New or Upgrade

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Hi,

First off sorry for another help me build a pc post.

I’m trying to decide whether to rebuild an old pc if or buy/build new. The pc will be for my 14 yo son for Xmas and he want it primarily for gaming, I assume Minecraft, Roblox etc

Current spec is a pc I built in 2013 with the help of you guys and is as below

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD A8-5600K Black Edition 3.60GHz (Socket FM2) APU Trinity Quad Core Processor (AD560KWOHJBOX)£71.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan GOLD 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLYD38G2400HC11CDC01) £65.99
1 x Asus A88XM-A AMD A88X Chipset (Socket FM2+) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £55.99
1 x Kingston 60GB SSDNow V300 Drive SATA 6Gb/s 3 2.5" (7mm height) Solid State Hard Drive - (SV300S37A/60G) £47.99
1 x BeQuiet Pure Power L8 400W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply - With 120mm Silent Wing Fan Built in £39.95
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £17.99
Total : £309.49
(includes shipping : £8.00).

Is any of this any good or easily upgradeable or are we best starting again? Budget I want to keep as reasonable as possible but needs to be suitable at the same time.

Any help appreciated
 

Ideally, I'd spend the extra to get the ASRock RX 6600 for £240, it has 8 lanes compared to 4 on the 6500 XT and I think that motherboard is only PCI-E 2.0 without an FM2+ CPU. It's also nearly twice as fast (depending on the game), for about 20-30 watts.

That said, whatever new card is going to bottleneck like crazy, so it probably doesn't matter anyway :o
 
Ideally, I'd spend the extra to get the ASRock RX 6600 for £240, it has 8 lanes compared to 4 on the 6500 XT and I think that motherboard is only PCI-E 2.0 without an FM2+ CPU. It's also nearly twice as fast (depending on the game), for about 20-30 watts.

That said, whatever new card is going to bottleneck like crazy, so it probably doesn't matter anyway :o
yeah thats true!
Wonder if Ryzen 5600G could be an option at £129 + £120 for A520M mobo and DDR4? ... No free games though, doh.
 
yeah thats true!
Wonder if Ryzen 5600G could be an option at £129 + £120 for A520M mobo and DDR4? ... No free games though, doh.

There's loaaaddsss of pre-builds around with a 5600G/5650G, so a black friday deal could be in the offing. Don't know what OP's current GPU is though (wouldn't have to be that great, to be better) & if buying a pre-build the upgradability could be an issue. The RX 6400 has low profile options and only requires slot power, so can fit in practically anything, but does have same issue as 6500 (4 lanes only) and is generally overpriced.
 
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Don't know what OP's current GPU is though (wouldn't have to be that great, to be better)
i think op is using the APU's graphics

honestly i wouldn't even spend that much. it's not as if roblox/minecraft is taxing on a half-decent pc
i'd get a gtx 960 for £30-50 (or a gtx 970 for £60-80), which would be sufficient for that kind of cpu power and anticipated gaming demands
 
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thanks for all the replies, I think looking at what youve all said I’d be better either building new or upgrading. Again I’m probably happy to build new and start with kit that can be upgraded as required etc. I’ve spoken to my lad about potential games and have the following if this makes any difference? Ark, grounded, he’s also mentioned gta and valorant . Has anyone got a build list they would recommend to start with? Thanks again
 
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thanks for all the replies, I think looking at what youve all said I’d be better either building new or upgrading. Again I’m probably happy to build new and start with kit that can be upgraded as required etc. I’ve spoken to my lad about potential games and have the following if this makes any difference? Ark, grounded, he’s also mentioned gta and valorant . Has anyone got a build list they would recommend to start with? Thanks again

This is what I'd consider an entry-level gaming system, it'll handle pretty much anything at 1080p, or even 1440p if you don't push the settings too far. I'd expect it to have a fairly decent lifespan (like 5 years with modest requirements, mostly esports type games and the odd higher-end one).

Intel Core i3-12100F 3.30GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail - £119.99
Asus Prime H610M-A D4 - Intel H610 DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard - £110.99
Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey - £55.99

Asrock Radeon RX 6600 Dual 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £239.99
AMD Radeon™ Raise The Game Bundle - Dead Island 2 & The Callisto Project - £0.00

WD Blue SN570 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3B0C) - £64.99
Super Flower Golden Green HX 650W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black - £64.99
Lian Li Lancool 205 Midi-Tower Case - Black Window - £64.99

Grand Total: £735.13

You can play Minecraft, GTA and Valorant on a 5600G (without graphics card), GTA V will not be particularly pretty, but it is doable. Ark,.. not so much.

An RX 6400 (available for £140) would play everything at 1080p med, probably high on older games. I'd expect lifespan of the system to be reduced considerably (e.g. -2.5 years).

A console will be better value than the PC you can build for the same money.
 
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I agree with the build that Tetras recommends above. Yes that build may come to more money than a console or 5600g build but it is a very capable PC and will be good for gaming and general computing tasks for the forseeable future.
 
