Local gaming computer for $1500?

[Zedbra]

My sons are wanting a gaming computer (they are only 11 and 9) as their old All-in-One is 'lagging' on a few of the games they like to play. My youngest has his birthday in a few weeks, so now seems like a good time to pick them up something new.

I spent half a day on Friday trying to figure out what is good, what might be a better choice, but I am just as confused now as going into it.

I am willing to spend up to $1500 on the tower, all peripherals will be on top of that cost.

Are there good computer deals at local shops to consider? I would prefer to pick it up versus online, but I am not opposed to online. I scoured Best Buy and Canada Computer and still don't know what I should really be looking for, so any help would be appreciated. Please and thanks.

[Jmac]

Memory Express seems pretty good. I've shopped at their Victoria location several times and been quite happy with the level of service and product knowledge that they have. Generally prices are comparable to Newegg and Amazon.

Probably looking at a Core i5 10000/Ryzen 5 3000 CPU, 16 GB RAM, 500 GB SSD, GTX 1660 Ti/RX 5600 XT graphics at that price range

[Zedbra]

I will check them out, thanks.

[roastpuff]

Yeah, Memory Express is probably your best bet. Are you looking to go custom, or pre-built?

EDIT: Also, what games do they play?

EDIT2: Made a parts list exclusively at Memory Express. Note that you can probably price beat quite a few items/find them elsewhere for a better deal. The regular Ryzen 5 3600 is out of stock otherwise that's a better choice than the 3600X. Windows 10 licenses can be bought elsewhere for cheaper than the $100ish that they charge.

[Zedbra]

I will go pre-built, for sure. I haven't put together a PC in over 25 years. They are not playing any games that require impressive fps rates, mostly Roblox and Fortnite.

I like the looks and build of this one, and it is in stock: https://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX00113638

[roastpuff]

If you're going pre-built, you could also look at Costco - they usually have Dell XPS gaming towers as well.

That Memory Express parts list I gave you - they can assemble it for an extra $50/100(?) charge as well, and test it to make sure everything is functioning.

[snowball]

It's worth it to get ME to build it for you.

You can probably save $150 on the memory, 32GB is kind of overkill and the kids aren't gonna need more than 16GB; and it's dirt cheap for 2666Mhz right now. Always room to expand later since that mobo has 4 slots.

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by snowball

It's worth it to get ME to build it for you.

You can probably save $150 on the memory, 32GB is kind of overkill and the kids aren't gonna need more than 16GB; and it's dirt cheap for 2666Mhz right now. Always room to expand later since that mobo has 4 slots.

Why bother with 2666 when 3200 is not more than $10 extra?

16GB is around $80, give or take. That list I gave is not optimized/price-matched yet, just what's available today and now. But I do feel it's better value rather than the MSI pre-built. Also, I prefer 1660 Super over RTX 2060 for most things, better value FPS per $.

[Zedbra]

I appreciate you going to the extent to detail all these items. I tried looking up a few items prior, got confused why there are so many variations of one product (like the RTX 2060 for example.

So if I want them to build one, I just call them with all of those parts? Or do I order online, then go and pick it up?

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by Zedbra

Or do I order online, then go and pick it up?

Yes.

In regards to the variations... it's like guns. It's like how you can have 15 different versions of the 1911 - different slides, triggers, barrels, optic rails etc. And they can be made by more than 1 company (i.e. you have RIA, Springfield, Kimber, Para-Ordnance, Colt, etc)

You can have different coolers on the video card, different layouts, different RGB lights... just some differentiation to create new product SKUs. And there can be more than one company making the card, and they all have similar features. So you when you look at an RTX2060, you can have one made by Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI, etc.

Do you need the computer urgently? Some parts which are out of stock at the moment might come back in stock in a week or two, and might be better value.

[Zedbra]

Originally Posted by roastpuff

Yes.

In regards to the variations... it's like guns. It's like how you can have 15 different versions of the 1911 - different slides, triggers, barrels, optic rails etc. And they can be made by more than 1 company (i.e. you have RIA, Springfield, Kimber, Para-Ordnance, Colt, etc)

You can have different coolers on the video card, different layouts, different RGB lights... just some differentiation to create new product SKUs. And there can be more than one company making the card, and they all have similar features. So you when you look at an RTX2060, you can have one made by Gigabyte, ASUS, MSI, etc.

Do you need the computer urgently? Some parts which are out of stock at the moment might come back in stock in a week or two, and might be better value.

My son's birthday is the 26th, and of course he would appreciate something by then, but he would also be willing to wait if we need to order something - that happens often with us.

If I should bump the budget a little more, I'm all ears.

