Thanks to everyone who chimed in before about building gaming PCs for my twins who are turning 13 soon! I have a hand-me-down rig with a GeForce 1080 that they keep fighting over. The plan is to build them each a PC for around $700, and I'll take back the hand-me-down. I've found some GPUs: a GTX 1080Ti for under $200 from a buddy and a free GTX 980. I'd like to have them build PCs based on this list: [https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NmFGTM](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NmFGTM). My idea is to use the 1080 in one build, the 980 in the other, and put the 1080Ti in my hand-me-down. Do you think the performance difference between the 980 and 1080 will be noticeable enough to cause issues? Also, any thoughts on my proposed build?
2 Answers
Hey, have you already thought about cases? I suggest looking into something that's still affordable yet reliable. You might want to consider going with an R5 7600; it's a fantastic option for gaming and already includes a cooler, which is a bonus! The motherboard you’re looking at seems basic, but it does have a solid VRM for upgrades, which is great for the future. Also, I went with 32GB of RAM in my build because different kits can be tricky to work with later on. I also recommend a higher wattage PSU from a reputable brand for better stability. Hope that helps!
For sure, sticking to a discrete GPU is a good idea. It lets you focus budget on components that actually matter for their builds!
The difference in performance between the GTX 980 and 1080 is pretty significant. The 1080 can handle modern games at higher settings, while the 980 will struggle, especially with high texture qualities because of its lower VRAM. I think it's too much to spend on the CPU and motherboard in those builds. You could get a solid R5 7600X and B650 board for about $300, which would leave you with more budget for a better GPU. You should definitely aim for 32GB of RAM, not just 16GB, as some newer games need more. You might want to look for a used GTX 1070 Ti or even a GTX 1080 within your budget!
That’s a great point about the budget squeeze! Do you think going with a cheaper CPU affects how easily they can upgrade later?
Yeah, and it's crazy to see that GTX 1080 prices are so high on PC Part Picker but way cheaper on eBay!
Thanks for the tips! I was thinking of letting them pick their own cases after we get the parts. I’m located in Northern California, so I guess availability might be an issue.