What kind of PC do I need?

[Geezer]

I'm pretty new to gaming since the last console I played on was a PS3 (I think) about 9 years ago.

Being my health problems keep me inside mostly... I was thinking about getting back into some kind of gaming. Being a PC I could just upgrade parts when need be every couple years instead of the whole unit (like consoles) I was thinking that may be a more efficient route.

I was looking into possibly offline games of some sort being I'm not one for the online crowd kind of games. I'm hoping someone could point me in right direction for what type of PC I need. I'm hoping I can just plug it into a big screen tv and kick back and play whatever games I can either buy at Walmart or Amazon etc etc. As you can tell I know very little about PC gaming or any kinda gaming for that matter.

Thanks In Advance!

[Mod edit: changed title for clarity from the unhelpful "What am I looking for?".]

 

[Colif]

Do you know what types of games you want to play are?

It might help figure out what PC you should get.

I wouldn't buy a Walmart brand PC but I am sure others here will point you in right direction.

 

[Brian Boru]

Welcome to the forum

possibly offline games

No worries there, there are loads of offline single-player games—many of us here are not into the online side of things.

What country are you in?

What kinds of games do you like?

Are you okay with older games—say 4-5 years old—or would you prefer newer games?

Newer action games will need a much beefier PC than older non-action games, so we need an idea of your preferences.

Are you thinking of building the PC yourself, or buying pre-built?

 

[Geezer]

I'm sorry I couldn't figure out how to put everyone's quotes in this reply... this is a little different forum compared to others I've been on over the years.

Now to answer some questions....

I'm in the U.S.A.

The last game I played was I think GT4. I didn't do a lot of the big races in that, but I rather completed little tracks and pretty much did the bare minimum to fix up the cheaper less desirable cars in the game. Being I've been in automotive/fabrication most of my life... I like building/upgrading more than racing/trophies. I'm not sure where I fit in the gaming world but upgrades are nice and I like roaming around as well. There was a interesting PC game from the 90's that consisted of roaming around on a island solving puzzles and discovering new places that I took a fancy to. I figure that's not much help but eh lol

I don't mind older games BUT I would like to be able to play a newer game without having to start upgrading within the first year or 2 of dropping a considerable amount of $$$ for the system, but if it's a cheap part/upgrade then that's ok.

I wasn't really thinking of buying a gaming PC at Walmart.... only games if I see something cheap/interesting.

As far as building.... it shouldn't be that hard to assemble anything BUT my weakness will be programming/software. I'm good with tools but not so much with making stuff work together that require software for it to get along with other parts.

I really wasn't looking to build a PC from scratch but rather buy a system and then slowly upgrade from there UNLESS there's a cheaper DIY kit or something that makes buying the system a little initially cheaper.

As I previously mentioned I want to plug this into a TV instead of a little monitor... I'm hoping that doesn't complicate things.

I hope those answers help and thanks again

 

[Why_Me]

I'm sorry I couldn't figure out how to put everyone's quotes in this reply... this is a little different forum compared to others I've been on over the years.

Now to answer some questions....

I'm in the U.S.A.

The last game I played was I think GT4. I didn't do a lot of the big races in that, but I rather completed little tracks and pretty much did the bare minimum to fix up the cheaper less desirable cars in the game. Being I've been in automotive/fabrication most of my life... I like building/upgrading more than racing/trophies. I'm not sure where I fit in the gaming world but upgrades are nice and I like roaming around as well. There was a interesting PC game from the 90's that consisted of roaming around on a island solving puzzles and discovering new places that I took a fancy to. I figure that's not much help but eh lol

I don't mind older games BUT I would like to be able to play a newer game without having to start upgrading within the first year or 2 of dropping a considerable amount of $$$ for the system, but if it's a cheap part/upgrade then that's ok.

I wasn't really thinking of buying a gaming PC at Walmart.... only games if I see something cheap/interesting.

As far as building.... it shouldn't be that hard to assemble anything BUT my weakness will be programming/software. I'm good with tools but not so much with making stuff work together that require software for it to get along with other parts.

I really wasn't looking to build a PC from scratch but rather buy a system and then slowly upgrade from there UNLESS there's a cheaper DIY kit or something that makes buying the system a little initially cheaper.

As I previously mentioned I want to plug this into a TV instead of a little monitor... I'm hoping that doesn't complicate things.

I hope those answers help and thanks again

Graphic cards are at an all time high price atm due to the chip shortage, internet mining craze and scalpers. With that said what is your budget?

