Question My 10yr old son wants a gaming computer for Christmas, and I'm lost!

[Justin512]

Hello,

My son has been asking for a gaming computer for a couple years now, but I cannot justify spending thousands of dollars on a computer for a 10 year old.

So the last couple of nights after he has gone to bed, I have sat up and researched how to build an entry level gaming PC. I've found everything is cheaper to build, rather than buy it. But, every video I watch and every website I go to they promise one price but when I go and price it, I'm right back at around a thousand dollars.

With 2020 being such a... "great" year, I would like to get him what he is asking for but I can't break the bank. I am just looking for something that we can build together, and will let him play his Minecraft and Fortnite. It doesn't have to have the best graphics, or the most memory. I just want to be able to upgrade it as time goes on. I understand that gaming PC's by nature are expensive, but I would like to stay around $500 or lower if possible.

I am not too worried about the peripherals, as he already has a monitor, and being a 10 yr old boy he will most likely destroy any keyboard and mouse I buy.
Sceptre 30-inch Curved Gaming Monitor 21:9 2560x1080 Ultra Wide Ultra Slim HDMI DisplayPort up to 200Hz Build-in Speakers, Metal Black (C305B-200UN)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TXM7K4T/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Can someone point me in the right direction?

Any and all advise will be much appreciated!

Justin

 

[Flayed]

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next couple of weeks

Budget Range: $500 After Rebates/Before Shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Surfing the internet, Homework

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: N/A

Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Please note that if you're using an OEM license of Windows, you will need a new one when buying a new motherboard.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts:

Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Parts Preferences: None

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 2560x1080

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($140.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX500 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.94 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($108.78 @ Other World Computing)
Total: $485.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-19 12:33 EST-0500

 

[nofanneeded]

If you insist on a PC , Get i3 10100F (4 cores 8 threads) with entry level GPU like GTX 1050 ti/1650 , alot better than older gen 4 cores AMD chip with built in GPU ..

 

[punkncat]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3400G 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($140.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 4 Blackout 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX500 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Rosewill RANGER-M MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.94 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($108.78 @ Other World Computing)
Total: $485.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-19 12:33 EST-0500

Well done trimming to allow for that OS license of Home.

 

[punkncat]

If you insist on a PC , Get i3 10100F (4 cores 8 threads) with entry level GPU like GTX 1050 ti/1650 , alot better than older gen 4 cores AMD chip with built in GPU ..

The 10100 is an impressive chip to price. IF you opted to go unlicensed for a bit either of the above GPU could fit within budget along the pricing of the above recommend. I agree that it would likely perform better for the games than the Ryzen G. My only concern in this instance would be future upgradability considering Intel's pricing structure/history.

 

[nofanneeded]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2P62xc

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-10100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($114.59 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B460M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory ($28.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX6000 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB Video Card ($135.47 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.94 @ Newegg)
Total: $498.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-19 12:59 EST-0500

 

[Justin512]

Most schools provide laptops now, atleast in the US, no?

Would you trust a bunch of 10 yr olds with laptops? walking to and from school? They would become frisbees before the first week is out. The school has desktops in the school that all kids share.

 

[Hallahawk665]

This is for a 10 year old.

I mean, even if he is 10 he may still want to play GPU/CPU intensive games...

 

[USAFRet]

Would you trust a bunch of 10 yr olds with laptops? walking to and from school? They would become frisbees before the first week is out. The school has desktops in the school that all kids share.

These school provided systems are due to kids being home, and teleschool.
Normally, no, they do NOT have individual laptops.

 

[USAFRet]

I mean, even if he is 10 he may still want to play GPU/CPU intensive games...

Maybe so.
But that is no reason to break the budget of $500.

"Sorry son, you're not getting a $2000 uber system".

Tempering expectations.

At least this is a new system.
Most kids get whatever mom/dad is no longer using, at best.

 

[Justin512]

/2

Man that CPU is 4 cores 8 threads , dont go near it . also it works at very low clocks , and lacks 16 lanes PCIe , only 8 lanes , no NVME as well.

Dont get older Gen stuff , if you must wait untill 2021 and get the newer AMD chips..

