Help for an uninitiated dad! PC for Gaming / Streaming / Movie making

[dadofgamers]

Hi all. I've two sons, 11 and 9. At present they have an xbox one S and iPads. They make YouTube vids and stream via other apps. They play Fortnite, Roblox (and Roblox studio) and Minecraft. The 11yr old is starting high school next year and wants a PC. I was hoping someone here might be able to help. I saw a similar post from a mum in need of help last year but maybe things have moved on since then, hence my new post.

The PC is for school work...but they'll want to play, stream etc from it too, and it's be best if it lasted a few years. I have zero knowledge of anything to do with setting up PCs etc or what is required, so please forgive my ignorance!

First question, and I feel like I might get a beating asking here...Everything in our house is Apple — not for any reason other than I've always used a Mac for publishing, then we got iPhones etc etc...So an iMac would 'fit' interns of messaging, FaceTime, airdrop...but are they any good for gaming etc?

Moving on to PC...What should we be looking for? As much as I'd really like to build one I don't think I have the time just now to do it with patience. Is there a build service? Or is there an off the shelf that would be as good?

We'll need a screen etc too. Ideally I don't want to spend more than £1000. Any help would be massively appreciated! Thanks.

 

[Scott]

I'm struggling to get it inside £1k but I can manage inside £1100 for everything (Keyboard, mouse, monitor & WIFI).

Includes Windows license etc, which pushes the money up.

MACs are great at what they do but gaming is where they tend to really suffer. They are also very expensive and, as you have found, not very flexible/upgradeable. As you already have the Mac available, it would be more beneficial I think to have a conventional PC system which can do everything.

Below is a fine system that should cover all your bases very well. It'll be excellent for 1080p gaming and cover streaming while gaming very reasonably.

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor
IIYAMA G2530HSU-B1 24.5" Gaming Monitor
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK270 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 21 to 23 working days
Price: £1,083.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/MSdP!y3ekS/

 

[dadofgamers]

I'm struggling to get it inside £1k but I can manage inside £1100 for everything (Keyboard, mouse, monitor & WIFI).

Includes Windows license etc, which pushes the money up.

MACs are great at what they do but gaming is where they tend to really suffer. They are also very expensive and, as you have found, not very flexible/upgradeable. As you already have the Mac available, it would be more beneficial I think to have a conventional PC system which can do everything.

Below is a fine system that should cover all your bases very well. It'll be excellent for 1080p gaming and cover streaming while gaming very reasonably.

Case
CORSAIR 275R AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor
IIYAMA G2530HSU-B1 24.5" Gaming Monitor
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK270 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 21 to 23 working days
Price: £1,083.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/MSdP!y3ekS/

That's brilliant! Thank's very much for your help!

Just so I understand what's what a bit more...(I kind of know what each bit does, processor, ram, hd/ssd etc), how would upgrading each part effect things. I know upgrading to SSD would speed read time up. What about the other elements...Is there a part you imagine would need upgrading soonish or first, and what would it change?

Also, cosmetic, if we wanted to get them a case with the lights etc inside, does that add a lot to the cost? And...sorry about all these Qs! When choosing components from the lists, do they tell you if there will be compatibility issues? I read somewhere that some parts don't play well with others?

 

[Scott]

There's an M2 drive in the configuration I suggested. It's 500GB and blazingly fast, much faster than a traditional SSD drive. This would be your primary Windows drive. It would also hold any programs you wish and a few games that you want some speed on. There shouldn't really be any need to upgrade anytime soon given your uses. When upgrading, it would be a case of swapping the drive out and re-installing Windows. If you register a Microsoft account on the PC when you receive it, they will be automatically linked and re-activated each time you reformat anyway.

The first thing you will likely upgrade is the GPU. These tend to be the first item that is either wanted to be improved in level (1440p, 4k etc) or replaced just to keep it relevant. Normally you would get a couple of years out of a GPU without too much concern.

A decent case with RGB is always going to be a bit more expensive. It would add to the costs. There are cheaper options but they aren't recommended. You need to take into account accoustics etc too, some of them can drone a fair bit.

Don't worry so much about compatibility. The configurator won't allow you to make such choices. Suitability is much more important though, hence why we would always recommend seeking advice rather than making random choices.

