my school leaving eldest is looking into buying a gaming computer with a maximum budget of £1000.
I wouldn’t know where to start
Where do we begin? I’m just hoping for some basic tips really so we avoid any silly errors

Thanks.

Go to a local independent shop where you will generally find a large man possibly with a silly beard in a small room with a bank of screens. He’ll give a silent sigh when you enter as he’ll have to stop gaming online to serve you. Tell him what you want and your budget and he’ll do you a better service than any large multinational plus when/if it goes wrong he’s only 2 minutes down the road.

Oh and £1000 is a hefty budget for a gaming PC. iiwy I’d allocate some of that for a proper gaming keyboard and mouse and a top notch game. A decent keybaord espicially can improve the experience considerably.

Step 1. Go Chillblast
Step 1a. If you really don’t know what you’re after, then give them a call.
Step 2. Buy PC.

Unlike with bikes, you can save yourself a lot of monies by buying the parts and building it yourself. You also have the opportunity to spend hours pouring over different parts and tinkering (which for me is half the fun).

I’ll steer clear of recommending any parts, as I’ve been out of the loop for a few years. There will be plenty of build guides on places like ‘Tech Radar’ for different budgets.

Lastly, £1000 will buy you one hell of a PC. Mine cost more like £600, and is still powerful enough to run any of the latest games. I’d reserve some of your budget for a good quality screen and peripherals, as someone else mentioned above.

See here.

People saying that’ll buy a lot – kinda. Depends if you need a monitor, KB and mouse in that too.

1080p gaming with a screen? For sure.
1440p with a screen..hmmm.

I’d be looking for a quad core i5, a nvidia 1070, for that sort of money. Not sure you’ll get a screen as well though. If you need a screen, maybe a RX480 instead of the 1070 or you can get a previous gen 970 for about 200 now.

The nvidia 1070, 1080 and the amd RX480 are the first cards out of the next gen. Anything else is “old hat” and you need to be sure it’s decent value compared to the new stuff. Anything not recommending any of the above is probably out of date, and these new parts are only /just/ causing price drops to make old kit competitive for your £ (970s only dropped to 200 this week).

E.g. I’d say that guide above is now out of date.

I’ll caveat all the above with the fact I’m used to high end machines at work (pair of titan X etc) and a cheap £400 machine from a few years back at home.

Scan’s pre-built machines are decent value, even compared to DIY so worth a look. As are the alienwares in the dell outlet.

I know nothing about gamin pcs but would recommend chill blast. Were good value for my home desktop.

As others have said, Chillblast seem the best value at the moment. Got one from them on about the same budget earlier in the year and very pleased so far.

Thanks. yes we will need the works- screen/keyboard and computer. sorry should have made that clear.

Not sure chillblast are great value in terms of components but what they do better than most is systems that make sense- a lot of vendors sell what to my eye are just obviously cobbled together nonsense, mismatched parts, headline grabbers and hidden cost cuts… The equivalent of an X0 mech on an X5 shifter. Chillblast still have some foibles but not as badly.

Building a pc from components is fun,and not rocket science if tou can use a screwdriver.

Have a look here for component suggestions.

I’ve bought stuff from Overclockers for years. They’re good, and do custom PCs

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/pc-systems/configurator/gaming-pc?ckMin=50084&ckMax=100013&ckTab=0&sSort=3

Not advocating abusing this, or anything, but OCUK forum members get free post once they clear a certain post count. So get askin questions if you’re shopping with them 🙂

Looking at the specs of those things, it seems my new workstation might function well as a gaming PC…hmmm.

Most modern mid range processors are very capable, hi end i3 or an i5. Ram is cheap enough, whack a decent graphics card in and you’re good if gaming at 1080.

If gaming at ultra hd, or 3d, or virtual reality, then it will really cost, but a grand will buy you a capable full set up for regular hd gaming.

I’m going to go against the grain here and say you don’t need to overthink it.

