Build It: Picking Parts For Your Kid's Entry-Level Gaming PC

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[citation][nom]belardo[/nom] if they are real young (1~3yrs old) try to get your hands on a CRT. Harder to knock over, costs $0~5 if you can find one..[/citation]

Do NOT give your kid a CRT!! Because of the way they create the picture (electrons colliding with the phosphorous screen) the emit X-Rays during operation. This is especially important to avoid with young children too!

Instead, just bolt the LCD to the wall/desk. Much safer option.

++ I'd be interested in what sort of savings can be made from going with a smaller form factor (Mini-ITX). It seems silly to build your kid a computer which is bigger than them.
 
[citation][nom]ukee1593[/nom]Do NOT give your kid a CRT!! Because of the way they create the picture (electrons colliding with the phosphorous screen) the emit X-Rays during operation. This is especially important to avoid with young children too! Instead, just bolt the LCD to the wall/desk. Much safer option. ++ I'd be interested in what sort of savings can be made from going with a smaller form factor (Mini-ITX). It seems silly to build your kid a computer which is bigger than them.[/citation]

Agreed. I don't know about the x-rays but the CRT tube does emit radiation that's dangerous for about three to four feet. Direction of radiation is radially outwards along the tube.

The radiation in front isn't too much unless you're less than a foot away from the screen.
 

The amount of radiation is tiny and completely harmless. One x-ray for a broken leg or at the dentist is going to be FAR more dangerous.

Plus, everyone who grew up watching TV before flat screens became the norm have gotten a huge exposure to CRT screens, many of which were more primitive (ie. released more radiation) than the CRT monitors built near the end of the CRT era. If it was really that bad, we would have known by now.
 
[citation][nom]ukee1593[/nom]Do NOT give your kid a CRT!! ++ I'd be interested in what sort of savings can be made from going with a smaller form factor (Mini-ITX). It seems silly to build your kid a computer which is bigger than them.[/citation] As other pointed about the radiation, I have nothing to add. But the GOOD thing about the CRT, besides being FREE... is that a small child cannot BREAK IT when they take a pencil to it. Yep, when my kid was about 3 - he took a pencil to my 19" $700 Samsung CRT and scratched the anti-glare coating in one spot. It grew and grew making photoshop and anything else a big pain in the next. Replaced it with a 24" LCD :) Gave away the CRT to a teenager. He had a CRT until he was about 4... then it was hand-me down 15~17" LCDs. Today, a 21" LCD I bought new for $110 when his 19" 4:3 died.

About MiniITX: While an excellent form-factor... its not always the cheapest and usually doesn't have any upgrade path. You can pick up a miniATX board for $50~75 easy. Drop in a $65 dual core or $100 quad core. Use standard memory and cards.

I kind of prefer to have a computer my kid can't move around. And yes, HE has moved his desktop case across the floor for some kid reason.
 
Nice article, but I don't get it. You can but an HP p6-2220t at costco for $349 with a 2 yr warranty (and a 90 return policy) with an intel G640 2.8 with 4GB RAM and Win7 and Intel HD Graphics, or you can click 5 other graphics options.-BrianAlex
 
Either the premise of getting kids a cheap computer is simply wrong, or you just wasted a bunch of time for graphs and charts and comparison for nothing. When i was building my kids computer, i didnt care if one cpu was .01% faster then the cheaper brand, i just bought the cheapest and hey he is happy, didnt need to read your 10 hour article.

I am as geeky as they come, but this was just a tad bit overboard.
 
[quote?]Then again, though, when you sit back and really think about the important information on that system's hard drive, the hassle of reformatting and reinstalling software, and the cost of the components inside, perhaps unfettered access isn't the best idea after all.

How about building your little one a starter system of his own??[/quote]

OR you could just limit what he can do on your PC...

This IS a tech savvy site after all. Maybe you could just show users how to disable features in Windows and on Apple PCs? Or is this an ruse to get us to buy more from your friends over at the PC component companies? Hmm...
 
