@puzzlezaddict Thanks for taking the time to consider my request and for answering in such detail! 🙂 I appreciate it. Here are my answers to your questions:
-Are you only looking to play Sims 4 and 5 (if it exists), or are you thinking about other games as well? I am only looking to play The Sims (would love to be able to have TS4 all games installed, potential future TS5 all games, plus mods). The only other thing I would be using the computer for would be playing around with Excel spreadsheets, and using Word for documents, storing all my photos.
-Are you willing to wait a few months for the market to calm down? I would like to do this sooner rather than later, but if it’s best, I might be willing to wait up until TS5 release. I can wait for the market to calm down (I’m in Canada). I would rather wait and invest in worthwhile parts and benefit from it down the line, rather than go cheaper now and regret it later.
-Are you thinking of building yourself, or are you looking at paying a system integrator to build for you, and if the latter, are you comfortable upgrading a component or two yourself down the line? I’ve been trying to do some research on how to build myself, but I don’t know much about which products are compatible together, and may have to end up having someone build for me in the end. However, if it’s a matter of replacing one part down the line, maybe I can do that myself! I would love to learn and be self sufficient, but I may be setting my expectations for myself too high.
I hope my answers help! Thank you again for caring 🙂
@jenjane Given the current graphics card shortage and the fact that you'd probably have someone else build your system for you anyway, it sounds like going with a system integrator is the best option. One of the advantages of this approach is that many of the SIs do have graphics cards in stock, or at least a shorter waiting time to get one, so you wouldn't have to wait or battle the scalpers and bots during an Amazon or Best Buy drop.
The flip side of course is that it costs more money to go with an SI, or at least it would in normal times when you could simply buy the components you wanted. But the price may be worth having someone build and guarantee the computer for you.
I looked at a few Canadian SI sites and saw wildly different prices, some very high for what they were selling, so it would help if you had a preferred budget. Please also let me know if there's a local store you'd like to check out—I can look at their prices and available parts online. There are a couple of U.S. companies that ship to Canada as well, and you might get a better price from them; let me know if you'd be willing to consider this option as well.
As for the parts themselves, I could make you a list, but part of the problem is that some of the SIs don't have a wide selection, or else the price is a lot lower for one set of components than for another without any justification. So it's easier for me to have just a few companies in mind and compare their prices, especially if there's a local shop you may want to use.
Thank you for your quick reply!
For the sake of setting a budget, I will say $5,000 is probably the maximum I would be willing to spend. That’s probably not needed, but I don’t want budget to get in the way of having the perfect computer.
As for preferred stores, I feel confident in Newegg and Canada Computers. I’m not opposed to purchasing directly from brands on Amazon either. I’d prefer to purchase from Canada for easy returns if needed, but am willing to consider US distributors as well.
I am so grateful for your help, I really appreciate the time you’re taking to help me put this into action!
@jenjane I tried to figure out how to order a custom build from Canada Computers and came up empty. Maybe it's the fact that I'm in the U.S., or maybe the company is only assembling systems from components you've provided; you could call a store and ask. But I also found a number of bad reviews and complaints, mostly along the lines of orders being delayed or going unfulfilled and a lack of communication.
I put together a build on Newegg Canada as a starting point. Some of the choices are constrained by low stock, especially the graphics card: in this case, you'd be buying a much faster card than you'd need because the cheaper options are cleared out, other than one I wouldn't recommend. I can't save the configuration without sigining in, so I'll list the parts instead:
processor: Ryzen 7 5800x ($540)
motherboard: Gigabyte X570 Gaming X($219)
memory: GSkill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2x16) 3600 MHz ($190)
graphics card: MSI Mech Radeon 6700XT ($1,050)
case: I didn't choose, because that's a somewhat personal decision
PSU: Seasonic Focus GM750 ($115)
storage: Samsung 980 Pro 256 GB ($90)
storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB ($220)
CPU cooler: Fractal Design Celsius S36 ($150)
OS: Windows 10 OEM ($135)
Go here to select them; you can sort by price to find the parts more quickly:
https://www.newegg.ca/tools/custom-pc-builder/pl/ID-48?diywishlist=0&Order=1
To be clear, this is a lot more money—$2,708 without the case—than you need to spend. It sounds like you want a really good system and are willing to pay more for it, but there are plenty of places where you could save money. For example, a Ryzen 5 5600X would be perfectly fine, and you could go with a single very fast drive rather than the two Samsung options. I chose those two because the 980 Pro is extremely fast, and Samsung is still the gold standard in SSDs, but the 1 TB option is extremely expensive, and games still can't max out the slower (but still very very fast) 970 Evo Plus or anything in its category. If you'd like to cut down the price a bit, let me know.
I did price a few other Canadian sites too, some of which were significantly more expensive and/or had more limited selection. One other option that's about the same price is Memory Express; let me know if you'd like a suggested configuration from there.
Please feel free to ask questions either about any of these components or overall. This kind of thing is fun for me.
@puzzlezaddict Wow! This is extremely helpful. Sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday, I wanted to make sure I had the time to reply properly.
I should’ve been more clear and mentioned I don’t have an SI in mind. I really don’t know where I could get one made. That’s something I still have to do the research on. Do you have any tips on finding a good SI? You’re right, I won’t think Canada Computers does custom builds - I was just looking at them for parts (I should’ve been more clear). But I’ve heard really good things about New Egg!
This list of parts is exactly what I’m looking for because again, I don’t have much knowledge of what is compatible, and why something is the best choice. I really want a good system and am definitely willing to make the investment because I am hoping that will help with it lasting long term. I know parts are always advancing and news ones are frequently coming out, do you think going with the parts you recommended (rather than cutting down on the price), will help me ensure that the computer is still great for TS5 (if it does come out within the next few years) and maybe will last longer?
Can I also ask, hypothetically, if computer parts were really easy to find with all resources being available, and you could recommend anything, how would the list of parts change? Again I’m willing to wait if it’s in my best interest!
One more question, just out of interest, do you build computers as a service, or are you more so just personally interested in the topic? If you have a business I would love to leave you a great review. You have so much knowledge and are an amazing resource. Thank you for helping me to get started and to understand the process a bit better!
