Cheap PC suggestions for young gamer

[Mobi]

My 16-year-old Thai stepson is heavily into computer games. At present, he only has an old Samsung smartphone and he wants a PC.

 

I have a very, very, very limited budget for this. Can anyone recommend what to buy that will not break the bank and will allow him to have a PC which will be at least be a half way decent machines for indulging his games passion?

 

Thanks

 

Mobi

[whoareyou]

Have a pc built at your local outlet.

 

Do a search on graphic cards mother boards , cpu and PSU. And SSD and fan cooling . And also pc monitors and pc case

 

Just Google it there are literally thousands of websites on what the best and cheapest are for gaming

 

DO NOT BUY A ready to go pc, none are designed for gaming sub 30k

 

Once you pick out the components then have them assembled at your local pc outlet

 

Around 20k baht will get your foot in the door and make the kid very happy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dddave]

Consider an alternative that could have positive implications for his future...Instead of buying a gaming computer which just gives him a passtime, buy him a "Raspberry-3" along with some of the accessories and maybe he'll develop an interest in making his own games and programs.  There is a huge tutorial base and many very active forums supporting this.  If, by some chance he does respond to it, he could be on his way to a career.

[shady86]

Get a used one. Any core i5 4th gen with a decent video card should be enough.

[tonray]

12 minutes ago, shady86 said:

Get a used one. Any core i5 4th gen with a decent video card should be enough.

Some of these newer complex games will overwhelm a regular I5 with even decent video card. Needs a machine designed for gaming...

[JSixpack]

Well, coming here and asking about PC on a limited budget is about like walking into a gym full of preening bodybuilders and asking about "toning."

 

You can spend a fortune on a gaming PC of course. Short answer is buy the most you can possibly afford. That said, I'll offer you this comfort from a study years back: http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/can-a-300-gaming-pc-compare-to-a-3-000-one-1071338

 

Buying used is not such a bad idea if from a farang. However, used probably means already quite obsolete. Upgrading would not be worth it unless you can find used parts on ebay.

 

Lot of suggested budget gaming builds on the 'net created by people who know what they're doing. So I suggest you consider these and print out a list and take it over to, say, Jib, at Harbor--they've moved into gaming as the traditional desktop market has been drying up--and see how close they can come to it. The first corner they'll cut is to suggest a B500 power supply. Bad idea. Good PSU is a must. And a good case, with better quality switches, will be with you through many builds. Jib I see has a lot of good cases; this one's only about B1000 and looks to appeal to a kid: https://www.jib.co.th/web/index.php/product/readProduct/10806/27/ATX-CASE-COUGAR-SPIKE.

 

Anyway, some lists:

 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZdsFyf

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/p96gNN

http://techbuyersguru.com/750-budget-gaming-pc-build

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3120287/computers/how-to-build-a-cheap-but-powerful-gaming-pc-for-500.html

http://www.pcgamer.com/build-guide-the-best-cheap-gaming-pc/

 

Personally I like Nvidia graphics cards a bit better than Radeon for various reasons and you'll find the GTX 1050 is often mentioned for budget builds; get a 1060 if you can afford it. Jib will build it for you free of charge and will help out w/ any warranty issues, though none should arise.

 

Besides JIB, Invadeit gets a lot of love here so you could just email your list over there and see what they come up with.

 

Just nothing like the joy of a Thai kid upon getting a gaming PC. Utterly priceless. Before the unveiling, see if you can't personalize it a bit: stick on some Spider-Man stickers or something.

[Jai Dee]

What about an Android box using your TV?

Tons of free games on Google Play Store.

[manarak]

the ideas here are going in all directions...
 

first, OP,  what do you call a very very very limited budget ?

second, the young man is 16 years old and wants a PC -  obviously not to play android games

 

then, an i5 is plenty enough power if coupled with a decent graphics card.

if on a budget, the best decision would be to buy used parts, the best would be to have someone bring them over from a country where they are plentiful and cheap on the second hand market (Switzerland, Germany, USA, Japan ...)

my estimate would be that it's possible to put together a second hand rig using older but potent parts that can play all recent games on medium graphics settings in full HD for about 15000 baht (without monitor), for example AMD Athlon II x4 860K with a Geforce 670 GTX, 8 Gig RAM and some standard HDD.

