Tell me which desktop computer to buy
June 22, 2020 5:34 AM Subscribe
I’m turning to the wisdom of the green to help me buy a pre-built gaming desktop computer. There are too few reviews, and I’m just not at all up to speed on how to compare and evaluate specs. Also, in-stock seems to be a challenge right now, so it's less about the ideal computer at this price point and more about selecting from what is readily available.
Computer will be for a teen who will primarily use it for Steam games, watching Youtube, homework. Hoping for 5 years lifespan.
Must be in stock now or ship to Toronto (happy to pick up in person, will drive to get this).
Need the computer itself, monitor (22”? 24”?), basic keyboard & mouse, and basic speakers for a pre-tax budget of $1200-$1400 (not including Microsoft Office). Will use wireless internet. Windows 10.
Don’t have to buy it all from the same place. Have been browsing Canada Computers, Best Buy, Signa, Amazon – but very open to others options. Thanks in advance!
Computer will be for a teen who will primarily use it for Steam games, watching Youtube, homework. Hoping for 5 years lifespan.
Must be in stock now or ship to Toronto (happy to pick up in person, will drive to get this).
Need the computer itself, monitor (22”? 24”?), basic keyboard & mouse, and basic speakers for a pre-tax budget of $1200-$1400 (not including Microsoft Office). Will use wireless internet. Windows 10.
Don’t have to buy it all from the same place. Have been browsing Canada Computers, Best Buy, Signa, Amazon – but very open to others options. Thanks in advance!
Best answer: I was just asking myself this exact question. At a minimum you are looking for something with 8 GB memory, SSD storage and a discreet AMD Radeon or Nvidia GeForce graphic card.
Compact, budget gaming friendly, casual gamer is a whole category of machine, and in order of preference:
posted by zenon at 9:53 AM on June 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
Compact, budget gaming friendly, casual gamer is a whole category of machine, and in order of preference:
- HP's Pavilion Gaming Desktop is 700$ USD. New CPU, can be upgraded
- Dell G5 Gaming Desktop also starts off at 700$USD, but uses an older gen CPU and proprietary mainboard and power supply which makes upgrades $$$
- Acer's Nitro line - this one's ram isn't easy to upgrade, it costs more at around 800$USD but is widely available through 3 party stores like bestbuy and newegg.
posted by zenon at 9:53 AM on June 22, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: This pre-built system from Canada Computers looks like a good match. I'd suggest pairing it with this monitor.
To build on zenon's points about specs, I think you're generally good with a recent i5/i7/R5/R7, at least 8GB and ideally 16GB RAM, and a recent gaming graphics card. Also, and possibly most importantly, make the main drive is an SSD and not a spinning hard drive, and you probably want at least 500GB.
posted by implied_otter at 10:19 AM on June 22, 2020 [2 favorites]
To build on zenon's points about specs, I think you're generally good with a recent i5/i7/R5/R7, at least 8GB and ideally 16GB RAM, and a recent gaming graphics card. Also, and possibly most importantly, make the main drive is an SSD and not a spinning hard drive, and you probably want at least 500GB.
posted by implied_otter at 10:19 AM on June 22, 2020 [2 favorites]
I know this doesn't perfectly fit the bill, but following this guide: https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/wiki/builds
Is my favorite. It's checked religiously for compatibility, and I would just build the $750 version. I did so with no other experience about 7 years ago, and it couldn't have been easier, and my PC still runs all the latest things very quickly.
posted by bbqturtle at 12:18 PM on June 22, 2020
Is my favorite. It's checked religiously for compatibility, and I would just build the $750 version. I did so with no other experience about 7 years ago, and it couldn't have been easier, and my PC still runs all the latest things very quickly.
posted by bbqturtle at 12:18 PM on June 22, 2020
I've found Logical Increments useful for looking at PC specs. It's geared towards people building their own system, but it provides a useful baseline for what sort of specs you can get at a given budget.
Also you might check for a local business that builds PCs. They may not be the cheapest, but they usually use off-the-shelf parts like you would if you built your own, which IME tends to result in a better quality computer. Often larger manufacturers find ways to skimp out on something in their builds which can mean lower quality or proprietary hardware unless you pay more for your build. They're better than they used to be on this point as reviewers have started to look more closely at build quality, but still, something to consider.
posted by Aleyn at 2:31 PM on June 22, 2020
Also you might check for a local business that builds PCs. They may not be the cheapest, but they usually use off-the-shelf parts like you would if you built your own, which IME tends to result in a better quality computer. Often larger manufacturers find ways to skimp out on something in their builds which can mean lower quality or proprietary hardware unless you pay more for your build. They're better than they used to be on this point as reviewers have started to look more closely at build quality, but still, something to consider.
posted by Aleyn at 2:31 PM on June 22, 2020
After shopping around, my associates eventually decided to pay a bit more for an Alienware Laptop. They were really happy with their choice.
posted by ovvl at 3:32 PM on June 22, 2020
posted by ovvl at 3:32 PM on June 22, 2020
Must it be pre-built? Building a PC isn't particularly difficult, and you'll get a lot more bang for your buck in addition to some quality learning time.
posted by aspersioncast at 3:10 PM on June 23, 2020
posted by aspersioncast at 3:10 PM on June 23, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
While a desktop was an option (we expected him to be studying - and gaming - at his desk), turned out that a gaming laptop - from Walmart of all places - fit the bill nicely.
The Walmart house-brand is called EVOO, looks like their 17" 144Hz with 1TB SSD, Intel i7-9750H, 16GB RAM and Nvidia RTX 2060 for $1170 is out of stock. FWIW a YouTube review from CES indicated the value of this unit is about $2400.
There is a 15" in-stockthat goes for $949 (512GB SSD, RTX 1660Ti).
For this price you can get a nice 24" fast monitor and stay within budget.
What's great is the son can bring (okay lug) this laptop to his friend's house; battery life (thanks to the power of the machine) is only about an hour (and throttled to boot). The use-case is plugged into the wall.
On top of all this I purchased a breakage warranty for only $88 (3 years) and the Walmart plan was through SquareTrade. (Super-easy to work with in my experience with other items.)
I didn't do much research on gaming desktops after finding this one. Good luck!
posted by scooterdog at 7:46 AM on June 22, 2020