Yep, it's a build advice thread.

[MrCalavera]

So long story short, i got tired of procrastinating on upgrading my over a decade old PC, and decided to finally build/buy a new thing.

For the time being i'm aiming at a 1080p 60fps build.
Something with a decent motherboard, that won't obstruct future upgrades.
A GPU that isn't too power hungry would be nice too.

I'm thinking of something from the GTX 1650/1660 (Super) range(Or a GTX1060 6GB if those are still available somewhere), or a RX5500, and a build that would utilize it.

The times for buying new parts are obviously dire, but with prognosed chip shortages lasting til 2023, i'm not really eager to wait that long.
With recent GPU dips to "mere" 150% msrp, i'm pondering waiting a bit, though. See if the prices will get even closer to officialy listed.
"How long?" Is the question, though. A few weeks? Until fall? January. I'm worried about reported raises of prices of different components, which might eat up the difference anyway.
Or maybe i should go for an integrated GPU build now, and buy a card later?

So yeah, this is my limited knowledge of the topic. Any advice would be welcome.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

If you want a motherboard that won't obstruct future upgrades, you'd probably need to go AMD since their chips all use the AM4 chipset. Go Intel, and you'll likely need a new board for every 1-2 chip generations that Intel makes. However, AMD chips are way more expensive than their usual value from what I found doing my own CPU upgrade research. If you get a good CPU, then you shouldn't need to worry about upgrading for a long time. My old processor ran for 4 1/2 years, and it would've gone on longer had my motherboard not started giving me trouble.
Don't want a power hungry CPU? The Intel 11400 and 11400F would be great choices. Though they are currently hard to find near MSRP due to their popularity. But their price to performance is incredible. I ended up buying a 10600K myself just cause it was cheaper than what the 11400F was going for currently and was a solid upgrade from my 7600k. One thing to keep in mind is that unless you're pushing the CPU hard, they'll more or less use similar power draw. But having the 10600K like mine gives me more power overhead than the 11400F (125W vs 65W respectively), which may be more versatile when it's needed. If power draw is extremely important to consider on your end for whatever reason, keep to the lower TDP range.
If you're doing 1080p gaming, stick to the 1060/1660 side of things, the 1050/1650 might leave you wanting. This also depends on what games you wanna play, of course. But if you wanna play anything recent, you don't wanna go any lower than a 1060. I have a 1070 myself, and it still holds up for my needs just fine.

Hope this helps a little!

 

[MrCalavera]

If you want a motherboard that won't obstruct future upgrades, you'd probably need to go AMD since their chips all use the AM4 chipset. Go Intel, and you'll likely need a new board for every 1-2 chip generations that Intel makes. However, AMD chips are way more expensive than their usual value from what I found doing my own CPU upgrade research. If you get a good CPU, then you shouldn't need to worry about upgrading for a long time. My old processor ran for 4 1/2 years, and it would've gone on longer had my motherboard not started giving me trouble.
Don't want a power hungry CPU? The Intel 11400 and 11400F would be great choices. Though they are currently hard to find near MSRP due to their popularity. But their price to performance is incredible. I ended up buying a 10600K myself just cause it was cheaper than what the 11400F was going for currently and was a solid upgrade from my 7600k. One thing to keep in mind is that unless you're pushing the CPU hard, they'll more or less use similar power draw. But having the 10600K like mine gives me more power overhead than the 11400F (125W vs 65W respectively), which may be more versatile when it's needed. If power draw is extremely important to consider on your end for whatever reason, keep to the lower TDP range.
If you're doing 1080p gaming, stick to the 1060/1660 side of things, the 1050/1650 might leave you wanting. This also depends on what games you wanna play, of course. But if you wanna play anything recent, you don't wanna go any lower than a 1060. I have a 1070 myself, and it still holds up for my needs just fine.

Hope this helps a little!

Thanks for answering.
1060 does compare favorably with newer cards like 1650etc. But the problem is actually finding one at all. Not even talking about a decent price. I guess i could look at 2nd hands, but the price differences aren't that great compared to the new stock these days. And i rather not risk buying a crypto burnout.

Isn't AMD retiring AM4 this/next year?

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Apparently since China's mining ban it's possible to get a used 3060 for about $250 from China, which is a steal.

If you do want to go the used route with a chinese card you have to be careful of scams, and even if you get a legit 3060 you never know what condition the card is going to be in, because crypto-miners aren't really known for taking good care of their cards.

I would really strongly caution you to wait on buying parts if you can. Prices are currently going down since crypto-mining just took a huge hit. Even if the shortage is going to last for a pretty significant time and prices aren't going to hit MSRP, the prices are still steadily going down right now.

 

[Elvis Starburst]

Thanks for answering.
1060 does compare favorably with newer cards like 1650etc. But the problem is actually finding one at all. Not even talking about a decent price. I guess i could look at 2nd hands, but the price differences aren't that great compared to the new stock these days. And i rather not risk buying a crypto burnout.

I'd always be sketched out about second hand computer parts. Unless you know the guy selling it, you have no idea how it's been treated, and you'll just have to go on the other person's word. And honestly, another person's word on the care given to their tech is worth absolutely nothing. New or not at all for me regarding anything that isn't perfectly static, like a case. Anything with a moving or electrical component is too much of a risk if you ask me.

Isn't AMD retiring AM4 this/next year?

From what I could find, it sounds like a firm maybe. Something to keep in mind

 

[Chimpzy]

Perhaps some baseline questions should be asked first. Like the one that probably matters most i.e. what kind of budget do you have? What case do you have, since I assume you'll want to reuse it? What kind of power supply are you working with, since you mentioned wanting a gpu that isn't too power hungry? When you said 1080/60, do you mean the latest AAA games? Will you also be using your pc for stuff other than gaming, like video editing or something?

Isn't AMD retiring AM4 this/next year?

Aye, word is AMD will roll out the AM5 socket for their next gen of cpus, maybe next year. Tho any decent Ryzen 3000 or 5000 should still last you a good while, probably all of current gen. Ryzen runs pretty hot comparatively tho, so keep in mind you'll need adequate cooling if you go that route

Speaking of lasting, would you consider a 2060, or would that be too expensive? Not for raytracing, but for DLSS. That's quickly becoming a common feature in games, and should help extend how long 1080/60 remains viable. I know AMD is coming with its own AI upscaling soon, which reportedly works on Nvidia cards too, but from what I can tell DLSS is still the superior option.