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Post by Juan on Feb 11, 2019 14:03:57 GMT -6
I need some help. I need to buy my grandson a desk top gaming computer and I have no idea what to look for in one. Looking for one with all the bells and whistles but don't want to break the bank. Any and all help would be appreciated.
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catchersrock
Ensign
Posts: 549 
Location: Maiden NC
Sea Pro model and year: 2020 Sea Pro 228
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Post by catchersrock on Feb 12, 2019 6:51:37 GMT -6
Lets start of with, you are going to break the bank. A gaming PC is way above and beyond the needs of everyday computing. I think Dell packages good gaming options into gaming PC's.
I have an 11 yo son and we had not dove into gaming till this Christmas. We got him an Xbox. He loves it and that is a much cheaper route into that style of gaming.
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985crabs
Captain
2000 V1900 Bay Series, Yamaha 150 Carb. 2
Posts: 1,317
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Post by 985crabs on Feb 12, 2019 8:17:08 GMT -6
I think Catcher is on the right track. I was shopping laptops for my boss last week and a turbo-nuclear gaming computer pretty much starts at $2,500. They're putting solid state drives in them, obscene amounts of RAM, Lightning-fast video cards with their own memory, redundant power supplies, extra cooling power, etc. You can go as deep as you want.
Get him an Xbox, a second controller and a couple good shoot 'em up games. You can learn to play, which will take your mind off your knee and it'll only cost $500-$600.
Everybody loves games and they are awesome, but they do lead one down the path to social ineptitude if not monitored carefully. Get him outside, teach him to fish, let him become really weird.
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Post by Juan on Feb 12, 2019 11:24:01 GMT -6
I have two grandsons. 7 and 10. I'm guessing like a lot of kids their age, they're into gaming. They have both an Xbox 360 and an Xbox 1 here at my house and the same at their house. We probably have 20 - 30 different games and untold videos here in the cabinet but they're mainly into Fortnite and Minecraft right now. When they aren't playing on an x box they're on their ipads or smart phones (which aren't activated but are full of games). The 10 year old wants a computer. I've given up on trying to get them to spend less time on the games and more outside. Their parents don't press the issue so we can't either. They do play sports at school and like to fish in the pond but they aren't old enough to spend a day fishing the gulf yet and I don't want them to dislike fishing because I forced them into it too quickly. We have a trampoline and a basketball goal in the yard that don't get a lot of use.  I screwed up by telling the oldest that we'd buy him a computer if he maintained straight A's. He's doing it and like it or not, I plan to stick to the promise. We didn't promise a gaming computer but that's what he wants. Can't you play games on a "regular" computer? What do I need to look for in a computer that will be used mainly for playing games? RAM? harddrive capacity? Video card? I don't know what to look for and always thought that RAM and processor speed were the most important but like I said, I don't know much about computers. I've found a couple of so called "gaming" computers on Amazon for under $600. I just don't know anything about them. Do these specs sound about right? System: AMD FX-6300 6-Core 3.5 GHz (4.1 GHz Turbo) | 8GB DDR3 RAM | 1TB HDD | Genuine Windows 10 Home 64-bit Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 1GB Dedicated Graphics Card | Display Connectors - Dual Link DVI-D, HDMI, & VGA Connectivity: 2 x USB 3.0 | 2 x USB 2.0 | 1x RJ-45 Network Ethernet 10/100/1000 | Audio: 7.1 Channel Keyboard and Mouse Special Add Ons: 802.11ac Wireless Wi-Fi | iBUYPOWER Gaming Keyboard & Mouse Warranty: 1 Year Parts & Labor + Free Lifetime Tech Support | Assembled in the U.S.A | *Optical Drive Not Included*  |
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Post by gnrphil on Feb 12, 2019 12:16:33 GMT -6
That looks like it will do the job and frankly I'm sure he will be/should be grateful for what ever he gets, some of these gaming computers are stupid expensive. Nucking Futs if you ask me but that's what all the kids do these days wether we old farts like it or not.
Oh and how about a laptop, he'd be more mobile with it then.
