Gaming PC to Buy

Juicyoo on 23/05/2019 - 07:49

I'm looking to purchase a second hand gaming PC for my son to mostly play Minecraft and Roblux. I have absolutely no knowledge on computers. Any advice on what to look for in a PC would be appreciated. Looking to spend $300-$400.

Also, found this one, is it worth the price tag of $350?

Budget Gaming PC - i5 / GTX 760 / 8GB RAM / 500GB HDD
Budget Gaming PC ideal for an entry level experience sufficient for a gaming experience at medium to high settings for most popular titles yielding up to around 60 fps. With the right blend of graphical settings will be capable of running most games at 60 fps if not close depending on how demanding the title is and the graphics settings used.

Running Windows 10, System has passed stress tests and runs stable.

Specs:

Intel i5 2500 with stock cooler
ASUS P8H61-m Motherboard
8Gb DDR3 RAM
500Gb HDD
Gigabyte Windforce GTX 760 Graphics Card
650w Power Supply

Thank you!

Computing

Comments

  • SnowDragon on 23/05/2019 - 08:08
    +2

    I had basically the same setup up until recently. The CPU and GPU will obviously be the main limiting factor.
    Should still be able to play most games, especially on lower graphics. It would be worth more if the CPU was overclocked and it had a better GPU inside.

    A good entry-PC is getting an optiplex and putting a Low-Profile 1050TI inside of it. If you read the comments of the latter deal you'll see it's a popular thing to do.

    • Juicyoo on 23/05/2019 - 08:12

      Thank you for your reply. So would you say $350 is a fair price for that computer?

      Also, if I purchase these two items and get the Low Profile installed inside, it would be a better computer than the one listed?

      Thanks :)

      • SnowDragon on 23/05/2019 - 08:18
        +1

        Is it brand new or used? If it's brand new I'd be surprised given it has a 2500 in it. If it's used, it's likely 7-8 years old.

        If you purchased the items I listed you'll have a CPU AND GPU two generations newer than what's in that box. Plus you'll have an SSD which you would definitely notice in general usage of the PC, but you may want to purchase a hard drive for games and storage, but you can get those fairly cheap.

        I'd recommend the latter, but it involves a bit of mucking around if you can do that.

      • esq on 23/05/2019 - 08:22

        Better in every way. Strongly agree with @SnowDragon's advice.

        • Juicyoo on 23/05/2019 - 08:27

          Thank you both! That sounds the way to go!

          • esq on 23/05/2019 - 08:31

            @Juicyoo: Should note that the 1050ti deal is out of stock and current alternatives seem dearer. Minecraft should be playable on the integrated graphics, but no idea how smoothly.
            Although ozb deal says optiplex deal is expired, still available for $279 and 3% off.

            • SnowDragon on 23/05/2019 - 09:24

              @esq: Yeah both deals are expired currently. I was just giving an example of how $350 can get you more.
              The deals come around semi-regularly. Computer Alliance have ebay sales every other month. Optiplexs are often fairly cheap as well.

              God knows that when you pull the trigger, the next day there'll be a deal on.

              • Juicyoo on 23/05/2019 - 09:40

                @SnowDragon: I could see the deals had expired but I'm happy to go with those. Just trying to see if anyone else is selling at a cheaper price but I think they all are listed at slightly different specs that I don't understand ;)

                • dcep on 23/05/2019 - 12:28

                  @Juicyoo: the 1050ti deal is still on at compute alliance website @ $199 - 15% off = $170 + shipping

                  • Juicyoo on 23/05/2019 - 13:19

                    @dcep: Thank you so much!

                    • Juicyoo on 23/05/2019 - 13:21

                      @Juicyoo: Could anyone tell me if this computer - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dell-Optiplex-9020-SFF-i5-4570-Q…

                      is exactly the same as this computer - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/455363

                      • dcep on 23/05/2019 - 13:47

                        @Juicyoo: yes, but if you can wait,
                        you're better off with techfast deal below - New with warranty & better future upgradeability

                        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/439977
                        Ryzen 3 2300X / RX 570 4GB / 8GB DDR4 2400MHz / 120GB SSD / 550W PSU / Leaper SFF Case : $439.20

                        or just pm/ask the Rep for a deal

                        • Juicyoo on 23/05/2019 - 13:53

                          @dcep: That's a different sort of computer again and now i'm getting confused lol. I just bought the Low Profile 1050, might be better sticking with what I know is compatible with that card.

