To not let DD use her savings on a gaming computer?

[edole]

DD has saved over the years from birthdays and christmases and also from grandparent money when she goes and sees them. She enjoys THREE just 3 computer games and she now wants a gaming computer. The one she wants is 2 grand she has about £1500 in the bank and as her birthday is 2 weeks before Christmas she will get around £500 for them both combined (in total from everyone). So she wants it then.

I have so far said absolutely not, it's far far too much and it's better to save it for maybe a car when she's old enough to learn to drive. AIBU

@Sethis I think some people only know about consoles, call of duty and grand theft auto. PC gaming is very different, I've lost many an hour to civilisation....

YABU, it's her money.

My ds 13 is saving for same,

I don't know if this helps but my DC is also coding his own games.

If you don't let her get it i think it sends the wring message. She has saved up rather than pissing it up the wall (like i would have) and now she will gdt her reward. This is what you want her to remember when she is saving for a house deposit.
If you make her spend it on something you think is more important then she will just not see the point in savjng in future. I would let this go to teach her a positive life lesson.

I don't think that a gaming PC is a waste of money, but a laptop I'd be wary of. They tend to overheat easily and the battery gets chewed up so quickly. They are also very difficult to upgrade compared to a desktop. If she got a desktop, she'd easily be able to swap out the RAM, CPU, Graphics Card, fans, etc., if she wanted to upgrade it over time.

The, there is nothing like having a good PC to play a MMORPG on, so if she's really into gaming, I can quite understand why she wants a good PC.

I think it is ridiculous to say it is a waste of money - surely a high spec PC willalso be very useful for her schoolwork as she goes through her GCSEs and A Levels! In my opinion, a good computer is a necessary tool for school children today - and university students - and this girl has saved up her own money to buy a really good PC - she should be applauded, not derided.

Not to mention the fact that there are lots of great career opportunities in IT and gaming.

A massive waste would be spending it all on sweets.

DC1 spent around £1500 on a very high spec computer several years ago. He had saved for a few years to pay for it. He made sure that the one he bought had separate , rather than integrated components to allow him the option to upgrade regularly. He allows himself a 'maintenance ' budget every year and it's only this year that he upgraded the final original part. He's had ten years out of it, it's seen him through university, he uses it for work and gaming as well.
If he'd bought a cheaper computer in the first place, he would have spent far more replacing it at least once, if not more, than he's spent on regular, comparatively cheap, upgrades.

My DS bought 1 about 4 years ago, then a gaming laptop. Now at uni studying computer science.

Its not much more than a mac laptop.

So she has been saving up her money to buy something she loves, and now she's not allowed? Let her enjoy her money. I told my children that I couldnt afford a Nintendo switch.They both saved up their birthdays & Christmas money and bought one! I was so proud of them.

I'd let her get the gaming computer. They aren't just for games, but will be used for course work, uni, working at home, etc.

A car could be a waste of money. She could crash it the day after buying it, not afford the lessons, insurance, fuel, etc. We may have moved to people renting cars per journey rather than owning cars by the time she is able to drive.

Actually having read that she wants to go to Abertay I'd definitely be encouraging her to build her own. Its really not that hard to do - it looks like spaghetti inside a computer to the uninitiated but its very logical, there's usually only one type of socket per piece of hardware so she wont accidentally put the processor in the RAM slots. Its very intuitive and there are plenty of guides and information out there. Make it a project to research hardware - consider things like compatibility, cooling systems and power supply required etc.
Technology is a massive growth industry in Scotland, gaming in particular and Dundee is at the heart of much of it.
I'd definitely be encouraging it.

I think you should let her.

Though as someone with a gaming dd who bought a gaming pc for just under 1k a coup,e of years ago I’m suprised she needs to spend 2k. I got a lot of advice from the pc specialist forum on what spec to get and then bought it from pc specialist website, so I bought all the individual components and it was built for me (dd).

Dd uses it a lot, but for school work as well as gaming. The good thing with a pc is if she needs or wants to upgrade certain parts then this can be done fairly easily.

Plus I think it’s a good life lesson for her. Shows to her if she wants something she can save and get it. Demonstrates the benefit of not frittering cash away.

It's her money! I would understand you saying no if she was asking you for it, but she's saved up all by herself! Not sure how old she is but at no point under the age of 18 did I have enough self control to save £1500 so that's impressive enough in itself!

Even though it's a gaming laptop it would be useful for homework etc. So yes, YABU.

Also, I don't think anybody here would be opposed to a girl spending £1500 over the years she's saved it on clothes! Let her do it.

No way would I let my 14 year old spend that sort of money on a gaming computer!

As I said earlier, @2isabella2 - a good gaming PC will also be really useful for school work. It isn’t like a games console - it is a high spec computer. I think a computer is a vital tool for kids nowadays, and this girl has saved her own money to buy a really good one - how can that be a waste of money?

It's her money. Gaming is a fantastic hobby.

Ignore the anti-gamers. They pop up on every thread and are utterly clueless.

I would let her have it but sit down with her and look at review sites like techradar so she can work out how to get the best value - usually by going for bleeding edge rather than leading edge specs.

Well she could have been spending it when she got it for her birthdays and Christmas and wouldn't have it to spend on a car in the future. I really would let her buy it and I'm sure all those people who gifted her the money would be pleased to know that she has got something she really wants and can enjoy.

At 14 I think it is her choice. Ds1 bought a laptop from savings age 11. He uses it much less than he thought he would. But if I hadn't let him then he'd always think he should have had it whereas this way he has learnt a bit more about money management and still has a laptop.

I think she should be able to spend HER money on a computer, probably one of the more sensible things I've known a 14 year old girl to want!

Make sure she looks up the best specs, and maybe talks to someone you can trust to find the best for what she needs and her budget.

When I was 14 I spent all my pocket/bitthday/xmas money on computer bits. I was constantly upgrading bits so I could play the latest games. However I know she could pick up something really good for much less than 2k so perhaps instead of telling her what to do with her money you suggest she shops around a bit more?

I was a bit taken aback when my son declared doing the same. However he showed me how a cheaper one was false economy, and to be honest the one he got has done everything he wants it to.

He also watches Netflix and Amazon Prime shows/films on the gaming monitor and I can't deny it, it's really good.

But the only difference is, he researched what he wanted and he built it himself! It cost him £1200 last year. He's since built some more computers for friends and made a bit of money for doing so. He's doing Games Development at college and it's been great for his homework.