Build for 11yr old new PC gamer

[Ripper]

Morning all. My lad wants his first PC for Christmas (thinking ahead!). He’s a big Fortnite gamer on the Xbox but has indicated that he wants to get into PC gaming.

So I’m after something:

A) Cheap (I’m not sure what is classed as cheap these days, but hopefully 400-500 isn’t too unrealistic). I’ve got a monitor already.
B) Will play Fortnite and similar games comfortably to similar/better levels than a series S can.
C) Will play most other things at average settings (1080p is fine)

The caveat here is that I can get a salary sacrifice set up and buy something from a competitor which would effectively knock 40% off whatever they can offer. However, I’d rather build myself if possible as I think he would enjoy doing that with me. But open to a pre-built system if it makes sense financially.

Any recommendations appreciated.

 

[tamzzy]

The caveat here is that I can get a salary sacrifice set up and buy something from a competitor which would effectively knock 40% off whatever they can offer.

You should do this then. There's nothing we can spec to offset that 40% off.

 

[Ripper]

I figured. However it’s one retailer only and I wasn’t sure if what they could offer would match OCUK prices. I’ll have a look at a few examples to check.

If anyone could spec a recommended combination of components that would work well together regardless, I’d appreciate it, just so I know what the best I could get is.

 

[Quartz]

However, I’d rather build myself if possible as I think he would enjoy doing that with me.

I did this with my nephew. Top moment for both of us.

B) Will play Fortnite and similar games comfortably to similar/better levels than a series S can.

At that price point it's going to be difficult if you're buying new. Outside your 40% discount, that is. You're looking at a RX 6600 or better so that's £200 straight off.

My lad wants his first PC for Christmas (thinking ahead!).

The good news here is that Nvidia and Intel are expected to launch their new GPUs late this year, which will - hopefully - mean that other GPUs get reduced in price.

 

[Craig_d1]

remember xsx is a roughly a amd 6700XT level gpu for a guide..you've plenty of posts (just a mere 11.5k) so MM will be your friend

 

[mickyflinn]

You've answered your own question really, if you can't build it for the same as a pre build with 40% off then it's a no brainer.

Only caveat is if you buy used but then no or limited warranty

 

[ED209]

Morning all. My lad wants his first PC for Christmas (thinking ahead!). He’s a big Fortnite gamer on the Xbox but has indicated that he wants to get into PC gaming.

So I’m after something:

A) Cheap (I’m not sure what is classed as cheap these days, but hopefully 400-500 isn’t too unrealistic). I’ve got a monitor already.
B) Will play Fortnite and similar games comfortably to similar/better levels than a series S can.
C) Will play most other things at average settings (1080p is fine)

The caveat here is that I can get a salary sacrifice set up and buy something from a competitor which would effectively knock 40% off whatever they can offer. However, I’d rather build myself if possible as I think he would enjoy doing that with me. But open to a pre-built system if it makes sense financially.

Any recommendations appreciated.

How old is your lad?

If you decide to build it yourself make sure he helps out.

I did this with my son when we build his first PC and he did everything while I watched\helped when needed.

 

[tamzzy]

If anyone could spec a recommended combination of components that would work well together regardless, I’d appreciate it, just so I know what the best I could get is.

you're better off giving us examples of what you can get with your 40% off and we can see whether it's worth going down a custom route

 

[GeX]

Are you sure you’re saving 40%? Usually these schemes only save you the NI contribution, not the tax.

 

[Tetras]

A) Cheap (I’m not sure what is classed as cheap these days, but hopefully 400-500 isn’t too unrealistic). I’ve got a monitor already.
B) Will play Fortnite and similar games comfortably to similar/better levels than a series S can.
C) Will play most other things at average settings (1080p is fine)

I wouldn't get anything less than a 6600, the 3050 6GB and 3050 8GB are usually much slower than the 6600, though as always the difference can depend on the game and settings used. If it has to be nvidia, you can get a 3060 12GB around £250.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i3-12100F 3.30GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6AS-IN) = £89.98
• 1 x B Grade Asus Prime H610M-K D4 - Intel H610 DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard (SKU: BG-MB-6HW-AS) = £70.00
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AJ-TG) = £59.99
• 1 x Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 Pulse Gaming 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-39R-SP) = £199.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN580 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-WDC-00540) = £65.99
• 1 x B Grade Phanteks Eclipse P400 Glass Midi Tower Case - Black/Red (SKU: BG-07C-PT) = £43.55
• 1 x Phanteks AMP 650W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-09Q-PT) = £89.99

Total: £627.48 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

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CPU cooler included in the CPU box.