PC noob here, need help deciding between Mansa vs Dreamcore

[SourThings]

Hi all, thinking of getting a new PC cos current one from 2014 seems to be dying.

Looked around online and Mansa and Dreamcore caught my eye, but which one do you all think is more value for money?

Usage-wise, probably nothing too heavy, mostly watching shows/playing some games like Dota2/Monster Hunter etc.

From Mansa ($1,585)
Intel Core i5-12400F 6-core
MSI Pro B660M-A WIFI
Intel Stock Cooler
16GB (2x8GB) Crucial 3600MHz
Palit Dual RTX 3050
500GB Dreamcore Hyperion Plus Gen4 SSD
Cooler Master MWE 750W 80+ White

From Dreamcore (Selected parts at random to try to match specs to Mansa, $1,525)
Intel Core i5-12400F
Asus B660M-A Prime Wi-Fi & Bluetooth (DDR4)
ID Cooling SE214-XT
Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB - Asus
Transcend MTE220S 512 GB NVMe (R:3500/W:2800)
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB 3600 MHz - Black
Asus ROG Strix 550 W 80+ Gold

Or if you have other better lobangs, feel free to share also

 

[tigerwoods]

dynacore for me

 

[Phen8210]

aftershock -1535

-I ntel i5 12400F
- GIGABYTE B660M DS3H AX D4
- AFTERSHOCK M-40v2 FROST AIR COOLING
- 16GB CRASX ARGB DDR4 3600mhz
- ZOTAC RTX 3060 12GB (Blower)
- 512GB AFTERSHOCK HYPERSPEED GEN4 SSD
- FSP HV PRO 650W 80+ Bronze PSU
- AX WifFi 6 + Bluetooth Included
- Tecware Forge M.2 Chassis3
- Years Warranty (1st Year Onsite Pickup and Return)

dynacore - 1568

- INTEL I5-12400F
- ASUS PRIME B660M-A WIFI D4 LGA1700
- ID Cooling SE-214-XT
- CORSAIR VENGEANCE LPX 3600MHz 16GB (8GBx2)
- ASUS PHOENIX RTX3060 12G V2
- WD BLACK SN750 SE 1TB GEN4
- SILVERSTONE ET650-650W V1.4 80+
- WIFI + BT5.0
- SILVERSTONE FARA H1 M PRO ARGB

Freebies:
- XXL INVADER Mousemat
- Mini BT Speaker

dynacore allso has 3060ti variant for around 100$ more if u want to go 1440p 144hz gaming.

I have highlighted the parts that I would swap out for higher-quality parts.

Go for the dynacore build, pay $30 more and lesser red flags.

Aftershock has too many red flags. The way they are cutting corners is absolutely ridiculous. They are destroying the name and reputation of custom PC, no ethics at all. Holy Shxt man.

 

[Phen8210]

Hi all, thinking of getting a new PC cos current one from 2014 seems to be dying.

Looked around online and Mansa and Dreamcore caught my eye, but which one do you all think is more value for money?

Usage-wise, probably nothing too heavy, mostly watching shows/playing some games like Dota2/Monster Hunter etc.

From Mansa ($1,585)
Intel Core i5-12400F 6-core
MSI Pro B660M-A WIFI
Intel Stock Cooler
16GB (2x8GB) Crucial 3600MHz
Palit Dual RTX 3050
500GB Dreamcore Hyperion Plus Gen4 SSD
Cooler Master MWE 750W 80+ White

From Dreamcore (Selected parts at random to try to match specs to Mansa, $1,525)
Intel Core i5-12400F
Asus B660M-A Prime Wi-Fi & Bluetooth (DDR4)
ID Cooling SE214-XT
Nvidia GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB - Asus
Transcend MTE220S 512 GB NVMe (R:3500/W:2800)
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB 3600 MHz - Black
Asus ROG Strix 550 W 80+ Gold

Or if you have other better lobangs, feel free to share also

The stock air cooler cant cool the 12400F. Gaming for 20 minutes only and already hitting 87C in a 28c ambient with an open-air setup. Plus, it's also very loud.

//////////////////////////


Anyway, I Just crafted this up. I assume your budget is around 1.5k.

Prices from Dynacore pricelist

CPU + MB	MSI B660M-A + 12400F	$476	Mobo VRM has headroom for an upgrade to a 12700F
GPU	RTX 3060 EX 1-click OC 12GB	$629	Other Dual Fans options either have a thinner heatsink or a lot more expensive
AIR COOLER	Scythe Fuma 2 Rev.B	$88	Beats almost every other Cooler and AIO that is 2x the price, can cool a 12700F as well. A no-brainer.
PSU	Superflower Leadex III 750W	$139	Good quality PSU with a proven track record in durability as well as providing room for upgrades.
SSD	Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB	$105	Good quality SSD with a proven track record in durability
RAM	16 GB G.SKILL RIPJAWS V 3600Mhz CL18	$108	Won't go wrong
CASE	Cooler Master MasterBox NR400 Mesh TG	$78	A good all-rounder for the price

Total: $1623

It's $40-$100 more but I'd rather you buy it right than buy it twice. Overall, it's a much better rig than what they have offered. If you want to DIY you can get the parts for cheaper individually, but I assume you require it to be assembled for you in a physical shop.

