Computer Geeks, Santa Needs Your Help!

Hey, y'all! I've read through a couple great threads here on 'what computer should I buy?', but this stuff seems to change often, so I'm posting this request for current "best systems" that address my priorities. I'm hoping others here are also shopping for teens and can also benefit (so y'all don't hate me for posting on an old theme).

P.S. This is a last nod to loving parenting before I funnel all discretionary income into long travel for the 1st gen.

 

Wish list:
1. "Gaming" computer and learning to code Python. Lots of storage to load and store older games, and anything he codes; fast enough for adult rated high def games, although NO ONE here actually play s these (more about it not lagging if he gets something that's intensive); some on-line play to increase over time. I'd like it to go a solid 3+ years with no chance he'll outgrow it.

2. Desktop, not laptop

3. System, not components to build (I know 'it 'd be better, faster, less-expensive' but, well, if I knew enough to do it, I wouldn't need to post this thread . Maybe he'll learn enough, he can build his next one (not my interest).

4. Prefer to buy from a vendor with good set-up phone support help/ no-hassle return if it doesn't work well from the first (rare, but just in case), maybe Costco or Bestbuy....

5. Delivery: I want to get it before Christmas, but with a 30 days return window so we have time to set up and figure it out without some immediate looming return deadline.

6. I haven't listed specs, because I don't know what I hope you do. I'm looking for recommendations (links if you have them) for systems with decent storage, speed, graphics cards, etc. bundled and ready. I've seen what look like good options for $800 - $1200 so I hope to find a good system for about that.

7. We have PC's at home, and he uses Mac at school. We'll be using other PC's in the house when we network to play games with him, so it just needs to work.

Can anyone help me out? Thanks in advance!!

 

I'm happy to help. What kind of monitor will he be using? That makes the biggest difference in price .

1080 60hz vs 4k 144 hz can be the difference between $600-700 and $5k .

Let me know and I'll get you some ideas .

 

Regarding number 3 on your list, it's much easier than you think to build your own. You basically just plug everything in and you truly will get a better machine for much cheaper!

 

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktops/aurora/spd/alienware-aurora-r7-desktop

 

Depends on the components .But essentially yes .Prebuiits are good for those that only wanna deal with one company for warranty claims .

 

Lol fuck no .

 

Meets her price point and what she said she wants to do with it. Dell has great customer service too. Heck yes.

 

Yep...

 

Alienware is overpriced. The link you shared also just goes to a general page. TS can better spend their money elsewhere through other SIs out there.

 

I've used this before: https://pchound.com/A56BIY/

 

I can see, this isn't going to be easy.

 

In the past I've had buddies that built for me, but I don't feel equipped to assemble. I'd buy from someone else that assembled though....

 

How bout a Mac?
Or is that a big no no lol

 

I know it’s not what you want, but I have fathered the ultimate gamer/nerd, and don’t waste money. That said there is no tolerance for excess, and he spec’d all of this a year ago, so some might change. Way ahead of his peers for much less. Wasted money on Alienware first, hell no, both of us will assist in any way possible.

Processor:I7 6700K
Graphics Card:GTX 1080P
Ram:16G
Storage:500GB SSD, 1TB HDD
I frequently ask if he needs something upgraded or better, and the answer is always no. It flat out works, and doubt you can buy anything packaged better for less. Let me know if you want to pick his brain.

 

Nope, not a no no. Just don't know that my money will stretch as far.

 

Okay. If I were to find someone that could build this in a hurry.... Wait, let me try again: I'd need someone other than me to build this in a hurry. Any ideas? My kid is bright, but I don't want me or him sliding components into a tower. I've watched friends do it (looks easy) but if it doesn't work, I can't trouble-shoot it... and we're done. I'll admit it, that's why I'm ready to pay loser mom retail prices at a big box store.

Edit: I do know 2 places I can run by tomorrow with these specs, see if/ what they can do. Thanks for the detailed suggestions on what it should includes, @Vizsla.

 

If your looking for a gaming rig. I’ve used this company for cad machines.
As well as my own gaming rig. My gaming rig, is fours years old and is still in use. Also they are located in your state.

http://www.v3gamingpc.com/

If you call them and tell them what you want. They are really good at meeting your needs. They don’t push unnecessary products for your rig. I ended saving almost $700 after I spoke to them about what I was trying to accomplish.

 

i recommend origin:
https://www.originpc.com/

I have had the millennium full tower now for several years and it has been great gaming pc.
however, I don't think that you would get it before Christmas.

 

Good looking setup. I built mine last year .

