I currently use my brother's computer, but he plans to sell it when he upgrades, so I need a replacement. I'm in Maryland, USA, and I'd like to spend around $500, though I could stretch to about $700 if the extra money would make a big difference. I mainly want to play Roblox and moderately demanding games like Counter-Strike. Should I buy a prebuilt, build one myself, or look for used parts or a complete system?
4 Answers
If you’re shopping used, look for systems with a Ryzen 5 5500 and an RTX 3060 Ti, or something in that general performance range. Complete PCs with similar parts sometimes appear around $400–$500. Check the condition carefully, confirm the exact parts, and test the computer before paying if possible.
A used system with a Core i7-7700 and GTX 1080 can also work well for your needs, and similar machines may be available near $400. The GTX 1080 is older, but it still has plenty of performance for Roblox and Counter-Strike. Make sure the power supply is from a reputable brand and that the system has at least 16GB of RAM and an SSD.
At this budget, used hardware is probably the best value. New prebuilts around $500 often use extremely old processors, DDR3 memory, and aging graphics cards. If you can find something with a Ryzen 5 3600, 16GB of DDR4, and a GTX 1060 or similar card for roughly $500–$600, it should handle Roblox and Counter-Strike very comfortably. It’s an older setup, but it’s much better suited to these games than many cheap new prebuilts.
You don’t need a powerful graphics card for these games since they’re generally more CPU-dependent. A Ryzen 5 3600 paired with 16GB of RAM and a GTX 1060 can reach very high frame rates in competitive games and should run Roblox easily. Just keep in mind that this is a budget, older build and may not be ideal if you later want to play newer, more demanding games.
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