Needing some input on purchasing a gaming pc for our teenage son. I do not know really anything about them. What specs to look for, where to buy, online or at a store (live in NW Houston), etc. He has been playing games thru his PS5 and wants to get a pc. Thanks for any feedback and suggestions.

I think most people will first ask you if you want to buy a pre-built PC or build your own. If you don't want to build your own I believe you can pick your parts you want specifically from Microcenter and they will build it for you in the store for a fee. So that way at least gives you some customizability without having to ttry and build it and get it working yourself.

Also it will depend heavily on your budget, but also don't forget to include peripherals in your budget (keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers/headset, etc.)

What games will he play on PC? What monitor do you have or will you buy a new one with the pc?

You can always also look at a Steam Deck if he's not looking for the latest AAA games. You can plug it into a TV like a switch and he can take it on the go. That's a MUCH cheaper entry point than any prebuilt PC as well.

What type of budget did you have in mind?

Fortnite and other similar type games, plus a few he has purchased copies himself for his ps5. He has a Dell 27 curved gaming monitor, keyboard, headset and speakers that he has had plugged into his ps5. Not knowing what to really expect to pay. A friend of his showed him one on Amazon. It included a mouse and keyboard and read the following in the description…… Xtreme VR Gaming PC, Intel Core i7-13700F 2.1GHz, GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB, 16GB DDR5, 1TB NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi Ready & Windows 11 Home (GXiVR8040A14). Again, not knowing what I'm getting into, it was listed for 1,200.
I'd prefer pre-built since I don't know much about computers. Just one he can play his games on an do school work, too.

btalking said:

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Fortnite and other similar type games, plus a few he has purchased copies himself for his ps5. He has a Dell 27 curved gaming monitor, keyboard, headset and speakers that he has had plugged into his ps5. Not knowing what to really expect to pay. A friend of his showed him one on Amazon. It included a mouse and keyboard and read the following in the description…… Xtreme VR Gaming PC, Intel Core i7-13700F 2.1GHz, GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB, 16GB DDR5, 1TB NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi Ready & Windows 11 Home (GXiVR8040A14). Again, not knowing what I'm getting into, it was listed for 1,200.
I'd prefer pre-built since I don't know much about computers. Just one he can play his games on an do school work, too.

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Here is a much better deal at the Houston microcenter. They have 25+ in stock. It will easily handle all those games and many more for years to come. The 3080 can run the newest games on pretty high settings without much issue. Do you know if his monitor is 1080p or 1440p or higher?

https://www.microcenter.com/product/668360/asus-rog-strix-ga15-g15dk-ga15dk-mb786-gaming-pc

Only complaint i see is the case runs hot. Ill check around some more too.

FatZilla said:

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btalking said:

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Fortnite and other similar type games, plus a few he has purchased copies himself for his ps5. He has a Dell 27 curved gaming monitor, keyboard, headset and speakers that he has had plugged into his ps5. Not knowing what to really expect to pay. A friend of his showed him one on Amazon. It included a mouse and keyboard and read the following in the description…… Xtreme VR Gaming PC, Intel Core i7-13700F 2.1GHz, GeForce RTX 4060 Ti 16GB, 16GB DDR5, 1TB NVMe SSD, Wi-Fi Ready & Windows 11 Home (GXiVR8040A14). Again, not knowing what I'm getting into, it was listed for 1,200.
I'd prefer pre-built since I don't know much about computers. Just one he can play his games on an do school work, too.

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Here is a much better deal at the Houston microcenter. They have 25+ in stock. It will easily handle all those games and many more for years to come. The 3080 can run the newest games on pretty high settings without much issue. Do you know if his monitor is 1080p or 1440p or higher?

https://www.microcenter.com/product/668360/asus-rog-strix-ga15-g15dk-ga15dk-mb786-gaming-pc

Only complaint i see is the case runs hot. Ill check around some more too.

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I'd appreciate any recommendation you can offer.
Regarding the monitor he has, the model number is S2721HGF. Specs say it's full HD (1080p) 1920x1080 at 144 Hz

Another option would be -

https://www.microcenter.com/product/676227/powerspec-g518-gaming-pc

This has a better processor than the one Fatzilla linked but with a worse (but newer) graphics card, too bad you can't customize that.

I recommend this because you should be able to get away with a GPU swap in a few years to extend the life system, where as i think the regular 5800x might not age as well.

There is also this system that is 200 cheaper:

https://www.microcenter.com/product/676226/powerspec-g517-gaming-pc

it has the same good CPU, roughly comparable GPU but less RAM and smaller SSD (all which can easily be upgraded cheaply)

Here is another option. Slight downgrade to a 3070 and a 5600x but is $100 cheaper and has a case with no cooling issues. It will still power through games at 1080p with no issues.

https://skytechgaming.com/product/chronos-amd-ryzen-5-5600x-nvidia-geforce-rtx-8gb-1tb-m-2-nvme-ssd-16gb-ram/


The 40 series cards are just not great for the price, this gens performance was subpar vs the 30 series.

These are all good recommendations.

The only thing I would ad is for someone that isn't as familiar with computers it would be much easier to upgrade a GPU as opposed to adding storage or ram. I also find that it's easy to find good condition used GPUs on eBay when looking to upgrade in the future. Especially if it sounds like he won't be playing graphic intensive games at 1080p.

There is still the option to build a pc too, it can be a fun activity to do with the kid. Plenty of youtube videos showing step by step what to do and most mobo manuals today are pretty good in showing what plugs in where. We can definitely get you a better system this way if you're up to it. Let us know and it will be pcpartpicker.com time.

I also forget to say check out Reddit r/buildmeapc, plenty of people on there doing the same thing you're doing, make your own post or just read what they have to say

I second this. It's not difficult at all and a good project for y'all to do

FatZilla said:

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There is still the option to build a pc too, it can be a fun activity to do with the kid. Plenty of youtube videos showing step by step what to do and most mobo manuals today are pretty good in showing what plugs in where. We can definitely get you a better system this way if you're up to it. Let us know and it will be pcpartpicker.com time.

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My 15 year old did this a couple of years ago - I'll admit that my knowledge was/is very low about this stuff, but he had been planning this for years, done all the research, etc. A few trusted adults that he spoke with told me that he had a pretty good plan with everything considered and was building a good machine to have.

He put it together 100% by himself and leaned on his uncle (a Microsoft "MVP") for minimal assistance in tuning it up to run efficiently.

His 13 year old brother now has the bug as the XBox is dragging, so we may have a couple of custom rigs in our house soon.

This is all good information. Thank you all for sharing.

https://slickdeals.net/f/17586075-lenovo-legion-tower-5i-g8-i7-14700f-rtx-4070-ti-super-32gb-ddr5-1tb-ssd-1660-49?src=foryou_recombee&prop=rcmid-7046f424063db7d3ea234fac8fbbc7d4&attrsrc=b2b697%3Atype%3Aorganic%7Cb2b697%3Atab%3Aforyou%7Cb2b697%3Athreadid%3A17586075%7Cb2b697%3Avariant%3ANo-Featured-Deals%7Cb2b697%3Aposition%3A54

I bought a slightly different version of this and have been very happy.

I sold my legion 5 pro laptop for a desktop and it's blazing fast.

FWIW, purchased the Asus. After playing a game on it, with no intake fans and only one exhaust fan it ran hot and loud. Ended up taking it back the next day and swapping it for the white powerspec. Although it doesn't have an exhaust fan, the 2 intake fans made a big difference keeping it cool (and much quieter). Pleased so far. Thanks again all for the input. Gig em.