What should a newbie look for in a gaming pc

[Coldste]

Hi all, just wondering if you can help. I’m looking at getting into gaming on the PC, after spending years on the PlayStation and Xbox, the next generation of consoles are meh for me nothing has stood out about them so I’m looking at getting a gaming PC. I currently own a gaming laptop but honestly it’s starting to not be as good anymore. I can‘t get one just yet but if I have a rough idea of what to look for I can work out roughly how much to save. I’ve included a link to a PC that I’ve seen. It’s £3499.00. Obviously if you know of a better PC that’s cheaper or good for first timers then can you please let me know. So I can roughly go up to that price.

So basically what should I look for in terms of graphics cards and processors, I know nothing about them but I’m taking my time to do research though. Is 32gb of ram too much or is it a case of more the better?

I’ve seen this PC it’s an ACER Predator Orion 9000 with the following specs.

• Unlocked Intel® Core™ i7-9800X Processor
• Memory: 32 GB RAM / 32 GB Intel® Optane™
• Storage: 1 TB HDD & 512 GB SSD
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 8 GB
• 311 FPS when playing Fortnite at 1080p

Gaming PCs - Cheap gaming PC deals | Currys

Experience stunning graphics and lightning fast gameplay with a gaming PC from Currys. Check out the latest gaming heavyweights from Alienware and Acer today.

www.currys.co.uk

I really want to avoid the whole process of building my own PC and for the time being having to buy parts to upgrade the machine since I’d have to find someone to fit it. I for hotpot to add would it be better to buy a monitor for PC gaming or is a HD or 4K TV just as good. This monitor is apparently frequently bought with this PC https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/compu...ull-hd-27-led-monitor-black-10164659-pdt.html thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Oussebon]

Do not buyh the PC above.

It's terrible, terrible value. And will perform worse than cheaper options.

That whole family of CPUs was intended for workstations, while the 9800x specifically has very little reason if any to exist at all.

You could easily get something as good or better for around half the price.

Also, don't buy that monitor - as it's really below the kind of spec you should be aiming for with a system of this level.

What kinds of games are you looking to play, and at what kinds of settings?

Will help suggest alternatives.

 

[Coldste]

Do not buyh the PC above.

It's terrible, terrible value. And will perform worse than cheaper options.

That whole family of CPUs was intended for workstations, while the 9800x specifically has very little reason if any to exist at all.

You could easily get something as good or better for around half the price.

Also, don't buy that monitor - as it's really below the kind of spec you should be aiming for with a system of this level.

What kinds of games are you looking to play, and at what kinds of settings?

Will help suggest alternatives.

thanks for the advice, for the time being it’d be the new flight simulator and x plane 11. But I’d probably end up playing other games like cyberpunk 2077 and AC Valhalla or other games like those

 

[Oussebon]

I'd make a few broad suggestions:

1) Then the first thing I'd say is that if it's not urgent, don't buy it yet.

New graphics cards are expected out in the coming months (we're expecting to hear in Sept currently) and those may be desirable, even necessary, to push things as far as possible in titles like Cyberpunk. The RTX 2080 ti is 2 years old now, so you might as well wait to get the latest tech since your budget easily allows for it.

New tech is always around the corner, but with next gen games and next gen consoles launching as well as the new GPUs (and indeed new CPUs from AMD) all clustered from September-November, this is going to be a big one.

2) If buying now, there are lots of options in the ~£2000-£2500 range e.g.

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z490-overclocked/GZJAxa49zW/ (you can customise the spec)

Gaming PC with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and Intel Core i9 10900K

Buy from Scan - 3XS Gamer Ti iCUE, Intel Core i9 10900K "Comet Lake", 16GB DDR4, 11GB EVGA RTX 2080 Ti, 1TB SSD, Win 10

www.scan.co.uk

10th Gen Intel CPU (and specifically one with a -K in the name), or Ryzen 3000 series CPU, plus RTX 2080 ti would be the main baseline specs.

3) Spending more than that doesn't get you a meaningfully better PC. £2.5k can already net you the best gaming gear on the market. A more expensive will generally mean spending on things that are more or less placebo. You might not notice the difference. In fact, depending on what you buy, you might buy something with worse performance that costs more because it is intended for things other than gaming.

4) Spending more doesn't make the PC more futureproof. As above, you hit a point of diminishing returns for performance. A £2.5k PC will be more futureproof than a £3.5k PC for gaming, because you have £1000 left to buy future technology that does not yet exist. And will increase performance far more than anything you can buy today.

5) If buying a £2k+ system, you want to make sure you have a decent monitor. You will be aiming at 1440p 144hz monitors, or 1440p ultrawide monitors, or 4k. Especially for the games you've mentioned where you're not playing on low settings to reach 300fps or whatever for competitive advantage, but rather you want to enjoy the visual experience at your own pace. Higher resolution monitors have more pixels. More pixels per unit of area (e.g. pixels per inch) means a sharper, more detailed image.

You'd be looking at ~£300-£500 for a monitor that fits with the system, or more for something very high end.

