What GPU for my son's rig?

tangoseal

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Dec 18, 2010
Messages
9,743
Youre gonna laugh and this is not an elitist comment either, but all I know is the ultra high end of GPUs.

I try to keep up with the low/mid range through conversation but have no direct experience. All I do is the super high end stuff like 2080ti's

I want to build my son a rig
Gonna be a 3600 and some ram blah blah

But the GPU confuses me. He wants to play Roblox, Lego Worlds, and various other steam titles etc... that is for his 6 to 7 year old age range. Minecraft etc...

I know an APU is probably the best for what he wants to do and I havent ruled it out as a way to save money, I was curious what lower end GPU is better and that can grow at least 2 years with him.

His PC is a reward for doing good in school and chores and home stuff etc... he gets to use it when he does good and doesnt get to use it when he acts bad.

Should I get just an APU - I want more cores for him though as games and stuff will perform better overall than a quad core but not against the idea totally of quad.

Whats the real difference in in the 1650 vs rx570 vs 1660 vs 1650ti vs 1050ti etc... all these low end cares are really confusing or do they all perform about the same?

What GPU would you recommend?

1080p ONLY but I am giving him one of my 144hz panels. My Asus MG248Q that uses Freesync but both amd and nvidia support freesync now.

thanks
 
the rx570/580 (8GB) is a decent choice....i really loved mine when i had it. If you could score a used one with warranty for about a hundred or so would be nice.
 
You could start with a decent APU based rig and see how it goes. I don't think it would be too bad for the titles indicated, but as primetime says - a quick upgrade for pretty cheap could then boost it up if needed.

Also - if they never know what "smooth" looks like, they never feel like they are missing out... ;)
 
Keep in mind "best fps" and "okay for a young person playing low-intensity games" are very different use cases.

I would just say - remember it isn't you. It's a young person who is far less concerned in smoothness, and is overwhelmingly interested in being able to just play a game. Also - this leaves you a dangling carrot for later upgrades.

Edit: I'm aware I'm not answering your questions, haha. I'm trying to convince you in a different staged approach which will also buy you time. And yes, a used RX-5-whatever would work very well if you're willing to just spend that now.
 
Keep in mind "best fps" and "okay for a young person playing low-intensity games" are very different use cases.

I would just say - remember it isn't you. It's a young person who is far less concerned in smoothness, and is overwhelmingly interested in being able to just play a game. Also - this leaves you a dangling carrot for later upgrades.

Point well made. Now either a used RX5xx or an APU is looking more appropriate!
 
I'd buy a cheap Dell outlet computer and put a used RX 570 in it and call it a day.

Since you want to build I'd just put a used RX 570 in it and call it a day.
 
I'd buy a cheap Dell outlet computer and put a used RX 570 in it and call it a day.

Since you want to build I'd just put a used RX 570 in it and call it a day.

I dont have to build it. But I wanted to include him in the build as a teaching tool as well. He would get to build his own computer with me. Ive built well over a thousand in my 30 years of IT crap so I wont let him make a mistake that is costly. The bulk of that amount was in the 90s when I worked at a factory hand building PCs in mass before automated stuff like Dell etc... got huge. But a used PC from microcenter or whatever is not a bad idea and I can always disassemble it mostly and have him help me put it back together for the learning experience.
 
A used GTX 1070/1070Ti would be on my list but it depends on how much you want to spend
 
2060 KO of course, got to play that RTX Minecraft. That should last 2 years or more and take advantage of new tech being used in tomorrow games. Less time you will have to waste with drivers hopefully vs AMD card.
 
Yes exactly and very surprised it is in stock, thanks for linking it, that is the only new card I would consider for less than $300 myself.

Hrmmm, I like the idea but not sure my kid even k ows how to farhom ray tracing lol

I can let him look at BF V with rt on and off on my 2080ti and see if he can notice a diff
 
Hrmmm, I like the idea but not sure my kid even k ows how to farhom ray tracing lol

I can let him look at BF V with rt on and off on my 2080ti and see if he can notice a diff
I think he would with RTX minecraft, as for BFV? Anyways in two years time kids grow super fast from my experience and what they know in two years is probably more then I learned in 15.
 
+1 for a used 1070/1070ti or 2060. Since you're only running a 1080p by 144hz any of those will be sufficient. Unless you are future proofing for other game then I would go higher.
 
Built my son a Ryzen 2600 / RX570 8GB / 16GB RAM rig about 16 months ago now for Christmas 2018 and its been solid still for 1080p gaming. Pretty sure it nearly maxes everything out still at 40+ FPS, which is totally playable for him. Got him a 1080p Ultrawide Freesync (90hz or something odd like that I think) display for it last Christmas as well since he was using my old Asus 1920x1200 16:9 monitor before that, which he uses as a second monitor now too.

