Digital Free art in exchange for gaming PC suggestion!

[Nostalchiq]

Hi everyone! I need a new computer because mine is 8 years old, and I don't know enough about them to be able to make an informed decision on what to buy next without help (I'd love to be able to build, but again, no clue what I'm doing )

I also need some inspiration for my next drawing, so I thought it might be fun to offer free art to whoever suggests the PC that I'll end up buying!

Here's some info on what I'm looking for:


+ Something without proprietary parts (no Alienware, HP, Dell, Acer, etc)
+ Around $1,500
+ Good for gaming and digital art apps (I play older games mostly like Fallout 4, Skyrim, etc., but it would be nice to be able to play Elder Scrolls 6 and Fable when they're released, as well as FF7 Remake)
+ A case with good ventilation (I don't care about fancy colors and lights and stuff)
+ Ideally liquid cooling, but not absolutely necessary
+ From a reputable seller with a decent warranty

How this works: You suggest a PC (Or several) and if I choose yours you get free art of your OC or fandom character of choice! (Black and white lineart, but possible color if I'm feeling up to it). There's really no way for us to make this legally binding/official, so you'll just have to trust in me.

If anyone can give me any advice too, I'd greatly appreciate it! I'm looking to buy the computer soon, like within a couple weeks. I'm not the best artist in the world, but hopefully I can make someone happy with this exchange!

Thanks!

Examples of my art:

 

[supermartinbros]

For a second there I thought it said you were 8 years old, and then I looked at your art and I feel flabbergasted until I read it correctly.

Edit; also wonderful art!

 

[Nostalchiq]

For a second there I thought it said you were 8 years old, and then I looked at your art and I feel flabbergasted until I read it correctly.

Edit; also wonderful art!

Ha, that would be rather impressive! And thank you, how sweet!

 

[Luscinioide]

skytech is about as cheap as you can get for gaming pcs that can still get the job done. i bought their 3070 model a few months ago and it's still chug chugging along pretty well; i'd definitely recommend swapping out the fans for a better pair though since the 3070 gets HOT HOT HOT. its case is nothing special but it has a sideways hinge door that makes swapping parts real easy.

their 1 year guarantee is pretty nice, too. i had a problem with the gpu being DOA (no fault of their own, ofc, for whatever reason 3070s seem to get fucked up in the mail real easy) and they had a new one out to me within 2-3 weeks. didn't have to hold them at gun point or anything. just went "yo fix my shit" and they were like "will do chief just ship the gpu back".

are they the best? no, no premade is the best. but is a 3070 build for 1500 a steal? hell ya.

 

[Nostalchiq]

skytech is about as cheap as you can get for gaming pcs that can still get the job done. i bought their 3070 model a few months ago and it's still chug chugging along pretty well; i'd definitely recommend swapping out the fans for a better pair though since the 3070 gets HOT HOT HOT. its case is nothing special but it has a sideways hinge door that makes swapping parts real easy.

their 1 year guarantee is pretty nice, too. i had a problem with the gpu being DOA (no fault of their own, ofc, for whatever reason 3070s seem to get fucked up in the mail real easy) and they had a new one out to me within 2-3 weeks. didn't have to hold them at gun point or anything. just went "yo fix my shit" and they were like "will do chief just ship the gpu back".

are they the best? no, no premade is the best. but is a 3070 build for 1500 a steal? hell ya.

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been doing some reading the last week or so and I've read both good and bad things about Skytech, so I wasn't really sure what to think of them. I guess as long as they honor their warranty and use the parts they promise to use then they're as good as any other brand? Based on your experience with them, it sounds like that's the case I'll definitely give them a closer look!

