Seeking help with buying a RELIABLE pre-built gaming PC

[Dampwaffles]

The requirements that I'd like to have:



- Budget $1,500~.



About $2,000 is my absolute limit. I am willing to pay more for quality though.



- Pre-built and preferably available on Amazon Prime so that I can get it in 2 days.



If I have to order it directly from a company and wait a couple of weeks, that's okay too. But Amazon is still greatly preferred due to their unbeatable delivery process and easy returns.



- RELIABLE.



I can't emphasize that enough. This factor is BY FAR the most important factor for me, even more important than performance. I've dealt with unreliable pieces of crap from iBuyPower and CyberPower with my last 2 gaming PCs, and I don't want to have to go through that ever again.



I'm the type of person that leaves my PC on 24/7 365. I almost never turn it off, not even when I leave the house. I don't want any faulty parts, crashes, or fans that randomly start to make annoying sounds after a couple of years. I want all of the components to be quality and super long lasting. Basically, I want the Toyota of gaming PCs that will just last and last for 5+ years without issue.



- Whisper quiet.



Self-explanatory. I was going to shell out the extra cash for an Alienware PC since several articles that I read in Google's search results claimed that they're one of the more reliable PC manufacturers, but almost everyone said that they're loud. And so that prevented me from pulling the trigger.



- Windows 10/11 Home.



- At least 500 GB SSD hard drive.



I prefer to just rely on a stand alone 1 TB SSD since I've never really used a ton of storage on my PCs. And I like the faster boot times of an SSD and the added reliability since there's no spinning disk to worry about with a hard disk drive.



- At least 16 gigs of RAM.



I prefer 32 gigs for super smooth multi-tasking, but 16 is still fine.



- I hate hate hate RGB lighting.



I just find it to be super annoying. At the very least I want to be able to turn it off completely since I prefer my rig to be very basic visually and non-distracting. And I'd prefer if I could turn it off either with a physical switch attached to the PC itself, or via some sort of easy-to-use program on the PC. My last PC used a remote to adjust the RGB lights, and that became an issue because the remote stopped working, and so I had to buy a new one.



- Moderate gaming performance.



I don't really need a super beastly gaming rig since I mostly play League of Legends, World of Warships, Apex, Valorant, and Overwatch. But it would be nice if I could play the latest games on high settings. A mid-range graphics card and processor would be perfectly fine.



- At least 2 USB ports on the top or front of case.



Makes it easier for my mouse and keyboard to reach my somewhat far sitting location.



Other factors to consider:



- I already have an LG 27GL83A-B monitor with G-Sync.



- I prefer to lay my PC down on it's side (none of the fans are blocked) since I use a small computer desk. Will this affect reliability and quietness? Or do they design PCs to work the same regardless of their orientation? I can still put it on the floor upright next to my computer desk if I have to, but that's slightly annoying.



- Would it be okay to go with a gaming laptop instead? It would make it easier to ship if I ever needed to send it in for repairs (please God no). But I read that they're less reliable and noisier due to the reduced cooling. Is that true? Or are good gaming laptops just as reliable and quiet as desktop PCs now?



- I live in America. The Washington, D.C., area to be exact.



I'm super sorry if any of my questions came off as dumb or annoying. I really don't know anything about PCs. I just want to plug my rig in and not have any issues from it.



Thanks in advance for any helpful responses!

 

[topcat989]

- I already have an LG 27GL83A-B monitor with G-Sync.

- Would it be okay to go with a gaming laptop instead? It would make it easier to ship if I ever needed to send it in for repairs (please God no). But I read that they're less reliable and noisier due to the reduced cooling. Is that true? Or are good gaming laptops just as reliable and quiet as desktop PCs now?

This sounds like a plan. Since you don't need a powerhouse you can get one that meets all your requirements at a reasonable price off Amazon and set it up like I have my current laptop (until I build out my tower PC). I use a monitor stand that holds the monitor up about 4" and I tuck the laptop (closed of course) under it, and use external KB and mouse. Simple, easy, comfortable. Just do your research.

https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Notebook-Underneath-STT001-WALI/dp/B07KWF4SVN/

 

[GiGaBiTe]

- RELIABLE.