8700k
Asus hero x (WiFi)
32gb 3000 ram
240 gb mp force name pcie drive
1tb Samsung 970 nvme
1tb Samsung 860 2.5
2 FE 1070s sli
And a nuch more goodies. Lol.

Waiting on either the RTX cards to drop in price or we see some serious driver updates that improve performance. Othewise I'm going to skip this generation.



That picture was with my old lg 34" ultra wide .

Picked this up earlier this year

X34p. Don't mind the mess. It has been cleaned up. Lol.

 

@Sunnier

What kind of monitor will your son be using? Anything that is good for "gaming" will be just fine for coding. You mentioned you wanted three years of use but he can always upgrade a single component (usually gpus) without needing to upgrade anything else.

 

I'll take recommendations on a monitor as well. Unless someone suggests one here, we'll probably forage from family or office extras. We don't need great clarity now, not much video or photo editing planned. He doesn't currently do much involving great visual detail. Why do I need to know this before I buy the rest?

 

Many of the components in "gaming" are derived to achieve certian benchmarks.

iBuyPower, cyberpower PC, and clx are pretty decent SIs. (system integratior)

People complain about Neweggs customer service but I've never had any issues and they've always been awesome for me. Depending where you're located you should be able to buy something tax free, extending your dollar. Decent monitors cost $$$ so it might be best to put that money in the machine now.

If you want to go big box then I'd go through Dell XPS (not Alienware) but you will still not get your money's worth.

If you want to go to a physical store, go to either Fry's or microcenter (if you have one)

For your son, and with your budget, I'd probably go with something like this. (maybe not this particular brand but components wise)

Here is a great deal on the CyberpowerPC Gaming Desktop Gamer Xtreme C565X Intel Core i5 8th Gen 8400 (2.80 GHz) 8 GB DDR4 2 TB HDD 240 GB SSD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Windows 10 Home 64-Bit , https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=83-230-367
I found.

That computer I shared is $800. And solid af for 1080 gaming.

It doesn't sound like he needs an i7, which isn't needed for gaming. Depending on the games he plays, 8gb of memory should be fine but if you have issues buying an additional memory stick and installing it is easy. I seriously doubt you'll have issues with 8gb.

I went with a 1060 (6gb) gpu because they are cheap and are pretty solid for the price. That's probably where if start given your price range.

SSD boot drives are almost an absolute must these days. Much faster boot up times etc. 240gb is plenty for wimdows and other system programs. Regular HDD (you can always change this out or add an SSD later) is fine for Mass storage. I'd stay away from 120gb though. With Windows installed that doesn't leave you with much space left over.

 

Just go to cyberpower pc. Their stuff is priced closest to the prices you'd get if you were to buy the parts separate then built them yourself. +warranty and build quality etc. Some youtuber probably have some discount code for them.

 

Cyberpower PC seems like a good way to go. Also, go with AMD processors over Intel. AMD really stepped up their game with the new Ryzen processors and you get more bang for your buck.

 

Only if you're going wide. (Multitasking)

They are better than they used to be for sure but if gaming is the primary function and light coding (no 8k video editing, etc) an i5 is probably the best choice.

 

Also, I'm going to put this our here.

The tech changes pretty quick. SIs don't really have upgrades in mind when they source parts for a machine. (Skimp on the mobo or PSU) and those two things can really limit what kind of upgrades are possible later on.

Stay at the lower end of your budget and put the rest to a nice 1080 high refresh rate monitor.

Something like this would pair nicely.

Here is a great deal on the Acer GN246HL Black 24" Gaming Monitors, 144 Hz 1ms (GTG), LED Backlight LCD Monitor Provide Immersive 3D Image , https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA3FA89K3003
I found.

 

Thanks for chiming in here, all of you; I really appreciate it!!

If anyone checks in here and willing to contribute advice, please do! I'm working on other errands today and will swap focus to this computer purchase tomorrow.

I'm collating all the spec info y'all have suggested but especially appreciate these specific examples that give me an idea about what it will be put together:

Special thank you, Jared, for recognizing the 'hold my hand and show me' nature of my request. Basically, I'll use these as a benchmark.

 

Always a pleasure. Computer building/tinkering is a hobby of mine. Call around to some local computer repair shops and see if they build computers. Hell, see how much they charge to put one together. You'll very likely stay within your budget but get an even better system that is easier to upgrade later in too.

 

Hutch is giving you great advise and choices. My vote would be to have a local computer store build one with components you purchase through an online retailer. Your going to overpay buying a prebuilt system. I build my own using year old technology and upgrade periodically. Component prices drop dramatically over time unless its GPU’s which keep going up due to crypto currency. Here’s my latest build.