With all the builds lately, I was interested to hear what PC part you tried or had to save a buck on and had it backfire or just regret buying?
What PC Part Did You Cheap out on and Regret?
Pace210 on 17/10/2020 - 18:30
Last edited 17/10/2020 - 19:05 by 1 other user
Last edited 17/10/2020 - 19:05 by 1 other user
Comments
I got the G.skill flare 3200 from ebay 20% off and same, could have done better, the worst part is the ram deals will probably get even sweeter.
How noticeable are the differences?
Not noticeable at all, just in your mind.
That's is 1 fps less.
Not really, the tests are all done in 1080p where the difference is either like 85 fps vs 82 fps, or it's like 350 fps vs 320 fps which already isn't noticeable in actual gameplay as opposed to benchmarking.
If you play in 1440p/4k then the difference would be even more negligible.
@lolcakes: that's true for 1440 and 4k, for 1080p it's a pretty decent gain and way more than 3 fps. It's probably a 10-15% gain broadly speaking. And if you're the type of buyer that starts looking at cl timing for ram chances are you're also the same person that wants better stuff anyway so why not?
I'm glad I got the G.Skill 2x16gb 3600mhz C16 when it was sale for $256 on Shopping Express back then.
You can try to overclock the ram to 3600mhz
^ This is the comment OP is looking for.
Add voltage, add Hz.
I got this ram too, assuming trident rgb. XMP detects stock timings at 3600 16-19-19-23. I read later it's not the best chips on those sticks. Did you get much better results with manual OC on them?
Rgb fans, should have gone for nicer looking ones, but I needed 9 in total.
In one case?
Yup lian li o11 dynamic, 3 of them attached to AIO.
nice one
Went Cooler Master instead of Corsair? If so, 100% did the same thing in the same case to fit 9 slots.
Hi. I have the same case. Just wondering what fans did you get that you considered them cheap?
Deep cool cf120 I think. I would get the Riing quad but they're expensive or the lian li unifans but out of stock everywhere.
Only 9 huh, I have 12x 140mm fans in my case, running at an incredibly low rpm. 6x 140mm on a 420mm radiator in the roof and 4x 140mm on a 280mm radiator in the front, the other two fans on the rear exhaust. Some fractal design case. It's a stone cold silent build with airflow for days.
I thought this was going to be about car parts.
Why would the nerds on OZB talk about car parts. When have you ever seen an internal car part on the front page of deals.
Lol, I think you triggered some nerds.
Pfft, front page deals are for amateurs that need other people to tell them whether something is a bargain, pros use the new deal page and the live page…
Could have created a salt mine with the uptick of neg votes this year.
PC = Private Car ? Lol
Look at the revision…
different type of bottlenecking
OMG same, I thought it was car parts 🤣 I was going to write I cheaped out on a second hand starter motor 🙄😂
Car parts? This is ozbargain, where everyone drives a Camry and dropping money into a depreciating asset is blasphemy!
Dont cheap out on your battery or your tyres… especially on your PC
Not exactly a PC part, but computer chair, right desk, and configurable monitor stand or arms.
My desk is under the U shaped stairs in a cupboard. I live in a 74sqm house so you can imagine it's not a large space. Wide enough for a cheap office works chair to spin around.
I imported a heavy duty monitor stand which is wall mounted. Sadly as the stairs get lower to the left I had to give up one monitor so down to 2 compared to my previous setup. I also imported a heavy duty triple pivot point swing arm with a flat plate. Wall mounted that and located a local fabrication shop that works with acrylic. Had them custom make a two tiered acrylic desk wide enough for exactly my gaming setup on split levels. keyboard, mouse, desk mic, x55 Hotas and Astro mix amp. On the top level was the Throttle, keyboard and mouse, bottom level and slightly closer was the stick, mic and mix amp plus a space to lay down my headset. The swing arm allows me to move the acrylic desk around a bit so i can squeeze past it on my hands and knees to access the remainder of the small storage area.
