Looking for new cheap gaming desktop any ideas?

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by Gnar, May 16, 2020.

  1. Gnar Augur

    Im looking to get a cheap desktop to box EQ with, something around 500 dollars tops. I dont know why but it seems like prices on everything have jumped up and the tech was bumped down. I dont want to buy a used or refurbished pc I just would rather buy new.
    Any ideas would be helpful.

    Bestbuy has this https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypo...b-hdd-120gb-ssd-black/6411068.p?skuId=6411068 for 500 dollars, It just kind of looks not worth it for the price? Is it ?

    Sorry if this is posted in wrong spot and poorly written.
  2. svann Augur

    Id think twice about buying from best buy.
    Impeach and Szilent like this.
  3. Nennius Curmudgeon

    I have had no issues with Best Buy, but in any case, that system should run EQ pretty well. As to the price: Have you shopped the same specs elsewhere? That could give you an idea about the price.
  4. CatsPaws No response to your post cause your on ignore

    Newegg used to have some good deals but not sure how they are the last few years


    edit - hmm that one is $599 at newegg
  5. Magickon Augur

    Component pricing on several items have gone up due to side effects of the pandemic.

    Obviously you're not looking to buy anything high end (and obviously if you're buying it for EQ you know you don't need anything high end).

    Honestly, it is a great time to buy used.
    Veteran_BetaTester likes this.
  6. Benito EQ player since 2001.

    I have had fairly good experiences with desktop PCs from Costco.

    Costco has a fairly good return/replacement policy (for PCs and in general).

    However, they tend to mark down (discount) their tech during the holidays but may have deals from time to time ($450 to $550 on the lower range for their desktops).

    I haven't seen a wide selection as of late probably due to the pandemic.
  7. Zamiam Augur

    Ram is important .. especially sense most systems (if not all) come with win 10 now . you dont want a system with just 4 gig ram .. boxing eq on that although prolly could wont be ideal .. need a min of 4 to 6 gig ram with win 10 and boxing multiple instances of EQ .. more the better..

    I run 16 gig ram but am only running win 7 .. however i can load up on instances of EQ think ive had 12 up and running all at once ...
  8. Mazame Augur

  9. koook Elder

    I run eq on my main PC Dell optiplex 70xx (low end i5, 8gb ram, 2gb hd, junk motherboard) with ubuntu 20 , when i Tried boxing in windows 10 (with gpu boxing software) was able to load (on some lower memory settings) 12 boxes without drop in fps unless I was in the GH.

    If running one instance which I do now, I can pretty much run it on max with max fps. But max doesn't look much different than mid graphics settings in EQ, and i Actually like the low polygon zones and models of eq better.

    It cost me about 200 on ebay *refurbished* like a year ago, but I would not recommend this specific Dell because I think a few of the integrated motherboard parts act weird (audio, usb) sometimes usb dies out.

    Other than that I did nothing but add-on an amd rx 560. I used to play other games and they ran well, but I never played really graphic intense games, So i dunno if such a low budget is good if you play other games.

    You can run eq if you lower the settings on probably a budget of under 100 with used parts on ebay.
    Though only stating what I run eq on, not what a new comp should be, and I don't have any ideas for you, sorry.
  10. koook Elder

    if you really lower the settings of the boxes, you can get the instances to run on really low amounts of RAM, though when I did that, was using BoxerIs
  11. yepmetoo Abazzagorath

    For $500, I'd go check out craigslist and get $1200 worth of a computer from someone selling their old one or having to pay rent.

    I know you said you don't want used, but unless you have parts laying around to fill in everything, don't get much for $500. Though EQ will play on almost anything.
    Andarriel likes this.
  12. svann Augur

  13. Vumad Cape Wearer

    ***Important*** ---> Intel 10th gen chips and motherboards are suppose to launch on about 5/20/20. You should be able to get improved 10th gen performance for the same price as 9th gen now, or see discount PCs in the next 1-3 weeks.

    Spending $500 on a computer is a mistake. Going to $1000 is twice the money but you will get more than twice the computer. It's a belle curve, so the sweet spot is going to be about $800-1200, and performance per dollar will be less above and below a certain range.

    There are fixed costs. Case, fans, power supply, etc. You can't lower the costs on these in any meaningful way. That means 100% of your sacrifices are on the most important parts. CPU, RAM, GPU and SSD.

    This video from Linus tech tips is a very good at covering different price points and which sacrifices have to be made. Again, the 10 chips are about to launch, so the pricing should be the same for them or you should be able to get 9 chips for cheaper.
    Andarriel and Tatanka like this.
  14. Vumad Cape Wearer

    I'm looking at building a portable PC...

    Node 202 itx case with 450w PSU - $150
    z490m mobo (wifi built in) $150
    10500F w/ stock cooler $190
    Noctua l9i cooler $40
    2x4 ddr4 RAM $60
    860 evo 1tb $170
    GTX 1060 $180

    $890
    The same build in ATX is about $60 cheaper because of the case and PSU, and if you get a cheaper motherboard with no wifi you can remove another $50-80. And Samsung is a premium SSD and you don't need 1TB so you can cut a lot there too. You can also use the stock cooler instead of a noctua, or an ATX build has better performing coolers for the same price. The l9i is a low profile itx cooler. ITX MOBO only have 2 slots so you have to replace all of the ram to upgrade it.

