Gaming PC for son

Sinbad311

Hey everyone,

Son has been in my ear past 6 months for Gaming Pc, all of his buddies have already moved to pc from console, so he's feeling a little sorry for himself.

Anyway, from reading this forum I can see the GPU market isn't great if we were to build our own. Ive scoured adverts and done deal and with my very limited knowledge its impossible to know who is taking the p1ss with prices knowing the current market. This one caught my eye,

https://www.adverts.ie/desktops/gaming-pc-intel-i7-9700k-evga-gtx-1080ti-sc-rog-strix-z390-16gb-ddr4/23589155

I would be super grateful if one of the gaming PC guru's on here could have a look and give me their opinion. Have approx 1500 to spend.

Thanks in advance

deceit

Sinbad311 wrote: »

Hey everyone,

Son has been in my ear past 6 months for Gaming Pc, all of his buddies have already moved to pc from console, so he's feeling a little sorry for himself.

Anyway, from reading this forum I can see the GPU market isn't great if we were to build our own. Ive scoured adverts and done deal and with my very limited knowledge its impossible to know who is taking the p1ss with prices knowing the current market. This one caught my eye,

https://www.adverts.ie/desktops/gaming-pc-intel-i7-9700k-evga-gtx-1080ti-sc-rog-strix-z390-16gb-ddr4/23589155

I would be super grateful if one of the gaming PC guru's on here could have a look and give me their opinion. Have approx 1500 to spend.

Thanks in advance

Dell might be a better idea to get an alienware or a dell pc as building your own is very expensive at the moment.
You can get a newer cpu and an Rtx 3070 build for the same price.

Sinbad311

deceit wrote: »

Dell might be a better idea to get an alienware or a dell pc as building your own is very expensive at the moment.

Thanks deceit,
Yeah I did read that in another thread, problem is Id like to get something that can be upgraded when the GPU market calms down a bit. From reading the other thread there was talk of needing to up the ram etc and can be difficult to upgrade certain parts. Would you have a link for the 3070 you mentioned?

Confusing subject Gaming PCs :-)

Sinbad311

On the Dell outlet site I can see these, all 3 look the same spec wise, any reason on price difference, also are they a good machine?

https://www.dell.com/en-ie/outlet/SystemsStockRoomDetails?~ck=mn&lob=Alienware%20Desktops&seg=DFH&cyid=7&type=S&brand=Desktop%20&%20All-in-Ones=&pid=2&AID=100023255&cjevent=bf4888c1a42c11eb802a00e00a180510&cjdata=MXxZfFl8WXww&gacd=9614781-23761182-5750457-265988609-127889515&dgc=af&VEN1=12578053-100023255-61111X1383796X59b7ee01b3f8964a1b4067f629dbb639-Skimlinks&dclid=CNHhqNaqlPACFRGCUAYd0PUDQA

minitrue

I wouldn't suggest that adverts linked build at that price mostly because it is a small itx build which carries a premium on top of the current madness (and the 9700K hasn't aged well as it is 8-core).

You can help get more precise advice by letting people know what sort of monitor they plan to use (resolution and refresh rate is what counts) and what sort of games they plan to play.

The Alienwares you found are decent and I've no idea why the 3 prices (possibly one is scratched, one refurbished and one open box). They aren't overly perfect though mostly thanks to the 3500 cpu which is a OEM only 3600 without the hyperthreading so it won't age as well. The XPS I'll get to below would tempt me more because there's a bit of a premium for the Alienware brand there, the cpu in the XPS is better as is the ram and while the 5700 in the Alienware is probably very slightly ahead of the 2060 in raw power (depends on the games and it's not a big difference) Nvidia/the 2060 has some bells and whistles (great encoder for streaming and DLSS, ray-tracing is a bit too weak to count).

The sort of baseline thing which has been recommended around here for the last while is the Dell G5 with a 1660 Super which is a good entry machine (but you should add a second 8GB of ram to it for under €50). https://www.dell.com/en-ie/shop/cty/pdp/spd/g-series-5000-desktop
Getting that would leave the guts of €500 in your budget for monitor, keyboard, mouse, headset and games or just for down the road if they do really take to PC gaming and want to start upgrading.