You can walk into Currys and walk out with a PC within your budget that will play the latest games at high detail levels. This, for example

You could get a PlayStation and an Xbox for that sort of money!

Is it really cheaper to build your own? That always used to be the case, but stopped being true somewhere around the turn of the millennium. The whole point of self build was really then so that you could spec components at a granular level. Has the tide turned again?

If you don’t fancy building it Novatech are pretty good, you can pick and choose components to your hearts content and they’ll build it up, they’ll also ‘sanity check’ it.

We occasionally get asked for gaming machines or CAD workstation etc I work, we used to build them, it’s not hard but can be time consuming and there are as many compatibility issues as you get with bikes, easy enough if you know, if you don’t it’s hours wading though slang filled websites to work it all out – but it’s easier to sub it out to them.

Cougar – Moderator

Is it really cheaper to build your own?

Depends on how picky you are really and how well you understand your needs. It’s not that the parts are cheaper, it’s more that you can beat the spec into exactly the right build and cut all the fat/avoid any ugly corner cuts.

The whole point of self build was really then so that you could spec components at a granular level. Has the tide turned again?

I think it’s just STW being STW. As only it could take the following:

I wouldn’t know where to start

Where do we begin?

…and suggest building your own.

I’m going to go against the grain here and say you don’t need to overthink it.

You can walk into Currys and walk out with a PC within your budget that will play the latest games at high detail levels. This, for example

sorry but that’s not a great gaming rig, you want double the amount of ram for starters, the system drive isn’t SSD, and it’s just a tower, not including monitor keyboard mouse speakers, it’s way over priced for the spec. If it was 30% less money ot would be ok.

bongohoohaa – Member

I think it’s just STW being STW. As only it could take the following:

I wouldn’t know where to start

Where do we begin?

…and suggest building your own.

I think that’s pretty unfair tbh- self-building a PC isn’t that hard and it doesn’t need any occult knowledge. If you want a sealed box with a back-to-base warranty that you’ll rarely touch then buy away… but nobody starts out knowing how to build a PC, and it’s a skillset that’s worth having. It helps you to keep it running, to upgrade or reinstall or keep up to date, gives you a good start on the slightly arcane art of overclocking… none of which is that useful for an undemanding home owner but very useful for a gamer.

In terms of value… Well, I kept my last PC going for 8 years, with a slightly melty overclock and an occasional careful upgrade. So it’s not all about day one price, you can get more performance as a tweaker, and understand and shore up shortcomings and that adds up to lifespan. You could have bought the most expensive PC in the world, in 2007, and not matched that useful lifespan.

Alternatively, warranty.

Cougar – Moderator
Alternatively, warranty.

Most components come with a (minimum) 3 year warranty these days.

That top-spec chillblast fella would cost almost £4000 more from Dell.

If you want to go the build-your-own route, This site is ace for playing with different builds. There are plenty of builds on there, take this for example at £902 for a tower, leaving a bit left over for mouse, keyboard and monitor – and if they get into it, any cheaper components will soon be replaced by some they buy themselves.

This thread on NeoGAF is probably the best place you could start.
Have a look at the recommended builds then spec something on PC part picker which was linked to above.

It’s well worth building your own. It’s is straight forward but rewarding and will save you money over time even if only a little at the outset compared to some of the cheaper builders. Takes any nervousness out of upgrading as well

I’m going to go against the grain here and say you don’t need to overthink it.
You can walk into Currys and walk out with a PC within your budget that will play the latest games at high detail levels. This, for example

sorry but that’s not a great gaming rig, you want double the amount of ram for starters, the system drive isn’t SSD, and it’s just a tower, not including monitor keyboard mouse speakers, it’s way over priced for the spec. If it was 30% less money ot would be ok.[/quote]

Right. Well it would help the OP if you could post a link to a machine that has all those features that you say are essential, and is within the budget. And they’re a beginner buying a present for their teenage son, so no, they’re not going to build one from scratch.