 

[Luscinioide]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been doing some reading the last week or so and I've read both good and bad things about Skytech, so I wasn't really sure what to think of them. I guess as long as they honor their warranty and use the parts they promise to use then they're as good as any other brand? Based on your experience with them, it sounds like that's the case I'll definitely give them a closer look!

yeah, i mean, honestly they just have the same issues as any other prebuilt pc company does. a lot of the damage people talk about when it comes to prebuilds usually happen during shipping and don't have anything to do with the company's practice. the deal with mine was that the 3000 series is just so dang LARGE that it has a tendency to sag if it's preseated during shipping, which means there's an increased chance for the pins to break and cause DOA issues. but once you get past that and set everything up, chances are you're good to go.

naturally i give everyone the speech of "yes 90 bucks for a 2 year guarantee from amazon sounds like a lot, but it's nothing to protect a 1500 piece of equipment". regardless of what brand you buy, i'd do it through them and get an additional warranty. it's a small price to pay if for some reason you have an issue with whatever manufacturer you bought from.

<head scratch>, if you have a specific part you're wanting to build off of though, i'd recommend newegg and the suggestapc subreddit. good places to skim for deals.

 

[merrbles]

I don't have a PC to recommend, but I just wanted to say that your art is absolutely gorgeous and I'd love to see more of it!

 

[Nostalchiq]

I don't have a PC to recommend, but I just wanted to say that your art is absolutely gorgeous and I'd love to see more of it!

Thank you so much!

 

[Nostalchiq]

yeah, i mean, honestly they just have the same issues as any other prebuilt pc company does. a lot of the damage people talk about when it comes to prebuilds usually happen during shipping and don't have anything to do with the company's practice. the deal with mine was that the 3000 series is just so dang LARGE that it has a tendency to sag if it's preseated during shipping, which means there's an increased chance for the pins to break and cause DOA issues. but once you get past that and set everything up, chances are you're good to go.

naturally i give everyone the speech of "yes 90 bucks for a 2 year guarantee from amazon sounds like a lot, but it's nothing to protect a 1500 piece of equipment". regardless of what brand you buy, i'd do it through them and get an additional warranty. it's a small price to pay if for some reason you have an issue with whatever manufacturer you bought from.

<head scratch>, if you have a specific part you're wanting to build off of though, i'd recommend newegg and the suggestapc subreddit. good places to skim for deals.

Interesting! I have heard that parts can sometimes get knocked loose or something during transit. I'm a little concerned about that because I've never messed around with the guts of a PC and wouldn't know if something was loose or not. I would probably have to take it into a shop to have them do it, which is absolutely embarrassing to admit.

Yeah, I've been scoping out r/suggestapc. Unfortunately they seem to ignore the sub and all of the activity is on their Discord. I asked for help on there but my request sort of got lost in the feed of other requests. I have been checking back every now and then though to see what the mods have recommended to other people since what I'm looking for seems to be pretty common.

Would you suggest buying directly from Skytech? What about utilizing their build your own (Mark 7) option? I was just looking at that and it looks like it might be a good option if I do my research on all the parts on offer. I also noticed they have 0% APR 12 month payment plan which would be great since honestly I have no idea where this money is going to come from, except maybe a credit card. Smaller installments would definitely be easier on my wallet.

 

[Luscinioide]

Interesting! I have heard that parts can sometimes get knocked loose or something during transit. I'm a little concerned about that because I've never messed around with the guts of a PC and wouldn't know if something was loose or not. I would probably have to take it into a shop to have them do it, which is absolutely embarrassing to admit.

the only thing you really gotta watch for is the gpu and fans, but those are super easy to reseat yourself. just a matter of having the right screwdriver head to get the screws off and patience; i learned how to do it in about 15 minutes with a youtube video. things like your motherboard are going to be in there pretty good and if it got knocked loose...well, it's probably broken anyways LOL.

