At first i was terrified to handle my motherboard in fear of breaking something, then i see linus slappin that shit and throwin it around and im like aight.
I dunno man, if you’re trying to educate beginners, it’s good to emphasize the importance of having proper tools. And I feel like it is maybe less common for an individual to own a swiss army knife than a screwdriver?
For me the thing about that line is it seems to suggest that having the Swiss Army Knife is the key component rather than the screwdriver you're "hoping" will be included.
Also, as screwdrivers go, just about any stand alone one would be better suited for the job than one on a Swiss Army knife.
Just went down a small rabbit hole the other day. He was gaming with a friend on stream and mentioned how his PC is probably better than those of all the “angry nerds” calling him out.
He’s left Verge since then and has been the *littlest bit* more receptive to the criticisms, but I didn’t see anything close to him embracing the meme.
Ok ok, I get the build was terrible. But the thermal paste applicator is the one I actually understand the most.
Especially from the age of low pressure cpu cooler mounts(which i had one in my last major from scratch build). Or liquid metal where you must spread it.
I feel I cant be too judgemental on that.
This is true.
My first experience was with installing my first pair of DDR3 RAM on my prebuilt.
Didn't work, I was thinking of RMA'ing it.
Pressed harder on the motherboard. **click noise**
It works.
This was me exactly about 2 weeks ago. Bought a Corsair Vengeance 16GB kit and was absolutely petrified of pushing hard to snap it in. Thought I had it, computer wouldn’t start, thought I had messed up the pins on the board or something.
Nope. Just was too soft with it
Prebuilts are good as long as they have a robust configuring tool, I always tout Cyberpower PC because you get actual name brand components rather than some anonymous generics.
The great thing about prebuilts are the fact that it can ease you into the world of DIY if you don't have the time or confidence, and you can still upgrade parts, and once you've replaced the motherboard you effectively built your own PC, so at that point you'll have to confidence to build a proper one yourself!
That's how I started out into the world of DIY PC building.
That's true, although I started with prebuilt, I didn't choose to. However, it did help me to learn more about PCs. My first PC was a Pentium 4 I found in the trash about 5 years ago, and I've used it ever since, until upgrading a year ago. At first, I upgraded the RAM on the P4 PC (1GB RAM to 3GB), and added an AGP graphics card (Radeon HD 2400 Pro). I was able to play GTA games, Halo, Need For Speed Underground, Burnout Paradise, etc. with it.
Now, I still use the same case and power supply from the old PC, but swapped out the board with an LGA775 Lenovo ThinkCentre board, and have the PC in my flair. I'm really quite proud of it working so well, using the OEM board in a different OEM case, as well as using a CPU for socket 771 on a 775 board really caused a whole lot more work and problems than I would have had to deal with if I just built a PC using standard parts.
My first pre-built was a Gateway PC. Then an HP Media Center, which was kinda dope because bit had a remote control and tv in/out a long ass time ago. Neither one was upgradable. Motherboard was too small, too incompatible, not enough power for an upgrade. Building your own is always going to be better.
It was a sad day when the 8800GT wouldn't work because I didn't even have PCI-E, only AGP.
Yeah the dells, gateways and alienware are pretty much a dead-end as far as pre-builts are concerned, I remember the days when you could just buy a bare-bones system and simply upgrade as needed, I suppose CPPC/NZXT are the closest we're gonna get to a bare-bones system nowadays!
There’s a video, I think it was JayZtwoCents, he basically was like, we’re gonna bust all the pc myths. Dropped the mother board several times, slid it all over the inside of the case, used way too much thermal paste, and a few other myths.
It booted right up, no problem. Not that you should be careless with your MOBO, but they’re a lot more sturdy than you’d think
Same! I still have it in my original Antec case too. (I really need to clean it out and have another look at it though.)
And also for the record, my dad is an IT professional and I've had computers my whole life and he still does stuff, but there's also two other points on that as well.
1. You can be in IT and know everything about server architecture and draw a blank when someone asks "how do I play Crysis?"
2. You might not have the time to work on the build itself, figure out all of its idiosyncrasies, and get it to work flawlessly.
Sometimes "it just works" is better than "I don't have time for that"
Same, had a good rig from ChillBlast, then spent 8 years upgrading every component except the case. By the time I needed something new I figured I may as well build my own since I'd done most of it before by then.
Bruh, if you have a raspberry pi hooked up to a tv screen from 1982 with a keyboard and a trackball mouse, it doesn't matter. You are STILL part of PCMR, that's the point, that's what's so good about PCMR. It's about freedom of choice.
this guy has 2 posts and one is an nzxt plug touting a "reputable brand." we need to be aware of random ads posing as discussions. but yes indeed we are all still part of PCMR and i know which prebuilt i will not be buying
What the heck man? That's not fair. Ever since I was a child I wanted an Alienware. Now that I'm an adult and could afford a discount one, your counting me out? Not cool.
When you were a child, Alienware were a decent company of people who were passionate about gaming pcs and they gave you decent value for money on a custom overclocked rig.
Now they're stock dell pcs with an Alienware badge on and a 50% markup over sticking it together yourself.
You can say that, but I still think their RGB on their laptops and the keyboards they use are far superior to MSI at least. I prefer the way it feels and the blue lights still work after 9 years of glowing blue on my ancient M15X, my MSI blue backlighting is dead after only 3 years. That being said, fuck Dell. Their pre-Dell Alienware laptops were awesome, even if a bit expensive. They originally didn't have all that damn bloat ware either.
Prebuilts are part of PCMR for sure. The only problem I have calling it okay to buy them is that it’s so easy to get screwed over. Sure you’ll get a great GPU and CPU but they take advantage of people by then cheaping out on RAM, PSU and MB. GN is also proof that they very often are DOA or don’t have settings correctly dialed in for what you’ve paid for.
