig?
Or whether it's easier to just go with a custom built laptop?...

If portability is not an important factor for you then it is going to be a better value (cost:performance) building a desktop in almost all cases.

Are you comfortable with building your own PC from parts or would you be looking at buying from a retailer / systems integrator?

Are you planning on continuing to use the same monitor? (I'm assuming you meant an Acer Predator?) If so what is the specific model of the display?

What types of games do you typically play? (e.g. competitive fps, single player story/adventure, RPGs, etc.) Also are there any specific upcoming games that you are particularly looking forward to?

Lastly, what is your time table for doing your upgrade? (soon tm? in the next 6 months? in the next year? etc.)

EDIT: Also, being in Australia is the $3k AUD GST included? (Looking at things in USD that do not include taxes in the pricing can throw things off by the percentage of your GST if you are already expecting to factor that in)

https://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/wjG9rv

[ProjectSeph]

I wasn't expecting so much help, though it is most appreciated. Thank you all.

To add more specificity to my question, I'll share some more info, as requested:

Current Monitor

- Predator XB1 27" (1440p @ 144Hz through Display Port)

Even if I do update my monitor, I'd likely just stick with a 1440p resolution.


PC or Laptop

I'm undecided (partly why I sought advice here). I had always thought that a PC being built was cheaper, though it doesn't seem substantially cheaper than a gaming laptop from Metabox (for example).


Usage

I'll be using the rig for gaming almost exclusively. With the odd 'Sit and watch a movie', or 'Edit a YouTube video' here and there.


Game Types

I can't say for sure exactly what I would play, as I am sure I've overlooked many games due to current hardware limitations.
So, potentially I'd get into some other games, but for sure I can say I'm interested in:

Witcher series
Baldurs Gate 3
Cyberpunk 2077
Modded Bethesda games (Skyrim, for example)
Starfield
Doom Eternal
Upcoming games like the reboot of Lords of the Fallen
Hogwarts Legacy
FF7 Remake stuff
Dead Space reboot
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga
New mmorpgs like Ashes of Creation

And really, any possible new games that look visually stunning, but may release in 2024.

I'm not too big on competitive FPS games like CoD, but, to be honest, I might have tried Battlefield, or Apex, were my rig more capable.


Performance expectations

Essentially, as I mentioned, I have avoided so many games because I have wanted to run them as smoothly and visually optimal as possible (within reason), and so I let games pass me by for the past 4-5 years.

So, my wants for the system are:

- To be able to run games at a smooth 60+ FPS @ 1440p.

- I'd like to be able to run them as close to the highest settings as possible on this budget. (Having been blind to recent advancements in tech for the better part of a decade, I'm aware that this goal may sound naive.)

(I know that some games are less optimised/more demanding, so I wouldn't expect that every game can be run at peak performance. But that's where my naivety come's into play; for $3000AUD, you used to be able to buy a rig that could run any game currently, and for the next 1-2 years, at peak performance. Somehow, I don't feel that this is true any longer)


Thanks again, friends

[pasa]

For the games you aim you need LOT of power. Not even worth estimating the upper bound. So you can drop even thinking of laptop if you're serious. Power manifests as heat. Take a look at a disassembled laptop what is uses for heating and consider how much it can be capable. Physics trumps marketing every day.

And I'm pretty baffled about the claim of similar price, Anytime I saw a gaming laptop with at least considerable paper specs it costed 50-100% more than similar spec desktop.

And for $2k you can put together an excellent pc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAbzdJMukxQ

is an example of good rig for half your budget. You can use it as starting point and chose components up.

For future proofing, the general advice is to just forget it. But my practical take is to consider some elements:
- get 100W extra in the PSU
- get 4 ram slot mobo with 2 slots filled right on
- get case with good airflow and many options to put a radiatior, supporting 280. Room for long and wide GPU. and again, plenty of volume.

[emoticorpse]

İlk olarak ProjectSeph tarafından gönderildi:

I wasn't expecting so much help, though it is most appreciated. Thank you all.

To add more specificity to my question, I'll share some more info, as requested:

Current Monitor

- Predator XB1 27" (1440p @ 144Hz through Display Port)

Even if I do update my monitor, I'd likely just stick with a 1440p resolution.


PC or Laptop

I'm undecided (partly why I sought advice here). I had always thought that a PC being built was cheaper, though it doesn't seem substantially cheaper than a gaming laptop from Metabox (for example).


Usage

I'll be using the rig for gaming almost exclusively. With the odd 'Sit and watch a movie', or 'Edit a YouTube video' here and there.