There's no ventilation so its hot as anything in summer. I bought a battery fan but the usb doesn't charge it fast enough to stay on after the battery depletes.
I cheaped out on my house and a usb fan and I regret it.
Harry Potter ?
That is what we call it, the HP cupboard haha.
i regret spending too much on motherboard
could have got a cheap a320m for a better graphic card
What mobo did you grab?
It'll hurt even more when it's time to upgrade CPU and the industry has moved on to a different socket.
Not like that's a surprise…
Opposite for me. Got the very cheapest Asrock years ago (H61M U3 S3)
and the USB controller was kind of flakey: controllers plugged into certain ports didn't work sometimes.
Can go the other way. Have had a recent Aorus X570 then b550 both with bluetooth dropouts on ax200 chipset. Higher end still has issues it seems
Always regret not getting the best in the first place
Then why don't you just get the best?
I will from now one. Maybe not a 3090 though, it’s pretty big. But if it had a warranty then maybe it’d do. Then I’d need a bigger case, etc.
But 3090 is the best. Either you will from now on, or you wont.
@So lo: I think I will get the 3090. I might build a second computer and use my old one as a file server only. Or maybe buy an ARM MacBook Pro so I can actually work on the go. It’s hard to decide, I can’t really afford the best of both portable and desktop.
Because it would seem his choice is limited to Apple.
The entire Adobe suite just happens to run great on Macs. Less time you spend troubleshooting the more time you spend working.
I always go for the value mid tier components, paired with high quality fans and psu/case, means you have to upgrade every 2 years but a build can be 1500+ and easily handle all games on 1080p. I also enjoy the building process, selecting parts for a performance theme, silence, style, compactness these things tkae a few builds to get the hang of what you really need. My current build is pretty phenomenal, nothing overly expensive, extremely silent under any load, powerful enough for anything for my 2560x1080 monitor(no need to overkill for a 4k build), muted style (not too gamey but a big glass screen and a compact and clean interior). I think I almost prefer building pc's than actually playing anything!
That being said, if i could go back 6 years, I would just get a 1080ti for $1300 and all high end parts and would have spent about the same as I would have on 6 years of mid level pc builds up until now.
Would also have a much higher performance level over those 6 years. But wouldnt have learnt much, as multiple builds, and mistakes has made me a competent pc builder.TLDR: I do agree, it's often better to just go all out and future proof, much better performance over the long term, and similar, if not less cost over 5 or so years.
not sure about this…
you can't future proof anything
and tech advance so fast that maybe going mid tier is bettersince the next one out would have features that the top tier last gen might be missing out on..
Also going mid tier, also means you own many more products, instead of just 1.
e.g. buying one $2000 dollar phone and keeping it for how many years
or 4 x $500 phonesby the time you get your 4th $500 phone (at which ever time that is, surely that would have more better features/spec than your one x $2000 phone bought many years back)
This goes for any tech items
e.g. PC, TV, mobile phone etc..They key is just make sure to get a mid tier well known brand instead of some unknown brand since they have better warranty and better quality.
Why is everyone talking about upgrading every 2 years like it's a necessity…
I've had the same setup for 5 years now, and it's only just starting to show its age.
In a couple months I'll switch out the mobo, CPU and gpu for around 800 bucks for something a generation old and then upgrade in another 5 years if necessary.
Stop wasting your money.
@l3wis992: It's so I don't have to clean out the dust, when it gets too bad, just throw it out and buy new….. 😉
@lew380: I've never had a problem with using a vacuum, as long as you ground yourself and the cleaner occasionally. Takes me about half an hour once a year.
Photo of your set up please! Sounds amazing
The PC
My gramps pacemaker
Rest in pace
Underrated comment.
Didn’t make him run any faster?
Wish I had bought a 750w psu instead of a 650w
Had been eyeing one for a while, sold out as I decided to get it just now. Next price is some $55 more expensive.
