Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

2001zhaozhao t1_j4qsfbn wrote

$1299 for the M2 Pro version. I think (?) that's enough to build out a windows system with a top end i9 and midrange graphics.

9

TbonerT OP t1_j4qwqns wrote

A core i9-13900K is going to set you back $600 + tax. A midrange graphics card is about $300. RAM is probably another $75 or so. That leaves us about $300 for Windows, storage, and a tiny motherboard. You know that motherboard is going to eat up more than the remainder. It's an interesting exercise.

40

2001zhaozhao t1_j4qznqi wrote

Then there's CPU cooler, case and power supply. Hmm, perhaps it's just slightly too much to fit in the $1299 budget.

38

alc4pwned t1_j4t46is wrote

Also, for fairness maybe you should be trying to make that work in an sff case.

8

2001zhaozhao t1_j4te9w4 wrote

well, if you want to go down that rabbit hole, the PC also has benefits like being upgradable

1

Hot-Gabe4004 t1_j4rb5z5 wrote

I don’t know about a 300$ dollar gpu but everything else looks right to me.

6

endthepainowplz t1_j4rnkbp wrote

Not top end, but you can get a very good pc with 1,300, and it can play anything on steams library. You can’t beat windows universality and versatility.

−8

Ch4l1t0 t1_j4sko7j wrote

I just bought a AM5 mobo with a 7600X, 32GB DDR5 ram (2x16GB), 2x 1TB M.2 drives, all for less than 900 dollars, in Argentina, where this stuff is WAY more expensive than in the US.

Next will be a 6800XT for around 600 bucks, most expensive part by far.

edit: 900 bucks. Not 350. My bad.

4

endthepainowplz t1_j4sphzy wrote

You got an excellent deal, enjoy your new setup, and hopefully you don’t have any headaches getting a gpu

3

Ch4l1t0 t1_j4sqp4c wrote

Thanks! But I just realized I made a big mistake when doing the currency conversion(I didn't buy the parts in dollars). It would be more like 900 dollars. Sorry about the confusion, seems I can't math today.

On the bright side, there seem to be a few 6800xt available so getting the gpu shouldn't be too much of a problem :)

2

TbonerT OP t1_j4rr5cg wrote

You can certainly get a good PC for $1,300 but it won't perform as well. Apple runs Windows better than similarly-priced laptops.

2

endthepainowplz t1_j4rveiw wrote

Arm processors are great, but a lot of software isn’t built with that architecture in mind, so I don’t think apple is the best all around. Though they are becoming more intriguing every generation.

1

Youvebeeneloned t1_j4r3dhw wrote

Not likely... Maybe i5 or i7 but certainly not a i9, and certainly not in that form factor.

13

danielv123 t1_j4r73s1 wrote

I spent about 1.7k on a 7900x at launch with 64gb 6000mhz cl30-35-35-56 ram and a 1000w Corsair PSU, noctua cooler and rackmount case. It is a bit cheaper now, but you can't go top end for 1299 anymore.

My build is cheaper than 64gb ram from apple though.

5

2001zhaozhao t1_j4r8z6r wrote

But if we work down from your build-

  • 16gb ram instead of 64: $225 less
  • 650w psu instead of 1000w: $50 less
  • normal case instead of rack mount: $50 less?
  • dual tower cooler from a cheaper brand: $40 less

Now your build is suddenly around 1.3k rather than 1.7k. also I'm pretty sure you can get a 7950x for close to 7900x's launch price nowadays.

3

danielv123 t1_j4sla8k wrote

>16gb ram instead of 64: $225 less

Actually 400$ less if you go for cheap ram, but fast ram has a big performance impact for my workload. I did try some cheap sticks from a friend but got 40% extra performance with this set.

> 650w psu instead of 1000w: $50 less

Fair, but I got it for 100$ so I am happy with it. Cheapest 650w PSU I can find in local market is 75$.

Normal case could have been as much as 150$ less, but space also has a price. I now have 4 easily accessible machines stacked in one cabinet with cable management built in.

Cheaping out on the cooler was an option, but cheap coolers usually have awkward mounting hardware when changing platforms. Only reason I didn't ziptie on my old cooler was because it wouldn't fit in the case. Most cheap high performance tower coolers are also too tall and this machine runs 24/7, so I went with a good one.

Here is the full budget for my build:

https://i.imgur.com/ZqsAGbK.png

I also have some network cards, nvme risers etc that aren't factored in because I have borrowed them from other stuff.

People have different needs, and this machine is a great fit for mine.

1

2001zhaozhao t1_j4slzjw wrote

Yeah I'm not arguing with what you did, Im just saying that changing it to be similar to the mac mini would yield a similar price to the mac mini.

1

chickenlittle53 t1_j4si03q wrote

Most folks do not need 64GB of RAM and most claiming tend to not need to either. RAM has gotten a ton cheaper even DDR5 and most don't need more than 16GB for what they do and won't even use much more. Same for CPU. Can go longer as most people just game as their most intensive task. You don't tend to need 1000W either.

So basically, you can build much cheaper than $1700 and definitely hit a higher quality build. Especially when you're comparing it to apple which typically has just flat out dumb prices for basic spec upgrades. Windows is gonna be cheaper 99% of the time.

2

danielv123 t1_j4sirs1 wrote

Big difference between cheaper than mac and high end pc though. You can definitely beat a mac in performance for the same price but that isn't what was discussed.

0

chickenlittle53 t1_j4t6iva wrote

Guess it depends on what you mean by "high end" as people have different use cases for a PC and what one may consider "high end" won't do much for another's use case.

Second, of we're talking most people, you earnestly paid waay more for things that won't benefit them at all. There is simply no benefit to most people having 64GB of RAM period let alone DDR5 that still does not do much at their CL rate to really justify a vast difference in price for most. So paying top end for the same benefits overall is silly in most cases anyhow.

I bring that up to point out a few fallacies in your claim if you're talking about spending more money meaning "high end." I also find it odd that you don't categorize high performance with high end when those are hand and hand. Almost no one's definition of high end is going to include low performance and consider it "high end." That wouldn't even make sense.

You brought up PC which can be customized to meet exactly what you need and want and much cheaper therefore bringing a ton of value period. No one is saying Mac is horrible, but the moment you start bringing price into this and comparing apples to apples spec wise PC can wn out there due to the nature of being able forever upgrade and find plenty if sales in the process. Mac is much more closed off. If you're buying Mac in this case, it tends to be for niche reasons. Bathing wring with it, but just came across as if you were trying to bring price into this and bringing up specs as if you have to spend $1700 to get a very nice PC that is high end still. With the plethora of options out there thst simply isn't true.

1