Low cost gaming PC, what do you think?

[SimonPeters116]

A friend of mine wants to upgrade to a new computer, so I've come up with this spec.
She wants to play Elder Scrolls Oblivion and her present computer won't do it.
She's a major Elder Scrolls Online fan, been playing it for years.
She needs it to be cheap, this meets her budget, with £100 ish spare.
She'll be buying the new computer as a present to herself in a month or so's time
I'll get her a monitor for her birthday. I'm thinking this one.
MSI G274QPF-E2 Quad HD 27" IPS Gaming Monitor - Black

Her kids will be getting her present computer.

I'm aware this is AM4, so future upgrades will have to be another new build, although there is some CPU and GPU head room.
An AIO is probably ott, but will also allow for a future cpu upgrade? Or is it just totally OTT?
Is that gpu good for 1440p with this usage in mind? I'm not too sure
PCS configurator has told me that a 550W PCS is more than adequate, but I've opted for a 650W.
I had gone for an 850W, but dropped it to 650 after seeing the spend warning.

Case
CORSAIR 3000D AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600T Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.5GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
2GB MSI GEFORCE 710 - DVI, HDMI, VGA
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR, 1625MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CRUCIAL P310 GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 7100MB/sR, 6000MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RMe SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR NAUTILUS 240 RS ARGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,024.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-home-office/bcvbtFWX4R/

 

[TonyCarter]

There's no gaming GPU in that build (and the GPU could be the most expensive part of the build), so what are your expectations for FPS on that 1440p monitor? That GPU is basically only good enough to give you basic display outputs on a business machine - there is no gaming potential in it (except maybe at 720p low settings). A modern APU/iGPU would be more powerful, but still not good enough for 1440p gaming.

Also, the only CPU upgrade available for that platform is likely to be the 5700X3D.

That PSU is fine for the build as it is, because both the CPU and GPU are quite low power, but you'd never be able to put a modern gaming GPU / CPU in there as there wouldn't be enough headroom.

A lot of these choice now basically mean you'd need a complete new build when you need to upgrade...as the RAM, motherboard and PSU would have to be replaced anyway.

Current 1440p builds are coming in at £2100+...but this includes a much more powerful CPU, GPU, PSU and other components to go with it. 1080p builds are coming in at £1700+.

Part of these prices are due to supply issues & greed on the manufacturer's part, partly due to Trump tariffs, and partly due to inflation.

 

[SimonPeters116]

The configurater changed my GPU choice, or, more likely, I didn't do correctly.
I intended to put an 8GB AMD RX 7600 in. With that in the build, that's her budget, with £100 spare if needed.

Her budget is extremely limited. I've already warned her of the limitations of an AM4 build.
And that any upgrade to it is very limited. She'd be looking at a completely new build realistically, in the future.

 

[TonyCarter]

I can't see the original price for the original build as some components are now out of stock.

But this is about as low as I can get on the current gen platform, which makes it easier to upgrade in future...but of course the PSU is the limiting factor for any beefy GPU.

I'd still class it as a 1080p build really.

Case
CORSAIR 3000D AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core CPU (4.0GHz-5.2GHz/38MB CACHE/AM5) - much better performing CPU, more efficient and on the newer platform
Motherboard
GIGABYTE B850M D3HP (mATX, AM5, DDR5, M.2 PCIe 5.0) - newer platform will allow upgrades, rather than replacement
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR5 6000MHz CL30 (2 x 16GB) - could save a few £ going for slower, but not a big difference in cost for potential loss of performance...and staying with this would mean no need to ever upgrade the RAM
Graphics Card
8GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7600 GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP - it's a toss up between this and the 12GB Intel B580 for similar price/performance
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB CORSAIR ELITE MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 7000 MB/R, 6200 MB/W) - really don't want a slow, gen3 PCS drive here
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W) - the Crucial P310 is not showing for me
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RMe SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD - will be the limiting factor for future upgraded
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 200 Series High Performance CPU Cooler - will be plenty for that CPU
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
ONBOARD 2.5Gbe LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,410.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am5-pc/zN68upjbe9/

 

[SimonPeters116]

Thanks for that Tony.
This is essentially what I came up with initially, but 1400 is far to high over budget for her.
So I had another go with an AM4 platform, and got just over £1100 with that ^ one. (AMD 7600 GPU).
£1100 (+ or - £100) but she'd be squeaking, her budget is so tight.

I think her best bet is this build, with a loan, I'd up the PSU to 750, if she goes this route.
May as well have a slightly bigger loan, to get a slightly closer to optimum computer.

 

[TonyCarter]

This is what your original config came out at for me, once I'd added back in the GPU and second SSD, so didn't think £1410 was too far off considering you said there was another £100 of budget

Case
CORSAIR 3000D AIRFLOW MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 5600T Six Core CPU (3.7GHz-4.5GHz/35MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B550-PLUS (AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
16GB PCS PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB GIGABYTE RADEON™ RX 7600 GAMING OC - 2 x HDMI, 2 x DP
1st M.2 SSD Drive
512GB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR, 1625MB/sW)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB CORSAIR CORE XT MP600 NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 5000 MB/R, 4400 MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
4TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 128MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W RMe SERIES™ ATX 3.1, MODULAR, CYBENETICS GOLD
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
CORSAIR NAUTILUS 240 RS ARGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU COOLER
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (6 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 6 to 8 working days
Price: £1,269.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-home-office/gAuqTk83dz/

 

[SimonPeters116]

Thanks very much for your time and insight.
I'll try to convince her to go for this one, but she'll be reluctant to spend 1400.
Do you think it's worth upping the PSU to a 750? Or would 850 be optimum?
It's 20 each step, but as we're well over budget anyway.........

 

[TonyCarter]

Well, it's an ATX3.1 PSU, so has more headroom than the CX650 PSUs. The limitation will become apparent if/when the GPU is upgraded...as the current 1440p GPUs (9070XT and 5070Ti) recommend 850W PSUs.

So it's either spend the extra £20-£40 now, or spend £150 when a GPU upgrade is required.

 

[AccidentalDenz]

I don't know your friend's financial situation and I'm certainly not prying, but just putting the idea out there...

Could she potentially pay something like £1100 now and put the remaining £300 or so on finance? If she was able to pay that off within 12 months, there's an early payment fee (which was about 40 quid I think when I got mine), but no interest so it would just be the balance she'd be paying. It would give her a better performing PC with the upgrade path that comes from the more solid base.

Feel free to tell me to buzz off if I'm out of line. Was just putting out a few thoughts.

 

[SimonPeters116]

I don't know your friend's financial situation and I'm certainly not prying, but just putting the idea out there...

Could she potentially pay something like £1100 now and put the remaining £300 or so on finance? If she was able to pay that off within 12 months, there's an early payment fee (which was about 40 quid I think when I got mine), but no interest so it would just be the balance she'd be paying. It would give her a better performing PC with the upgrade path that comes from the more solid base.

Feel free to tell me to buzz off if I'm out of line. Was just putting out a few thoughts.

If that's doable, I think she'd go for it. Good idea, thanks