Recs for a Gaming Computer

[StrawberryWater]

Thinking about getting my son a gaming computer for X-Mas.

Anyone got any recs?

He plays Roblox, Minecraft and a few space games on Steam.

I have no idea where to start. HELP!

I found Scan computers very helpful. Their advisers will talk you through the system requirements for the games your son plays, and they have good deals on pre-built computers or you can select exactly what you want and they build it for you. Excellent customer service with no upselling of elements you don't need: they talked me out of spending more than I needed to on elements of the system. I bought a gaming computer from them last year and a laptop more recently. (I have no connection to the company).

Thanks, I'll check them out.

Can I be nosy and ask how much you paid?

I paid a lot for the gaming computer - I would think at least double what you are thinking of as it was pretty high end for demanding games and I wanted to future-proof it. For what you are talking about I think you could get away with a much lower spec. The key things gaming computers need over and above other computers is an advanced graphics card and a good cooling system. I'd go on Scan's website - they have lots of information about the various requirement and you'd get a better idea about prices.

I would say ask on Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/gamingpc/
We ended up getting a good second hand one via Facebook marketplace for about £400. It works absolutely fine and if you've done a little homework on processors and RAM etc you should be able to get something good enough and you can ask on the above subreddit for advice for a mid-range / second hand spec or whatever you have a budget for. No need to buy new.

He’s already playing these games, so what is he hoping to play that needs a gaming computer?

If you already have the keyboard, mouse and screen, a ball park figure for the computer would be £700 upwards.

You can go on to spend £5000+ for the very latest , top specifications.

Thanks I'll ask there. It seems it's probably my best bet.

He's 10 he doesn't need a 5k machine, just something that can cope with a few games of Roblox and Minecraft.

Thanks!

Roblox and Minecraft do not need a powerful gaming computer to run. They will work on any old laptop. What games is he playing on steam? Does he actually need a gaming computer? How old is he?

But from the sound of your OP, he’s already playing these games, so why get a gaming computer for them ?

Because he only plays them a few times a month at his granddad's house. The computer is old though and so slow.

Maybe it's not a gaming computer I need but a good laptop / PC. I'm clueless about these things, hence this thread.

DS1 recently got one of these and it runs those sorts of games very nicely. https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/d/gaming-laptops/?orgRef=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F&cid=uk:sem:92nzbn&utm_content=Legion&utm_term=Laptops&utm_source=Google&utm_campaign=G-UK-SEM-GAMING-PUBLIC-LF-Search-Consumer-Gaming-Laptops-Legion&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsoe5BhDiARIsAOXVoUujyS1uc62VvQfC3YBzolxygLP2WPAsvZWIQhHRddxNbaMn_mgIsggaAhdxEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Acer laptops are good for gamers of that age. As he gets older, if he's really into it, he might build his own desktop, or if not he can always get a screen and keyboard and still use the laptop as his hard drive.