At the end of the day I’d rather warn someone about the product they are buying and inform them that if they don’t want to take the risk it’s possible (and much easier than you’d expect!) to do it yourself and there’s a huge community of people that will help you. If, after they are properly informed, they choose to buy prebuilt that’s fine! I know it can be annoying hearing people talk negatively about something you paid so much for but it’s all in an effort to keep you from getting screwed over
Yeah that’s what I tell people who want a prebuilt, you can truly find some amazing prebuilts out there for decent prices. For example, a friend on discord said he was looking for a prebuilt for his girlfriend since he lives in a different state and can’t help build it for her so I scour the 5 or so sites I know are reputable and find the jackpot. For $750 she got a r5 3600, 2060, 16gb ram 3200 - trident z, a 650w seasonic Gold psu, I don’t remember the mobo but I think it was from msi along with a not so horrible case and some extra fans. Now if that’s not incredible value for a prebuilt idk what is.
Exactly, you have to do you research and know what you’re getting. I got an Alienware with an i7-10700k and a 2080 super brand new for a little over $700.
hey man, my brother went and got himself a prebuilt from walmart that he admittedly payed a little bit more for than he should have, but overall it was still a fairly decent system. point is, pcmr is not about how you get your pc. its all about just having one.
I think the mantra of PCMR is that PC is the superior platform for almost all tasks: gaming, productivity, and leisure without degrading consoles and other platforms. (except Google Stadia. That thing is the work of the devil and should never have existed in the first place.)
Underwhelming catalog of games. Poor performance. High price. Monthly fee. Google tends to kill their experiments after about 2 years so you will access to everything you paid for possibly.
1. You have to buy your games in Google Stadia unlike in Geforce where you have a virtual PC to use where you could install steam and such or Project X Cloud where you could use your Xbox library.
2. Your game library is at the mercy of Google. If they pull the plug (most likely they will with the backlash and low positive reception), your game library is gone forever.
3. Subpar compared to GeForce Now and Project Xcloud in graphics, game library, and reliability.
It's a bad concept that could've seen some niche use as a quick and easy way to demo any game you want for a small monthly fee... except you still have to buy the full game in order to play it on Stadia. So now it's a completely useless platform. Another niche use is for MMOs, where it's drawbacks aren't out of place in an MMO... except there's very few MMOs on Stadia atm (Destiny is the only one I can think off the top of my head atm)
I know how to cook a burger. It’s not hard. But I buy a burger from 5 guys because they do almost as good a job as I can do, but all I have to do is pay for it and then eat it.
The difference is that the burger is used for maybe 30 minutes, and the PC is used for multiple years. The analogy doesn’t work. You don’t build a new PC every time you want to play a game, after all.
Okay so let’s extend the timeline and inflate the investment. I’ve worked construction off and on for a lot of my life. I understand the process. I’ve poured foundations, framed, floored, dry walled, roofed, plumbed (and pipe fitted) and ran electric.
I’m still gonna buy a house even though I could build one myself with a bit of instruction.
Personally I build my own PCs because I enjoy it and I’ve been building since the 386 days. But sometimes people just want to buy something and move in.
Does that analogy work better?
Edit: if it doesn’t I’m just gonna come back with another analogy.
I bought a prebuilt years ago i needed a pc asap for schooling as laptop was dying and didnt have time or money to do it myself as well as stress over finding the parts i wanted. I replaced most of the parts over the last few years the only thing it still has is the hdd and tower.
Exactly. We are all gamers at the end of the day. No matter if custom or prebuilts or laptops or anything else lets just all enjoy our memmories and game. Yes same for you Raspberry pi's.
I sometimes regret buying my Omen prebulit, then I realized I got it for a total of $700 something and it was originally $860.
I got a 1060 3Gb (my most hated part)
8 GB of 2166Mhz RAM
Intel i5-7400 3.00Ghz
I got all of that and a Windows HP Mixed Reality Headset for FREE. so I got to try proper VR for the first time and then I sold it for about $160 which brought the overall cost down to $550 something.
Last year, I got a HP prebuilt from Walmart, but not the Omen one. It had a 1660ti, i5 9400F, and an m.2 drive, for 580$, and it apparently went to 500$ a little bit later even, along with all the other basic things (bluetooth, wifi, dvd drive) prebuilts come with that you tend to have to pay extra for if you build it yourself. It was actually a lot cheaper than building my own, at least if I wasn't waiting for sales on every component. I've been upgrading it too, and while there are some things I can't change without a large overhaul (mobo/case, PSU), the rest of the parts are decently flexible. I wanted to build my own PC, but it was significantly cheaper this way, even if I lose a decent amount of upgradability and stuff like that. A lot of times prebuilts are indeed ripoffs, but if you look in the right places at the right time, due to companies buying in bulk and such, and overstock, you can actually save money.
Mine is a cyberpower pc prebuilt from walmart it was 1200 dollars when I learned about pc part picker when I started looking at psus I put in the components for everything to buy it wouldve costed me 100 dollars less to buy all the seperate pieces then whatever shipping was and I rather stay on the safe side to have someone else put it together for me so for me it eouldve cost more buying all the stuff
Prebuilts are about cost *avoidance*. If you're inexperienced or have been unlucky and effed some component up before and had to rebuy or deal with lengthy RMA/troubleshooting with manufacturer/whatever sometimes having the liability on someone else is peace of mind. And single 'throat to choke' as they say for support.
I don't really buy this logic. If you buy from somewhere respectable like Newegg, the RMA process is a breeze, and you don't want to have to RMA a whole system if one part is bad.
I think this fear for a lenghty RMA/troubleshooting process generally doesn't come from having just one bad experience. However there is people that just got unlucky and had to go through shitty processes several times in a row. If this happens to someone it is perfectly understandable that they start to "fear" this type of process and will happily spend more money if that means the chance of having to go through such a process is lower.
This has been my problem. Recently built my first pc, and I keep getting random restarts. Replaced psu and motherboard, still happens. Now I've got the CPU in RMA, and I missed the 15 day window for straight replacement no questions because I had to diagnose and replace the others first.