DONT Touch any CPU less than 6 Cores /12 threads today

Please keep in mind that this is for a 10 year old boy that spends most of his time playing minecraft and watching "MEMES" on youtube. He has a console that he plays most of his other games on, but he "Can't get the cool mods on the console for minecraft". So he has been asking for a "Gaming PC". He thinks hes going to be a "YouTube Star", which I have told him, No way in #$##, at least not at 10.

If I were to build a gaming PC for myself, I most definitely would wait until the new AMD chips came out and the market has settled down a little bit.

 

[g-unit1111]

Most, not all.
And when this pandemic is "over", they may want them back.

I'd also be willing to bet they have things like keyloggers, trackers, and tracers installed to prevent hacking or the machines being used for non-school related purposes. No such thing as a "free lunch".

 

[USAFRet]

I'd also be willing to bet they have things like keyloggers, trackers, and tracers installed to prevent hacking or the machines being used for non-school related purposes. No such thing as a "free lunch".

And the ones my grandkids got a Chromebooks. Not exactly a "game system".

 

[g-unit1111]

And the ones my grandkids got a Chromebooks. Not exactly a "game system".

Yeah the most you could play on a Chromebook is something like Words With Friends.

 

[King_V]

I would suggest going with a somewhat higher PSU, and a discrete video card. Don't get me wrong, I have respect for the 3400G, but it requires turning down settings at 1920x1080, so I suspect it'll struggle with 2560x1080 resolution. A quick lookup shows your monitor has FreeSync, and goes up to 200Hz refresh, though, frankly, I'd say don't really expect on modern games to go that high (my son's monitor does 144Hz, but we typically cap it at 60 or 75, depending on the game).

Power Supply:
The Seasonic Focus Gold semi-modular at 550W can be had for $89.99:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Km...ified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-550fm

Moving up to $99.99, you can get the 550W fully modular:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/bk...fied-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-550fx

or the 650W semi-modular:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qn...ified-semi-modular-atx-power-supply-ssr-650fm


The 3400G is nothing to sneeze at just as a CPU in its own right. If the 3300X were readily available, though, I would probably have gone for that.

Finally, video card. This is where it gets a bit hairy. I would frankly recommend the AMD RX 5600 XT, though right now there don't appear to be any noteworthy sales on it. Today. We are approaching Black Friday, though.

The 1660Super and 1660Ti both perform very close to each other, though less than the RX5600XT. Their prices can be a bit lower at times. I usually find the RX5600XT beats them both in terms of price/performance ratio, and is pretty ideal for the resolution your monitor is running. Still, with upcoming sales, the 1660Super or Ti might dip low enough to make it worthwhile. The RTX 2060 thus far performs equal to the 5600 XT, maybe a hair less, but tends to always cost more. The 2060 Super outdoes it, but is priced higher still.

The 1660 (not super and not ti) can be considered, and, while priced lower still, generally isn't worth the savings, price/performance wise, over the Super or Ti version.

Here's my quick and dirty search: GTX 1660 Super, GTX 1660 Ti, and RX 5600 XT, sorted by price. You can always tweak the search options.
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=450,438,484&sort=price

These are all based on prices TODAY. Tomorrow, next week, December, etc., can change things, sometimes drastically. One example, for a few days, about a month ago, an RX 5600 XT was available for $219.99 (after discount code and mail-in rebate, though).


Now, the beefier PSU adds about $50-$60 to the total cost. The video card will add about $220 to $280. This, uh, blows well past the $500 limit.

It might not hurt to start with the 3400G CPU, using the integrated graphics, and just turn down settings, etc, for games. BUT, start with the beefier PSU. Then, later on, a video card could be added in, and there would be no concerns about pushing the limits of the CX450.

EDIT: in retrospect, the CX450 could well be up to the task, even with any of the models of video cards I've mentioned. I tend to be a bit more conservative when recommending to other people... for my own use, I might be slightly more willing to push the limits, because I'm the one who has to live with my decision, vs someone else taking my advice.

back of the napkin math: 65W CPU will never push past 100W, the 150W or less graphics cards in the future will never push past 220W spikes, and the rest of the system takes maybe 60W max. That would be 380W if EVERYTHING was running at max capacity/spiking simultaneously.

