My son has been bugging me for a gaming PC for a while. Partner has finally agreed and would like to buy one for him.
I searched on OzBargain but there was so many options available. We are not into gaming so would really appreciate some guidance on best value PC. I would love to have this PC come with Windows pre-installed.
I will buy mouse, keyboard and monitor separately.
Minecraft, Fortnite, Roblox, NBA2K etc.
What's your budget?
Ideally would like to keep it below $1k.
@Ash-Say: Anything you buy between $700 and $1000 that isn't a rip off should manage that stuff no problem. If you're not big into computers yourself, buying a pre-built is a good idea. The key is to elimante unsuitable stuff first.
Mini-ITX systems are smaller but harder to upgrade and have a premium price. If you want good value eliminate those.
Must have a discrete graphics card, not integrated. Don't buy anything with an Intel graphics card at this time (intel CPU is fine). Nvidia or AMD cards are fine. From nvidia, a 4060 card is the latest hardware and fine for entry level gaming (which is what above games are). I'm not up to date on AMD cards, someone else can probably chime in on that.
Nothing with less than 16gb of memory.
Gaming PC for 13 years old
I'll pass. Having already raised 2 teenagers I think I'll just keep my gaming PC. Thanks for the offer though.
Having already raised 2 teenagers
The jokes check out on this claim.
And don't think you can easily replace their school laptop with a gaming laptop. Battery terrible and much heavier.
Don’t get a laptop. They’re only worth it if you will move it around, which I’m assuming at 13, they won’t be needing to move anywhere anytime soon.
Get a 4060-4060Ti system and they’ll be set for a few years. You’ll spend around the 1k-1.2k mark
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/853872
They have another one for 1388 which has wifi and a bigger hard drive. You def. Will need more storage space, cheaper to diy, but if you can’t I’d add extra when you buy a machine from the shop
Except that your system doesn't include a mouse, keyboard or monitor. Also, you can't use it sitting on your bed or the kitchen table, so unless they have a full desk and chair setup in their bedroom OP can add several hundreds of dollars to the cost, and will certainly not be spending anything under $1k.
what kind of laptop gamer uses trackpad?
Way to miss the point, sure. Get a $14 mouse from KMart, which is more than enough for a 13 year old playing Roblox.
OP stated he will buy mouse keyboard and monitor.
A laptop generally costs hundreds more for not even similar specs to compared to a desktop PC
I have kids aged the same as OP and they have a gaming laptop and was the worst.
Expensive. Lower specs per $, gets hot and lags, etc. etc.
My kids have been happy with their laptops with no lags or other issues at all. Maybe you just bought a crap one?
@AngoraFish: Not sure why you’re getting so upset
Laptop gaming sucks compared to a Desktop PC
Even high end laptops suffer from heat lag. It’s something that really can’t be avoided if you’re playing any AAA games that use a lot of power.
Especially if you’re playing it in bed lol
@Danstar: I'm not getting upset, I'm just surprised at how misinformed you are about the system requirements involved in running kids games such as Minecraft and Roblox, or even for the most part Fortnite. These are games that can comfortably run on 10 year old, even 15 year old year old, second hand PCs, because they're all old games.
You also don't seem to think that gaming laptops are actually a thing, which is… a bit weird?
In fact, even my kid's minimum spec laptops from year 7 can run every single game that a 13-15 year old is typically interested in.
You're up-selling OP on systems that are well above both their budget and actual requirements. There's no question that you won't be able to get a stand along PC with all the bits for the $800 you'd end up paying for a gaming laptop with all the bells and whistles.
@AngoraFish: the kid won’t be 13 for long, and will want to start playing more GPU intensive games.
You won’t get a decent gaming laptop for under 1500, so what are you trying to do? Get OP to buy a laptop that can barely run minecraft which they’ll need to upgrade within a year?
Again, most kids over 13 wont be playing minecraft or roblox for long
Agreed, I had a gaming laptop when I was shifting between Uni and home, and it absolutely sucked. They don't seem to last as long as desktops either.
That's a pretty small budget for a gaming PC. Prepare to enter the rabbit hole…
For the games you've mentioned, any of these would be fine if still available:
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/849806
If you can spend a little less by buying these, try to get a bigger/better monitor. It makes a bigger difference to the experience than a few invisible extra FPS, unless they're playing competitive FPS games.
I am not trying to give you unsolicited parenting advice, but a warning: kids this age can interact very differently when playing games than in the real world. The online gaming enviornment can encourage and reward toxic behaviour and attitudes, even in otherwise good kids. Be sure to check in on him from time to time. Some of the people he will encounter online are exactly the kind you hope he doesn't hang out with in real life - you want to make sure he doesn't fall in with them online either. You know your own kid best, and maybe you don't need to hear about it, but it's just a good warning for anyone who reads this in the future too.
Plus 1 for Nebula PC over here. On my third build from them now (each with different purposes) and they've all been solid.
Do remember to tack on a windows 11 licence during checkout however as they don't include this in their advertised prices. This will add +$169 to the bill. But you'll want that added unless you want to buy a Windows licence separately.
Also plus 1 for monitoring online interactions 😁 lucky to have not run into any issues myself just yet, but my eldest is 7 so that's on the horizon for sure.
No need to buy a licence for $169. Way cheaper to buy separately or free to 'activate' through the registry.
What kind of games would they playing? Helps to determine what kind of hardware is suitable