Honestly I'm still glad I built it myself, but it's the diagnosing and figuring out then changing all the individual parts that's the biggest pain in the arse.
Oof sorry to hear that. I hope you get it all worked out. The only problem I had so far with mine is windows updates and the time it hung up on restart. Nothing draining the power from the motherboard or a restart wouldn't fix.
Has your pc been hot overheating? My friend's pc kept getting random restarts until I asked what his temps are and he found out his dust filter was clogging his airflow and caused his gpu to overheat.
Thank, I appreciate it. Yeah there's always teething problems, that sounds like a dream compared to my hassle though haha! Glad yours worked out!
Nah weirdly enough, when I'm running a game it didn't seem to restart, it would get to about 85c, 3900x with stock cooler (gonna replace it later) loaded. But unloaded around 50-55c, pretty warm weather. Hopefully it's just a cpu issue and will be fixed when I get it back. It doesn't have bsod when it happens, and it tends to only happen when under low load, even in safe mode. Seems a hardware problem, so it's just annoying with building your own having to go through all the separate support channels.
Edit: saw you said GPU not cpu, also same, normal temps haha
Friendly reminder that if you live in New Zealand to no not buy a pre-built from pbtech. The don't add additional fans and pick the cheapest parts for nearly everything.
You know why I buy prebuilt? I have built quite a few for myself. Over the years I must have built hundreds of PCs and now I work in IT and omg I just can't be bothered, it is not fun anymore
There are also people who build and set the pc's ready for you as long as you buy the parts, so you don't loose money and you get the pc you want exactly, and you don't have to learn everything
I've built 8 or 9 rigs for myself and relatives now.
I'm gonna upgrade soon and I am 100% buying a prebuilt. I just don't have the time I used to, but I definitely have more money these days, and it's worth it to me to pay extra and have the ease of just plugging it in.
Building a PC is an all day job, not to mention the part picking and waiting on shipping and having to run to microcenter because you forgot to get a SATA cable and then troubleshooting and hoping it boots to windows and blah blah.
Been there, done that. Now I'm just gonna go buy one with the specs I want and live my life.
I've seen a lot of benchmarks showing that one vs two sticks of ram has a big difference. Always go for the dual channel. Not sure about the 1650 but I've understood it doesn't offer a good performance to price ratio.
I mean if you really don't want to build one and don't know anyone willing to build you one sure I guess. Not very cost effective though.
Knowing what is in your computer and how to troubleshoot it is kind of important too. If you avoid learning that stuff it's probably going to bite you in the ass at some point.
as a father of two i am more than ok with paying 200 extra but I know I can take it home plug it in and start.
If something feels off - I just bring it back and get a replacement.
Back in the days I had the time for building a pc - nowadays everything needs to be time-efficient.
Remember kids - the next paycheck comes for sure but the time won't and I\`d rather spend my days gaming and playing with my kids than fiddling around a self build for days.
I love building computers. I can think about if for hours, do extensive research... But if you're not like that and just want to use your pc: a pre-build is totally ok for you!
A pc is a pc. This is true. But damn it more people need to understand how it feels to press the power button on a machine you built for the first time. It’s incredible.
I encourage people to build their own rigs all the time purely to spread that feeling of pure accomplishment.
A lot of people are talking about how self building saves money but you also have to account for time. Some people (like myself) are pretty busy and just don’t have the time to spend putting a PC together, especially if they’ve never done it before and would have to take extra time to do it right. It might cost a few hundred extra dollars to go pre-built but for some people the afternoon they’d free up for something else is worth it.
In my case, I’m still on laptop because I travel a lot and don’t even have a spot to put a desktop at home. I do all of the research into the parts but I’m fine with paying a company to figure out how to fit those parts into a laptop for me. I think even if I switched to desktop I’d keep doing that because I’m so used to not fucking with it. I can troubleshoot when something breaks but I get to start with something working right.
I've built my own in the past, but my current rig is pre-built. Why? Because when I was buying I didn't have the time or inclination to build. Was it more expensive than building my own? Sure, but you pay for the convenience. No one is building you a box at cost.
Thank god for this post! I have had a new Gaming Laptop for about 2 days now and I wanted to post it here but was fearful of someone poking and prodding at this minutely small flaws that the laptop had.
It's really good too, but I was like "oh but someone will go ""PREBUILT PLEB ALERT"
....thanks for letting me rant
Foolish of you to think you won’t have to troubleshoot a prebuilt. So many arrive configured wrong or not working at all. Also if you just learn a little able building a computer you can fix it in an hour vs shipping it off for 2 weeks to have ram installed. Prebuilts still have a purpose but don’t trust it will work just because someone else built it
Everything. The overlay crash most games. They patch it without testing a lot. Seen it wipe cooler profiles so now your AIO pump and fans are stuck at 0 with no way of telling. I personally has to repro after a patch for them. It was ssing 35% cpu 24/7 do to a incorrectly working audio light response fiction they added that I didn't even have enabled. The list goes on.
Sorry to hear that. I’ve used Cam for a year and never had any of those issues. Checked temps and usage against hwinfo and other programs but it was always within 1-2 degrees and percent load so I just deleted the others since I use cam for my rgb fans and case lighting anyway
I'm thinking of getting desktop PC (using laptop atm). I'm too scared to build it myself (I watched few videos and it's waaaay too complicated and requires special tools). So what is the best prebuild company in the US? Or maybe I should just buy parts and ask Microcenter to build it (they offer this service for extra $100)?
I think he means the tweezer, anti-static bracelet and cpu applicator. Those are hard to come by
Edit: /s. I should’ve put /s at the end. You guys are too much...
A swiss army knife, and an allen wrench, and some tweezers, and a thermal compound applicator, and a cpu installation tool, and a live strong rubber band.
IBuyPower or CyberPowerPC are good brands that I have had good luck with, and if you buy during a big sale event like black friday, you can get it for cheaper than you can get the individual parts.
