Budget gaming PC build for the kids

Robert Rodriguez2 said:I think we're forgetting that this is really for kids who don't actually need anything beefier than an NVIDIA GTX 1060 and a Ryzen 5 1600/2600 for 1080p gaming...

Everything they need can probably fit under the original budget. I guess I'd rather just go with the NVIDIA GTX 1060 now, and then maybe in three years when the warranty runs out, I'll swap it for something similar in that same tier.

I'm actually thinking along those same lines, I was just looking at putting something together like this.

http://prntscr.com/ljkosf

That would be about $700 if paying cash, or maybe $750 for cards. Since I'm skipping the graphics card for now, I'm saving enough to grab that monitor we were talking about earlier.🤷

It's pretty easy to just pick up a better GPU later on if it turns out we need one, right? 🤷 😁

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Adam Williams2, just take crimsonstag84's build but swap the 240GB SSD for a 500GB one instead, and that should do it. For kids, there's really no point going higher or more expensive than that. Later on, once they grow up a bit and want to play heavier games on the same setup, you'll be able to just upgrade the CPU and the GPU without having to touch anything else.

See, they're playing Fortnite and stuff like COD or FIFA on a PlayStation right now. I know the graphics won't ever be top-tier, but my main goal is just making sure it doesn't lag—if that makes sense. I mean, watching them try to play together on that old Acer laptop is rough; it stutters constantly even on the lowest settings. I just want to avoid that. If crimsonstag84's build allows for smooth, stutter-free gameplay, then that’s perfect for the next few years and I'll probably pull the trigger on it immediately.😁

Adam Williams2 said:I'm looking at the same setup myself. Thinking about pulling the trigger on this combo.

http://prntscr.com/ljkosf

That’s roughly $7,200 cash, or $7,700 on credit. Skipping the GPU saves me about $600—just enough to grab that monitor we talked about earlier.🤷

The graphics card is an easy fix later. Buy a better one tomorrow if I need to.🤷 😁

Seems right to me. You don't even need a separate CPU cooler unless you're pushing it too hard. Those Ryzen 1600 and 2600 chips come with decent coolers that'll handle stock speeds just fine.

Adam Williams2 said:I'm thinking along the same lines, actually looking at grabbing something like this

http://prntscr.com/ljkosf

That’s about $7,200 cash, or $7,700 on credit. By skipping the GPU right now, I’m saving roughly $600, which covers that monitor we talked about earlier.🤷

I can always pick up a card later if I need more muscle. It's not a big deal.🤷 😁

Look, kids play Fortnite, COD, and FIFA on consoles these days. A GPU is never going to be "perfect," but my goal isn't high-end graphics—it's stability. I just don't want the system stuttering. If you get what I mean. Watching them try to play on this old Acer laptop is painful; everything freezes constantly, even on low settings. I just want to avoid that. If crimsonstag84's build provides smooth, lag-free gameplay, then that's the one. I'll pull the trigger on it immediately.😁

Keep in mind a desktop and a laptop at the same price point aren't even in the same league; the desktop wins every time. As for smoothness? You won't have an issue there. Honestly, if anything causes trouble, it'll probably be a weak Wi-Fi connection rather than the PC itself.

Honestly, just grab a beefier GPU instead of dumping cash on an extra 8GB of RAM.
Most games out there today won't even touch those extra sticks, and the few that actually demand it? They’re usually just unoptimized, buggy garbage. It's honestly pathetic—you should probably just boycott them altogether. These devs have clearly decided they'd rather line their pockets than actually do their jobs properly. 😁

It seems like stepping up from an NVIDIA GTX 1060 costs an extra $150 or so, just to get $167 8GB of VRAM.

You'll definitely need a cooler for the 1600X since it doesn't include one, so maybe grab a Freezer 33 for $63 about $30.

Peter Green said:Better to grab a better GPU than an extra 8GB of RAM.
99% of games nowadays don't need more than that, and the ones that do are just unoptimized garbage you should boycott anyway because developers decided to chase a paycheck instead of actually doing their jobs properly. 😁

You don't need a beefy GPU for 1080p.
I run Fortnite at 1440p around 75FPS using the same card, almost all Epic Games settings.
Better to invest in components where you'll actually feel the difference—parts that won't need replacing constantly. A 500GB SSD is a much smarter move for daily life, and it's only a few bucks more. You can actually install stuff on it, whereas on a 240GB drive, macOS takes up a huge chunk and you're left with zero breathing room.

Whatever GPU you pick, it's going to be obsolete first. That's just how hardware works. You swap the GPU in a year or two if you have to. In three years, a card in the same tier will be way cheaper, but the rest of the platform stays relevant.

BTW, people rarely upgrade monitors, so better to spend on a decent screen now rather than cheaping out just to get a GPU that's total overkill for your resolution.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Adam Williams2, just take crimsonstag84's build and swap the 240GB SSD for a 500GB one, and that's it. Nothing stronger or more expensive is needed for kids. Later on, when they grow up and want to play something serious on the same board, they can just upgrade the CPU and GPU without touching anything else.

👍👍👍

crimsonstag84 said:It’s just that stepping up from an NVIDIA GTX 1060 costs me an extra $1,500 or so, and you get the 8GB $167.

You'll definitely need a cooler for the 1600X since it doesn't come with one included, so maybe grab a Freezer 33 for $63.

