Returning to gaming - What PC do I need?

[welsholdschoolgamer79]

Afternoon everyone. Good to join the boards and meet you all...

I am a returning gamer. Currently I'm 45, and due to personal circumstances, I find myself with some spare time on my hands outside of my job.

I've toyed with the idea of a dog, however I cannot commit due to being on my own and so have decided maybe I should return to gaming...

I've decided against the likes of a PS4 or 5 potentially, due to the constant need to buy new consoles and then finding the servers close down and the old-school games such as COD are no longer available to play online.

I would like to purchase a PC that is good enough to play the older games such as COD Modern Warfare, Battlefield etc and maybe a few classic games rather than the brand-new titles that require high-end PC's.

My first question is...
Am I right in thinking the servers for the older games e.g. MW2 etc al don't close down on the PC format unlike buying a PS4 where after a few years you need to buy a PS5?

Then I would ask...
What kind of money do I need to spend on a PC capable of playing the older titles already mentioned? Are there any pre-built ones that could be recommended?

And lastly...
Is it possible to play your games via a smart TV?

Your thoughts and opinions are welcomed.
Have a good Bank Holiday all

 

[Tetras]

Then I would ask...
What kind of money do I need to spend on a PC capable of playing the older titles already mentioned? Are there any pre-built ones that could be recommended?

And lastly...
Is it possible to play your games via a smart TV?

What resolution is the TV? The cost of the gaming PC is tied to the resolution of the television/monitor used.

 

[welsholdschoolgamer79]

I think it's a HDTV Sharp 40 inch? It might even be 4K. I'll need to check.

Edit: After having a think about it (I'm not at home ATM), I'm pretty sure it is just a standard Full HD TV.

 

[Tetras]

I think it's a HDTV Sharp 40 inch? It might even be 4K. I'll need to check.

Edit: After having a think about (I'm not at home ATM), I'm pretty sure it just a standard Full HD TV.

1080p you can do pretty cheaply, especially for the older games you mentioned.

(CPU cooler in the CPU box)

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x Intel Core i5-12400F 2.50GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6AR-IN) = £98.99
• 1 x MSI PRO H610M-E DDR4 (LGA 1700) DDR4 mATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-MSI-03383) = £59.99
• 1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AJ-TG) = £47.98
• 1 x Intel ARC A750 Gaming 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-08U-IN) = £149.99
• 1 x Team Group MP44L 1TB SSD M.2 2280 NVME PCI-E Gen4 Solid State Drive (SKU: STO-TMG-03128) = £49.99
• 1 x Antec CX600M ARGB M-ATX Mini Tower - Black (SKU: CAS-ATC-04160) = £54.95
• 1 x Phanteks AMP GH 750W 80PLUS Gold ATX Power Supply Modular - Black (SKU: POW-PHK-02517) = £84.95

Total: £558.83 (includes delivery: £11.98)​

For 4K, that's another story.

 

[welsholdschoolgamer79]

Thank you for your replies.

Is that needing to be built by myself? I don't have the knowledge to do it by myself.

Are there any pre-built that would suit my needs?

 

[Tetras]

Thank you for your replies.

Is that needing to be built by myself? I don't have the knowledge to do it by myself.

Are there any pre-built that would suit my needs?

This is the cheapest build I can find. The configurators won't let me add the Arc A750 and this one is not configurable at all:

My basket at OcUK:

• 1 x OcUK Gaming Mach 1 - Ryzen 5600, RTX 4060 Pre-Built Gaming PC (SKU: FS-PB06-EP) = £729.95

Total: £729.95 (includes delivery: £0.00)​

It has half the memory and a lesser PSU than the self-build above, but the 4060 is a faster graphics card, so overall performance would be better. It also includes Windows 11 home, which mine does not.