Gaming PC advice needed please.

GrandadThatGames

GrandadThatGames

GrandadThatGames

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Joined
23 Jun 2019
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6
Hi, thanks for taking to time to look at this thread and thank you in advance for any advice given.

I've recently started streaming on Facebook, using my Xbox 1 to game and my PC to stream, but want to start doing some PC gaming too, so am looking to get a gaming PC. I have a budget initially of £300, which i know isn't a lot, but want to ensure i get the best gaming PC i can, that i can also upgrade further down the line. What should i be looking for? Any links would be great too please. I have a decent ASUS Nvidia gaming monitor already, and the keyboard and mouse, so it is just the PC i need.

Thanks again in advance

Dave
 
GrandadThatGames said:
I have a budget initially of £300, which i know isn't a lot, but want to ensure i get the best gaming PC i can, that i can also upgrade further down the line.
Click to expand...
Budget, not really possible with your criteria:

You would be looking at 2200G, semi decent MB to upgrade CPU in future, and ideally a minimum 550W PSU; again for a future GFX card - this would take you over your £300 budget.

What games were you thinking of playing?

Below has a limited upgrade path because of the 400W PSU but serves as a quick example and still over budget:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £355.20 (includes shipping: £12.30)


Or below - could easily sub, memory, SSD and case in above build to shave off a few quid and would make no difference - too hard to edit as now using phone.. .

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £323.64 (includes shipping: £11.70)
​
 
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Hi and welcome to the forums. :)

Sorry to be blunt but with a budget that small you would be much better picking up a second hand Haswell (or similar) based system and dropping a half decent graphics card in it. Gaming on a 2200G will be a dire and unpleasant experience with most details turned well down. Even the 2400G isn't capable of a pleasant 1080p gaming experience without turning the details down. If that budget is set in stone you would have a better experience sticking to consoles rather than buying a brand new system.
 
Even going second hand you are going to be locked into a platform with little or no cpu upgrade path. You can always add more memory but DDR3 was replaced by DDR4 years ago and all modern platforms use DDR4 now. GPU's can always be replaced but at some point will be held back by a older cpu. Your budget put's you in a difficult position. On one hand you could afford a second hand Haswell based system and a GPU such as the AMD RX 570 but will lock you into a dead platform with little or no upgrade path. On the other hand your budget isn't anywhere near enough to build a worthwhile gaming pc. I would stick to your console for the time being until you can save up another £150 or more to build a meaningful gaming pc. I would hate for you to spend your money only to find yourself extremely disappointed with the results.
 
See above too:

GrandadThatGames said:
what would you recommend as a budget for a decent set up that can be expanded later?
Click to expand...

If you stuck to Fortnight the 2400G would be fine - the game runs on thin air.

Otherwise, £600 would be the minimum ideal for 1080p gaming with a view to be able to upgrade again - i.e. quality motherboard that will take Zen 2 and a PSU that will take a more power hungry GPU in the future (you could make savings in places but only ~£50 - plus you could shop around. And, apparently, 2000 prices will drop after July 1st):

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £645.19 (includes shipping: £12.30)
​
 
Thank you all for the advice, it’s much appreciated, I think what I might do I buy what I can now, and add more as cash becomes available, I’m not in a rush to get it built, so what would you recommend as the first “bits to buy, I’m guessing the case and motherboard, and processor??
 
GrandadThatGames said:
I think what I might do I buy what I can now
Click to expand...
Nothing.

Don't buy anything until you can build a working system as you will be using up warranty and will not be able to test components. Plus, there are big price cuts due next week with AMD and INTEL - so you really don't want to be purchasing anything at the moment let alone items that you won't be using.

Basically, save until you're in the position to build - this will work out cheaper, possibly better components for your money, when ready to buy plus no components sat in a box using up valuable warranty while you're saving for other parts.
 
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