CyberpowerPC Desktop From Best Buy: Passing the Test?

OK ... Keep us informed how that works out ... I would expect bottlenecks when you go to swap in and upgrade parts ... I would have gotten a more powerful PC that did not need upgrading ... and I would never buy from a BigBox store ... A good deal, is not always a good deal

cascaderailroad said:

OK ... Keep us informed how that works out ... I would expect bottlenecks when you go to swap in and upgrade parts ... I would have gotten a more powerful PC that did not need upgrading ... and I would never buy from a BigBox store ... A good deal, is not always a good deal

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Depends on what brand you get. Not to mention you probably were expecting million dollar games to run on a one dollar build. CyberpowerPC has one of the better reputations out there in the gaming market. I'd pick them over Alienware any day of the week. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060, Intel i7-8700 8yh generation processor is right up there. That's the latest processor build and the third highest performing PU. I'll take my chances. It's a far better option than my Samsung NP700Z5C that has a crummy Intel i7-3635QM @2.4 GHz with NO overclocking ability, limited RAM at just 8 GB (7.71 usable) which makes it even worse and a horrific graphics card that's integrated even though it's says Nvidia GeForce GTX 640M. Doesn't matter as it's still horrible. So thanks for the input but as an opportunistic person, I take advantage when possible because there's not many that come by and it's uncertain when it'll show up again.

ArmoredMonster - Reckon you'll be a pretty happy chappy with that new rig - The i7-8700 is an excellent processor. The unlocked K version is a wee bit faster and can be overclocked, but you probably won't need to for most computing tasks, including gaming.
The GTX-1060 is a proven performer with T:ANE, allowing you to run at high frame-rates with moderate-to-high visual quality and performance settings. T:ANE will LOOK good and RUN well on that combo!
More RAM later will certainly help, as will a PCIe NVMe SSD to supplement your existing desktop HDD. (SSDs really speed up many day-to-day tasks and make a discernible difference in gaming. Boot-ups are so much faster too).
We look forward to hearing about your user-experience running T:ANE with your new beast.

Do not buy from ANY BigBox stores, (Walmart, KMart, Staples, Office Depot ... etc ... etc ...) as they have lower end hardware inside

If you can "walk in" to a store, and buy a PC ... you would do better online trough a PC maker, and "Walk Right Out" of the BigBox store

ArmoredMonster said:

Well I'm now back in the market for a computer since Walmart's system canceled my order as their inventory was inaccurate. Got my money back but I'm pissed the **** off because I wanted my damn computer and now I don't have it. I certainly won't be doing business with them ever again!!! That goes for all Walmart stores and online as well.

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That's a bummer. Price out the components at New Egg. www.newegg.com and see how that goes. You can then put the system together yourself. I will say that if you go this route make sure you research your RAM requirements carefully to ensure that you properly match the timing with your motherboard, and are on what is called the Qualified Vendor List (QVL). If a brand you chose is not matched to the motherboard, and not on the QVL, don't get it.

The reason is the "other" RAM, the value memory you purchased may or may not work, or worse will not work at all. I found this out the hard way with a system I put together a couple of years ago. I purchased RAM with the same timings as required by MSI, but the RAM was not on the QVL. I had a system with poor performance, random freezes, and inability to boot up 100% of the time.

The problem is that not too many people are handy with wiring & assembly ... and they have no other choice but to buy a gaming PC from BestBuy (which would have low end hardware inside)

I started several threads on how to buy & build a gaming PC, and got little response

Several years ago there was a thread that gave links to great PC builder companies in the US, UK, Ireland, Wales, and most cost in excess of $2000

cascaderailroad said:

The problem is that not too many people are handy with wiring & assembly ... and they have no other choice but to buy a gaming PC from BestBuy (which would have low end hardware inside)

I started several threads on how to buy & build a gaming PC, and got little response

Several years ago there was a thread that gave links to great PC builder companies in the US, UK, Ireland, Wales, and most cost in excess of $2000

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Very true, however, with a little careful thought and attention to details, the process is quite easy and much, much easier than it was even a few years ago. The plugs are color-coded, only fit one way, and are clearly marked on a pull-out sheet. This is all very much unlike how it was a few years ago, and even that was much, much different than before when there were jumpers to place on the motherboard, switches to flip, and other things to worry about. The disadvantage of a U-do-it project is the lack of an overall warranty. The end-user is subject to the individual component warranties and troubleshooting down to that component can be a daunting experience. Take my memory problem, for example. The problem was not really apparent until the motherboard failed, yes it died completely, and had to be replaced. I replaced the board, put the same memory back in only to find that it couldn't see all the RAM without crashing. Here I had purchased 64GB of RAM and the board would only boot up with 32GB max! Then one day the system wouldn't boot up well, or it would randomly reboot. After checking the specs of the RAM I installed, I found it wasn't on the QVL and replaced it with qualified RAM, and there hasn't been a problem since.

The alternative to self-building is to find a local shop that's willing to assemble a machine, or con a buddy into helping out as well.

Yahh ... But the even bigger problem is a person not knowing what hardware to purchase, and choosing a carpy motherboard or a non-compatible chip ... etc ...

Prebuilt motherboard bundles with CPU Cooler and Ram pre installed and tested, is an easier route to self building and often cheaper than sourcing the parts seperately.

