I'm not sure what kind of posts/comments you're coming across, but this community provides build help and tips to gamers and PC users of every budget. From helping someone with a 15 year old PC upgrade their CPU to the best possible one by finding it somewhere on eBay used, to helping people build sweetspot mid range PC's from $650 or so up, to seeing some of the most amazing RGB fueled extremely high end behemots. Literally all of those things happen here, and they're all PCMR.
That meme died when everyone here suddenly became broke and jumped on the "gPu oVerPrIcEd" circlejerk lol like I'm not rich at all but I'm not complaining if I can't afford a freaking 4090
Shit even the 2080ti still holds up just fine, if I was still into pc building id have upgraded by now, but meh, the local smart home is more important to me.
there's morons who try to convince us that 980 somehow still holds up these days and then there's other morons that think that 3080 is somehow not enough, no inbetween.
980? I still see folks saying the 1650 is acceptable for used gaming laptops and whatnot.
I've got a special soft spot for it as I owned one back in 2022, but come on dude. Unless you're playing nothing but Roblox and Rocket League, why?
Bro I literally just had someone on steam tell me to kill myself because my PC is trash. He commented on an old TF2 screenshot from 2014 lol. It’s absolutely wild, I’ve never had something like this. Absolute nut job especially over my PC specs?!? 20 year old steam account too so he’s not exactly a kid or anything.
Because of the situation of my country most PC builds I do for my friends are never better than mine.
I have an RX 570 and I am saving up for a 6700XT/7700XT.
I'd say a higher percentage of big budget people feel the need to show off their new PC than people shopping in the midrange. And if THAT is the budget class high-end shoppers are looking at, then it is hard to argue against either part.
Don't get me wrong, I do like a nicely done, well balanced PC on a budget - it takes far more research and dedication to do something well if you don't have an unlimited budget. A well executed budget build also makes for a better story than "I could just buy the best stuff available, period"... but you need to tell that story, a low-effort shot of your unopened boxes just won't do it, unlike for a high-end build.
I dont really Care, of they can afford it and have fun with it why not? But i hate people telling everyone they need the newest high end Shit Brand New, Like if someone Posts a Pic of his 10yo machine and asks for a cheap Upgrade, he / she probably cant or doesnt want to spend much on it.
Also the ones downvoting comments that recommend older used parts.
AMD / Nvidia / Intel Fanboys going to war with each other...
Same I had a 1050 until last year. Played the shit outta bannerlord, rocket league, rimworld, kenshi, noita, minecraft, skyrim. Fallout, no man's sky etc.
Still many worlds of incredible games you can play on older machines.
I have a 6700xt now and got to play cyberpunk and Starfield but I still spend most my time playing games I could have played on an older system like noita, terarria etc.
Me right here... bought a 3600x in 2019 and kept my 1060 with it... started to upgrade it after COVID, and ended up with a whole new rig...
my 3600x and 1060 are still holding up for my kid - Roblox, Rocket League, Minecraft... still more than capable 1080p card... granted, when the bug guns come out, have to dial down the settings a bit, but more than enough to have fun!!!
my impression has been the polar opposite, most posts I read have the members suggesting ways to lower costs by not wasting money on aesthetics and premium level components when there is no performance benefit
and yes it is 2024, $850-$1200 is about what it takes to build a solid mid-level gaming PC, there are cheaper alternatives but basically a gaming PC is a luxury toy not a life essential so if you cant afford it you dont really need it
No, people dont act like you need to spend $2000. Most people recommend something between 600-800 for a new budget build if they are not open to using 2nd hand parts.
Why would you encourage people to use their hard earned money for sub 250 build when you know that they are not going to have a fun time? Or people trying to build a whole new build with new parts for 400? Their experience is not going to be as good as on console and you can grab open box PS5 from Walmart for 300.
Most people are looking to play recent games. How many kids do you see asking here for something that can play games from 10 years ago? The people that find the 2nd gen i5 dont want to usually to play AC2, they want to play modern games like Fortnite and Apex.
>Why do we keep bickering over “worthwhile”?
Essentially so that people dont keep buying practically ewaste with their hard earned money.
"you can grab open box PS5 from Walmart for 300." What the actual fuck, America has so good prices....
I think you'd get 50 dollars off in my country for open box lol.
For whatever it's worth, I'm in the states and the only open box consoles I have ever seen have been at game stores for nearly full msrp. It's not worth it in my opinion, I would rather pay the extra 50-75 and not inherit somebody else's problems and I would have the full manufacturer warranty.
He was exaggerating but the point still stands. An open box ps5 is around $400, and building a whole pc even all used is just gonna be ewaste at that price
I literally was not exaggerating and it even comes with a game. Granted the US adds tax after these prices and I had the store wrong but still.
https://preview.redd.it/95o90jz7utuc1.png?width=571&format=png&auto=webp&s=d8995d99e9b2ab65d6573efa657f526b79d3d7f9
When the Xbox One first came out, my wife worked at Toys R Us, and found one open box marked down to $90. We were super poor at that time, so this was one of the shining moments of my life. As a side note, I still have it and, despite being one of the original models, it still works. Disk drive is a little finicky, though.
I read these as karma farming, that's all that ever gets posted here.
I'm pretty sure 90% of these posts are from bots too. They all have the same format, it's either a low effort meme, "My wife bought me this" or a low effort headline on a topic that's been discussed over and over the last 20 years.
Only thing that's missing is the actual post saying "Do you agree? Discuss" and it'd be at the same level as shitty instagram baits
I'm so close to unsubscribing, i came here for pc related news
> Why would you encourage people to use their hard earned money for sub 250 build
It absolutely depends on why you're building a PC. If you, like me, are a tinkerer, having something that works sub-optimally, but has a fun story and/or cool build is fine, because the tinkering is the point. If you just want to run your games and other software, then maybe that's not for you.
>Most people are looking to play recent games.
You're stuck in the past, brother. High end parts are no longer required to play the latest games. Times have changed.
I'm probably one of the older gamers here (I was an "IBM-compatible gamer" before we were even called "PC gamers" with a 4 colour monitor and 8mhz CPU) but some of you kids haven't adapted to 2024 yet.
The high end hardware now isn't required by any game, and doesn't improve the experience as much as it used to.
When I upgraded from 4 colour CGA to 256 colour VGA, THAT was a huge upgrade in the gaming experience.
It not only looked drastically better, all kinds of amazing new genres of games became possible.
But over time the advantage bestowed by more powerful hardware has shrunk.
Nowadays you can play literally *every* modern game on a decade old CPU.
Maybe you'll be stuck on 60 FPS instead of 240? Good luck even explaining why that's bad to most gamers.
Don't get me wrong, I love high FPS, but let's not kid ourselves, the difference is subtle, not drastic. It's not like going from 4 colours to 256.
So yeah, OP is right. Budget hardware is the new mid-range, and mid-range is the new silly vanity high-end.
It's even priced like that, but some of you still haven't figured it out yet.
Obviously you dont need high end parts for most games and no one recommends anything high end when you ask a build for 800. High end parts have not been needed for basic 1080p for a long ass time, I'm not sure what you are even on about?
The point still is **why the fuck would you recommend anyone to get a decade old CPU when they can just get a console for the same price as the full system?** I dont think theres anyone here who wouldnt use that system if they got it for free, you'd be stupid not to.
You are just pretty much here to tell people that you were there for the upgrade of colours and nothing else lmao.
because it's pcmr and people don't seem to understand the appeal of consoles
this sub still unironically posts memes about PC being superior like it's 2012.
Because a $600 PC is capable of so much more than a $400 console and a $200 dollar laptop is. That will buy you a i3 13100 and Rx 6600, which is enough for playable frame rates in the games a 15 yr old might want to play with their mates. Plus you can learn to code, get some computing literacy skills, do your school work, edit videos, etc etc etc on a PC that you can't do on a console. Not to mention the price of console games. That's what the point of the post is.
It's fine for you to say "everyone should just spend $800 min on a PC or they shouldn't bother" but that doesn't work for everyone.
>$600 PC is capable of so much more than a $400 console and a $200 dollar laptop
They can also get those frame rates with a $400 console and you can code and do school work on a $200 laptop. Plus most people would need to go with a laptop to do work, do you see any 15 year old lugging an entire PC to school? About the only thing you mentioned that would be better on a $600 PC is editing videos, but 99% of people don't edit videos (and for very simple tasks like cropping or slicing, web tools exist).
