Question New to Pc Gaming

[BenP]

Hi all
Thanks for giving this a read

I’ll be brief.
I have never really ventured into PC gaming of todays standard since getting my first PS1, have always been more console which exception to a lot of point and click stuff from when i was younger…

But, lately i have noticed a real lag in developments that have come out on the PS5 and i really really want to play the new Cities2 Simulation game, and i can see we’re still another year off , which they iron out a lot of bugs from when it was launched on PC last October.

So it pains me that i can play it on PC but have to wait for console edition. So to solve this, ive decided to buy a gaming PC and enter (back) into this world. But i wanted a little advice on which ones to buy?

I know i need a very good CPU (like i.7 intel) and a good GPU… i am looking at a partuglar Optiplex model sold on amazon for £219 and comes with good Ram and a decent CPU in a tidy casing.

The problem is the graphics card is next to useless for gaming… so i was looking to upgrade to a MSI GeForce RTX 3060 VENTUS 2X 12G.

Can anyone share any thoughts that have on this? Would you recommend this or would you suggest something else? I am not too clued up on the finer details between the many GPU’s out so any advice is highly welcome thanks

 

[Colif]

Cities skylines 2 was unoptimised at launch and ran badly on even PC that cost way more than what that Optiplex model is likely to be able to achieve. I haven't actually tried to play it since last year.
No idea how it is going now - https://forums.pcgamer.com/threads/cities-skylines-ii-discussion.142359/#post-378026

Do you have a link to the Amazon PC?

Minimum:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-6700K | AMD® Ryzen™ 5 2600X
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 970 (4 GB) | AMD® Radeon™ RX 480 (8 GB)
Storage: 60 GB available space

Recommended:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows® 10 Home 64 Bit | Windows® 11
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-12600K | AMD® Ryzen™ 7 5800X
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ RTX 3080 (10 GB) | AMD® Radeon™ RX 6800 XT (16 GB)
Storage: 60 GB available space

Save 10% on Cities: Skylines II on Steam

Raise a city from the ground up and transform it into a thriving metropolis with the most realistic city builder ever. Push your creativity and problem-solving to build on a scale you've never experienced. With deep simulation and a living economy, this is world-building without limits.

store.steampowered.com

At launch, people with PC that obliterated the recommended still had a bad time.

At least the 3060 is somewhere between minimum and recommended.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

One basic thing to understand that sometimes people new to PC specs miss, is that an I7 or Ryzen 7 from more than 5 years ago is often worse in every way than an I3 or Ryzen 5 from the latest generation or two.

Also youll need a strong enough power supply and big enough case to fit a graphics card in. Often old Dells arent built to handle anything more than what they came installed with.

Just trying to temper expectations here. Most likely youd be better off saving a bit longer and getting a reasonably priced pre built machine. Im sure someone here can help you with that if you come up with some options from a store local to you within your budget. Good luck!

 

[Colif]

Would a Steam Deck do the job?

Might be easiest way to get something to play game?

short search shows people playing it on a steam deck

 

[BenP]

Hi Colif , Kaamos

Firstly, really appreciate your suggestions and kind reply.

Have done a bit more research myself and I think I will return the Optiplex I received via Amazon as I thought it would be an easy GPU upgrade but I think it’s going to cost me more than a prebuilt in the long run, and I’m limited on the PSU. Which is I guess what you’re saying Kaamos!?

Current model which I planned to upgrade GPU with something (max option) that would work with its 250w psu - any suggestion here that would make the unit better than a prebuilt of similar cost?

Have looked at a couple of others. Links below,

https://amzn.eu/d/74nbkEt

https://amzn.eu/d/3jKur1M

One is a bit more than the other - I guess in terms of budget I don’t really want to spend more than a console as I would see it purely as that. I have another laptop I work on/with . So this would be purely gaming, with some future proof to it.

I’d rather not get something borderline with todays performance and not going to cut if for games released in the near to years.

The two links about run of Ryzen 5, which Kaamos suggest is better than newer releases… would that make these a better option in your view? Be keen to know your thoughts.

Also totally understand your comment regarding the game itself, I know there have been lots of issue from reading up on it online and through twitter/X. I think they have released lots of patches for some of the issue now?

I also have a large Samsung curved 32 inch monitor, will these towers with their installed GPU be able to handle the resolution because it suggests they cannot on the details part of Amazon but I’m not sure I believe this.