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985crabs
Captain
2000 V1900 Bay Series, Yamaha 150 Carb. 2
Posts: 1,317
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Post by 985crabs on Feb 12, 2019 12:29:18 GMT -6
Oh and how about a laptop, he'd be more mobile with it then. Aiyeeeeee! Phil, are you trying to piss him off more? I think that could be a fine 'starter machine' and they should be grateful to have it. |
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catchersrock
Ensign
Posts: 549
Location: Maiden NC
Sea Pro model and year: 2020 Sea Pro 228
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Post by catchersrock on Feb 12, 2019 13:18:42 GMT -6
I dont know what particular specs to pay attention to anymore. They have found ways to seem to check the box on a particular spec but you will still have issues.
Here is the deal and I will use Fortnight as a prime example. It is a first person shooter, internet based, role play game. The feeback / input loop is critical to game enjoyment. That is you see it on the screen, process it, respond with an input to the computer, then the computer processes your input and generates an action by your character in the game, then the loop starts over. A good computer (be it an Xbox or PC) can make this nearly seamless and seam like real life timing. All the components effect this loop. Processor, memory, internet connection, video card, etc. etc. One weak link will slow down the loop.
I know you have an Xbox, but to explain it, the Xbox is a dedicated machine. It is dedicated to this loop. An Xbox will not build a spreadsheet or run a CAD program. It is built to run Fortnight and others like it.
I have read it here and this bears repeating, you get what you pay for! Read the reviews on amazon. Look for negative reviews and notice the specificity of the negative reviews. Look for repetitive issues.
One solid piece of advice I can give is that I recently bought my daughter / college student a new laptop and went to SSD instead of hard drive. It is much faster. To put that simply, no moving parts in the memory system.
Sorry for the length.
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Post by Juan on Feb 12, 2019 13:32:02 GMT -6
Thanks guys... That helps. I had originally planned on buying him a laptop (and he might still get one) but that's not what he wants so that's why I'm looking at the gaming computers. I hope he uses it for studying and not just gaming but I'm not holding my breath. I found the one I posted above on Amazon for under $600 and I'd pay that for a laptop anyway but it states: "Optical Drive Not Included". so will it work?
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Warpig
Master Chief
Posts: 312
Location: Northeast Ohio
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Post by Warpig on Feb 12, 2019 14:37:30 GMT -6
I had an iBuypower desktop years ago. It was a good machine, but I never used it for gaming. I think what you want to look for is latest RAM (DDR4?) and a good video card. I poked around on some site I bought a laptop from and found that a "really good" video card will set you back over $2K! That is just flat crazy. My two cents is upgrade that as much as you can afford. Also, 8Gb of RAM won't cut it. You want 16 for a gaming box bare minimum. Optical drives have gone the way of the dodo in PC's so no biggie there (that is your DVD drive). I would also look for one with an SSD over a traditional HDD.
I had a laptop from a place called Maingear. They sell mostly gaming stuff now. You can check them out. That laptop served me well for a long time. They offer desktops as well. I think it will still work if I replace the hard drive that crashed.....but I'd rather go fishing instead now days.
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catchersrock
Ensign
Posts: 549
Location: Maiden NC
Sea Pro model and year: 2020 Sea Pro 228
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Post by catchersrock on Feb 12, 2019 14:56:56 GMT -6
Thanks guys... That helps. I had originally planned on buying him a laptop (and he might still get one) but that's not what he wants so that's why I'm looking at the gaming computers. I hope he uses it for studying and not just gaming but I'm not holding my breath. I found the one I posted above on Amazon for under $600 and I'd pay that for a laptop anyway but it states: "Optical Drive Not Included". so will it work? An optical drive is the thingy that uses CD's. It will not have a built in CD drive. That is becoming common in laptops. CD's are becoming less and less used. I still like to have one. |
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Post by Juan on Feb 12, 2019 18:08:48 GMT -6
Thanks again, I'm learning a lot here. No way am I going to pay $2k for a computer for a 10 year old. I'd like to find an affordable entry level gaming computer. I'll keep looking and if I find something that fits that bill, I'll run it past you guys before I pull the trigger. notworthy
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Post by gnrphil on Feb 12, 2019 19:58:39 GMT -6
Does the one you posted come with a monitor? that's gonna be something else to consider.
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mosquito13
Lieutenant
Posts: 788
Location: the other West Coast
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Post by mosquito13 on Feb 12, 2019 21:02:47 GMT -6
Recommend you get your grandson involved in the decision process. Gets him involved, some quality time learning about wants and can affords. Double down on x box. I purchased a used unit off ebay for the shop. Purchase used games there also. Between the xbox and the slot car track we get little done on our actual cars and motorcycles.