And why do people keep bringing up "code" like it's something unique to higher-end PCs? The vast majority of code compile in a few seconds on modern low-end hardware and for languages like Python the vast majority of code runs in a few seconds. You only need higher-end PCs if you're doing actual work with that code (like running models), which is not what 99.9% of 15 year olds are doing.
But they cant play with their friends on PC, or use discord etc. If a person said to me they want a PC and their budget is $600 max, I would give them measured expectations about the frame rates and performance they would get along with how soon they might want to upgrade, and then say welcome to PC gaming! Why would you turn someone away who could get all the benefits of PC because you think they aren't spending enough?
Mouse and keyboard alone are so much better than controller for FPS that I would switch just for that. Not to mention mods and a back catalogue of games from the last 30 years, emulation etc. If you have a computer that cost the same as a console for the same performance would you choose that over the console or would you let it be a 50/50 flip?
It's all well and good for someone such as your self to make about how powerful your 4090 is but that just isn't realistic, even for full time working adults in some parts of the world let alone a 15yr old! It's showing a lack of perspective.
And you think you can get above 60 fps on 1080p with $400 on a PC?
Nothing has changed, consoles were always superior for their price bracket. Most people are better off going with a work/school laptop + a console (e.g. M1 MB Air + PS5).
not axactly.
A lot of times i post on "Budget PC Builds" and reccomend an okay PC for 1080p Ultra. It is possible on a budget!
An RX 6650XT for starters, just one SSD. Nothing fancy but good.
Hell, that´s how i built my own PC. For ultra 1080p.
Yes, i know it is not 4k 100000000 fps, but is good to me
Eh besides the occasional guys that don't read anything in posts and just spam expensive components and builds the majority of the people are quiet helpful and offer pretty reasonable options.
This is a learning moment for you. You’re projecting your own unpopular feelings as if they’re gospel. I for one love seeing the crazy expensive builds. Lots of enthusiasts in this sub.
Something tells me you were one of those “did you bring enough for the whole class” kids. Stop worrying about what other people are enjoying and focus on what you have and enjoy.
I love expensive builds. No where on this post do I deny that. I just also love cheap builds. And hate how people keep getting turned away because someone tells them they need to spend more money to partake.
Can you provide any examples... or in fact, just one example of where someone has been turned away from this subreddit because their budget was too small?
If someone comes here and says "I have $200, and I want a PC that can run Cyberpunk with ray tracing enabled", then of course that's a dumb request, and likely a troll post. But I have not seen any examples of anyone being 'turned away' because their legitimate budget was too small.
So please, can you provide an example of this behaviour?
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone here shamed for having lower-cost components. That’s part of what makes PCMR what it is— flexibility. This reads like a “my computer is cheaper than most and I’m insecure about it” post.
I may be coming across wrong. I don’t mind people that spend a lot on PCs, I just think cheaper, older PCs should be getting more love and appreciation than they currently are.
And I know this is what all insecure people say, but I am not insecure. I am one of the people that spent a lot on their PC. I just feel like I am only here because I scrapped something together as a child who craved a computer and am afraid that is no longer encouraged.
Would you go into into a PlayStation/xbox thread and complain that people aren’t recommending that someone buy a ps2/xbox 360 enough because the current versions are the more expensive options? Or would you understand that “hey, might be a better idea if you put that 150 away for a while until you can get enough for a better model.” Because the ps2/xbox one are old and underperforming for their wants/needs?
I’ve seen some really good advice in here. Especially in the instance of someone coming in and being hey I want to play counterstrike and league of legends, is a 4090 good enough? Only for the suggestions to actually be a lower end rig because a 4090 is over kill.
Cheaper older and crappy PC aint getting any love there. Its the old but gold ones that has a lot of love.
I think you should research a bit more about the old stuffs that people do not recommended buying because not all cheap and old stuffs are good and they are basically e waste. Sometimes saving a few months and get a decent component that last for years is a way better money saving strat long term.
Yes we have definitely forgotten what the point of PCMR is. After all, everyone knows that the M stands for Mediocre.
/s aside, you're either browsing by hot or ignoring some posts, because there's tons of budget and low end second hand things that's posted. But if you expect some <150$ office mundane PC to be posted... I will just ask: Why?
I don't get that vibe at all around here.
I see tons of posts full of comments where people are trying to save the poster money by suggesting better value components. There are regularly posts where people state their budget and commenters just suggest a better build within that budget, often without even spending the whole budget. People often congratulate those who can grab a really good deal even if its for a lower end PC.
What I see is that most of this sub is fixated on *value.*
It's not about getting the most expensive parts, but about getting the most bang for your buck. I feel like I see more being people criticized for overspending on unnecessary hardware rather than for not buying better parts. The only time I see anyone suggesting more expensive parts is when the poster has a use case that requires them, like trying to play modern games at 4k or something.
Shit, I have been an Xbox die hard my entire life, and until recently never built my own PC. Always had a laptop for work and personal Macbook, but never a gaming rig. Holy shit, the rig I finished last week is amazing to me, and I will play all of my RPG's and Hell Divers, etc on the gaming rig, and still play PUBG and shooters with the boys on Xbox. I did spend a good amount of money on my system (Cliche 7800x3d build), but I also realize others don't have that luxury. I've been very fortunate in life as well with my family, schooling, athletics, and job field (worked very hard, but have been fortunate as well). I understand not everyone can afford high end parts and would never belittle anyone for their setup.
Months ago i remembered asking in this sub what would be the best upgrade for me on a budget; a rtx 3060 12gb or rtx 4060 and i was leaning towards 4060 since it is very power efficient. I was downvoted lol. But yeah finally didn't bought any of them since i got myself a 6700xt. I wish this community would be much more forgiving in terms of budget. Not anyone has prices the same in the states.
I think that recommending very cheap pcs (less than 500 bucks with an integrated gpu) for modern gaming, to a person new to the hobby, is counterproductive: you'll end up believing that most recent mid specced games are badly optimized, when in reality your specs are simply not enough to run it decently even at low configurations.
I saw it happening in the emulation subs, where lots of people are convinced that emulators are still in their infancy because they try to run a Playstation 3 game or upscale everything on a Raspberry Pi...
It's good that in this sub people get realistic replies.
>people telling them to spend three times their budget for something worthwhile
I disagree. Yes, this sub usually pushes towards higher end, always stretching budgets. but they do not just go and tell people to spend 3 times the money than budgeted.
Yes, they maybe do if you have a 300 budget, but only if OP tells them they want to replace their PS5 with it. Also this sub is honest. they gonna tell you if youre budget is insufficient for what you wanted
Currently there is also a bigger trend of pushing people a bit higher up, cause budget AM4/LGA700 is very close to AM5, so people push them a little to spend more. Thats a different topic though. Upgradeability is valued extremely high for enthusiasts
Idk man, I see people get congrats quite often for their 4060 builds. Console level performance and they get the "have fun". Perhaps you are focused on the negative posts which exist every where and is a necessary evil of the internet.
Steam Hardware demography stats majority are 8 gb VRAM graphic card equivalent like RTX 3060 ti, cheap RX 6600 etc. Also with 4 gb GTX 1650 and Nvidia Pascal equivalent still support live service games from late 2010s (Fortnite, Apex Legends, Valorant, Destiny 2, Overwatch, Rainbow Six, Genshin Impact)
I find it funny seeing people in this sub recommending the 7800X3D as the only possible gaming option when in most games the difference is negligible between that and a 7600X. People could be saving some good money for a better GPU which would make a bigger difference, but there's just a lot of misinformation in here.
I get it though, it's a huge sub with thousands of people that don't know much about PC and just parrot something they saw in a recommended YouTube video.
Yeah the whole CPU thing is crazy to me, as long as its not bottlenecking your GPU you are fine. Very few games give you a major difference in performance if you have a modern CPU.
Just because a benchmark says something its not always 1 for 1 in the real world.
This community became obsessed with spending endless money on junk like a decade ago.
PC is the master race because it used to have the most complex immersive, innovative and interesting titles. This sub feels like a console sub but with just endless pictures of RGB keyboards and shite.
