I bought a pre-built PC to upgrade my existing setup. Did I do something wrong?
I bought a pre-built PC to upgrade my existing setup. Did I do something wrong?
The time has come again when Im looking to upgrade my PC....
I managed to pick up a PC (Prebuild) yesterday for about £630, The PC is a grade A ex display unit from a popular shop in the UK (Currys PC World). From what I could tell it was a great deal and all 10 or so of them sold out within an hour.. It's my first time buying a pre build as I usually buy myself, But seemed a good price without the hassle of having to build.. The PC also comes with a years warrenty.
Inside it features ;
Intel Core i7-13700F Processor
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Ti
16 GB DDR5 (4800 MHz)
1 TB SDD B760 Motherboard
WiFi 6E
My old build consists of ;
AMD Ryzen 7 1700X
GTX 1080 Ti
16GB DDR4
B450M Mortar
3TB of HDD & SSD (Which Ill transfer over).
Ive figured I can probably get about £350-400 for my 1080 Build when I sell it, So the total cost of the upgrade to the new PC Build would be about £230ish give or take a few quid!
So far I've had mixed opinions, One person has told me I'd of been better off buying a Ryzen 5700x3D, An additional 16GB of RAM and also putting money towards a new GPU, However I've had a discussion with friends who've said it's a cracking deal that's worth it just for the more modern parts which offer more flexibility..
Im fully aware that the 1080Ti To the 4060 isnt a huge upgrade, However Im thinking that the main thing is that the rest of the parts are more modern and upgradable whereas my current 1060 Rig is quite outdated now.
Im thinking that further down the line, When I can afford to do so i can sell the 4060 and upgrade to a 4070 also.
I can still cancel the order if my way of thinking is incorrect.
Would just like some opinions / thoughts?
Thanking you all for the help as per usual!
It varies based on your circumstances. You might achieve better results with your own pricing choices if you already possess some PC hardware knowledge. Avoid spending a lot on components without understanding what you're doing. Try researching thoroughly, even though it can be tedious, as it's the most accurate method. Then compare prices using a price picker tool. Pre-built options usually come with a premium build cost and include manufacturer-specific bloatware.
Your Core i7 is quite a lot better than that R7 chip, so, nothing to worry about that.
i7-13700F vs R7 5700X3D comparison:
https://technical.city/en/cpu/Core-i7-13...-7-5700X3D
RAM amount depends on usage case. For office/web browsing and most games, 16 GB is still enough. 32 GB would make sense if you play latest AAA titles. But for actual productive work (e.g 3D rendering and the like), 32 GB would be too little.
RTX 4060 Ti is good enough for 1080p usage. Better GPU would only make sense if you want more FPS in game and/or are running 1440p or 4K monitor. Else-ways, beefier GPU would be waste of money when you can't utilize the full power it offers and/or you don't need it.
It's like when your daily driver has 200HP engine but then some bloke comes around and says to you that you should really buy yourself 500HP car.
Well, without actual need for the extra 300HP, it is waste of money.
Do note that the PSU inside the PC is what defines which GPU you can go for. Also, by the time you'd end up looking for a new GPU, RTX 50-series is most likely out.
Overall, i would not look for a new GPU unless there is an actual need. Just because you can have better GPU, doesn't mean that you have to spend money for a better one.
I'm not very skilled at picking and researching PC parts. It's not really useful. I've managed to put together and fix PC issues before, and in the past I've depended on forum users to choose parts for me while I just assembled the bought components myself—Haha.
I know pre-built versions cost more, but this one is well under its original retail price. In fact, I don't think I could even assemble it if I tried. So I decided to buy it. It's just a question of whether selling my old setup for £230-250 would be worth it.
I should have mentioned that this build is intended for gaming and general use—no need for extra tweaks.
My main reason for wanting an upgrade is that my 1080 Ti has been a bit slow over the past year or so. I play some games that are GPU, CPU, and RAM intensive (with leaks), and I'm hoping for a smoother experience. Although I know the 4060 is only about 20% better than the 1080, it still feels like a decent upgrade. Plus, it gives me a bigger CPU boost and more modern parts for the price of an extra £250 once I sell my current rig.
As far as I understand, this build uses a 500W PSU—insufficient for a 4070 but potentially upgradable later?
I'm not sure if my approach is right, or if it's better to upgrade the 1080 which would cost me a few more bucks.
I listed RTX 4060 Ti and GTX 1080 Ti, but now I'm discussing RTX 4060 and GTX 1080. These are distinct graphics cards. The Ti version offers greater performance compared to the non-Ti model.
The RTX 4060 is approximately 20% more efficient than the GTX 1080, while being about equal to the GTX 1080 Ti.
Power consumption alone isn't enough to judge the power supply unit. The make and model—or even the part number—would provide much more insight, especially regarding the quality of the PSU.