So I think a RX 570-590 would still be a solid card for him, but a 2060 KO would def be a bit better too if you can get one for a decent price.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions... I will get some parts very soon for him. Thanks again
 
6 to 7 year old range?

I'd go with a 2600/1600AF and a 1650 SUPER.

By the time he wants something better and is old enough to appreciate the difference, use the savings and go for something more high end.
 
6 to 7 year old range?

I'd go with a 2600/1600AF and a 1650 SUPER.

By the time he wants something better and is old enough to appreciate the difference, use the savings and go for something more high end.

Thats a good idea
 
Do you usually keep your high end GPUs or do you sell them to offset the cost of upgrading? You could always go the integrated route until you upgrade, then give him your 2080 Ti.
 
I have been EXACTLY as you are.(best time of my life when kids that age) We as adults are way more picky than they are with fps and what not..but enjoy the time with your kid, as their only that age once! (unless you have more :))
 
I built one with my daughter and stuck in an rx560. She mostly plays minecraft now. It's ok, but could be better obviously. I am looking at upgrading her to a 570 or 580 sometime in the future (or when newer mid/low end stuff comes out). You can get a 570 for what I spent on a 560 a while back. Even a 3600 is a bit overkill, but if you want the latest generation it's hard to pass up. A 2600 or 1600AF can be had much cheaper and you won't notice a difference with a lower end video card.

If you get a 1600AF ($85) and pair it with an rx 570 ($120 for 4gb, which is fine for 1080p) it would be a lot better than buying something like the 3400G ($200) and cost almost the same...

https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Processo...ild=1&keywords=1600+AF&qid=1586880591&sr=8-10
https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-rad...=rx_570-_-14-932-242-_-Product&quicklink=true
https://www.newegg.com/xfx-radeon-r...on=rx 570&cm_re=rx_570-_-14-150-795-_-Product

This is basically what I'd build if I was building a new box for my 6 y/o today. Much faster than an APU and doesn't really cost any more.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I built one with my daughter and stuck in an rx560. She mostly plays minecraft now. It's ok, but could be better obviously. I am looking at upgrading her to a 570 or 580 sometime in the future (or when newer mid/low end stuff comes out). You can get a 570 for what I spent on a 560 a while back. Even a 3600 is a bit overkill, but if you want the latest generation it's hard to pass up. A 2600 or 1600AF can be had much cheaper and you won't notice a difference with a lower end video card.

If you get a 1600AF ($85) and pair it with an rx 570 ($120 for 4gb, which is fine for 1080p) it would be a lot better than buying something like the 3400G ($200) and cost almost the same...

https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Processo...ild=1&keywords=1600+AF&qid=1586880591&sr=8-10
https://www.newegg.com/gigabyte-radeon-rx-570-gv-rx570gaming-4gd-rev2-0/p/N82E16814932242?Description=rx 570&cm_re=rx_570-_-14-932-242-_-Product&quicklink=true
https://www.newegg.com/xfx-radeon-rx-570-rx-570p427d6/p/N82E16814150795?Item=N82E16814150795&Description=rx 570&cm_re=rx_570-_-14-150-795-_-Product

This is basically what I'd build if I was building a new box for my 6 y/o today. Much faster than an APU and doesn't really cost any more.

Yes I agree. Im looking at getting a 2600 and an rx580 at microcenter. And 8gb dual channel kit. For right now at least. They have a returned 580 for like 110 or something.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Here is what I am thinking.

However they have an rx 570 4gb for 129 instead if this 1650 super for 179 minus a 20 dollar price match at NewEgg.

Im tempted to just get the 1650 super as its much newer tech and has faster gddr6 which can give my kid another year or 2 bwfore having to upgrade.

I have gobs of storage and power supplies and cases.

Thoughts?

If anyone has some 2666 or faster 8gb kit preferably dual channel I can buy it from you. But this price seems very good.

However I could save $100 by getting a 3rd gen APU and I think hed be fine with that too.
 

Attachments

  • Screenshot_20200414-162107_Firefox.jpg
    Screenshot_20200414-162107_Firefox.jpg
    160.6 KB · Views: 0
I'm not real fond of mATX boards, but that's just me. Looks good.
 
Seems like a pretty good build. Didn't know your target $ or anything. The 5500xt is in a similar lrice/performance to the 1650 super also. I would not get an APU if he plays games, honestly they aren't worth the drop in cores. That 2600x + an RX 560 would be so much better than an Apu. Or like I said even the 1600AF @ $85 shipped + an RX 560 (or 1050 if you're into that) would put the APU to shame. Anything faster is icing on the cake.
The 1650 may give a little more time, but it's the same speed as an RX 580 (slightly faster than a 570) but still has 4GB of ram. It really won't last much longer if any. I got an 8gb RX 570 in my son's box, so I expect it will a out last as long as a 1650 even though it's a tad slower now. Can't really go wrong either way, they will all work fine for what you listed that your son uses, get what you're comfortable with (brand and $ wise).
 
