Yes another PC thread I know you all love them so much!
I missed out on the £400 Costco build that Sarden posted. I've had a look at some of the other posts but I'll be honest they confuse me in terms of knowing what I need, what's overkill etc.
I have this Costco computer in my basket but before I buy I thought I'd check if there's anything around similar money (up to £400 ideally) that's better, if anyone doesn't mind doing a quick browse
It's for my daughter who mainly plays things like Minecraft, occasionally Roblox, sims 4, possibly overwatch as she's just started that with friends but I don't think she'll play it much although I could be wrong as she played fortnite for a fair while.
She has an xbox one x in her room and access to a series X downstairs (mine) but she's decided she wants to play on a PC after using my laptop for a while. So it doesn't have to run AAA games. And in all likely hood I don't think she'll be a "serious PC gamer" so I'm not worried about needing to upgrade it to top spec stuff. I've looked locally as I saw another post who linked some on gumtree that was actually pretty close to me but I'd rather get something with a warranty. Monitor, keyboard and mouse are probably going to be presents from other people unless there's a really good deal that's not too much above my max budget. Thank you in advance.
I missed out on the £400 Costco build that Sarden posted. I've had a look at some of the other posts but I'll be honest they confuse me in terms of knowing what I need, what's overkill etc.
I have this Costco computer in my basket but before I buy I thought I'd check if there's anything around similar money (up to £400 ideally) that's better, if anyone doesn't mind doing a quick browse
It's for my daughter who mainly plays things like Minecraft, occasionally Roblox, sims 4, possibly overwatch as she's just started that with friends but I don't think she'll play it much although I could be wrong as she played fortnite for a fair while.
She has an xbox one x in her room and access to a series X downstairs (mine) but she's decided she wants to play on a PC after using my laptop for a while. So it doesn't have to run AAA games. And in all likely hood I don't think she'll be a "serious PC gamer" so I'm not worried about needing to upgrade it to top spec stuff. I've looked locally as I saw another post who linked some on gumtree that was actually pretty close to me but I'd rather get something with a warranty. Monitor, keyboard and mouse are probably going to be presents from other people unless there's a really good deal that's not too much above my max budget. Thank you in advance.
22 Comments
sorted bySignificantly more powerful system for less money. Delivery time is a bit tight though, may want to chat with them to make sure it makes it in time.
This one is more expensive but should arrive more comfortably: awd-it.co.uk/gam…tml
For both of these you'll need to buy Windows 11 (dirt cheap off of ebay) and may or may not want to install it off of a USB before you give it to her.
As an example I was told that the vega 10 would be better than a 7. But I just panicked lol (edited)
Get something with Ryzen 5 5600G
An old laptop remains an OLD laptop. One of the advantage of a laptop is it's mobility, but if its battery is gone, then you have no more mobility.
Then, i7 8850H is a processor from 2018 whose TDP is 45W; it's old. If we use as a metric the results offered by cpubenchmark, then single threading rating is 2397 while average mark is 10304.
Then, there is no way to upgrade the video card, if you want.
Then, there is no way to add multiple disks: like a very large HDD (4TB, 8TB) for media files.
"Desktops are anchors round the neck nowadays. Except gaming, servers etc."
Absolutely false. You can anytime have a VPN to your home computer and even with the cheapest laptop you can do your work remotely without any fear that your expensive laptop will get stolen, damaged, etc.
"She can learn programming & advanced graphics applications, take it round to friends, show portfolio etc."
You can learn programming even on a Chrome notebook. You just need a notepad and a compiler. You can even do it on your phone. For "advanced graphics applications" you may need a decent graphics card. How do you upgrade the graphics card in your laptop if you find that you'll need something better?
abigsmurf deals are way better. They are built on 5600GE, 5650GE which on the same cpubenchmark the single threading rating is more than 3000 while average mark more than 18000; their TDP is 35W and they are decently new (from 2021). (edited)
palicomp.co.uk/amd…z10
CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
RAM Memory - 16GB 3200Mhz
Storage - 1TB Samsung M2 SSD
Windows 10 or 11
Note it does not come with WI Fi built in (but can be added later)
Also no CD/DVD drive but can be added when ordering for extra cost (or buy an external CD/DVD drive)
Also it does not come with an extra graphics card (the graphics is built in to the CPU - see the G at the end of the CPU name)
but one can be added later.
I have just ordered one of these (but changed the case and added a CD/DVD drive as it will be an "office" PC)
However unless you pay extra you probably wont get it before Xmas
Computer Active issue 643 (November) gave this an amazing review.
Their verdict was: A powerful performance from the surprisingly affordable PC with few corners cut to get there
PC Pro magazine (November) also gave it a great review. They said "Quite simply a bargain with staggering power for the money and all wrapped up in an attractive chassis".
My guess is Palicomp are selling this with very little profit, almost just to get the excellent reviews and "free" publicity. (edited)