This is what I'd consider an entry-level gaming system, it'll handle pretty much anything at 1080p, or even 1440p if you don't push the settings too far. I'd expect it to have a fairly decent lifespan (like 5 years with modest requirements, mostly esports type games and the odd higher-end one).

Intel Core i3-12100F 3.30GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail - £119.99
Asus Prime H610M-A D4 - Intel H610 DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard - £110.99
Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey - £55.99

Asrock Radeon RX 6600 Dual 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card - £239.99
AMD Radeon™ Raise The Game Bundle - Dead Island 2 & The Callisto Project - £0.00

WD Blue SN570 1TB SSD NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3B0C) - £64.99
Super Flower Golden Green HX 650W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black - £64.99
Lian Li Lancool 205 Midi-Tower Case - Black Window - £64.99

Grand Total: £735.13

You can play Minecraft, GTA and Valorant on a 5600G (without graphics card), GTA V will not be particularly pretty, but it is doable. Ark,.. not so much.

An RX 6400 (available for £140) would play everything at 1080p med, probably high on older games. I'd expect lifespan of the system to be reduced considerably (e.g. -2.5 years).

A console will be better value than the PC you can build for the same money.
Thanks for that . Excuse my ignorance but when you say some games will be playable but not pretty what do you mean by not pretty? Lagging, poor display etc?

With the above in mind I do like the idea of 5 years lifespan would upgrading over that time be an option or a complete rebuild again?

Finally are there any improvements that would be worth spending a little more on that build to get solid game play or are we talking big money then?

Cheers
 
Thanks for that . Excuse my ignorance but when you say some games will be playable but not pretty what do you mean by not pretty? Lagging, poor display etc?

With the above in mind I do like the idea of 5 years lifespan would upgrading over that time be an option or a complete rebuild again?

Finally are there any improvements that would be worth spending a little more on that build to get solid game play or are we talking big money then?

Cheers

If you go on YouTube and search "5600G GTA V", you'll probably see what I mean (onboard is known as 'Vega'). It is playable, frame rate is acceptable, but graphics aren't great. Not sure if GTA has been updated to support FSR, if it has then that might help.

You could upgrade to a 12400-12600 non-k in that board, along with say.. an RX 8600/9600 (or whatever is out at the time) and I think that would work out well to extend the life. Using higher CPUs in that board is not something I'd want to do myself. It also only has 2 ram slots so you'd have to ditch it and buy 32GB.

Right now, you don't really need anything else to get decent frame rates, a 12100F pairs up well with a 6600 and 16GB is still enough. You could go for a bit more powerful PSU, or a better board, but realistically, are you going to upgrade to a higher-end graphics card or an i7/i9? I'd think not.
 
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If you go on YouTube and search "5600G GTA V", you'll probably see what I mean (onboard is known as 'Vega'). It is playable, frame rate is acceptable, but graphics aren't great. Not sure if GTA has been updated to support FSR, if it has then that might help.

You could upgrade to a 12400-12600 non-k in that board, along with say.. an RX 8600/9600 (or whatever is out at the time) and I think that would work out well to extend the life. Using higher CPUs in that board is not something I'd want to do myself. It also only has 2 ram slots so you'd have to ditch it and buy 32GB.

Right now, you don't really need anything else to get decent frame rates, a 12100F pairs up well with a 6600 and 16GB is still enough. You could go for a bit more powerful PSU, or a better board, but realistically, are you going to upgrade to a higher-end graphics card or an i7/i9? I'd think not.
Sorry for the delay getting back.

Cheers for that, I have looked at the YouTube stuff you said and I see what you mean.

With the build you’ve recommended what else would I need to be all sorted for the little sod? Guessing windows, new monitor, keyboard and mouse? Any recommendations for these?

Again thanks for your help
 
Ark is definitely going to be the hardest game to run at decent settings from what you've listed...It's one of the main games I play and still puts the hurt on my 3060ti at higher settings.
With a bit of tweaking though, you should be able to get it to run acceptably.

For windows, you should be able to pick up a key for around £15 from a key selling site (can't provide links as ocuk sell Windows keys)

Monitor- I'd recommend 1080 with an IPS panel as they have good colour reproduction - something like this would be perfect

KB+ mouse - I'm guessing as it's for a kid they'll want something with flashy lights! Entry level would be something like this:

But also check out the popular place that sells everything, some good entry level stuff on there and if you can stretch to a mechanical keyboard I find they feel a lot nicer.

The build Tetras has suggested is a great starting point and you could drop a higher end CPU in at a later date (potentially 2nd hand for cheap!) as well as upgrading to a newer (or higher tier, second hand) graphics card for more longevity.

A big question there though, would be whether you are comfortable building the system/upgrading components yourself?
 
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Ark is definitely going to be the hardest game to run at decent settings from what you've listed...It's one of the main games I play and still puts the hurt on my 3060ti at higher settings.
With a bit of tweaking though, you should be able to get it to run acceptably.

