£400-£600 Gaming PC - whats the best we can do!

I_M_Weasel · 21 Jul 2019 at 19:23

My sister wants a gaming PC for her son and as been drawn to tempting PC's in the £400 range, clearly totally inadequate for the task.

The game he really wants to play is Rust- requirements below (min)

Processor: Intel Core i7-3770 / AMD FX-9590 or better
Memory: 10 GB RAM
Graphics: GTX 670 2GB / AMD R9 280 better
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 20 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD is highly recommended or expect longer than average load times.

I really don't want then to buy and regret buying a high st PC that isn't upto the task and as no realistic upgrade potential. I'd sooner they spend the £400 on a decent CPU/MB/RAM and tower/PSU and upgrade the GPU later when funds allow - I've a spare adequate GPU they can have in the mean time.

So whats the best we can do for £600 (full system)

or £400 or less without a GPU that would give good performance for the least outlay.

Sorry its a tricky budget to work with!

tamzzy · 21 Jul 2019 at 19:28

diy or prebuilt?

Heisenberg · 21 Jul 2019 at 19:35

You could build a pretty handy system out of used parts for that budget. Something first or second gen ryzen based with a amd 570 or something.

Quartz · 21 Jul 2019 at 19:44

I'm sure @Plec and @orbitalwalsh will be along shortly. In the meantime, here's a starter:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 Six Core 2600 3.90GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £139.99
1 x MSI B450M Gaming Plus (Socket AM4) DDR4 mATX Motherboard= £77.99
1 x Seasonic S12II 520W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply= £58.99
1 x WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB M.2 2280 6Gbps Solid State Drive (WDS500G2B0B)= £56.99
1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C14 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TLGD416G24= £62.99

Total: £408.05 (includes shipping: £11.10)

You'll note that I've not specced a case. I strongly suggest that you choose the case in concert with your sister.

Oh yes, do build the system with your nephew, not for him. It's a good uncle-nephew bonding session.

Stephanie Peterson · 21 Jul 2019 at 19:47

Cant go wrong with a 2600 and a 570 when it comes to putting together a capable gaming box on a budget.

tamzzy · 21 Jul 2019 at 20:00

used 1600/2600 - £70-100
b450 board - probably get new
get an rx580 off the MM - last one sold for £80
16gb 3000mhz ram new £65
1tb ssd used - £83 on MM, or 500gb class - £40ish used
550/650w psu = £40ish for a decent one off MM

would be my bargain basket MM choice

as @Quartz says, cases are very personal choices, so i wouldn't burden you with my choices.

I_M_Weasel · 21 Jul 2019 at 21:02

Thanks for the replies:

I'd prefer they go DIY, although I'm sure the idea terrifies them! Unfortunatly I live 100's of miles away so can't help with the build - I'm sure I could convice them this is the best path if I was there and would happily show my nephew - and I think he'd really enjoy it.

Not sure if they'd go for used parts, I'm not overly concerened especially from MM but sister would not be very willing.

I'd like the to buy a case big enough to take full ATX and with enough depth for a full size graphics card, but yeah, they can choose a look to suit them

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Quartz · 21 Jul 2019 at 23:22

I_M_Weasel said:
I'd prefer they go DIY, although I'm sure the idea terrifies them! Unfortunatly I live 100's of miles away so can't help with the build - I'm sure I could convice them this is the best path if I was there and would happily show my nephew - and I think he'd really enjoy it.

This is an excuse for you to visit.