I'm considering purchasing a prebuilt gaming PC from Costco, specifically the 9900x with a 5080 GPU, 32GB of RAM, and a 2TB NVMe SSD for $2200. However, the 9800x3d model is always sold out in my area, and I don't have access to a Micro Center. If I were to build my own system instead, I'd be looking at spending an extra $1,000 to upgrade to the 9800x3d, keep the 5080, bump the RAM to 64GB 6000MHz, get a 4TB NVMe SSD, and a 1000W power supply. I'll primarily use the setup for gaming at 1440p, but I want to be able to try out 4K in the future since I'm currently on a 1080p monitor. I'm curious if that additional $1,000 would be worth it for the upgrades.
5 Answers
One downside I've noticed with prebuilts is the subpar quality of some components like the PSU and motherboard. I’d prefer to spend a bit more to build from higher-quality parts.
Yeah, just stick to known brands. Replacing parts like a PSU later could work out fine if you save money upfront!
You could visit a Micro Center and find some deals that might help you save instead of spending the extra $1,000. Explore your options!
Honestly, prebuilts are looking pretty good right now. The pricing has adjusted in a way that it's often cheaper to buy a prebuilt, strip it down, and build what you want in a new case. If you're okay with the casing that comes with it, it could be an even sweeter deal!
I feel you! As someone who's got a 5080, I'm also tempted to go that route because RAM prices are just crazy right now!
I went this route during the pandemic and got a great deal. A prebuilt ended up being much cheaper than buying parts separately, even after selling the old pieces I didn't need.
With RAM prices soaring, going for a prebuilt may actually save you some cash. Just check prices on pcpartpicker.com to compare costs. You might be surprised!
I was confused too. Before the RAM spike, prebuilts were often much cheaper! Now, it seems like you save on RAM but might get stuck with lower-quality components.
In my opinion, an additional $1,000 just for a CPU and extra storage isn't justified. You might be able to sell the Costco CPU and NVMe separately and buy the upgraded versions for less.
I totally agree! If you're attentive to sales, upgrading can be relatively cheap without that hefty price tag.
Not always the case, though! I got an awesome prebuilt recently with solid components. Sometimes they actually use good, reliable parts!