And here is me with my cool and quiet build with a 450W. Going to need to do some creative accounting with my watts to get a 30xx gen card in there :P
yeah no way thats gonna work
I had it running with a 1060, i5 and about 5 hard drives….but this might be a bridge too far.
Its a mini ITX build and is small enough to be airline carry-on :)
Been thinking this for years. Recommending and buying ~500W power supplies in general is fine if it fits a build, but I'm always seeing people (particularly on reddit) not just doing that but telling people to downgrade from 650W PSUs because "you dont need it" in builds which can clearly spare an extra $20-$50, yet the same build will have RGB components or high chipset motherboards for budget CPUs. Just have to roll my eyes.
There's literally no downside to going higher wattage, other than cost, and there's been plenty of deals over the years for 650W+ PSUs such as the EVGA Gx series which was common at one point. A PSU is likely the longest lasting component in any build, and will usually last through multiple builds, and no one knows what's coming next regarding power consumption. Higher wattage supplies in general will last longer than lower wattage as well.
Not directing this at you, just wanted to rant!
People always focus on PSU but… why? Have you had instability? Is there some upgrade you now can't do with your current unit?
IMHO as someone who has been building gaming PCs for over 20 years, the current PSU market is insane and gold, over-specced units at insane prices are almost completely unnecessary. Much more important to focus on things like nice modular cables I would say.
3D Blaster VLB graphics card. Kept on crashing every few minutes.
on a 486? Try with a Pentium.
Yes, 486 DX4100
Yes I got one as well. Got sucked in by claims on box and cool packaging.
I envied those with vlb, my Osborne 486 only had isa
headphones instead of gaming headsett? I bought M50x but they're rubbish for gaming.
Because there's no mic or what's lacking?
The positional sounds are not there. Can't hear people behind me, in front of me, on the side. It just sounds like one big soundstage.
The M50x are known for their small soundstage. It kind of comes with the territory of closed backs but those in particular felt very closed in to me. Try EQing them to balance out the muddy mids and then using Hesuvi or one of the Windows spatial sound providers for games.
I don't have these, but have used studio monitors for years before. I thought they were pretty damn good. Positional audio then was nowhere near as fancy as it is now, but in stereo, I still got my game on and felt like I had intuitive positional cues.
yES, THEY're great for listening to recordings and music production.
I have a pair of open backed ATH AD700's from way back. Brilliant sound stage, bass isn't great but I can hear faint footsteps and position them accurately, in flight sims I can hear the location and vector of enemy planes before I get eyes on. They were similar priced to some steel series gaming headphones that were not worth the postage, and they weren't cheap!
Gaming headphones are generally marketing garbage, you still need to do your research on soundstage, a cheap pair of gamey headphones probably wouldn't be much better. I could be wrong about latest generation gaming headphones thpough, I haven't even thought about another headphone in some years.
A lot of the pro gamers use Steelseries products so they're probably quite good for gaming. I know they sponsor pro matches and get free merchandise but if they're good enough for pro matches, they're good enough for me.
Equal playing field in a pro match dictated by a cashed up sponsor doesn't mean they are good. I'd wear them aswell if someone payed me to wear them. It's what the pros use at home that counts.
Good to see effective marketing in action.
I used the predecessor (ath 70?) with a modmic for years. Upgraded to the ATH-ADG1X when the kids destroyed the mic. By far the best gaming headphones you can buy imo (I own way too many headphones).
Still got my AD700's - can't see myself ever replacing them unless they break
should have gone Kingston Hyper-X Cloud
Related - but my chairs. Many many chairs over the years. I've always wanted to get an HM Aeron but each time I go to look for a new chair I've convinced myself that THIS time I'll find a reasonably priced chair that will last the test of time. Sadly, this has never been the case and invariably after a year or two I've found myself back in the very same position. All the money I've spent on chairs over the years could have easily paid for an Aeron which I'm confident I'd still have today. Facing a similar situation at the moment - current chair needs replacing. FeelsBadMan.
lol
Get a Herman Miller from gumtree. I got mine for $600 from there and besides having to relock the armchairs every now and then it is as good as a new. No ragrets.