Would you suggest buying directly from Skytech? What about utilizing their build your own (Mark 7) option? I was just looking at that and it looks like it might be a good option if I do my research on all the parts on offer. I also noticed they have 0% APR 12 month payment plan which would be great since honestly I have no idea where this money is going to come from, except maybe a credit card. Smaller installments would definitely be easier on my wallet.

i don't recommend any BYO options unless you know specifically what you're shooting for, especially because it's really easy to go down the rabbit hole of "oooh that's only 20 dollars more!" and then all of a sudden you're 600 dollars over budget. that, and it's easy to mess things up like not getting the right cooling and power supply to match what you're using the pc for. typicallyyy it's cheaper just to get the prebuilt and then replace individual parts.

my suggestion would be if you have the credit score, i'd shoot for getting it from amazon with the store card. can fall back on amazon if something's wrong, 0% APR, and then you get the reward points off it. BUT a 1500 credit limit on a new card is hard to get. either way i'd definitely do it on a credit card because worst case scenario, you're protected if stuff's broke and your last resort is a charge back.

...max efficiency would be to find a credit card that has an introduction reward of spend (x) get (y) back. bank of america has one right now where you get like 300 bucks for spending a certain amount, lmao. super nifty for big purchases you're planning.

 

[Nostalchiq]

the only thing you really gotta watch for is the gpu and fans, but those are super easy to reseat yourself. just a matter of having the right screwdriver head to get the screws off and patience; i learned how to do it in about 15 minutes with a youtube video. things like your motherboard are going to be in there pretty good and if it got knocked loose...well, it's probably broken anyways LOL.



i don't recommend any BYO options unless you know specifically what you're shooting for, especially because it's really easy to go down the rabbit hole of "oooh that's only 20 dollars more!" and then all of a sudden you're 600 dollars over budget. that, and it's easy to mess things up like not getting the right cooling and power supply to match what you're using the pc for. typicallyyy it's cheaper just to get the prebuilt and then replace individual parts.

my suggestion would be if you have the credit score, i'd shoot for getting it from amazon with the store card. can fall back on amazon if something's wrong, 0% APR, and then you get the reward points off it. BUT a 1500 credit limit on a new card is hard to get. either way i'd definitely do it on a credit card because worst case scenario, you're protected if stuff's broke and your last resort is a charge back.

...max efficiency would be to find a credit card that has an introduction reward of spend (x) get (y) back. bank of america has one right now where you get like 300 bucks for spending a certain amount, lmao. super nifty for big purchases you're planning.

Oh, are the parts on offer in the build your own option on Skytech not all compatible? I know what you mean about the rabbit hole though. It's easy to get carried away!

One thing I noticed is that none of the prebuilts through Skytech seem to offer water cooling, but it's an option in the BYO? I may have missed them though as I admittedly haven't looked incredibly hard to find one. I wish I understood more about components so I could make a good decision about which build would be best for my needs. I'm also starting to think that my original budget might not cut it.

With regard to the store card, yeah, you're probably right about it being difficult to get approved for that much. I don't know if this makes a difference or not but I do have 800+ credit so I shouldn't have any trouble being approved for something, just probably not as much as I need. Amazon has been really good about honoring their return policies in the past in my experience so I do feel comfortable shopping with them, but I've never made a purchase this large from them before.

 

[Luscinioide]

One thing I noticed is that none of the prebuilts through Skytech seem to offer water cooling, but it's an option in the BYO? I may have missed them though as I admittedly haven't looked incredibly hard to find one. I wish I understood more about components so I could make a good decision about which build would be best for my needs. I'm also starting to think that my original budget might not cut it.

unless you're just going for it for looksies, the water cooling isn't really "necessary" per se unless you're running something like a 3080 and constantly overclocking it. it can be sort of a PITA finding a compatible case, replacing it if it's not working, or absolute terror scenario something goes wrong and you've got liquid all over your expensive electronics. the cheapest entry point for liquid cooling will probably get you a high end air cooling that'll do a better job.

BUT if you're dead set on it, yeah, i'd recommend looking for a prebuilt that specifically comes with the liquid cooling. for under 1500 though you might be hard pressed to find one without sacrificing quality on other components.