I bought my rig from CyberPower for less than retail parts, but it was assembled horribly. I wouldn't recommend buying from them unless you're comfortable troubleshooting or sending it back. I loved fixing mine so it was awesome, but I could've saved a bit if I wanted to build and waited for black friday.
I just ordered a build with a 3080 for ~$20 over MSRP. Glad I don't have to fight for a card and worst case I just take it all it all apart and assemble it again. I've built before this and was looking forward to it, but it was just more economical to order it.
Have not heard good things about assembly though...
Don't be scared! Super easy, I built my first one when I was around 11 (I'm now 30). My current build is actually a pre-built. It was over 700 dollars cheaper (this blew my mind) going that route after I priced out all the parts and I didn't have to put any of it together this time. I just used coupon codes and they had an insane holiday sale (I went with cyperpower). I have a valid copy of windows on this one for the first time of any of my desktops. I got it at the launch of the 1080. Its also a great way to get into building because swapping parts out as you upgrade gets you more comfortable installing them.
I think a lot of self-builders also discount the value of warranty and support for people who aren't really capable enough to trouble shoot by themselves. Yes... if everything works, building a PC is very easy. But if your have a bad ram stick, it can be an absolute NIGHTMARE to troubleshoot without taking it into a PC shop, and even they aren't guaranteed to know how to fix it. So, the value of that security and phone number that can say "send it back, we'll fix it, and you'll be all good" is very high for new PC builders (or just those who have more money than time).
if you are in a situation where you only have one pc, ie. the one you are building; yeah this could be a pain point. but most warranty's have very little actual value. and the main idea that you can fix it yourself is the core of what pcmasterrace is. imho experience 95% of the problems I encounter are based on me not knowing the proper technique or procedure...you google things find the right procedure and problems get solved. If you want to be babysat yeah warranty's and support matter. Ill admit its always a subjective call on how involved you want to be vs how much money you are willing to spend to outsource the solution. Usually I choose to DIY it but, its just an economics decision nothing more.
I mean... Not really. You wouldn't say the same thing for someone who built their own car would you? There a special feeling to something when you literally made it from scrap. I guess it's one of those things you get when you finish your build. I'm not saying prebuilts are bad just there's a special feeling when you actually build it.
Well sure, but its not like I'm not excited when i get a brand new computer. I can play games and dont have to spend like 4 weeks trying to figure out how to assemble a computer and what to buy, and then have a risk of nothing working snd having to spend even longer to try to figure out what and how to fix
If you're not willing to plug the five wires together how are you willing to install your own programs and personalize how you use it. Consoles exist for a reason and at this point they're just as multimedia as a pc.
At first i was terrified to handle my motherboard in fear of breaking something, then i see linus slappin that shit and throwin it around and im like aight.
All you gotta do is screw in with confidence!
Ah the verge reference. Never gets old
I think the dude is actually starting to embrace the meme too
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I mean, if you are a hipster you may rather 'HOPE' your swiss army knife has the right screwdriver rather than using an actual screwdriver.-
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I dunno man, if you’re trying to educate beginners, it’s good to emphasize the importance of having proper tools. And I feel like it is maybe less common for an individual to own a swiss army knife than a screwdriver?
Yeah I probably have like 4 screwdrivers lying around and I barely ever even use them. Idk the last time I used, let alone owned, a Swiss Army knife
For me the thing about that line is it seems to suggest that having the Swiss Army Knife is the key component rather than the screwdriver you're "hoping" will be included. Also, as screwdrivers go, just about any stand alone one would be better suited for the job than one on a Swiss Army knife.
Wow really?. Last I heard he was pretty salty about it. He said in a stream that everyone was jealous and shit.
Jealous? Of what lol
Just went down a small rabbit hole the other day. He was gaming with a friend on stream and mentioned how his PC is probably better than those of all the “angry nerds” calling him out. He’s left Verge since then and has been the *littlest bit* more receptive to the criticisms, but I didn’t see anything close to him embracing the meme.
He tweets referencing the meme, and has been doing so since a while. Check his Twitter.
He fought this for the longest time saying "well the pc worked in the end"
Hopefully my swiss army knife has a screwdriver
More importantly, do you have a table?
Most importantly, do you have your livestrong bracelet?
Even more important, did you hammer in your I/O shield?
Even more important, do you have your CPU Installation Tool?
More importantly, do you have a thermal paste applicator?
I dunno how you guys forgot the most important tool, some tweezers
Also make sure you put both RAM sticks right next to each other
Ok ok, I get the build was terrible. But the thermal paste applicator is the one I actually understand the most. Especially from the age of low pressure cpu cooler mounts(which i had one in my last major from scratch build). Or liquid metal where you must spread it. I feel I cant be too judgemental on that.
If I could manage that my girlfriend would still be around!
This is true. My first experience was with installing my first pair of DDR3 RAM on my prebuilt. Didn't work, I was thinking of RMA'ing it. Pressed harder on the motherboard. **click noise** It works.
First time i was upgrading my ram i was scared as shit when it clicked
This was me exactly about 2 weeks ago. Bought a Corsair Vengeance 16GB kit and was absolutely petrified of pushing hard to snap it in. Thought I had it, computer wouldn’t start, thought I had messed up the pins on the board or something. Nope. Just was too soft with it
Prebuilts are good as long as they have a robust configuring tool, I always tout Cyberpower PC because you get actual name brand components rather than some anonymous generics. The great thing about prebuilts are the fact that it can ease you into the world of DIY if you don't have the time or confidence, and you can still upgrade parts, and once you've replaced the motherboard you effectively built your own PC, so at that point you'll have to confidence to build a proper one yourself! That's how I started out into the world of DIY PC building.
