Wrong time to buy a PC ?

[Andy14]

I've been looking forward to a new PC for quite a while now, my current system is almost 4 years old and the money is saved up and ready to go. The basics are easy, the case, the CPU, the RAM, etc. But then I come to the monitor / GPU and it all gets horribly complex.

Ideally I want a 34" widescreen. But both such monitors available with 100Hz and G-Sync have silly stands that mean they are too close to me on the desk and I'm not prepared to start paying even more cash for VESA mounts which may / may not meet my specific needs.

There are lots of Freesync monitors around that meet the spec (including the new LG 38") but nothing made by AMD will power such devices properly. Vega will arrive eventually, but who knows when, in what quantities, at what price and with what quality drivers. The "next" PC may have a red GPU, but don't see it this time.

So I'm just hoping that CES brings some new monitors, with sensible stands, great spec's, G-Sync and immediate launch dates. I'm not feeling lucky though, seems that the X34P has already slipped back and there's rumours of it going further (still with a stupid stand).

I may have to change my criteria and get a 27" monitor with high refresh rate and use my current 27" as a second screen. Again it's not easy though, many of the latest such panels have many bad reviews against them.

Roll on CES.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Vega is being previewed this week.

[me-yeah]

27" screens would be easier, as you will just be able to buy a dual desk vesa mount for them both which won't cost £200

[Andy14]

27" screens would be easier, as you will just be able to buy a dual desk vesa mount for them both which won't cost £200

27" screens all seem to come with sensible stands so I have no need for any VESA mounts. I currently have a DELL 27 and no issues. Pictures on this thread http://forums.hexus.net/displays-mon...idescreen.html

Vega. Too late. "Preview" has to turn into "on sale" which has to turn into "actual stock available" and you have to pray the drivers work & that it's actually decently quick. The Green team are out there, tried, tested, trusted, works & known to be fast.

[Xlucine]

Assuming that the monitor that meets your needs gets to market before vega, of course. It'd be silly to buy the GPU now before you even know what vega will do/don't have a monitor to run it with, and I'll put money on the 1080 getting a price cut once it's got actual competition.

[scaryjim]

... The Green team are out there, tried, tested, trusted, works & known to be fast.

True (to an extent), but ...

... I'll put money on the 1080 getting a price cut once it's got actual competition.

Also true.

All indications are that the first Vega release - the lower specced variant - will be between 1070 and 1080 performance in most games. If AMD price it below £500 we'll see immediate price cuts by nvidia. And given this is one card up in their stack from the RX 480, which tops out at £300, I don't think that's an unreasonable proposition.

Whatever you think about the lateness or otherwise of Vega, it will be released in Q1 this year, and it will shake up the high end GPU market.

Oh, and as an aside I assume you're talking about 4k 34" monitors? There are 2560x1080 34" ultrawide monitors that would be perfect with an RX 480...

[Andy14]

Oh, and as an aside I assume you're talking about 4k 34" monitors? There are 2560x1080 34" ultrawide monitors that would be perfect with an RX 480...

Indeed it would be a 1440p monitor (whether 27 or 34).

It's fair to say that you can always wait longer and get something better / save a few £. I was aiming to buy the PC this financial year though and the cost of not doing so far outweighs any small price cuts.

[scaryjim]

Indeed it would be a 1440p monitor (whether 27 or 34). ...

Huh - you have read the RX 480 reviews, yeah? I've just had a skim through the Hexus review of the Sapphire Nitro RX 480 and there's only one game where it averages less than 50 fps at 2560x1440 Ultra quality. And that's on launch drivers - subsequent driver updates have unlocked a lot of exta performance for the RX 480.

If you were going full 4k I'd understand wanting a 1070 or 1080 - AMD don't have any cards in that class until Vega hard launches. But for 2560x1440 with freesync, an RX 480 is already a proven and sufficient card, and freesync is so much cheaper on equivalent monitors than G-Sync. The chances of Vega not meeting your requirements are pretty much zero, and at that point I really don't see the point of rushing to make a purchase that you are almost guaranteed to regret within the next three months - whether that's because Vega turns out to be a winning card or because the GTX 10-series get price cut...

[Andy14]

Huh - you have read the RX 480 reviews, yeah? I've just had a skim through the Hexus review of the Sapphire Nitro RX 480 and there's only one game where it averages less than 50 fps at 2560x1440 Ultra quality. And that's on launch drivers - subsequent driver updates have unlocked a lot of exta performance for the RX 480.

If you were going full 4k I'd understand wanting a 1070 or 1080 - AMD don't have any cards in that class until Vega hard launches. But for 2560x1440 with freesync, an RX 480 is already a proven and sufficient card, and freesync is so much cheaper on equivalent monitors than G-Sync. The chances of Vega not meeting your requirements are pretty much zero, and at that point I really don't see the point of rushing to make a purchase that you are almost guaranteed to regret within the next three months - whether that's because Vega turns out to be a winning card or because the GTX 10-series get price cut...

