Bootlegjc1
New member
Hi guys looking to buy my son a gaming pc have no idea about them have a budget of about £600 what is out there.
Thanks
Thanks
Gaming pc buying
- Thread starter Bootlegjc1
- Start date
Oussebon
Multiverse Poster
£600 for just the tower, or for the whole system including a monitor and keyboard and mouse?
If the latter, a playstation 4 would probably be the best gaming PC in that price range sadly.
If the former, maybe something like:
Case
PCS 6003B BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G Quad Core CPU with Vega Graphics (3.5GHz-3.7GHz/6MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME A320M-K: Micro-ATX, AM4, USB 3.0, 6GB/s
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2133MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 Ti - DVI, HDMI, DP
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1
Price £593.00 including VAT and delivery
Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-pc/QVF6GEyUJk/
It's all relatively entry level though and when you upgrade the GPU you will end up wanting to replace the CPU and probably the RAM too. Whereas a system around £850 would have a much more solid base and could end up costing less in the long term while giving better performance too. £600 is probably below the 'sweet spot' of best value, at least in terms of futureproofing.
If the latter, a playstation 4 would probably be the best gaming PC in that price range sadly.
If the former, maybe something like:
Case
PCS 6003B BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 3 2200G Quad Core CPU with Vega Graphics (3.5GHz-3.7GHz/6MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME A320M-K: Micro-ATX, AM4, USB 3.0, 6GB/s
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2133MHz (1 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 Ti - DVI, HDMI, DP
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1
Price £593.00 including VAT and delivery
Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-pc/QVF6GEyUJk/
It's all relatively entry level though and when you upgrade the GPU you will end up wanting to replace the CPU and probably the RAM too. Whereas a system around £850 would have a much more solid base and could end up costing less in the long term while giving better performance too. £600 is probably below the 'sweet spot' of best value, at least in terms of futureproofing.
Last edited:
Bootlegjc1
New member
Oussebon
Multiverse Poster
When you consider what you need to spend on a PC just for it to exist, before you get to the bits that affect gaming performance...
PSU £30-50
Case £30
Windows 10 £90
Storage £40
RAM £60
Motherboard £50 (or £100+ for modern Intel systems until the cheaper mobos come out).
That's over half of a £600 budget gone already. Plus whatever costs there are for someone building it, testing it, and shipping it to you.
So you don't end up with much left to spend on things like the CPU, the GPU, and better-than-basic RAM. Plus any extras to make it a bit more futureproof like a slightly better mobo, or whatever.
As an example of what I'd suggest, all other things being equal:
Case
PCS CYCLONE GAMING CASE (Blue LED Fans)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-8400 (2.8GHz) 9MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z370-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet Titan DragonFly Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1
Price £837.00 including VAT and delivery
Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-pc/wS8GJ8rzeJ/
The i5 8400 should be a very futureproof gaming CPU especially for the budget level. 2x4gb fast RAM. Case with room for upgrades. 500W PSU to support upgrades. Better-than-stock CPU cooler, which is a lot quieter.
The 1050 ti is still quite capable of playing demanding modern games, but the 1060 3gb is about 40% better for about £40, so about 5% of the system's total cost.
Likewise the i3 8100 would be more than fine for most gaming needs, but will show its limits before too many years go by. So it seems cheaper to spend £60-70 more on the i5 8400 and keep it for the lifetime of the system than get a cheaper CPU and find you want to upgrade in, maybe, a couple of years.
Intel and their board partners are releasing some cheaper motherboards than the Z300 series shortly (they're already on sale in Thailand where sales embargoes are treated more flexibly...) so that might knock ~£50 off the above without compromising gaming performance, potentially.
PSU £30-50
Case £30
Windows 10 £90
Storage £40
RAM £60
Motherboard £50 (or £100+ for modern Intel systems until the cheaper mobos come out).
That's over half of a £600 budget gone already. Plus whatever costs there are for someone building it, testing it, and shipping it to you.
So you don't end up with much left to spend on things like the CPU, the GPU, and better-than-basic RAM. Plus any extras to make it a bit more futureproof like a slightly better mobo, or whatever.
As an example of what I'd suggest, all other things being equal:
Case
PCS CYCLONE GAMING CASE (Blue LED Fans)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-8400 (2.8GHz) 9MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z370-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
8GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP
1[SUP]st[/SUP] Hard Disk
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Super Quiet Titan DragonFly Heatpipe Intel CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Genuine Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft® Office® 365
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Quantity
1
Price £837.00 including VAT and delivery
Unique URL to re-configure : https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z370-pc/wS8GJ8rzeJ/
The i5 8400 should be a very futureproof gaming CPU especially for the budget level. 2x4gb fast RAM. Case with room for upgrades. 500W PSU to support upgrades. Better-than-stock CPU cooler, which is a lot quieter.
The 1050 ti is still quite capable of playing demanding modern games, but the 1060 3gb is about 40% better for about £40, so about 5% of the system's total cost.
Likewise the i3 8100 would be more than fine for most gaming needs, but will show its limits before too many years go by. So it seems cheaper to spend £60-70 more on the i5 8400 and keep it for the lifetime of the system than get a cheaper CPU and find you want to upgrade in, maybe, a couple of years.
Intel and their board partners are releasing some cheaper motherboards than the Z300 series shortly (they're already on sale in Thailand where sales embargoes are treated more flexibly...) so that might knock ~£50 off the above without compromising gaming performance, potentially.