Gaming PC - reasonably priced and built to last?

[Spinstar]

DS wants a desktop gaming PC for Xmas. He's spent months looking at specifications on PC Specialist, a web site recommended to me here but the one he's 'customised' online costs almost £1000! I'm hoping to get something in the region of £600 or so but not sure if he can still get what he wants at that price range.

He doesn't actually play computer games and only wants it for occasional games on a website his friends use called Steam. However, he also wants something a lot faster than his 6 yr old desktop PC and one that has better graphics, as he does lots of CGI design for fun.

I'm wary of ordering a 'customised' PC from a website and would rather get one 'off the shelf' where I can take it back if it doesn't work - but don't trust our local PC World. We'd also probably need someone to come in and set it up which they can do at PC Specialist but again it does cost a lot.

I'm also wary of getting something that is so 'high spec', it isn't as reliable as an old 'solid work horse' of a PC.

I want this one to last him at least 4 to 5 years and want a desktop not a laptop as I like it set up near where I am, rather than taken off to his bedroom.

Any ideas anyone?

Thanks so much for the advice about gaming PCs from John Lewis. It's really helpful. Time to go and do some reading.

Sorry for the derail OP

hope you got everything sorted for your ds OP

Just an update, for anyone else clueless and on a smaller budget.

after much help off a couple of very techy friends. We have got Ds a computer that ticks all his boxes, is easily upgradeable later and in budget.

Ds wanted a gaming pc but with the capability to use it for video graphic editing, and making his own animation, plus programming. £650 was our budget.

If anyone else is looking to start their DC off with a computer that's has what they need now plus more and later can be built on, then I think this is the one.

We have bought an extra 8gb to make it 16gb but still came in budget.

www.amazon.co.uk/Freshtech-Motherboard-Performance-Certified-Barracuda/dp/B00KYVU6HM/ref=sr_1_21?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1450391080&sr=1-21

This whole experience has been an education an eye opener, I now know ram and ip? Mean nothing if the cpu is crap anyway, and sockets are important also

It's only got ddr3 but the jump in price to ddr5 was too much, and for now the ddr3 is fine. He can upgrade it when it needs it.

Yes. Used PC Specialist in the end and computer should be delivered tomorrow in the morning. I hope it's going to work and that we can get it set up - or DS can.

He's now insisting I need to buy a HDMI cable rather than the VGA one for a new monitor that's coming from another store but isn't DVI compatible. Is this going to be a lot better than the VGA one included (costs another £25!)?

Oh yeah, DS also told me NOT to get antiviral software for the new PC as it's 'slow it down'. I told him that it's much too risky to run a computer without antiviral software and that I'd see if we could transfer the Kaspersky antiviral software from his old computer to the new one or buy it again.

But, is DS correct?

Do you no longer need antiviral software and does it indeed slow a PC down?

I'm still telling him he needs anitiviral software. Which of us is correct and is Kaspersky a good enough one?

Do you no longer need antiviral software and does it indeed slow a PC down?

Yes it slows it down and yes you need it (probably more than ever).

If the risk of damage was extremely low (not used for internet banking or shopping, no personal or financial data stored on it, no webcam, completely separate from any other internet-connected device in the house (unlikely)) then you might get away with it, although if it got infected it could still be an inconvenience.

Kaspersky is pretty good from what I understand, but it seems with AV there's always someone who dislikes a particular program and someone else who loves it.