Is there anything else you’d suggest to consider here?

Also, regarding Steam and their new handheld deck - I’m not sure I’d want something on the go like a PlayStation vita or similar , one thing that attracts me about PC gaming is the ability to use with keyboard / mouse and the fact you’re sat at a desk (perhaps) in a which is a very different thing to sitting on the couch in the lounge with a controller.

Again - your help is very much appreciated!!

Thanks so much

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Theres a dock available for the Steam deck that you can use a mouse and keyboard with. Its pretty weak compared to a desktop, but it is also the best option for relatively cheap.

What country are you in, and how much are you willing to spend exactly? Assume that your monitor is a 1080p resolution? That has quite a large effect on how well the GPU performs

Out of the two you posted the RTX3050 machine is going to be the more powerful by a fair way. The other one doesnt have a dedicated GPU, although the Radeon integrated graphics included can do basic gaming. Personally I'd rather grab a Steam deck than that though.

As far as them lasting for several years, 8GB of RAM will need upgrading sooner rather than later as its already pretty low for the latest games, and the quality of the power supply is unknown because they dont list the model. 500GB is a small amount of storage that wont hold too many AA games at teh same time. Unfotrunately to upgrade these things youre going to need to spend more money than a console would cost.

Apart from that it will play 95% of games fine at 1080p depending on graphical settings in game. The money savings vs console come over time from getting cheaper games in online stores.

 

[Colif]

one thing that attracts me about PC gaming is the ability to use with keyboard / mouse and the fact you’re sat at a desk (perhaps) in a which is a very different thing to sitting on the couch in the lounge with a controller.

You can actually play Cities Skylines with a controller so many of the users of PC aren't that much different to consoles, though mouse/keyboard is most common input method.
That lounge isn't even a stretch, use wireless keyboard/mouse or just an Xbox controller. Potentially use same screen as well.
I haven't sat at a desk in years

What separates PC from consoles is a very slim line now. Mostly upfront cost of hardware. Consoles get you long term with the subscription costs. You don't have to pay to keep playing your games on PC... but with all the subscription services run by games publishers, they sure want to stop that. Ubisoft want to survive off the rent of the games you bought off them.

I also have a large Samsung curved 32 inch monitor

what resolution is it?

The Cyberpower regiment Gaming PC is the one Kaamos means. Not sure how I missed the Ryzen 5 4500, odd numbering. 1/3/5/7 are the normal Ryzen model ranges, not 4... made me think it was an APU but no, its a CPU.
slightly slower than my old CPU & they cut back lvl 3 cache to 8mb. Still a good CPU.

The only area of concern with Cyberpower PC is what PSU they use. As they often use their own brand and in many cases, their own forums suggest to avoid them. You have no choice really if you buy it off Amazon to change the PSU.

 

[BenP]

Theres a dock available for the Steam deck that you can use a mouse and keyboard with. Its pretty weak compared to a desktop, but it is also the best option for relatively cheap.

What country are you in, and how much are you willing to spend exactly? Assume that your monitor is a 1080p resolution? That has quite a large effect on how well the GPU performs

Out of the two you posted the RTX3050 machine is going to be the more powerful by a fair way. The other one doesnt have a dedicated GPU, although the Radeon integrated graphics included can do basic gaming. Personally I'd rather grab a Steam deck than that though.

As far as them lasting for several years, 8GB of RAM will need upgrading sooner rather than later as its already pretty low for the latest games, and the quality of the power supply is unknown because they dont list the model. 500GB is a small amount of storage that wont hold too many AA games at teh same time. Unfotrunately to upgrade these things youre going to need to spend more money than a console would cost.

Apart from that it will play 95% of games fine at 1080p depending on graphical settings in game. The money savings vs console come over time from getting cheaper games in online stores.

I am based in UK, London and I would be prepared to spend around £500/600 for the PC itself, it all depends on what is the most suitable and i'm usually a sucker for, ''if you spend an extra £50 you can future proof it a bit more''... so within reason i want the best prebuilt for around that price, knowing that i can upgrade parts later if i need to?

The monitor i use is a Samsung 34'' QLED Ultrawide Thunderbolt QHD curved monitor, it has a resolution capable of 3440 x 1440p. I bought it on Ebay a few years ago and was probably the best purchase I made for my home office then - It gets mixed reviews online but i find it excellent and some reviews mention how its better placed for gaming. Given your knowledge, what GPU do i need to allow this screen to work at it's best?

