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i finally plan on trying to save up towards getting a gaming pc as i have always wanted to get a gaming pc but never had the discipline to save towards one.
as above i would like to be able to play sc at a decent spec, also would love for the pc to be able to handle any game at a decent resolution etc also (eg the truck sim games, elite dangerous and any modern games etc).
the problem is that i am not a rich man so would like to not pay the earth if possible for one but at the same time i would like it to last for a fair time (not have to upgrade stuff after 5 mins if that makes any sense?)
i hope to try and aim for around £1500-£2000 max if i can save that much but cheaper would also be great.
just wondering what you pc experts might recommend?
thanks 🙂
That's probably about the right range. Star Citizen is pretty graphics hungry so budget for a big GPU which, sadly, are getting gobbled up by LLMs. A 40xx should do you, or the AMD equivalent.
take a look at the latest builds on pcpartpicker.com (uk sub site) and see what people are building at what budgets
The GPU is the heart of gaming PC so that should be your focus. Then consider what resolution you plan to play the games at:
1080p - minimum 8GB VRAM
1440p - minimum 12GB VRAM
4K - minimum 16GB VRAM
If you want to run games at High/Ultra settings with all the graphical bells and whistles turned on then go for a GPU with more VRAM, especially for Ray Tracing.
I personally prefer NVIDIA GPUs, but AMD have been getting better in recent times.
This is a good place to check if you don't mind buying used (I've bought and sold lots of PC stuff there):
https://www.avforums.com/forums/computer-classifieds.243/
...and a great PC gaming discussion forum on the same site too:
https://www.avforums.com/forums/pc-gaming-rigs-peripherals-pc-games.96/
Have a look at Scan website. They have a section for gaming pcs and laptops.
And if your local you can go into the shop and have a chat with them about what you want. Brilliant customer service and been going years.
Don't forget to factor in peripherals like mouse, keyboard monitor, headset etc
take a look at the latest builds on pcpartpicker.com (uk sub site) and see what people are building at what budgets
This - PCPartPicker is a great resource for ensuring what you are buying is compatible as its not just about the CPU / Mobo. Even power supply standards have changed in the last couple of years (a new power connector on some recent graphics cards).
The biggest issue can be case compatibility if you want something fairly small, but if you can get a mid-tower or bigger then that bit is much more simple.
£1500 is achievable but is it just the PC or also a monitor & peripherals as these can add to the budget quite significantly?
Is Star Citizen actually out then? I backed that thing forever ago, the only thing I ever saw from the money was a beta release with ludicrously high system requirements and increasingly cynical cash-grabs where you could a premium ship or what have you. I'd written it off as lost money.
Sigh. Just downloaded the launcher.
i paid £45 for the cheapest pack to play the game as it was on a sale but my laptop won't even run the start up as it's an old thinkpad p50 (bought 2nd hand a few years ago). there is a game and it seems quite good from watching people stream it but yes it's still in alpha and they do the money grab packs etc. over 800 million and rising the backers have given the sc team which is insane.Sigh. Just downloaded the launcher.
1440p - minimum 12GB VRAM
That's probably about right. I run a few games at 1440p in Linux on a 10gb Nvidia GTX 3080 and it can't cope with Slime Rancher 2 or Talos Principle II on their highest presets. It is an older card now, paid £580 a couple of years ago. It's enough for the games I play but big new resource hungry games you'll want better for.