Summary of "Is Buying a PC from Costco a Good Idea?"
Is buying a PC from Costco a good idea?
What the video does
- Linus and David visit a local Costco to see whether they can walk out with a good prebuilt gaming-PC deal (and sample food).
- They compare in-store systems to online/prebuilt alternatives, negotiate a discount, open the chosen PC to inspect components, then run games to evaluate real-world performance.
Key findings
- Costco advantages:
- 90-day return policy, free tech support, and a two-year warranty (an additional year versus many other retailers).
- Convenience of one-stop shopping.
- Pricing and discounts:
- They negotiated Costco’s normal 10% discount on the chosen system (note: standard floor/open-box items can only be marked down if discontinued).
- The Costco machine was competitively priced versus a similar online prebuilt — even without the 10% it would have been cheaper in their comparison.
- Overall value:
- Prebuilts from Costco can be a good value for buyers prioritizing new hardware, warranty, and convenience.
Internals inspection (what they looked at and results)
- Motherboard: reasonably good MSI ATX board with AM5 socket, 20 Gbps USB-C, 2.5G LAN, likely Wi‑Fi 6E — good for future upgrades.
- SSD: Gen4 SSD (no DRAM, Realtek controller) — fast but no-DRAM designs can impact sustained performance.
- PSU: an older but 80 Plus Gold High Power model (High Power HP1 J600 GD-F12SC referenced) — functional but consider brand/age when planning upgrades.
- Cooling/case: adequate cable management; front airflow somewhat restricted by chassis design.
- Peripherals: included monitor, keyboard, mouse, and tower were better than many OEM bundles.
Upgradability
- The ATX board and AM5 socket make future CPU/GPU upgrades viable.
- Recommendation: upgrade the PSU before installing a significantly more powerful GPU.
Performance testing (highlights and tips)
Games tested
- An Unreal Engine 5-heavy demo (“Expedition 33” / UE5 demo).
- Cyberpunk 2077.
UE5 demo
- Smooth and playable at 1440p native render before upscaling.
- 1% lows around mid-40s in heavy scenes but overall usable with VRR.
- Using FSR/upscaling produced very acceptable image quality.
Cyberpunk 2077
- At default ~1440p settings the system averaged ~50 FPS but had lows into the mid-20s (felt choppy).
- Observations:
- VRAM limitation (8 GB GPU variant) produced stutters at higher resolutions/quality.
- Dropping to 1080p or using medium settings with no ray tracing plus fidelity/FSR-style upscaling made the experience smooth and playable.
Practical performance tip
- For 8 GB-class modern cards, tune resolution/settings or use upscaling (FSR/DLSS) to avoid VRAM-induced stutters.
What to inspect and why it matters
- GPU model and VRAM amount — store product cards can omit or obfuscate whether a GPU is 8 GB vs 16 GB; this difference materially affects performance and value.
- PSU brand/model and certification — some units use older but still efficient PSUs; unknown/less reputable brands warrant caution.
- SSD type/controller/DRAM — Gen4 is good, but no-DRAM SSDs may affect sustained write performance.
- Motherboard features (IO, USB-C speed, LAN, Wi‑Fi) — ensure required connectivity and upgrade pathways.
- Retail/demo mode on Windows — demo units may have retail/demo accounts; wipe and restore before use.
Buying strategy — step-by-step guide
- At the store
- Inspect the product card carefully; look up exact model/part numbers for the GPU and SSD before buying.
- Ask staff about floor/open-box discounts or discontinued-item markdowns.
- Ask for Costco’s standard discount — they were able to get the normal 10% in this case.
- Before finalizing
- Open the case (if allowed) or request exact component brands (PSU, SSD, motherboard).
- Verify GPU VRAM (8 GB vs 16 GB), CPU model, RAM amount/type, and PSU model.
- Confirm whether the machine is upgradable (ATX, socket type) and whether you should plan to upgrade the PSU before a bigger GPU.
- After purchase
- Wipe demo/retail accounts and do a clean Windows install if buying demo/floor models.
- Run benchmarks and test games to tune settings (use VRR and upscaling tech like FSR or DLSS where applicable).
- Consider selling extra RAM or old parts if you want to swap in different components later.
- Other buying considerations
- Prebuilts are a good option for new buyers who want new components, warranty, and convenience.
- Used or custom builds can offer better bang-for-buck if you’re willing to hunt parts and assemble.
Practical tips emphasized
- Always verify the exact GPU model and VRAM amount — product labeling can be misleading.
- If you want higher-tier GPU performance later, plan to upgrade the PSU first.
- Use GPU upscaling (FSR/DLSS) and adjust resolution/settings to avoid VRAM and 1% low issues.
- Take advantage of Costco’s return policy and extended warranty benefits.
- If buying floor/demo units, ensure retail/demo accounts are removed and check for wear/dust.
People, brands and sources featured
- Linus (Linus Tech Tips) and David (on-screen partner)
- Costco (store and sales rep)
- iBUYPOWER (prebuilt brand compared/inspected)
- Stormcraft (comparison prebuilt referenced)
- High Power (PSU model HP1 J600 GD-F12SC referenced)
- MSI (motherboard)
- AGI (SSD brand mentioned)
- Realtek (SSD controller)
- LT / ltdstore.com (cables / LT-branded cables)
- Cyberpunk 2077 and an Unreal Engine 5 demo (“Expedition 33”) used for testing
- Steam Deck referenced for comparison
- “Darren D. Young” (retail/demo account found on the demo unit)
- Ahrefs (sponsor mentioned)
Overall verdict
Buying a gaming PC from Costco can be a good value: competitive pricing, a two‑year warranty, and store protections make it attractive for buyers who want new hardware and convenience. Do your due diligence on exact components (especially GPU VRAM and PSU brand) and be prepared to tune settings or upgrade the PSU/GPU later for higher performance.
Category
Gaming
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