 

[ZedClampet]

Don't buy a PC at Walmart. They'll sell you a 5 year old PC for 5 times what it's worth now.

Go to the Amazon or Best Buy websites and type "RTX 3060 desktop" into the search bar and see what comes up. Chances are good that as long as the system has an RTX 3060 in it, that it's safe to say it will run your games for you. On Amazon I found this one in your price range:

HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop Computer, 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10400F Processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Windows 11 Home (TG01-1183w, Black): $1039.99

Could be better, but not for $1000. You should be able to buff it out over time with things like more storage and RAM. The most expensive components, the GPU and CPU, should last you a good long while. This PC will play any game on the market today at 1080p resolution with no problems (there might be some poorly optimized games out there that could stutter due to the 8GB of RAM).

While you are shopping around, one more rule of thumb. Any Nvidia graphics card that ends in "50", like the 1650 or 3050, isn't worth buying, so avoid systems with those.

Also, PC gaming is all digital now. Don't get your games at Walmart or Amazon. Get them at Steam, Epic, Windows Store, Humble, etc. Steam is the biggie. Digital is so much better, as you'll find out after making the switch from disks.

 

[Geezer]

Don't buy a PC at Walmart. They'll sell you a 5 year old PC for 5 times what it's worth now.

Go to the Amazon or Best Buy websites and type "RTX 3060 desktop" into the search bar and see what comes up. Chances are good that as long as the system has an RTX 3060 in it, that it's safe to say it will run your games for you. On Amazon I found this one in your price range:

HP Pavilion Gaming Desktop Computer, 10th Generation Intel Core i5-10400F Processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 12 GB, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Windows 11 Home (TG01-1183w, Black): $1039.99

Could be better, but not for $1000. You should be able to buff it out over time with things like more storage and RAM. The most expensive components, the GPU and CPU, should last you a good long while. This PC will play any game on the market today at 1080p resolution with no problems (there might be some poorly optimized games out there that could stutter due to the 8GB of RAM).

While you are shopping around, one more rule of thumb. Any Nvidia graphics card that ends in "50", like the 1650 or 3050, isn't worth buying, so avoid systems with those.

Also, PC gaming is all digital now. Don't get your games at Walmart or Amazon. Get them at Steam, Epic, Windows Store, Humble, etc. Steam is the biggie. Digital is so much better, as you'll find out after making the switch from disks.

Hmmm, I guess I could save up a little more for this venture, I'm trying hard to stay away from using the PC online because I honestly don't want another monthly bill. I will see what I can come up with or maybe just wait it out to see if prices for anything that involves this situation goes down.

 

[ZedClampet]

Hmmm, I guess I could save up a little more for this venture, I'm trying hard to stay away from using the PC online because I honestly don't want another monthly bill. I will see what I can come up with or maybe just wait it out to see if prices for anything that involves this situation goes down.

Why is it another monthly bill? This isn't Xbox or Playstation. Steam doesn't charge you $9.99/mo. It's completely free. All you need is an Internet connection.

Also, you are going to be getting your games much, much cheaper on Steam or Epic or any PC game store than you are going to get them at a retailer.

 

[Geezer]

Why is it another monthly bill? This isn't Xbox or Playstation. Steam doesn't charge you $9.99/mo. It's completely free. All you need is an Internet connection.

Also, you are going to be getting your games much, much cheaper on Steam or Epic or any PC game store than you are going to get them at a retailer.

Here internet is usually $70+ a month (last I checked about 6 months ago. My phone has data but I doubt wifi from my phone would hold up to the demands of what's needed for that type of download. That's why I'm thinking I'll just wait....

 

[ZedClampet]

Here internet is usually $70+ a month (last I checked about 6 months ago. My phone has data but I doubt wifi from my phone would hold up to the demands of what's needed for that type of download. That's why I'm thinking I'll just wait....

Ah, I just assumed you had Internet. Well I don't know where you live, but where I live you can't find PC games in stores. Also, when you buy a game from Amazon, I think that most of the time all you get is a key that lets you download the game (even if they send you a box in the mail), so you would have to be careful when you bought there.

 

[ZedClampet]

Update on what I said about XX50 Nvidia GPU's. The PCG review of the 3050 just released today, and apparently the 3050 sort of breaks the mold and isn't that bad after all. I checked Amazon, and systems with this card are already for sale and a little under $1000. The systems I looked at had more storage, but the same amount of RAM.

Another thing you might search on Amazon is Nvidia 2060 desktop. That's an older card, and those systems should be cheaper. Even though the 2060 is an older card, it has perhaps a little better performance than the 3050.