I currently use a Surface 4 laptop with windows 11 (AMD Ryzen 5 Microsoft Surface Edition) with this monitor and i find it a really good, clear and seamless.

Noted your view on the RTX3050, perhaps i continue looking then... however, If this were for you, what would you be looking at?

Cheers mate

 

[BenP]

Theres a dock available for the Steam deck that you can use a mouse and keyboard with. Its pretty weak compared to a desktop, but it is also the best option for relatively cheap.

Regarding the Steam Deck, i didn't know this existed actually, so i was just having a look now... Is it only handheld? I.e you couldn't plug it into monitor? I don't know about these handheld devises, especially with simulation games i really love the precision of a mouse combined with a large monitor sat close to... as opposed to a TV sat far away (or a small screen) using a joystick to do fiddly stuff.

i worry about these devises too, i feel after a while, if no success they just abandon and then you're left with an expensive thing you can't update... if that makes any sense... Looking at you PS vita and the other one. Eye's emoji.

 

[BenP]

You can actually play Cities Skylines with a controller so many of the users of PC aren't that much different to consoles, though mouse/keyboard is most common input method.
That lounge isn't even a stretch, use wireless keyboard/mouse or just an Xbox controller. Potentially use same screen as well.
I haven't sat at a desk in years

What separates PC from consoles is a very slim line now. Mostly upfront cost of hardware. Consoles get you long term with the subscription costs. You don't have to pay to keep playing your games on PC... but with all the subscription services run by games publishers, they sure want to stop that. Ubisoft want to survive off the rent of the games you bought off them.


what resolution is it?

The Cyberpower regiment Gaming PC is the one Kaamos means. Not sure how I missed the Ryzen 5 4500, odd numbering. 1/3/5/7 are the normal Ryzen model ranges, not 4... made me think it was an APU but no, its a CPU.
slightly slower than my old CPU & they cut back lvl 3 cache to 8mb. Still a good CPU.

The only area of concern with Cyberpower PC is what PSU they use. As they often use their own brand and in many cases, their own forums suggest to avoid them. You have no choice really if you buy it off Amazon to change the PSU.

Thanks Colif

Regarding Cyberpower PC - Avoid their PSU for what reason? they break after a time?

Screen resolution is 3440 x 1440p in my current monitor. I lied earlier i said it was 32'' its 34''
I've just asked Kaamos the question about if this were for you, i.e me, what would you purchase given all the above? Be keen to know what you think too. (if you want to share that, understand if not/time consuming)

There are so many prebuilt options out there and brands that are not household names to me, it a bit of a minefield - but i am learning!

Cheers

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Regarding the Steam Deck, i didn't know this existed actually, so i was just having a look now... Is it only handheld? I.e you couldn't plug it into monitor? I don't know about these handheld devises, especially with simulation games i really love the precision of a mouse combined with a large monitor sat close to... as opposed to a TV sat far away (or a small screen) using a joystick to do fiddly stuff.

i worry about these devises too, i feel after a while, if no success they just abandon and then you're left with an expensive thing you can't update... if that makes any sense... Looking at you PS vita and the other one. Eye's emoji.

As I said it has a dock. A platform you can put it into and then output to a monitor. You can also plug in a mouse and keyboard.

The Steam Deck has sold like hot cakes, they just released an OLED version a couple months ago, I doubt it will be abandoned any time soon everyone loves them.

I'm not here to sell it to you though, its not that powerful, although it plays some AAA surprisingly well. Its just that for 300 Euros or even 500 you cant get a tower much better, so its a good option at the price point. Cities Skylines 2 you may want to look into though, the CPU is not strong in the deck, and I heard the game was terribly optimized as Colif mentioned earlier.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I am based in UK, London and I would be prepared to spend around £500/600 for the PC itself, it all depends on what is the most suitable and i'm usually a sucker for, ''if you spend an extra £50 you can future proof it a bit more''... so within reason i want the best prebuilt for around that price, knowing that i can upgrade parts later if i need to?

The monitor i use is a Samsung 34'' QLED Ultrawide Thunderbolt QHD curved monitor, it has a resolution capable of 3440 x 1440p. I bought it on Ebay a few years ago and was probably the best purchase I made for my home office then - It gets mixed reviews online but i find it excellent and some reviews mention how its better placed for gaming. Given your knowledge, what GPU do i need to allow this screen to work at it's best?