With regard to the store card, yeah, you're probably right about it being difficult to get approved for that much. I don't know if this makes a difference or not but I do have 800+ credit so I shouldn't have any trouble being approved for something, just probably not as much as I need. Amazon has been really good about honoring their return policies in the past in my experience so I do feel comfortable shopping with them, but I've never made a purchase this large from them before.

it'll depend on your income, but yeah, their chase amazon store card is very solid for big purchases. i'm on a college student income with a 760ish CS and managed to get $1000 as a starting limit, so you miiight be able to pull it off? as far as returns go, i'll note that skytech may or may not expect you to pay shipping/handling on your own accord. it cost me about $30 to ship just my gpu back in to them so i can't imagine if i'd had to send the whole thing back LOL. overlord bezos may have shady business ethics, but amazon at least covers fees related to shipping for you.

 

[Nostalchiq]

unless you're just going for it for looksies, the water cooling isn't really "necessary" per se unless you're running something like a 3080 and constantly overclocking it. it can be sort of a PITA finding a compatible case, replacing it if it's not working, or absolute terror scenario something goes wrong and you've got liquid all over your expensive electronics. the cheapest entry point for liquid cooling will probably get you a high end air cooling that'll do a better job.

BUT if you're dead set on it, yeah, i'd recommend looking for a prebuilt that specifically comes with the liquid cooling. for under 1500 though you might be hard pressed to find one without sacrificing quality on other components.



it'll depend on your income, but yeah, their chase amazon store card is very solid for big purchases. i'm on a college student income with a 760ish CS and managed to get $1000 as a starting limit, so you miiight be able to pull it off? as far as returns go, i'll note that skytech may or may not expect you to pay shipping/handling on your own accord. it cost me about $30 to ship just my gpu back in to them so i can't imagine if i'd had to send the whole thing back LOL. overlord bezos may have shady business ethics, but amazon at least covers fees related to shipping for you.

I've had some people say the same about water cooling not necessarily being an absolute must. The main reason I was interested is because it's quieter, but I suppose it's possible for fans to be relatively quiet too. I'm just not sure which ones to look out for.

That sucks that Skytech made you pay to ship back to them. :/ Yeah, you're right about Amazon being good about their return policies. It might be worth sticking with them just for that reason alone.

Are there any Skytech builds that you've heard good things about or that you've personally used? There are so many to choose from, it's pretty overwhelming

 

[Luscinioide]

I've had some people say the same about water cooling not necessarily being an absolute must. The main reason I was interested is because it's quieter, but I suppose it's possible for fans to be relatively quiet too. I'm just not sure which ones to look out for.

corsair sells decent enough fans for a mid range price. as far as noise goes, any pc is gonna be sorta loud if you're playing an intensive game like 2077 or a new AC. honestly it's not too noticeable most of the time though, even on my prebuilt where i haven't replaced the fans yet.

Are there any Skytech builds that you've heard good things about or that you've personally used? There are so many to choose from, it's pretty overwhelming

their azure line is what i purchased from. i think that's got all your 3000 series, which at this point i recommend shooting for because you'll be replacing it in two or three years if you don't. my last one had a 2060 and it got outpaced by the new game graphics very quick lol.

 

[Nostalchiq]

corsair sells decent enough fans for a mid range price. as far as noise goes, any pc is gonna be sorta loud if you're playing an intensive game like 2077 or a new AC. honestly it's not too noticeable most of the time though, even on my prebuilt where i haven't replaced the fans yet.



their azure line is what i purchased from. i think that's got all your 3000 series, which at this point i recommend shooting for because you'll be replacing it in two or three years if you don't. my last one had a 2060 and it got outpaced by the new game graphics very quick lol.

I'll check out Corsair too and see what I can find. Thanks for the tip! I suppose I'll just have to deal with some level of noise if I want the PC to be able to do what I need it to.

The Azure line huh? Okay Thank you very much! This is really helpful.