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Post by Juan on Feb 13, 2019 5:45:12 GMT -6
Does the one you posted come with a monitor? that's gonna be something else to consider. No it doesn't. He's picked out and is going to buy a monitor, mouse and different keyboard out of his savings. |
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islanddog
Sailor
Life is too short, to be sitting at the dock
Posts: 24
Location: Eastern Shore of VA
Sea Pro model and year: 2001 Sea Pro SV2300
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Post by islanddog on Feb 15, 2019 19:20:47 GMT -6
whatever you buy....its all about processor speed, video card and RAM,RAM,RAM....as much as you can shove in it....I've been video editing and creating graphics for 25 years on computers.....there's a small company in Delaware, Eluktronics….that makes some killer laptops....I use theirs to pay may bills....it won't be $600...…..Best of Luck I had the MACs, DELLs, HPs etc. www.eluktronics.com |
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tigerhead
Petty Officer
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Post by tigerhead on Feb 20, 2019 10:24:55 GMT -6
Juan,
I'm not a computer guru or a gamer but I did buy my 10 year old grandson an entry level "gaming" computer that seems to be working out fine for him. I bought a CyberpowerPC machine from Best Buy. They carry a whole line of Cyberpower gaming machines that start at a little less than $600 and go up to whatever you want to pay. I don't remember if it's VR ready or not, but I don't think he's into the VR thing.
Like I say, I'm not a guru, so component quality and specs don't really compute....
One thing to consider, sometimes buying stuff somewhere with a store front can be beneficial, depending on the return or service policy. I don't know if Best Buy stands behind these or if it's a, "send it back to the manufacturer situation", but they do have techs there at the store. I bought his about 2 years ago and it hasn't given him any problems.
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catchersrock
Ensign
Posts: 549
Location: Maiden NC
Sea Pro model and year: 2020 Sea Pro 228
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Post by catchersrock on Feb 20, 2019 10:59:31 GMT -6
Juan, I'm not a computer guru or a gamer but I did buy my 10 year old grandson an entry level "gaming" computer that seems to be working out fine for him. I bought a CyberpowerPC machine from Best Buy. They carry a whole line of Cyberpower gaming machines that start at a little less than $600 and go up to whatever you want to pay. I don't remember if it's VR ready or not, but I don't think he's into the VR thing. Like I say, I'm not a guru, so component quality and specs don't really compute.... One thing to consider, sometimes buying stuff somewhere with a store front can be beneficial, depending on the return or service policy. I don't know if Best Buy stands behind these or if it's a, "send it back to the manufacturer situation", but they do have techs there at the store. I bought his about 2 years ago and it hasn't given him any problems. I keep a Geek Squad subscription / membership. Its around $100 per year. They will work on any tech. They limit the number of devices you can have on the plan but I've never hit the limit. Any computer or tech issues at my house gets a trip to drop it off at Best Buy. As long as there are no parts to buy, work is covered in the plan and it comes with antivirus protection. |
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Post by Juan on Feb 20, 2019 11:24:04 GMT -6
Great idea. I've been comparing online pricing and didn't even think of Best Buy. We've bought laptops and TVs from Best Buy in the past and have been happy with almost everything we've bought there. Only used the Geek Squad once and wasn't too impressed with their knowledge at the time. I think I know about as much as some of the kids they have at the local Best Buy store.
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catchersrock
Ensign
Posts: 549
Location: Maiden NC
Sea Pro model and year: 2020 Sea Pro 228
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Post by catchersrock on Feb 20, 2019 17:13:02 GMT -6
Great idea. I've been comparing online pricing and didn't even think of Best Buy. We've bought laptops and TVs from Best Buy in the past and have been happy with almost everything we've bought there. Only used the Geek Squad once and wasn't too impressed with their knowledge at the time. I think I know about as much as some of the kids they have at the local Best Buy store. I agree about the kids in the store. I generally drop our stuff off or do an on line remote access where they work on it remotely. |
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Post by freezerfiller on Feb 21, 2019 16:16:28 GMT -6
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I screwed up by telling the oldest that we'd buy him a computer if he maintained straight A's. He's doing it and like it or not, I plan to stick to the promise. We didn't promise a gaming computer but that's what he wants. Can't you play games on a "regular" computer? What do I need to look for in a computer that will be used mainly for playing games? RAM? harddrive capacity? Video card? I don't know what to look for and always thought that RAM and processor speed were the most important but like I said, I don't know much about computers. 