I guess, is that 1600 actually better than the 2600 build you put together, or 🤷

Actually, the 2600 is a bit faster. I can't quite remember which exact one I listed 😬 ...but since the price is pretty reasonable compared to the 1600X now, you might as well just grab the 2600 model.

crimsonstag84 said:Not really, the 2600 is a bit faster. I can't quite remember which one I picked 😬 ...but since the price is pretty reasonable compared to the 1600X now, you could probably just go with the 2600 model.

You used the 2600 while the other guy went with the 1600, and there isn't a huge difference between them, so that's why I was asking 😁

So, if I end up getting the 2600, I guess I don't need the Corsair Hydro Series, right? Since that's a CPU cooler and this one comes with its own, did I get that right? Or maybe I should still grab it just in case? I'm not sure if it's actually necessary or not. 🤷

Adam Williams2 said:one guy went with a 2600 and another picked the 1600 and there wasn't much difference, so that's why I'm asking 😁

So if I grab the 2600, I don't need the Cooler Master Hyper 212, right? Since that's a CPU cooler and this one comes with its own? Did I get that right? Or is it still worth buying the extra one? Is it even necessary? 🤷

You got it.

The stock cooler included with the processor will be perfectly fine.

If you're planning on overclocking, then yeah, grab a better cooler. But if you aren't messing with that, you won't notice any real difference.

P.S.

The cooler coming with the Ryzen 5 is actually a step down from the one paired with the 1600.
You won't notice much difference in gaming on the Ryzen 5, especially if you aren't overclocking, but let's be real—the F-117 Nighthawk included here isn't anything to write home about.
Bottom line: in most scenarios, there won't be a massive difference. But in specific cases—like if your room is running hot—you might feel it, and that stock cooler could get pretty loud.

wiredotter14 said:P.S.

The cooler that comes with the Ryzen 5 is actually kind of worse than the one they gave us with the 1600.
I guess you won't really notice much while gaming on the Ryzen 5, especially if you aren't overclocking, but that F-117 Nighthawk included with it isn't exactly top-tier.
Basically, there probably won't be a huge difference most of the time, though maybe in some cases it could matter, especially if your room is warm... plus the stock cooler might get a bit louder.

The way you're talking makes me sound like someone who's definitely going to overclock. 😬

So, I was wondering, if I did end up getting an extra cooler, how does that work? Like, do you mount it onto the one already there, or do you just take the old one off? 🤷

Adam Williams2 said:I’m just trying to sound like someone who actually knows how to overclock here.😬

So, basically, if I grab an extra cooler, what's the deal? Does it mount onto the current one, or does the old one have to go?🤷

If you buy it all from one place, they'll usually put it together for free—assuming you're shopping at Google or something similar, right? So don't sweat the assembly.
https://www.google.com/search?q=computer+parts

The second cooler replaces the stock one. With Intel chips, the mounting process is pretty much identical to the stock setup.

With something like a Ryzen 5, you won't really lose much performance without overclocking anyway. The 2000 series handles clock speeds way better out of the box than the 1000 series did.

I guess swapping out the cooler might be a bit overkill for that specific series? 😁

So, looking at what you mentioned, if I buy everything as a bundle from them, they'll put it together, right? But what if I pick out each component individually? Does anyone actually offer a warranty on those custom builds, or am I basically losing all my protection if I assemble it myself? How does that even work? 🤷

Every single component you purchase comes with its own individual warranty, so there's really nothing to worry about regarding who handles the assembly or when it happens.

Adam Williams2 said:Mostly, swapping out the cooler would just be overkill for that series, wouldn't it? 😁

So, you're looking at that guy's point—okay. They’ll give you a deal if you buy the whole rig from them. But what happens if I just pick out individual components? Does anyone actually honor a warranty on a custom build like that? If I go my own way, am I basically throwing my warranty out the window? How does that actually work? 🤷

Look, there’s no harm in upgrading. A better cooler would give the processor more breathing room to hit higher clock speeds during heavy loads—especially once summer hits and things start heating up. Plus, the one being suggested wouldn't be nearly as loud.
You might notice it in some of those heavy CPU-intensive titles. Fortnite isn't exactly pushing the limits that hard.

I'd personally go with a better cooler.

Not necessarily.
If you aren't using your PC for pro stuff—like heavy video editing or anything like that—the difference is going to be pretty negligible. It only really matters in a few specific cases.

Here’s how it plays out: you start chasing specs like a maniac, and before you know it, you’ve dropped a fortune on a bottom-tier rig that's actually worse than what you could've gotten if you just played it smart. 😁

Peter Green said:If you start this way, you'll just end up paying more for a worse rig. 😁

🤔

?

Peter Green said:The way this is going, you'll probably end up buying a worse PC for more money in the long run. 😁

Actually, that's not really true, look at

https://prnt.sc/ljnxlb

It's basically the same setup as the one from Best Buy, I just bumped up the SSD specs. If I were to add a cooler, the price would go up even more, and if I added a monitor, I'd be looking at the price of a higher-end case anyway. I guess, whatever. Saving about $300 isn't exactly nothing, $100 so I think it's worth it. 😁

Adam Williams2 said:not really, look at

https://prnt.sc/ljnxlb

it's just like the Spectra build, I just bumped up the SSD specs. If I beef it up with the cooler, the price climbs even higher—add a monitor and I'm basically paying for the high-end chassis alone. Whatever. Saving $300 isn't nothing. $100 😁

👍 👍 👍 👍

optimal

btw, it's not $100, it's 189 for the cooler

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/...28a&code=11568