Seems like a pretty good build. Didn't know your target $ or anything. The 5500xt is in a similar lrice/performance to the 1650 super also. I would not get an APU if he plays games, honestly they aren't worth the drop in cores. That 2600x + an RX 560 would be so much better than an Apu. Or like I said even the 1600AF @ $85 shipped + an RX 560 (or 1050 if you're into that) would put the APU to shame. Anything faster is icing on the cake.
The 1650 may give a little more time, but it's the same speed as an RX 580 (slightly faster than a 570) but still has 4GB of ram. It really won't last much longer if any. I got an 8gb RX 570 in my son's box, so I expect it will a out last as long as a 1650 even though it's a tad slower now. Can't really go wrong either way, they will all work fine for what you listed that your son uses, get what you're comfortable with (brand and $ wise).
that and you can get the rx580 8GB models right here in the forums for 80 bucks as well.....edit...i think the money spent on 16GB of ram is worth the small increase. I remember spending 3 times the current prices cause that was that when i did my last build. its all good anyway since i doubt the kid be playing super demanding games like the division that really need 16GB.
 
Last edited:
Yeah I looked at the 1600af but I can get a 2600x for 99 at microcenter. Isnt that a better chip?

Also a used 580 8gb from here is probably faster than a 1650 super. Good idea.
 
that and you can get the rx580 8GB models right here in the forums for 80 bucks as well.....edit...i think the money spent on 16GB of ram is worth the small increase. I remember spending 3 times the current prices cause that was that when i did my last build. its all good anyway since i doubt the kid be playing super demanding games like the division that really need 16GB.

Yeah if he wants super high end stuff like that he can use my 3960x 2080ti machine. But I wint allow him violence games like that at his age. Disney, Roblox, Minecraft, Legos, Luckys Tale, etc.... is what hes allowed to play. I wont even let him play Fortnite.

But I sure as shit play the shit out of violent games haha
 
Yeah I looked at the 1600af but I can get a 2600x for 99 at microcenter. Isnt that a better chip?

Also a used 580 8gb from here is probably faster than a 1650 super. Good idea.
Yeah, the RX 580s used normally go > $100 shipped. Yes, the 2600x at $99 is a better deal, I was just using the 1600af as an example. The 1600AF is more like a slightly lower clocked 2600 than a normal 1600 (new process node based on zen+). But a 2600x for $99 is probably worth the $15 difference! My point was more that even an $85 CPU can run circles around the $200 APU (3400g) and you could spend the same money to get way more performance. Spending more will net you more performance of course ;).
 
If your going use a Ryzen 5 3600 then a RX 570 is a nice match as I play World of Tanks in 1080p Ultra well above 60fps .
 
If your going use a Ryzen 5 3600 then a RX 570 is a nice match as I play World of Tanks in 1080p Ultra well above 60fps .

Yeah Inwqs originally but I dont think my son needs a 3600. They are 159 at Mixrocenter but the 2600x is 99.
 
Yeah Inwqs originally but I dont think my son needs a 3600. They are 159 at Mixrocenter but the 2600x is 99.

I would save the $60 and put it toward the video card or more memory. Let's face it. In 6 months the 3600 will be $99. Sell the 2600x for $75 and get a nice $25 upgrade then.
 
2600x for $99 and a rx580 from the for sale/trade for $100 and call it a day.

If spending more I'd really make the jump to the 5700/2060 as I think everything in between is kind of trash and not really worth the money over the rx580. DLSS 2.0 looks VERY good and if it takes off it immediately makes the 2060 a very good value imo.
 
2600x for $99 and a rx580 from the for sale/trade for $100 and call it a day.

If spending more I'd really make the jump to the 5700/2060 as I think everything in between is kind of trash and not really worth the money over the rx580. DLSS 2.0 looks VERY good and if it takes off it immediately makes the 2060 a very good value imo.

Yeah I hear that!

It seems that the rx580 is the most recommended GPU on this thread so far. I will end up getting this hardware by the end of the week. If I can find a good used 580 here I will buy it. THanks again everyone! Keeping it [H]
 
If you can't find something good used, don't overlook the 5500xt, can be had around $150-$170 new and is slightly faster than 580 and a bit newer (less power, can even find without need for external power connector). So many options though, any of these would more than suffice for your needs.
 
Back
Top