 

[dadofgamers]

There's an M2 drive in the configuration I suggested. It's 500GB and blazingly fast, much faster than a traditional SSD drive. This would be your primary Windows drive. It would also hold any programs you wish and a few games that you want some speed on. There shouldn't really be any need to upgrade anytime soon given your uses. When upgrading, it would be a case of swapping the drive out and re-installing Windows. If you register a Microsoft account on the PC when you receive it, they will be automatically linked and re-activated each time you reformat anyway.

The first thing you will likely upgrade is the GPU. These tend to be the first item that is either wanted to be improved in level (1440p, 4k etc) or replaced just to keep it relevant. Normally you would get a couple of years out of a GPU without too much concern.

A decent case with RGB is always going to be a bit more expensive. It would add to the costs. There are cheaper options but they aren't recommended. You need to take into account accoustics etc too, some of them can drone a fair bit.

Don't worry so much about compatibility. The configurator won't allow you to make such choices. Suitability is much more important though, hence why we would always recommend seeking advice rather than making random choices.

Thanks again. Invaluable help!
The GPU, is that the graphics card? Is there one you'd suggest for 4k?
And if we did the case with RGB, which would you suggest?
Finally (!) would there need to be a capture/streaming card?

 

[Scott]

Thanks again. Invaluable help!
The GPU, is that the graphics card? Is there one you'd suggest for 4k?
And if we did the case with RGB, which would you suggest?
Finally (!) would there need to be a capture/streaming card?

GPU is the graphics card yes. For 4k right now you would be looking at the 2080Ti for anything meaningful (£1100 card)
RGB, I'll edit the spec now and show what I would suggest for a bit of bling.
Capture/Streaming card would only be required if you were looking to capture/stream from a console. If you are just streaming from the PC while gaming you don't need anything. The GPU actually has in-built hardware for helping with just that (Shadowplay etc).

 

[Scott]

Bling case, RAM & cooler....

Case
COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500 ARGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (DDR4, USB 3.2, 6Gb/s) - ARGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1650 SUPER - HDMI
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2000 MB/R, 1100 MB/W)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler (AMD)
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
NO RECOVERY MEDIA REQUIRED
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Monitor
IIYAMA G2530HSU-B1 24.5" Gaming Monitor
Keyboard & Mouse
LOGITECH® MK270 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 21 to 23 working days
Price: £1,173.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/v7t79sfD8H/

 

[Scott]

LIAN LI LANCOOL II GAMING CASE is a fine case as well, if that was more of a looker for you

 

[dadofgamers]

Excellent. Thanks so much. I'll show the kids all this later and explain in terms of how many car washes they'll have to do! Nice one, thanks again

 

[dadofgamers]

Spoke to the kids...They have questions, again any help hugely appreciated!
They're asking about fps and resolution for games like Tomb Raider, Divinity, Fortnite...I suppose what they want to know is how well this spec machine would handle demanding games? Thanks again

 

[Scott]

You would need to look to benchmarks on those games from various review sites. This is not a limitation of any PC but more-so determined by the GPU of choice.

The 1650 Super is very much an entry level 1080p GPU. Fortnight, Roblox and Minecraft are very different beasts from AAA games like Tomb Raider (Depending whether you mean the most recent iteration or not).

You need to manage expectations here as the budget just doesn't allow for a gaming monster, even at 1080p. What you do have is a very solid base that will perform admirably with the chosen monitor etc but also has the foundation for taking it to any level that you wish (By increasing the GPU & Monitor).

The monitor is 75hz so the system won't be displaying anymore than 75fps regardless. It does have adaptive sync though so when configured correctly, it will smooth out any dips in performance.

I would tend not to get too caught up in FPS, reading between the lines I think you're looking at the kid version of pub-talk between friends. It doesn't really matter.

 

[Scott]

Found this review which has tested a number of games with the 1650 Super. You can see what sort of FPS to expect from the varying options.

Zotac GeForce GTX 1650 Super Review

Zotac's GTX 1650 Super Twin Fan is only 16 cm long, which makes it a great choice for an SFF system or media PC. The card still offers plenty of gaming performance, exceeding the Radeon RX 580. Overclocking potential is outstanding; we managed to unlock over 10% in additional real-life performance.

www.techpowerup.com