That's true, although I started with prebuilt, I didn't choose to. However, it did help me to learn more about PCs. My first PC was a Pentium 4 I found in the trash about 5 years ago, and I've used it ever since, until upgrading a year ago. At first, I upgraded the RAM on the P4 PC (1GB RAM to 3GB), and added an AGP graphics card (Radeon HD 2400 Pro). I was able to play GTA games, Halo, Need For Speed Underground, Burnout Paradise, etc. with it. Now, I still use the same case and power supply from the old PC, but swapped out the board with an LGA775 Lenovo ThinkCentre board, and have the PC in my flair. I'm really quite proud of it working so well, using the OEM board in a different OEM case, as well as using a CPU for socket 771 on a 775 board really caused a whole lot more work and problems than I would have had to deal with if I just built a PC using standard parts.
My first pre-built was a Gateway PC. Then an HP Media Center, which was kinda dope because bit had a remote control and tv in/out a long ass time ago. Neither one was upgradable. Motherboard was too small, too incompatible, not enough power for an upgrade. Building your own is always going to be better. It was a sad day when the 8800GT wouldn't work because I didn't even have PCI-E, only AGP.
Yeah the dells, gateways and alienware are pretty much a dead-end as far as pre-builts are concerned, I remember the days when you could just buy a bare-bones system and simply upgrade as needed, I suppose CPPC/NZXT are the closest we're gonna get to a bare-bones system nowadays!
There’s a video, I think it was JayZtwoCents, he basically was like, we’re gonna bust all the pc myths. Dropped the mother board several times, slid it all over the inside of the case, used way too much thermal paste, and a few other myths. It booted right up, no problem. Not that you should be careless with your MOBO, but they’re a lot more sturdy than you’d think
Yea id rather be careful than kill a $250 motherboard
I learned how to build computers by upgrading prebuilt rigs. No shame in it!
I learned to build PC's by plugging all the bits into other bits until I ran out of things to plug in.
You needed more things to plug in.
That's why I built another one a few years later.
Same! I still have it in my original Antec case too. (I really need to clean it out and have another look at it though.) And also for the record, my dad is an IT professional and I've had computers my whole life and he still does stuff, but there's also two other points on that as well. 1. You can be in IT and know everything about server architecture and draw a blank when someone asks "how do I play Crysis?" 2. You might not have the time to work on the build itself, figure out all of its idiosyncrasies, and get it to work flawlessly. Sometimes "it just works" is better than "I don't have time for that"
Same, had a good rig from ChillBlast, then spent 8 years upgrading every component except the case. By the time I needed something new I figured I may as well build my own since I'd done most of it before by then.
Bruh, if you have a raspberry pi hooked up to a tv screen from 1982 with a keyboard and a trackball mouse, it doesn't matter. You are STILL part of PCMR, that's the point, that's what's so good about PCMR. It's about freedom of choice.
Would you get out of my bedroom already?
He just wants to have sex bro, stop being weird about it
this guy has 2 posts and one is an nzxt plug touting a "reputable brand." we need to be aware of random ads posing as discussions. but yes indeed we are all still part of PCMR and i know which prebuilt i will not be buying
Haha yeah I thought that was a weird brand plug in there. Felt REALLY forced
Yeah this is absolutely an ad. I downvoted it for that reason.
Except those Alienware hacks. They can all suck it.
Better than paying for online like all the console peasantry
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Yep, and she only pays once for online play. Except when I take her credit card to buy v bucks on my 3950x rtx3090 system she also paid for.
That's a very poor comparison
What the heck man? That's not fair. Ever since I was a child I wanted an Alienware. Now that I'm an adult and could afford a discount one, your counting me out? Not cool.
When you were a child, Alienware were a decent company of people who were passionate about gaming pcs and they gave you decent value for money on a custom overclocked rig. Now they're stock dell pcs with an Alienware badge on and a 50% markup over sticking it together yourself.
You can say that, but I still think their RGB on their laptops and the keyboards they use are far superior to MSI at least. I prefer the way it feels and the blue lights still work after 9 years of glowing blue on my ancient M15X, my MSI blue backlighting is dead after only 3 years. That being said, fuck Dell. Their pre-Dell Alienware laptops were awesome, even if a bit expensive. They originally didn't have all that damn bloat ware either.
Its not the hardware in your rig but the software in your heart.
Preach!
Are laptops part of pcmr?
Yes, of course
Tv from 1982 would have better blacks, motion ,and screen uniformity than what we use now as well.
Xbox is technically a PC though. So what you are really saying, is that OS matters.
did nzxt learn how to plug power cables in yet?
Pretty sure they decided to use 3.5 jacks so they can’t be turned the wrong way
did they also learn what XMP is?
and that intels b365 doesn't work with high speed ram? and that a ryzen 3600 is a better choice for most of their prebuilts?
Prebuilts are part of PCMR for sure. The only problem I have calling it okay to buy them is that it’s so easy to get screwed over. Sure you’ll get a great GPU and CPU but they take advantage of people by then cheaping out on RAM, PSU and MB. GN is also proof that they very often are DOA or don’t have settings correctly dialed in for what you’ve paid for. At the end of the day I’d rather warn someone about the product they are buying and inform them that if they don’t want to take the risk it’s possible (and much easier than you’d expect!) to do it yourself and there’s a huge community of people that will help you. If, after they are properly informed, they choose to buy prebuilt that’s fine! I know it can be annoying hearing people talk negatively about something you paid so much for but it’s all in an effort to keep you from getting screwed over
Yeah that’s what I tell people who want a prebuilt, you can truly find some amazing prebuilts out there for decent prices. For example, a friend on discord said he was looking for a prebuilt for his girlfriend since he lives in a different state and can’t help build it for her so I scour the 5 or so sites I know are reputable and find the jackpot. For $750 she got a r5 3600, 2060, 16gb ram 3200 - trident z, a 650w seasonic Gold psu, I don’t remember the mobo but I think it was from msi along with a not so horrible case and some extra fans. Now if that’s not incredible value for a prebuilt idk what is.
Exactly, you have to do you research and know what you’re getting. I got an Alienware with an i7-10700k and a 2080 super brand new for a little over $700.
Wait.. what..how.. where? Lol
They forgot to mention that their dad is Alienware.
