Buying my son a gaming PC, help.

[Ex-User (19928)]

Yeah I remember every time my dad would do a fresh wipe of the PC (basically after I'd fucked it up by browsing illicit websites and downloading junk) I'd have to go to a neighbors house to borrow their Half Life CD and licence code to be able to play CS. They must have loved me...

 

[Greeny.]

Yeah I remember every time my dad would do a fresh wipe of the PC (basically after I'd fucked it up by browsing illicit websites and downloading junk) I'd have to go to a neighbors house to borrow their Half Life CD and licence code to be able to play CS. They must have loved me...

The worse thing about it was the updates and 56k to download them, then it doesnt work so having to download it from elseware, then finding a server, barrysworld, wireplay, all part of the experience though! Kids have is to easy now!

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

You ever play on the ratpack maps? Where you'd spawn in a huge version of a kitchen with working blender and stuff.

Loved those maps

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

And later on, the Warcraft mod. Hugely addictive and silly.

 

[Goodj]

so, gaming PC.

 

[Simon998]

And later on, the Warcraft mod. Hugely addictive and silly.

Matrix mod was one of my favs, I loved me some scoutz_knivez with low grav too. Then world of warcraft took over my gaming life for 5 years.

 

[Snakey]

I was going to start a thread, but this one seems pretty rrelevant for the advice I’m after....

I’m looking to buy a gaming laptop (can’t have pc/tower etc... as nowhere to put it), people have said check out PCSpecialist and I’ve seen the following which is just within budget (absolute max). While it says use for ‘Extreme Gaming’ and seems to have a decent Processor and Graphics Card, checking the RAM on benchmark sites and it says it’s pretty crap. Also there’s nothing in the SSD? (You can alter the build to change the RAM, put in SSD etc...)

Now I don’t have any real clue what this all means and the relevance it has to running games, but basically I want to be able to play iRacing, Assetto Corsa etc... and stuff like PUBG. Is this a decent build for them or will I just be wasting my money. Maybe I should go for a cheaper build and build up with the relevant components?

Cheers....

Chassis & Display
Proteus Series: 15.6" Matte Full HD 60Hz 45% NTSC LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Six Core Processor 8750H (2.2GHz, 4.1GHz Turbo)
Memory (RAM)
4GB Corsair 2133MHz SODIMM DDR4 (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Hard Disk
120GB ADATA SU650 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb (520MB/R, 320MB/W)
Memory Card Reader
Integrated SD Memory Card Reader
AC Adaptor
1 x Proteus Series 200W AC Adaptor
Battery
Proteus V Series Lithium Ion Battery (7180mAh)
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless
GIGABIT LAN & WIRELESS INTEL® AC-9260 M.2 (1.73Gbps, 802.11AC) +BT 5.0
USB Options
3 x USB 3.0 PORTS + 1 x USB 3.1 Type C PORT AS STANDARD
Keyboard Language
PROTEUS SERIES RGB BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System
Genuine 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

 

[Goodj]

You need more RAM, and faster RAM at that.
Also, more hard drive space. The SSD you have there is....ok, but will run out of space quickly and isn't the fastest option anyway. (NVME are the letters to look for on your boot drive). Then get a normla hard drive in there if the chassis will take it.

You'll struggle to upgrade a laptop beyond adding drives and RAM, even then that might not be an option. Essentially, you buy a laptop with the spec you want and leave it as that.

 

[Simon998]

4GB of RAM, Cheapest SSD. What money is on it?

You can change the ram but it's going to be £120ish and a decent SSD will be £80-120 depending on what you want.

You can also build mini PC's these days that will work out cheaper (and better all round) than a laptop. If you have a TV in your room already, that can double as a monitor at a pinch. This would be the option I'd take if you could work out the logistics.

 

[Simon998]

http://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/InventorySearch.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh&brandid=7&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw/PR7UdUeDQRUj4xo5fom+Su/sgutbm7VxfG1uGlTP20vJALtvgykCmW7VY38G3wMG8i24Qq57vzyGHGovPcekdBOAypRH5ZC3zH1ABgXhWiK4qp/rQ0TOwIAxxLn5/ZFQEeIt6uK7tXa8EVIMeJmTkkDT6dwzHhNaLub4+rxakhdP9XOTO9fYW33HN4kojEYqG822aqCbm8NyHrcLupWdIYPvzyCQIsExnQnsiPe+Mkgrai27hA6w146kL7NFMAJplqH1CQ9r+MnSbJfnesTAs2u03ryustiKBWxOqSSrQOYEFzd4XcTr6+aVCHEe7hK5Mre/W82/MbweC59W

