XMAS IS COMING - Gaming PC for my son?

[westerner]

Hi everyone,

Bought a PC Specialist PC for myself a couple of years ago and the advice I received on this forum helped me so much that I'm hoping you guys can help me again to get a decent gaming rig for my son for Xmas.

He'd like a fast system that can handle most games well, be able to stream, youtube and do his homework. He'd also like to hook it up to 2 monitors which we already have so he can multi-task.

I've looked at the review page and these 2 options seem to be in our budget (£700 max)

VORTEX - L1

HARDWARELUXX-ENTRY

So the question I have is which of these fit the bill the best or am I better off trying to configure something myself?

Thanks in advance for your replies

-

 

[westerner]

Have to admit, bit disappointed I didn't get any replies, so had to do the best I could on my own.

Ended up going for this system - hope he likes it!

Case
PCS 6003B BLACK CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-9400F (2.9GHz) 9MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® H310M-A R2.0: Micro-ATX, DDR4, LGA1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
256GB ADATA SX6000 Pro PCIe M.2 2280 (2100 MB/R, 1200 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212X (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt 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 [KK3-00002]
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 (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

£784 inc vat and delivery

 

[samwil]

If you link the config I'll reconfigure this for you

To note, you can amend orders or cancel them, I feel this pc after glancing can be optimised.

 

[samwil]

PCSPECIALIST - Top Spec Custom PCs & Laptops Built to Order

Manufacturer of performance custom computers and laptops. Customise your ideal gaming PC or laptop using our advanced configurator.

www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Here you go

Better case
CPU has double the threads and is more adequate for streaming.
RAM is faster.
Cooling removed as amd cooling is better than Intel's out of the box cooler and sufficient for most.
Removed wifi card
Dropped your hdd feel free to change but hdd are down to preference ofc, but this was to come in under your budget.

Your build is quite good actually so consider this alternative but it's not a 'game changer'

 

[Oussebon]

Have to admit, bit disappointed I didn't get any replies, so had to do the best I could on my own.

In fairness, the forums aren't an official sales channel and while I can't speak for the other community members (almost nobody here actually works for PCS) I personally have been a bit busy and can't reply to everything... I think I started having a look but struggled with a hard £700 budget.

I'd agree with Sawmill's suggestion and going with an AMD Ryen build, especially for streaming.

 

[Oussebon]

To present a further alternative:

Case
PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Ryzen CPUs
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B450-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.1, 6Gb/s) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB AMD RADEON™ RX 570 - HDMI, DP - DX® 12

Get 3 Months of XBOX Game Pass for PC w/ select AMD Radeon Graphics

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint -OR- Borderlands 3 w/ select AMD Radeon GPUs
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB 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/Thunderbolt 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 (Operating System Required)
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 12 to 14 working days
Price: £764.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/dqQVWhZEXg/

The R5 3600 is 25-30% better for multithreaded tasks (same cores and threads, it's just faster), and would have an advantage in streaming. The motherboard is more futureproof, with additional features, inc USB 3.1 Gen 2, more room for upgrades, and support for a wider range of CPU upgrades.

550W PSU to open up more upgrade options.

Dropped the SSD to balance cost and it's an easy DIY addition

RX 570 is not as powerful as a GTX 1660. But with any gaming PC you will end up replacing the GPU sometime, and the RX 570 is still a very good graphics card, taking modern titles in its stride (plus free game if either of those titles are of interest).

I'd advocate spending a little more on the base platform - esp CPU, also mobo - and making room for those in the budget through parts that can be added later / will be inevitably upgraded anyway e.g. SSD and GPU respectively.

I wouldn't buy an i5 for streaming though. Given a choice.

 

[westerner]

In fairness, the forums aren't an official sales channel and while I can't speak for the other community members (almost nobody here actually works for PCS) I personally have been a bit busy and can't reply to everything... I think I started having a look but struggled with a hard £700 budget.

I'd agree with Sawmill's suggestion and going with an AMD Ryen build, especially for streaming.

Thanks Oussebon - I remember you being particularly helpful the last time I bought a PC here. I appreciate nobody works for PC Specialist and that people are busy but in fairness just a reply to say that would have been enough. Would have waited longer to order then etc, but due to no replies in 4 days didn't think I would get one.

No worries though - I ordered the setup I posted and it arrived the next day. Just wish I'd seen some of the subsequent posts beforehand.

I'm sure my boy will like it anyway.

All the best and thanks.

 

[Scott]

I also had a look at this but struggled to recommend anything I would have been happy with inside £700 so thought best to leave it to others with more experience of this kind of configuration. I wouldn't personally recommend a gaming PC for that sort of budget, it will be filled with compromise where a console would fit better and save a fortune.

The recommended spec from Oussebon is about as good as you are going to get, at least in the ball park, at the time I looked even those parts were over £800 so there has been a drop somewhere. The only compromise is the GPU power which can be easily upgraded in the future thanks to the supporting components, as explained.

The difference between a £700 budget and an £800 budget really is night and day. £900 takes you into the realm of a no-compromise gaming PC. Anything over that you're into 1440p and then 4k gaming, along with luxuries etc.

 

[Rakk]

Would have waited longer to order then etc, but due to no replies in 4 days didn't think I would get one.

You are allowed to gently bump your thread every so often if you get no responses , sometimes threads do just get missed.

 

[Oussebon]

At the risk of fanning unnecessary flames, I do need to call this out:

I appreciate nobody works for PC Specialist and that people are busy but in fairness just a reply to say that would have been enough.

That could come across as a bit entitled, though I know wasn't meant that way. If I' too busy to suggest specs, I'm probably also too busy to go around auditing topics awaiting replies to say so. I can't speak for others but assume something similar may apply. Moreover, accounting for their time (which ultimately is what that's asking for) isn't something that should be expected of anyone here.

As above, politely bumping and underlining the timescales when you want to order are probably the best ways of trying to flag things.

On the other side of the coin, it's very common for people to post detailed advice in a topic asking for it but to never hear back from the OP - who presumably has gone off to do their own thing after someone spent the time to craft an answer. And that's just how it goes.

Back to the topic at hand, I would seriously consider returning the PC for a refund. It would be hassle and a little expense, but could save you a lot of money down the line as there are more upgrade options and the CPU will be more futureproof for gaming and streaming.

PCS sometimes do a little discount around Black Friday (£10-£20, something like that) which could help claw back the cost of a return, assuming component prices don't shift too much otherwise. And they sometimes have a few promotional specs around that time too. I can't guarantee what ofc, but if the system is for Christmas and you do return the above, it would be worth checking out I think.