Recommend a first build PC with my son

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Hi all
My son is saving for his first gaming PC and we want to start it now, please could you give me some advice?
He has about £700 saved now and we're hoping to build now and add stuff later, but would take your advice on the subject.

My thoughts are
  • get an intel (?) CPU with stock cooler and add a better cooler later.
  • Probably doesn't make sense to split buying the RAM.
  • Need to go straight in with the end state GPU as it is gaming he wants it for. Or would you get a cpu with built in graphics now and add a card later?
  • I have lots of spare fans and HDDs, so we could use an old spinning disk for now and add SSD later
  • Theres no ethernet in his room so he'd need a wifi mb or just add a dongle
I was recommended this case for my build on here last year and was very happy with it, is this still the advice?

he's got a monitor keyboard and mouse already. It's a decent, modern monitor he got 2 xmases ago for his xbox with 120hz hdr etc.

what do you think? Any ideas on components to buy?

thanks

Ben
 
How easy is it to run an ethernet cable to the router? Showing him how to lay the cable going around the walls and doors so it is discreet, doesn't pose a trip hazard, and doesn't get pinched by doors etc could also be an educational project. You could even show him how to install an ethernet socket in his room.

Does he have a decent headset?
we can't do that no, it'd be up the stairs etc :) there is mesh wifi in the house. He's got a headset for his xbox I believe it can connect via bluetooth
 
thanks all, yes I think a solid platform is important because he'll be upgrading it for many years. Does AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) have built in graphics? Would that get him going and we can defer the GPU ?
Then we could get GPU and storage later and get good foundations for the mb, ram and cpu.
 
I don't know how inbuilt graphics on a cpu works, does it have its own video memory? Or is it just using the RAM? Is that going to play stuff ok?

Graphics Capabilities
Graphics Model
AMD Radeon™ Graphics
Graphics Core Count
2
Graphics Frequency
2200 MHz
 
ok thanks all for the input I like the thinking so far I will discuss with him. The only question I had is whether we need 12gb card, because that came up as a key consideration when I was building my machine, but then my budget was more flexible.
 
So if we say a 4-5 year upgrade horizon and would need a new mb to progress at that point
OR wondering if we could get a stop gap 2nd hand gpu now on ebay and save for a better card and go am5 now.
 
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thanks all, we had a chat and currently we are considering postponing buying the GPU because we think the 6600 is underpowered and should continue to save for a 7600xt w/12gb. Meantime he can use the inbuilt graphics on the cpu to do the other stuff he wants to do (coding, learn blender, school work) and play minecraft and CSGO.
When he gets the proper card he wants to play siege, fortnite, project zomboid, god of war, last of us and online stuff like COD.
 
thanks all, we had a chat and currently we are considering postponing buying the GPU because we think the 6600 is underpowered and should continue to save for a 7600xt w/12gb. Meantime he can use the inbuilt graphics on the cpu to do the other stuff he wants to do (coding, learn blender, school work) and play minecraft and CSGO.
When he gets the proper card he wants to play siege, fortnite, project zomboid, god of war, last of us and online stuff like COD.
do I have the group's blessing on this plan !
 
Just to be clear, this is for 1080p gaming. The card averages 49fps for 1440p...if you after that then you'll have to look at the 7600 card(new gen). It £240 ish but is 25% faster and can av over 60fps at 1440. if you did that, you could drop to 1tb ssd, and price would even out..
Couldn't really find it much cheaper..found elsewhere the 7600 for £189 and the same tuf board(factory refurb) for £159...they had 32gb corsair vengeance rgb 6000C36 Expo on offer for £106 in stock also (as al alternative)
Doesn't seem to be many offers on psu's at mo unfortunately..remember, that one has 5yrs warranty only, so although it's seasonic, it not their top of line stuff, but then reflected in price..i know youstretched budget but I'd prefer fully modular with longer warranty if you're keeping it for 5yrs plus, but then with no offers, not a lot of choice..
Alternative is the 2tb crucial p5 plus also for £114, but again on order as sold out here currently
Think above makes a great first pc though...think your son will be very happy
I stretched budget on the PSU and went for seasonic looking for longevity and no hassles, I think that is worth it on a PSU as that is a painful thing to deal with when it goes wrong (and I am going to be tech support here). What would you go for if we pushed budget further?
 

AMD Ryzen 5 7600 processor 38 GHz 32 MB L2 & L3

Memory clock speeds supported by processor 3600,5200 MHz
Should I be picking cheaper RAM to match this? Not 6000 MHz
 
just be careful with the

Phanteks Eclipse G300A Mid-Tower High Airflow PC Case , I've had one before where the lights didn't work, and because tghe pc was built before I found that out, I was not in the position to tear the system down to send it back, so I really recommend plugging it in before building the system to check that the rgb lights work correctly, the fans don't need plugging into any headers to check the rgb , just plug the main connector into the PSU, st art the PSU with the paperclip method and try pressing the buttons on the front top of the case's front panel​

thanks will do that
 
thanks all again for your advice, my son wants to know why you're all being so helpful! I told him that's what forums are like. This place pre-dates facebook (I think) - I've been getting advice here for 20 years I think? (there was a 12 year gap at least between my recent account and previous use so I don't have the same account)
 
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