[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]As other pointed about the radiation, I have nothing to add. But the GOOD thing about the CRT, besides being FREE... is that a small child cannot BREAK IT when they take a pencil to it. Yep, when my kid was about 3 - he took a pencil to my 19" $700 Samsung CRT and scratched the anti-glare coating in one spot. It grew and grew making photoshop and anything else a big pain in the next. Replaced it with a 24" LCD Gave away the CRT to a teenager. He had a CRT until he was about 4... then it was hand-me down 15~17" LCDs. Today, a 21" LCD I bought new for $110 when his 19" 4:3 died.About MiniITX: While an excellent form-factor... its not always the cheapest and usually doesn't have any upgrade path. You can pick up a miniATX board for $50~75 easy. Drop in a $65 dual core or $100 quad core. Use standard memory and cards.I kind of prefer to have a computer my kid can't move around. And yes, HE has moved his desktop case across the floor for some kid reason.[/citation]

If your kid is stabbing stuff with pencils maybe you should consider PUTTING SHARP OBJECTS OUT OF CHILDREN'S REACH LIKE A GOOD PARENT WOULD?

If your child is over the age of say...five....then it would seem either you're failing to teach your child, your child needs "special" school, or he is simply too undeveloped to be using a PC in the first place. My nine year old daughter isn't about to go stabbing t.v. monitors with pencils, nor is she about to have a television and a computer in her own room. It's no wonder young twenty somethings all feel entitled and lack real creativity.
 
WOW, giving your child a computer before they are 5, even 7. What, can't be bothered to play some interactive games with them. What, need your own time because you worked so hard all day and you haven't seen the latest youtube videos. What, can't be bothered to take your kid to the park, throw the ball around, play on the swings, you're to tired. What, can't be bothered to assist them WHILE they are doing their homework, interacting with them. Can't be bothered to have them sit with you while on your computer, learning to not poke it with an objects, learning with you how to use a computer. So, just give them their own and go off and leave them to it. WOW. No wonder America has a bullying problem. No wonder America has an obesity problem. No wonder other countries are so much smarter then our kids, and the lousy school system doesn't help. WOW.
 
This is all good and well for building a brand new entry level pc for your kid. However, the bread and butter Toms readers will already have a better solution. I build my own enthusiast level gaming rig every 2-3 years. When I do, I pass on my old parts to my children. I upgraded last fall before Battlefield 3 and what I passed on to the kids will run circles around these builds. Keep in mind that this is what I built for myself almost 3 years ago. Here's the list of 3-4 year old parts that I passed on:

Intel core 2 duo 8400
ATI 4850 (512mb)
4GB DDR 3
500GB Western Digital HDD
CoolerMaster Case w/480 watt PS

I'm sure there are many better 2-3 year old configs that could would serve as good examples. Any other dads with me?
 
I think that to keep this article from seeming a little "pro-Intel" you need to include benchmarks with lower cas/higher-frequency modules to show us just what the lower CAS ram will do for the AMD system. I want to see what that bit of extra cash for lower latency ram will do, otherwise it seems like you're not really justifying going with Intel over AMD on the price/performance.
 
here was my budget solution:
Dell I620 bundle at sams club $399 - sale price
comes with I620 case, win 7 64bit, i3-2120, 500gb sata 6.0g/s hd, 4gb ddr3 1333 mem. 16x dvdrw, usb speakers, keyboard, mouse and dell 20" 1600x900 monitor and wifi card.
Upgrade video to Sapphire 7750 for $99 ( 55w )
Plays diablo3 maxed at 1600x900
 
Tis article brings up an interesting question for me. How do the current on CPU graphics compare to the integrated graphics availible on some motherboards?
 
