Graphics capability on office computer

[RichardBrice427]

We are looking for a desktop for my son - he is currently using an old one of mine which is at least 10 years old.
Budget is £400-£500, mostly will be used for Word/Excel docs and internet browsing, but he would like to be able to play minecraft (which he can't on the current setup).

I am looking at a few specs but had a question around onboard graphics v a separate card.

Pricewise both of these are similar, but wonder what are the pros and cons for each. Would they be able to play minecraft?

AMD Ryzen 5 5500GT Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.6GHz-4.4GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)

or

AMD Ryzen 5 5500 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4)
2GB ZOTAC GEFORCE 710 - DVI, HDMI, VGA

 

[sck451]

You should get the integrated graphics.

I'm going to recommend a system to you which I am very hesitant about. Essentially, this is not a good PC. It is almost a throw-away as it will be only barely upgradable, and the performance limits would tell before long. I would not buy a new PC at this price. It is quite simply not value for money. So it's very much a "this is how to get that budget if that is the only option" rather than "this is something I'd consider buying".

(I'm presuming you have an "office" level monitor, that is, a 1080p 60Hz display.)

Case
PCS PRISM II ARGB MID TOWER CASE (PWM) Not a case I'd choose, but the best of the cheap ones
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.6GHz-4.6GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4) Better than the 5500GT but only £6 more
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0) Not a motherboard I'd want, but it'll do this system
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) I'd like better memory, but it would work
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW) I'd prefer better storage, but this'll do
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CX SERIES™ CX-650 POWER SUPPLY You could go cheaper, but not much, and this gives capacity for *some* upgrades in the future, say if you had another £200 to spend on a graphics card
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD WRAITH STEALTH COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT) Presuming you don't need WiFi to connect to the internet
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED I'm presuming you can transfer Windows across from the other PC. If you can't, it adds £100ish to the budget
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Worth £5 for 12x longer full warranty
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £483.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/ZhgcUnwBdE/

 

[RichardBrice427]

You should get the integrated graphics.

I'm going to recommend a system to you which I am very hesitant about. Essentially, this is not a good PC. It is almost a throw-away as it will be only barely upgradable, and the performance limits would tell before long. I would not buy a new PC at this price. It is quite simply not value for money. So it's very much a "this is how to get that budget if that is the only option" rather than "this is something I'd consider buying".

(I'm presuming you have an "office" level monitor, that is, a 1080p 60Hz display.)

Case
PCS PRISM II ARGB MID TOWER CASE (PWM) Not a case I'd choose, but the best of the cheap ones
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600GT Six Core CPU with Radeon™ Graphics (3.6GHz-4.6GHz/19MB CACHE/AM4) Better than the 5500GT but only £6 more
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0) Not a motherboard I'd want, but it'll do this system
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) I'd like better memory, but it would work
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW) I'd prefer better storage, but this'll do
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CX SERIES™ CX-650 POWER SUPPLY You could go cheaper, but not much, and this gives capacity for *some* upgrades in the future, say if you had another £200 to spend on a graphics card
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD WRAITH STEALTH COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
NONE OR ONBOARD Wi-Fi (MOTHERBOARD DEPENDENT) Presuming you don't need WiFi to connect to the internet
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED I'm presuming you can transfer Windows across from the other PC. If you can't, it adds £100ish to the budget
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) Worth £5 for 12x longer full warranty
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £483.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/ZhgcUnwBdE/

Thanks - that is quite similar to where I was going. This is a stop gap to get him through the next couple of years until he is earning enough to spend more, so we are aware that we will be making some choices that are far from ideal.