The Dell Outlet usually has some decent spec'd Alienware laptops for a decent price. Not the best selection at the minute but it changes daily. There's some decent systems there for £1100-1400ish. For gaming on a laptop (if you must)I wouldn't take anything less than a 1070 as generally 'm' series GPUs run less efficiently compared to the full size version. Ideally for Assetto Corsa you'd want a 1080 and 32GB, that game will take whatever resources you can throw at it, but you're talking £1800-2500 for a laptop with that sort of spec.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

Small form factor PC connected to your TV would be better than a laptop. If you're planning on using your laptop screen then bear that in mind too (i.e. most laptop screens are s**t, most of the remaining laptop screens are bad for gaming, and the remaining ones are expensive)

 

[N0ddie]

Small form factor PC connected to your TV would be better than a laptop. If you're planning on using your laptop screen then bear that in mind too (i.e. most laptop screens are s**t, most of the remaining laptop screens are bad for gaming, and the remaining ones are expensive)

This.

 

[Snakey]

Cheers for the help guys. My budget is around £1100 and the spec I posted was around that, I know I'm not going be able to run games on ultra for that price, but want something that will run them at a decent setting and won't be defunct in a year or so.

A small PC might be an option as I intend to connect it to a TV/larger monitor for the racing anyway, but I'm not entirely sure.

The PCSpecialist site allows you to switch around parts and adjust the price accordingly. am I better doing that and choosing what I want and don't or is buying a prebuilt one the better/safer option?

 

[Simon998]

You can also build mini PC's these days that will work out cheaper (and better all round) than a laptop. If you have a TV in your room already, that can double as a monitor at a pinch. This would be the option I'd take if you could work out the logistics.

Small form factor PC connected to your TV would be better than a laptop. If you're planning on using your laptop screen then bear that in mind too (i.e. most laptop screens are s**t, most of the remaining laptop screens are bad for gaming, and the remaining ones are expensive)

This.

I said it first

 

[Simon998]

Cheers for the help guys. My budget is around £1100 and the spec I posted was around that, I know I'm not going be able to run games on ultra for that price, but want something that will run them at a decent setting and won't be defunct in a year or so.

A small PC might be an option as I intend to connect it to a TV/larger monitor for the racing anyway, but I'm not entirely sure.

The PCSpecialist site allows you to switch around parts and adjust the price accordingly. am I better doing that and choosing what I want and don't or is buying a prebuilt one the better/safer option?

PCPartPicker will make sure your system is compatible, give you rough prices and allow you to purchase directly. I wouldn't buy a pre-built system unless you can get a bargain and it's too good to pass.

Building a PC is like adult LEGO, so don't worry about building it yourself.

 

[N0ddie]

Purely for playing games?

 

[N0ddie]

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/amd-...-group-ram-free-240gb-ssd-bu-01f-am.html#t=a1
+
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/0inn...ddr5-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-068-in.html
+
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/bitfenix-formula-series-550w-80-plus-gold-power-supply-ca-22y-bx.html
+
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/phanteks-eclipse-p300-glass-midi-tower-case-black-ca-06u-pt.html

Total- £860

An example of just how much of a better deal you can get buying a laptop.

 

[N0ddie]

I know the case is on the large side but other cases are available.

 

[Snakey]

I checked that part picker site and there seemed to be a decent guide for one within my budget... something along those lines?

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/guide/qWLrxr/excellent-amd-gaming-build

While it is a full size, I am questioning the laptop route due to the limitations and cost as people have repeatedly brought up, unless it can be squeezed into a smaller build.

It will be mainly gaming, perhaps some basic video editing for my sons Youtube.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

You can get tiny cases. Don't underestimate the inconvenience of a large case where it's not wanted. A large case on a dedicated desk is a pain in the arse in my opinion.

Get a mini ITX box (plenty available). Get an ITX motherboard with WiFi and audio built in, then you need a CPU and GPU and a small form PSU.

Then it'll be console sized and not a pain in the dick to move around like a full size case (and even laptop really)

 

[Mr R.]

Sorry for the late reply, I've been busy with the family. I'm going to sit down with Billy at the weekend and go through all of this, many thanks for all of your replys and PC specs it's very much appreciated.

I'll post up a final spec and see what you all think, but it will be with the higher spec graphics card that I've seen recommend a few times.

Scott.

 

[Daz...]

You going with the 1070/1070ti?

 

[Mr R.]

You going with the 1070/1070ti?

It will be the 1070ti mate, unless there's anything else I should be considering?

 

[Daz...]

Either that or a 1080 if you can get a good deal. He’ll definitely be happy with a 1070 though.

 

[Rojer]

Or you could wait a little more as the next Nvidia isn't far off ha.

 

[Simon998]

Yeah rumours are the next series will be announced in q4, god knows when they will see release though.

 

[Ex-User (19928)]

Indeed, unless everyone is saying it'll be announced next month then don't wait. You can play the "I'll wait for X" indefinitely

 

[Greeny.]

