New PC

[Brian Baird]

Hi all,

I'm looking to update my PC in the very near future.

I am aware that building one is the best way to go but unfortunately I am in no way able to do that myself as I don't have enough computer knowledge.

I've been offered a computer with these specs:
CPU: AMD Fx6300 @4.2Ghz;
RAM: 16gb 1600mhz Corsair vengeance;
Storage: 120 GB SSD crucial. 1 TB Hdd.
650 watt semi modular power supply.
Gtx 960 4Gb gigabyte graphics card

Will this run the most up to date mod packs like Modern Skyblock 3/Sevtec/Forever Stranded smoothly and well?

Any help and comments are appreciated.

 

[Hambeau]

First, as an AMD user for over 20 years, I wouldn't buy an older system with an Fx6300 CPU... The chip is at least 6 years old and there is no future upgrade path other than faster FX chips.

The new Ryzen chips are so much better. I upgraded from an FX8350 to a Ryzen 1600 last April and have been very happy.

The rest of the System is perfectly fine for Minecraft and looks quite a bit like my updated system with the following exceptions:

1) Ryzen R5 1600 running at 3.725 GHz (6-core, auto OC)
2) ASUS Prime X-370-Pro mainboard (yours isn't listed)
3) My ram is identical but runs at 3000MHz
4) My SSD is a 240GB Samsung 960 M.2
5) My GPU is a GTX 1060 w/6GB.

If the prices are good I may update to either an 8-core R71800X or Ryzen R72700X for my birthday in the fall, depending on how the 1800X prices drop.

The 2700X is about $350 locally and It'll plug right into the mainboard with no other changes needed (same socket).

 

[zemerick]

How much is that computer/how much is your budget? If that thing isn't really cheap, I'd definitely stay away from it. The RAM and MB are also going to be dead ends. So, your next upgrade would just be a completely new PC again.

Also, don't rule out building a PC so easily. The required knowledge is grade school level reading, and knowing how to plug something in/use a screwdriver. The MB will come with a manual with instructions on most of the installation. You can also talk to people on here to walk you through it. 3/4 of the work is usually "If it fits, that's where it goes".

Also, are there any other considerations besides MC for the computer? If you're sticking to gaming, especially CPU intensive ones like MC, and have a moderate budget I would recommend Intel over AMD. They are substantially faster per thread performance, and games usually can't have all that many threads. If you plan to stream, or do other CPU intensive tasks besides gaming, AMD is good bang for the buck. ( Until the top end, where Intel comes back, having higher per thread AND more threads...but they are insanely expensive at that point. We're talking 1500-2k just for the CPU. )

Finally, what do you have for a video card right now? GPU prices are currently in freefall, with no indication that will change soon. As such, if you buy a card today, you could be paying a hundred or more dollars extra compared to waiting a few weeks/months. Especially if Nvidia ever gets around to dropping the 11 series which is expected any time now. RAM is also very high, but it's unfortunately not really moving.

What I'm saying is, I would recommend getting a minimum of RAM, and no video card right now. Use your current video card, and get by on the minimum of RAM. Once video card prices have leveled out, grab the one you want. RAM manufacturers are currently under investigation for price fixing, and the hope is they will start going down soon as well. Once they bottom out, grab the rest you want. ( I wouldn't buy more than a minimum of RAM until the price is back below about $5/gig. It's currently around $10. )

 

[Hambeau]

How much is that computer/how much is your budget? If that thing isn't really cheap, I'd definitely stay away from it. The RAM and MB are also going to be dead ends. So, your next upgrade would just be a completely new PC again.

Also, don't rule out building a PC so easily. The required knowledge is grade school level reading, and knowing how to plug something in/use a screwdriver. The MB will come with a manual with instructions on most of the installation. You can also talk to people on here to walk you through it. 3/4 of the work is usually "If it fits, that's where it goes".

Also, are there any other considerations besides MC for the computer? If you're sticking to gaming, especially CPU intensive ones like MC, and have a moderate budget I would recommend Intel over AMD. They are substantially faster per thread performance, and games usually can't have all that many threads. If you plan to stream, or do other CPU intensive tasks besides gaming, AMD is good bang for the buck. ( Until the top end, where Intel comes back, having higher per thread AND more threads...but they are insanely expensive at that point. We're talking 1500-2k just for the CPU. )

Finally, what do you have for a video card right now? GPU prices are currently in freefall, with no indication that will change soon. As such, if you buy a card today, you could be paying a hundred or more dollars extra compared to waiting a few weeks/months. Especially if Nvidia ever gets around to dropping the 11 series which is expected any time now. RAM is also very high, but it's unfortunately not really moving.

