Help needed - first build with 13yo son

[ireallyambob]

Hi all, I’ve not built a PC in 15 years and out of touch with PC gaming now as moved to console a while back- I got obsessive with needing the best unit and couldn’t afford to keep up.

Onto now, my 13yo son is wanting to get a entry PC gaming set up. Initially for as little outlay as possible but with scope to upgrade as his needs change and money eases.

He mainly plays minecraft (obsessively) & destiny 2 - casually as prefers m&k which doesn’t work on console - hence build needs, so would need to be capable running those two from the get go and he’d probably want the option to stream moving forwards.
Please could anyone help with advice / guidance on components & appx how much we are looking at for a set up for him.

Thanks all.

 

[arc@css]

Hi.

I'll get the thread rolling, though I've not specced all the parts yet. I've included a PSU which should allow some component upgrades later on, e.g. graphics card.

New graphics cards will be landing soon (Nvidia - sometime this month, I believe, and AMD in November).
If you are wanting a card now to get up and running sooner than later then I'd probably look at something from Nvidia for streaming, like a 3060Ti (founders edition).

If AMD has improved in the streaming market, then you might be able to get things moving with something lower like an RX6600, but if I recall rightly, Nvidia is best if your son is thinking of streaming.
As for the CPU, as I understand, streaming can be pretty heavy on that component so I've opted for an upper mid-range chip.
If others recommend something a little lower spec, e.g. a 5600/5600X (or even the 5500), then you can always drop in something more potent in the future anyway, and in the meantime, save some cash.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK16GX4M2B32 (SKU: MY-456-CS) = £79.99
• 1 x Crucial P3 PLUS 1TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 4.0 NVMe Solid State Drive (SKU: HD-07A-CR) = £99.95
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 7 5700X Eight Core 4.6GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3D1-AM) = £278.99
• 1 x Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 (AMD AM4) B550 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-594-GI) = £139.99
• 1 x Seasonic G12-GC-850 850W 80+ Gold Power supply (SKU: CA-07K-SS) = £99.95
• 1 x MSI OPTIX 27" G273QF 2560x1440 IPS 165Hz 1ms FreeSync/G-Sync Widescreen LED Backlit Gaming Monitor (SKU: MO-00Y-MS) = £348.95
• 1 x Raijintek Juno Pro RBW Low Profile CPU Cooler - RGB LED (SKU: HS-037-RT) = £11.98

Total: £1,059.80 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

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I haven't specced a case and other peripherals as I think those are especially subjective; a case I might select may not appeal to your son.​

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Hope this helps. ​

 

[Quartz]

I think that going for a discrete GPU immediately is the better option given the requirement for streaming. And the RX 6600 is the best basic bang for the buck. Do note that both Nvidia and AMD are announcing new GPUs imminently which will hopefully impact prices. I do not recommend going for the Intel Arc A750 at this point in time as the drivers are too immature.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Asus Prime B660M-A D4 - Intel B660 DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6HJ-AS) = £155.99
• 1 x Intel Core i3-12100F 3.30GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6AS-IN) = £119.99
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AK-TG) = £55.99
• 1 x MSI Radeon RX 6600 MECH 2X 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-37Z-MS) = £278.99
• 1 x Kolink Citadel Mesh Micro-ATX Case - Black (SKU: CA-051-KK) = £52.99
• 1 x Crucial P2 1TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 3.0 NVMe Solid State Drive (SKU: HD-070-CR) = £64.99
• 1 x Seasonic G12-GC-650 650W 80+ Gold Power Supply (SKU: CA-07M-SS) = £69.95

Total: £810.59 (includes delivery: £11.70)​

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You'll want to add monitor, mouse, and keyboard as appropriate. You will probably want a better CPU cooler than the stock one but that can come later.

 

[Joxeon]

This would be a good starter build, if you want to go any cheaper then I'd recommend the used market for better VFM.

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 5600 Six Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3D2-AM) = £188.99
• 1 x MSI B550M PRO-VDH WiFi (AMD AM4) B550 Micro-ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-358-MS) = £109.99
• 1 x WD Blue SN570 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3B0C) (SKU: HD-589-WD) = £74.99
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AK-TG) = £55.99
• 1 x BitFenix Nova Mesh TG SE A-RGB Midi-Tower, Tempered Glass - Black (SKU: CA-23N-BX) = £52.99
• 1 x Phanteks AMP 550W 80 Plus Gold Modular Power Supply (SKU: CA-09P-PT) = £64.99
• 1 x MSI Radeon RX 6600 MECH 2X 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-37Z-MS) = £278.99

Total: £839.23 (includes delivery: £12.30)​

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[ireallyambob]

Thanks guys for the info and suggestions. In terms of self build, has anything changed much in the last decade and a half re complexity in builds? Don’t want to overwhelm the son with it, but from videos etc. all seems to be logical so no concerns yet.

 

[13oots2]

Thanks guys for the info and suggestions. In terms of self build, has anything changed much in the last decade and a half re complexity in builds? Don’t want to overwhelm the son with it, but from videos etc. all seems to be logical so no concerns yet.

Building a PC is like having Lego that can only fit in one place, hardest part is doing the cabling and front panel connections. Take it slow and steady, you can't really go wrong.

 

[Quartz]

Thanks guys for the info and suggestions. In terms of self build, has anything changed much in the last decade and a half re complexity in builds? Don’t want to overwhelm the son with it, but from videos etc. all seems to be logical so no concerns yet.

The only real change is M.2 drives. Just build it with him and enjoy the father-son bonding.