I would say make sure to try it out in person, though. I've read so many reviews of Aerons where the size B (the most common one you find second hand) has an uncomfy bottom shape if you're particularly tall or wide (or particularly small in those dimensions). Calling the chair a disappointment despite the high price when the issue is likely to be a choice of wrong size.
This is what deters me from going secondhand; no returns if it doesn't fit you well. The Aeron is designed in 3 sizes for a reason. I think the Embody is a more universal fit but you almost never see those up for secondhand sale.
Second this. We got aerons at work and I don't find them comfortable for long periods of time.
Possibly to the dismay of many in this thread, I much prefer my bathurst from officeworks.
Seats are very much a personal thing and it comes down to so many little preferences like firmness, comfort for height, removable armrests, etc
I've heard this advice a lot but I just can't get over using second hand furniture. God knows how many farts its had during its lifetime.
It's a gamer chair, it's not just farting that I'd be worried about :s
At least with an Aeron it is mesh so the farts have drifted through rather than soaked in.
I got a Herman miller off gumtree, only paid $150 but its not that comfortable I think the net thing is saggy
I got a used Steelcase Leap. Really liking it but for whatever reason part of the arm rest was removed.
I bought my HM probably 10-15 years ago now, it is still going strong, before that I would go through a couple of office chairs a year (I am 6 foot 4 and 110kg). The only sign of the chair being old is the deteriorating foam on the arms. Big initial cost but has easily paid for itself.
My father has an Aeron and i have used them extensively in offices as well and I was considering buying one a few years ago. Instead I purchased an ergohuman V2. 3 years on it is basically still in as new condition and i am very happy with it, and i find for my taller, slimmer frame it is a lot more supportive than the Aeron. Potentially worth a look, though I have heard they are uncomfortable for people shorter than around 5'10". The Aeron is still very nice, but with the price difference for a new one (and the second hand ones i looked at being in very rough shape, the ergohuman feels like barely even a compromise. I think mine cost around $500, seems they are a bit more now, but well worth it.
I used to own a computer shop, and as such needed to deliver some really cheap computers to be competitive, but they also needed to work or I would be forever fixing them.
The three things I wouldn't get the absolute cheapest were RAM & Motherboard & Power Supply.
So when I say absolute cheapest - I mean buy a decent brand. Typically I would go for Corsair or Kingston RAM, but as long as they were half decent they would do.
Motherboards were typically Gigabyte or ASUS. We did have a bad batch of ASUS motherboards which killed us at one point, but its not to say ASUS motherboards are an issue.
Power supply we would get a fairly cheap one, and it was a bit of trial end error, but they didn't turn over as fast so once we found a good one we would keep buying it. I remember some fairly cheap black ones which were sexy as hell. Again though, if I didn't have the luxury of seeing what was working well in the market, a cheap but branded PSU is the way to go.
Also a not-the-cheapest case will have you not cutting yourself all the time, but thats really a small time pain.
After that is all just about what specs you want / what you want to do.
The one thing I went cheap on was an RGB mouse pad. It was the 90cm from Amazon third party. I have to break a finger to press the button each time to turn it on. Sometimes it doesn't come on at all. For only $35 I guess I'll take it. Never cheaped out on any parts other than that. Only issue I've had is from Seasonic platinum power supply that blew up twice (original and replacement) Went for the cheaper Corsair RMX 850 and it's been perfect. One failed part on a setup worth over $6000 and it's been raped and molested most days, is pretty good over the last few years. If you buy the best parts you get the best results.
ram, I jumped on a deal from here and wish I researched more and didn't just jump on $200 for 32gb of Ripjaws V at 3200 when I could have bought something with 3600mhz and better timing.