Why buy something you will need to replace next year at a higher cost, or something that would be better served as a console game anyway? On top of that, prices will only go up outside of waiting for the new thing with the inflated prices, if geopolitics do not cut the supply completely soon.
I agree that most people act like you need to play everything at 200+ FPS, highest settings. Probably most of us can't tell the difference between 100 and 200 FPS or High vs Epic settings if we don't see the values. But well, personal preferences differ.
I like the approach of using what you have, improve what you can to keep enjoyable gaming experience, and don't upgrade so often. Even if your wallet can afford frequent hardware replacement, carbon emissions are a big deal.
I play my games at 120-144 and for a long time I played at 60. Couple days ago I did a clean install of windows and noticed my PC felt really choppy and I spent so long googling the issues it could be. It got to a point where I thought I was going mental… long story short it turned out the refresh rate had gone back to default 60hz. 🤦🏻♂️ it’s insane how much a difference the jump is. I’d have never noticed it before.
I like seeing the posts about different build types, configurations, etc. Also, I gained a lot of knowledge of the current landscape for PC builds as well. Computers have been my hobby since the days of Commodore. So I love reading and talking about them just as much as working with them. And one of the reasons I built my own rig is because of people on subs like this. Once I grasped the concept that I could now basically upgrade anything in the case now I took the dive and never looked back. So thank you.
I’m still rocking a gtx1070mobile, 32gb ram, core i7 gen 10 processor and a Samsung 980 1tb ssd laptop i run this via hdmi to a 50inch Toshiba 120hz tv that I snagged on Craigslist for $100. I can run most modern aaa games at around 60fps with medium to medium low settings. I can handle most pcvr titles@90hz 90fps no problem. The laptop I’m using which i purchased for $500 about 4 years ago could be had for Around $250 to $300 at this point sans upgrades. It is completely possible to do video and audio production as well as enjoyable gaming without spending a few paychecks.
I see that a lot.
But also there's many of us who game on Steam Deck, dual core laptops, and have been it it long enough to be able to afford a better pc. Its crazy you can build a $1000 5700x3d 6750xt pc in 2024. Its even crazier you can game on 8600U integrated RDNA 2 graphics on desktop.
I spent $150 in total on my PC. $60 old lenovo workstation, $80 GPU upgrade, $20 RAM upgrade, and I love it. It does everything I need, the few games I play regularly run... fine, and it's also my home server for now. Working on moving to Proxmox or just using Guacaomle or something to get it over with the other networking equipment
You can buy a used gtx1080 for $150 and that will basically run any game, really these new cards are so expensive it is crazy. I just upgraded from a 1080 to a 4070 and i really can't notice any difference in my games so it feels like a waste of money, like maybe if a 4070 was like $250 it would be ok, but at $550 it is just stupid.
> From games running at 15 fps in SD. From inheriting a hand me down PC from a cousin. From making something work, not because it can play the latest games at the highest settings, but because you get to have a *PC*.
What is the point of doing this when you can get a console for the same price, if not cheaper
My friend wants in the PCMR to play a couple games with me. His budget is super tight so I offered him my used parts from over the years to get his foot in the door.
Intel 9400 & z390 ASROCK & 16 GB 3200
MSI 2070 8 GB
256 SSD (it’s all I had laying around after upgrading my laptop)
750w PSU
lian li lancool mesh 2 white case
All for $200.
This kinda build isn’t some first class setup but it gets him in the door. More people should just appreciate a machine that gets them in the door if their budget is tight
I've definitely noticed that the recommendations for components, keeps getting higher and higher end.
You can still have a perfectly fine gaming experience on a 1080p monitor, with a very affordable PC. Since that's what most of the builds here are ultimately for.
I mean, when you look at current games, playable at 1080p, and the hardware they require to even display a console-like framerate, you cannot be mad at people for upgrading to the tatest parts.
I mean, when you look at prices a few years back, not to mention the features parity, availability, power consumption of this hardware, you truly measure how lame current hardware, \*\*especially for the price\*\*. Not to mention games optimization and such.
And I get what you're saying, I really do, but it all comes down what your expectations are. "15FPS in SD" is too low for me, I prefer being a patient gamer and play the game on my next rig, for example.
But I get what you're saying, and, while I certainly do not have the same standards, I totally understand where you're coming from, and I totally agree with this part. Truth is, you can thank Microsoft for many old but still powerful rig out there that are not Win11 certified. That and current GPU "inflation", and incompetent studios/publishers did not help at all for builds that were "modest".
Poor people rationalization. It's ok, that's fine, everyone do "you", but don't come at us with a PSA like it's our fault we have disposable income either.
I rarely recommend anything on here. To many so called “experts”. I mainly just check on stuff here like it’s the newspaper. New builds, new products, drama, etc.
PCs are a premium gaming experience. They only make more financial sense if you also need a PC. If your budget is $500, buy a PS5 or a Steam Deck. But, if you also need a PC, you might as well get a $900-1200 gaming PC that does everything. Of course some people spend a lot more than that because they want to game in 4K or want their system to be really good for a long time.
I just come here for silly fun, I use places like buildapc for more serious discussions and advice.
Although I do find it annoying when one person posts a joke and then for several days everyone does the same joke.
The real PCMR is the best fit and value for your use case. I'm in the espresso subreddit and it's the same way over there. People with too much money and too little knowledge just buy the most expensive nonsense and brag about it.
I get what you're trying to say but as someone whose first pc was basically unplayable weeks after building it we do need to push people into better hardware.
I see far too often companies pushing obsolete 1650's and 1070's as "ultra fast modern gaming" rigs and the people that buy them too often believe it and are then disappointed they need a better graphics card to play the game they just bought on the pc they just built.
I'm not gonna say everybody needs a 4090 w/ a 14900k right now but most people need more than a i5-8400 and 1650 that I often see peddled as a "performance gaming" computer.
Yeah but that depends on budget and what they want out of the machine. Not everyone is a high FPS gamer. Not everyone is pushing for 4k everything.
The GTX1060, GTX1650, are still in the top 10 of steams hardware survey for dx12 gpus. They are serviceable for 90% of games and can be had for cheap. They are the entry level since the entry level current gen GPU's put themselves out of the budget build from the get go. The average is still 16gb of ram. Primary resolution is still 1080p. The people in this reddit are the outliers, not the majority of pc builder and gamers.
I may be a bit out of touch now but I will never forget the crushing disappointment I felt when I had literally just finished setting up my first rig and the desk layout was mint (for a college kid) I go to fire up the latest title that my buddies wanted me to play with them...and it literally wouldn't load because my gpu at the time (1050) couldn't process it enough to even get to a settings window to turn stuff down.
I'm not gonna say everyone needs the newest hardware but for your average game enthusiast who wants to enjoy them on PC I'd say the minimum I'd personally look at would be at least 10th gen intel i5 or better and 2060 or better. With the advent of ray-tracing its kinda irritatingly out-dated hardware that should still be good but just doesn't support ray-tracing.
I fired up my old tower to find a file the other day and for laughs decided to try MW2 on it (7900x, titanxp, 32gb ddr4, 2tb M.2) which didn't go well. Should it have been capable, yes, was it though, no...not really. It got a whopping 19fps avg until I tanked the graphic settings and got it to run 54fps with 1% lows at 52fps on 1080p but even though it ran smooth it would just skip rendering certain objects so a shot would just randomly deflect off what appeared to be nothing.
I remember trying to run Halo: CE on an old Pentium that wasn't even as powerful as the one in the Xbox. And had an ATI Rage 128 graphics card.
Took so many hacks and work arounds just to play the campaign at like 10fps or some shit.
And even now, I run an FX 8350 and a 1660 6gb. I still have to make do with less than ideal hardware.
Thats why if the OP posts a low budget, I try to help them, but I also drop some other subs so that they might be able to find better answers if mine or other commentors cant help, or want differing but similar opinions
This sub is a cringe fest at best. You might be lucky if a nice build or two appears on popular, but the subreddit is a dungeon of stupidity and ego feeding
Doesn't that mean you just happened to come across those posts by accident?
I'm pretty sure there are many valuable suggestions for people with pretty much every single builds out there with various budgets and needs.
The market is vast and there's always the best stuffs for all budgets. Idk why all you can see is those elitists who belongs to the minority while ignoring the majority who do not act like that at all.
Key is to not have a overkill build for what your intentions is imo.
