Hey everyone! I'm in Australia and considering whether I can upgrade a prebuilt PC instead of going the DIY route. I want a tower for my workflow and also enjoy gaming occasionally. Looking around, I see three main options: all-in-ones (likely not upgradeable), budget home office PCs (which probably won't handle gaming), and those high-end gamer setups that are super pricey! Between the budget machines, I wonder if I could just buy one and later add a GPU, but the built-in Intel UHD graphics seem underwhelming. Is it even possible to upgrade these budget models for gaming? Any advice would be appreciated!
4 Answers
Check out OzBargain for better deals on prebuilts. Retailers like JB Hi-Fi often have inflated prices. What’s your budget, and what games are you aiming to play?
Thanks for the tip! I had no idea about OzBargain. I'm just getting into shopping around, and it seems JB isn't great. My budget is ideally under $1k, but I guess that's tight for a gaming PC.
Most prebuilt PCs come with a power supply that might be too small for high-end GPUs, so it’s safer to think about building from scratch. If you're on a budget, you might want to skip the GPU for now and get it later.
Thanks for the heads-up! Any specific resources for learning more about building PCs? I’ve heard some benchmarks aren’t reliable.
Curious, are there local shops that sell PC parts? They might even help you build it for a small fee. Upgrading a prebuilt is risky because the power supply might not handle a better GPU. The models you mentioned are pretty much office computers, so upgrading them isn't likely to work out well.
Thanks for that! I appreciate it. I know the big retailers but haven't explored smaller stores yet.
Prebuilt PCs can sometimes have the advantage of manufacturers sourcing quality parts for lower prices, so that's something to keep in mind.
Definitely! Prebuilts on OzBargain can be way cheaper than buying parts separately. If you get something with an AM5 socket, you could upgrade it more easily down the line.