[Zedbra]

So I tried to build one, I couldn't even find the RAM that you had listed. Built one, it was $1635. Plus operating system, build. I'll have to think this over.

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by Zedbra

My son's birthday is the 26th, and of course he would appreciate something by then, but he would also be willing to wait if we need to order something - that happens often with us.

If I should bump the budget a little more, I'm all ears.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/roa...d/#view=9zwzf7

Here's a list I curated using PC Partpicker, which automatically finds the lowest prices for these parts from a selection of merchants. I tried to match what was in stock at Memory Express, and found the lowest prices online to ask them to price match/beat. Using the comments above from snowball, I bumped the memory down to 16GB, and found a better looking case.

This PC would have the same or better performance than that MSI you showed, it just won't look as good. You can add some extra RGB fans if you want to look cooler, but I did not include it for this build.

Memory Express charges $50 for assembly and test, which is quite cheap.

EDIT: Forgot the RAM.

EDIT2: use the Memory Express SKU numbers (MX bla bla) for easy searching. Also, Windows is $10 on eBay, don't buy from the official store unless you really want a non-gray-market one.

[snowball]

1200 is an amazing price for a machine like that; these spoiled kids. Think Zedbra owes you the difference as commission

[6793026]

+1 on windows, i bought one for 10 bucks.. awesome.
same for MS office.

[Zedbra]

Put this together with roastpuff's help. I may still get that Asus case, though - I think my son would like it. Includes a monitor and iyt looks like two fans, but I just took two pics with the snipping tool and didn't take it out the second time.

[Manic!]

A couple of things. I would look at some case reviews on YouTube first. Then pick a case. I would also watch some YouTube videos on how to but a computer and build it as a family project. It's not the had and it's a good skill to have. You know you will eventually have to make a second one. What are you doing for a monitor, keyboard and mouse?

[Zedbra]

Monitor is in the list and they have Razor keyboards and mice already.

[Manic!]

Get this monitor instead and use the extra money for a better GPU. https://www.canadacomputers.com/prod...item_id=134071

[SkinnyPupp]

If it's just for gaming, I wonder if it would be better to get one of the new consoles when they come out. A $500 XBOX or PS5 will have way better performance than all but the most expensive PC's

[roastpuff]

Costco has some 27" 144hz LG monitors for like $269 or 299 too, save the extra cash instead of a 240hz monitor.

[SkinnyPupp]

But if you're intent on a PC, I would say skip the 240 Hz monitor and go with a 144 Hz with freesync, and get the best GPU you can afford. You will not be hitting 240 FPS with a midrange, but the important part is having variable refresh. With a midrange you'd probably be playing at 1080p most of the time as well, so you don't need a high res monitor.

Also just use the stock CPU cooler and with the monitor change, you just added $200 to your GPU budget.

Make sure the motherboard you buy has the bios that supports the new CPUs. I made that mistake and got stuck with a motherboard that can't be updated since I don't have an old CPU to use it with. Some support no-CPU upgrades.

[Zedbra]

Well, I ordered it last night, they called me today, I was in there at 2pm to pay for the system and I just got called about half an hour ago that the computer is built already. I did ask for it to be done by next Tuesday to be ready for my son's birthday and wow - 3 hours later.

Anyways, about the monitor - I actually liked it for the adjustments in the screen, as my youngest son uses this on a lower table from where he sits (he prefers it that way). For a 10 year old, I think he will be happy. I honestly don;t know much about how these components all work, but I would like to thank roastpuff for his assistance and willingness to help.

All I have left to do is figure out the $10 Windows key thing. At ME, they want $150 for Windows.

[Jmac]

Originally Posted by SkinnyPupp

But if you're intent on a PC, I would say skip the 240 Hz monitor and go with a 144 Hz with freesync, and get the best GPU you can afford. You will not be hitting 240 FPS with a midrange, but the important part is having variable refresh. With a midrange you'd probably be playing at 1080p most of the time as well, so you don't need a high res monitor.

Also just use the stock CPU cooler and with the monitor change, you just added $200 to your GPU budget.

Make sure the motherboard you buy has the bios that supports the new CPUs. I made that mistake and got stuck with a motherboard that can't be updated since I don't have an old CPU to use it with. Some support no-CPU upgrades.

When I built a PC for my friend earlier this year, Memory Express offered to install everything on the motherboard (CPU, HSF, RAM, SSD, GPU) and update the bios for no charge.

[Jmac]

Originally Posted by Zedbra

Well, I ordered it last night, they called me today, I was in there at 2pm to pay for the system and I just got called about half an hour ago that the computer is built already. I did ask for it to be done by next Tuesday to be ready for my son's birthday and wow - 3 hours later.

