First Time Gaming PC Buyer Advice - Budget $2k - $2.5k

Lmarchozb on 15/11/2024 - 14:37
Last edited 15/11/2024 - 15:24 by 1 other user

Hi OzBargain, longtime lurker, first time poster!

I am looking at purchasing my first Gaming PC. After witnessing the disappointment of the PS5 Pro, I've decided that I would skip it and go Gaming PC instead.

My current gaming setup is a PS5 on a 65 Inch LG C2 (OLED), a Nintendo Switch OLED and a Miyoo Mini Plus V3. I also have a Fanatec sim racing setup.

I am looking to spend about $2k on a pre-built system (whilst building from scratch sounds fun, I don't want to). If there is something really good value, I can push the budget to $2.5k. I have a pretty sound understanding of how computers, resolution, FPS, RT and displays work. I kind of understand the concept of being GPU bound, CPU bound etc. I want to try hooking it up to my TV via HDMI 2.1 inputs on my LG C2 and try playing console style (don't hate!) but also going to invest in a 1440 160-180htz ultrawide monitor.

For my preferences, I'm looking to achieve the following:

  1. 1440 at 120 frames, high/ultra graphics no RT
  2. 1440 at 70-90 frames, high/ultra graphics with RT
  3. 4k at 90ish frames, high/ultra graphics no RT
  4. 4k at 60 frames, high/ultra graphics with RT

I understand these are ambitious targets! Therefore, don't mind using DLSS or adjusting graphics settings where it permits. Some of the games that I'm looking to play are RDR2, Cyberpunk 2077, ACC, iracing, anything on Xbox Game Pass for PC, Baldur's gate 3 or generally anything that is either PC exclusive or runs miles better on a PC….

I understand that a lot of this will require a GPU around the 4070 Super, 4070 TI Super or even 4080 Super.

Here are a few questions that I wanted to ask:

  • If you could have your time buying a prebuild again, what would you do differently?
  • Any buying advice?
  • With the potential of the 50 series graphics cards coming out early 2025, should I wait? NVIDIA are known to restrict stock to manage market price for their GPUs.

I've mostly been searching through OzBargain and understand for prebuilds that either Neblua, Techfast (delays) and Gala are the go to. What are your thoughts on this build (CPU bound? But I'm not really playing CPU bound games to my understanding) -

Any advice is greatly appreciated, happy Black Friday bargaining!

Computing Computer Desktop Computer

Comments

  • Hybroid on 15/11/2024 - 14:45

    disappointment of the PS5 Pro

    What disappoints you? It delivers what it said it would, fidelity graphics with performance at the same time. Some games better than others, and it's early days for PSSR implementation.

    For some reason people got it in their heads that it's a whole new generation or giant leap. It's a performance boost akin to upgrading your GPU…

    That's not to detract from a gaming PC being a solid alternative. There are weekly prebuilt posts here. That 4080S is sold out, the 4070Ti S here would suit you nicely: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/876793

    I imagine there will be some better deals towards end of month when the 'black Friday/week/month/whatever it's called this year' sales occur. Worth waiting out a tad longer.

    • marchozb on 15/11/2024 - 14:52
      +1

      The disappointment was the complete transparency on Sony pulling an Apple and ripping you off. Not including disk drive, stand, $1.2k price tag just to bump 20 or so frames with RT. With a HDMI 2.1 TV I get the fidelity mode at 40fps mode which defeats the purpose of the PS5 Pro. Each to their own though! It's also a lot to spend on games that I've already played.
      PSSR implementation could swing me to get one though….

      Thanks for the recommendation, I'll be monitoring this closely!

      • ForkSnorter on 15/11/2024 - 15:00

        Not including disk drive

        Having had a PS5 with PS+ for a few weeks, I'm already understanding how redundant the disk drive is, with the exception of allowing you to trade 2nd hand games and maybe watch blu ray discs (also redundant). Can't think of any other use for it. Can understand the ditching of the disk drive, this is old world technology. I almost wish I'd bought a digital version.

        • marchozb on 15/11/2024 - 15:02

          There's more retailers in the disc world = more competition = better prices
          You can trade in disc games, cannot trade in digital games. I got Star wars outlaws, played, hated and finished it, sold it for $10 less than I bought it

        • Hybroid on 15/11/2024 - 15:05

          Physical discs are significantly cheaper on average than digital games. Especially in Australia as the purchasing power for games tapers off rapidly here.

          It's fine if you just play PS+ games, but those that actually purchase games will offset the disc drive cost pretty quickly.

          There's also an entire subset of people that prefer to have library collections and own their games (for the vast majority that can be played entirely offline on disc).

      • Hybroid on 15/11/2024 - 15:02
        +1

        I don't see it as a rip-off. It’s US$250 worth of upgrades for US$250 extra over the PS5 Slim Digital.

