Problem with PC since day 1

[Scott]

As others have suggested, send the system back and get a more suitable build for less money. It's genuinely a no brainer. I know you may believe you have found a solution, but holding the CPU back isn't what you paid for. It's a very poor spend and a learning curve for sure, the good news is that you're not too late to get it all sorted properly.... what you have done so far isn't a fix and will come back to bite you.

Have a look around the "Check my Spec" forum/posts and you'll get a much better view of what a well rounded, well specced system looks like and how it compares to the pre-built offering. I would also have a look at the thread on Intel linked above. There are some harrowing videos, things highlighted that are often overlooked in reviews etc due to greased palms from Intel. Objective reviews are selectively objective without giving the whole picture, we tend to be geeky enough to pull together the whole picture and steer customers towards a better reasoned selection approach.

Think about the reasons why you opted for that particular combo of CPU/GPU, you thought it was the best you could get for the money. In reality, it's not close.

 

[Clouds84]

Just an update. I sent in an RMA and the CPU was faulty so they replaced it.

 

[Clouds84]

As others have suggested, send the system back and get a more suitable build for less money. It's genuinely a no brainer. I know you may believe you have found a solution, but holding the CPU back isn't what you paid for. It's a very poor spend and a learning curve for sure, the good news is that you're not too late to get it all sorted properly.... what you have done so far isn't a fix and will come back to bite you.

Have a look around the "Check my Spec" forum/posts and you'll get a much better view of what a well rounded, well specced system looks like and how it compares to the pre-built offering. I would also have a look at the thread on Intel linked above. There are some harrowing videos, things highlighted that are often overlooked in reviews etc due to greased palms from Intel. Objective reviews are selectively objective without giving the whole picture, we tend to be geeky enough to pull together the whole picture and steer customers towards a better reasoned selection approach.

Think about the reasons why you opted for that particular combo of CPU/GPU, you thought it was the best you could get for the money. In reality, it's not close.

I appreciate the advice. A lot of people who want pre-built PCs assume that because it's already pre-built, it will be suitable for their needs. A lot of people won't have this in-depth' computer knowledge like you guys and wouldn't even know what they're looking at when doing research. It's like when someone is buying an Xbox or Playstation, they just want to turn it on and play. You can say, 'well you shouldn't get a PC if you're clueless', but if I'm buying a pre-built gaming PC, I trust it will work, like when you're buying a console.

But now I know I should do some research and ask for advice on the forums before blindly clicking buy.

 

[Scott]

When buying anything, if there's an enthusiast forum it should always be the first stop. Research is great if you already know what you're looking for, but if not it's best to ask and get some experienced opinions, and then do your research from there as you'll have a starting point.

Pre-built will always do a job, the key is value though. Pre-built tends to be using parts that are older stock or lesser value with new models/variants coming in. They also tend to be highlight main parts, with lesser supporting parts. This is always the case though, even outside of PCs in general. Anything pre-built for you isn't for your benefit, it's to get quick sales and make good money.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I appreciate the advice. A lot of people who want pre-built PCs assume that because it's already pre-built, it will be suitable for their needs. A lot of people won't have this in-depth' computer knowledge like you guys and wouldn't even know what they're looking at when doing research. It's like when someone is buying an Xbox or Playstation, they just want to turn it on and play. You can say, 'well you shouldn't get a PC if you're clueless', but if I'm buying a pre-built gaming PC, I trust it will work, like when you're buying a console.

But now I know I should do some research and ask for advice on the forums before blindly clicking buy.

This is exactly why pc gaming is leaps and bounds better than any console. A console is a fixed limit at time of release, with minor incremental updates to mainly the cooling or a smaller chassis a few years later.

a PC is cutting edge for a good 10 years if you design it right.

if you don’t design it right, you buy top end components all you like, you’ll never get that performance if the platform can’t support it and you’ll be limited when it comes time to upgrading, needing to spend far more in replacing items that could have just been suitably specked at the outset, costing substantially more than needed also.

Anyone thinking pc gaming is anything like a console needs to level up quite a bit.