My husband has played Xbox for years and wants to try PC gaming, preferably with a desktop rather than a laptop. I'm also interested in getting a PC so we can play together, which means we may need two complete setups. We want to keep the cost sensible because we're not sure whether he'll stick with PC gaming or eventually return to Xbox. He has mentioned Escape from Tarkov, so the computers should be able to handle that reasonably well, while still leaving room for future upgrades. We're based in the United States and would appreciate advice on realistic budgets, recommended parts, and what we should include beyond the tower, such as monitors, Windows, keyboards, and mice.
3 Answers
If your budget includes Windows, a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, I’d plan on roughly $1,300 per computer for a comfortable beginner setup. It’s possible to spend less, but you’ll give up some performance and upgrade flexibility. Building two systems doesn’t necessarily mean they need to be identical: your husband’s PC could be stronger for Tarkov, while yours could use a less expensive graphics card if you mainly plan to play lighter games.
For a brand-new tower, around $850 is roughly the lowest point where the parts still make sense, though that usually excludes the monitor and other accessories. You can build cheaper, but once you get much below $700, buying used becomes more appealing. Since Tarkov can be demanding, I wouldn’t cut too aggressively on the graphics card or memory.
Start by setting a total budget and deciding whether it includes displays and peripherals. A reasonable approach would be to buy one stronger gaming PC for the person playing Tarkov, then build the second system around the games you expect to play. Both computers should have at least 16GB of RAM and an SSD, with a modern upgradeable platform and a quality power supply. Once you know the exact budget and whether you need one or two monitors, it’ll be much easier to put together sensible parts lists.
We’re in the United States, and about $1,300 per setup sounds more manageable than the $2,500–$3,000 system my husband was considering. We’ll need to figure out how demanding each of our game libraries will be before choosing identical parts.