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Original poster

Talk to me about gaming pcs

11 replies

Shewhobecamethesun · 25/10/2023 20:29

I have 3 ds's who are very much into gaming but gaming pcs are well beyond my budget individually l, however, I am thinking of combining the budget and buying a joint gaming pc for them. However when I look them up I might as well be reading a foreign language because it's all a lot of technical jargon which means nothing to me.
So I'm hoping a wise mumsnetter can help and source me a decent gaming pc for under £500. Is that even possible?

Thank you

OP posts:
Folicky · 25/10/2023 20:34

PlayStation 5 is £480. Get rellies to buy them another controller and some games - job done! I'm
Not sure if games for girls but the games for boys are enjoyable and allow multiplayers and linking in with friends who also have a PlayStation. The alternative is a PC.... and I think some/most games are free for PC

CurlsandCurves · 25/10/2023 20:54

From the very little I know, a gaming pc under £500 is not an option. It won’t get anything like what they need to game.However…

How old are your kids? The reason I’m asking is I was in the same situation with ds1 a few years ago. The cheapest way to get a gaming pc then was to build it yourself. You can get the best deals, buy the stuff you’re actually going to use etc. So we gave DS money for Christmas and birthdays plus he earns a bit as well and he gradually bought what he needed.

Could this be a way forward? Get them to look into what they want and need from it, decide what to buy and build and help them out with some money for Christmas?

I understand your situation, I totally panicked when I saw how much this stuff costs, but DS had what he needed within the year and it was a great project for him.

Hermittrismegistus · 25/10/2023 20:55

You'll need to at least double your budget if you want a gaming PC.

Sodie · 25/10/2023 21:00

Unfortunately they are not cheap. My youngest is wanting one and it's going to be at least 1300.

nibblessquibbles · 25/10/2023 21:03

Why not get your DS to help? Mine did all the research and came up with a few options. He quite enjoyed it and chose a really decent one which was not far off your budget. That was just the PC. You are usually better off buying monitor keyboard etc separately

Whoknowswhatanymore · 25/10/2023 21:04

I agree that you won’t get a good gaming PC for under £1000. Have they got a console/ switch etc? I think that’s probably the first step to see how they go. It would also be very difficult for them to share, you’d have to have a good rota and be prepared for fall outs! 🙈

BigBoysDontCry · 25/10/2023 21:05

Unfortunately PPs are correct. In order to play the latest games, £500 isn't going to be enough, even if you build it yourself. Remember you will also need a screen, keyboard and mouse.

The advantage of a pc over a console is that you can regularly update the parts and periphery so it gives endless ideas for birthdays and Christmases well into adulthood.

If you want some ideas of reasonable systems you can build, go to PC part picker online and look at what people have completed on a budget.

If the DC are old enough to understand, I'd have a realistic chat with them about budgets, about the fact they'd need to share one pc and then see if they'd prefer to wait or look at a shared console option.

youdonotneedanewphone · 25/10/2023 21:23

Wouldn't a joint gaming PC cause endless disputes on whose turn it is on it compared to a PS?
3 boys, 1 PC might cause more tension than pleasure .

Original poster
Shewhobecamethesun · 25/10/2023 21:27

Oh jeez thank you for all the advice. Dc will be almost 15, 12 and 8. 15yr old wants to do game design at sixth form so it's something we are going to probably need to get at some point. But unfortunately £1000+ is way out of my budget. Already have ps4, switch and they have their own laptops too but complain they can be laggy and not great for building games on.
Will have a look into building one then, could be a fun bonding exercise over the next year or so I guess

OP posts:
BigBoysDontCry · 25/10/2023 21:36

I'd join a pc building forum as well as going on pcpartpicker, the posters are incredibly knowledgeable. DS1 and I built one when he was about 13 and he's gone on to upgrade and build more and for his brother too. It's actually not that difficult and certainly the older 2 would get a lot from the research and building experience.

Pcpartpicker website will ensure that the pieces they choose will be compatible.

It's easy to get carried away adding in loads of bits that seem cheap (extra fans, lights etc) but aren't overly essential. These are things that can be added from picket money or from gifts.

BigBoysDontCry · 25/10/2023 21:40

It also might be worth looking to see if there are any possible upgrades for their laptops although it's definitely a harder job than a desktop and more limited. If you have a reputable pc repair shop it might be worth a try.

I'd also maybe look to see if you can get a 2nd hand gaming pc that might be below budget but ripe for upgrading the ram and graphics. Again you can go on part picker and input the specification of what you have to check any new parts will be compatible.

It's an incredibly rewarding thing to do.

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