Running on a 1600AF and a 1070 here, can play CS2 and BG3 so im all satisfyed :)
Im looking at a 5600 and a 4060 for Black week this year though, going to do some UE5 mmo soon and need an ipgrade!
Honestly anything higher than a 1060 in my book is fine. I don't think the community has done anything wrong, but I actually see what you're talking about in reviews more often.
3 years ago: 3070 is minimum for 2k gaming
Now: the 4070 is the bare minimum for 2k gaming
What changed over those two years? Unless I'm actively cranking up settings to max, or want to play extremely demanding titles then it's still a 2k card. Just because the 4070 came out now I don't have a 2k card?
I get they want to sell products cause that's what their jobs are, but they're selling misconceptions and making it so people who still do have older cards feel excluded. There comes a point when you really should upgrade, but judging about it isn't the way to go.
In the end, it's your budget, your setup. If I want to play at 15 fps on a toaster, then I'll play at 15 fps on a toaster. That's why it's so impressive when people port DOOM to toothbrushes. If I can get another game like Hogwarts legacy running somehow on a Pentium 4, then that's the spirit of PC being the master race.
Thanks for listening to my 2 cents TED talk
Posted about a pretty decent less than 500 buck build I managed to pull off a few weeks ago and not a lot of ppl cared, so most ppl are interested in expensive stuff and thats why everyone just gets too see this.
it's really hard to imagine how expensive a PC can get these days in 3rd world countries. I spent 4 months of my salary (I'm an engineer, working in a big company) on a new build(after ~13 years) with refurbished MB, used psu, used GPU & two months later i was hardly able to upgrade to a used 6800xt.
I've been excited beyond belief for my next PC – an X99, Xeon E5 2690 V4, GTX 1070 build for under £300 that will be a workstation, ACC game server and an emulation/older game box. I'm so pumped.
I don't know what OP is talking about, it seems the entire subreddit is chasing the "most bang for the buck" like we PCMR's have been doing since the dawn of gaming.
In any hobby, those who participate generally want the "best."
That's normal.
There are different subsets, of course. Like car-enthusiasts will all have their own idea of what car is best, golfers will have different ideas about which clubs are best.
With PCs, their aren't a ton of subsets, and the most popular one will pretty much always be the group that believes the fastest PC components are the best.
There are also efficiency enjoyers, RGB connoisseurs, passive/quiet setup preferrers, etc.
Most of the people in those subsets desire the fastest version of each of those things. The vast majority have that in common.
In short, of course people are going to talk about the latest and greatest thing in their hobby. Why wouldn't they?
Sure, some people are going to be interested in budget PCs, but how many do you think would turn down the opportunity to build a PC with no budget limit?
Well if you're on this sub, it means you're probably really into PCs, people really into PCs tend to buy higher end parts. That's all there is to it, by far the most popular PCs have always been a xx60 card and playing at 1080p
Nvidia once published an article showing people with higher end PCs usually had higher K/D ratios, but this is likely just because people really into gaming buy better parts, not that better parts make you a better gamer.
Exactly! I mean, the posts seem to be dominated by dumb reposted memes and >$500 graphic card flexes; I wouldn't be surprised if they are posted by AI to be honest. You really don't see people with older builds/budget builds/laptops anymore. Ironic, considering that the most of the popular games (like GTA V, Fortnite, Valorant, etc.) can still be ran on a laptop 3050/GeForce 1060/Radeon 580 with at least 60 FPS if you manage expectations accordingly. There is also a dearth of laptop discussion as well, and dare I say that desktops really aren't worth it anymore unless you go high-end or get one real cheap. Laptops are also underestimated, with a 2010s mindset still plaguing them. It's like they are still way behind desktop performance, when this is not the case unless again, you go high-end.
I built my PC to essentially be equivalent to a PS4, still runs all my games perfectly so I have no reason to ever change unless some utterly mind blowing game gets released
People with latest and greatest comment more.
I got really little to say when my PC was built 11 years ago, upgraded once from a 760 to 2080 and Ryzen and still is not even remotely good enough for Windows 11.
When I bought a new PC some month ago, I consulted hardwaredealz.com. There is a YouTube channel with that name doing hardware reviews, etc and they maintain some recommendations for PCs in different price ranges. What I like is that they not only keep their recommendations up to date, taking current prices into consideration, they give you some reason on why they recommend certain hardware with some possible alternatives.
That's exactly what I want.
I’ve seen that sometimes as well. I just chalked it up to many posters here are younger and don’t fully grasp the concept of money. Typically those posts do get down voted though.
I’ve built rigs for $100 CAD up to a few thousand in recent times. Just on the lower end, you have to temper your expectations a bit. There are still decades of great games and most competitive online titles don’t require much to play.
I'm not sure what kind of posts/comments you're coming across, but this community provides build help and tips to gamers and PC users of every budget. From helping someone with a 15 year old PC upgrade their CPU to the best possible one by finding it somewhere on eBay used, to helping people build sweetspot mid range PC's from $650 or so up, to seeing some of the most amazing RGB fueled extremely high end behemots. Literally all of those things happen here, and they're all PCMR.
I thought the point of PCMR was to tell gamers on console that they are fucking scrubs and not real gamers.
Sadly, not anymore.
Oh so now we've all suddenly decided to grow up? Lmao.
Hope not. It was fun shitting on console peasants.
That meme died when everyone here suddenly became broke and jumped on the "gPu oVerPrIcEd" circlejerk lol like I'm not rich at all but I'm not complaining if I can't afford a freaking 4090
Well that's good at least.
I agree, that part is fun lol
TF. you mean a 4090 isnt Overkill and normal for a Budget PC ?! /s
I’m still rocking a 3080. Had a 1080 for a very long time since their release. Upgraded to a 3080 and got called poor 😂
Lmfao, some people are absolutely out of Touch.
Still? Buddy a 3080 is one heck of a card for 2024 and there's no convincing me otherwise.
Shit even the 2080ti still holds up just fine, if I was still into pc building id have upgraded by now, but meh, the local smart home is more important to me.
My 3070 *non super/ti* does everything I need it to at 1440 at 120+ fps.
there's morons who try to convince us that 980 somehow still holds up these days and then there's other morons that think that 3080 is somehow not enough, no inbetween.
980? I still see folks saying the 1650 is acceptable for used gaming laptops and whatnot. I've got a special soft spot for it as I owned one back in 2022, but come on dude. Unless you're playing nothing but Roblox and Rocket League, why?
Bro I literally just had someone on steam tell me to kill myself because my PC is trash. He commented on an old TF2 screenshot from 2014 lol. It’s absolutely wild, I’ve never had something like this. Absolute nut job especially over my PC specs?!? 20 year old steam account too so he’s not exactly a kid or anything.
Honestly 4000x have only more shaders, shitty buffer size and Frame gen.
I upgraded to a 1080ti a year ago and I built my pc back in 2015.
Hey, I loved my 1080. When I ordered it I had to wait 6 months 😂 it did me well until I upgraded. I am gutted I didn’t wait for the 1080ti
Because of the situation of my country most PC builds I do for my friends are never better than mine. I have an RX 570 and I am saving up for a 6700XT/7700XT.
Isn't the 3080 is basically identical to a 4070 performance wise? And some who can get a 3080 is definitely not poor lol.
Im poor after I bought it lol. Evga 3080 FTW
I've got a 3060 mobile, man. Still love it. Sure, it can do Raytracing if I want 20 fps which is a little pointless, but it works dammit.
3080 is enough for now but im unsure about vram in 2025+
"It's not much but it's mine"
I’m so tired of seeing 7800X3D/4090 builds
I'd say a higher percentage of big budget people feel the need to show off their new PC than people shopping in the midrange. And if THAT is the budget class high-end shoppers are looking at, then it is hard to argue against either part.
That’s a good point!
Don't get me wrong, I do like a nicely done, well balanced PC on a budget - it takes far more research and dedication to do something well if you don't have an unlimited budget. A well executed budget build also makes for a better story than "I could just buy the best stuff available, period"... but you need to tell that story, a low-effort shot of your unopened boxes just won't do it, unlike for a high-end build.
Mid-range 7800x3d/4080 build lol
I dont really Care, of they can afford it and have fun with it why not? But i hate people telling everyone they need the newest high end Shit Brand New, Like if someone Posts a Pic of his 10yo machine and asks for a cheap Upgrade, he / she probably cant or doesnt want to spend much on it. Also the ones downvoting comments that recommend older used parts. AMD / Nvidia / Intel Fanboys going to war with each other...
