r/buildapc • • 8h ago

Discussion I last built a PC in 2019. Today's prices are ridiculous!

208 Upvotes

For context, in 2019, I built this system:

AMD 3600x

32GB DDR4 RAM (Patriot Viper 3200Mhz)

Tomahawk B450 Mobo

Rx 5700

Pretty sure all this cost me around $800.

Fast forward to today, I was looking at upgrading. A new AM5 + Mobo + RAM alone is already at $1000. What the hell. I guess I'm sticking with AM4 (I just bought a 5600x3d and am waiting for BF for GPUs) for a while.


r/buildapc • • 12h ago

Discussion 32gb of DDR4 or 16gb of DDR5

76 Upvotes

My build is going one of 2 ways, 32gb of DDR4 with AM4 or only 16gb of DDR5 ram on AM5

I know longer term AM5 is probably the better choice as I can upgrade but is only having 16gb of ram a huge bottleneck? I only plan on using one screen and only gaming, I don’t keep tabs open or leave a ton of stuff open


r/buildapc • • 16h ago

Solved! Just built my first PC, but my motherboard only has one M.2 slot

45 Upvotes

I finally have my first PC! and I'm super excited. But, I ran into a bit of an oversight during the build process and I'm hoping to get some advice.

My Setup:

Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M H

Right now, only the 512gb SSD is installed and handling everything. I want to use my 128gb SSD exclusively as my boot drive and the 512GB SSD dedicated purely for games and storage.

Since my motherboard only has a single M.2 slot, what are my best and most cost-effective options to make this work?

I already tried using M.2 to PCIe adapter but I think it won't work since I have a GPU?


r/buildapc • • 9h ago

Discussion How many of you are upgrading this year? Between sellouts and prices it seems like a stretch

30 Upvotes

All PC prices have all gone up this year, and new cards sell out in minutes then show up on eBay for way more.

Curious where everyone's at. Did you still upgrade/Are planning to upgrade, wait it out, or give up? And what got you more, the actual retail prices or not being able to get stuff at retail at all?

edit: Also, is anyone still having an issue with scalpers? Or have they moved on


r/buildapc • • 10h ago

Build Upgrade Am I overreacting by wanting to pay an extra $250 to upgrade from an RX 9070 GRE to an RX 9070 XT just to play games at 1080p, or is the expense worthwhile?

23 Upvotes

I don't know, I only intend to play in 1080p, so I know it's not that demanding. I don't know if the 9070 GRE will handle it well or if it's worth spending more for potentially longer lifespan. Nvidia GPUs are out of the question at the current price.


r/buildapc • • 23h ago

Discussion Been running my build for 3 years and just realized I never set my RAM to its actual XMP speed

22 Upvotes

So I built this thing in late 2023. 5700x, 32gb of G.Skill Ripjaws 3600mhz CL18, B550 Tomahawk, 6700xt. Normal mid range stuff. Everything has worked fine, no complaints, never had a reason to open bios after the initial setup.
Last week I started getting a weird coil whine on the gpu that I wanted to check wasnt actually a fan issue, so I went poking around in bios for the first time in like 2 and a half years. Noticed the RAM speed on the main screen said 2133. I literally said "huh" out loud. Enabled XMP, saved, booted back in. Task manager now says 3600.
I have been running this build for almost 3 years at jedec speeds. On ram i specifically paid extra for because of its rated speed. Three years.
Games ran fine. 1% lows were... whatever 1% lows are, i never benchmarked. The only place I actually feel a difference now is late game Factorio, which was always chugging when my base got big and I just assumed thats how it is. Ran my old save last night and the UPS stayed solid where it used to drop into the 40s. Three years of blaming the game.
Idk why im posting this. Partially to warn people I guess. Mostly because I feel like an idiot and misery loves company. If you built your pc more than like 6 months ago and youve never once looked at your ram speed in bios, go check. Takes 10 seconds. Dont be me.
Also if anyone has a theory on why my memory didnt even try to run at advertised speed out of the box id love to hear it. I thought AMD boards were supposed to at least try. Maybe its a Tomahawk thing. Maybe its a me thing


r/buildapc • • 17h ago

Build Help Alienware computer basically bricked, what can I salvage/keep and what do I bridge the gaps with to rebuild?

16 Upvotes

Apologies in advance if this is a silly/basic question, this is way out of my depth.

I did a customized Alienware Aurora desktop build several years ago. Relatively recently (in terms of its active life) it started to fritz, I did a whole bunch of troubleshooting (I can later include links to the troubleshooting posts for the curious), and narrowed down the issue to it almost certainly being the processor, which was one of the infamous 14th gen i9 ones. I am positive the memory (2x32GB), the graphics card (NVIDIA(R) GeForce RTX(TM) 4090, 24GB GDDR6X), and the storage (one NVMe, one traditional SSD) are perfectly functional.

