Before the mid-day sale – SweClockers guides among components

This year’s big sale period is here, and the stores’ lures are taking turns. It can be an excellent opportunity to get planned purchases a little cheaper, but also lots of pitfalls when the red price tags replace each other.

As a guide on the road, Jonas and Emil gather a whole lot of tips around sensible points to think about when buying computer components. It’s about everything from graphics cards to coolers – basically all the gadgets you need for a complete computer system.

Quick guidelines – to think about during the midday sale

The points below are short tips and advice, good to have with you when you are looking for components during the sale season. More discussion, explanations and analyzes can be found in the video!

Graphics card

• Do you need to upgrade? It is often enough to lower the level of detail a few notches for even older cards to keep up.

• Graphics card prices have risen sharply in the past year, and are still high.

• Keep an eye on the used market! In sales times, there is often an opportunity for bargains when others buy new.

• What screen and resolution do you have? For 1,920 × 1,080 pixels, a simpler card goes a long way.

• Do not expect massive price reductions for Nvidia’s new Geforce RTX series.

Processors

• Do you really need a new processor? Most often, the graphics card is the brake pad for games, for example.

• Does a new processor fit in your motherboard? Replacing all parts quickly becomes a more expensive deal!

• There is a lot of used to take off. Take care that the parts only fit together.

• Do not expect massive price reductions for Intel’s 8000 and 9000 series.

• AMD often has good promotions on the Ryzen 2 series, which provides the opportunity for real clips.

• Even the first generation Ryzen can be sold really cheaply, but be aware that the Ryzen 2 is better on all levels.

Motherboard

• What features do you need? Think through. Don’t spend money on flashy extras you will never use.

• Audio, networking, Thunderbolt and the like can actually make a difference.

• Make sure you choose a control circuit and socket that fits the processor you intended. It can be easier said than done.

• Think about what form factor you need. No one is more right than anyone else.

• Extra phases and other luxuries are really only interesting for overclockers.

Memories

• Do not skimp and buy the cheapest possible ..

• ..but at the same time not the worsting model when prices are as they are.

• 16 GB of primary memory is adequate. Expensive variants can make a difference, but only if you are interested in fine-tuning yourself.

• Models with support for 3,000–3,200 MHz are suitable for most people.

Storage

• SSD storage has skyrocketed in price recently. Take this into account when the sale is underway, as the promotional price may not be as good as you think.

• Aim for devices with at least 500 GB of space, lower capacities are quickly replenished with today’s game sizes.

• Look out for promotions on higher storage capacities (750 GB and up). Smaller varieties are often severely price-pressed even before sales.

• M.2 NVMe in all glory, a cheap traditional SATA disk in 2.5 inch format can be a better choice for many – especially those who are not looking for top performance.

Computer boxes and power supplies

• There are generally good margins on the computer chassis, especially in the higher segments. There is room for price reductions.

• However, the more expensive models are usually very large. Do not be blinded by a low price if you do not need a spacious chassis with a lot of expansion possibilities.

• The mid-day sale is the perfect opportunity to buy a good power supply. These often have good promotional prices and are the least time-sensitive component with almost stagnant development from year to year.

• Aim for the gold segment (Corsair RMx, Seasonic Focus Plus Gold et cetera) in the power classes 650–750 watts. These are usually the best promotions, and in addition there are really good units with a ten-year guarantee.

Cooling

• Processor coolers are often offered at favorable prices during the mid-day sale, where especially closed water cooling solutions can be dumped considerably.

• While a closed water cooling system can shovel away more heat, traditional air coolers are suitable for most people and are at the same time usually quieter for most of the time.