Small budget for a small person

[janem]

I hope someone can help. I'm buying for my 13 year old daughter, I have a small budget of £800
it is vitality important the case is pink 😊 and she can play games from Steam.com

Could anyone suggest improvements or cost savings ? many thanks in advance, I have absolutely no idea!


PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400 (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z490-P (LGA1200, USB 3.2, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm White LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 15 working days
Price: £815.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z490-pc/Cp0jV6hDyZ/

 

[ubuysa]

If a pink case it vital (I note you've selected a white one) PCS do allow you to buy your case elsewhere and send it to PCS, they will build your PC in your case.

It's important to run your case selection past the experts on here (and probably PCS too) to ensure everything will fit - before you buy it.

 

[Citrus_9]

I hope someone can help. I'm buying for my 13 year old daughter, I have a small budget of £800
it is vitality important the case is pink 😊 and she can play games from Steam.com

Could anyone suggest improvements or cost savings ? many thanks in advance, I have absolutely no idea!


PCS SPECTRUM RGB MID TOWER CASE (WHITE)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400 (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z490-P (LGA1200, USB 3.2, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
INTEGRATED GRAPHICS ACCELERATOR (GPU)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting
50cm White LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 12 to 15 working days
Price: £815.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z490-pc/Cp0jV6hDyZ/

What monitor do you have or would this budget be for a monitor too?

What games would be played? (just because it's Steam, it doesn't say anything as it would be good to know the expectations based on particular game requirements).

 

[janem]

this would be the monitor

LC27R500FHUXEN Full HD 27” Curved LED Monitor. and £800 is just for a tower.
Games would be Minecraft, Roblox, Genshin Impact.

thank you

 

[DarTon]

Thanks for providing the monitor. So it's 1080p and 60Hz.

Do you have any idea of the games your daughter might want to play? Roblox, for example, in 1080p/60Hz, is far less intensive and you can cope with a integrated GPU. Most games, however, will require a discrete GPU to function correctly.

Current discrete GPU prices are still very high (caused by various reasons associated with COVID etc). I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but, to be honest, £800 is a low budget right now for a gaming PC.

Do you have any flex on the total budget (inc monitor)? Do you have any urgency on when this needs to be purchased? Prices for GPUs seem to be showing some signs of gently softening. Have you considered a console instead? Or is this PC also for schooling etc?

Apologies for all the questions.

 

[janem]

Thanks for providing the monitor. So it's 1080p and 60Hz.

Do you have any idea of the games your daughter might want to play? Roblox, for example, in 1080p/60Hz, is far less intensive and you can cope with a integrated GPU. Most games, however, will require a discrete GPU to function correctly.

Current discrete GPU prices are still very high (caused by various reasons associated with COVID etc). I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but, to be honest, £800 is a low budget right now for a gaming PC.

Do you have any flex on the total budget (inc monitor)? Do you have any urgency on when this needs to be purchased? Prices for GPUs seem to be showing some signs of gently softening. Have you considered a console instead? Or is this PC also for schooling etc?

Apologies for all the questions.

Thank you, I appreciate the help.
I think the most demanding game would be Genshin Impact.
It for her 13th birthday next month so I cant really get away with waiting. Believe me I have tried to convince her a new console would be the answer but she has her heart set on a pink/white kawaii gaming set up (eye roll i know!)
Budget is tricky as I dont want to spend needlessly on what I suspect may be a fad, however she will need something for school work going forward and I really want her off MY laptop!

 

[Elhan]

Wouldn't something like this work? Granted PS5s can be a bit tricky to get a hold of too, but you can customise their appearance.

 

[janem]

Wouldn't something like this work? Granted PS5s can be a bit tricky to get a hold of too, but you can customise their appearance.

Wouldn't something like this work? Granted PS5s can be a bit tricky to get a hold of too, but you can customise their appearance.

If only it was that easy!