[Mobi]

I opened this thread in total ignorance of what constitutes a gaming PC, as I have absolutely zero interest in computer games. So thank you, everyone, for educating me a little and making helpful suggestions.

 

I can see it is going to be more expensive that I had envisaged and I now have to carefully consider whether I wish to go ahead with this, as money is very tight.

 

My stepson has obviously got the idea for a gaming PC from the internet games shops he goes to and the people he meets there and on the net. (He belongs to groups).

 

Does anyone happen to know if these shops for kids have the latest games and technology or do they operate on more limited budget? I need to know what his expectations are. It is difficult to ascertain due to language barriers and my unfamiliarity with the subject.

 

Would it help if I asked him what games he expected to be able to play on it?

[Jai Dee]

1 minute ago, Mobi said:

Would it help if I asked him what games he expected to be able to play on it?

I think that's a very good idea Mobi.

 

He probably plays "team games" with his mates.

[Mobi]

Ok, I may be making a little progress.

 

He says he needs 8 GB of Ram

 

As for games, he wrote down; MEMU and Point Blank

 

My Googling reveals the following:

Memu appears to be an Android emulator for a Windows PC which allows you to play android games on a PC.

Point Blank is an online game for multiple users

 

Would the above in any way moderate his requirements?

 

Sorry but this is all a bit beyond my understanding.

[Jai Dee]

19 minutes ago, Mobi said:

Point Blank is an online game for multiple users

 

It would appear that Point Blank is a popular team FPS (First Person Shooter) game with many tournaments.

 

See here.

 

Lots of RAM and a good graphics card would be essential for this type of gaming.

[Mobi]

He has told me that this would work for him:

 

http://www.lazada.co.th/tsunami-case-intel-core-i5-gen-3black-8495591.html?ff=1

 

As far as I can see it has 8GB of ram, a i5-3330 Processor and Graphics GT730  (see full specs on above link).

 

This 18k Baht desktop  PC is available for 13,199 Baht on Lazada.

 

It seems to me that it might work.

 

Any comments will be appreciated as I don't wish to throw money on something that won't do the job.

 

Thanks

[sniffdog]

It all depends on the games you play. If you like the latest 3D blockbusters and you want to play them on the highest resolution, this computer is underpowered. Most modern games are in the range of 30-50 GB, so 500 GB Hdd might not suffice.

[CharmaineFuentes]

Check GTX 10-Series Laptops that helps me to find a gift to my brother who is a computer game savvy.

[Peterw42]

OP, any desktop PC with a dedicated graphics card.

Not a laptop as dedicated graphics will be expensive, not upgradeable and will run very hot reducing its life

Desktop PC can be upgraded anytime, more ram or a better video card.

A basic desktop or laptop will share the system ram for doing the video, dedicated video card is a separate card and does not share the ram.

[impulse]

There's a few 2nd hand shops in Fortune Town and Pantip that sell desktops with I7's (2600 x 3770) that benchmark close to the current offerings, with prices less than half of a new PC.  I'd imagine they can also set you up with a secondhand video card with D5 RAM (as opposed to the slower DDR3). Of course, if you don't live in BKK, there's a convenience factor, especially with support if anything goes wrong.

 

The local disdain for buying 2nd hand equipment works in the buyer's favor here.  But I do get a kick out of ads on Craigslist where people are asking top dollar for obsolete "gaming computers" that would barely qualify today as web browsers.

 

On the other hand, I bought 2 retired Dell (Xeon) servers through Craigslist for about 1/3 of the cost of new ones, and they haven't missed a beat. (Foreigner leaving Thailand) They benchmark in the 8,000-9,000 range.  I don't game, but I do have a 4K monitor, for which I added GTX1050Ti video card, and saw absolutely no difference over the onboard video.  But I digress...  

 

So I'm a fan of 2nd hand for the budget constrained.

 

Edit:   BTW, here's my first stop before I go out looking at computers:

 

https://www.cpubenchmark.net

 

I downloaded the CPU benchmark data onto a text file on my smartphone for portability when I'm out looking around.  They also benchmark video cards and hard drives.