Quote:
Originally Posted by MegaErtz
Cost isn't a huge issue for me, but what would a reasonable cost be to get something decent that would have the ability to be upgraded down the line? $2000? $3000?
|
Depends what you are doing with it.
You can spend up to $4000 easily if you get a lot of fancy stuff, like Platinum/Titanium grade PSUs, 4000+MHz RAM (and lots of it), 3080/6800XT videcard, fancy $300 case, big honkin 360mm AIO cooler, multiple m.2 storage drives, lots of fans that light up (surprisingly pricey for ARGB), a motherboard with all the bells and whistles, etc. Tack on another 500-1000 for a really nice monitor if you are gaming/doing photo work.
Are you just browsing? Just get a laptop or refurb prebuilt. Are doing spreadsheets? Same.
Are you playing games? An i5-10500/5600x equivalent is fine, spend the most money on a GPU. $1500-$2000 should be doable unless you want a super kickass videocard.
Are you using it as a workstation (video/audio/photo etc.)? Get an i9-10900k or 5900x equivalent, spend more money on RAM, and less on a GPU (unless it's 3D work, which is v costly).
There are part levels/prices for every interest point, but they all serve different purposes. It's all dependent on what you want to do.
In any case, *always* buy an m.2 drive as your primary disk in 2021. And not a cheap WD Blue or some slow garbage, at least a WD Black SD750, or EVO 970.
Tips to keep things scalable:
Buy a higher wattage PSU (750+), modular is ideal; a smaller PSU can limit the CPU/GPU options at the high end. Buy larger RAM sets (eg 2x16GB) because unless you spend BIG MONEY on a motherboard, you only have 4 slots. Buy a big enough case that you don't have to worry about cramming stuff in it.
Keep in mind if you want to upgrade your Motherboard/CPU at a later date, there's a chance you will have to re-buy both as the chipset is usually only good for a generation or two (unless you upgrade the CPU within a generation, eg. an i5 to an i9 in the same series). DDR4 RAM is looking to EOL as well, so who knows how long it will remain the standard.