ArmoredMonster said:

Well I'm now back in the market for a computer since Walmart's system canceled my order as their inventory was inaccurate. Got my money back but I'm pissed the **** off because I wanted my damn computer and now I don't have it. I certainly won't be doing business with them ever again!!! That goes for all Walmart stores and online as well.

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It is a blessing in disguise... save your money longer, until the better CPUs are out.

Noticed lately that no wall marts carry hard drives or video cards anymore, lest not around where I live. Also best buy has next to no cards and hard drives also.

decided to go with Xidax X-2 gaming desktop. It has Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti @4GB, Intel i3-8100 CPU, 8 GB RAM, and 1 TB HDD/SSD storage.

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Shoulda saved up some more money and went with this one from my post earlier in this thread:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypower-desktop-intel-core-i7-7700-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-120gb-solid-state-drive-1tb-hard-drive-gray-black/6032004.p?skuId=6032004

Your rig is rather weak to run TANE, have a similar benchmark computer that I bought 4 years ago which barely runs TANE. The 1050 isn't very stout.

fourteen said:

Noticed lately that no wall marts carry hard drives or video cards anymore, lest not around where I live. Also best buy has next to no cards and hard drives also.

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Because no one who shops those stores is there to buy any of that stuff.

Harold

fourteen said:

Noticed lately that no wall marts carry hard drives or video cards anymore, lest not around where I live. Also best buy has next to no cards and hard drives also.

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Exactly the same in the UK, loads of stuff online, nothing much in the stores other than the usual Dell and HP PC's and laptops, it's all home delivery or click and collect and mostly next day delivery so why bother going to an actual store.
The only UK store that had a decent stock of bits on site has gone bankrupt and is currently selling everything off at 40% off, nothing much of any use left now though. I did get some Ram, 4 new Corsair fans for two of my systems (the existing ones were getting very noisy) a Ryzen motherboard bundle and a stock of air duster cans all very cheap.

hminky said:

Shoulda saved up some more money and went with this one from my post earlier in this thread:

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ibuypower-desktop-intel-core-i7-7700-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-120gb-solid-state-drive-1tb-hard-drive-gray-black/6032004.p?skuId=6032004

Your rig is rather weak to run TANE, have a similar benchmark computer that I bought 4 years ago which barely runs TANE. The 1050 isn't very stout.

Harold

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It's MUCH better than what I've got now though. GTX 150TI on a desktop vs Integrated/ Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics on a laptop. Which one would you prefer?

ArmoredMonster said:

It's MUCH better than what I've got now though. GTX 150TI on a desktop vs Integrated/ Nvidia GeForce GT 630M graphics on a laptop. Which one would you prefer?

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It'll run Middleton for laptops fine. The canal barges are low impact as well especially running on invisible track. It just depends which assets you run.

Cheerio John

I know this thread's old, but here's my personal experience with a CyberPower that I bought from Best Buy about a year and a half ago...

September 2016. I just drove clear across town to the far west side Best Buy, because neither the east side nor near-west stores had it. My heart was racing, I was so excited that I finally had a gaming PC. Hooked it up, fired it up, connected to the internet... "Windows is not genuine". As it turns out, this was actually a refurbished Windows 7 machine upgraded to Windows 10, and never activated (thank god it had a new W10 COA). It said absolutely NOTHING about being a refurb on the packaging, in store, or on the BB website. I solved the Activation issue, which wasn't too serious.

About a month down the road, it starts crashing. Dying and rebooting, usually without a BSOD or any sign of suspicious behavior. The original motherboard (more on that later...) was faulty right out of the box.

This motherboard was from 2012. The CPU was from 2012. The GPU was from 2012 (parts that were mid-range even then). In a computer that was being sold as "new" in 2016. Of course, the specific specs weren't listed anywhere, so what I was buying was a complete mystery. But it was cheap (RED FLAG).

The original PSU was just barely enough to power what was in there. The GPU was the first part I upgraded, around Christmastime that year. Of course, a new PSU had to come with it (I would upgrade the GPU again later).

Some connections, including some case lights, buttons, etc., were disconnected out-of-the-box, and after only about a year and a half of ownership, some of the case lights are already starting to fail.

Finally, after totally gutting the system and installing new MoBo, CPU, GPU, RAM, PSU, and an SSD, I'm finally having a great experience with this system. I've read reviews about CyberpowerPC online after buying the system. It sounds like their quality is very hit-and-miss. Some people really enjoy their systems. Others, me included, have been having nothing but trouble with theirs, usually to the tune of faulty and/or outdated hardware, low build quality, and bad customer service and tech support.

TL;DR: Cyberpower's systems use cheap, lower-end parts (unless you're willing to spend a small fortune), and their quality can be very hit-and-miss. Research, research, research. And if you do go to Best Buy, ask questions. Ask if it's new or "new". Read reviews on both the company and the system you're considering. Ask around on sites like TomsHardware.

Matt

epa said:

About a month down the road, it starts crashing. Dying and rebooting, usually without a BSOD or any sign of suspicious behavior. The original motherboard (more on that later...) was faulty right out of the box

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Why did you go to all that trouble?

Best Buy has a great refund policy.

Just returned a $700 PS4 VR setup that caused me visual problems with no questions asked, all I need was to return the item.

Same with NewEgg, bought a BSOD generator and just mailed it back.

Harold