Gaming computer for ds

[welshgirl666]

Hi

Can anyone recommend a good but not too expensive gaming computer for an 11 year old please?

Thanks

I was coming in to ask the same question but for a slightly older child (14), so also hoping for some information

What kind of budget?

I just bought a cheapish one but cheapish was over £500.

What kinds of games is it for?

This (below) is the one I bought.

Ds2 has an older asus laptop that would have cost more new.
I got ds1 an asus tower pc from cex with similar specifications.

ASUS TUF Gaming FX506LH 15.6" Full HD 144Hz Gaming Laptop (Intel i5-10300H, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650, 8GB RAM, 512GB M.2 PCIe SSD, Windows 10, 4-Zone RGB Keyboard) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0933BYNKV/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_VH1N2C4RJC1JEJFTG5XA?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Gaming laptop is a good idea but the issue is that if he gets into gaming he may want to upgrade bits which is impossible with a laptop whereas quite straightforward with an actual PC.

Currently there are supply issues with GPUs (the graphics card to run games) so you may find best to go to a company who builds pcs to specification could be best as that way you can keep costs low where the cost doesn't matter and they can advise you on what can be upgraded. That's the best thing about gaming PCs; you don't need something perfect to begin with, it can all be upgraded and added to :)

Brilliant really helpful, is there a minimum spec that I should be looking for and any recommendations of companies that build to spec or would I be better to go small and local?

It really depends what he wants to play, but something half decent is going to cost you around £1,000. To give you an idea mid range around £2,000 and top end, but jot hardcore can be £3,000.

Gulp!

@SuperLoudPoppingAction

What kind of budget?

I just bought a cheapish one but cheapish was over £500.

What kinds of games is it for?

I was hoping not to spend more than £500 really....

He wants to play games like total war Rome 2, Mount and warblade, Minecraft, roblox for now.

Thanks for you help 🙂

@CliffordMouse

Gaming laptop is a good idea but the issue is that if he gets into gaming he may want to upgrade bits which is impossible with a laptop whereas quite straightforward with an actual PC.

Currently there are supply issues with GPUs (the graphics card to run games) so you may find best to go to a company who builds pcs to specification could be best as that way you can keep costs low where the cost doesn't matter and they can advise you on what can be upgraded. That's the best thing about gaming PCs; you don't need something perfect to begin with, it can all be upgraded and added to :)

Thanks so much, this sounds good and we are definitely looking at PC rather than laptop.

Find something that can be upgraded in the future.

Try CCL PCs - they have some budget ones (which is what £500 will get you). this is ok

But the price of graphics cards is ridiculous so prices reflect that.

Also you’d have to buy a monitor and peripherals on top.

If you have a local computer shop near you, then pop in and ask what they could build for you.

Ds1 upgraded his ram no bother with his tower PC.

In terms of what specs to look for, it is important that you can't trust the 'can my computer run this game?' Page of the game website.
If I believed that, my work laptop could run Enlisted and it really can't- the graphics are too complex.

There will probably be reddit threads about running x game on y set-up. That's possibly more helpful.

I am irrationally prejudiced in favour of intel i7 processors which I believe to help computers think better, but I will acknowledge the lack of logic behind this. If you see something advertised as a gaming pc and it has an i3 processor, however, this will be unlikely to function well. i5 is ok.

The irrational part is that other processors from different manufacturers are probably just as good but I can't bring myself to trust them.

Same with graphics cards.

There will be lots of reviews for specific ones online.

As above though- just now it is probably better to get someone to build one because they will know what's easy enough to obtain just now.

Or i did get lucky with getting ds1's from cex.

In August I bought an i7, 16gb Ram, 1TB space, Nvidia DTX video card for DS' birthday. Cost £735.

I went to the local independent support guy and asked him to build me the best spec he could for £750. This is what he came up with.

Be wary of getting a laptop, gaming is tough on keyboards and a laptop keyboard is hard to replace. We had that problem so the old laptop is now used for Teams and homework.

That sounds like a very nice computer indeed and a decent price.

I am in no way saying laptops are better. I think if there is space for a tower it's much better value for money.
Ds2's dad bought his laptop (and he brings it between both houses so it makes sense) and mine is really so I can play better games in bed than I can on my phone.

DS got one from Scan a few months ago, after recommendations on here. £1100 for monitor, keyboard, pc, built to his spec. He's very happy with it.

Be wary of getting a laptop, gaming is tough on keyboards and a laptop keyboard is hard to replace. We had that problem so the old laptop is now used for Teams and homework.
Or just buy a £15 keyboard and plug it in to the laptop

I bought this for my 14 yr old as a starter P.C. and it's going great no complaints so far.

www.awd-it.co.uk/awd-ryzen-5-5600g-volt-with-amd-vega-graphics-desktop-pc-monitor-package-for-gaming.html

If you can build it yourself you can get better components for the same price as something prebuilt. DS1 built his first one with my help at age 14 and he's upgraded it and built a few since. It's actually not as hard as you think. Pc part picker is great for ensuring that everything will work together.

Otherwise, Dell outlet sometimes has good deals.