Otherwise, your comment isn’t really helping.

Last time I did some upgrades I went through here
http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=627&game=Doom%204
Gives you the specs and by how far you exceed things in general and what the limiting step is in a set up so quite easy to see if what you are buying is good enough.

Also keep an eye on upgrade paths, being able to add more RAM later etc. is good. On motherboard/chip combo’s my last investment was a few years back and was a knock down bargain chip/board combo as they had stopped making that socket chips. It’s in need of an upgrade soon but that will be a bigger spend.

Step 1. Go Chillblast
Step 1a. If you really don’t know what you’re after, then give them a call.
Step 2. Buy PC.

This

hebdencyclist – Member

Otherwise, your comment isn’t really helping.

It’s a pretty bad suggestion, that Currys PC, and no wonder. So yes it is helpful to say “don’t do that” even if you don’t give an alternative, in a thread that already has better alternatives.

Jecca, have you asked your son what he wants? There’s probably a good chance he know exactly what he wants, so stop stressing, tell him your budget (let him gnash his teeth a bit & then huff about being ‘cheap’) & let him get in with it. Self-building is great if you have the interest & want specific bits, but if not just go buy a complete system from a specialist (not curries!). I work with an extremely knowledgeable, long serving engineer & his comment was’ I cant be arsed’ when it comes to self build any more, happier to let some one else take the stress of diagnosing issues instead of doing more ‘work’ at home.

I got a cracking deal on one of those ~£650 Black Friday X99 bundles from OCuk last year, but you don’t need that sort of computing power for a decent gaming rig, I built up a very capable Skylake 6600k system for my better half last Xmas for ~£800 excluding graphics cards (we had a 7850 and R7 265 that can be linked via Crossfire).
We used existing keyboards, mice, monitors (latter could easily set you back £300+ for a quality one, potentially eating a lot of the £1k budget).

You can save well over £100 at OCuk on building the systems at home, rather than getting a store to build them for you, components will generally only fit the correct way into their sockets.

Biggest tip is do not skimp on the power supply, get a quality PSU, which typically means spending ~£100+ from a brand such as Corsair; EVGA; Seasonic etc.

Go to a local independent shop where you will generally find a large man possibly with a silly beard in a small room with a bank of screens. He’ll give a silent sigh when you enter as he’ll have to stop gaming online to serve you. Tell him what you want and your budget and he’ll do you a better service than any large multinational plus when/if it goes wrong he’s only 2 minutes down the road.

jekkyl had it second post in. I go to CCL near Bradford as it’s close to home.

Curry\PC World can be good if you know what you’re looking for. That MSI system looks a bit expensive for what it is. MSI usually do cheap and cheerful gaming rigs, I’ve got one of their 17″ gaming laptops – really good spec 3 years ago, showing it’s age now but plays Elite and Elder Scrolls online so does what I need. Amazon sell MSI stuff and it’s often in the Daily Deals.

Building your own is the same as with bikes, if you’re a bit OCD you want an exact spec then go for it, it won’t be cheaper as you don’t have the buying power of the big boys. I prefer building my own and have hardly ever saved money, except when I have the knowledge to replace broken bits and don’t have to scrap the whole thing.

It’s a pretty bad suggestion, that Currys PC, and no wonder. So yes it is helpful to say “don’t do that” even if you don’t give an alternative, in a thread that already has better alternatives.

OK, that’s fine – I welcome that people don’t agree my suggestion – but it would help the OP if people would post their alternatives. Us lot trying to outdo each other on price/spec would eventually lead to a Darwinian “this is the best spec for the price available – now go and buy it”.

Your own contribution to the thread included the phrase “slightly melty overclock” 😀 and the thread is in danger of turning into this.