Appreciate the thoughts, but there's more to it.

1. I'm not looking to buy a new PC that's already struggling to run @ 50Hz (I can't see why anyone would do that). Ideally I'd like to have something akin to an X34 and be running it near / above the 100Hz ceiling, games in the next few years are only going to get more hungry.

2. Vega simply isn't here. I really wish it was, but it isn't. This is the point of my post, it's just bad timing to be buying a PC (of the spec I want).

3. The saving of buying this financial year is > 50% of list price. Therefore Nvidia dropping the price of a 1080Ti by £100 has very little impact. I'm purely looking for the best I can buy in the next month / two. I was hoping this would be based around an UW high refresh monitor, but is now looking like it may have to be 2 x 27's (1 of which would be high refresh).

[DanceswithUnix]

Perhaps you are over thinking this.

You seem set on an Nvidia card, fair enough. That gives you a 3 way choice of Gsync, high refresh rate or traditional 60Hz monitors. The high refresh rate ones just now all come with a "freesync" badge on them.

I was amused to see that my Freesync monitor is rated as Nvidia 3D capable, something I had forgotten all about

Variable refresh rate is really handy when your graphics card can't quite cope, like on my R9 380 trying to drive a 1440 display. If you are getting a GTX 1080, then low frame rate isn't really a problem.

Freesync2 is now announced which will push Nvidia even further behind, I really wouldn't get hung up on Gsync.

[scaryjim]

... 3. The saving of buying this financial year is > 50% of list price. ...

Ah, hadn't spotted that in your previous post, and it's not something you've highlighted or explained. How come the big saving buying this financial year?

Obviously I wasn't suggesting buying an RX 480 now - just that we already know that AMD's existing - lower-end - cards are adequate at that res so Vega should be very competitive.

Financial year still has three full months to run. So again, I wouldn't be rushing to buying until I see what Vega is going to bring; and we should know more about that within the next couple of days. If this is financial year dependent then give it the rest of the financial year.

[Andy14]

Ah, hadn't spotted that in your previous post, and it's not something you've highlighted or explained. How come the big saving buying this financial year?

Obviously I wasn't suggesting buying an RX 480 now - just that we already know that AMD's existing - lower-end - cards are adequate at that res so Vega should be very competitive.

Financial year still has three full months to run. So again, I wouldn't be rushing to buying until I see what Vega is going to bring; and we should know more about that within the next couple of days. If this is financial year dependent then give it the rest of the financial year.

Buying through the business this year uses up an allowance that otherwise will simply be lost. I can wait a little bit longer, but sensibly (to allow for build, all items to come in stock, delivery, invoicing, payment, contingency) I need to order Mid/Late Feb.

If you were interested there's a brief overview here of the VAT rebate. Plus you are not paying Tax / NI / CT on the purchase as this comes out before any profits are declared.

Any Vega news will (unfortunately) simply be "wait bait" and therefore I will be going to the green team. But the monitor situation is just "wrong" and nothing @ CES is giving me much hope either. It seems my UW dreams are fading and twin 27's will be my best solution. Once CES is over I find it hard to see any other monitor news before I need to buy.

[DanceswithUnix]

If the monitor you mention is this one: http://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-38U...rawide-monitor

then that only has a Freesync 52 to 75Hz range. That is better than nothing for a casual gamer, but it is not a gaming monitor. The top frequency isn't very high, the range isn't wide enough to allow LFC.

[scaryjim]

Buying through the business this year uses up an allowance that otherwise will simply be lost. ...

I'm intrigued as to what business you're in if you're planning to justify buying a gaming PC as a business expense.... I take it you've taken personal use VAT charges into consideration when calculating your savings? (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-priv...s-and-services)

Also don't quite see how the VAT flat rate rules you linked applies. Unless you're closing your business or anticipate falling out of that scheme at the end of the current FY then surely you'll make the same saving in the next tax year if you buy next year?

Sorry to pry, it just feels like you're trying to find a reason to rush a purchase you're not going to be happy with.

[Andy14]

If the monitor you mention is this one: http://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-38U...rawide-monitor

then that only has a Freesync 52 to 75Hz range. That is better than nothing for a casual gamer, but it is not a gaming monitor. The top frequency isn't very high, the range isn't wide enough to allow LFC.

Hi. That monitor is mentioned as an aside / example. The X34A (or X34P) would be the better examples of what I'd like to buy right now. Slightly smaller, 1440p (not 1600p), faster refresh and with G-Sync.

The LG 38U99 is a great example of new panels coming out that are starting to look really cool. It hints at things to come with DP 1.3 / 1.4 in the near future and also that LG may soon produce high refresh rate 1440p UW's too.

At the end of the day this rig will get a LOT of use for real work, so I'm always balancing this with the gaming usage. Hence an UW for the additional real estate. OR (more likely now) 2 x 27's.

[benboy1983]

i dont think there is a right or wrong time buying a pc because u will never catch up with technology