 

[FarmingTNT]

I haven't seen anyone suggest it, but for me if your budget is under or close to 500 I would go with used parts. Also don't understand the people saying to not buy anything that didn't come out like this year. He's 10! He doesn't need it! Just because some new more powerful stuff exists doesn't suddenly make the other cheaper stuff garbage.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($118.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock A520M-HDV Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($60.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power XPOWER Turbine 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Team T-Force Vulcan G 512 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB AERO ITX OC Video Card ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Case: DIYPC Solo-T2-R Black USB 3.0 ATX Mid Tower Case ($25.20 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $524.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-19 16:17 EST-0500

this will run everything you need at medium to high settings for 1080p, even ultra on older games,, which is fine for a 10 year old.
yes it only a 4 core/8 threasd, but it'll run everything anyway for a year or two

 

[artk2219]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2P62xc

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-10100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($114.59 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B460M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory ($28.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA XPG SX6000 Pro 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB Video Card ($135.47 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX (2017) 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.94 @ Newegg)
Total: $498.94
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-11-19 12:59 EST-0500

Its a decent start but i would double the ram and not get a 1050 ti, those cards have always been junk if you had a power supply with atleast a 6 pin PCIE power connector. You could pick up a used RX 470 for around $80, or you could buy a new RX 570 or GTX 1650 for around $160. Either one of those new cards is well worth the 25 dollar premium over that 1050 ti. That card shouldnt be more than $100 at this point, and even then I would consider that expensive when compared with a used RX 470 or RX 570 if you have a power supply with a pci express power cable, which some 1050 ti's needed anyway.

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=100007709 8000 601296707&PageSize=96&Order=1

 

[artk2219]

I haven't seen anyone suggest it, but for me if your budget is under or close to 500 I would go with used parts. Also don't understand the people saying to not buy anything that didn't come out like this year. He's 10! He doesn't need it! Just because some new more powerful stuff exists doesn't suddenly make the other cheaper stuff garbage.

Honestly I agree, you could buy a used optiplex 7020 or 9020 with a core i7, upgrade the power supply, and throw in a video card and he'll be set for the next two years or so for like 380 dollars, and thats if you dont look around some more or make a few offers.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-OptiP...518543?hash=item217debaf0f:g:IckAAOSwqMdcnpnd

https://www.ebay.com/itm/XFX-RS-RX-...sh=item2af446c961:g:dVcAAOSw2uherEJ2&LH_BIN=1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SEASONIC-6...457602?hash=item2af5806042:g:o8kAAOSwpsJfmDqG

 

[nofanneeded]

Honestly I agree, you could buy a used optiplex 7020 or 9020 with a core i7, upgrade the power supply, and throw in a video card and he'll be set for the next two years or so for like 380 dollars, and thats if you dont look around some more or make a few offers.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-OptiP...518543?hash=item217debaf0f:g:IckAAOSwqMdcnpnd

https://www.ebay.com/itm/XFX-RS-RX-470-4GB-VIDEO-CARD-2X-FAN-HDMI-DP-DVI-WORKS-REFURB/184486906209?hash=item2af446c961:g:dVcAAOSw2uherEJ2&LH_BIN=1

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SEASONIC-6...457602?hash=item2af5806042:g:o8kAAOSwpsJfmDqG

I3 10100 is faster than your Gen 4 Optiplex , also no NVME support. this is a very bad advice you re giving,

 

[artk2219]

I3 10100 is faster than your Gen 4 Optiplex , also no NVME support. this is a very bad advice you re giving,

What, to get a 10 year old a cheap computer they can destroy and or learn from and replace it in a few years? He's 10. This isn't high school. This isnt college. Its a kid. Honestly even those 4th gen parts are fine up until like an RX 5700 \ 2060 Super, he wont care about NVME, he wont care about much of anything except fortnite, roblocks, valorant, or whatever easy to run game he's playing, and frankly that config is powerful enough to play even modern games at 1080p medium. Not everyone needs the newest stuff if there are perfectly servicable parts that can be had for a good bit less. After he gets older, if he grows into the need for a more powerful computer, you could build it together and make it into a project you could both learn from, or maybe that never comes to pass, and he prefers to play on a console, in which case you have less money that was left on the table from this venture.

