Help - No idea what I am doing! Gaming PC for teenager

[josmall]

Hi, I am in desperate need of some help please!

I am looking to get a new PC for my son (13). I have zero experience or knowledge in this area. Currently he's using his PC for school work and gaming.

He plays Call of Duty and Minecraft but states the frames per second are rubbish. He also has an Oculus Rift which often plays up or he can't download the games he wants.

He reliably informs me his current PC has:
Intel i5 2400
Radeon 580 graphics card
8gb DDR3 memory
GB1000EAMYC ATA device (running at 100%)

I made the huge mistake of just buying him a 'gaming' PC a couple of years ago which we had to upgrade the graphics card for as it wouldn't work with the Rift and has since struggled with what he wants.

I am looking to spend as little as I possibly can but equally I want to get something that will work for what he wants be somewhat future proof and not need changing for a few years.

Can anyone help me with building a suitable spec?

Thank you

 

[Citrus_9]

Have a read those first please and drop a full list with a link to your specs.

Please read before posting:- Collaboration of Helpful Hints

NB: These forums are not an official support channel. None of us work for PCS, we're all either customers or techies who just like to help out where possible. For any official support, you need to contact PCS directly either through your PCS account, or via the contact details on the main...

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[Grumpywurzel]

Although the following page is a few months old, it will give you some idea of the costs involved in building a PCS system. It all comes down to the monitor spec you have (or if you intend to upgrade this?) and your budget-

Desktop Building Guide - April 2023

A "quick" reference guide to building the perfect system. This is the sort of logic I go through when suggesting systems, so thought I would jot it down on the page. Clearly this is an ever changing suite of options but I'll update periodically as my default go-to's change... I'm noticing the...

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[Bobjones522]

Hi, I am in desperate need of some help please!

I am looking to get a new PC for my son (13). I have zero experience or knowledge in this area. Currently he's using his PC for school work and gaming.

He plays Call of Duty and Minecraft but states the frames per second are rubbish. He also has an Oculus Rift which often plays up or he can't download the games he wants.

He reliably informs me his current PC has:
Intel i5 2400
Radeon 580 graphics card
8gb DDR3 memory
GB1000EAMYC ATA device (running at 100%)

I made the huge mistake of just buying him a 'gaming' PC a couple of years ago which we had to upgrade the graphics card for as it wouldn't work with the Rift and has since struggled with what he wants.

I am looking to spend as little as I possibly can but equally I want to get something that will work for what he wants be somewhat future proof and not need changing for a few years.

Can anyone help me with building a suitable spec?

Thank you.

Hi,

Not sure what your budget is, but here I think is a good starting place:

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 280X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.6GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-I GAMING (DDR4, USB 3.2, Wi-Fi) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Extra Case Fans
1x 120mm Thermaltake TOUGHFAN 12 Case Fan
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 20 to 22 working days
Price: £1,731.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-sff-gaming/SxvVKBdXUE/

Think this is a good, VR-ready, gaming PC, which doesn't break the bank, with a graphics card roughly twice as powerful as the one your son currently has. Just don't use it with a 4k monitor!

Edit: This configuration also has room to save some money, or of course spend more, if your budget is higher.

 

[rajadd]

The original poster sounds like a really nice and well-intentioned parent lol My parents never would have let me get a gaming PC when I was a kid - but I managed to get a PlayStation eventually.

I had to get a well-paid job before I could even consider getting a PC and now I'm waiting for it patiently while telling my wife (who has replaced the parents) that the RTX 3090 was necessary for work lmao

 

[josmall]

The original poster sounds like a really nice and well-intentioned parent lol My parents never would have let me get a gaming PC when I was a kid - but I managed to get a PlayStation eventually.

I had to get a well-paid job before I could even consider getting a PC and now I'm waiting for it patiently while telling my wife (who has replaced the parents) that the RTX 3090 was necessary for work lmao

Haha thanks! I don't think we have much choice now. Don't get the tech and the kids lag well behind. Plus it is for school and it keeps him from annoying me so it's a win all round!

 

[josmall]

Thanks all. The specs have been really useful. I think my son is getting confused with what he believes to be best versus what he actually needs. As long as we can run the Rift without issue and not need to replace the graphics card or any other bit within 12 or 24 months I am happy!

 

[rajadd]

Haha thanks! I don't think we have much choice now. Don't get the tech and the kids lag well behind. Plus it is for school and it keeps him from annoying me so it's a win all round!

What kind of budget are you looking to spend here? I think that will help the folks here get you the best "bang-for-the-buck" option.

 

[josmall]

What kind of budget are you looking to spend here? I think that will help the folks here get you the best "bang-for-the-buck" option.

That's the tough question! I'd love to spend under £1k but I'm not sure that is reasonable or will prove cost effective in the longer term.

I'm NOT prepared to go to £2k, he's 13 and I need some kind of a limit!

 

[MrWilson]

That's the tough question! I'd love to spend under £1k but I'm not sure that is reasonable or will prove cost effective in the longer term.

I'm NOT prepared to go to £2k, he's 13 and I need some kind of a limit!

The build above by @Nursemorph is really solid. The overall build should last 7-10 years, with a couple of GPU upgrades. Unless VR gets rapidly more demanding in the future the GPU shouldn't need upgrading until the generation after next, which should be coming out around 2024/25, so you will get a good amount of time out of the current build.
Obviously that does depend on the budget, but it's always better to spend a couple of extra hundred to get that longevity in place. When you try and cut costs on components it can end up costing you more in the long run.

 

[josmall]

The build above by @Nursemorph is really solid. The overall build should last 7-10 years, with a couple of GPU upgrades. Unless VR gets rapidly more demanding in the future the GPU shouldn't need upgrading until the generation after next, which should be coming out around 2024/25, so you will get a good amount of time out of the current build.
Obviously that does depend on the budget, but it's always better to spend a couple of extra hundred to get that longevity in place. When you try and cut costs on components it can end up costing you more in the long run.

Thank you, this is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for! With the cost of a new PC, if he wants his VR upgrading he'd best get himself a job!

This is brilliant, thank you so much everyone!

 

[rajadd]

Thank you, this is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for! With the cost of a new PC, if he wants his VR upgrading he'd best get himself a job!

This is brilliant, thank you so much everyone!

He's already a very lucky 13 year old!!!!