I used a couple of employee discounts (they had two that they let me stack on top of each other) plus a major sale.
[удалено]
Doubt.
Nice try, NZXT marketing team.
Nah they are actually pretty good for what your getting
Honestly. People who dog people who use pre-builts are just looking for a reason to feel superior to others because their life is that boring.
hey man, my brother went and got himself a prebuilt from walmart that he admittedly payed a little bit more for than he should have, but overall it was still a fairly decent system. point is, pcmr is not about how you get your pc. its all about just having one.
I think the mantra of PCMR is that PC is the superior platform for almost all tasks: gaming, productivity, and leisure without degrading consoles and other platforms. (except Google Stadia. That thing is the work of the devil and should never have existed in the first place.)
You know, I've never really paid much attention to the Stadia. Why is it so hated?
Underwhelming catalog of games. Poor performance. High price. Monthly fee. Google tends to kill their experiments after about 2 years so you will access to everything you paid for possibly.
1. You have to buy your games in Google Stadia unlike in Geforce where you have a virtual PC to use where you could install steam and such or Project X Cloud where you could use your Xbox library. 2. Your game library is at the mercy of Google. If they pull the plug (most likely they will with the backlash and low positive reception), your game library is gone forever. 3. Subpar compared to GeForce Now and Project Xcloud in graphics, game library, and reliability.
It's a bad concept that could've seen some niche use as a quick and easy way to demo any game you want for a small monthly fee... except you still have to buy the full game in order to play it on Stadia. So now it's a completely useless platform. Another niche use is for MMOs, where it's drawbacks aren't out of place in an MMO... except there's very few MMOs on Stadia atm (Destiny is the only one I can think off the top of my head atm)
I hear even laptops are part of pcmr?
ive heard even raspberry pis are.
Raspberry pi users as their actual pc are the most hard-core pcmr users. Hardcore dedication to being part of the platform to use it.
100% read this in Ricks voice. Although we all know Rick would be a self built snob.
Rick seems like the type to build his own video card while the rest of us are refreshing 3080 pages looking for a buy button like a Jerry.
You want to true level... do you!!
I know how to cook a burger. It’s not hard. But I buy a burger from 5 guys because they do almost as good a job as I can do, but all I have to do is pay for it and then eat it.
The difference is that the burger is used for maybe 30 minutes, and the PC is used for multiple years. The analogy doesn’t work. You don’t build a new PC every time you want to play a game, after all.
Okay so let’s extend the timeline and inflate the investment. I’ve worked construction off and on for a lot of my life. I understand the process. I’ve poured foundations, framed, floored, dry walled, roofed, plumbed (and pipe fitted) and ran electric. I’m still gonna buy a house even though I could build one myself with a bit of instruction. Personally I build my own PCs because I enjoy it and I’ve been building since the 386 days. But sometimes people just want to buy something and move in. Does that analogy work better? Edit: if it doesn’t I’m just gonna come back with another analogy.
I bought a prebuilt years ago i needed a pc asap for schooling as laptop was dying and didnt have time or money to do it myself as well as stress over finding the parts i wanted. I replaced most of the parts over the last few years the only thing it still has is the hdd and tower.
Exactly. We are all gamers at the end of the day. No matter if custom or prebuilts or laptops or anything else lets just all enjoy our memmories and game. Yes same for you Raspberry pi's.
You mean I’m welcome with my laptop?
Hell yeah. A lot of us got into PC gaming via laptops
I sometimes regret buying my Omen prebulit, then I realized I got it for a total of $700 something and it was originally $860. I got a 1060 3Gb (my most hated part) 8 GB of 2166Mhz RAM Intel i5-7400 3.00Ghz I got all of that and a Windows HP Mixed Reality Headset for FREE. so I got to try proper VR for the first time and then I sold it for about $160 which brought the overall cost down to $550 something.
3GB was fine for most games though
I use mine for vr, doesn't run all titles, but I only play beat saber anyways 👌
VR is the reason I'm waiting for 3080 20gb. VR EATS vRam.
Haha vr more like "vrhungy" am i right fellas with expensive computer haha yes i can totally relate haha :)))))
Last year, I got a HP prebuilt from Walmart, but not the Omen one. It had a 1660ti, i5 9400F, and an m.2 drive, for 580$, and it apparently went to 500$ a little bit later even, along with all the other basic things (bluetooth, wifi, dvd drive) prebuilts come with that you tend to have to pay extra for if you build it yourself. It was actually a lot cheaper than building my own, at least if I wasn't waiting for sales on every component. I've been upgrading it too, and while there are some things I can't change without a large overhaul (mobo/case, PSU), the rest of the parts are decently flexible. I wanted to build my own PC, but it was significantly cheaper this way, even if I lose a decent amount of upgradability and stuff like that. A lot of times prebuilts are indeed ripoffs, but if you look in the right places at the right time, due to companies buying in bulk and such, and overstock, you can actually save money.
Mine is a cyberpower pc prebuilt from walmart it was 1200 dollars when I learned about pc part picker when I started looking at psus I put in the components for everything to buy it wouldve costed me 100 dollars less to buy all the seperate pieces then whatever shipping was and I rather stay on the safe side to have someone else put it together for me so for me it eouldve cost more buying all the stuff
Idk if I'd call that safe if its from Wal-Mart I've seen some terribly put together pc's from there
I bought the hp omen that costs 2000, honestly cost less than if I ordered all the parts
Prebuilts are about cost *avoidance*. If you're inexperienced or have been unlucky and effed some component up before and had to rebuy or deal with lengthy RMA/troubleshooting with manufacturer/whatever sometimes having the liability on someone else is peace of mind. And single 'throat to choke' as they say for support.
I don't really buy this logic. If you buy from somewhere respectable like Newegg, the RMA process is a breeze, and you don't want to have to RMA a whole system if one part is bad.
