How closely can I expect to obtain a gaming computer this year?
How closely can I expect to obtain a gaming computer this year?
I know exactly what you meant by saying you'd already celebrated Thanksgiving, and I included that in my message. I also thought Provincial referred to your location in Canada. There’s still Christmas going on up there, even though Thanksgiving is unrelated. The reason Black Friday occurs the following day is because it marks the official start of the Christmas holiday season.
This community funding seems a bit like the "Stimulus Payments" we received from our government in the US. They clearly outlined the amounts each person would receive. It appears they were mostly based on local conditions, but they didn’t notify people until the last minute, which makes it tough to compete with the holiday shopping rush this year—especially since they’re urging everyone to shop early to avoid shortages.
If you haven’t figured out your budget yet, answering your question becomes difficult. I’d suggest staying prepared once you know your financial limits. I also recommend purchasing from a reputable seller that offers full refunds for at least a month (often two months during the holiday season here).
As I mentioned earlier, searching online for deals is likely more effective than asking questions we can’t answer due to limited information.
To give you an example, we often find good deals on Newegg for brands like ABS, which are among the more affordable prebuilt options thanks to quality components and solid build workmanship (though this can vary during the holiday rush). Typical prices have been around $1200 USD for a system with an Intel processor, 3060 chipset, 1TB NVMe drive, and 16 GB RAM. You’ll need to put in some effort, or at least let us know which online vendors you prefer. I’d suggest focusing your search across three different price ranges so you’re ready to decide regardless of cost.
In situations like these, those who do their research ahead, make thoughtful choices, and act quickly when the opportunity arises tend to get what they want before it’s too late.
My sister suggested we visit that place to see what they offer, but then Dad noticed the gaming computer at Costo afterward.
@Frag Maniac
I actually have a budget around $2,000.
But my parents are curious—can I play Sims on a GeForce 3070? And will a 512 SSD last for about five years? I’m still figuring out how much RAM is needed.
Gaming machines are now available; the choice is mainly about selecting the right specs. Look for models with Ryzen 3600 or higher, an RTX 2070s or 3060, and around 16GB RAM running at 2933 to 3200MHz. A solid-state drive for booting and sufficient storage space—at least 1TB, preferably M.2 or SATA—are important. The exact form factor doesn't matter much as long as the cables are managed well; both options will work equally in games.
A 3070 based system at 2000 CAN may be a tall order. Closest to it I've seen is a BestBuy.ca price on an ASUS one for 2200, but I'm not sure I'd trust Best Buy much on a gaming PC, especially at or near the holiday rush.
https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/produc...-5...0/15397183
This of course is excluding any possible lower holiday prices popping up, which seems unlikely as most sites are advertising their deals early this year, and of course the shortage.
I HAVE however seen an ABS rig at Newegg.ca with 3060 Ti, Intel i7 11,700F, 16GB 3000 RAM, and 1TB NVMe drive for 2000 CAN. It also has an ASUS Prime MB, and comes with Keyboard and Mouse. A 3060 Ti is roughly 10-14% less performance than a 3070 depending on res, only 10% less at 1080p.
https://www.newegg.ca/abs-ali560/p/N82E16883360190
I only saw one gaming desktop at Costco.ca, a 3060 based MSI "Mag Codex 5", but you have to be a Costco member to see the price.
https://www.costco.ca/msi-mag-codex-5-11...99421.html
I think as soon as we hear back from Provincial government. We will finally be able to get the gaming computer after almost 7 months of waiting. It's just the delay is that we had to hear back from the government and I'm going to be really ticked off if we don't hear anything on Monday night since Mom wouldn't even check her email that night until "everyone has gone to bed" but I don't see why she couldn't check it before I go to bed since it's going to be my gaming computer. I mean if we hadn't been waiting to hear back about the super-special funding, we could have used my Money like a 2 months ago or more for a gaming computer. Heck my parents aren't even looking around for a gaming computer until we hear back from them. I mean could we at least look around while we wait to hear back?
So are you saying that $2000 is a bad/cheap budget?
Your 'budget' refers to any money you can allocate to this setup.
Next, you purchase or construct the most effective system within that limit.
we are purchasing a ready-made unit. Because we lack the expertise to construct one ourselves. But my Mom finally informed me today that the cost is $2,000 or higher. I was completely unaware of this before, as I had no budget for a gaming computer at all. Whether it comes from government funds or my own money, it's still a significant expense.
So then purchase the top system you can afford in that budget.
And 'building' is actually simpler than it seems.
Any moderately smart 12-year-old could put one together.