        That gets you extra 1TB storage (US$99) + a GPU upgrade & new PSSR tech which would be similar to PC graphics card upgrade price delta (~US$150).

        The disc drive is extra in either case so doesn't factor in, though the extra stand is definitely a pisstake.

        Unfortunately most games don't support 120Hz for the 40FPS modes. More and more games are being updated to support PS5 Pro Enhanced modes and it is likely to play an even bigger part in new game releases.

        It's also half-price ($599) at EBGames if you trade in current PS5. Just adding a different perspective to your considerations but to each their own as you say.

        • marchozb on 15/11/2024 - 15:08
          +1

          Another thing was that it felt like a lot of money to play the same games I've already played… I'd rather tip that cash (pus more) into a Gaming PC to play games that are locked behind exclusivity.

          • Hybroid on 15/11/2024 - 15:10
            +2

            @marchozb: That's entirely a fair point. I'm also on the lookout for a similar PC and will be keeping an eye towards end of the month.

            Go to to the Desktop Computer category and subsribe to get notifications on new posts.

  • ForkSnorter on 15/11/2024 - 15:01

    I think you're overthinking things. Any $2k gaming PC offered on Ozbargain is going to give you a decent gaming experience.

    • marchozb on 15/11/2024 - 15:03
      +3

      You are so right. I'd like to put a bit of thinking into it as $2k goes a long long way! Certainly not a small amount of money.

  • plmko on 15/11/2024 - 15:41

    Personally I wouldn't spend too hard into PC gaming. We are just before a change of generational hardware and some things are artificially held up.

    • marchozb on 15/11/2024 - 16:25

      Would you mind elaborating? I would think with new generation of GPUs coming that the 40 series would get a nice healthy discount? Also understand that NVIDIA hold stock to manipulate price

  • Gdsamp on 15/11/2024 - 16:12
    +2

    How old are you? Only have suggestions for 27 year olds

  • Cronium on 15/11/2024 - 17:12

    I would wait till Black Friday then decide.

    Also whoever you go with, get an air cooler over an AIO if you can, AIOs cause many headaches.

    • marchozb on 15/11/2024 - 17:28

      Water in a PC scares me

    • dogboy on 15/11/2024 - 20:26

      I went back to an air cooler in my last build after running an AIO for a few years.

    • GhostofB on 18/11/2024 - 10:41

      Anyone know if Centrecom are planning to have an actual Black Friday sale, or if this Black November nonsense is all we're getting from them?

  • original15 on 15/11/2024 - 17:12
    +1

    The section where you say 50 series around the corner, similar bucket
    Don’t have a PC so wondering if I wait to see what 50 series brings, whether we can wait the question

    • marchozb on 15/11/2024 - 17:14
      +1

      I'm thinking 40 series should be discounted? I don't need anything passed what the 4070TIS or 4080 Super can do

      • original15 on 15/11/2024 - 17:19

        Exactly the cards I’m looking at but what’s the payoff of buying now and enjoying elite pc gaming, hell maybe even some rgb, for the months before 50 series comes out, and will we see much of a drop? Or be tempted to stretch to the 50s..
        Thanks for making this thread, same stage as you, tho Xbox and no racing sim lol. Have a decent monitor already 👍🏻
        I reckon I’m gunna wait to 5080 launch. Sure I wanna smash cod and others now but can probably wait

        • marchozb on 15/11/2024 - 17:28

          I've read that NVIDIA manipulate the stock of their GPUs when they are about to release a next gen to manager price… Does that mean we are kind of in a dip? Experts pls weigh in

  • jk82 on 15/11/2024 - 17:17

    Here's a couple of points for you to consider. to push 4k you need upscaling, even on a $6k+ system you'll stuggle to do 4k120 native in new AAA games. It's just too much, hence why PSSR is now a thing and why DLSS has been around for so long and why nvidia keeps working on it (DLSS is incredible now by the way, when you get a PC learn how to update the DLSS DLL for older games - such as RDR2, as the new versions (v3.8 are so much better than the older ones v2.2).

    If you're happy with how the switch looks on your 65" then you'll be happy with how a PC will upscale 1080p using DLSS (set in game res to 4k and set DLSS mode to performance or balanced). So a 4070ti or 4070ti Super will be more than enough. If you're playing on a TV and sit far enough back you really don't need that super crispness. It's only when you sit at a desk with the panel inches from your face that you really want that high res.

    Be aware that PC towers are BIG, if you've got the space around your TV unit then cool, otherwise defo go something in your link, which is the Lian Li DAN A3 case (it's mATX). It's still large compared to a Series X but it's smaller than a full tower. Check the measurements of the cases in the systems you're looking at.

