Just for context, here’s a “luxury” build-your-own system I would recommend for you where all the parts are really friggin’ nice: PCPartPicker List
Here’s a repost of DMC’s MicroCenter link for easy reference/comparison.
Details of the pcpartpicker list for building your own:
| Price | Component | Details |
|---|---|---|
| $251.38 | Motherboard | ASUS TUF Gaming Z590 WiFi |
| $259.99 | CPU | Intel i5 11600K |
| $109.95 | Cooler | Noctua NH D15 black |
| $69.98 | RAM | 16 GB Crucial Ballistix DDR4 3600 |
| $176.80 | Hard Drive | 1 TB Samsung 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 |
| $149.00 | Power Supply | Seasonic Focus Plus 750W Platinum |
| $122.98 | Case | Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact Black |
| $139.88 | Windows | Windows 10 Pro 64-bit OEM |
| $1,279.96 | plus tax |
Notice how there is no video card. The i5 11600K comes with the UHD 750 integrated graphics I was slagging on earlier. If it turns out to be underpowered for your needs, you’d be spending probably another $300 on a 5-year-old re-issued GTX 1050 ti or something.
Here’s the reasoning behind the choices, along with things to consider with the MicroCenter prebuilt:
Motherboard
My two top motherboard brands are MSI and ASUS. The ASUS TUF Gaming Z590 comes with WiFi but not Bluetooth, while the MicroCenter one (brand unknown) is a B550 with Bluetooth but no WiFi. No clue if you need either WiFi or Bluetooth. The ASUS is definitely PCIe 4.0, while the MicroCenter system specs only mention PCIe 4.0 for the video card. I am unable to confirm if either of them are Windows 11 upgradable. (ie: Do they have TPM 2.0? No idea, the spec sheets don’t say.)
CPU
As stated previously, the Intel i5 11600K is essentially a wash with (slightly ahead of) the MicroCenter system’s AMD. The 11600K can be overclocked if you’re into that kind of thing.
Cooler
The Noctua NH D15 is really nice. The thing with Noctua is that their stuff is top tier but a fugly tan/brown color. This Noctua, however, is just plain black. If you google “what cooler for i5 11600K” this is the answer google spits out. This cooler should be plenty good enough for moderate overclocking.
RAM
I like Crucial for memory, and 16 GB should be plenty and that’s what the MicroCenter system comes with also. This Crucial memory is 3600 compared to MicroCenter’s 2666, so it’s (much?) faster. I can’t find what brand the MicroCenter memory is.
Video Card
None for the build your own, an $800 3060 for the MicroCenter. We’re pretty much done here with just this one line item. The deal is too good, I think, to pass up.
Hard Drive
Both systems come with just a single M.2 drive, but this 1 TB Samsung 980 Pro is both twice the size of the MicroCenter system as well as definitely being PCIe 4.0. The MicroCenter system makes no mention of the PCIe version, meaning it’s probably PCIe 3.0 which would be slower. Also no brand name is mentioned. Samsung is a very good name for M.2 and SSD drives.
Power Supply
I’ve penciled in a luxury Seasonic Platinum 750W, which is probably overkill but when I downgraded to 650W (and 550W) pcpartpicker threw exceptions. Something about how it doesn’t come with enough cables for the motherboard. The 750W says fully compatible, and hey, Platinum. No idea the brand name or rating (probably Gold) on the MicroCenter system, but it’s 650W, which is pretty much perfect for the system.
Case
The Fractal Meshify 2 Compact is a definite luxury case. Fractal cases just ooze “Wow this is nice!” I chose the solid black case but you could also go for tempered glass. It’s 8.27" wide, 18.70" tall, 16.69" deep compared to the shockingly small MicroCenter Lian Li budget case, which is 6.98" wide (too narrow for many/most modern coolers), 14.53" tall (?!), 13.35" deep (?!). That case is tiny. Lian Li cases are also quite nice, but it’s a $55 case so not sure how nice. And it could be problematic down the line in terms of upgrading. More likely you’d just replace it.
Also, both cases have two 3.0 USB front ports, but the fractal case also comes with a USB-C front port while MicroCenter’s Lian Li case does not. The motherboard probably has a USB-C back port, or you could just get an adapter, so this is more of a luxury thing than a necessity.
Windows
Both are Windows 10 Pro.
My only real concern with the MicroCenter system is how very very small the case is. Assuming you buy it, I would think of it as a non-upgradable black box system beyond maybe tossing in two more ram sticks and maybe an SSD data drive.