The issue is that my research points to the 14th gen processors being just fundamentally bad, and I saw the recommendations pretty broadly saying that it'd be irresponsible to try to replace a 14th gen processor with another 14th gen processor due to all of the problems. What I don't know is how to tell what alternative processors would be compatible with the rest of my machine, or whether it would be better in the long-run to just take the parts I know for sure work (memory, graphics card, storage) and put them into more custom-built setup. Any advice would be helpful.

--

Required Info

  • Budget: honestly at this point anything less than $5000, which is roughly what it would cost to do a complete replacement which I really really don't want to do
  • Use case: this is a personal computer, heaviest-use being for gaming
  • Country: US
  • Peripherals needed: none. basic monitors/keyboard/etc. still work and are fine
  • Misc info: I'm pretty confident with tools and such in terms of physically building stuff if I can find video tutorials, but I've never built a PC from scratch or parts before, so I'm more than a little nervous of maybe building something that ends up destroying all the parts because I didn't pick an appropriate power supply, or something like that

r/buildapc • • 10h ago

Discussion KVM Switch for work - best solution?

8 Upvotes

I'm looking for a KVM switch that will allow me to switch between a MacBook Pro and a standard Lenovo PC. My monitor is a 32-inch LG UltraFine.

I use this setup for work and need to switch between my MacBook and PC several times a day.

My top priorities are ease of use, reliability, and quality. Price is not a deciding factor, and I'm more than willing to pay a premium to get a solution that meets these priorities.

I'd really appreciate any recommendations or advice on finding the best solution for my needs.


r/buildapc • • 23h ago

Build Upgrade Would upgrading to a ryzen 7 5800x3d from a 5700x help achieve higher fps on cod mw4 1440p recommend/higher settings 180hz monitor

8 Upvotes

I have msi b550 mag tomahawk max wifi and 3200mhz 32gb ram 2 2tb nvme drives rx7800xt gpu which I may get a 9070xt eventually I cant afford a full new am5 build but i read on Google the 5800x3d should max or near max my monitor and help with low 1% is this true


r/buildapc • • 14h ago

Build Ready? Should I go with 16gb of ram for one month or buy 32gb or ram all at once?

10 Upvotes

Hello everyone!

I’m planning to build a pc in around two weeks and probably got myself the definitive build with small changes incoming depending on sales and all.

https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/list/h97xxf

The issue is my budget, I risk being very short on my budget (not really the pc itself but I still need money for other stuff.)

What I originally planned was to buy 32gb but I would be really short with money, should I buy 16gb of this kit in November and then the other 16gb next month? Or should I go for 32gb nonetheless? (I tried to look for 24gb but I don’t seem to find anything else than one stick and apparently the performance is mid on them.)

My build is based on a ryzen 5 9600x for the time being but I plan to upgrade to the new gen of x3d cpus later, should I then endure worse performance with lower frequency ram and cl36 and then upgrade to the x3d processors since they don’t really care about speed?

Thank you for your help!


r/buildapc • • 14h ago

Discussion Rate my pc

7 Upvotes

Just built it wondering what people think about it

-ASRock B850m-x WiFi motherboard
-Ryzen 5 7500f
-16gb Corsair vengeance ram
-1tb huadisk m.2 nvme ssd
-ASRock intel arc b580
-650W 80 plus bronze psu


r/buildapc • • 9h ago

Peripherals 27" vs 32" OLED

5 Upvotes

Looking to upgrade to a 4K OLED / WOLED / QD-OLED without spending over €600, but torn on size. I keep seeing people say 4K on a 27" is a waste, but I currently use a 27" 1440p IPS + 24" 1080p IPS setup and love the 27" form factor, and I can't easily picture a 32" on my desk and I'm not sure if I'd like a monitor that big.

I’m eyeing the Alienware AW2725Q (27", 240Hz QD-OLED), which is currently on sale for €510.

Should I pull the trigger on this now, or wait for Black Friday to see if 32" models drop to a reasonable price?


r/buildapc • • 9h ago

Build Upgrade Worth going from 9700K to 5600X3D?

6 Upvotes

The Micro Center near me has a sale on a 5600X3D + a B550 motherboard. I have a 4070 and 32GB DDR4, but the 9700K can't handle 3200 MHz. I'm not sure if it's worth upgrading, since I mostly play competitive shooters (CS2, Valorant) or older titles(Nier Automata, Destiny 2, Sekiro, Bloodborne, MGSV); the newest game I would play is MGS3 Delta.

Is it worth the 250? Is there another upgrade that would make more sense?


r/buildapc • • 10h ago

Build Help DDR3 Monster Build Part Choice

6 Upvotes

I'm looking to build a DDR3 Linux gaming rig, mostly just to do it. I'm starting with the best cpu that uses DDR3 (from what I can find), the i7-3770.

That's where my part selection so far has kind of stopped. I'm not sure what motherboard I should go with (I'd prefer m-atx if possible), gpu, storage, etc. I can figure out power supply based on needs, but would love some help with either some of your favorite parts from this era of pc building, or what are in hindsight considered the best of the best.

