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Original poster

Gaming PC and kit questions

41 replies

DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 20:36

DD has a budget of c£1,500 for a gaming PC. I have no idea what I’m doing.

She plays Overwatch and watches Twitch and YouTube.

Is Alien any good?
Is a 27 monitor the right size?

Can she do school work on it as well? Is a gaming PC just a PC on steroids for gaming graphics?

We can’t build one can you recommend one that comes ready to go. Budget can go up if necessary.

Thanks for reading Smile

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HarrisMcCoo · 26/05/2021 20:38

Interested in this too😊 DS (14) also looking to buy a quality gaming PC.

Hellocatshome · 26/05/2021 20:40

Find a local computer shop (not a chain ask on local Facebook pages for recommendations) and they will build one for you that does what you want it to and doesn't have expensive bits you don't need. We went to our local shop and the guy asked DS loads of questions about what he wants to do with it etc then he picked a cool looking case for the tower and the guy built it for us and even better if we have a problem in the future or want to upgrade etc we can just go back.

Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 20:51

Thanks for the tip @Hellocatshome we are going to have to buy on line.

@HarrisMcCoo what are you leaning towards so far? I have no clue at all.

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Phillipa12 · 26/05/2021 20:53

Definitely do what Hellocatshome has suggested. My dc has just got a gaming pc which was was sort of put together by his half brothers step dad (he builds computers). He asked ds loads of questions then sent him links to all the kit he needed to buy, in total the pc cost £750, if he had purchased it through say PC World it would have been double that price. Dc set it all up and is beyond happy with it, so much so that he's asked for a second identical monitor for his birthday. And yes he also used it throughout lockdown for all his online lessons.

Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 20:54

Having said that I could phone the local shop and do it that way.

Anyone know anything about Alien please?

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Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 20:55

Thanks @Phillipa12 did you have to buy a licence for Microsoft and virus protection?

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ArianaDumbledore · 26/05/2021 21:00

I don't feel informed enough to give answers but we bought DS2's online from Chillblast, (DH had a work PC from them before).

There was a slight delay in it being sent, maybe 2 days late, but we were informed straight away.

Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 21:03

Thank you @ArianaDumbledore what did you get? Is it good?

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Phillipa12 · 26/05/2021 21:07

It came with virus protection but will probably have to renew every year.

Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 21:09

Can anyone recommend a minimum spec I should be looking for? I don’t know the terminology for the bits.

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Shattered04 · 26/05/2021 21:09

Scan is pretty good. I built my own the last time, but several times in the last few decades I've used their pre-built ones. Many of us in the tech industry in the UK use them too and they're well-regarded - their prices are generally pretty fair and their machines decent.

www.scan.co.uk/shops/3xs/next-day-pcs

Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 21:11

I looked at Dell and gathered all the bits into checkout but have no idea if I need extra leads and what not. The package came with a keyboard with leads, I thought keyboards had no wires?

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Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 21:12

Thanks @Shattered04 should I just go for the middle priced one?

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Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 21:15

Looked at Scan - wow gaming pcs can cost over £5k and I thought we were top end at £1.5k....

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ArianaDumbledore · 26/05/2021 21:15

Chillblast Fusion RTX 2060 Super Custom Gaming PC
£1374.99

I am not sure if it's exactly this but

www.chillblast.com/chillblast-next-day-rtx-2060-gaming-pc.html?category_id=529

LivingDeadGirlUK · 26/05/2021 21:17

I second scan, I got mine from there but mine is mid range, I spent £800 (not including monitor and keyboard/mouse). I usually set a budget and get the best I can for that money, scan have a webchat function on their website where you can ask about deals etc.

Minimum spec for overwatch are here us.battle.net/support/en/article/65159 but its quite an old game now so I would aim higher tbh.

LivingDeadGirlUK · 26/05/2021 21:18

Oh Alien used to be so expensive, paying for the brand. Assume its still the case!

DragonmotherKhaleesi · 26/05/2021 21:19

Have a look at www.acpcs.co.uk.
We got my sons from here. They are fab. I phoned them first and told them the budget and what we needed it for.
Ours is high spec, top graphics card for £800 for full set up inc monitor, keyboard etc.

Big brands charge big prices.

Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 21:34

Thanks @LivingDeadGirlUK I think she might try another PC game at some point. She uses Nintendo Switch and really wants to see if it’s easier/harder on PC.

DD likes to play in all of the languages possible and translate the dialogue. She wants to search the files in Overwatch on PC to locate some language lines she can’t get on Nintendo.

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Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 21:40

@DragonmotherKhaleesi that sounds great thanks for the suggestion.

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Shattered04 · 26/05/2021 23:39

Graphics cards have absolutely shot up in price over the last six months due to a shortage of chips, so it's difficult to compare prebuilt PC prices with what they were even six months ago. That said, many PC builders are able to keep graphics card price fairly low if it's part of a prebuilt PC versus selling it separately, quite possibly due to the contracts they have. Some people desperate for a graphics card have actually taken to buying a whole system, keeping the graphics card, and selling the rest, as it works out much cheaper Shock

I agree - Scan is fantastic for setting a budget and then finding the best PC for that budget. They have some set options, but you can still tweak things slightly to bring it up (or down) to the price you want. And yes, they do advise! It's all about finding the sweet spot between performance and value, as you definitely get diminishing returns on performance once you reach a certain price.

Disclaimer: I don't work for Scan, promise!! :-) I've just been interested in PC gaming since about the 90s, many of my colleagues over the years are similar, and it's where we tend to go for prebuilts.

Original poster
DidSomebodySaySiamese · 26/05/2021 23:54

Great info thanks @Shattered04

I’m going to do some research then come back and update next week on what I’ve found. In the hope that someone will stop me if I’ve gone all wrong.

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JellyBellies · 27/05/2021 06:51

I bought an HP OMEN gaming PC for my son November last year. He only plays minecraft as he 9 but wanted a good spec as older son does video editing and I figured at some point he would want to play more demanding games.

HarrisMcCoo · 27/05/2021 13:11

@DidSomebodySaySiamese

Thanks for the tip *@Hellocatshome* we are going to have to buy on line.

@HarrisMcCoo what are you leaning towards so far? I have no clue at all.

DH asked a techie in the family advice. She came back with Scan as highly recommended. We are going with this company more than likely. Going to make enquiries at some point this week. DS desperate for his PC!
LivingDeadGirlUK · 27/05/2021 14:38

Just a note on that acpcs site, it only offers one 'high end' graphics card, the RTX 3060, doesn't say how much ram the pc's come with, offers small SSD's compared to scan and other companies, the units I looked at are using refurbished motherboards and processors, which is fine as they are giving a 3 year warrenty but just to say its cheaper for a reason.