[rkv_2401]

Originally Posted by Amien

These also come with a high refresh rate (75hz) + Freesync support at 8/10k, which is very nice

I've been able to set a custom refresh rate of 72-75Hz on all the 3(very cheap!) monitors I've tried this on, even though none of them officially supported more than 60Hz.
The Samsung monitors are very good at the price. I am currently using a curved 24" monitor(Samsung CF392) that I bought during lockdown for 9.8k, and it is stunning. But I don't think FreeSync support is an important feature on a computer with an APU.

For those of you looking for monitors for the kids, might I suggest this 24" BenQ Eye Care monitor? : https://www.amazon.in/BenQ-23-8-inch...s%2C278&sr=8-1

I bought it for my dad at the start of this year, to replace a horrible Lenovo monitor he was using that would hurt your eyes if you spent more than half an hour looking at. It has an IPS panel, so glare won't be a problem. The contrast ratio is decent at 1000:1, and it has a built in low blue-light mode, which I've found to work better than any software solutions(F.lux, etc.) that I've tried. It even has built in speakers!

I can confirm that for working/browsing/watching movies, this monitor is softer on the eyes than my Samsung VA Panel monitor, although I prefer the higher contrast ratio of the Samsung monitor for gaming purposes.

[Bhupesh_2628]

I concur what "rkv_2401" has to say about the BenQ GW2480 monitor which specifically focuses on eye care.

It has the Low Bluelight feature which consists of various modes like Multimedia, web surfing, Office, Reading and some other features too.

It has built-in speakers but in order to listen to the sound clearly, you should be in a quiet room. But i would still suggest to have a headphone or speakers connected externally.

It has 3.5 mm headphone jack. If your CPU headphone jack isn't properly working, then this features comes in handy.

Overall, its a great monitor in the 24-inch range.

[Amien]

Originally Posted by rkv_2401

But I don't think FreeSync support is an important feature on a computer with an APU.

I would argue that Freesync support is more important with low powered graphics as its more likely that the frame-rate will dip below the standard refresh rate when gaming. The standout feature on those monitors is native 75hz support though.

Just like your experience with 60hz monitors, many 75hz monitors can be overclocked to ~100hz, 120 monitors to 144, 144 to 165hz and so on. Native support however, guarantees the refresh rate across the operating life of the product. I bought a few cheap 19'' Dells a couple of years ago for office work that were officially only rated for 1600x900 res. but you could make them run at 1920x1080. This caused a slight drop in refresh rate however and other subtle changes in how the display worked.

I agree with the rest of the points you made. Those Benq monitors are indeed a good choice. Their heavily marketed eye care features such as blue light reduction are now standard in most monitors though. High refresh rate makes for a more responsive system but is irrelevant to certain use-cases (just like Freesync). Still, nice to have.

[rkv_2401]

Originally Posted by Amien

I would argue that Freesync support is more important with low powered graphics as its more likely that the frame-rate will dip below the standard refresh rate when gaming. The standout feature on those monitors is native 75hz support though.

Just like your experience with 60hz monitors, many 75hz monitors can be overclocked to ~100hz, 120 monitors to 144, 144 to 165hz and so on. Native support however, guarantees the refresh rate across the operating life of the product. I bought a few cheap 19'' Dells a couple of years ago for office work that were officially only rated for 1600x900 res. but you could make them run at 1920x1080. This caused a slight drop in refresh rate however and other subtle changes in how the display worked.

I agree with the rest of the points you made. Those Benq monitors are indeed a good choice. Their heavily marketed eye care features such as blue light reduction are now standard in most monitors though. High refresh rate makes for a more responsive system but is irrelevant to certain use-cases (just like Freesync). Still, nice to have.

Yeah, high refresh rates are a good native feature to have. Two of the 3 overclocked monitors had problems in one way or another(the cheap Lenovo monitor's panel got brighter and color-shifted towards blue, and the BenQ monitor started having slight artifacts/wouldn't wake up from sleep/ etc.), which ultimately affected the experience more than the boost from higher refresh rates did. And if you have a graphics card that can play games at >60FPS, it's a really subtle but sublime shift in experience.

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by Amien

If you really want the mac, go for it

With the 2020 refreshed iMac's launched, I am going to get the 27" model once stock is there. We don't own a TV. I feel will be handy to watch occasional movies as well.

