Recommended PC parts for beginner

[SpicyBoi_Nezu]

I have a basic laptop, nothing impressive, plenty for school and work, and just enough to play a few games. I was looking into getting a pc, but know absolutely nothing, and all the guides are gibberish. I'm looking for a few parts recommendations.

My main goal is:

-Good processing speed
-Decent storage

And am willing to opt for lower graphics/resolution to achieve the above goals.

I want to play the newest games without a problem on low resolution. I just need a few parts where I can learn from there. And probably can't answer many questions.

[MetroAlien]

First off, let's make sure that you're buying a ready-made PC.

Please do not attempt to assemble your own PC from parts if you're not sure.
Even if it doesn't apply to you personally, maybe it will serve as a helpful reminder to other people who find this forum.

Just in case, I will assume that the reader knows literally nothing about PCs. Again, don't take it personally. I'm just trying to avoid misunderstanding.

Now, as to the parts of the ready-made PC.


make sure there's a wireless chip for WiFi
(unless you already know or sure that you want to use ethernet.)
(If this word doesn't mean anything to you, just get the wireless chip)
try to go for SSD storage (not HDD). It drastically reduces loading times.
in terms of CPU, Intel i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 are decent value-for-money options.
If you want to cash out, go for Intel i7 and AMD Ryzen 7.
Anything above that isn't affordable.
Personally, I prefer Ryzen.(see note)
Other forum members can sing you the praises of Intel.
Make sure there's a GPU in addition to the CPU.
I can go into detail, but you said it's not so important.
In that case, anything from the Nvidia GeForce series will do.
The only thing to look out for, is GPU-RAM.
I'd say having around 2~4G of GPU-RAM is enough.
If you can get 4G for an agreeable price, go for it.
Anything beyond that is only useful for professional purposes and very likely costs more than your monthly salary.
Now to the "regular" RAM, aka. memory.
Try to look for a DDR4 type. DDR5 is faster, but maybe not available in your price range.
The difference between brand names is negligible for gaming purposes.

I make do with 8G RAM, but some people swear they physically can't live without at least 16G.
I'd recommend that after you made sure you have at least 8G, just decide based on price. IMHO it wouldn't be worth dishing out 100$ for the marginal improvement.

You said you want lots of storage space, but if you plan to store things besides games, consider getting an external drive instead.
Modern ready-made PCs have enough storage for games.

---

(note: Ryzen CPU's are used in all newest gaming consoles and have lower energy consumption, generally better multi-core performance and more "L1 cache" memory than Intel. On the other hand, Intel's individual cores are more powerful. In my experience, Ryzen is also cheaper for the same performance, but that can depend on the vendor)

[Anymage]

If you want to play games, a console or a subscription to something like amazon luna can be a better deal. (The latter does require a solid internet connection since all the heavy computing is done on their servers and then streamed to you, but it is an option if you just like low key games.)

It would help a lot to know what your priorities are beyond just wanting to play current games. Most notably laptop vs. desktop vs. building your own from scratch. Otherwise we can help demystify what computer talk sounds like, but you could just as easily google "PC building for beginners" and have them explain some of the basic ideas. It'll be a lot easier to answer things once you have the basics under your belt and can ask more specific questions.

[tyckspoon]

I want to play the newest games without a problem on low resolution. I just need a few parts where I can learn from there. And probably can't answer many questions.

So, important clarification: define 'Low resolution.' If your desired target is lower than 1920x1080 you basically don't have to worry about what your GPU is, almost any semi-modern graphics card will crush it (.. you should still look for something that -has- a discrete GPU, but even a modern integrated graphics chip will do fine for lower than HD resolutions and graphical settings.)

[Rockphed]

Computers have 6 parts you care about: cpu, motherboard, ram, gpu, case and power supply. You might also want new peripherals like mouse, keyboard, and monitor. If you are buying pre made they will offer you a bunch of choices and metroalien gives good advice. If you want to build your own (which is easier than people are implying but still nontrivial) there are websites that will help you pick parts that make sense together for your budget (so you don't blow all your budget on ram or hard drive and leave nothing for anything else). I Have looked at logical increments (https://www.logicalincrements.com/) in the past, but I am sure there are others.

[factotum]

In that case, anything from the Nvidia GeForce series will do.


I wouldn't really say a GT710 would be at all suitable for any type of gaming...

[MetroAlien]

OP said playing at low settings is acceptable.
Modern CPUs can power through games on lowest settings with just an on-board graphics chip.

Anything that takes off the CPU's load, no matter how weak, will make a difference like night and day in that regard.
But the crux here is having enough GPU-RAM to actually use it.
Otherwise the OS will just resort to using the CPU anyway.

That said, I doubt OP will stumble on a brand new desktop PC with a 710, unless they intentionally go looking for it.

[factotum]

That said, I doubt OP will stumble on a brand new desktop PC with a 710, unless they intentionally go looking for it.

I did a search for "gaming PC" on Amazon UK and this was one of the top entries, so it's pretty easy to find these things if you don't actually know what to avoid:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Veno-Scorp-Intel-Windows-Gaming/dp/B093LPJYR6

And having a discrete gaming GPU isn't always better--the iGPUs built into modern CPUs are actually often faster than super old low-end stuff like the GT710.

[J-H]

It helps to define your goals and budget a bit more precisely if possible. I just set up a "new" PC for my kids to use as a gaming/learning computer (typing, eventual basic programming). They are young, so no internet needed, no GTA, etc.
I don't care for Win10; I have a work laptop with it, and although it's fast, I don't want the phone home features and don't care for some of the UI feature destruction that happened. They moved my cheese. I know not everyone will agree with my OS choice.

Refurbed Win7 tower: $180, comes with mouse & keyboard; onboard graphics are VGA only. 3gHz duo-something processor, 8MB ram, 1TB HDD Most likely later upgrade would be more RAM
Surge protector $25
24" monitor $105
GeForce GT1030 graphics card $105 to support HDMI and Factorio note: I originally bought a cheaper card but learned that with gfx cards, you have to pay attention to the amount of GPU RAM, the onboard processor speed, and the type of RAM (DDR3, 4, 5). Also, I intentionally went with a low power draw card so I didn't have to also upgrade the PSU.
Tower subtotal: $415

I haven't checked this against whatever the new highres 3D FPS is these days, because the most demanding game I expect my kids to play in the next 3 years is probably Kerbal Space Program.

This is going in our living room, and the boys are different sizes, so we got a 42" adjustable height work surface ($260) and under-table tower mount ($40), and I still need to get them a good office chair ($100-$150). At the end of the day, we'll have spent as much on the furniture as the computer. Not sure how I feel about that.

For taking one of these and making it beefier, a key point is to look at the motherboard and what types of RAM and cards it will and won't support. If you go with a nicer graphics card be sure to upgrade your power supply as well.

I hope this is helpful in terms of "What someone else has done on a budget tower."

[MetroAlien]

Be advised that Win7 will stop getting security updates soon.

[Ortho]

SpicyBoi, I think I speak for us all when I say that we'd love to help you out, but we really can't unless you give us more details as to what exactly you want.

What would you define as a good processing speed? Or, to flip the question on its head, what does your current computer struggle to do without lagging? Do you just not want the computer to lag when you open a new program? Do you intend to stream movies?

Modern games can be upwards of 60 gigabytes. What sort of games do you intend to play? How many?

And most importantly: what's your budget? I'd hate to recommend something that's a couple hundred dollars out of reach.