                          • dcep on 23/05/2019 - 13:57

                            @Juicyoo:

                            just bought the Low Profile 1050

                            yeah, too late / too quick
                            just stick with dell optiplex

                            that techfast deal comes with rx570 graphics card included

                            • Danstar on 23/05/2019 - 14:05

                              @dcep: How much better is an RX570 over a 1050 ?

                              • dcep on 23/05/2019 - 14:10
                                +1

                                @Danstar: you mean Ti right ?

                                rx570 is over 50% better than 1050Ti

                                rx570 is in between 1060-3gb and 1060-6gb territory

  • ShortyX on 23/05/2019 - 09:37

    You could just buy an Xbox?

    • Juicyoo on 23/05/2019 - 09:41

      He probably wants one of those too but we need a PC for school aswell.

  • Danstar on 23/05/2019 - 11:17
    +1

    I have lost touch with PC gaming, but a GTX 760 on medium - high settings on popular titles is very far fetched.

    But for Roblox and Minecraft, that would be fine.

    • Michael1983 on 23/05/2019 - 12:37

      Still alright to play Far Cry 3, 4, Primal.. Far Cry 5 sometimes has a drops in FPS in a very intense rigged setups, but still okay for 1920x1080 resolution. Skyrim, GTA 5 and Fallout 4 are also work well in 1920x1080
      That's what I'm playing with my machine assembled back in 2010

      • Danstar on 23/05/2019 - 12:43

        Is your cpu a Intel i5 2500 or there abouts ?

        • Michael1983 on 23/05/2019 - 14:56

          Intel Core i5 760 Processor LGA1156 2.8GHz 8MB
          with 12gb DDR3 1600mhz ram and 240GB Intel 2.5" 730 Series for games to run…
          Thinking of full upgrade next year when my current build hit 10 years anniversary.
          Don't believe getting GTX 1060 will help much as CPU may become a bottleneck.

  • [Deactivated] on 23/05/2019 - 12:30
    +1

    you could buy like a dell optiplex ssf with an i7 4770 and 16gb ram and put a low profile gtx 1050 in it.

  • blonky on 23/05/2019 - 13:41
    +1

    No, $350 is too much for those specs.

    Also agree with the Optiplex + 1050ti GPU suggestions - the 1050ti is actually only 4% faster than the GTX760, but the GTX760 will be ~6yrs old. The i7 CPU in the Optiplex would be much faster than the i5 2500 too.

    Either system will play the latest games on Low settings with 30+ fps, or older, less demanding games, on Med-High with 30+ fps. Doubt you could play any recent popular titles on High settings at 60fps without dropping the resolution though

    • Juicyoo on 23/05/2019 - 13:56

      Can I ask, does it really matter which Optiplex I get? Will they all accept the low profile 1050 as I've just purchased this so need to make sure the computer can install it.

      • dcep on 23/05/2019 - 14:07
        +1

        yes it matters, optiplex has USFF / SFF / Mini / Desktop

        that 1050 card can install on Optiplex - SFF / Mini / Desktop

        swap the 1050 bracket to half-height to install in SFF

        for optiplex SFF , you would at least want 9010 / 9020 model

        can get 15% off using this trick
        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/458612

      • blonky on 23/05/2019 - 14:26

        So long as it's not the USFF (ultra small form factor), they will accept the low profile 1050. The Desktop size Optiplex would also accept a full sized 1050.
        As per phunkydude, the 9010 and 9020 Optiplex's are the common ones to go for.

        Would also recommend grabbing a cheap 120GB/240GB SSD for $30/50 if the Optiplex doens't come with one; will make a world of difference to boot and loading times.

  • Juicyoo on 26/05/2019 - 19:06

    Could anyone help me on these last two Questions -

    I've purchased this - Dell Optiplex 9020 SFF i5-4570 3.20GHz 8GB 128GB SSD Win 10 and this part Gigabyte GTX1050Ti 4GB OC Low Profile to make a computer for my son.

    First Question - Can this hard drive fit into this computer - Seagate Barracuda 1TB ST1000DM010 3.5in Hard Drive?

    Second Question - Is this a good gaming monitor - LG 24in FHD 75Hz FreeSync Monitor (24MK400H) ?

    Thank you!!

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