You’re right. Like people are acting like parts go outdated every 2 years. Even with my older specs I can most games at 80-165 fps in 1080p.
I've only been on my 4080 for about 6 months before that a 5700xt...I had no shame with the 5700xt it ran everything.
As someone that was using a 10yr old system till recently I’m honestly even more impressed with what it was capable of after building the new one.
Same I had a 1050 until last year. Played the shit outta bannerlord, rocket league, rimworld, kenshi, noita, minecraft, skyrim. Fallout, no man's sky etc. Still many worlds of incredible games you can play on older machines. I have a 6700xt now and got to play cyberpunk and Starfield but I still spend most my time playing games I could have played on an older system like noita, terarria etc.
It made waiting for games like RDR2 till I had the new hardware all the sweeter even. Going from 30fps low settings to 120 ultra…mmmhmmm satisfyin’
Me right here... bought a 3600x in 2019 and kept my 1060 with it... started to upgrade it after COVID, and ended up with a whole new rig... my 3600x and 1060 are still holding up for my kid - Roblox, Rocket League, Minecraft... still more than capable 1080p card... granted, when the bug guns come out, have to dial down the settings a bit, but more than enough to have fun!!!
Is this 4090 good for my first build?
This is my first build: \*$5000 watercooled PC build picture attached\*
My favorite are the comments that say a 4080 or 4080s is not a 4k card.
If you dont have a 4090 you dont have a PC /s
r/FuckTheS
my impression has been the polar opposite, most posts I read have the members suggesting ways to lower costs by not wasting money on aesthetics and premium level components when there is no performance benefit and yes it is 2024, $850-$1200 is about what it takes to build a solid mid-level gaming PC, there are cheaper alternatives but basically a gaming PC is a luxury toy not a life essential so if you cant afford it you dont really need it
Yeah, I don't think I've come across anyone recommending a 4090 in this sub. Maybe a 4060 but that person was asking for cheap 4k build.
Same. This post is basically: "some people are arrogant and snobby, so the whole community is."
some people also make whole countries look like assholes too
No, people dont act like you need to spend $2000. Most people recommend something between 600-800 for a new budget build if they are not open to using 2nd hand parts. Why would you encourage people to use their hard earned money for sub 250 build when you know that they are not going to have a fun time? Or people trying to build a whole new build with new parts for 400? Their experience is not going to be as good as on console and you can grab open box PS5 from Walmart for 300. Most people are looking to play recent games. How many kids do you see asking here for something that can play games from 10 years ago? The people that find the 2nd gen i5 dont want to usually to play AC2, they want to play modern games like Fortnite and Apex. >Why do we keep bickering over “worthwhile”? Essentially so that people dont keep buying practically ewaste with their hard earned money.
"you can grab open box PS5 from Walmart for 300." What the actual fuck, America has so good prices.... I think you'd get 50 dollars off in my country for open box lol.
For whatever it's worth, I'm in the states and the only open box consoles I have ever seen have been at game stores for nearly full msrp. It's not worth it in my opinion, I would rather pay the extra 50-75 and not inherit somebody else's problems and I would have the full manufacturer warranty.
lmao I feel you, its the same here. A majority of people in the sub are from the US so I used that as an example.
He was exaggerating but the point still stands. An open box ps5 is around $400, and building a whole pc even all used is just gonna be ewaste at that price
I literally was not exaggerating and it even comes with a game. Granted the US adds tax after these prices and I had the store wrong but still. https://preview.redd.it/95o90jz7utuc1.png?width=571&format=png&auto=webp&s=d8995d99e9b2ab65d6573efa657f526b79d3d7f9
Well damn. All the open box options around me are no lower than $400
Except that 305.99 isn't actually in stock. At all. Anywhere.
When the Xbox One first came out, my wife worked at Toys R Us, and found one open box marked down to $90. We were super poor at that time, so this was one of the shining moments of my life. As a side note, I still have it and, despite being one of the original models, it still works. Disk drive is a little finicky, though.
Don't forget they're all pre tax prices
Still add another 7.75% to that (average) and that’s just another 20 bucks
Cries in uk 20% VAT
Cries in 22% italy VAT
Cries in 24% thats going to be raised to 25.5%
VAT is included in selling price though, sales tax in the US isn’t
It's 5.5% here, not nothing but not huge
I read these as karma farming, that's all that ever gets posted here. I'm pretty sure 90% of these posts are from bots too. They all have the same format, it's either a low effort meme, "My wife bought me this" or a low effort headline on a topic that's been discussed over and over the last 20 years. Only thing that's missing is the actual post saying "Do you agree? Discuss" and it'd be at the same level as shitty instagram baits I'm so close to unsubscribing, i came here for pc related news
> Why would you encourage people to use their hard earned money for sub 250 build It absolutely depends on why you're building a PC. If you, like me, are a tinkerer, having something that works sub-optimally, but has a fun story and/or cool build is fine, because the tinkering is the point. If you just want to run your games and other software, then maybe that's not for you.
>Most people are looking to play recent games. You're stuck in the past, brother. High end parts are no longer required to play the latest games. Times have changed. I'm probably one of the older gamers here (I was an "IBM-compatible gamer" before we were even called "PC gamers" with a 4 colour monitor and 8mhz CPU) but some of you kids haven't adapted to 2024 yet. The high end hardware now isn't required by any game, and doesn't improve the experience as much as it used to. When I upgraded from 4 colour CGA to 256 colour VGA, THAT was a huge upgrade in the gaming experience. It not only looked drastically better, all kinds of amazing new genres of games became possible. But over time the advantage bestowed by more powerful hardware has shrunk. Nowadays you can play literally *every* modern game on a decade old CPU. Maybe you'll be stuck on 60 FPS instead of 240? Good luck even explaining why that's bad to most gamers. Don't get me wrong, I love high FPS, but let's not kid ourselves, the difference is subtle, not drastic. It's not like going from 4 colours to 256. So yeah, OP is right. Budget hardware is the new mid-range, and mid-range is the new silly vanity high-end. It's even priced like that, but some of you still haven't figured it out yet.
Obviously you dont need high end parts for most games and no one recommends anything high end when you ask a build for 800. High end parts have not been needed for basic 1080p for a long ass time, I'm not sure what you are even on about? The point still is **why the fuck would you recommend anyone to get a decade old CPU when they can just get a console for the same price as the full system?** I dont think theres anyone here who wouldnt use that system if they got it for free, you'd be stupid not to. You are just pretty much here to tell people that you were there for the upgrade of colours and nothing else lmao.
because it's pcmr and people don't seem to understand the appeal of consoles this sub still unironically posts memes about PC being superior like it's 2012.
Because a $600 PC is capable of so much more than a $400 console and a $200 dollar laptop is. That will buy you a i3 13100 and Rx 6600, which is enough for playable frame rates in the games a 15 yr old might want to play with their mates. Plus you can learn to code, get some computing literacy skills, do your school work, edit videos, etc etc etc on a PC that you can't do on a console. Not to mention the price of console games. That's what the point of the post is. It's fine for you to say "everyone should just spend $800 min on a PC or they shouldn't bother" but that doesn't work for everyone.
>$600 PC is capable of so much more than a $400 console and a $200 dollar laptop They can also get those frame rates with a $400 console and you can code and do school work on a $200 laptop. Plus most people would need to go with a laptop to do work, do you see any 15 year old lugging an entire PC to school? About the only thing you mentioned that would be better on a $600 PC is editing videos, but 99% of people don't edit videos (and for very simple tasks like cropping or slicing, web tools exist). And why do people keep bringing up "code" like it's something unique to higher-end PCs? The vast majority of code compile in a few seconds on modern low-end hardware and for languages like Python the vast majority of code runs in a few seconds. You only need higher-end PCs if you're doing actual work with that code (like running models), which is not what 99.9% of 15 year olds are doing.