I agree your points about customising and self-building (I have built my own gaming PCs) but right now I don’t think that’s what the OP needs. It’s like a “What newbie bike for £1000” thread and someone says “buy a frame off the internet then Merlin are good for groupsets”. Then someone says “just go to your LBS”, then someone says “get a Boardman from Halfords” then someone else says “don’t buy that – it hasn’t got XTR” and someone else says “don’t buy from Halfords because…Halfords” etc etc until the OP goes and asks on Bikeradar instead.

So how about this. The OP doesn’t have the skills and knowledge to self-build and wants a PC to play the latest games for £1000 inc monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers.

My suggestion was this from Currys tower-only for £700 which has i5 6400 processor, 8GB RAM, 1TB spinny drive, GTX 960 graphics.

Please beat it. Post a link to a better PC for the money and tell the OP why it’s better. Whoever posts the best spec for the money wins the internet! 😀

There’s probably a good chance he know exactly what he wants

Oh, and this^^^

OP better come back to this post and let us know what he decided.

hebdencyclist – Member

Your own contribution to the thread included the phrase “slightly melty overclock

It does, and it’s obvious in the context why I mentioned it- you get more from building a PC yourself and learning how to do it. I didn’t know how to do any of it til I did it, and it’s not difficult.

But also, that wasn’t my whole contribution, if you look further up the page.

It does, and it’s obvious in the context why I mentioned it- you get more from building a PC yourself and learning how to do it. I didn’t know how to do any of it til I did it, and it’s not difficult.

But also, that wasn’t my whole contribution, if you look further up the page.

OK!

From the limited info given I still don’t think the OP wants to self-build, unless they come back and say so.

So in the interests of a fun and useful debate, use your knowledge to spec the best possible machine that meets the OP’s budget and they don’t have to build themselves, and post the link!

Like I said (and others)- Chillblast. Go on there and have a play. They’re not necessarily the best but they’re reliable and pretty easy to understand what they’re selling, which is a plus here.

You can easily build the Shotgun into a very comparable machine. Not a recommendation for the Shotgun, just that it’s the close match. And the big difference is the SSD and named parts. The MSI is full of vague components, you really don’t know what you’re buying past the headline parts- the equivalent of the XTR mech on a deore shifter and no-name cassette. (it’s very intentional, right down to using the same name as MSI use for a much better enthusiast system)

Having said that I think for the OP I’d be tempted towards the Gladiator. It raises the component level significantly across the board (I’d rather have a standalone SSD but, that’s OK), makes the very useful jump to a K series full beans overclocking processor, comes factory overclocked and with a lot more potential, lots of spec choices. Scrapes in just over £1000 with the nvidia 960, a decent 27 inch monitor and keyboard.

(I’m not going to make any sort of call on exactly what GPU is the sweet spot right now though, that takes actual research 😆 By which I mean asking OCUK forum to tell you what to get. It’s not about good or bad so much as balance. I used the 960 in that build purely because that’s what’s in the MSI, so it gives a good comparison)

To be fair I’m making a slight assumption here… I figure that the OP’s son is sufficiently into it to spend a grand on a PC, so he’s also likely to be sufficiently into it to want to get the best out of it and make it right for him. That doesn’t have to mean a full home build (though I can’t say it too often, it’s intimidating but it’s not hard, and for a gaming enthusiast it’s a worthwhile skill- exactly like spannering your own bike. He’s not likely to be the guy who goes to a shop to fix a flat.

I’d build my own, it’d let me use a £10 case and fill it with my own fans and that and spend absolutely all the money on the engine 😆 But if I absolutely had to buy a built PC it’d be overclockers. The reason being, they tell you right down to the last detail what everything is and you have far more modifiability- you’re not modifying a system as with chillblast, you’re literally choosing a line of products and they put it together. But this has basically all of the confusion and bewildering choice of a self build, so I figure if the OP’s son isn’t up for a self build they should stick to a build that does more of the thinking for them, even though it gives you a less good PC.