I'm planning to surprise my boyfriend with a new PC because his old one is really slow. He's going to college soon, but he doesn't need anything high-performance for his major. He primarily plays Roblox and Minecraft, so I'm hoping to get him a decent setup now and leave room for upgrades down the road—like a new graphics card for Christmas. Currently, he has an i5-4590, 12GB of DDR3 RAM, and an Intel HD 4600 graphics card. I'd prefer to build it myself since I built my own desktop and think it would be a fun project for us while also saving some money. I understand that prices are high right now, but I'd appreciate any advice or suggestions, especially if it might be better to wait until later this year! I want to aim for 1080p gaming, definitely not 1440p!
7 Answers
Check out options like a Ryzen CPU, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and a decent SSD. If you're smart about finding used parts, you can build a solid setup for around $600 that handles gaming at 1080p without a hitch.
Honestly, at this price range, you might want to consider a PlayStation 5 instead. It's more powerful and efficient than a PC for the same cost, and you can connect a mouse and keyboard for a PC-like experience. Plus, it can run games in 4K!
You can score a good deal on an Intel i5-11400F with a 3060 Ti setup if you're willing to go used. Try to pick up a solid graphics card to keep within budget, and maybe look into upgrading the RAM in the future for better performance!
Get an affordable second-hand GPU to boost performance from integrated graphics. Once you have that, you can plan for a more significant upgrade later when the prices drop. Just make sure your power supply can handle the new card!
Great, thanks! That's exactly the plan!
So, since his current setup is outdated, it might be worth checking the specs and considering server RAM to save money. Focusing on maximizing what he has while slowly upgrading is a good approach, especially if you're looking at older models that support DDR3. Just keep your eye on the local market!
If you're comfortable buying used, keep an eye on local listings. You can upgrade the graphics card first since the current one is pretty outdated. Aim for something like an AM4 board with a decent used GPU, and maybe reuse his old case and power supply to save cash!
I'll definitely check out the used market. His case is small since it's an old Dell, but I'm open to reusing parts.
Thanks for the suggestion! I did think about a console, but he's never played those types of games, and I want something he can also use for college.