Bumping things up a notch it looks like there are "certified refurbished" XPS machines in the outlet and specifically I'm looking at https://www.dell.com/en-ie/outlet/ProductDescription?cfID=0823263524A32AAAD69545E0ADB0F8F0&invID=982969&cyid=7&pid=3&c=IE&l=en&rid=EMEA&prdid=xps-8940-desktop&seg=DFH which has a 2060 and i7 10700 (16 threads so saner than the 9700). It's still well under the €1500 at €1182 so there's money left over for peripherals (and/or games). Given what you were looking at and the budget I'd probably go with this over the G5 but again monitor/games details would help people recommend what you should really target.

Down the more conventional route you could bust the budget at nearly €1700 and get https://www.pcspecialist.ie/computers-for-next-day-delivery/1215/ which is ready to ship. It's a more normal PC so easier to upgrade in parts over time and also more flashy It's a bit overkill for a 1080p60 monitor but if you go building a custom machine from them you are back down to the 2060 and that Dell XPS would tempt me first.

I'd also be curious to see where deceit is finding a 3070 build for that money

Sinbad311

@minitrue,

Thanks so much for the detailed reply. The XPS you listed is in budget and I think I saw a 10% discount for first time buyers, wondering will that be upgradeable in future?

Games being played will be BF, GTA, PUBG etc..
Monitor wise I was thinking 1080p 144hz

satguy

This one here is very nice,, and the seller has the best feedback on Adverts.

<SNIP>

Sinbad311

satguy wrote: »

This one here is very nice,, and the seller has the best feedback on Adverts.

https://www.adverts.ie/desktops/pc-ryzen-5-5600x-rtx-3060-12gb-ssd-16gb-ddr4/23580717

Thanks mate, yep I was looking at some of his ads, just a tad over budget though..

minitrue

The XPS upgrade options aren't what they should be but they aren't bad really. I think it should come with a 500W platinum power supply because it has the 2060, but it's an odd one that matches the motherboard (new 12V only stuff which does help with efficiency). Here's a video of someone who put a 3070 FE into a similar machine (they have the i5 instead) and they mention it was possible to get one with a 10900K and 3070 from Dell with that power supply so it should be ok though you'll note they say they couldn't put a K series cpu in their machine. Putting an updated graphics card in there would also mean watching out for the length.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1XUxr_1zOE
Ram, disk, ssd would all be normal for upgrades.

Sinbad311

Again, big thanks minitrue.. comparing it to the XPS, Im leaning towards the XPS..

Any love for this:
https://www.lenovo.com/ie/en/desktops-and-all-in-ones/legion-desktops/legion-t-series-towers/Lenovo-Legion-T5-28IMB05/p/90NC00A6UK

Vicxas

Lenovo arent known for their gaming PC's. You can see if you can get a HP OMEN.

I'd also recommend an Alienware seeing as i bought one recently, but the lead times are 30 working days so bear that in mind.

minitrue

The Lenovo isn't far off the Dell G5 but it seems to use a normal power supply (and motherboard) so it makes some upgrades and troubleshooting a little easier. It looks like it comes with a single 16GB dimm and likely 2 slots (as 32GB max) which is an understandable choice but leaves a tiny bit of performance behind compared to 2*8GB.

If you are thinking of a 1080p144Hz monitor though I'd try and aim higher for the gpu than the 1660 Super but I'd guess even for the games you mention you would want to dial the settings back on anything mentioned here to try and get up around 144Hz, short of perhaps the over budget pcspecialist build with the 6700 and seems those are gone anyway

Sinbad311

Thanks @minitrue.. so if I were to add another 16gb in the other slot??

Have to admit it's a bit overwhelming.. dare I say a console would be handier :-) . Thanks a mill for the advice.. gaming PC 101

You have given me lots to think over, kudos

minitrue

Adding another 16GB in the other slot would of course be fine though 32GB is overkill for gaming It adds €75 or a smidge more to the price of the Lenovo but with the XPS gone now (unless you bought it lol) I'd probably lean that way over the G5. Someone else might appear yet with other good options.

If you did get the Lenovo I'd wait to get it to 100% confirm it only comes with 1 stick before thinking about getting a second. It depends on the game just how much (if any) of a boost it will give but a quick look tells me 10% average is probably underselling it now.