- I hate hate hate RGB lighting.

- I prefer to lay my PC down on it's side (none of the fans are blocked) since I use a small computer desk. Will this affect reliability and quietness? Or do they design PCs to work the same regardless of their orientation? I can still put it on the floor upright next to my computer desk if I have to, but that's slightly annoying.

These three requirements alone basically eliminate all prebuilts you'll find in really any budget range. Remember with prebuilts, more cost doesn't always mean more better. The only place I know of that could maybe do something like that is Falcon Northwest and they start at almost double that. Gamer's Nexus has done a series on prebuilts and most of them are dumpster fires. The ones that aren't are mediocre at best and often make bad design decisions in all the wrong places to meet a specific price point.

Building your own is really your only good option, which isn't really that bad, especially with people here to guide you along.

But expecting 5+ years of reliable operation on a PC that is running 24/7/365 is completely unrealistic. That's a lot of wear and tear, you're going to at minimum see multiple fan failures in that time. The average fan has a MTBF of 100,000 hours and one year of operation is ~8736 hours, which is going to chew into that "mean time" quite a bit. Doesn't matter if you get a sleeve, ball, double ball, rifle, fluid dynamic, etc. bearing fan, they all suffer failures. Keeping the inside of the PC clean is another thing that should be done monthly. I run my PCs 24/7 and I always keep spare fans around in packs for when the bearings eventually fail in the fans currently in service, which is at least a few times a year over 6-8 machines.

Drive and RAM failures are the next most common issue, you can lose the silicon lottery and get memory that fails after just a few years of use, or be like me and get six bad sticks of RAM in a row. SSDs in 24/7 operation are going to wear out a lot faster, unlike spinning hard drives, they have a finite number of read and write cycles.

- Would it be okay to go with a gaming laptop instead? It would make it easier to ship if I ever needed to send it in for repairs (please God no). But I read that they're less reliable and noisier due to the reduced cooling. Is that true? Or are good gaming laptops just as reliable and quiet as desktop PCs now?

Gaming laptops sacrifice a lot for the sake of being portable, are a lot more expensive and require more regular maintenance. The cooling system is especially problematic, far more so than a desktop due to its tight integration in the laptop. If you don't keep the heatsink fins clear, the laptop will overheat, and is one of the most common causes of failure. They'll suck up dust and hair like a vacuum and deposit it in the heatsink, where it'll eventually form what looks like a sheet of dryer lint and block most or all of the cooling. Depending on the design of the laptop, these blockages can be a pain to clear out.

But if you want a small form factor system that you don't have to build, it'd make the most sense to just get a gaming laptop. You won't have to faff with trying to source overpriced video cards and other components.

 

[LukeTbk]

The average fan has a MTBF of only 100,000 hours and one year of operation is over 61,000 hours.

There is only 8760 hours in a years, 100,000 hours is more than a decade of always on life time, do not do 24*7*365 The 7 is already all in the 365 days in a year.

Not sure if I ever had something has simple has a PC case fans failure, but it has been not that many years that I go 24/24 all year long with a server pc running I did with many server at different work place or switch/other always on device that use fans, but I am really unsure of the :
But expecting 5+ years of reliable operation on a PC that is running 24/7/365 is completely unrealistic

Claim, specially not on light workload, a lot of server made of simple cheap part achieve that.

Has for the Horizontal, no RGB, reliable, that what the average DELL and other of the sorts do I think, no ?

$2000 USD is good budget that should make the requirement quite possible.

The - Whisper quiet, for a pre-build gaming PC is where it make it more of a challenge imo.

 

[LukeTbk]

Self-explanatory. I was going to shell out the extra cash for an Alienware PC since several articles that I read in Google's search results claimed that they're one of the more reliable PC manufacturers, but almost everyone said that they're loud. And so that prevented me from pulling the trigger.

Have you look at their watercooled pre-build ?

Nothing like their air cooling monster noise, but not sure whisper quiet:


https://www.dell.com/community/Alie...e-noise-level-for-liquid-cooling/td-p/7670273

 

[GiGaBiTe]

There is only 8760 hours in a years, 100,000 hours is more than a decade of always on life time, do not do 24*7*365 The 7 is already all in the 365 days in a year.