For instance, if I had to choose between a high-quality 650W PSU and a low-quality 1000W one, I’d definitely go for the former. With a reliable PSU, I’m confident it will last me at least ten years without degrading my components over time. In contrast, a poor-quality PSU poses serious risks; it could fail suddenly and cause damage to connected devices.
Yes, if the PSU is ATX and not a proprietary design (such as those found in Dell prebuilt PCs), that would be ideal.
Upgrading from a GTX 1080 Ti would require a new CPU-MoBo-RAM combination, essentially meaning a complete rebuild. This is preferable to upgrading an existing build, especially if you lack the expertise or desire to disassemble and replace parts.
Initially, thank you for your response. I wanted to clarify a previous misunderstanding; I was referring to the TI model as mentioned first. My current setup is a 1080 TI Currently, and the upcoming build will feature the 4060 TI. This should provide a noticeable increase in GPU performance.
I checked online about the PSU, but it's not straightforward to identify the exact unit until I have it. From one source, it appears to be an Acer DC.5001B.00A. If that doesn't work, I can replace my existing Corsair CX750M PSU with a higher-quality one or simply invest in a better PSU for a few dollars.
Based on the information you provided, it seems the optimal choice is to retain the 4060 TI Build once it arrives. I plan to transfer my HDDs there and then sell my current 1080 TI Build as originally considered. This would be a more modern setup with improved components, and the upgrade cost appears reasonable compared to the benefits.
If you need the precise PC details, the Orion 3000 PO3 - 650 is recommended.
https://www.acer.com/gb-en/predator...es....BK4EK.004
From my perspective, the cost on the floor model seems reasonable given your lack of enthusiasm for researching and building your own, and the warranty is actually a good deal. I’m curious about the specifics of how the warranty functions and what might invalidate it. After selling the old rig, assuming the price range you mentioned, it would likely be even more advantageous. You’ve already mentioned some of the limitations of a prebuilt unit, so it seems you carefully considered both sides.
I still have a working windows 10, 4790k ,1080ti and 32gigs of DDR3. Great machine in its day. Can't update to win.
You are thinking 2015 with a 500w supply. Power supplies have a updated ATX 3.0 standards. Dell is well know for selling proprietary hardware like power supplies that only work with Dell PC's.
Personally, if you have zero or very little experience with PC internals, find a friend who does or buy a prebuilt.
4060 is not much of a gaming card. RTX40xx video cards went out of production last November. Big time gap between 4000 exit and 5000 series entrance. Looking to upgrade my 3080ti. Try to find a 4070ti. Good luck.
I wouldn't rely on the PSU during prebuild, and your CXM isn't great either, particularly if it hasn't been used for many years—this is definitely a weak spot.
However, the more significant issue is the CPU cooling. The link you shared doesn’t address this, and a 13700 requires a much stronger cooling system to reach its full performance. A B760 motherboard could also be a limiting factor here.
I won't comment on value since it heavily depends on local prices, but overall I don't see a balanced setup. Also, with only one year of warranty compared to the other components having two or more years, it raises doubts about reliability.
Searching online reveals the OEM PSU is likely from Liteon or Chicony. To confirm the exact model, you should briefly detach the PSU from the PC and capture a photo of the label—it will display the manufacturer, model, and rail configuration. Once removed, it should resemble the following image:
Direct link if image doesn't load:
https://www.ipc-computer.eu/largeim...p-...0888_2.jpg
If the design matches closely (or exactly), it indicates a 4x +12V rail PSU rather than a 500W unit. A more accurate version would be around 200W, as that aligns with the capabilities of a +12V rail. Simply combining all individual +12V outputs won’t increase total power output; this suggests the PSU may be of poor quality.
You can share the captured picture on platforms like Imgur:
www.imgur.com
CXm offers average performance PSUs. Suitable for standard office PCs without a dedicated graphics card, but insufficient for high-end gaming rigs. For any system with a dedicated GPU, this PSU lacks solid construction.
I recommend considering a newer model, preferably an ATX 3.0 or 3.1 variant.
Best options for 850W units:
https://hwbusters.com/best_picks/best-at...busters/4/
As mentioned earlier, the PSU’s wattage determines the suitable GPU choice.
For example, an RTX 4090 requires a 1200W PSU, ideally ATX 3.0. A unit in the 1500–1600W range would be ideal.
RTX 4080/4080 Super/3090/3090 Ti require around 1000W, while RTX 3070/3080/3080 Ti need 850W.
RTX 4070 Ti/4070 Ti Super needs 750W.
RTX 4070/4070 Super/4060 Ti/3060/3060 Ti should work with a 650W PSU.
RTX 4060 needs approximately 550W.
For a RTX 4060 Ti, a 650W PSU would be appropriate, providing ample headroom. However, if you plan to upgrade to something like the RTX 4070 Ti Super, a 750W PSU would be more suitable.
Since the RTX 50-series models are still unavailable, it’s difficult to determine their power needs and the correct PSU specifications.