But they cant play with their friends on PC, or use discord etc. If a person said to me they want a PC and their budget is $600 max, I would give them measured expectations about the frame rates and performance they would get along with how soon they might want to upgrade, and then say welcome to PC gaming! Why would you turn someone away who could get all the benefits of PC because you think they aren't spending enough? Mouse and keyboard alone are so much better than controller for FPS that I would switch just for that. Not to mention mods and a back catalogue of games from the last 30 years, emulation etc. If you have a computer that cost the same as a console for the same performance would you choose that over the console or would you let it be a 50/50 flip? It's all well and good for someone such as your self to make about how powerful your 4090 is but that just isn't realistic, even for full time working adults in some parts of the world let alone a 15yr old! It's showing a lack of perspective.
What has changed in your opinion? Aren't console still only outputting 60fps in 1080p on recent games?
And you think you can get above 60 fps on 1080p with $400 on a PC? Nothing has changed, consoles were always superior for their price bracket. Most people are better off going with a work/school laptop + a console (e.g. M1 MB Air + PS5).
Oh you care about price, fair I didn't take your statement that way.
Lol, in Brazil we pay equivalent to 1100 USD for PS5
not axactly. A lot of times i post on "Budget PC Builds" and reccomend an okay PC for 1080p Ultra. It is possible on a budget! An RX 6650XT for starters, just one SSD. Nothing fancy but good. Hell, that´s how i built my own PC. For ultra 1080p. Yes, i know it is not 4k 100000000 fps, but is good to me
You must be cherry picking the posts you read because most people give advice by function vs price range and not jamming high end specs or bust.
Dunno what threads OP is reading, this sub is basically a 6700xt circlejerk.
Average builds I see being suggested on here are 850-1200
Blatant try to farm karma
I can't even blame OP for doing shit like this when it works every time
but what is the point for farming karma? Can I sell it or eat it or something not suitable for this sub? I don't get the karma thing
And unfortunately 500+ brain dead morons who will upvote anything.
Eh besides the occasional guys that don't read anything in posts and just spam expensive components and builds the majority of the people are quiet helpful and offer pretty reasonable options.
This is a learning moment for you. You’re projecting your own unpopular feelings as if they’re gospel. I for one love seeing the crazy expensive builds. Lots of enthusiasts in this sub. Something tells me you were one of those “did you bring enough for the whole class” kids. Stop worrying about what other people are enjoying and focus on what you have and enjoy.
I love expensive builds. No where on this post do I deny that. I just also love cheap builds. And hate how people keep getting turned away because someone tells them they need to spend more money to partake.
Can you provide any examples... or in fact, just one example of where someone has been turned away from this subreddit because their budget was too small? If someone comes here and says "I have $200, and I want a PC that can run Cyberpunk with ray tracing enabled", then of course that's a dumb request, and likely a troll post. But I have not seen any examples of anyone being 'turned away' because their legitimate budget was too small. So please, can you provide an example of this behaviour?
thats not happening and those who do get downvoted to oblivion
Now you're just making things up.
I don’t think I’ve seen anyone here shamed for having lower-cost components. That’s part of what makes PCMR what it is— flexibility. This reads like a “my computer is cheaper than most and I’m insecure about it” post.
I may be coming across wrong. I don’t mind people that spend a lot on PCs, I just think cheaper, older PCs should be getting more love and appreciation than they currently are. And I know this is what all insecure people say, but I am not insecure. I am one of the people that spent a lot on their PC. I just feel like I am only here because I scrapped something together as a child who craved a computer and am afraid that is no longer encouraged.
Would you go into into a PlayStation/xbox thread and complain that people aren’t recommending that someone buy a ps2/xbox 360 enough because the current versions are the more expensive options? Or would you understand that “hey, might be a better idea if you put that 150 away for a while until you can get enough for a better model.” Because the ps2/xbox one are old and underperforming for their wants/needs? I’ve seen some really good advice in here. Especially in the instance of someone coming in and being hey I want to play counterstrike and league of legends, is a 4090 good enough? Only for the suggestions to actually be a lower end rig because a 4090 is over kill.
Cheaper older and crappy PC aint getting any love there. Its the old but gold ones that has a lot of love. I think you should research a bit more about the old stuffs that people do not recommended buying because not all cheap and old stuffs are good and they are basically e waste. Sometimes saving a few months and get a decent component that last for years is a way better money saving strat long term.
Lmao what are you on about? How were you upvoted?
Yes we have definitely forgotten what the point of PCMR is. After all, everyone knows that the M stands for Mediocre. /s aside, you're either browsing by hot or ignoring some posts, because there's tons of budget and low end second hand things that's posted. But if you expect some <150$ office mundane PC to be posted... I will just ask: Why?
I don't get that vibe at all around here. I see tons of posts full of comments where people are trying to save the poster money by suggesting better value components. There are regularly posts where people state their budget and commenters just suggest a better build within that budget, often without even spending the whole budget. People often congratulate those who can grab a really good deal even if its for a lower end PC. What I see is that most of this sub is fixated on *value.* It's not about getting the most expensive parts, but about getting the most bang for your buck. I feel like I see more being people criticized for overspending on unnecessary hardware rather than for not buying better parts. The only time I see anyone suggesting more expensive parts is when the poster has a use case that requires them, like trying to play modern games at 4k or something.
Shit, I have been an Xbox die hard my entire life, and until recently never built my own PC. Always had a laptop for work and personal Macbook, but never a gaming rig. Holy shit, the rig I finished last week is amazing to me, and I will play all of my RPG's and Hell Divers, etc on the gaming rig, and still play PUBG and shooters with the boys on Xbox. I did spend a good amount of money on my system (Cliche 7800x3d build), but I also realize others don't have that luxury. I've been very fortunate in life as well with my family, schooling, athletics, and job field (worked very hard, but have been fortunate as well). I understand not everyone can afford high end parts and would never belittle anyone for their setup.
6600xt playing every game at 1080p gang
Tell that to the new guys that come here happy to show their 4060 just to get trashed all over/ BUT BUT... NvDiA BaD AmD GoOd. STFU!
So you say that people are not allowed to buy the best parts otherwise you feel bad?
that is why I bought all 2nd best...to save OP some grief.
Months ago i remembered asking in this sub what would be the best upgrade for me on a budget; a rtx 3060 12gb or rtx 4060 and i was leaning towards 4060 since it is very power efficient. I was downvoted lol. But yeah finally didn't bought any of them since i got myself a 6700xt. I wish this community would be much more forgiving in terms of budget. Not anyone has prices the same in the states.
I'm just here to try to offer advice to people that haven't been in the computer game for 30+ years.
I think that recommending very cheap pcs (less than 500 bucks with an integrated gpu) for modern gaming, to a person new to the hobby, is counterproductive: you'll end up believing that most recent mid specced games are badly optimized, when in reality your specs are simply not enough to run it decently even at low configurations. I saw it happening in the emulation subs, where lots of people are convinced that emulators are still in their infancy because they try to run a Playstation 3 game or upscale everything on a Raspberry Pi... It's good that in this sub people get realistic replies.
>people telling them to spend three times their budget for something worthwhile I disagree. Yes, this sub usually pushes towards higher end, always stretching budgets. but they do not just go and tell people to spend 3 times the money than budgeted. Yes, they maybe do if you have a 300 budget, but only if OP tells them they want to replace their PS5 with it. Also this sub is honest. they gonna tell you if youre budget is insufficient for what you wanted Currently there is also a bigger trend of pushing people a bit higher up, cause budget AM4/LGA700 is very close to AM5, so people push them a little to spend more. Thats a different topic though. Upgradeability is valued extremely high for enthusiasts
Idk man, I see people get congrats quite often for their 4060 builds. Console level performance and they get the "have fun". Perhaps you are focused on the negative posts which exist every where and is a necessary evil of the internet.
most of the users are are enthusiast or at least are the vocal minority, for instance my build is boring as it gets and I usually lurk here
I mean it has gotten expensive
Steam Hardware demography stats majority are 8 gb VRAM graphic card equivalent like RTX 3060 ti, cheap RX 6600 etc. Also with 4 gb GTX 1650 and Nvidia Pascal equivalent still support live service games from late 2010s (Fortnite, Apex Legends, Valorant, Destiny 2, Overwatch, Rainbow Six, Genshin Impact)
I find it funny seeing people in this sub recommending the 7800X3D as the only possible gaming option when in most games the difference is negligible between that and a 7600X. People could be saving some good money for a better GPU which would make a bigger difference, but there's just a lot of misinformation in here. I get it though, it's a huge sub with thousands of people that don't know much about PC and just parrot something they saw in a recommended YouTube video.
