Back into PC Gaming

[Ben2610]

Hi all.
After spending far too long spending time and wasting my money on console gaming (Xbox) I have decided to return to PC Gaming. Why I quit you may ask? I started on a Lenovo laptop with a intel i7 processor and a GeForce 740M and when the keyboard broke I had no money to replace the laptop. I waited till the next Christmas to get a laptop again and I was gifted a xbox. Sad times.

I now wish to return to PC Gaming but have £500 pounds to spend. I eventually intend to upgrade my PC but also have other things to pay for. I would like to use this PC for playing; Microsoft Flight Sim (2020), Arma 3 and ETS2. If anyone has any ideas and help I would be more than grateful.

 

[Quartz]

That's a very tight budget. What exactly do you have right now? In particular, do you have a monitor?

Here's a minimum build that will allow for future upgrades:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK16GX4M2B32= £74.99
• 1 x MSI B450M Mortar MAX (Socket AM4) DDR4 mATX Motherboard= £89.99
• 1 x Gigabyte 480GB SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive= £49.99
• 1 x Corsair CV Series CV650 650W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (CP-9020211-UK)= £51.95
• 1 x Zalman S2 Midi Tower Case - Black Window= £31.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 3 3200G Quad Core 4.0GHz (Socket AM4) APU with RX Vega 8 Graphics - Retail= £89.99
• 1 x DELL SE2417HGX 24" 1920x1080 TN 1ms 75Hz FreeSync LED Backlit Gaming Monitor= £109.99

Total: £516.11 (includes shipping: £17.22)​

​

 

[Plec]

If you could bump your budget to £600 and use your tv as a monitor, until you've saved enough to get a dedicated one, you could build a decent base unit that would achieve what you want.

 

[jigger]

I’d stick with consoles. The next round of them will be very powerful.

 

[Ben2610]

I currently do not have a monitor. I would probably use my TV for the time being. And would be able to bump my budget to £600. However,

I’d stick with consoles. The next round of them will be very powerful.

, this is right as well. I’m not sure... I’m feeling PC more at the moment. Much larger variety in games and possibilities whereas consoles come with set power, PCs can be upgraded

 

[Quartz]

Realistically, the next generation of consoles are going to trounce price-equivalent PCs - and thereby force price reductions.

Here's a tentative build for you:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core 4.2GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £188.99
• 1 x Team Group Dark T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Grey (TDGED4= £62.99
• 1 x Zotac GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER Twin Fan 4096MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £149.99
• 1 x MSI B450M Mortar MAX (Socket AM4) DDR4 mATX Motherboard= £89.99
• 1 x Gigabyte 480GB SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive= £49.99
• 1 x Corsair CV Series CV650 650W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (CP-9020211-UK)= £51.95
• 1 x Zalman S2 Midi Tower Case - Black Window= £31.99

Total: £638.19 (includes shipping: £12.30)​

​

If you need a Windows license it's best purchased elsewhere.

 

[Ben2610]

Thank you very much for your help. How do I now go about buying this? Also, despite the new consoles going to be much better than the price equiv PCs. They don’t allow for upgrades once their prime as gone, thus, eventually become the same as every other console. Whereas, with PCs you can forever upgrade them (which I’m sure you already know).

 

[Quartz]

Thank you very much for your help.

Click the links, click Add to Basket. THen follow through the purchase procedure. The only two upgrades you'll really need going on are a better GPU and a better CPU. That motherboard will take the Ryzen 3950X, a 16 core beast.

You could save money by dropping to 8 GB RAM and a less capable PSU, but I specced those with a mind to you upgrading later. Any extra money you can find now is best off going to a GPU: the GTX 1660 Super is another £40.

 

[Plec]

I've taken a slightly different approach to @Quartz - subbed out the ryzen 3600 and the 1650 for the Ryzen 2600 combined with the 1660 SUPER.

Games are very GFX intensive - and as long as you have a capable CPU backing up a decent GPU you will get better FPS. Same excellent board - same upgrade path (zen 3 ready too) - so the CPU could be easily upgraded in the future when you're more flush and it begins to get stretched - both 6 core / 12 threads but the 3600 is the latest release (2600 still a mighty CPU for the money - when ~£120).

I've also added a MATX case as it's a smaller format to match the motherboard (nothing wrong with @Quartz case - a larger footprint but did cost less).

Of course if you could stretch to the 3600 and the 1660 SUPER then you would have a mighty 1080p spec for your money - but the 2600/1660SUPER or even a 2600 and RX 590 combo would be great value gaming.

**Note the 3600 can be had for ~£150 - so if you had the funds you could have the best of both.

2600 with 1660 SUPER - over budget.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x MSI B450M Mortar MAX (Socket AM4) DDR4 mATX Motherboard= £89.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 Six Core 2600 3.90GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £124.99
• 1 x Team Group Dark T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Grey (TDGED4= £62.99
• 1 x Zotac GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER Twin Fan 6144MB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £199.99
• 1 x Gigabyte 480GB SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive= £49.99
• 1 x Corsair CV Series CV650 650W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (CP-9020211-UK)= £51.95
• 1 x Kolink Citadel Micro-ATX Case - Black= £39.95

Total: £631.55 (includes shipping: £11.70)
​

RX 590 example within £600 budget

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x MSI B450M Mortar MAX (Socket AM4) DDR4 mATX Motherboard= £89.99
• 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 Six Core 2600 3.90GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £124.99
• 1 x Team Group Dark T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Grey (TDGED4= £62.99
• 1 x Gigabyte 480GB SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps Solid State Drive= £49.99
• 1 x Corsair CV Series CV650 650W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply (CP-9020211-UK)= £51.95
• 1 x Kolink Citadel Micro-ATX Case - Black= £39.95
• 1 x Gigabyte Radeon RX 590 Gaming 8192MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £169.99

Total: £601.55 (includes shipping: £11.70)


*see alternative PSU in post below.​

 

[Plec]

Cheaper/alternative MATX case:

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Kolink Aviator M Micro-ATX Gaming Case - Black= £34.99

​

 

[jigger]

I’d look for a Ryzen 1600AF and bump the graphics card up to a 5600XT.

 

[Plec]

*Additional: Meant to add the following Seasonic PSU - 500W but more than enough power for specs and £8 more. But gold rated, superior quality and 7 year warranty.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Seasonic Core Gold GC-500 500W 80+ Gold Power Supply= £59.99

​

 

[Ben2610]

Okay, so after spending some time looking into PC's and seeing the suggestions you guys have made. I have realised that having more money would probably be a better idea. So, I have allocated £1000 to a gaming PC build. The games I would play are Arma 3 and Flight Sim 2020 when it comes out. I would like to play arma on med to high graphics and same with flight sim 2020. Are there any more suggestions as to what I should go for now? Thanks