 

[nofanneeded]

What, to get a 10 year old a cheap computer they can destroy and or learn from and replace it in a few years? He's 10. This isn't high school. This isnt college. Its a kid. Honestly even those 4th gen parts are fine up until like an RX 5700 \ 2060 Super, he wont care about NVME, he wont care about much of anything except fortnite, roblocks, valorant, or whatever easy to run game he's playing, and frankly that config is powerful enough to play even modern games at 1080p medium. Not everyone needs the newest stuff if there are perfectly servicable parts that can be had for a good bit less. After he gets older, if he grows into the need for a more powerful computer, you could build it together and make it into a project you could both learn from, or maybe that never comes to pass, and he prefers to play on a console, in which case you have less money that was left on the table from this venture.

The OP said he wanted a gaming PC that he will upgrade later .not a PC his kid can destroy . sorry.

and 10 years old doesnt destroy PCs , it is not like 6 years old kid , I got my first PC when I was 9 and I still have it in perfect condition now in my closet.

Besides , that 480GB SSD is for sure end of life near TBW end. never buy more than 2 years used SSD.

More over , 7 years old PCs are very old ... he could face motherboard components failure anytime ...

 

[USAFRet]

I3 10100 is faster than your Gen 4 Optiplex , also no NVME support. this is a very bad advice you re giving,

If you take a $500 system, with a standard SATA III SSD. 860 EVO, for instance.
1,000 ten year old minecraft kids.

Let them play for a few weeks.
One night, the little elves sneak in and swap in a Samsung 970 EVO.
999 of them wouldn't notice the difference. The 1 remaining kid just got lucky and guessed.

480GB SSD running out of TBW? In 2 years?
Please...tell us exactly how many SSDs you've personally seen that have both exceeded the manufacturers warranty TBW, AND have actually died because of that.
Personal experience, please.

 

[artk2219]

The OP said he wanted a gaming PC that he will upgrade later .not a PC his kid can destroy . sorry.

Besides , that 480GB SSD is for sure end of life near TBW end. never buy more than 2 years used SSD.

Fair enough on wanting to have one to upgrade later, but kids do destroy things, and soda and other sugary drinks do not discriminate between new and used hardware. As for an SSD being end of life, eh, if you planned on upgrading stuff anyway thats not the end of the world, especially since 480gb doesn't hold alot of games these days, but i get your point as well. Honestly even without going the prebuilt route there are still a ton of used B350, B450, B360, Z370 etc motherboards out in the world that would also give you the option of NVME and have tons of great CPU options available to you. Just look around on your local facebook market place or craigslist and you could find quite a few options for a decent price, you warranty coverage may vary, although some manufacturers waranty the part and not the person (MSI has a three year warranty on the part from the date of production on the serial number), so you may not be out anything. But as usual, your mileage may vary, and its all on how willing you are to take the risk and look around, but there are tons of options out there, you could even buy some used and some new parts and save a bit at the end while having an end product functionally no different than if you had bought all new components, or have a higher spec machine than you would have if you had bought all new components.

 

[nofanneeded]

If you take a $500 system, with a standard SATA III SSD. 860 EVO, for instance.
1,000 ten year old minecraft kids.

Let them play for a few weeks.
One night, the little elves sneak in and swap in a Samsung 970 EVO.
999 of them wouldn't notice the difference. The 1 remaining kid just got lucky and guessed.

480GB SSD running out of TBW? In 2 years?
Please...tell us exactly how many SSDs you've personally seen that have both exceeded the manufacturers warranty TBW, AND have actually died because of that.
Personal experience, please.

read again , that PC is 7 years old . I did not say the ssd will die in 2 years , I said never buy SSD that is used more than 2 years, big difference . You need to have some TBW left for you .

 

[USAFRet]

read again , that PC is 7 years old . I did not say the ssd will die in 2 years , I said never buy SSD that is used more than 2 years, big difference . You need to have some TBW left for you .

I don't buy used drives either.
But...at 1/2 the overall budget, including a Windows OS....thinking about sporting up another $50 for a replacement SSD is not that big a deal.