Never try to maths after 10 hours of driving on 4 hours sleep. Putting 365 where 52 should have been causes derp. Still, over 8700 hours a year chews into that "mean time" quite a bit and it's not unusual for a fan to fail before the average rated time, especially in bad environments.

Not sure if I ever had something has simple has a PC case fans failure, but it has been not that many years that I go 24/24 all year long with a server pc running I did with many server at different work place or switch/other always on device that use fans, but I am really unsure of the :
But expecting 5+ years of reliable operation on a PC that is running 24/7/365 is completely unrealistic

Maybe I'm biased, but I work on hundreds of machines a year and see fan failures constantly. Drive and RAM failures are second and power supplies are third.

Has for the Horizontal, no RGB, reliable, that what the average DELL and other of the sorts do I think, no ?

$2000 USD is good budget that should make the requirement quite possible.

The - Whisper quiet, for a pre-build gaming PC is where it make it more of a challenge imo.

I would not at all recommend a Dell with all of their proprietary garbage. If you buy into their proprietary ecosystem, you're stuck in it. When a part fails down the line out of warranty, you're basically stuck with mystery meat specials from Ebay, because you're not going to be getting a new part for any recent Dell machine at Newegg, Amazon or any other retailer. Their G5 5000 and Alienware systems are perfect examples. Proprietary motherboards, power supplies and air cooling solutions that are abysmal and result in the CPU throttling to death. Their air coolers seriously look like they had stock left from 2006 in the Core 2 era. Not sure how well their liquid cooling works, but I wouldn't trust it with how closed off their cases are.

I'd say go with a Lenovo instead, they at least use mostly standard parts that can be interchanged later if need be.

 

[hititnquitit]

Id suggest looking at something from a trusted local shop that's been in business for a while.

 

[JSHamlet234]

- Would it be okay to go with a gaming laptop instead? It would make it easier to ship if I ever needed to send it in for repairs (please God no). But I read that they're less reliable and noisier due to the reduced cooling. Is that true? Or are good gaming laptops just as reliable and quiet as desktop PCs now?

I would totally do this. My daughter has a Lenovo Legion 5 with an RTX 3060 and a 165Hz LCD, and that thing just amazes me.

 

[Kardonxt]

I don't know of any gaming laptop that doesn't sound like a leaf blower under load, let alone whisper quiet. This requirement pretty much eliminates the possibility of using a laptop.

Your going to have to:
a) Build your own PC
b) Double your budget and find a boutique builder that offers full loops
c) Lower your expectations

For something reasonably priced, Cyberpower has dramatically improved the quality of their builds over the last few years. They also allow you to pick your heatsink, mobo, RAM, SSDs, PSUs, fans, coolers, etc. A build from them shouldn't be any less reliable than a custom build with the same specs. (Just plan on spending more than the default price upgrading to non generic components.) Keep in mind gaming hardware isn't bullet proof, plenty of knowledgeable builders on the forum have trouble with their builds everyday.

 

[Dan_D]

Id suggest looking at something from a trusted local shop that's been in business for a while.

You'd have to find one. Local shops had a very hard time surviving with Comp USA's and Best Buy's around. Now, it's almost impossible with Amazon and Newegg in existence.

 

[ElementDave]

Do you have a Micro Center nearby? I've never used their build service personally, but for a modest fee they'll assemble and test the machine from parts of your choosing. That would be my suggestion if you have one within a reasonable distance. You can get advice on components from this forum.
https://www.microcenter.com/site/service/instore-service-complete-build.aspx

 

[Kckazdude]

https://www.abs.com/products/master-ali560
I have to agree the frilly fans did nothing for me. There is a way to turn off all the lights and be done with it all. I did add a Cooler Master Hyper 212 cooler to mine as it is just a solid, effective and decently quiet cooler for me. This pre-build had all the features I was looking for but couldn't build/source due to current economics and supply. I see no reason to expect anything less than 5+ years from this machie. My last build survived 11 years with a video card upgrade and 1 fan failure.