    Other point would be don't wait - if you want it now just go for it. There's always new tech around the corner, PC's dont work like console generations, new CPU's and GPU's come around on a yearly basis.

    As for pre-built tips I can't help there sorry, I always build my own. But do the research into what sort of CPU you want for your target games at target res/fps and same for GPU. There's plenty of youtube videos with specific combos and how they perfom in game. Your options are limitless

    Good luck, have fun :)

    • marchozb on 15/11/2024 - 17:32

      Thankyou so much for your reply!

      Would you mind explaining DLSS to me in simplistic terms?

      The Switch looks OK on my TV but I think I'd never game in 1080 (not sure how DLSS plays into that). I'd want to exclusively be in 1440 or 4k. Would a 4070Ti Super be good for this?

      All good on size of the case, have already measured.

      Have certainly watched hours and hours of benchmarking videos.

      • jk82 on 15/11/2024 - 18:36

        Sure. So as an example - when you plug your switch into the tv it’s outputting 1080p right, but your TV is 4k, so your tv is upscaling that 1080p image to 4k.

        Now, imagine that instead of some brash, rough method which just blows the picture up. You’ve got AI analysing each frame and upscaling it for you. That’s what DLSS is - Deep Learning Super Sampling.

        The different settings for DLSS (quality, balanced, performance) equate to fractions of the target resolution. So if you’re at 4K and set it to Quality you’re forcing your computer to internally render it at 66% of 4K - which is 1440p. Balanced is at 50% so it means the game is actually rendering internal 1080p but DLSS is bringing it up to 4K for you. It looks surprisingly good and DLSS balanced looks almost as good as native 4k. Some people will say that DLSS is even better than native as it does anti-aliasing too (removes the jaggy edges)

        But yes, a 4070ti super would be very good for that. It also has frame generation which essentially creates frames between frames so doubles your frame rate. But you ideally want at least a base frame rate of 60fps for it to be any good (the game must support this technology though).

        Also note that pretty much all games on PS5 run at much lower than 4k and have their own solution for upscaling, most are using FSR which is AMD’s version and generally sub-par to DLSS. (PS5 & XSX have AMD silicon)

      • jk82 on 15/11/2024 - 18:40

        One more tip - PC games are cheap! When you get them on sale that is. I use this site

        https://gg.deals/

    • marchozb on 15/11/2024 - 23:09

      This is awesome advice thank you so much! After a lot of research, think 4070 TI Super is perfect for me! DLSS sounds amazing.
      The million dollar question is - do I pull the trigger on a 4070 TI Super build this black friday or wait for the 5070 which will either be same price or the 4070 TI Super will be discounted?

      • jk82 on 16/11/2024 - 06:03

        Yeah no worries.

        And yep well that’s entirely up to you. It’s uncharted waters in this post COVID, Nvidia dominated world but my best guess after seeing the 30xx series and 40xx series, is that the 50xx series will launch at something like +$500 to +$1000 on what the 40xx cards cost, meaning the remaining 40xx stock will be able to be sold at their current prices, then in a year or so they’ll release a refreshed 50xx series line (Super/TI whatever they decide to call it) and that’s when you’ll start seeing “discounts”. Of course at that time there will be talk of the 60xx series and what’s next.

        Now I could be wrong, but Nvidia are so far ahead of the competition they really can command pricing at this point. And from what I’ve seen from AMD I can’t see them pulling a rabbit out of a hat for RDNA4. This stuff takes years to develop and even longer to refine once released. Nvidia are valued at over $4trillion now and they’re not slowing down. Jensen (CEO) was also talking about a yearly cadence (down from 2 years) for their tech so their R&D department is defo in full swing.

        So yeah, that’s why my recommendation is to jump on it now, I think the refresh point in the GPU cycle is the time to buy and I think if you wait for the 50xx series you’ll be paying a lot more - but you’ll have the latest card and the latest features so if that’s what you want then yeah wait. Again, I could be totally wrong, it’s anyone’s guess, but personally, I’ll be upgrading my GPU at refresh points in future.

        • marchozb on 16/11/2024 - 12:30

          This is an interesting read. Seems like NVIDIA are going to be happy to overpriced due to lack of competition. You've really helped me here, definitely going for a prebuilds in the next few months before 4070 TI Super stock is sold out. Is this a good deal? What are your thoughts on the CPU? Considering gaming only at 1440 or 4k, don't think I will play many CPU bound games
          https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/876360

          • jk82 on 16/11/2024 - 14:01

            @marchozb: Yeah I mean I wouldn’t say overpriced, if you look at nvidias earnings the gaming sector is like 5% of their profits. It is what it is… it’s pricey to R&D and expensive to manufacture. Plus business gonna business.