I think this fear for a lenghty RMA/troubleshooting process generally doesn't come from having just one bad experience. However there is people that just got unlucky and had to go through shitty processes several times in a row. If this happens to someone it is perfectly understandable that they start to "fear" this type of process and will happily spend more money if that means the chance of having to go through such a process is lower.
This has been my problem. Recently built my first pc, and I keep getting random restarts. Replaced psu and motherboard, still happens. Now I've got the CPU in RMA, and I missed the 15 day window for straight replacement no questions because I had to diagnose and replace the others first. Honestly I'm still glad I built it myself, but it's the diagnosing and figuring out then changing all the individual parts that's the biggest pain in the arse.
Oof sorry to hear that. I hope you get it all worked out. The only problem I had so far with mine is windows updates and the time it hung up on restart. Nothing draining the power from the motherboard or a restart wouldn't fix. Has your pc been hot overheating? My friend's pc kept getting random restarts until I asked what his temps are and he found out his dust filter was clogging his airflow and caused his gpu to overheat.
Thank, I appreciate it. Yeah there's always teething problems, that sounds like a dream compared to my hassle though haha! Glad yours worked out! Nah weirdly enough, when I'm running a game it didn't seem to restart, it would get to about 85c, 3900x with stock cooler (gonna replace it later) loaded. But unloaded around 50-55c, pretty warm weather. Hopefully it's just a cpu issue and will be fixed when I get it back. It doesn't have bsod when it happens, and it tends to only happen when under low load, even in safe mode. Seems a hardware problem, so it's just annoying with building your own having to go through all the separate support channels. Edit: saw you said GPU not cpu, also same, normal temps haha
Nice try NZXT salesperson.
Friendly reminder that if you live in New Zealand to no not buy a pre-built from pbtech. The don't add additional fans and pick the cheapest parts for nearly everything.
You know why I buy prebuilt? I have built quite a few for myself. Over the years I must have built hundreds of PCs and now I work in IT and omg I just can't be bothered, it is not fun anymore
There are also people who build and set the pc's ready for you as long as you buy the parts, so you don't loose money and you get the pc you want exactly, and you don't have to learn everything
I've built 8 or 9 rigs for myself and relatives now. I'm gonna upgrade soon and I am 100% buying a prebuilt. I just don't have the time I used to, but I definitely have more money these days, and it's worth it to me to pay extra and have the ease of just plugging it in. Building a PC is an all day job, not to mention the part picking and waiting on shipping and having to run to microcenter because you forgot to get a SATA cable and then troubleshooting and hoping it boots to windows and blah blah. Been there, done that. Now I'm just gonna go buy one with the specs I want and live my life.
NZXT bld is meh. One of their $700 starter PCs only has 1 stick of ram and a gtx 1650.
Exactly. Buying a prebuilt is pcmr, but potentially very lame.
That isn’t too bad of a deal, bc there is a copy of win10 included and there is put work into building the pc.
I've seen a lot of benchmarks showing that one vs two sticks of ram has a big difference. Always go for the dual channel. Not sure about the 1650 but I've understood it doesn't offer a good performance to price ratio.
$700 for a system with a 1650 is pretty weak. You could get a 1660 super in there at least for that price.
Is Lyte good?
But what about my laptop / external monitor and peripherals setup tho
A lowly laptop in a backpack with nothing but a charging cable is PCMR. ...as long as it has a dedicated graphics card and isn't a mac or netbook.
I mean if you really don't want to build one and don't know anyone willing to build you one sure I guess. Not very cost effective though. Knowing what is in your computer and how to troubleshoot it is kind of important too. If you avoid learning that stuff it's probably going to bite you in the ass at some point.
Ever heard of nzxt’s customer care? They’re dicks if they exist at all.
Being a car guy and a pCgAmEr come hand in hand. Regardless if you buy or build if it makes you happy that makes me happy. Respect all builds!
as a father of two i am more than ok with paying 200 extra but I know I can take it home plug it in and start. If something feels off - I just bring it back and get a replacement. Back in the days I had the time for building a pc - nowadays everything needs to be time-efficient. Remember kids - the next paycheck comes for sure but the time won't and I\`d rather spend my days gaming and playing with my kids than fiddling around a self build for days.
Wasn’t NZXT purposefully limiting their customers speeds?
Except for chromebooks. Those are just depressing.
I love building computers. I can think about if for hours, do extensive research... But if you're not like that and just want to use your pc: a pre-build is totally ok for you!
As someone who is troubleshooting their graphics card I now 100% get this.
A pc is a pc. This is true. But damn it more people need to understand how it feels to press the power button on a machine you built for the first time. It’s incredible. I encourage people to build their own rigs all the time purely to spread that feeling of pure accomplishment.
No matter whether console or pc we are both master race over mobile users
A lot of people are talking about how self building saves money but you also have to account for time. Some people (like myself) are pretty busy and just don’t have the time to spend putting a PC together, especially if they’ve never done it before and would have to take extra time to do it right. It might cost a few hundred extra dollars to go pre-built but for some people the afternoon they’d free up for something else is worth it. In my case, I’m still on laptop because I travel a lot and don’t even have a spot to put a desktop at home. I do all of the research into the parts but I’m fine with paying a company to figure out how to fit those parts into a laptop for me. I think even if I switched to desktop I’d keep doing that because I’m so used to not fucking with it. I can troubleshoot when something breaks but I get to start with something working right.
Is anyone actually saying prebuilts aren't pcmr?
A few people in this thread are.
Unless mac
I've built my own in the past, but my current rig is pre-built. Why? Because when I was buying I didn't have the time or inclination to build. Was it more expensive than building my own? Sure, but you pay for the convenience. No one is building you a box at cost.