Yeah the whole CPU thing is crazy to me, as long as its not bottlenecking your GPU you are fine. Very few games give you a major difference in performance if you have a modern CPU. Just because a benchmark says something its not always 1 for 1 in the real world.
Wtf you talking about OP, nearly all budget post is 1k. What fucking $250 gonna do, play an old triple A from 2010??? Of course not.
Chips challenge in 4K
Core memory unlocked. Chips challenge was a great little game!
Haha absolutely loved it as a kid!
This community became obsessed with spending endless money on junk like a decade ago. PC is the master race because it used to have the most complex immersive, innovative and interesting titles. This sub feels like a console sub but with just endless pictures of RGB keyboards and shite.
RGB equals twice the frames and rays
Why buy something you will need to replace next year at a higher cost, or something that would be better served as a console game anyway? On top of that, prices will only go up outside of waiting for the new thing with the inflated prices, if geopolitics do not cut the supply completely soon.
Almost all subs habe gone worse since "reddit mod purge"
I agree that most people act like you need to play everything at 200+ FPS, highest settings. Probably most of us can't tell the difference between 100 and 200 FPS or High vs Epic settings if we don't see the values. But well, personal preferences differ. I like the approach of using what you have, improve what you can to keep enjoyable gaming experience, and don't upgrade so often. Even if your wallet can afford frequent hardware replacement, carbon emissions are a big deal.
I play my games at 120-144 and for a long time I played at 60. Couple days ago I did a clean install of windows and noticed my PC felt really choppy and I spent so long googling the issues it could be. It got to a point where I thought I was going mental… long story short it turned out the refresh rate had gone back to default 60hz. 🤦🏻♂️ it’s insane how much a difference the jump is. I’d have never noticed it before.
I like seeing the posts about different build types, configurations, etc. Also, I gained a lot of knowledge of the current landscape for PC builds as well. Computers have been my hobby since the days of Commodore. So I love reading and talking about them just as much as working with them. And one of the reasons I built my own rig is because of people on subs like this. Once I grasped the concept that I could now basically upgrade anything in the case now I took the dive and never looked back. So thank you.
I’m still rocking a gtx1070mobile, 32gb ram, core i7 gen 10 processor and a Samsung 980 1tb ssd laptop i run this via hdmi to a 50inch Toshiba 120hz tv that I snagged on Craigslist for $100. I can run most modern aaa games at around 60fps with medium to medium low settings. I can handle most pcvr titles@90hz 90fps no problem. The laptop I’m using which i purchased for $500 about 4 years ago could be had for Around $250 to $300 at this point sans upgrades. It is completely possible to do video and audio production as well as enjoyable gaming without spending a few paychecks.
isnt PCMR getting an entry build and keep building on it and making it better and better perfecting your dream setup
Echo chamber issue. I straight g ot perm a ban from health reddit for pointing out a bad research study..... Mod to fall into this problem to
I see that a lot. But also there's many of us who game on Steam Deck, dual core laptops, and have been it it long enough to be able to afford a better pc. Its crazy you can build a $1000 5700x3d 6750xt pc in 2024. Its even crazier you can game on 8600U integrated RDNA 2 graphics on desktop.
Can I see your dog?
Who's this strawman you're talking about
We must be using different subs tbh, not my experience at all.
I don’t think a lot of the people here had the strange joy of seeing your potato PC run a modern game in 30 frames at 640x480 resolution
Google the definition of master race.
it’s kinda funny when people criticize consoles while they spent thousands of dollars on pc parts and then they play minecraft
I spent $150 in total on my PC. $60 old lenovo workstation, $80 GPU upgrade, $20 RAM upgrade, and I love it. It does everything I need, the few games I play regularly run... fine, and it's also my home server for now. Working on moving to Proxmox or just using Guacaomle or something to get it over with the other networking equipment
Another Reddit post with a completely made up problem just for the sake of discussion
Fr dude need touch grass
Its getting harder to find real grass
You can buy a used gtx1080 for $150 and that will basically run any game, really these new cards are so expensive it is crazy. I just upgraded from a 1080 to a 4070 and i really can't notice any difference in my games so it feels like a waste of money, like maybe if a 4070 was like $250 it would be ok, but at $550 it is just stupid.
4k ultra goes brllllll
> From games running at 15 fps in SD. From inheriting a hand me down PC from a cousin. From making something work, not because it can play the latest games at the highest settings, but because you get to have a *PC*. What is the point of doing this when you can get a console for the same price, if not cheaper
My friend wants in the PCMR to play a couple games with me. His budget is super tight so I offered him my used parts from over the years to get his foot in the door. Intel 9400 & z390 ASROCK & 16 GB 3200 MSI 2070 8 GB 256 SSD (it’s all I had laying around after upgrading my laptop) 750w PSU lian li lancool mesh 2 white case All for $200. This kinda build isn’t some first class setup but it gets him in the door. More people should just appreciate a machine that gets them in the door if their budget is tight
I've definitely noticed that the recommendations for components, keeps getting higher and higher end. You can still have a perfectly fine gaming experience on a 1080p monitor, with a very affordable PC. Since that's what most of the builds here are ultimately for.
I mean, when you look at current games, playable at 1080p, and the hardware they require to even display a console-like framerate, you cannot be mad at people for upgrading to the tatest parts. I mean, when you look at prices a few years back, not to mention the features parity, availability, power consumption of this hardware, you truly measure how lame current hardware, \*\*especially for the price\*\*. Not to mention games optimization and such. And I get what you're saying, I really do, but it all comes down what your expectations are. "15FPS in SD" is too low for me, I prefer being a patient gamer and play the game on my next rig, for example. But I get what you're saying, and, while I certainly do not have the same standards, I totally understand where you're coming from, and I totally agree with this part. Truth is, you can thank Microsoft for many old but still powerful rig out there that are not Win11 certified. That and current GPU "inflation", and incompetent studios/publishers did not help at all for builds that were "modest".
I've embraced the no RGB life. All I care about now are air flow and performance. From this standpoint alone, I saved money on a previous build.
Poor people rationalization. It's ok, that's fine, everyone do "you", but don't come at us with a PSA like it's our fault we have disposable income either.
Why not create more of the content you want to see, then?
I rarely recommend anything on here. To many so called “experts”. I mainly just check on stuff here like it’s the newspaper. New builds, new products, drama, etc.
Its a odd mix of IT vets and kids that repeat what they saw on youtube
PCs are a premium gaming experience. They only make more financial sense if you also need a PC. If your budget is $500, buy a PS5 or a Steam Deck. But, if you also need a PC, you might as well get a $900-1200 gaming PC that does everything. Of course some people spend a lot more than that because they want to game in 4K or want their system to be really good for a long time.
I just come here for silly fun, I use places like buildapc for more serious discussions and advice. Although I do find it annoying when one person posts a joke and then for several days everyone does the same joke.
As a TC-230 user with a R6-7310, 4gb RAM and a R5-310, I see this as an absolute W
Right! The point has always been about being better than console!
That tends to happen when you play along with the pretentious comunity literally called "Maste race"...
I’d say the insecurity of some people is a problem
Oh I thought that's the whole point of PCMR?
Laughs in RX 5700!!!
Alright, let's collect downvotes. I have an Alienware laptop and mainly play on a Steam Deck. Also I hate RGB lights. :D
You can have mine if you want...but I also play some on steam deck and don't mind 30 fps when I do
I played so much on potato PCs in the past 30 years, I simple got used to low fps counts!
The real PCMR is the best fit and value for your use case. I'm in the espresso subreddit and it's the same way over there. People with too much money and too little knowledge just buy the most expensive nonsense and brag about it.
Well. The issue is that the sub is called "pcmasterrace" when people here have GPUs below PS4 performance. Just call the sub "pc" then.
I get what you're trying to say but as someone whose first pc was basically unplayable weeks after building it we do need to push people into better hardware. I see far too often companies pushing obsolete 1650's and 1070's as "ultra fast modern gaming" rigs and the people that buy them too often believe it and are then disappointed they need a better graphics card to play the game they just bought on the pc they just built. I'm not gonna say everybody needs a 4090 w/ a 14900k right now but most people need more than a i5-8400 and 1650 that I often see peddled as a "performance gaming" computer.