Also, the SSD size of 500GB that you want does seem to be on the small side. If you want 1TB it's $185 from dynacore pricelist, not a good price for the SSD to be honest as amazon 1TB is going for $140+ only.

 

[KYZT2021]

Dont always look at cost, look at the parts used too

 

[caesium2108]

i regret not coming to hwz before i build my pc last yr
looking at all the advices here is awesome!

 

[Hafi]

can checkout SLS 2nd level, there a small shop (can't rem the shop name) at the alley and FB page with the price list.

 

[SourThings]

The stock air cooler cant cool the 12400F. Gaming for 20 minutes only and already hitting 87C in a 28c ambient with an open-air setup. Plus, it's also very loud.

//////////////////////////


Anyway, I Just crafted this up. I assume your budget is around 1.5k.

Prices from Dynacore pricelist

CPU + MB	MSI B660M-A + 12400F	$476	Mobo VRM has headroom for an upgrade to a 12700F
GPU	RTX 3060 EX 1-click OC 12GB	$629	Other Dual Fans options either have a thinner heatsink or a lot more expensive
AIR COOLER	Scythe Fuma 2 Rev.B	$88	Beats almost every other Cooler and AIO that is 2x the price, can cool a 12700F as well. A no-brainer.
PSU	Superflower Leadex III 750W	$139	Good quality PSU with a proven track record in durability as well as providing room for upgrades.
SSD	Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB	$105	Good quality SSD with a proven track record in durability
RAM	16 GB G.SKILL RIPJAWS V 3600Mhz CL18	$108	Won't go wrong
CASE	Cooler Master MasterBox NR400 Mesh TG	$78	A good all-rounder for the price

Total: $1623

It's $40-$100 more but I'd rather you buy it right than buy it twice. Overall, it's a much better rig than what they have offered. If you want to DIY you can get the parts for cheaper individually, but I assume you require it to be assembled for you in a physical shop.

Also, the SSD size of 500GB that you want does seem to be on the small side. If you want 1TB it's $185 from dynacore pricelist, not a good price for the SSD to be honest as amazon 1TB is going for $140+ only.

Thank you very much for the detailed breakdown. Do you know if Dynacore helps to do assembly as well?

I don't think I will be loading much games so 500gb should hopefully be enough, else I guess I can always buy another one to put inside as well

 

[Phen8210]

Thank you very much for the detailed breakdown. Do you know if Dynacore helps to do assembly as well?

I don't think I will be loading much games so 500gb should hopefully be enough, else I guess I can always buy another one to put inside as well

Yes, most SLS shops will help to assemble.

Try to ask for a discount + free assembly since you are spending 1.6k.

Also, call to check for stocks before heading down.

 

[SourThings]

Yes, most SLS shops will help to assemble.

Try to ask for a discount + free assembly since you are spending 1.6k.

Also, call to check for stocks before heading down.

Thank you. Just a further question though, do you have any recommendations for AMD CPU+MB of comparable standard as well? Or would you recommend Intel all the way

 

[NightRaven49]

I like how this thread changed dreamcore to dynacore

Just a further question though, do you have any recommendations for AMD CPU+MB of comparable standard as well?

the most comparable amd cpu to the 12400 is the 5600, but u have a much easier time selecting a decent b550 board to pair with it. going by the criteria of being able to upgrade to a 12700 level of performance as per phen8210's recommendation, an amd cpu that offers that is the 5900x and even a cheap b550 board like the ds3h can support its full performance easily (unlike most other entry level b660 boards with the 12700). strangely enough, the 5600 + b550m ds3h ac combo costs only slightly cheaper at 452 even though the b550 is much cheaper than the b660. furthermore, the upgrade path for am4 is quite limited, while for b660 there is the potential to upgrade to the next generation of cpus, so it is up to u whether that savings is worth it.

