My two boys 8 and 9 want a 'gaming computer' for the oldest's bday next month.

I'm waaaay out of the computer game; used to buy parts and put them together back in college in late 90s/ early 00s from newegg.. but have had laptops the last 20+ years.

I'm deciding between just finding a used one, vs piece together (probably the least likely), vs buy one off shelf.

My older one made a short list based on some YT videos he's watched... don't think he got too much into the spec world, but he says he wants I5, 32gb of ram, and most importantly, he wants the clear case with colors.

They are playing mine craft, roblox.. not sure how big the computing needs are of those.

I came across this on marketplace,
Case - Corsair Spec-Omega
CPU - i7-6600K
GPU - EVGA 3060TI SSC
Motherboard - Asus Z170-A
Memory - 16GB DDR4
Storage - Samsung 970 Evo Plus 250GB
Cooler - 360MM DeepCool AIO
PSU - Corsair 650M

listed for $650. my kid absolutely loves red and this is right up his alley...





Pricing those components out, I'm coming up to like $1500.. so seems like a good deal? It looks really clean.

never bought a computer used, is it standard to have the seller have the unit up and running so I can see it?

Any overall suggestions for me?

This is approx value of the components.

Case - Corsair Spec-Omega. $50-$70
CPU - i7-6600K $125
GPU - EVGA 3060TI SSC.$225
Motherboard - Asus Z170-A.$100
Memory - 16GB DDR4. $30
Storage - Samsung 970 Evo Plus 250GB. $65
Cooler - 360MM DeepCool AIO. $50-$75
PSU - Corsair 650M $75

Assuming it has Windows 10 Home $120

Value $840

Worth it, maybe. Things to be leary about. It's a used machine, so the power supply, aio cooler could fail at any moment. You could be inheriting a problem machine. Everything is out of warranty. The machine is getting long in the tooth. You are basically putting a decent down payment for the sellers new machine.

The SSD is too small, especially for a gaming Machine.

Personality I would take the opportunity and buy the components from Amazon and Newegg and do a project with my kids. Plenty of YouTube videos to help you over any confusion, or post here.

If you want I or someone can recommend components to DYI a custom built 62Strat Gaming Machine for a reasonable price.

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If you want I or someone can recommend components to DYI a custom built 62Strat Gaming Machine for a reasonable price.

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this would help. I am up for the task of buying all the parts and assembling together with my kids. I did a few in college and I'm guessing the overall assembling concepts hasn't changed much.

I just need to make sure I'm buying components that work together.

AmC_OldSarge said:

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This is approx value of the components.

Case - Corsair Spec-Omega. $50-$70
CPU - i7-6600K $125 $70
GPU - EVGA 3060TI SSC.$225 $200
Motherboard - Asus Z170-A.$100 $70
Memory - 16GB DDR4. $30
Storage - Samsung 970 Evo Plus 250GB. $65
Cooler - 360MM DeepCool AIO. $50-$75
PSU - Corsair 650M $75

Assuming it has Windows 10 Home $120 You can get a Windows license for like 20 bucks

Value $840 ~$650

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Quick look at eBay and your values seem a little high. All the individual parts added up are probably worth ~$650, but it would be very tough for me to spend that much on a 6th gen Intel system. Windows 11 does not support intel cpus older than 8th gen, and Windows 10 support ends next year.

Probably wouldn't be to difficult to find something with at least a 10th gen intel cpu somewhere around that same price range.

62strat said:

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Quote:

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If you want I or someone can recommend components to DYI a custom built 62Strat Gaming Machine for a reasonable price.

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this would help. I am up for the task of buying all the parts and assembling together with my kids. I did a few in college and I'm guessing the overall assembling concepts hasn't changed much.

I just need to make sure I'm buying components that work together.

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I would recommend this website.

https://pcpartpicker.com/

Helps you pick compatible parts and then also shows price comparisons.

I would recommend Amazon and NewEgg for most of the parts, unless someone like B&H Photo or Best Buy has some killer rebate or something.

aggiez03 said:

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62strat said:

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Quote:

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If you want I or someone can recommend components to DYI a custom built 62Strat Gaming Machine for a reasonable price.

---

this would help. I am up for the task of buying all the parts and assembling together with my kids. I did a few in college and I'm guessing the overall assembling concepts hasn't changed much.

I just need to make sure I'm buying components that work together.

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I would recommend this website.

https://pcpartpicker.com/

Helps you pick compatible parts and then also shows price comparisons.

I would recommend Amazon and NewEgg for most of the parts, unless someone like B&H Photo or Best Buy has some killer rebate or something.

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I like this site, but there are way too many options for someone who doesn't really know what I'm looking at.
I can dial down to an intel i5 CPU, and the list is still really long.

Budget is $500

62strat said:

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aggiez03 said:

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62strat said:

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Quote:

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If you want I or someone can recommend components to DYI a custom built 62Strat Gaming Machine for a reasonable price.

---

this would help. I am up for the task of buying all the parts and assembling together with my kids. I did a few in college and I'm guessing the overall assembling concepts hasn't changed much.

I just need to make sure I'm buying components that work together.

---

I would recommend this website.

https://pcpartpicker.com/

Helps you pick compatible parts and then also shows price comparisons.

I would recommend Amazon and NewEgg for most of the parts, unless someone like B&H Photo or Best Buy has some killer rebate or something.

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I like this site, but there are way too many options for someone who doesn't really know what I'm looking at.
I can dial down to an intel i5 CPU, and the list is still really long.

Budget is $500

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If you click on the Completed Builds tab, it'll take you to, you guessed it, builds completed by others. You can set budget and other criteria and see what others have done.

Any comments on this build? Also, what would you change to reduce it by ~$75?

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/GPkbFs

Are you near a Microcenter? Their bundles are tough to beat.

$259.99 - Intel Core i5-12600KF, MSI Z790-P Pro WiFi DDR4, G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4-3200 Kit, Computer Build Bundle

Upgrade on the CPU and motherboard for ~$34 less.

You can also find used GTX 1650's for ~$75, if you're not opposed to buying used stuff.

boy09 said:

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Are you near a Microcenter? Their bundles are tough to beat.

$259.99 - Intel Core i5-12600KF, MSI Z790-P Pro WiFi DDR4, G.Skill Ripjaws V 16GB DDR4-3200 Kit, Computer Build Bundle

Upgrade on the CPU and motherboard for ~$34 less.

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actually I am.. damn maybe I'll stop by on the way home. Might help to talk to one of those nerds in person too.

62strat said:

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Any comments on this build? Also, what would you change to reduce it by ~$75?

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/GPkbFs

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I would use some of the bundle savings to get a 1tb m.2 instead of a 500. With the os on the drive and todays game sizes, that wont leave room for many newer games. Either that or keep it 500 but only use for os and program installs while getting a cheap 1-2tb sata SSD for game storage.

The mobo price seems a bit high too. See this part list with a gfx card mentioned below, swapped out a few parts with better options and reduced the cost. Swapped mobo (way cheaper), ram (faster and cheaper 3600 vs 3200, both cl16) and power supply (650 vs 550, gold rating and cheaper) .
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/CXtrz6

Also a 1650 wont get too far into future and a rx580 out performs it for a similar price. Used around 50-60, brand new for 90 on Amazon/newegg.
https://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1650-vs-AMD-RX-580/4039vs3923

RX 580 at $88.99
https://a.co/d/6AUj65p

But any budget you have after your base parts should go towards the gpu.

I got a really good deal on a new computer there yesterday.