Morning Gents,

My boy wants a gaming pc, i know very little about pc's i am of the camp where i just want a pc to work when i need it, i can mess with settings down load apps and install programs I have changed the odd hard drive and graphics card but not programming etc.. and never built a pc although i would like to some day.

Looking around there is a wide choice from £300 to £2000 and up.

What makes a gaming pc so special? from what i can see its just the graphics cards??

He is only 12 and mainly plays Minecraft Fortnight etc...

He already had monitor keyboard etc that he uses with his x-box

Would a £300 unit suffice? or am i better off upgrading a PC with a new graphics card or building one with plug and play components.

Any insight or help would be VERY much appreciated.

If those are the games he plays, why not a ps5 / xbox one type thing & a 4k tv? Graphically, minecraft is just a blocky game that would be of no real benefit on a gaming pc. Mine plays fornite & minecraft on either a ps4 or his nintendo switch. If he's lucky I might let him play fortnite on the oled & ps5.

All to do with the graphics cards, memory , refresh rates , some of the kit is mind blowing tbh, water cooled etc. For a 12 y/o though....

I know! The kids share an x box ( the girl doesnt generally get a look in) but apparently a gaming pc will do something different! I know that's not true!

I do tend to agree he can use the pc for other stuff like homework etc... and it will aloow my daughter to game as well.

Those are the games he plays most, but I'm sure he will migrate into games that work better on a PC but i have no idea.

I could tell you about a kick ass Dell I had built many moons ago, cutting edge graphics card etc... then the ps4 came out and it was used for browsing interwebs only

It's a tough one though, we use iPads for homework and ps4/5 & a nintendo. SWMBO has just found out about Sky Glass , now on the waiting list for that too FFS..

Do you buy a cheap one which doesn't get too much use, then sits redundant , I've not heard kids into pc's for ages , mine are 8 & 11.

Brace yourself! mine at 11 was all about the xbox

Now its pc's!

Im excited for sky glass and hope virgin gop the same way, no more boxes and wires, im sure it will be just as expensive but one remote, stuff of dreams lol

My son has just started college on a 2 year Esports course. I had to get him a PC in the summer and ended up getting a pre built from Yo Yo Tech in Basingstoke. He's very pleased with it..... I don't know enough about computers to build one myself so bit the bullet. They also are the college sponsor so it's geared up for 'aggressive' usage....

https://www.yoyotech.co.uk/product-category/warbird-gaming-pc/

We got the Warbird R9 in an attempt to future proof it for a while

One thing to consider (That I was unaware of at the time) is that the power supply is 700watts..... It adds a new dent in the already inflated monthly Electricity bill Regards
Mark

2009 D4; 1993 Classic 3.9 VSE

My lad was looking to build a gaming PC a few months back, but we decided to get a custom ish pre built one from a local PC/hardware shop in long Eaton. It wasn’t cheap, but wasn’t top of the range, came in at about £900 and that was just for the big box, we had the rest of the stuff.

£300 would not get much in terms of a gaming PC, most decent graphics cards cost at least that much. But if you have an existing case and old innards, then start him on the upgrade path. use the £300 to upgrade some components, memory, storage, mother board and CPU, then he can a feel of how they go together and save for new bits.

Motherboards are cheap, and so is a new bottom end processor. The money in a gaming case does indeed go on the graphics card, but for playing Minecraft a more basic card will do as a starter. If you look at it as a base to start from then upgrade in stages, it’s all plug and play mostly…. Then he can build upto a good system over time and as budget allows. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
KIA E-Niro 4+
2021 Discovery 5 D300 MHEV commercial

You could build a fairly decent gaming machine by spending not a great deal using a mixture of older stuff from ebay and new stuff.

Buy a motherboard that has a processor installed and memory, something like this:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284488687971?ha...Sw8pFhaFLW

Then a graphics card, older but still a great card:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/275015682139?ep...SwIwBhewUY

Decent power supply for circa £50+

Make sure you get a SSD otherwise it'll run dog slow £90:
https://www.scan.co.uk/products/1tb-crucia...90k-iops-r

Then a case of your choice.

At least if you do something like this and not spend thousands on something that might not get used loads at the end of the day.

Build your own (actually they build it for you - you pick what goes in), to spec/price

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk

My last two desktops from here one in 2013 for me (still performing to expectations) and one in 2017 for son - who games.... .
Experience is the only genuine knowledge, but as time passes, I have forgotten more than I can remember
Volvo V70 P2 2006 2.4 Petrol 170bhp Estate SE
MG Midget Mk1 1962

Previous: L322 Range Rover TDV8 3.6 2008; L322 Range Rover TD6 3.0 2002; P38A Range Rover V8 1999

We did look at them when we bought Sams, but the local shop was better price and spec wise.

Good all in one place solution though. There is nothing that can't be fixed with a hammer😜😜
FFRR 4.4 SDV8 Autobiography Santorini Black.
KIA E-Niro 4+
2021 Discovery 5 D300 MHEV commercial

Sorry for the lack of response, i went down the rabbit hole with this one, when i got out i said to myself he can be happy with his x box and went back to thinking about cars!

Im sure this will raise its head again sometime in teh future and i like the idea of building one.

Will revisit this thread and all the helpful advice for sure

Graphics card prices are insane at the moment. they make second hand car prices look sensible.
The problem is that the latest cards have turned out to be great for mining some cryptocurrencies are so are being snapped up by miners in huge numbers.