For 1440p, this is a good option:

LG 27GL850-B 27" 2560x1440 NANO IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync/G-Sync Compatible Widescreen LED Gaming Monit

Display Resolution 2560x1440, Display Size 27", Refresh Rate 144Hz, FreeSync, G-Sync Compatible, Response Time 1ms, Contrast Ratio 1000:1, Panel Type IPS, HDR 10, 2 year Warranty

www.overclockers.co.uk

For 1440p ultrawide, options range from things like:

34" and Above Monitors | Cheap Ultrawide Monitor Deals | Ebuyer.com

A 34"-and-above monitor or ultrawide will make an impressive statement and improve every aspect of your computing experience. Next-day delivery and flexible finance.

www.ebuyer.com

to things like

LG 34GN850 34" 3440x1440 NANO IPS 160Hz 1ms FreeSync/G-Sync Widescreen LED Curved Backlit Gaming Mon

34-inch UltraWideTM QHD (3440x1440 Resolution) Curved, LG Nano IPS Panel, 1ms (GtG) response time, FreeSync, NVIDIA G-SYNC® Compatible, 144Hz Refresh Rate, 160Hz Overclock, HDR400

www.overclockers.co.uk

For 4k, there are a lot of options, including a 4k TV.

6) Whatever monitor or TV you play on, you will want it to have adaptive sync (freesync or 'gsync compatible'). Almost all monitors of the above kinds will have this. On TVs it's relatively uncommon though some models do.

7) You don't have to spend this much. You could get a really, really great PC for £1500 (probably less), and still enjoy a 1440p high refresh rate monitor. The gaming experience would overall be better than your original PC and monitor choice (because higher resolution monitor)

 

[Coldste]

I'd make a few broad suggestions:

1) Then the first thing I'd say is that if it's not urgent, don't buy it yet.

New graphics cards are expected out in the coming months (we're expecting to hear in Sept currently) and those may be desirable, even necessary, to push things as far as possible in titles like Cyberpunk. The RTX 2080 ti is 2 years old now, so you might as well wait to get the latest tech since your budget easily allows for it.

New tech is always around the corner, but with next gen games and next gen consoles launching as well as the new GPUs (and indeed new CPUs from AMD) all clustered from September-November, this is going to be a big one.

2) If buying now, there are lots of options in the ~£2000-£2500 range e.g.

https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z490-overclocked/GZJAxa49zW/ (you can customise the spec)

Gaming PC with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti and Intel Core i9 10900K

Buy from Scan - 3XS Gamer Ti iCUE, Intel Core i9 10900K "Comet Lake", 16GB DDR4, 11GB EVGA RTX 2080 Ti, 1TB SSD, Win 10

www.scan.co.uk

10th Gen Intel CPU (and specifically one with a -K in the name), or Ryzen 3000 series CPU, plus RTX 2080 ti would be the main baseline specs.

3) Spending more than that doesn't get you a meaningfully better PC. £2.5k can already net you the best gaming gear on the market. A more expensive will generally mean spending on things that are more or less placebo. You might not notice the difference. In fact, depending on what you buy, you might buy something with worse performance that costs more because it is intended for things other than gaming.

4) Spending more doesn't make the PC more futureproof. As above, you hit a point of diminishing returns for performance. A £2.5k PC will be more futureproof than a £3.5k PC for gaming, because you have £1000 left to buy future technology that does not yet exist. And will increase performance far more than anything you can buy today.

5) If buying a £2k+ system, you want to make sure you have a decent monitor. You will be aiming at 1440p 144hz monitors, or 1440p ultrawide monitors, or 4k. Especially for the games you've mentioned where you're not playing on low settings to reach 300fps or whatever for competitive advantage, but rather you want to enjoy the visual experience at your own pace. Higher resolution monitors have more pixels. More pixels per unit of area (e.g. pixels per inch) means a sharper, more detailed image.

You'd be looking at ~£300-£500 for a monitor that fits with the system, or more for something very high end.

For 1440p, this is a good option:

LG 27GL850-B 27" 2560x1440 NANO IPS 144Hz 1ms FreeSync/G-Sync Compatible Widescreen LED Gaming Monit

Display Resolution 2560x1440, Display Size 27", Refresh Rate 144Hz, FreeSync, G-Sync Compatible, Response Time 1ms, Contrast Ratio 1000:1, Panel Type IPS, HDR 10, 2 year Warranty

www.overclockers.co.uk

For 1440p ultrawide, options range from things like:

34" and Above Monitors | Cheap Ultrawide Monitor Deals | Ebuyer.com

A 34"-and-above monitor or ultrawide will make an impressive statement and improve every aspect of your computing experience. Next-day delivery and flexible finance.

www.ebuyer.com

to things like

LG 34GN850 34" 3440x1440 NANO IPS 160Hz 1ms FreeSync/G-Sync Widescreen LED Curved Backlit Gaming Mon

34-inch UltraWideTM QHD (3440x1440 Resolution) Curved, LG Nano IPS Panel, 1ms (GtG) response time, FreeSync, NVIDIA G-SYNC® Compatible, 144Hz Refresh Rate, 160Hz Overclock, HDR400

www.overclockers.co.uk

For 4k, there are a lot of options, including a 4k TV.

6) Whatever monitor or TV you play on, you will want it to have adaptive sync (freesync or 'gsync compatible'). Almost all monitors of the above kinds will have this. On TVs it's relatively uncommon though some models do.

7) You don't have to spend this much. You could get a really, really great PC for £1500 (probably less), and still enjoy a 1440p high refresh rate monitor. The gaming experience would overall be better than your original PC and monitor choice (because higher resolution monitor)

that is exactly the help I’m looking for thanks 👍