I still think a 1060 is more than enough for 1080p gaming BUT if you have the extra to spend, why not get a 1070ti/1080, future proof it for a a good 4/5 years.

 

[Mr R.]

I still think a 1060 is more than enough for 1080p gaming BUT if you have the extra to spend, why not get a 1070ti/1080, future proof it for a a good 4/5 years.

That's kinda my thinking mate, by that time Billy will 19/20 and can buy his own bloody computer. ?

 

[Goodj]

There's always the bit-by-bit approach.

Using the AMD Ryzen 5 APU, with as much super-fast memory as possible, you can build a good base that'll play 1080p gaming fine. It wont be se4tting any framerate benchmarks, but it will handle most things you throw at it.

You'd already have plenty of memory and a fast NVME boot-drive so, later, you can drop a dedicated graphics card in.
Hell, you can drop a different CPU in too and go to whichever Ryzen 7 fits the socket by then (AM4 socket is going to stay in play for a while, unlike many Intel boards)

 

[N0ddie]

Integrated graphics, even with VEGA, aint gonna be enough to take advantage of the nice shiney monitor @Phase1sr bought for his son though.

 

[bozothenutter]

Sooo dissapointing!
was expecting this thread to go full CS and advise some quad GPU 128Gb monster PC to play patience....

we must resolve to do better!?

 

[Goodj]

Integrated graphics, even with VEGA, aint gonna be enough to take advantage of the nice shiney monitor @Phase1sr bought for his son though.

I can't say I know what the spec is on the monitor, but no, you wouldn't be running it at 4k, and 1080p is going to be lower settings.
It'll likely still be an improvementon whatdever they're putting through it now though.

My stance is it's not about buying a 4k, 120fps machine in one hit. Slap a Vega 64 or 1080ti in there next year, after the new GPUs are released and prices have a shake up.

Or, yeah, bung £2500 into an i9 and 1080ti, watercool that sucker and make sure there's RGB for days. Fortnite will be well on point.

 

[N0ddie]

Analogy time.

You don't buy a Ferrari (The monitor they've bought) and stick a 1.2 Corsa engine (Ryzen +Vega) in it.

 

[Goodj]

Well, if OP is content to bang £2000 into silicon, then they can have a V12 tower.

 

[N0ddie]

£2000 it aint. Someone posted this list on the 1st page of this thread and it is more than competent:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
TypeItemPrice
CPUIntel - Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz 6-Core Processor£218.79 @ Kustom PCs
CPU CoolerCorsair - H80i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler£82.00 @ AWD-IT
MotherboardMSI - Z370 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard£99.99 @ CCL Computers
MemoryCorsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory£153.59 @ Aria PC
StorageSamsung - 860 Evo 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive£96.50 @ Amazon UK
StorageWestern Digital - Blue 2TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive£50.39 @ Aria PC
Video CardEVGA - GeForce GTX 1070 Ti 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card£377.49 @ Amazon UK
CaseBitFenix - Nova ATX Mid Tower Case£28.74 @ Aria PC
Power SupplyCorsair - RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply£87.99 @ Amazon UK

Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts

Total£1195.48

Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-08-01 22:07 BST+0100

 

[Goodj]

An i5? Pfffffft. May as well plug the monitor into an iPhone.


But yeah, in seriousness, so long as the lad isn't going to try to do, like, high-end CAD, video editing, protein folding and such, good one.

Add another couple of hundred to that bottom line though, for building it an putting an OS on there though... unless they want to run a Linux shell.

My final spec-up

 

[N0ddie]

Watch a couple of Youtube videos and anyone can build a PC. Windows 10 licence can be had for around £21. The 8600K is a 6 core processor and clocks very well which will help with the high refresh rate monitor.

 

[Goodj]

Watch a couple of Youtube videos and anyone can build a PC. Windows 10 licence can be had for around £21

Bloody hell!

https://softwaregeeks.co.uk/product...MI3aODpKXd3AIVTbHtCh3trAXdEAQYASABEgKYPfD_BwE


I was expecting to find the cheap licenses to be off the back of old NUCs and disused Dells ?

 

[Mr R.]

An i5? Pfffffft. May as well plug the monitor into an iPhone.


But yeah, in seriousness, so long as the lad isn't going to try to do, like, high-end CAD, video editing, protein folding and such, good one.

Add another couple of hundred to that bottom line though, for building it an putting an OS on there though... unless they want to run a Linux shell.

My final spec-up

View attachment 1379960

Watch a couple of Youtube videos and anyone can build a PC. Windows 10 licence can be had for around £21. The 8600K is a 6 core processor and clocks very well which will help with the high refresh rate monitor.

Many thanks guy's.

I'm an engineer for the Financial Time's, admittedly not a PC engineer but I'm sure I can put it together with Billy, it's something we will enjoy doing.

If I get stuck then I have you lovely lot to fall back on. ??