 

[SourThings]

I like how this thread changed dreamcore to dynacore

the most comparable amd cpu to the 12400 is the 5600, but u have a much easier time selecting a decent b550 board to pair with it. going by the criteria of being able to upgrade to a 12700 level of performance as per phen8210's recommendation, an amd cpu that offers that is the 5900x and even a cheap b550 board like the ds3h can support its full performance easily (unlike most other entry level b660 boards with the 12700). strangely enough, the 5600 + b550m ds3h ac combo costs only slightly cheaper at 452 even though the b550 is much cheaper than the b660. furthermore, the upgrade path for am4 is quite limited, while for b660 there is the potential to upgrade to the next generation of cpus, so it is up to u whether that savings is worth it.

good advice everywhere though! learning lots about pc and wow it is so complex. thanks for your advice too!

 

[dumbest]

Is it expensive? Specs quoted from Mansa Computer
Price: $1,700
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard: Asus A520M TUF Plus Gaming
GPU: Asus GTX 1660 6 GB
SSD: Transcend MTE220S 1 TB NVMe
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD
Ram: Kingston RGB Hyper X Fury 16 GB 3200 MHz
Power Supply: Silverstone ET 650 W 80+ Gold

 

[Daty41]

Wait aftershock got own SSD now????? I thought only AIO and case fans only.....

 

[NightRaven49]

Is it expensive? Specs quoted from Mansa Computer
Price: $1,700
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard: Asus A520M TUF Plus Gaming
GPU: Asus GTX 1660 6 GB
SSD: Transcend MTE220S 1 TB NVMe
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD
Ram: Kingston RGB Hyper X Fury 16 GB 3200 MHz
Power Supply: Silverstone ET 650 W 80+ Gold

extremely expensive, this shouldnt cost more than $800 nowadays. u can get a way faster 5600 + 3070 build for less money.

Wait aftershock got own SSD now????? I thought only AIO and case fans only.....

aftershock uses lexar ones, but i think dreamcore got their own brand ssd.

 

[kaixax555]

Is it expensive? Specs quoted from Mansa Computer
Price: $1,700
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard: Asus A520M TUF Plus Gaming
GPU: Asus GTX 1660 6 GB
SSD: Transcend MTE220S 1 TB NVMe
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB HDD
Ram: Kingston RGB Hyper X Fury 16 GB 3200 MHz
Power Supply: Silverstone ET 650 W 80+ Gold

Very expensive for what these are

Could probably sneak in a 3070 or 6700XT at this price range

 

[dumbest]

Guess Mansa computer is a scam company.
Take note guys

 

[Phen8210]

Wait aftershock got own SSD now????? I thought only AIO and case fans only.....

they dont make sh1t.. just paste sticker only, dont be fooled

 

[Daty41]

to be frank, if u want a cheaper built, and not so particular about getting the best components, u can wait for one of the specials, for example from Dreamcore (if have pc show on, even cheaper)

Intel Core i5-12400F 6-core
ASUS Prime B660M-A Wi-Fi
Stock CPU Cooler
16GB Corsair RGB DDR4-3600MHz
ASUS DUAL 3060 TI
1TB Crucial P3 Plus Gen4 SSD
On-Board Wi-Fi & Bluetooth
Corsair CV750 80+ Bronze
Dreamcore Ghost

$1499.


Dynacore

- IG5600X3070-WC21
- AMD RYZEN 5 5600X | 6CORE/12THREAD | 3.7GHz
- ASUS PRIME B550M-A WIFI II ARGB
- ID-COOLING SE-214-XT ARGB
- 16GB KINGSTON FURY BEAST RGB 3600MHz (8GBx2) CL17
- ASUS DUAL RTX3070 O8G V2 TWIN FAN OC
- WD BLACK SN770 1TB GEN4 NVMe M.2
- 700W SILVERSTONE ET700 80+ Gold Fully Modular
- WiFi 6 + BT 5.2
- TECWARE FUSION TG ITX
- Windows 10 home un-activated
- 80MM X1 FAN

$1495


It does not have the most popular component like the P3 plus SSD and using stock cooler!!!! but if you are not experience, you are paying for their assembly and most important testing and commissioning, plus aftersales service (not the best but at least they will respond and try to help). U will be paying for peace of mind, Most important is u gets 3060ti (cheapest in Amazon sg is $699). It will still run good.

I bought a Dreamcore almost 2 years ago for my kid...on PC show sale so got extra $100 off their cheaper models, just below $1950 for a 3060 gaming X 12GB, Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB cosair vengence pro SL .this was when 3060 just release a few months and cannot get anywhere cheap. So far so good, Still can run cyberpunk at 1440p. everything done for you nicely. Even if i build myself, not much savings but maybe can get better branded components like the SSD (mine was a Patriot SSD).

BUT if u want an expensive built, somehow all the builds are much more expensive than if build ourselves cause the price difference by sourcing the cheapest of each components is a lot. eg 4090 can varies $200 for the same model....and sometimes they stick u with an less popular more expensive model, like the Asus tuf 4090 or the cheaper less popular brands like the Zotac 4090.