Gaming computer?

[kandb]

My son is 15 and has been asking for a gaming computer. We want to get him one for Christmas (or before). The game is wants is total Warhammer. If that means anything. Right now we only have a few laptops so getting a computer and desk and printer will be good. Anyone have any suggestions of best computers and where to buy one? I am hoping coming close the black Friday might be a good time to get one. Just am clueless on which one/where to purchase it??? Thanks for any info.

 

[barkley]

not cheap-likely no black friday kind of deal but hands down when we researched it, and based on our almost 3 1/2 years of ownership 'xidax' is a great custom made gamer's computer company to go with.

ds is a big gamer and saved for a couple of years (along with gift money) to afford one (about $1200 back in 2015) but it's top notch. NOW-if you are just looking for a computer that games can be played on i would go with a decent quality lower cost computer and spend more money on a monitor (or as ds did-a good quality tv to hook the computer up to).

 

[SteveH]

Check out the AlienWare line from Dell. AW was a pretty solid option, but not sure how it fares now that Dell bought them out.

To be honest, if you are going to drop that much money on a solid Gaming PC, I'd get your son or somebody that is in the know involved. The Geeks at BestBuy might be an option, but I'd get you son involved.

 

[tvguy]

Or find a computer geek to build one for you. I think DD is into her gaming computer for $600 and she built it herself. Went on Youtube, watched the instructions
After worshiping Apple products for 10 years she threw in the towel and went PC. I thing her Apples functioned fine, she just got fed up with their practices regarding software updates.

 

[StephMK]

We definitely involved DS in the process when we bought his last year. He knew all the important specs and what it needed to have. We bought it through Best Buy and they had several models on sale during BF weekend. No doorbusters, just a good sale. He plans to major in CS and has been happy with it.

 

[ldo]

In 2015, DD's friend who had a professional gaming team (meaning they actually had sponsors and made $ gaming) recommended cyberpowerpc.com. We got a good black Friday deal (free shipping, and a couple $100 of stuff/discounts) on a desktop. DS's computer cost about $700 total including free monitor (with rebate). We knew nothing and got a base model with a few things stepped up. We upgraded the graphic card this summer for $300--so I recommend getting a better graphics card to start. But, it has worked out fine, esp. at that price point. Make sure you research and know exactly what you want. Customer service was not great--but we have not had any issues in 3 years and am happy. Walmart also used to sell some cyperpower built computers online I think, as well.

 

[dakotix]

I work in IT. A "gaming" computer just means it has a top of the line CPU AND a top of the line Video card with room for multiple monitors and at least 16 GB of memory. Check this Amazon link out for a list of options that fit the bill: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_...565098&ie=UTF8&qid=1541428212&rnid=1248877011

They do have a "gaming computer" section. Just be careful with that. They play on people's ignorance of how to properly choose the right computer by installing lots of flashy LED lighting in the case.

 

[SteveH]

I will add that building your own gives you a lot of options and doesn't tie you down to future growth. My oldest spec'd out his system and gave us his links for the products. Over the years he's upped the processor,RAM to 64GB, a Titan Video Card, SSDs and a lot of stuff on his own dime. It's lasted from High School and into Grad School now. Plus he got the experience of building it, and even making some mistakes.

 

[chalee94]

You might also keep an eye on woot. They have some, although they are often refurbished and last year's model - the prices are good and specs can still be plenty fast:

https://computers.woot.com/offers/h...tx1070-1tb-desktop-7?ref=w_cnt_lnd_cat_pc_3_5

 

[allaboutthemouse]

Bought my 14 year-old son a "gaming" laptop last year for Christmas...did A LOT of research...can't remember the exact model, but it was a Lenovo Legion...after sales it was around $800. I probably went through Ebates, too, for cash back. Gaming mostly has to do, if I remember right, with one that has a good graphics card or whatnot and a solid state drive is good to have. He is happy, so I must have done good! Grandma got the gaming headphones for him. They were around $40, so not top of the line.
HTH

 

[DLgal]

Have him build it himself. It is super easy and will be a lot cheaper. My 13 year old son built a computer last winter for about $600. If he had wanted to do serious gaming with it (he doesn't), it would have been an extra $200 or so for a better graphics card. That's the most important thing, along with a CPU that is fast enough. If you can find a specialty computer store to buy the parts, they often run great sales and rebate offers at this time of year.

