For better or worse, NZXT has revamped its "Starter PC" line, replacing its AMD foundation with Intel hardware. As a result, the starting price has dropped from $899 to $699, while still maintaining a relatively attractive value proposition compared to homebrew.

These starter systems first debuted in July 2019; NZXT configured them with AMD's second-generation Ryzen processors based on Zen+ and Turing-based Nvidia graphics cards There were two models: Starter" ($899) and "Starter Plus" ($999); NZXT also offered a higher-performance "Streaming" build for $1,499.

This time, the Starter comes in three configurations: the Starter ($699), Starter Plus ($899), and Starter Pro ($999). The goal is the same: to provide gamers with a relatively affordable system capable of producing 60 fps or better at high 1080p settings for games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Fortnite, and Rainbow Six Siege.

Here's what you get with the $699 starter build:

The system also comes with an MSI MS-B905C dual-band Wi-Fi adapter that plugs into one of the PCIe slots; NZXT says that in this configuration, League of Legends 161 fps and 181 fps in Counter-Strike: 181 fps in Global Offensive and 67 fps in Fortnite.

I configured a similar system on Newegg, using the exact same parts whenever possible (in some cases I had to substitute a different brand because the parts were unavailable or overpriced by marketplace sellers). Here's what happened:

The same motherboard could not be configured because it was only offered by a marketplace seller and the price jumped to $200. This is because the motherboard I replaced had Wi-Fi onboard and did not require a separate adapter.

The total above comes to $645.79. Replacing more components or looking for sales and rebates would have brought this price down. Still, the NZXT baseline starter PC is still about $55 more expensive. Considering the single point of contact for labor and warranty issues (NZXT offers a 2-year warranty on all parts and labor), it's not that cheap.

If you can spend a little more for a pre-built product, the $899 Starter Plus looks like this:

And the $999 Starter Pro looks like this:

These are clearly not for everyone; NZXT is targeting the gamer who is not comfortable building their own PC NZXT is targeting gamers who are not comfortable building their own PCs.

"For beginners, building a gaming PC can be very difficult," says Johnny Hou, founder and CEO of NZXT. No one wants to take the time it takes to fully understand how to configure and build a system."

"I just want to play my favorite games. They just want to play their favorite games. That's why we've simplified this entire process with the NZXT Starter Series, so fans taking their first steps into PC gaming can rest assured that they'll get a performance-optimized build that meets their needs."

He claims that it's really not all that difficult for beginners, but I can see why it makes sense to offer this line of products. What about timing?

The next generation of gaming consoles is just around the corner, and new Radeon and GeForce graphics cards based on the AMD RDNA 2 and Nvidia Ampere architectures, respectively, are coming soon. Therefore, now may not be the best time to buy or build a new PC.

The saving grace for NZXT is that AMD and Nvidia are unlikely to debut lower-priced oriented GPUs initially. And for those who can't wait any longer, these configurations appear to be the right choice.