Need new computer.. thoughts on this one?

[BilliJo Aldrin]

Dell Inspiron 3668 Desktop

7th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700 processor (8MB Cache, up to 4.20 GHz)

16GB DDR4 2400MHz

128GB SSD+1TB GB 7.2k HDD

NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) GTX 1050 with 2GB GDDR5 graphics memory

Windows 10 Pro (64bit) English

 

[Fionalein]

For SL?

Some TPVs allow up to 2GM VRAM reserved for textures, as this machine's GPU only has 2GB RAM total you might like to get one with at least 4 GB to have room for the GPU to do more if you visit a lot of texture heavy sims (I bought a 4GB GPU and suddenly some regions that previously lagged the hell out of me on a  1GB GPU ran fluently).

4 threads at 4.2 GHz should be fine for one viewer window, not sure if it will run better with or without multithreading enabled (BIOS  option).

16GB RAM seem fine but better look of they come in 2 bars @ 8GB with two extra slots for future additions (usally that was the way Dell and many others did sell computers, but have not seen a new Dell from the inside for years now)

Edited March 19, 2019 by Fionalein

[Rachel1206]

Go for a machine with at least 4 GB memory on the graphic card, you really need 2 GB VRAM (the memory on the graphic card) in SL and must have room for running other applications using the graphics - for example modern web browsers are using a lot of resources.

With 4 GB VRAM you will be happy the next 3-4 years - with 2 GB i am afraid you will sorry within in the near future.

The Geforce 1050/1050ti 4 GB is a excellent entry graphic card.

The CPU iCore 7 excellent - even a new modern iCore 5 would do and is cheaper. That said, everything faster always better.

Edited March 19, 2019 by Rachel1206

[Qie Niangao]

Personally, I'd swap the i7 for an i5 to save enough to upgrade the graphics card from that 1050. Also, SSDs are getting pretty cheap, so if it were me, I'd get a larger one of those (at least 256 GB) and use that exclusively, replacing the 1TB HDD with some cheap portable USB "My Passport"-style drive (or just cloud storage, depending on network and price sensitivity).

[Bree Giffen]

Am I the only one who had a bad experience with those solid state drives? Mine crashed about a month after install. It now sits on top my printer.

[lucagrabacr]

The CPU and RAM are ok, though personally I'd get an overclockable K variant of a processor if I have the money (SL relies a lot on single-core performance, not saying it's not using multiple cores but still), that GPU is ok but it is a generation behind the newest one, and is one of the lowest-tier ones, you can get a 1060 for very cheap prices nowadays (or 1660TI if you prefer newer GPU but don't need raytracing) 

[cykarushb]

11 hours ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

Dell Inspiron 3668 Desktop

7th Generation Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7700 processor (8MB Cache, up to 4.20 GHz)

16GB DDR4 2400MHz

128GB SSD+1TB GB 7.2k HDD

NVIDIA(R) GeForce(TM) GTX 1050 with 2GB GDDR5 graphics memory

Windows 10 Pro (64bit) English

 

High end processor with a mid ranged GPU. Would not recommend this. Its also relatively older technology when you consider theres been 2.5 more processor releases since kaby lake and even pascal gpus are a bit older now. Its not to say its bad, though with this being a prebuilt inspiron, you should be looking for current generation hardware only.

Its kinda like buying a car, you can get a slightly older model year but still new for somewhat cheaper, but why not go for the current model year?

Look for something with an 8th or 9th gen processor, and a gpu that pairs with it better. A 1050 and an i7 7700 is a pretty big imbalance.

This with an i7 8700 and 3gb 1060, its still not the best to mitigate the whole "overkill cpu and average gpu" issue, but its pretty much the same thing but iwth a newer processor and better gpu.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883165118

 

Or build your own. Heres a decent 1000$ build

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/n2XtD2

Square peg, square hole and all that.

[BilliJo Aldrin]

Reading everyone's comments, I also found this one, it's basically the same price:

CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme VR GXiVR8500A Gaming PC

Intel i5-9400F 2.9GHz,

8GB DDR4,

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB,

120GB SSD, 1TB HDD, WiFi & Win 10

 

 

[cykarushb]

6 minutes ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

Reading everyone's comments, I also found this one, it's basically the same price:

CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme VR GXiVR8500A Gaming PC

Intel i5-9400F 2.9GHz,

8GB DDR4,

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB,

120GB SSD, 1TB HDD, WiFi & Win 10

 

 

Much better option.

For reference because the F series processors sometimes make people think of S and U low power processors, the F series are just processors without integrated graphics.

Cpu is slightly better than the i7 7700

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-7700-vs-Intel-Core-i5-9400F/3887vsm699058

1660ti is drastically better than the 1050

https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1660-Ti-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1050-Ti/4037vs3649

Only compromise i guess is the ram, but if you run into issues with 8gb, you can get another 8gb of DDR4 for pretty cheap. I cant find any mention on the specific details of the ram in there, i guess if you need more, just order an identical kit to whats in there or really just anything thats the same speed.

Edited March 19, 2019 by cykarushb

[Roxy Couturier]

4 hours ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

Reading everyone's comments, I also found this one, it's basically the same price:

CYBERPOWERPC Gamer Xtreme VR GXiVR8500A Gaming PC

Intel i5-9400F 2.9GHz,

8GB DDR4,

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6GB,

120GB SSD, 1TB HDD, WiFi & Win 10

I've purchased 2 cyberpower PCs, and I was and am pleased with both purchases. I say 'am' because I had one built and got pretty much what I wanted plus a few bells and whistles last summer. My newest machine runs like a dream without glitches or hiccups. If you are a gamer and use steam or somesuch, I would recommend getting the ssd HD for windows and other apps you want to keep and using a larger standard drive (2TB at least) because games are not getting any smaller and 1TB will get filled up probably sooner than you'd like. and you can always get an external drive to hold more when the time comes.