16-year-old saves his money for a first gaming PC, but it turns out to be almost a terrible mistake

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A boy wants to invest his savings in a PC, but his father is skeptical. The community warns him about the desired device. At first glance, it’s not clear to an uninformed person that the device is only conditionally suitable for gaming, even though the manufacturer markets the model as a “Gaming PC.”

A father turned to the community with a request: his son had saved up $650 and wanted to buy his first gaming PC with it. After extensive research, he decided on a computer.

However, since the father was unsure, he decided to ask for advice on Reddit. And that turned out to be a good decision, as his son would have otherwise bought a “terrible PC.”

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Community warns him about a bad purchase, advises to save more

What is the problem? For $650, the son picked a computer from Newegg that is sold as a “Gaming PC.” The problem is that the system has little to do with gaming, aside from its appearance:

The computer comes with a Ryzen 5 5600GT as its processor, which in turn is equipped with an integrated graphics unit. A proper, dedicated graphics card is not installed. However, this is essential for serious gaming.

Because aside from very light, undemanding gaming, this chip is hardly powerful enough. Moreover, the chip named Vega 7 is several years old. He definitely wouldn’t get a gaming PC for that money, but at most a better office device.

And that should also serve as a general warning: just because it says gaming on the label, it doesn’t mean there’s actually gaming capability inside. Such bad purchases happen repeatedly, where people think a system is a gaming system and then are disappointed.

What recommendation is there for the father? The son should either save more money, as he would need to reckon with around 1,000 Euros for a capable PC. Additionally, the father mentions that he also needs to buy a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. This would quickly stretch the tight budget.

Some recommend looking for used hardware on the Facebook Marketplace. With luck and patience, one might find a good deal. A user found hardware in a used PC worth four times what he actually paid.

A player wants to build her first gaming PC, but a friend strongly advises against it. A pre-built PC would be the better choice. The player fears that pre-built PCs are significantly more expensive. What is the current state of the market? More about it on MeinMMO: Player wants to build a gaming PC with her saved money, but a friend says: Better buy a pre-built PC.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.