My wife finds iOS more comfortable than Windows as well, so high chance this will be put to a good use.

I will update once I pick it. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

[Amien]

Originally Posted by indian21r

With the 2020 refreshed iMac's launched, I am going to get the 27" model once stock is there. We don't own a TV. I feel will be handy to watch occasional movies as well.

My wife finds iOS more comfortable than Windows as well, so high chance this will be put to a good use.

I will update once I pick it. Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Over the years I've learnt not to question mac purchases too much as the decisions tend to be made in the heart versus the head . That said, you might want to account for Apple's transition to ARM into your buying decision depending on how long you like to keep your computers.

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by Amien

Over the years I've learnt not to question mac purchases too much as the decisions tend to be made in the heart versus the head . That said, you might want to account for Apple's transition to ARM into your buying decision depending on how long you like to keep your computers.

Ha ha. True certain purchases are more with heart than head. Generally I use them for 4-5 years. Maybe the Macs will run for a few more years.

[indian21r]

I visited the Aptronix store near KBR Park today in Hyderabad. Lookslike the new Macs will take a month or more to reach the stores.

I was planning to pick the base 27" model with 256 GB. But based on the tear down reports it seems the new macs storage is fixed and cannot be increased later. So I may have to shell more than I intended initially.

[Amien]

Ever considered a Hackintosh build? Might be worth looking into if you have the time/inclination to tinker a bit.

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by Amien

Ever considered a Hackintosh build? Might be worth looking into if you have the time/inclination to tinker a bit.

I am no longer a fan of building PC's. I used to do that 15 to 20 years ago in college days. PC's / Mobiles have become tools that I want them to function as intended rather than tinker. Also one of the reasons I shifted to iOS / Kai OS. Even Android I prefer only in the pure form now. No more ROMS.

I have a windows laptop in which I see the blue screen of death even now. That way I find Apple more stable than Windows. For home use and default applications Apple seems easy to use.

[Amien]

Originally Posted by indian21r

I am no longer a fan of building PC's. I used to do that 15 to 20 years ago in college days. PC's / Mobiles have become tools that I want them to function as intended rather than tinker. Also one of the reasons I shifted to iOS / Kai OS. Even Android I prefer only in the pure form now. No more ROMS.

I have a windows laptop in which I see the blue screen of death even now. That way I find Apple more stable than Windows. For home use and default applications Apple seems easy to use.

Haven't had a single BSOD on my Windows 10 desktop for the last 4-5 years. No real tinkering either, days of fiddling with the BIOS/drivers are long gone. Pick good hardware and it just works for the most part.

Tinkering isn't optional for a hackintosh however, atleast during the initial setup. Careful hardware choice/planning is required; preferably a gigabyte motherboard, Intel CPU (AMD requires kernel binary patches for native support), GPUs that play nice with MacOS etc. That said, the couple I've built over the years have been eminently reliable.

Anecdotes aside, I hope you find something that fits. I'm interested in picking up one of the ARM bases Macs next year if initial impressions are good.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by indian21r

I am no longer a fan of building PC's. I used to do that 15 to 20 years ago in college days. PC's / Mobiles have become tools that I want them to function as intended rather than tinker. ... ... ...

Likewise, I no longer enjoy tinkering, but I don't regard building a PC as tinkering. Select your spec, buy the components, and... Lego!

For the first-time builder, or the enthusiast, sure it can be made into a tinkering job, and it is never going to beat having the finished machine arrive at the doorstep in one ready-to-go piece.

I don't do fault diagnosis and fixing any longer. But I'll be building my own as long as the case and power supply I have will fit the mother-board, etc, I'd be buying.

Not that I have any plans: At 10, my PC is just maturing nicely

[Guite]

Originally Posted by SLK

• I want to change to a basic motherboard, like - GIGABYTE GA-A320M-S2H AMD A320 AM4 MAX-32GB DDR4 Micro ATX PCIE16 - https://www.amazon.in/dp/B079NYQQJJ/...v_ov_lig_dp_it
  
• Ryzen 5 3600 (because I'm hoping a 65W CPU will run cooler!) https://www.amazon.in/AMD-Ryzen-3600...2161542&sr=8-1
  
• 2x8GB ram 3200 (Can I buy cheaper memory and overclock to 3200?) https://www.amazon.in/CORSAIR-Vengea...mputers&sr=1-1
  
• The the M.2 Crucial MX500 500GB M.2 Type 2280 SSD-CT500MX500SSD4 - https://www.amazon.in/dp/B077SQ8J1V/...v_ov_lig_dp_it
  
• Everything else, I'll use from the current system.

