New PC for kids gaming & school work

£15

£15

£15

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It's been over 20years since I've dipped my toes into the PC building waters and I'm after some advice.

My kids want a PC. They're 12 & 14 and console gaming has been enough for them for several years, but they want to expand into PC gaming. It'll also be used for school work. It'll also be used by me and the missus for photo and video editing.

I have an old Lian Li PC60 case and some case fans which I can re-use, but I think I'll need everything else.

My budget was originally circa £600, but I find myself being drawn in like the good ol' days and coveting more... :D

This is what I have so far, but I'm stuck on a graphics card. At the moment my 12 year is focused on Fortnite, but I expect that to expand. Don't really want to spend more than £200 as the budget is already approaching £1000.

If you can recommend any alternatives or advice I'd appreciate it.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £812.95 (includes shipping: £0.00)
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Danny75

Danny75

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Some things are terrible value for money right now. Like the 3800X. Would personally get a Ryzen 3600 for £160-ish and upgrade to a Ryzen 4000 series 8 or 12 core down the road. Don't need to spend so much on the PSU or the NVME SSD (it's overpriced).

Is a monitor needed? They have some fancy tech (Variable Sync AKA Freesync/Gsync) these days which is ideal for fast-paced games. It is possible to get a decent system with a GTX 1660 Super and a 24" IPS 144Hz Freesync monitor, for £1K.

Especially right now it's best to buy from several places, as the prices for items with low stock numbers are ridiculous.

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My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £310.67 (includes shipping: £11.70)
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You get free shipping so there's about £16 left over to add a couple of 140mm fans for the front if you want. Added a case anyway as not sure how old the one you have is? Or which.

If you don't want a monitor right now and have your heart set on an 8 core CPU, you can find Ryzen 3700X for £280 and an Arctic Freezer 34 eSports Duo cooler for £35.
 

ExoMale

ExoMale

ExoMale

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either of these or drop to the cheaper 3700 processor and aim for a 5700 gpu

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £400.48 (includes shipping: £10.50)​
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mean gaming wise a 1050ti plays fortnite on high settings very well at 60 plus fps @ 720 & 1080, so even a gtx 1060 will do, but the rx 570/580/590 are great cards for better value too. i couldnt find much detail on the case, so just make sure the case can occupy the size of the card.
 

£15

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£15

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I'm drawn towards the Zotac with it's offer price and 5 year warranty? Are we talking personal preference comparing these NVidia below vs AMD above GPUs? Or are there noticeable performance differences?

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £570.47 (includes shipping: £10.50)
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Charlatan

Charlatan

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BadMojo said:
I'm drawn towards the Zotac with it's offer price and 5 year warranty? Are we talking personal preference comparing these NVidia below vs AMD above GPUs? Or are there noticeable performance differences?

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £570.47 (includes shipping: £10.50)
​
Click to expand...

The 1660 Super and RX590 are about neck and neck performance wise. The 1660 draws a lot less power. Personally, I'd be taking the Zotac for the excellent warranty.
 

£15

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Thanks to all those that took the time to respond. I always find myself going around and around in circles with research, reviews and although I enjoy it, there comes a time one just has to bite the bullet and order. :)

So, I've ended up with the below. I saved a few quid here and there by shopping around and got it closer to £800. I understand the comments re the CPU and probably should have listened, spending the difference on a better GFX card, (I hope I don't live to regret this); but I managed to get the 3800X for £25 more than the 3700X and couldn't resist. Plan to use existing case, monitor and SSD for now.

I'm hoping I have a good foundation that will see me through a few years, with maybe just a GFX upgrade.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £893.95 (includes shipping: £0.00)
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£15

£15

£15

Associate
OP
Joined
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Posts
1,611
Location
UK
Everything has been delivered apart from the PSU and with no timeframe on that I find myself looking at alternatives. I've found a Seasonic PRIME Ultra 550 Watt Fully Modular 80+ PLATINUM, SSR-550PD2 for £90 - would that be ok for the above?
 

Joxeon

Joxeon

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Should be fine although you might want a 650w if you plan on upgrading the CPU or Gpu to something more powerful in the future.

If you didn't already buy one then a new monitor is really needed to make what you already on the PC worthwhile.
 
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