 

[janem]

Hi All,
I have very little computer knowlage so any advice would be appreciated. Im looking for a gaming PC for my daugher who wants to play Minecraft, Roblox and such. With GPU prices so high at the moment would / could you recomend how I could design a PC that could run these games with intergrated graphics and could be upgraded in a year or so with something more powerfull (I dont know the terms sorry!).
I would also like it to be used for school.
Thank you in advance

 

[DarTon]

Taking Genshin as the benchmark game, the correct solution is a PS4/PS5 (or even a iPad/Android tablet). But I have children aswell so ...

The recommend GPU requirements for Genshin are Geforce GTX 1060 (6GB of VRAM). In performance terms that sits above the 1050 Ti and below the 1660 on the PCS configurator. Given current prices, there is no way to build a custom PC for £800 with a 1660 or even a 1050 Ti.

The minimum requirements for Genshin in GPU terms are a 1030 (2GB VRAM). Your daughter will need to turn settings down to "Low". This Youtube video shows what gameplay might be like at 1080p (system was i-8700, 16GB RAM, 1030 GPU)

Now, if you're happy with that, then this is the sort of spec you might go for
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/v6AZXJDwX3/

You'll note it's £882 which I understand is not ideal. The CPU is an AMD Zen 2 3600 (so prior generation). It comes with a cooler. The motherboard is a TUF550 so can accept newer Zen 3 CPUs. RAM is 16GB (fine). GPU is 1030. PSU 750w so will have room to upgrade GPU later.

We can get the chisel out to try to reduce this a bit
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/cUMUuzGwHh/

This spec is £801. So at target. I reduced the motherboard from a TUF 550 to a PRIME 550 (less effective VRMs for cooling, inferior sound). I've reduced SSD from 500GB to 250GB (so really just for the O/S and a few main programs). I've reduced PSU to 550W (this may be a bottleneck if you upgrade the GPU).

At this price level it's all about compromises some of which may be too far. I'd argue the £884 is a better buy medium term than the £801 but a PS4/5 would be an even better buy really.

I'd also argue you could chisel a bit more by buying a slightly cheaper 27" monitor than they one you've selected. Or buying a 24" since 1080p at 27" doesn't look that great.

 

[loso64]

Sadly with the current PC market prices due to shortages, it is not possible to get a entry level pc for gaming under 800. best thing is either, wait a bit and save, or try to get hand on console that will last 8 years

 

[janem]

Taking Genshin as the benchmark game, the correct solution is a PS4/PS5 (or even a iPad/Android tablet). But I have children aswell so ...

The recommend GPU requirements for Genshin are Geforce GTX 1060 (6GB of VRAM). In performance terms that sits above the 1050 Ti and below the 1660 on the PCS configurator. Given current prices, there is no way to build a custom PC for £800 with a 1660 or even a 1050 Ti.

The minimum requirements for Genshin in GPU terms are a 1030 (2GB VRAM). Your daughter will need to turn settings down to "Low". This Youtube video shows what gameplay might be like at 1080p (system was i-8700, 16GB RAM, 1030 GPU)

Now, if you're happy with that, then this is the sort of spec you might go for
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/v6AZXJDwX3/

You'll note it's £882 which I understand is not ideal. The CPU is an AMD Zen 2 3600 (so prior generation). It comes with a cooler. The motherboard is a TUF550 so can accept newer Zen 3 CPUs. RAM is 16GB (fine). GPU is 1030. PSU 750w so will have room to upgrade GPU later.

We can get the chisel out to try to reduce this a bit
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/cUMUuzGwHh/

This spec is £801. So at target. I reduced the motherboard from a TUF 550 to a PRIME 550 (less effective VRMs for cooling, inferior sound). I've reduced SSD from 500GB to 250GB (so really just for the O/S and a few main programs). I've reduced PSU to 550W (this may be a bottleneck if you upgrade the GPU).

At this price level it's all about compromises some of which may be too far. I'd argue the £884 is a better buy medium term than the £801 but a PS4/5 would be an even better buy really.

I'd also argue you could chisel a bit more by buying a slightly cheaper 27" monitor than they one you've selected. Or buying a 24" since 1080p at 27" doesn't look that great.

thank you for your time, I really appreciate your effort. I'll definitely have a look at your recommendations.