Buying a new PC, but what to go for?

[tk13047]

Hi all,

I bought my last PC from here, 4 years ago now. It's basic specs are:

Processor (CPU)	Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-6700k (4.0GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard	ASUS® Z170 PRO GAMING/AURA: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs, RGB Lighting
Memory (RAM)	16GB HyperX SAVAGE DDR4 2666MHz (2 x 8GB Kit)
Graphics Card	3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP
1st Storage Drive	2TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE

Now, don't get me wrong - this is still performing. I play Destiny 2, Warframe, Division 2, Gears 5 and ESO mostly at the moment and on my 24" monitor ( ASUS VE248HR 24" LED DISPLAY ) I am more than happy with the performance of games, most running on high settings or so. Indeed, for a 4 year old machine, I think it's great. But I am in a position to get a new one so it'd be rude not to (right?).

But I don't tend to keep up with the trends in hardware. So i'm looking for advice on what to look for for a system that will, again, last a good few years. This I'll probably upgrade my monitor as well, but due to space I'm probably looking at no bigger than 28inch or so.

Gaming wise, I'll tend to want to have decent access to the latest games, much as I do right now.

SSD is a nice to have, but not essential

Many thanks

 

[AgentCooper]

Hi there, what's the budget you've got in mind for the new system and monitor?

 

[Stephen M]

The main thing is to go with an AMD build as they are far better than Intel and it looks as if they will stay that way for a good time. Also, as Agentcooper said, what is the budget, without that it is difficult to suggest builds.

 

[Gavras]

As @AgentCooper said, it really is a case of knowing budget and potential screen change.

screen and choice of graphics card are heavily linked.

At the moment Nvidia are releasing new cards 3090, 3080, 3070 and 3060.

I replaced My PC in August with a PCS build.

I went with new apart from HDD and GPU, as I have a decent 2TB HDD and a 1060 6GB card.

which is fine for 1080p at 144hz.

thats playing likes of Assassins creed odyssey, outer worlds, the Witcher, total war war hammer 2 etc on high - ultra custom settings.

at a later date once graphics cards and new monitors (2.1 HDMI) are in steady sensible supply, I will get them on sale such as Cyber Monday or similar.

for me priorities were CPU, case, cooling and decent motherboard.

personally if paying cash, defer your gfx and monitor choice for now.

then see what 3070 and 3060 provide for 1440 144hz gaming at 27” or so.

 

[tk13047]

Ah, sorry, lets say 1500-2000 and waiting a few days or a month is fine. Thanks!

I was suprised 16gb ram is still the norm - 4 years ago it was the biggest change, from 8gb. I figured we'd all be on 32 now

 

[AgentCooper]

Ah, sorry, lets say 1500-2000 and waiting a few days or a month is fine. Thanks!

I was suprised 16gb ram is still the norm - 4 years ago it was the biggest change, from 8gb. I figured we'd all be on 32 now

Not for gaming! I think the new Flight Sim is the only current game that craves 32GB. Maybe by the time you get your NEXT system!

 

[AccidentalDenz]

Not for gaming! I think the new Flight Sim is the only current game that craves 32GB. Maybe by the time you get your NEXT system!

16GB is the norm pretty much because that's where the consoles stop. As AgentCooper says, literally one game craves 32GB, so it's likely to be the PS6 generation where 32GB actually happens.