Anyways, about the monitor - I actually liked it for the adjustments in the screen, as my youngest son uses this on a lower table from where he sits (he prefers it that way). For a 10 year old, I think he will be happy. I honestly don;t know much about how these components all work, but I would like to thank roastpuff for his assistance and willingness to help.

All I have left to do is figure out the $10 Windows key thing. At ME, they want $150 for Windows.

You're not going to find an officially-licensed copy of Windows for anywhere near $10 at a retailer. They'll only be able to sell OEM or retail copies ($100+), whereas the cheap keys are either surplus (see below) or counterfeit.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews...heap,5717.html

If you can’t stand living with the scarlet letter of an eternal watermark or want the comfort of knowing Microsoft won’t disown your PC’s OS should you call for help, you’ll have to buy a Windows 10 key. And while some turn to Microsoft for this purchase, there are third-party websites selling keys for much cheaper than Microsoft. For example, at the time of writing, Kinguin sells Windows 10 Home for about $40, PCDestination has it for $44.99, Amazon charges $129.99, Newegg's pushing it for $109.99 and even Walmart has it for $199.95, as well as a Pro OEM version for $87.99.

Now, let's address the elephant in the room. While we can't vouch for all of them, websites selling lower-priced Windows keys are likely selling legitimate codes. One popular site, Kinguin, has 37 merchants worldwide selling Windows keys. Mark Jordan, Kinguin’s VP of communications, told me that their merchants acquire the codes from wholesalers who have surplus copies of Windows they don't need.

"It's not a gray market. It would be like buying Adidas or Puma or Nike from a discounter, from TJ Maxx," Jordan said. "There are no legal issues with buying it from us. It's just another marketplace."

According to Jordan, Kinguin's merchants have sold “several hundred thousand” keys and are not one-time sellers posting listings for codes they don’t want. As part of its fraud protection, a Kinguin employee randomly buys a key “every now and then” to make sure they’re legitimate, he said. Jordan added that it’s rare for a customer to get a key that’s been resold, but if they did, customer support would help them get a new one for free.

“If there's ever a problem with a key being already activated or something like that, our customer support team helps you get a new key… And that merchant would be in deep trouble, so they are very careful with it,” Jordan said.

You'll have to enter a key to activate Windows, but you won’t have a problem doing that if you bought your key from a place like Kinguin (or Amazon, Newegg, etc.). In fact, Microsoft still offers 24/7 technical support online and via phone even if you got your Windows 10 key from somewhere other than Microsoft.

If you do opt to get your key for less, make sure it’s from a legitimate site. A hint will be if that key is too cheap -- i.e. free or close to free. And, as with anything else, if you haven't heard of a seller, check their ratings or go elsewhere.

No matter where you get your product key, you shouldn't download Windows 10 from anyone besides Microsoft. As noted on Microsoft’s website: “When buying Microsoft software as a digital download, we recommend that you avoid auction sites and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing sites. At the moment there are a limited number of sites where you can legally purchase digital downloads of Microsoft software.”

“Genuine Windows is published by Microsoft, properly licensed and supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner. Non-genuine software results in a higher risk of malware, fraud, public exposure of your personal information and a higher risk for poor performance or feature malfunctions,” Microsoft added in a statement to Tom's Hardware.

Downsides of Cheap Keys
These non-Microsoft websites have varying return policies for software key purchases. While Kinguin seems to have an open return policy, PCDestination returns can only happen if the key can’t be activated and have to be requested within 60 days.

Meanwhile, Amazon and Newegg both have no-refund policies for software keys. Amazon claims all keys sold on its site are genuine, and any gripes you have with your key must be handled by the individual vendors. If a key you bought from Newegg doesn’t work, you'll have to contact Newegg’s product support team to get a new key.

Still, most, if not all, sites seem willing to accommodate you should you get a key that’s already been used or doesn’t work. Again, just make sure you’re buying your key from a legitimate source. For that reason we don’t recommend buying Windows 10 keys from individual sellers (or illegally).

This final downside is only applicable if you want to equip your PC with Windows 10 Pro for Workstations. While I was able to find Windows 10 Home on a number of genuine key-selling websites and Windows 10 Pro on some (although fewer) websites, I couldn’t find a place to download a key for Windows 10 Pro for Workstations anywhere besides Microsoft (Amazon sells it to ship for $293.83). The most advanced and pricey ($309) member of the Windows 10 clan, Windows 10 Pro for Workstations offers “support for the next generation of PC hardware, up to four CPUs and 6TB of memory,” according to Microsoft’s website. But it’s unlikely you’ll need the juggernaut of Windows 10 for your personal machine.