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danielv123 t1_j4r73s1 wrote

Reply to comment by 2001zhaozhao in Apple introduces new Mac mini with M2 and M2 Pro — more powerful, capable, and versatile than ever by TbonerT

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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