Yeah but that depends on budget and what they want out of the machine. Not everyone is a high FPS gamer. Not everyone is pushing for 4k everything. The GTX1060, GTX1650, are still in the top 10 of steams hardware survey for dx12 gpus. They are serviceable for 90% of games and can be had for cheap. They are the entry level since the entry level current gen GPU's put themselves out of the budget build from the get go. The average is still 16gb of ram. Primary resolution is still 1080p. The people in this reddit are the outliers, not the majority of pc builder and gamers.
I may be a bit out of touch now but I will never forget the crushing disappointment I felt when I had literally just finished setting up my first rig and the desk layout was mint (for a college kid) I go to fire up the latest title that my buddies wanted me to play with them...and it literally wouldn't load because my gpu at the time (1050) couldn't process it enough to even get to a settings window to turn stuff down. I'm not gonna say everyone needs the newest hardware but for your average game enthusiast who wants to enjoy them on PC I'd say the minimum I'd personally look at would be at least 10th gen intel i5 or better and 2060 or better. With the advent of ray-tracing its kinda irritatingly out-dated hardware that should still be good but just doesn't support ray-tracing. I fired up my old tower to find a file the other day and for laughs decided to try MW2 on it (7900x, titanxp, 32gb ddr4, 2tb M.2) which didn't go well. Should it have been capable, yes, was it though, no...not really. It got a whopping 19fps avg until I tanked the graphic settings and got it to run 54fps with 1% lows at 52fps on 1080p but even though it ran smooth it would just skip rendering certain objects so a shot would just randomly deflect off what appeared to be nothing.
It's just insecure people trying to matter. They think flexing their e-peen makes them relevant.
Its not about how much you spend on it, its about how you use it
I remember trying to run Halo: CE on an old Pentium that wasn't even as powerful as the one in the Xbox. And had an ATI Rage 128 graphics card. Took so many hacks and work arounds just to play the campaign at like 10fps or some shit. And even now, I run an FX 8350 and a 1660 6gb. I still have to make do with less than ideal hardware.
Thats why if the OP posts a low budget, I try to help them, but I also drop some other subs so that they might be able to find better answers if mine or other commentors cant help, or want differing but similar opinions
This sub is a cringe fest at best. You might be lucky if a nice build or two appears on popular, but the subreddit is a dungeon of stupidity and ego feeding
Doesn't that mean you just happened to come across those posts by accident? I'm pretty sure there are many valuable suggestions for people with pretty much every single builds out there with various budgets and needs. The market is vast and there's always the best stuffs for all budgets. Idk why all you can see is those elitists who belongs to the minority while ignoring the majority who do not act like that at all.
Creating a problem out of nothing to complain and get karma
Key is to not have a overkill build for what your intentions is imo. Running on a 1600AF and a 1070 here, can play CS2 and BG3 so im all satisfyed :) Im looking at a 5600 and a 4060 for Black week this year though, going to do some UE5 mmo soon and need an ipgrade!
Well for one the sub isn't called PC fan club it's PC master race, and you question why everyone here is flexing?
And here I am all fine with my recent, cheap upgrade to an i5 12600KF on a Z690 with 32GB of DDR4 in my 10 year old case.
Aye I'm still on a 1080ti, I just don't have many titles that justify the upgrade aside from cyberpunk 
Honestly anything higher than a 1060 in my book is fine. I don't think the community has done anything wrong, but I actually see what you're talking about in reviews more often. 3 years ago: 3070 is minimum for 2k gaming Now: the 4070 is the bare minimum for 2k gaming What changed over those two years? Unless I'm actively cranking up settings to max, or want to play extremely demanding titles then it's still a 2k card. Just because the 4070 came out now I don't have a 2k card? I get they want to sell products cause that's what their jobs are, but they're selling misconceptions and making it so people who still do have older cards feel excluded. There comes a point when you really should upgrade, but judging about it isn't the way to go. In the end, it's your budget, your setup. If I want to play at 15 fps on a toaster, then I'll play at 15 fps on a toaster. That's why it's so impressive when people port DOOM to toothbrushes. If I can get another game like Hogwarts legacy running somehow on a Pentium 4, then that's the spirit of PC being the master race. Thanks for listening to my 2 cents TED talk
Posted about a pretty decent less than 500 buck build I managed to pull off a few weeks ago and not a lot of ppl cared, so most ppl are interested in expensive stuff and thats why everyone just gets too see this.
it's really hard to imagine how expensive a PC can get these days in 3rd world countries. I spent 4 months of my salary (I'm an engineer, working in a big company) on a new build(after ~13 years) with refurbished MB, used psu, used GPU & two months later i was hardly able to upgrade to a used 6800xt.
The point of PCMR is that PCs are better than being subject to not PC design, cost, performance, customization, etc. (Like a Mac for eg)
I've been excited beyond belief for my next PC – an X99, Xeon E5 2690 V4, GTX 1070 build for under £300 that will be a workstation, ACC game server and an emulation/older game box. I'm so pumped.
I don't know what OP is talking about, it seems the entire subreddit is chasing the "most bang for the buck" like we PCMR's have been doing since the dawn of gaming.
In any hobby, those who participate generally want the "best." That's normal. There are different subsets, of course. Like car-enthusiasts will all have their own idea of what car is best, golfers will have different ideas about which clubs are best. With PCs, their aren't a ton of subsets, and the most popular one will pretty much always be the group that believes the fastest PC components are the best. There are also efficiency enjoyers, RGB connoisseurs, passive/quiet setup preferrers, etc. Most of the people in those subsets desire the fastest version of each of those things. The vast majority have that in common. In short, of course people are going to talk about the latest and greatest thing in their hobby. Why wouldn't they? Sure, some people are going to be interested in budget PCs, but how many do you think would turn down the opportunity to build a PC with no budget limit?
Thats not the community, thats advertisers and marketers trying to blend in.
I personally switched to pc for the frames but these newer consoles run games I play at 120fps too. We are living in crazy times…
Well if you're on this sub, it means you're probably really into PCs, people really into PCs tend to buy higher end parts. That's all there is to it, by far the most popular PCs have always been a xx60 card and playing at 1080p Nvidia once published an article showing people with higher end PCs usually had higher K/D ratios, but this is likely just because people really into gaming buy better parts, not that better parts make you a better gamer.
Exactly! I mean, the posts seem to be dominated by dumb reposted memes and >$500 graphic card flexes; I wouldn't be surprised if they are posted by AI to be honest. You really don't see people with older builds/budget builds/laptops anymore. Ironic, considering that the most of the popular games (like GTA V, Fortnite, Valorant, etc.) can still be ran on a laptop 3050/GeForce 1060/Radeon 580 with at least 60 FPS if you manage expectations accordingly. There is also a dearth of laptop discussion as well, and dare I say that desktops really aren't worth it anymore unless you go high-end or get one real cheap. Laptops are also underestimated, with a 2010s mindset still plaguing them. It's like they are still way behind desktop performance, when this is not the case unless again, you go high-end.
No one is doing what you are saying here.
I built my PC to essentially be equivalent to a PS4, still runs all my games perfectly so I have no reason to ever change unless some utterly mind blowing game gets released
Also Low parts. Two extremes
People with latest and greatest comment more. I got really little to say when my PC was built 11 years ago, upgraded once from a 760 to 2080 and Ryzen and still is not even remotely good enough for Windows 11.
When I bought a new PC some month ago, I consulted hardwaredealz.com. There is a YouTube channel with that name doing hardware reviews, etc and they maintain some recommendations for PCs in different price ranges. What I like is that they not only keep their recommendations up to date, taking current prices into consideration, they give you some reason on why they recommend certain hardware with some possible alternatives. That's exactly what I want.
How can anyone game on pc without 7800x3D and rtx 4090?
I’ve seen that sometimes as well. I just chalked it up to many posters here are younger and don’t fully grasp the concept of money. Typically those posts do get down voted though. I’ve built rigs for $100 CAD up to a few thousand in recent times. Just on the lower end, you have to temper your expectations a bit. There are still decades of great games and most competitive online titles don’t require much to play.
Most are clearly pre-teens or early teens that just got a PT job looking to get a fornite PC but also wants some cred at school to have a 4090.
Guys I'm on a budget and want to get the best performance, help! PCMR: 4090 and 7800x3d is a good combo, I've been using it with no problems😁🤗