            But yeah, that prebuild is ridiculously good value for $2k. The performance you’ll get will be incredible for the price, it’s a solid machine that’ll last you a while, but also a good base should you want to upgrade over the years, and hey… if the 50xx series comes out and you like it, buy it and sell your old GPU! That’s the beauty of PC, you don’t have to wait for generations :)

            • marchozb on 18/11/2024 - 09:25

              @jk82: Thanks so much for your advice, it is greatly appreciated! Very excited to join the PC master race and see what all the fuss is about (albeit my bank account is not thrilled about it).

              I reckon I will hold out for Black Friday and if nothing is insanely good value jump on a Nebula prebuild for a RTX 4070 TI Super, it does exactly what I want it to and understand the 50 series is coming but it certainly won't be cheaper than 40 series, so I'd rather be cost conscious.

          • Byron Bae on 18/11/2024 - 13:48

            @marchozb: I'm looking at this one with the 4070 super: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/874279
            But maybe that one you linked is better, less CPU but more GPU.

            Though the standard mobo isn't good in either.
            It looks like it's worth upgrading the mobo for an extra $100 to 'gaming plus' model if you read the reviews in this: https://www.techspot.com/review/2861-amd-b650-motherboards-p…

            Also, it's only an extra $30 for to get a much faster SSD.
            I think it's probably worth getting a 750W power as well. The 650W is only just big enough according to online calculators.

            Just thought I'd share the information I've find out as I'm in the same boat.

            • marchozb on 19/11/2024 - 15:36

              @Byron Bae: Hey, I ended up pulling the trigger one this deal https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/872534#comment-15942174
              Some minor modifications to the original deal
              MSI MAG Pano case (I love the fish tank look)
              MSI RTX 4070Ti Super OC
              Ryzen 5 7500F
              32gb ram
              1TB + 500gb SSD
              MSI Gaming Plus Motherboard
              MSI AIO cooler
              750w Gold rated
              Windows 11 installed
              After discount $2609 with a $225 USD Steam Gift Card and new Indiana Jones game.

              This was really similar to a Nebula build that I was going for, but it was an additional $50ish for 500gb SSD, extra 100w PSU and OC GPU. Plus, I am Melbourne based so can Click and Collect/return in person if there is any problems.

              Thanks for your help!

  • Byron Bae on 15/11/2024 - 22:18

    Let me know what you end up deciding. I'm in the same boat but with an Xbox. DLSS is just too good not to have now.
    At the moment, I'm thinking of waiting for the 50 series. But the deals on the 4070 supers are very tempting.

    • marchozb on 19/11/2024 - 15:40

      Hey, I ended up pulling the trigger one this deal https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/872534#comment-15942174
      Some minor modifications to the original deal
      MSI MAG Pano case (I love the fish tank look)
      MSI RTX 4070Ti Super OC
      Ryzen 5 7500F
      32gb ram
      1TB + 500gb SSD
      MSI Gaming Plus Motherboard
      MSI AIO cooler
      750w Gold rated
      Windows 11 installed
      After discount $2609 with a $225 USD Steam Gift Card and new Indiana Jones game.

      • Byron Bae on 19/11/2024 - 17:28

        Nice! I'm keen on getting a 7800X3D or a 9800X3D with a 4070 Super and the Steam gift card so I'm going to wait for a deal on those to pop up.

        • marchozb on 19/11/2024 - 18:48

          The games I'm looking to play are definitely GPU bound so I wasn't really considering 7800X3D. Maybe in a few years once they are cheaper!

          • Byron Bae on 19/11/2024 - 21:36

            @marchozb: What are you looking to play? I'm still unsure whether I should get a Ti super instead of a better CPU.

            • marchozb on 19/11/2024 - 22:34

              @Byron Bae: Most modern games, aside from competitive esports at 1,000,000 FPS, are usually GPU bound except for a few exceptions. I ain't touching counter strike so I'd prefer beefy GPU

              • Byron Bae on 23/11/2024 - 21:22

                @marchozb: I ended up going with almost the exact same setup as you. Now I have to wait 2 weeks, which feels like it's going to take ages as it's only been 2 days.

  • zionbiggestfan on 20/11/2024 - 04:11
    +1

    Welcome to OzBargain and congrats on going for a gaming PC! With your $2,000–$2,500 budget, an RTX 4070 Ti paired with a Ryzen 5 7600X or i5-13600KF is ideal for 1440p and solid 4K gaming. Vendors like Nebula and Gala offer quality builds, while TechFast is budget-friendly but may cut corners Check specs carefully. Black Friday is perfect for deals, but waiting for 50 series GPUs could mean higher costs. Focus on a strong GPU, 32GB RAM, and an NVMe SSD for the best experience. Happy gaming!

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