Game Types

I can't say for sure exactly what I would play, as I am sure I've overlooked many games due to current hardware limitations.
So, potentially I'd get into some other games, but for sure I can say I'm interested in:

Witcher series
Baldurs Gate 3
Cyberpunk 2077
Modded Bethesda games (Skyrim, for example)
Starfield
Doom Eternal
Upcoming games like the reboot of Lords of the Fallen
Hogwarts Legacy
FF7 Remake stuff
Dead Space reboot
Yakuza: Like a Dragon
Hellblade 2: Senua's Saga
New mmorpgs like Ashes of Creation

And really, any possible new games that look visually stunning, but may release in 2024.

I'm not too big on competitive FPS games like CoD, but, to be honest, I might have tried Battlefield, or Apex, were my rig more capable.


Performance expectations

Essentially, as I mentioned, I have avoided so many games because I have wanted to run them as smoothly and visually optimal as possible (within reason), and so I let games pass me by for the past 4-5 years.

So, my wants for the system are:

- To be able to run games at a smooth 60+ FPS @ 1440p.

- I'd like to be able to run them as close to the highest settings as possible on this budget. (Having been blind to recent advancements in tech for the better part of a decade, I'm aware that this goal may sound naive.)

(I know that some games are less optimised/more demanding, so I wouldn't expect that every game can be run at peak performance. But that's where my naivety come's into play; for $3000AUD, you used to be able to buy a rig that could run any game currently, and for the next 1-2 years, at peak performance. Somehow, I don't feel that this is true any longer)


Thanks again, friends:sotgrog:

I think for the 1440p/60 fps a 4070 would do ok, especially for your budget. I would easily choose a PC over laptop ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. That means that I just see laptops as troublesome and end up giving you issues soon if not immediately after buying them where if you build a PC right, you can have it for years before it starts acting up and even if it does it'll be a easy fix since they're meant to be kind of broken down and have parts replaced. So, I end up envisioning someone sooner with a laptop needing to either "accept/workaround the issues" or "get a new laptop" which would cost quite a bit, where with a pc you just spend for the part you need to change out if you need to change a part out. That's why I see laptops as more expensive.

I think with that $3000 AUD build you are safe to say you can run upcoming games good for the next 1-2 years. Now, the next 4-5 years would be a different story. But thing is I haven't noticed the performance of games getting much worse and worse lately. I know a year or two ago they were really eating up PC performance, but lately it seems to have stabilized and they're about at the level of hardware requirements they've been at for a little while. Not sure if that's because I just haven't paid much attention to newer and newer games.

[ProjectSeph]

Some excellent points to consider.
I'm very much being sold on building a PC, over buying a laptop.

[Mr White]

Well it depends do you want to take your laptop with your or do you leave at home. If were going down the desktop route. Then go AMD. for a reason you will not have to change motherboards every two years.

CPU RYZEN 7600 OR 7700
GPU- AMD RX 7800 or NIVIDA GEFORCE 3060 12GB

[Mr White]

Here is good motherboard AM5 AMD ASROCK A620M PRO RS. It is a Micro-ATX board but has two M2 Storage slots. 4 memory slots but only one slot for Graphic card.

You can buy at Scan Computers UK.

As for Computer Case. Try this Fractal Pop Air RGB Cyan Core Mid Tower Tempered Glass PC Case

Caters to both ATX and Micro-Atx motherboards.

[Agent]

The benefit of the laptop system is portability and low wattage. So if you game a lot it might make more sense to go the laptop route to cut your bills.

And you can minimise noise / thermals by using frame caps in games and using a balanced power profile instead of OC or turbo.

[PopinFRESH]

İlk olarak ProjectSeph tarafından gönderildi:

Some excellent points to consider.
I'm very much being sold on building a PC, over buying a laptop.

Just for an additional point of clarification in this regard as it relates to your longer post (great, and useful details btw). Mobile GPUs are not the same as the "same" desktop GPU counterpart. Also, the mobile parts for both CPUs and GPUs are designed to be power optimized which is why I noted the cost:performance as "value" being nearly universally better in building your own desktop from parts. That isn't to say there aren't good deals on gaming laptops or that they don't offer some decent value; but from the specific perspective of cost:performance it is very unusual for a gaming laptop to be better.

For your budget you should certainly be able to build a competent system that will be decently suited for 1440p @ above 60fps in a lot of current generation games with most graphically impactful settings on high (or above). The biggest area where this will be lowered expectation wise is with RayTracing; and this is the area that I'd expect the most changes over the next 5+ years. Most of the games you've named would run within your expectations or better, even with RayTracing, when using DLSS for games that support it.

Lastly, the main reason I was asking which specific model your monitor was is to see if it supported VRR/gSync; which it does. I don't think you'd be disappointed by keeping that monitor with an upgraded system.

EDIT: Also just so you're aware the 14th Gen Intel Core CPUs are expected to launch toward the end of this month or early next month so I'd at a minimum wait to see bench marks and relative performance in comparison to the current Ryzen 7000/X3D series CPUs.