Building a PC for my kid

[digitalgunfire]

Looking for some suggestions to keep costs down. He is 6 going on 20 and loves video games. We'll probably play Torchlight 2 together, he likes things like Terraria, MineCraft, Costume Quest, stuff like that.

I have a spare 24" monitor kicking around which does 1920x1200 I'll probably use for it. I'm not opposed to upgrading my GPU to a 680 or 7000 series Radeon and giving him my 570GTX also.

However, I'd like to not spend a fortune on this box - it's not like he is going to care about AA or AF and he'll be happy to just have something to play on.

What say ye? I was thinking something like an X4 Phenom, 4GB of RAM, either upgrade and give him my 570 or get him something like a 560.


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming for my kid.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

No set amount but trying to keep the costs down, 500-600 max would be super.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

US, Wisconsin

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.

Case, PSU. Motherboard, CPU, RAM, HD, DVD-ROM, possibly video card if I don't upgrade mine in the process of building this.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

1920x1200 monitor, possibly a 570GTX.

6) Will you be overclocking?

Nope.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

24" 1920x1200

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Sometime soon. 2-4 weeks max.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

Don't care too much, price trumps features at this point. Don't need RAID, firewire, Crossfire. UEFI is cool but whatever.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Yup, 64bit Win7.

 

[Dangman]

Well if you can buy before the 31st, I recommend this setup:
$125 - Intel Core i3 2120 + LG GH22NS90B SATA DVD Burner Combo
$50 - Biostar H61MGC Intel H61 mATX Intel Motherboard
$41 - Crucial CT2KIT51264BD160B 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$135 - Sapphire 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$85 - Hitachi 7K1000.D HDS721050DLE630 500GB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$48 - Antec NEO ECO 400C 400W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
---
Total: $534 shipped

If you end up buying in April, bump up the thread then as my build recommendations may have changed then.

 

[lsun22]

i really doubt he'll need a 560 or 570.

it sounds like, he should be fine with the built in graphics of any sandybrdige. or if you'll wait till april. ivybridge will be even better.

even the 6850 should be overkill from the games you listed...

 

[Dangman]

even the 6850 should be overkill from the games you listed...

It probably is. But that particular HD 6850 is probably one of the better bang for the buck GPUs out now. the next step below the HD 6850 is the HD 6770 which costs $118 for the cheapest good one. The price difference is small yet the performance difference is large. Hence why I recommended that HD 6850, even if it's a Sapphire and overkill.

 

[lsun22]

It probably is. But that particular HD 6850 is probably one of the better bang for the buck GPUs out now. the next step below the HD 6850 is the HD 6770 which costs $118 for the cheapest good one. The price difference is small yet the performance difference is large. Hence why I recommended that HD 6850, even if it's a Sapphire and overkill.

i think even a $50 discrete should be more than enough.

if the OP doesn't care about future upgradability, fusion is probably the best choice right now.

if you want more future-proof, go with sandy/ivy bridge integrated for now, and drop in a card later if gfx performance is slow.

remember. Terraria, MineCraft, Costume Quest, etc, these games are not like games you might be thinking of, starcraft 2, wow, bf3, etc etc.

 

[Dangman]

if the OP doesn't care about future upgradability, fusion is probably the best choice right now.

Not really. An Intel Pentium G620 or G840 CPU + HD 6670 outperforms even the highest-end Fusion CPU in most games.

if you want more future-proof, go with sandy/ivy bridge integrated for now, and drop in a card later if gfx performance is slow.

Fair enough if the OP wants to do that.

remember. Terraria, MineCraft, Costume Quest, etc, these games are not like games you might be thinking of, starcraft 2, wow, bf3, etc etc.

But it's at 1920x1080 though. That's still gonna require some GPU power.