I currently use a Surface 4 laptop with windows 11 (AMD Ryzen 5 Microsoft Surface Edition) with this monitor and i find it a really good, clear and seamless.

Noted your view on the RTX3050, perhaps i continue looking then... however, If this were for you, what would you be looking at?

Cheers mate

Missed this one because of the other quote. Sorry.

700?

Scan has a decent rep, or used to when I was in the UK. This is way better than the two you listed earlier, but I guess a fair whack more.

Overclockers has some entry level models that are decent but again we are over budget I think. But maybe something to think about. You can configure things down a little to save some and still have a decent base top expand in the future.

Building yourself is rewarding but the research is time consuming and honestly at the low end you dont save much money, although you might end up with slightly better quality non headline components, like PSU and case.

 

[BenP]

As I said it has a dock. A platform you can put it into and then output to a monitor. You can also plug in a mouse and keyboard.

The Steam Deck has sold like hot cakes, they just released an OLED version a couple months ago, I doubt it will be abandoned any time soon everyone loves them.

I'm not here to sell it to you though, its not that powerful, although it plays some AAA surprisingly well. Its just that for 300 Euros or even 500 you cant get a tower much better, so its a good option at the price point. Cities Skylines 2 you may want to look into though, the CPU is not strong in the deck, and I heard the game was terribly optimized as Colif mentioned earlier.

Ok - yes sorry I forgot you said that. You are right though, for the price I should really look at this with Dock.

When you say optimized, do you mean the simulation games, ie cities 2, are more reliant on a good CPU rather than a good GPU? I suppose that makes sense given the nature and complexity of the game…

Then again, if the DECK isn’t going to play this game at its best I will probably stick with the getting a PC?

 

[BenP]

Missed this one because of the other quote. Sorry.

700?

Scan has a decent rep, or used to when I was in the UK. This is way better than the two you listed earlier, but I guess a fair whack more.

Overclockers has some entry level models that are decent but again we are over budget I think. But maybe something to think about. You can configure things down a little to save some and still have a decent base top expand in the future.

Building yourself is rewarding but the research is time consuming and honestly at the low end you dont save much money, although you might end up with slightly better quality non headline components, like PSU and case.

Great. Thanks for the steer, I will check out Scan and Overclockers and report back!

And yes you have solidified my opinion on building yourself, especially if on a budget and with limited knowledge of brands and parts. I think I’d be better off researching the best prebuilt.

 

[Colif]

Avoid their PSU for what reason? they break after a time?

Sometimes they do. Its why I mentioned it. Its possible you wouldn't have any problems at all.

So 34 inch ultra wide 1440p monitor. What frame rate does it run at? Guess I should just ask what model it is

 

[Brian Boru]

Minimum:
Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX 970

Recommended:
Graphics: Nvidia® GeForce™ RTX 3080

@BenP a lot re graphics card depends on your tolerance for medium or low graphics settings in games. The 970 in Minimum above was a great card a decade ago, but is very far behind the capability of a 3080.

 

[Colif]

The game is a work in progress.

At launch people with 4090 were having a bad time

that is from 3 days ago.

 

[BenP]

Hi

I checked the links and and reconfigured the PC you suggested - i wanted to show you here but i cant seem to place images into threads - is that right or is there a way to do it? I'd like to show you the edit/options with my selection and see if you'd do anything differently.

it became clear pretty quickly that i'm not getting anything 'future proof' for my earlier budget so before i went ahead with any of these just wanted to check some finer details!

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Hi

I checked the links and and reconfigured the PC you suggested - i wanted to show you here but i cant seem to place images into threads - is that right or is there a way to do it? I'd like to show you the edit/options with my selection and see if you'd do anything differently.

it became clear pretty quickly that i'm not getting anything 'future proof' for my earlier budget so before i went ahead with any of these just wanted to check some finer details!

You can post pictures to Imgur or another image hosting site, and then link the BB code to the body of the post here and it will show up.

 

[Colif]

see if these instructions help, I had to update them as the website has changed a little

How to post images using Imgur

go here - https://imgur.com/ you might need to set up a user. click on New Post which will display next screen where you can select image(s) - hold Ctrl while selecting images in explorer to get multiple Once uploaded, images will show on the next page right clicking an image (once its shown...

forums.pcgamer.com

let me know if it doesn't make sense and I see what I messed up