I made the mistake of spending $50 on a 550 watt psu to upgrade the stock 250 watt model in a second hand Compaq i3 2100 so I could add a HD7850 graphics card. The card was great but the PSU was rubbish. It wasn't more than a couple of weeks before the fan on it started making an aweful clicking/buzzing sound that drowned out any other noise the machine made and was just right to pierce your brain.

I eventually bought a Silverstone 80+ Silver that is fantastic and will never make that mistake again.
 
why not teach your kid how to build one? let him do the research and then let him build it? if he wants a better system then let him save up for it?
thats what i did. i wanted to build my own computer when i was 9, i started doing research, saving up money and when i was 11, i bought the parts and built my pc. i learned so much in the process too while saving myself money.
i think as a parent, you should encourage your child to build it by her/himself
 
[citation][nom]JonnyDough[/nom]If your kid is stabbing stuff with pencils maybe you should consider PUTTING SHARP OBJECTS OUT OF CHILDREN'S REACH LIKE A GOOD PARENT WOULD?[/citation]
Sounds like you don't have kids. You are not going to watch your kid 24/7... it doesn't happen. A 2+ year old with a pencil isn't a dangerous thing... they draw and such with pencils and crayons, etc.

And KIDS do KIDS things... they hide things, they do things that are sometimes cute, sometimes destructive. Its part of that creativity. Hell, he got mom's whiteout and painted his monitor with it. Since it was a CRT, it actually came off... mostly. Then you teach your kids *NO! Don't do that!*.

My kid is non-destructive, he's very good with computers, is helpful in school and scores very high in his tests. He has thousands of LEGO pieces, 100+ hotwheels + sets, etc. He cannot use his own computer unless I unlock hit for him.
 
[citation][nom]NoviceNob[/nom]WOW, giving your child a computer before they are 5, even 7. What, can't be bothered to play some interactive games with them. rant rant rant[/citation] Is there something wrong with you? This is an article/blog about building/getting a PC for your kids. Not child rearing... not toys, not how to ride a bike, what to feed them, teaching them the alphabet, potty training, when their teeth come in, etc... just the computer.

I recommend people NOT put the PC in the kids room until they are older teenagers (16+). Since I work on other peoples PCs, their kids tend to destroy them. I have educational software and books. Reading to your kids is important and fun...

With that said, he watches me work on PCs and I let him help by taking them apart or putting a few things together.
 
[citation][nom]darasen[/nom]Tis article brings up an interesting question for me. How do the current on CPU graphics compare to the integrated graphics availible on some motherboards?[/citation] Look for articles about AMD fusion CPUs, like the A-series A8 / A10 CPUs. There are some on this site.

Here is two examples: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a10-5800k-a8-5600k-trinity-apu,3241.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/a10-5800k-a8-5600k-a6-5400k,3224.html

For the most part... basic gaming is fine with a $120 AMD CPU... and you have the option to add another PCIe video card later for more performance.

Really, todays $70~120 CPUs can handle most games...
 
[citation][nom]Anonymous[/nom]So you added a HD6670 to an A8-3850 and didn't bother to enable dual graphics ??Try enabling that, and see how the intel compares to that.[/citation]

D-D-D-Did y-y-y-y-y-you s-say d-d-dual graphics?

My apologies to those with a speech impediment.
 
[citation][nom]Maximus_Delta[/nom]iCrap (something for the fashion victims & super creative types to show off whilst sipping their skinny lattes in starbucks whilst facebooking their friends about the fact that are in starbucks, having lattes, and got a new iPad / macbook)[/citation]
[citation][nom]Maximus_Delta[/nom]iCrap (something for the fashion victims & super creative types to show off whilst sipping their skinny lattes in starbucks whilst facebooking their friends about the fact that are in starbucks, having lattes, and got a new iPad / macbook)[/citation]

OK.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007P4YAPK/ref=asc_df_B007P4YAPK2123854?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B007P4YAPK&hvpos=1o2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=140968204849532091&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=
you can apologize now if youd like?
 
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