Almost two months old post but let me chip in anyway. The CPU you have chosen is 3rd gen but the motherboard (and its chipset) you have chosen is an older generation. I am no expert - I just started reading up on the subject last week. I am just wondering whether you will derive better performance by choosing a newer chipset like B450 or B550 based motherboard.

On the other hand for low intensive work your choice seem over specced. Just my opinion.

[Amien]

Originally Posted by SLK

Toying with this idea for a while now. I don't do any processor intensive work professionally other than a few long Excel Macros (which only run on a single thread). Therefore, I don't want to waste money upgrading much.

My current system runs a 1TB SATA SSD, which is fairly fast, but the more I read about the m.2 interface, I want a piece of it! for which I need to upgrade.

I currently have an AMD FX8350, with 8GB DDR3 1866.

• I want to change to a basic motherboard, like - GIGABYTE GA-A320M-S2H AMD A320 AM4 MAX-32GB DDR4 Micro ATX PCIE16 - https://www.amazon.in/dp/B079NYQQJJ/...v_ov_lig_dp_it
  
• Ryzen 5 3600 (because I'm hoping a 65W CPU will run cooler!) https://www.amazon.in/AMD-Ryzen-3600...2161542&sr=8-1
  
• 2x8GB ram 3200 (Can I buy cheaper memory and overclock to 3200?) https://www.amazon.in/CORSAIR-Vengea...mputers&sr=1-1
  
• The the M.2 Crucial MX500 500GB M.2 Type 2280 SSD-CT500MX500SSD4 - https://www.amazon.in/dp/B077SQ8J1V/...v_ov_lig_dp_it
  
• Everything else, I'll use from the current system.

The total cost of all this just for the M.2 SSD speed and some gains from the new processor (single core is a bottleneck for me) comes to Rs. 37,596, worth it, in terms of an upgrade?

My current system runs a Corsair H50 liquid cooler, for which I can't find a bracket in stock for AM4 socket (I like the system silent and cool, liquid coolers are easy to clean too, but I'm not investing in another one)

Just noticed this, the CPU you've selected lacks integrated graphics. Unless you have a discrete GPU, this means you will get no video output from this configuration.

As noted by Guite, the CPU seems to be overkill for your usage. Consider selecting a 3200G that will still offer a huge upgrade over your FX and also comes with (very good) integrated graphics.

The post is a bit old now so re-post if you have more questions.

[SLK]

Originally Posted by Guite

On the other hand for low intensive work your choice seem over specced. Just my opinion.

Thanks for responding. Somehow with no support (read no responses), I did not go ahead with it, just lived with my current config.

I agree, I don't really need an upgrade for whatever I use my PC for and with financial impacts of Corona starting to show on me personally, I'd avoid the shopping. Till my FX conks off, I'll live with it now.

Originally Posted by Amien

Just noticed this, the CPU you've selected lacks integrated graphics. Unless you have a discrete GPU, this means you will get no video output from this configuration.

Oh yes, I have a Radeon RX560 already in it and I do play NFS Heat at full HD , which runs very well by my standards (considering I started with NFS 1 in the 90s).

Originally Posted by Amien

As noted by Guite, the CPU seems to be overkill for your usage.

Thanks for your response!. I agree to your point, but here's how I see it, 'why do we want to buy a 180bhp car and drive in the city?', that's way too much power for anyone's needs. It just gives you that kick when you need it (even when going for 0 to 40), without having to drive it like a race car.

So, if I open a large Excel file and it opens 3 secs faster that's money well spent. Or one in 6 months, I edit a video to cut/ merge/ re-encode etc. (similar to a highway trip for me!), that's

Originally Posted by Amien

Consider selecting a 3200G that will still offer a huge upgrade over your FX and also comes with (very good) integrated graphics.

While, I keep hearing the FX isn't a good enough processor, the geekbench website shows hardly any difference between FX-8350 and 3200G in multicore performance (single core is a weakness for FX, I know :()

I also have a Ryzen 5 2500U in personal laptop and i5-8265U in a Thinkpad X390 official laptop, somehow the FX is very much comparable in performance to these. Of course, I wanted even faster but some other time now.