Need advice on gaming PC purchase for sister

Hi, folks. I'm helping my sister purchase a desktop PC for gaming in the $700 to $800 range, but it's been a while since I've kept up with hardware trends. If some folks could spare a moment to help me find the best deal for her money, I would really appreciate it!

After doing some research, it looks like the GTX 1060 is likely the best graphics card she will get at this price. I have found two systems in her price range that feature a 6gb version of this card. (I've heard the 6gb version is substantially superior to the more common 3gb version.) What are your thoughts on these systems? Are they good deals for the price point? Can she do better? Thanks much.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883221303

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/cyberpo...0gb-solid-state-drive/5511009.p?skuId=5511009

 

Well if you must buy a prebuilt then I recommend something from Microcenter or Amazon for their great customer service and return policy. DO NOT buy anything with an FX series or anything pre Ryzen AMD CPU wise. So the first one is out, the second one seems like an OK deal. If you have a local Microcenter check them out for open box PowerSpec builds, I've seen i5 6600K/1070 combo deals in the last month or so for $700-800 and it came with legit parts and aftermarket GPUs.

That being said yes get the 1060 6gb version.

Here is something I saw in your budget.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/474127/G221_Desktop_Computer

 

Thank you for the response. That does look like a better deal than the others. I will consider this system for her unless I stumble upon another one with superior specs for the price. I am not necessarily restricting it to pre-built systems, but it appears that it is a rather lower price point than the custom places like Mythlogic or XoticPC. Please enlighten me if that is not true!

 

For one thing the GPU is going to run at least $300 and your budge won't hold out here if you get a Nvidia 1060OC mine was 259.99 before prices went up.

Here's what I did-I kept most of my old SSD and HDD. Swapped the motherboard to Asrock X370 Rz5 1500X, MSI GTX1060Gaming6G and EVGA DD4 16GB(2 sticks) and that ran me about 850 all together. And that is with reusing my previous hardware that had drivers for Windows 10. Also get Windows 10x64 Pro not Windows 10 Home - Pro gives more control and options with better configurations. So the budget your looking at might not hold out here.

1. Get Motherboard/CPU combo for discount- 1500X is not a bad CPU to have
2. Get MSI GTX1060 6G experience they fans run independently and I had good luck running them since they are OC already.
3. Get DDR4 16g RAM preferably 2 stick like 2x8=16g so that you leave two free slots
4. Use old hardware and if you have SSD use the smaller one for the Windows 10x64 Pro O/S and installed software.
5. Also if you want Rock your seats audio get a Sound Blaster Z series-ever since I installed this hardware in my Windows 95 and on I never forgot the quality it gave me back. Sound Blaster Z is the current hardware I am using as they have Windows 10 driver for it and the sound it has compared to the Motherboard is night and day. I know I had this experience with NeverWinters Nights 1 & 2. You can hear sounds you wouldn't otherwise hear with clarity.

This is what I did and still spent in the 850 range. So if you want a more affordable get AMD Rz 1500X for the bang for the buck. I know some wants the 1600X but consider when will you really push those other cores? Unless the program says it runs quad or hex core getting more will cost you more and probably not give you much in return. The GPU and More RAM would give a better return. Don't go any lower then GTX1060 6G otherwise gaming will suffer especially if you load games like Witcher 3. But in the end I leave this up to you but this is my experience with the new build and my hardware upgrades.

 

After years of dreaming, I literally just finished my newest PC purchase & build this passed week, and was able to keep it just at $800 with warranties included, and bought at MicroCenter. If you're just wanting to get her in a position where gaming is pretty nice, I bought the GeForce GTX 1050, Intel i5 processor, and stuck with only one 8g stick. The fact that you have the potential in the future is there, so think about that possibility of saving up for what you want later on. Being able to go full on ultra is the dream, but if this is a first build, just make sure you have room to expand and upgrade in the future. I know that my build may not handle everything yet, but I know that as my personal demands rise, these things can be replaced easily.

If you still end up going the prebuilt route, I suggest focusing on the cpu, graphics card, and RAM to make sure that the motherboard can handle up to 32g when you upgrade them. And make sure, of course, the the motherboard is capable of certain upgrades. Sometimes we make wrong assumptions then want to cry later with a tub of icecream while watching YouTube videos on what we wish we had.

Bottom line though, if you're strict about a budget, don't worry about loading the very intense games yet. If you were forced to use laptops and "basically a laptop" for too long, you'll be more appreciative with a mid-high range build. Balancing that want and need.