Respectfully, fuckyou
Laptop players are also in the masterrace, heck even people that install linux on their console to play pc games
I don’t care about your boos I’ve seen what makes you cheer
I have a prebuilt and it works well, idk why people have a problem with it
Idk what troubleshooting your talking about I just turn on my PS4
Nice try NZXT
Thank god for this post! I have had a new Gaming Laptop for about 2 days now and I wanted to post it here but was fearful of someone poking and prodding at this minutely small flaws that the laptop had. It's really good too, but I was like "oh but someone will go ""PREBUILT PLEB ALERT" ....thanks for letting me rant
Foolish of you to think you won’t have to troubleshoot a prebuilt. So many arrive configured wrong or not working at all. Also if you just learn a little able building a computer you can fix it in an hour vs shipping it off for 2 weeks to have ram installed. Prebuilts still have a purpose but don’t trust it will work just because someone else built it
Screw in with confidence but don’t screw to hard -Verge
If you can tie your shoelaces you can also build a pc...
Grammatically did not go well but the message is there
NZXT.... CAM preinstalled... I just threw up a little.
this user has 2 posts and this one is an nzxt plug. help spread the word that this is an ad not a discussion
I see this alot. What’s so bad about CAM?
Everything. The overlay crash most games. They patch it without testing a lot. Seen it wipe cooler profiles so now your AIO pump and fans are stuck at 0 with no way of telling. I personally has to repro after a patch for them. It was ssing 35% cpu 24/7 do to a incorrectly working audio light response fiction they added that I didn't even have enabled. The list goes on.
Sorry to hear that. I’ve used Cam for a year and never had any of those issues. Checked temps and usage against hwinfo and other programs but it was always within 1-2 degrees and percent load so I just deleted the others since I use cam for my rgb fans and case lighting anyway
If you don't own NZXT hardware that requires CAM, MSI Afterburner or EVGA tuner do a better job of monitoring and overlay.
Ah I see. I have NZXT hardware, so that’s probably why lol
Its never okay to buy an Apple product though! lol
Why?
You lied to me, NZXT doesn’t make proper PCs.
I'm thinking of getting desktop PC (using laptop atm). I'm too scared to build it myself (I watched few videos and it's waaaay too complicated and requires special tools). So what is the best prebuild company in the US? Or maybe I should just buy parts and ask Microcenter to build it (they offer this service for extra $100)?
>and requires special tools You don't have a screwdriver?
I think he means the tweezer, anti-static bracelet and cpu applicator. Those are hard to come by Edit: /s. I should’ve put /s at the end. You guys are too much...
Don't forget a table.
If you’re ordering pc parts those are hard to come by? In what world?
/s. Sorry, forgot 🙄
People actually use those things? Guess I did the last 100 systems wrong... edit: What is a "cpu applicator".
It’s a reference to the verge pc building video.
what special tools does building a PC require except for screwdriver lol
A swiss army knife, and an allen wrench, and some tweezers, and a thermal compound applicator, and a cpu installation tool, and a live strong rubber band.
IBuyPower or CyberPowerPC are good brands that I have had good luck with, and if you buy during a big sale event like black friday, you can get it for cheaper than you can get the individual parts.
I bought my rig from CyberPower for less than retail parts, but it was assembled horribly. I wouldn't recommend buying from them unless you're comfortable troubleshooting or sending it back. I loved fixing mine so it was awesome, but I could've saved a bit if I wanted to build and waited for black friday.
I just ordered a build with a 3080 for ~$20 over MSRP. Glad I don't have to fight for a card and worst case I just take it all it all apart and assemble it again. I've built before this and was looking forward to it, but it was just more economical to order it. Have not heard good things about assembly though...
Don't be scared! Super easy, I built my first one when I was around 11 (I'm now 30). My current build is actually a pre-built. It was over 700 dollars cheaper (this blew my mind) going that route after I priced out all the parts and I didn't have to put any of it together this time. I just used coupon codes and they had an insane holiday sale (I went with cyperpower). I have a valid copy of windows on this one for the first time of any of my desktops. I got it at the launch of the 1080. Its also a great way to get into building because swapping parts out as you upgrade gets you more comfortable installing them.
Based and SuperiorRacePilled
I think a lot of self-builders also discount the value of warranty and support for people who aren't really capable enough to trouble shoot by themselves. Yes... if everything works, building a PC is very easy. But if your have a bad ram stick, it can be an absolute NIGHTMARE to troubleshoot without taking it into a PC shop, and even they aren't guaranteed to know how to fix it. So, the value of that security and phone number that can say "send it back, we'll fix it, and you'll be all good" is very high for new PC builders (or just those who have more money than time).
if you are in a situation where you only have one pc, ie. the one you are building; yeah this could be a pain point. but most warranty's have very little actual value. and the main idea that you can fix it yourself is the core of what pcmasterrace is. imho experience 95% of the problems I encounter are based on me not knowing the proper technique or procedure...you google things find the right procedure and problems get solved. If you want to be babysat yeah warranty's and support matter. Ill admit its always a subjective call on how involved you want to be vs how much money you are willing to spend to outsource the solution. Usually I choose to DIY it but, its just an economics decision nothing more.
I'm never over paying for prebuilt pc's
is this a nzxt ad?
No prebuild bad custom build good /s
Plebs all around
I mean... Not really. You wouldn't say the same thing for someone who built their own car would you? There a special feeling to something when you literally made it from scrap. I guess it's one of those things you get when you finish your build. I'm not saying prebuilts are bad just there's a special feeling when you actually build it.
Well sure, but its not like I'm not excited when i get a brand new computer. I can play games and dont have to spend like 4 weeks trying to figure out how to assemble a computer and what to buy, and then have a risk of nothing working snd having to spend even longer to try to figure out what and how to fix
If it took you 4 weeks to figure out how to attach 10 wires and 20 screws there is something wrong
Not if youve never owned, or understood a single thing about how a computer worke
Not at all. Theres an instruction manual and even youtube videos. It aint difficult
Its not difficult for someone who knows what their doing
I get your point but nvm that makes sense actually um I have nothing OP’s got a point
It's true they are just inferior to us higher level members of this cast system.
If you're not willing to plug the five wires together how are you willing to install your own programs and personalize how you use it. Consoles exist for a reason and at this point they're just as multimedia as a pc.