For windows, you should be able to pick up a key for around £15 from a key selling site (can't provide links as ocuk sell Windows keys)

Monitor- I'd recommend 1080 with an IPS panel as they have good colour reproduction - something like this would be perfect

KB+ mouse - I'm guessing as it's for a kid they'll want something with flashy lights! Entry level would be something like this:

But also check out the popular place that sells everything, some good entry level stuff on there and if you can stretch to a mechanical keyboard I find they feel a lot nicer.

The build Tetras has suggested is a great starting point and you could drop a higher end CPU in at a later date (potentially 2nd hand for cheap!) as well as upgrading to a newer (or higher tier, second hand) graphics card for more longevity.

A big question there though, would be whether you are comfortable building the system/upgrading components yourself?
Cheers for that. Good question regarding the build mind. I have built the previous pc that I listed above, was a good few years ago though, I’m sure with a little reading I should get there again
 
Sorry I’m still here trying to sort out what to get etc. I’ve had a little read a look around a little more today and looked at a few prebuilt options on ocuk and had a little reaserch with these in mind and I’ve come up with 2 baskets if you guys wouldn’t mind giving your opinion on these and even the original mentioned here if it would be worth the extra etc.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cart/restore/d810e4069ac8b9f7f1f145b98ae72f3d

1 X Asus Radeon RX 6600 Dual 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card -£248.99
SKU: GX-47K-AS

1 X WD Black SN770 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (WDS100T3X0E) - £82.99
SKU: HD-58F-WD

1 X be quiet! System Power 9 600W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply - £64.99
SKU: CA-136-BQ

1 X AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Six Core 4.6GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail - £169.99
SKU: CP-3CC-AM

1 X Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey - £80.00
SKU: MY-0AJ-TG

1 X Gigabyte 24" G24F 1920x1080 SS IPS 165Hz 1ms FreeSync Widescreen Gaming Monitor - £139.99
SKU: MO-00J-GI

1 X OcUK Value 1Mtr Hdmi Hi Speed With Ethernet – Full Core With Gold Connectors - £1.99
SKU: CB-138-OK

1 X Asus ROG Strix B550-F Gaming WIFI II (AMD AM4) B550 ATX Motherboard -£179.99
SKU: MB-6J0-AS

1 X Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut High Performance Thermal Paste - 1g - £5.99
SKU: TH-022-TG

1 X Phanteks Eclipse G360A Mid Tower Airflow PC case - Satin Black - £89.98
SKU: CA-0B4-PT

1 X AMD Radeon™ Raise The Game Bundle - Dead Island 2 & The Callisto Project - £0.00
SKU: XX-03A-AM

Grand Total: £1,084.52


https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cart/restore/d021cf19f6d5e1ce98207965d3b4d2e0

1 X Intel Core i5-12400F 2.50GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail -£199.99
SKU: CP-6AR-IN

1 X Gigabyte B660M DS3H AX - Intel B660 DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard - £129.95
SKU: MB-5AH-GI

1 X Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 Eagle LHR 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card -£359.99
SKU: GX-1D5-GI

1 X Samsung 980 1TB M.2 2280 PCI-e 3.0 NVMe Solid State Drive - £109.99
SKU: HD-24F-SA

1 X Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK16GX4M2B32 -£58.99
SKU: MY-456-CS

1 X Super Flower Golden Green HX 650W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black -£79.99
SKU: CA-004-SF

1 X Phanteks Eclipse G360A Mid Tower Airflow PC case - Satin Black - £89.99
SKU: CA-0B4-PT

1 X Gigabyte 24" G24F 1920x1080 SS IPS 165Hz 1ms FreeSync Widescreen Gaming Monitor - £139.99
SKU: MO-00J-GI

1 X Nvidia - Unleash Your Superhero - Marvel's Midnight Suns - £0.00
SKU: XX-045-NV

Grand Total: £1,188.50
 
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Sorry I’m still here trying to sort out what to get etc. I’ve had a little read a look around a little more today and looked at a few prebuilt options on ocuk and had a little reaserch with these in mind and I’ve come up with 2 baskets if you guys wouldn’t mind giving your opinion on these and even the original mentioned here if it would be worth the extra etc.

Do you want a comparison between the two?

For 1080p gaming, I don't think I'd pay an extra £110 for the 3060, the performance is not worth that over the 6600.

The CPUs are both fine, you could downgrade to a 5600 non-X, which is good value at £140. If you can afford to wait, I think the non-X/non-K CPUs supposedly being released in January might shake up the lower/midrange market somewhat. In particular, the 12400F looks way overpriced at £200. I think the 13400 is going to be better value, at least if the B760/H710 boards don't come with a big price hike.

I doubt you'd notice a difference between the SN770 and the 980 non-Pro.

Realistically, 16GB or 32GB is unlikely to matter too, but with modded games they can get surprisingly memory hungry, so it's not a bad thing to have 32GB in reserve.
 
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