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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think I can get a decent gaming laptop for DD's Christmas present for under £800?

31 replies

BlibBlabBlob · 27/11/2022 08:23

Sorry, I know there is a gaming board but I know there is more traffic on here.

All DD really wants for Christmas is a gaming laptop, she is massively into Roblox and The Sims 4 and she really wants to be able to play 'proper' PC games via Steam too. Her poor old second-hand ex-business laptop really isn't up to scratch graphics-wise (or anything-else-wise, really). It'll run Roblox at the lowest resolution and it just about copes with The Sims. It can't do anything that requires a graphics card.

We need to do this on as small a budget as possible, but I'm also aware that getting the absolute cheapest machine may come back to bite us when it's obsolete and will no longer run newer games a year from now.

Any gaming experts out there? What do we need in terms of RAM (16GB?) and particular in terms of graphics? Any recommendations for particular machines/sellers?

Wanting laptop rather than desktop as, although she'll dock it with an external screen and keyboard etc at home, she'll want to sometimes take it to her grandparents' house or a friend's house.

All advice gratefully received; I would normally get on a mad research mission myself but I'm not very well and swamped with other life admin to do at the moment as DD is having an awful time trying to settle into high school and you wouldn't believe how much work that creates in terms of emailing, meetings and form-filling. (Plus of course the impact on all of our stress levels and mental health, especially DD - which is why we want to try and give her a really good Christmas present that will also help her keep in touch with her handful of friends via gaming, given she's not really seeing them at school.)

OP posts:
formulatingAresponse · 27/11/2022 15:12

It was an HP pavilion gaming laptop. They have one now on the JL website for £799

TinySaltLick · 27/11/2022 16:22

BlibBlabBlob · 27/11/2022 15:00

Thanks so much everyone, I think we're leaning towards a tower then rather than a laptop... please link me to any brilliant bargains you've seen online! I will also speak to our local computer shop.

Do you have a screen and keyboard/mouse or do you need everything new?

What is the total max £, will suggest something

I am assuming you need pre built and wouldn't buy the components and built it yourself?

BlibBlabBlob · 27/11/2022 17:36

@TinySaltLick we already have screen, keyboard, mouse. Really can't spend more than £800 and preferably less! Need it built, I know my way around software but am a complete novice when it comes to hardware.

OP posts:
thelobsterquadrille · 27/11/2022 17:38

I would speak to your local computer shop, tell them your budget and see what they can do for you. I know our local place will make PC's to suit anyone's budget or specifications.

TinySaltLick · 27/11/2022 20:30

BlibBlabBlob · 27/11/2022 17:36

@TinySaltLick we already have screen, keyboard, mouse. Really can't spend more than £800 and preferably less! Need it built, I know my way around software but am a complete novice when it comes to hardware.

Ok for budget coming in at 800 I would probably go for a Ryzen 5 chip, 16gb ram and a 6600 card - something like these:

www.awd-it.co.uk/awd-python-ryzen-5-5600g-4-4ghz-radeon-rx-6600-8gb-16gb-ram-500gb-ssd-bonus-asus-tuf-battlepack-included-desktop-pc-for-gaming.html
£799 (comes with a gaming keyboard and mouse)

Or a bit cheaper:
www.awd-it.co.uk/awd-volt-ryzen-5-3600-six-core-4-2ghz-amd-radeon-rx-6600-8gb-desktop-pc-for-gaming.html

  • upgrade to 16gb corsair ram
  • upgrade SSD to western digital 420gb
  • £674

If cost is really tight - this would be ok (although I would go for the ones above)
www.awd-it.co.uk/awd-volt-ryzen-5-3600-six-core-4-2ghz-amd-radeon-rx-6600-8gb-desktop-pc-for-gaming.html
£615

mamabear715 · 27/11/2022 20:33

Came here to say what everyone else has already said, @BlibBlabBlob about PC rather than laptop, so I'll just say I hope you find one that's ideal! :-)

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