Any PC Builders Out There?

When I got to this screen last week it found the school’s wifi network and accepted the password when I put it in.

 

IDK if this will help but here’s the about screen

 

Ok thank you @Nimble9 I’m still interested to know what you have to say, I really like learning more about software and hardware, however the director said IT is coming to replace windows home with windows professional so not to worry about the computers - of course that’s after I’ve been here for 4 hours and he rolled in at 10:30

 

So above are examples of Wifi antenna which is what I was looking to see if your PC had it.

Unless I'm missing something like a usb to wifi adapter I don't know how you would have wifi.

And anytime, I'm happy to help in any way.

I also I've been 3D printing for nearly a decade so if you have questions with that I'm happy to help!

 

Googled the model number off the tag on the back of the machine and it has an internal wifi 6 card. Doesn't necessarily need antennas or they could be routed internally in the case since it's an OEM.



https://www.microcenter.com/product/668360/asus-rog-strix-ga15-g15dk-ga15dk-mb786-gaming-pc

 

huh that's interesting! I've never had an OEM, always built my own.

I'm guessing wifi is turned off OR an updated caused a driver issue. should be an easy fix

 

I always use an offline (Local Account). Microsoft always sends your settings & stuff to OneDrive.

Can cause many problems with hardware, software & signing in.

OneDrive is the first thing I uninstall. It's garbage, like Cortana.

If you want to do a clean install, I have a workaround so you don't have to sign in during setup.

Delete those OneDrive files, also.

 

Ordered me a Noctua D15, arrived today. I'm impressed with the quality & the cooling capacity. Good stuff

 

I'm just glad they finally deviated from the brown-tan scheme they used for so long.

Don't get me wrong, it looks great, but it's hard to find components to match. I've got a black CPU cooler of theirs as well as grey case fans and I dig them.

 

I didn't like their color scheme either. It made them stand out from the crowd & made them look of better quality.

I'm thinking of getting a third fan for the backend (I have a little room left, lol). Then it'll be a beast.

Have a great day, buddy

 

i have built many systems ... i build them to use not to match up colors and have flashy lights like im taking them to show ... i want 0 lights flashing only when the system is trying to tell me something

 

I don't like lights either. I'm not taking it to a disco, lol. Keyboard lights I like, so I can see what I'm hunting & a pecking.

Seriously, I type about 80-90 WPM w/ 0 errors. Girls hated me in typing class, I got to use the electric. I was the teachers pet

 

Hi Guys!
It seems TW is a veritable wikipedia of life!

I am always amazed regarding the types of topics that are VERY capably addressed here. I thought there was no chance, but I came-a-lookin' and here I am...

A warning - this is a total newb issue...

I bought this gaming laptop LAST YEAR. - It is not very impressive compared to some of the gear I've seen here... but consider that this was for a 12 year old boy. - And we paid $800. Several people have commented that this was a good buy for the price.

Here is my issue: My other boy now wants to move from away from his ipad to a PC - and this I support... (That was my wife... I'm not a fan of apple!).

I am not well versed on gaming gear however. I would appreciate advise on options / good deals for something comparable (or better) to the below in today's market? - I am simply looking for good bang for the $800 - $1,000 bucks price-range.

I'm looking for a laptop (but can be swayed...), flexible on brands...

Thanks in advance!



Oh - and while I am here...
Somehow in the last few days; the below laptop ended-up with a bit of sand in the keyboard while visiting a friend...
He has been using an external keyboard since, fortunately.
I will look into getting in there to try to clean it out...

Any advice on how to proceed?
I imagine I'll have to open the case to access the keyboard...

 

As to the sand, check here.

https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Dell_Inspiron_M531R-5535

 

Sorry in advanced for the rambling.

it depends really on the games.

If it's like roblox or really basic games, then that's different then say a triple A game that's not optimized.

I like to buy once cry once, so I think what it'll come down to is what is most important?

Portability or performance?

Do you have other peripherals already (should you be swayed to the tower route)

If you look for older gen hardware, like a 3070, 3070 ti, 3080, you can find great deals laptops and PCs as well.

I'm going to list some things with the hopes that they go on sale on prime day

I've seen this go on sale for around $1k which is a great deal

$1,275 ASUS TUF Gaming A16 (2024) Gaming Laptop, 16” QHD+ 165Hz 16:10 Display, AMD Ryzen™ 9 7940HX, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4070, 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 11, FA607PI-AS94

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-TUF-Gam...mzn1.fos.17f26c18-b61b-4ce9-8a28-de351f41cffb

This has a 4060 gpu and is closer to that $1k mark

$1,200 ASUS ROG Strix G16 Gaming Laptop, 165Hz Display, NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 4060, Intel Core i7-13650HX, 16GB DDR5, 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, Wi-Fi 6E, Windows 11, G614JV-AS74

https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-Str...fos.765d4786-5719-48b9-b588-eab9385652d5&th=1


This is basically my laptop, which if it goes on sale is a great buy:

$1,490 ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15 Ultra Slim Gaming Laptop, 15.6” 165Hz QHD Display, GeForce RTX 3080, AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS, 16GB DDR4, 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi 6, Windows 10, Eclipse Gray, GA503QS-BS96Q

https://www.amazon.com/Zephyrus-Dis...fos.17f26c18-b61b-4ce9-8a28-de351f41cffb&th=1

Here's one that's right on budget:

$1,098 Acer 2023 Nitro 5 AN515 Gaming Laptop: Ryzen 7 6800H, NVidia RTX 3070 Ti, 1TB SSD, 16GB DDR5 RAM, 15.6'' QHD 165Hz Display, Black

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-Nitro-A...fos.765d4786-5719-48b9-b588-eab9385652d5&th=1


For towers,

This thing would be amazing for most games as long as that case can handle the thermals:

Thermaltake View 380 Liquid-Cooled PC (AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, RTX 3080, 16GB RGB 3600Mhz DDR4 ToughRAM RGB Memory, 1TB Gen4 NVMe M.2, WiFi, Win 10 Home) Gaming Desktop Computer V51B-X570-38V-LCS

https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-...fos.765d4786-5719-48b9-b588-eab9385652d5&th=1


Now, depending on the timeline, you can build an amazing computer yourself buy snagging deals around prime day, and black Friday. Plus if you have a micro center around you they typically have good deals on CPU / motherboard combos.

Also, if you are comfortable FB marketplace has really good deals sometimes but you have to know what you're looking for.

I know nothing I shared hits your price target but value wise is pretty good for what you get.

Hope this helps!

 

What types of games will he play? This will pretty much determine how much you "should" spend (or how much you shouldn't!). Its about to be Amazon Prime Day; you'll find countless deals if you choose to build a PC, and may also find deals on laptops if you still choose to go that route.

 

Very helpful! Thank you.
I would not mind A marketplace find - BUT I am definitely NOT well versed on gaming gear, unfortunately. My boys are still playing pretty basic games but also do some graphic and 3d design.

I think portability is still more important to them than performance at this point... I don't think they are demanding too much of the machines. The laptop PC in my initial post above has been doing more than fine in terms of performance...

They are playing Roblox and also playing with some graphics programs. One has been dabbling on fortnite. They also still often revert to Minecraft as they tend to play this in larger groups.

 

Ah! Great resource! - Thank you for the link!

 

I'd keep an eye out on prime day, a lot of laptops will be on sale