    Alternatively...
    ATX case about $40.
    ATX 450 PSU $50
    Cheap motherboard $80 (Hopefully on sale soon, 10th gen chips don't fit these boards)
    9100F (requires GPU) $80 (Hopefully on sale soon)
    Use stock cooler
    2x4 DDR4 RAM $60
    WD Blue 500gb SSD $70
    GT 1030 GPU $85

    $465.
    Going ATX you can save a lot up front over my ITX plan, and get much better thermals, so that is a very good choice. However, dropping from the 10500F to the 9100F is a huge performance drop. The 10500 is better performance per dollar than the 10100. If you do drop to 9th gen for the sales, consider sticking to the 9500, as the performance per dollar is better value over the 9100.
    500GB is enough for several older games. Heck, 128gb is enough for just everquest, but the price from WD blue 500gb to 1tb SSD is $15 and that is a terrible tradeoff in value. You can always go 500GB SSD and add extra drives later. You can also double the ram later in ATX MOBO by buying 2 more of the same thing (try to stick with popular ram you can buy more of later). EQ is not demanding on the GPU, so the 1030 should be just fine. The difference between integrated and non-integrated graphics intel CPU (F series) is about $50, so the $85 of the GTX 1030 will justify the extra $35 just in getting the heat away from the CPU, especially if sticking with the stock cooler.

    So, same as above, but 9500f, at $550. But you'd get a lot more for your dollar if you go to $800, the GTX 1060 6b will VASTLY out perform the 1030 if you plan to play anything other than everquest.

    Oh, and dont forget sales and the AMD alternatives.
  15. Tuco Augur

  16. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    If you are looking for absolute lowest cost and ONLY want to run EQ, go refurbished.

    If you are looking for a machine that will run some modern apps and EQ at the lowest cost possible, build your own machine using PCPartPicker.

    If you are looking to maximize your investment and keep avenues of upgrade open, build your own machine using advice from Linus Tech Tips.
  17. Sokki Still Won't Buff You!!

    For a brand new build I would rethink these components.

    Ram: You can get a 2x8 set for pretty much the same price maybe a couple dollars more, I'd recommend going with 16 gigs over 8 gigs for $5-10 more at most.

    Hard drive: 860 evo is a 2.5" SSD, I would Highly recommend switching that to an m.2 SSD. You can get an Intel 660p 1 TB for about $110 or so atm which will be way faster than the 860 evo. If you really want to stick with Samsung I'd step up to the 960 evo but that will cost you a little more, I think those are going for about $200 atm.

    Vid Card: The 1060 probably isn't a bad choice for a budget Vid card. If you're trying to keep the same budget I would definitely switch to the Intel SSD and sink the extra money into the Vid Card and get at least a 1660 Super.
  18. SmoochyOfWolfington Augur

    I would like to say that it is generally a mistake to go to Best Buy if you are looking for something good and cheap, cheap being the main concern here. But when I was looking for mine I went to Best Buy, Walmart and Fry's and maybe another place or two. Best Buy I found a low to mid tier, but decent laptop for $150 to $250 brand new. (I swear it was $150, but that can't be right, the sale could NOT of been that good, but knowing me it could not of been over $250... ^^! )

    People had said the speakers were bad on reviews, but honestly, not that I was interested in booming base or to blare it through out my home anyway, it is decent enough. Only issue I have ever had is some of Spiderweb Software older games gives me some static noises which is annoying, but of the many I have bought from Steam, everything else sounds fine. So EQ runs just fine as does HL2 and it's many mods, which was why I had purchased it for in the first place. Just like my very first Dell PC with EQ and HL1 and it's many mods ran just fine, although the investment in that was $800 as I recall... ^^!

    Recently I was looking for a new PC/laptop which ever would do and I am finding that what I have now is better and cheaper then what they currently have at $300 to $400 price range. I may just milk this for all it's worth for as long as I can and I had checked before the epidemic.
  19. Vumad Cape Wearer


    The RAM I agree completely. My desktop came with 2x4. I replaced it with 4x8, so my build is using the 2x4 because for me it is free. I didn't spend as much time comparing the 2x4 vs the 2x8.

    The SSD I agree but want to clarify something. M.2 is a form factor, not a speed. Not that I disagree with your point however. $50 vs $75 is an obvious win for the intel. The only thing to clarafy here is that the Intel is a PCIe drive while the Samsung 860 is a sata drive. The speed comes from the connection, not the form factor. M.2 is available in sata, pcie and NVME. PCIe is probably the best value, as the price increase to NVME is significant while the benefits are marginal. The drive is the thing I have not settled on because of so many choices.
  20. Sokki Still Won't Buff You!!

    Yeah, I know the m.2 is just a form factor but the majority of m.2's are Nvme, there are very few sata m.2's on the market. The Intel one I suggested is one of the better budget nvme drives imo. I personally went with the 970 evo but the intel is only slightly slower than it and way faster than any sata SSD.