 

[cassie58]

Agree with PP for building one for best options to customize now and down the road as needed. DS originally built his at 13 as well, and then went to our county tech school to study IT, and is now in college as Comp Sci major. He has updated the Graphics Card and CPU, and other things I am forgetting I'm sure! He has used it for gaming as well as coding/programming and of course schoolwork. He has it as school now after updates this summer, in addition to the laptop he bought to take to class. He researched what he needed and has bought parts for the best price through many sites, including Amazon and Nest Egg, always buying the most advanced components he can get for his budget at the time.

 

[Narnia_girl]

Another vote for build you own. Our son has a Gaming & Animation degree and built both of his gaming computers.

 

[supersnoop]

There’s no good reason to build your own unless you have a large budget and know exactly which components you want to use. You can buy a great gaming for less than you can build one with the same specs. If you want to use top-of-the-line components, you’ll spend more but get exactly what you want.

I’ve built computers for years; for me and for family and friends. I don’t build my own anymore; it just doesn’t make financial sense.

 

[DLgal]

There’s no good reason to build your own unless you have a large budget and know exactly which components you want to use. You can buy a great gaming for less than you can build one with the same specs. If you want to use top-of-the-line components, you’ll spend more but get exactly what you want.

I’ve built computers for years; for me and for family and friends. I don’t build my own anymore; it just doesn’t make financial sense.

This isn't totally accurate. The computer my son built last year came in about $250 less than a premade one with similar specs. Plus, it was a fun learning activity. He spent just under $600. There are almost always manufacturer rebates on the components too. We got $60 back in rebates, making the computer even cheaper than the prebuilt ones. Plus, building your own means you can easily replace components if they break without needing to get rid of the whole computer. Our last HP computer that was $850 had a catastrophic failure of the graphics card just outside of warranty (it was less than 2 years old). I had a computer fix it person diagnose the issue and turns out, the graphics card was built into the motherboard and could not simply be replaced without replacing the entire motherboard AND since it was a slimline build, that would require buying another motherboard with a built in graphics card and would require disassembling the ENTIRE computer to do so. He suggested recycling the computer for parts and never buying another HP. We replaced that one with a $400 Lenovo which does what we need for basic computing. The computer my son built has room for expansion in the future and will be super easy to replace/upgrade components as needed, which makes it cheaper in the long run as well.

It's easy to put together a list of components using www.pcpartpicker.com Then, just buy from the place that has the best prices.

 

[happ]

In 2015, DD's friend who had a professional gaming team (meaning they actually had sponsors and made $ gaming) recommended cyberpowerpc.com. We got a good black Friday deal (free shipping, and a couple $100 of stuff/discounts) on a desktop. DS's computer cost about $700 total including free monitor (with rebate). We knew nothing and got a base model with a few things stepped up. We upgraded the graphic card this summer for $300--so I recommend getting a better graphics card to start. But, it has worked out fine, esp. at that price point. Make sure you research and know exactly what you want. Customer service was not great--but we have not had any issues in 3 years and am happy. Walmart also used to sell some cyperpower built computers online I think, as well.

I second this. My two gamers both have had cyberpower pc's. One came from walmart and the other from bestbuy. My youngest has since rebuilt/upgraded several parts of his and the leftover parts went into a pc for me.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Got my son a gaming computer from Best buy last year from their Black Friday sale. It was a great deal. The only criteria I followed was that he wanted a computer that could handle the Occulus that I also bought for him on Black Friday. I believe it was the brand Cyber Power PC. He is still happy with it, but he has customized it a bit, added more memory and such. But he is still happy with the computer a year later so I feel pretty happy about my purchase. I think he said he wants a newer processor and cooling system but that kind of thing is to be expected with a gaming computer. He said it was very easy to upgrade and the case was plenty big. I paid under $600 for the computer, I remember it was $400 off the regular price. I'm looking for a similar deal this year for his sister, she needs a better computer now.

 

[pandamom]

Both by daughters play competitively (1 overwatch and 1 league of legends) on their college esports teams. After a lot of research I decided not to build but bought them MSI laptops instead (laptops were easier to bring to LAN parties.) They have performed flawlessly.