What I'm saying is, I would recommend getting a minimum of RAM, and no video card right now. Use your current video card, and get by on the minimum of RAM. Once video card prices have leveled out, grab the one you want. RAM manufacturers are currently under investigation for price fixing, and the hope is they will start going down soon as well. Once they bottom out, grab the rest you want. ( I wouldn't buy more than a minimum of RAM until the price is back below about $5/gig. It's currently around $10. )

You are correct... Intel has better gaming performance with their top 4 CPUs, but when you combine CPU/Mainboard costs who wants to pay about USD$500 more for at most 15% better framerate on one or two games?

I don't really want to be a Fanboi here but if you want to skip a GPU at this time I'd look at an AMD Ryzen APU, which has Vega graphics on-board (My laptop has a mobile version and it handles Minecraft just fine)... Note: Intel also has a new APU, which interestingly enough ALSO has a Vega GPU built-in. I haven't seen a price on the chip but Intel sells a NUC (really tiny system) for about $999 (I think you have to add your own Ram and SSD).

Here are a few videos using a Ryzen 5 2400g (this guy likes Gigabyte mainboards, there are many others):

Basic Build, parts and procedure:

​

Mini gaming rig with cooling mod (pt.1)

Gaming rig performance (pt.2)​

 

[zemerick]

You are correct... Intel has better gaming performance with their top 4 CPUs, but when you combine CPU/Mainboard costs who wants to pay about USD$500 more for at most 15% better framerate on one or two games?

The 8700k is only $350.
Ryzen 2700x is $325.

Adding the MB pricing actually flips this. ( Although, you can use an older AM4 chipset if you are ok with missing out on some of the features of the Zen+. )
Intel 300 series starts at just $55, while the AMD x470 starts at $130. ( Older and lower end chipsets can get down to like $40. )

That brings us to AMD actually costing $50 MORE. You don't get much of a price advantage until you get into the i9 vs. TR stuff...and that is most assuredly not just for gaming. ( The 8700k is faster for gaming after all than even the i9 7980XE, which costs $1900. Which, I mentioned are an absurd aside that can generally be ignored. )

The Intel APU setup is not any good generally from what I've seen. If you went the APU route, stick to AMD...though I personally stay far away from any APU situation. If you have a dedicated video card already, it's almost certainly better. Anyways, Intels new AMD partnership chips ( that feels SOOO wrong to type ) are pretty slow CPUs. The GPU portion is apparently faster than AMDs own so far, but I wouldn't expect much out of it. The biggest problem with APUs is simply not having their own dedicated close and specialized RAM. It's also only quad core, which is a good idea to get away from today. There are already plenty of games that require quad core, and I always recommend more cores than a game by itself requires.

That $1000 Intel NUC will be WAY slower than a $1000 desktop for the record. Those are for pretty specialized situations, not general use. It's console performance in a gaming PC price. I was really surprised when they said it was $1000. Should have been more like $500 at the most.

 

[Hambeau]

The 8700k is only $350.
Ryzen 2700x is $325.

Adding the MB pricing actually flips this. ( Although, you can use an older AM4 chipset if you are ok with missing out on some of the features of the Zen+. )
Intel 300 series starts at just $55, while the AMD x470 starts at $130. ( Older and lower end chipsets can get down to like $40. )

That brings us to AMD actually costing $50 MORE. You don't get much of a price advantage until you get into the i9 vs. TR stuff...and that is most assuredly not just for gaming. ( The 8700k is faster for gaming after all than even the i9 7980XE, which costs $1900. Which, I mentioned are an absurd aside that can generally be ignored. )

The Intel APU setup is not any good generally from what I've seen. If you went the APU route, stick to AMD...though I personally stay far away from any APU situation. If you have a dedicated video card already, it's almost certainly better. Anyways, Intels new AMD partnership chips ( that feels SOOO wrong to type ) are pretty slow CPUs. The GPU portion is apparently faster than AMDs own so far, but I wouldn't expect much out of it. The biggest problem with APUs is simply not having their own dedicated close and specialized RAM. It's also only quad core, which is a good idea to get away from today. There are already plenty of games that require quad core, and I always recommend more cores than a game by itself requires.

That $1000 Intel NUC will be WAY slower than a $1000 desktop for the record. Those are for pretty specialized situations, not general use. It's console performance in a gaming PC price. I was really surprised when they said it was $1000. Should have been more like $500 at the most.

My point about AMD APUs is that you can build with the 2200g which costs $99 (whole system works out to about $500 + case/power, unless you find a Newegg.com Board/CPU bundle on sale) and when you want to upgrade all you have to do is replace the APU with a CPU and GPU card. Even the mini-ITX board in the videos has a slot for a GPU. The AM4 socket is planned to be in use until 2020 and beyond (it'll support Zen2 when released) so an update is just a CPU away... I don't see a new one until DDR5 ram is in common use.

If you want Crossfire/SLI (neither actively being developed these days) then you need an X-370/470 mainboard.