Homelander

satguy wrote: »

This one here is very nice,, and the seller has the best feedback on Adverts.

https://www.adverts.ie/desktops/pc-ryzen-5-5600x-rtx-3060-12gb-ssd-16gb-ddr4/23580717

Stop shilling.That is absolutely not "nice", it's radically overpriced considering it's essentially a 2nd hand PC.

Sure, he'll tell you "everything is in warranty" but any warranty claims have to go through the original purchase.

Stop shilling this utter **** on this forum. Sick of people recommending utter **** that is clearly either their own account or someone they know.

For literally €300 less than that, you can get a PC with 5600X, a faster 6700XT, brand new from a real retailer with a real warranty.

https://www.pcspecialist.ie/computers-for-next-day-delivery/1215/

satguy

Homelander wrote: »

Stop shilling.

For literally €300 less than that, you can get a PC with 5600X, a faster 6700XT, brand new from a real retailer with a real warranty.

https://www.pcspecialist.ie/computers-for-next-day-delivery/1215/

455 feeedback all green ,,, I'll say no more.

And if I really was shilling, I would offer one of my own builds.
<SNIP>

Giblet

Feedback: "He took the money I gave him graciously"

deceit

satguy wrote: »

455 feeedback all green ,,, I'll say no more.

And if I really was shilling, I would offer one of my own builds.
https://www.adverts.ie/member/1206477/ads/sold

That build you linked is a joke, you could get much better from Dell for less. You could even get an Rtx 3080 for a little more in a Dell build?
Some insane prices on stuff on adverts at the moment.

Solitaire

Homelander, can you please, ah, moderate your tone just a little? I'll forgive your post here on the basis of sheer righteous indignation, but if you keep it up you'll end up playing into their hands and making a bad situation worse.

satguy, you managed to get away with this once before by sneaking in and spamvertising on behalf of Adverts while I was very ill late last year, but this time its not going to fly. Any further Adverts spamvertisments and/or posting of maliciously bad advice on behalf of said will see you removed from this forum.

Sinbad311

minitrue wrote: »

Adding another 16GB in the other slot would of course be fine though 32GB is overkill for gaming It adds €75 or a smidge more to the price of the Lenovo but with the XPS gone now (unless you bought it lol) I'd probably lean that way over the G5. Someone else might appear yet with other good options.

If you did get the Lenovo I'd wait to get it to 100% confirm it only comes with 1 stick before thinking about getting a second. It depends on the game just how much (if any) of a boost it will give but a quick look tells me 10% average is probably underselling it now.

Hey minitrue, no it wasn't me that bought it lol.. sorry I didn't now. Chatting to the young lad about GPU shortage etc. feels like I would be buying the best of bad bunch tbh.. Is there any point in trying to buy GPU straight from supplier, do you know of any suppliers you can pre-order from or get on a waiting list etc.?

Can see this on the Dell site now, also got a 10% discount code so leaves few quid for peripherals - https://www.dell.com/en-ie/outlet/ProductDescription?cfID=40476C5C6E0C0C838B8099CE0E803DCC&invID=998642&cyid=7&pid=3&c=IE&l=en&rid=EMEA&prdid=xps-8940-desktop&seg=DFH

minitrue

I suspect that one is going to come with the smaller power supply making upgrades painful so the G5 beats it and probably even the outlet Alienwares (if they are actually available) as you could swap the cpu in those down the road.

As for buying a gpu the pre-orders are still close to pointless as far as I know and the only game to avoid paying way over the odds is buying one direct from AMD but I think they are still selling out just about instantly when they become available so you need to devote quite a bit of time to it and then get a bit lucky, possibly impossibly lucky for the cards that would suit your budget.

It's a horrible time to be buying and it doesn't really look like it's going to get much better for a good while yet. To get something remotely close to normal you're probably looking at the likes of pcspecialist where you could get a 2060 "now" or pre-order with a 3060 and wait to see how long it takes to turn up. The Lenovo has gone up in price now so I'd say it's squeezed out by the Dell's on one side and pcspecialist on the other.

Sinbad311

Think we'll sit tight for the moment so.. again, thanks for your input