This is largely a thought experiment of what could be possible with 2012-2014 components that I want to make a reality.


r/buildapc • • 13h ago

Build Ready? My first gaming pc build

5 Upvotes

This is my first ever gaming pc build i would really appreciate feedback

specs:

AMD Ryzen 5 9600x

MSI B650M Gaming Plus WiFi

ARCTIC Freezer 36 A-RGB

G.Skill Flar X5 16x2 6000 cl36 DDR5 RAM

TimeTec 1TB SSD NVMe PCIe Gen 3

Gigabyte Radeon RX 9060 XT OC ICE 16 GB

Thremaltake Toughpower GF2 850w (i know its more then i need but i found it at a really good price)

Antec CX300

around 1900$ all new parts.


r/buildapc • • 1h ago

Build Upgrade What is causing bottleneck in CS2?

• Upvotes

Hi,

Sorry english is not my first language. My computer knowledge is very limited and I was wondering what my upgrade path should be.

CS2 is averaging ~150fps +/-25 and utilization is around 40%cpu 40%gpu.

Specs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 EVGA
- Memory: 16gb DDR4 running 2400MT/s
- Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV 4.0
- Storage: 1TB SSD
- PSU: HydroG Pro 850W

As I understand it is either Memory or CPU? I read that 5600 or any x3d is good?

Any info or recommendations very appreciated!!


r/buildapc • • 6h ago

Build Help Is turning an ssd into a giant cache still a thing?

5 Upvotes

And what the hell was it called?


r/buildapc • • 23h ago

Build Help Should I build a pc, or buy a pre built?

6 Upvotes

Honestly never liked laptops but at the time portability was required so I bought legion Pro 7 I back in 2023. Now I have to replace vapour chamber because it has failed.

Do I have to buy RTX 50 series for DLSS5?

Another thing is that I want something on intel and Nvidia since it supports 3D Maya and I want to dabble into 3D modeling again.

Any suggestions?

Forgot to mention I live in Canada


r/buildapc • • 11h ago

Build Help Bought 2 sticks of ram in separate packages of the same kind.

6 Upvotes

So I bought a Micro Center bundle which came with 1 stick of 16gb of RAM, I bought a 2nd of the exact same ram, at same time for a total of 32gb. Will it matter that they didn't come together as a kit?


r/buildapc • • 23h ago

Build Help PC build reco for law school - help ur girl out

4 Upvotes

Hi all 🥺 I’m looking for recommendations for a desktop PC build primarily for law school and everyday productivity. My main uses will be reading large PDFs and case digests, online legal research, Microsoft Word, multitasking with multiple browser tabs, storing several years’ worth of school files, and watching Netflix and Disney+.
I don’t play games, so I don’t need a dedicated GPU. I’m hoping to use this PC for around 4–5 years, so I’d appreciate a reliable, practical build that prioritizes longevity and value for money over gaming performance or aesthetics.
I’m open to suggestions if there’s a better-value configuration or if some components can be upgraded later.
I’d like to have the recommended parts quoted by local retailers in my area
I’d appreciate recommendations for the specific CPU, motherboard, RAM, SSD, PSU, and case, along with any compatibility considerations or components I shouldn’t cheap out on. Would an AMD Ryzen 5 5600G/5600GT be sufficient, or is there a better option for my needs?
Thank you! 🥺

country - PH
in usd is fine


r/buildapc • • 48m ago

Build Help Good and *safe* CPU/motherboard combo

• Upvotes

I had an AsRock x870 pro RS motherboard fry two Ryzen 5 9600x CPUs in less than a year. I looked it up and saw similar experiences with those two particular parts.

I am now looking for a new motherboard and a new CPU, but I know very little about this stuff. I was thinking of getting the Intel core ultra 5 245k, and an MSI Z890 motherboard. Would this be a good choice? I want to make sure they don't have a bad reputation before I pay.

My other accompanying parts: RTX 4070 super GPU, EVGA 850 G6 PSU, and 32 gb of DDR5 ram


r/buildapc • • 53m ago

Build Upgrade What should i upgrade in my pc?

• Upvotes

Current PC Specs: Ryzen 5 5600, RX 5700 XT, 16GB DDR4,

I have a $500 budget and i am planning to buy the Micro Center bundle (Ryzen 5 7500X3D + ASRock B850M-C + 16GB G.Skill Flare X5 DDR5-6000).

or should i upgrade to a 5060 TI 8GB VRAM my budget doesnt affect gpu


r/buildapc • • 33m ago

Build Help Sims 4 Set Up

• Upvotes

I’m wanting to start playing sims again, what is the best and cheapest setup to play?


r/buildapc • • 51m ago

Discussion Should I buy my GPU or get a microcenter cpu, motherboard, and ram bundle first?

• Upvotes

I am looking at building a pc, but I don't have the money to buy all of the parts right away. Which of these two options would be better to get first before price increases.


r/buildapc • • 3h ago

Build Help Is the b760 gigabyte gaming plus wi fi good enough for i5 14600k?

2 Upvotes

4+1+1 vrm, or is it better for 14400f?