GAF I need your help! My son want a PC to play Minecraft and Fortnite. What’s a good low-mid range PC?
- Thread starter OverHeat
- Start date
vaibhavpisal
Member
Steam deck / Rog Ally with a dock?
Should be more useful for those types of games.
Should be more useful for those types of games.
Schmendrick
Banned
Only minecraft forever, or with some upgradeability/longevity built in?
Last edited:
OverHeat
« generous god »
I thought about this but I'm not sure I want him to carry this around
OverHeat
« generous god »
Don't really care about those…because in 2 years he will be getting my system
BlackTron
Member
Upside: he will only game when chained to that desk
Downside: he will only game when chained to that desk
Little Mac
Member
IMO at $1200 I think you're better off going with a PS5 Pro and a Steam Deck OLED. You cover a lot of ground with that combo.
Last edited:
Topher
Identifies as young
Last edited:
OverHeat
« generous god »
He already as a PS5 I never played Minecraft but he tell me they are thing you can't do on the console version
Schmendrick
Banned
well, then an am4 ryzen gen 6+ and a 3070+ class card. Cheap and even enough to enable rtx in 1440p
Last edited:
BlackTron
Member
At least if he gets a Steam Deck and a PC, they can play the same games and with lower prices. Even the most basic title like Minecraft will have to be purchased twice in this configuration.
Edit: NVM I see he has PS5 already anyway lol
Last edited:
T4keD0wN
Member
Start with Ryzen 5600x + b550 OR 7600 + b650 OR 13400f + b660 / b760
throw in some 32gb memory kit, cheap gen3/4 m.2 ssd and a 500-650w psu depending on a gpu
Then get the best gpu with the rest of the budget, new 5060ti 16gb or get a used 3080 or something
Not sure it has Minecraft, but id just get him a GFN subscription for 2 years before you give him your system. Better than wasting time building a system with a 2 year longetivity.
throw in some 32gb memory kit, cheap gen3/4 m.2 ssd and a 500-650w psu depending on a gpu
Then get the best gpu with the rest of the budget, new 5060ti 16gb or get a used 3080 or something
Not sure it has Minecraft, but id just get him a GFN subscription for 2 years before you give him your system. Better than wasting time building a system with a 2 year longetivity.
Last edited:
OverHeat
« generous god »
Hahahahaha its easier building a beast then building on a budget
Topher
Identifies as young
The responses were fine until you showed up
BennyBlanco
aka IMurRIVAL69
9070XT
diffusionx
Gold Member
If you spend a little more you can get the minimum acceptable GAF PC which is a Ryzen 9800X3D and 5080.
Last edited:
Stitch
Member
Does he want to play Minecraft solo or multiplayer? There's the Java version and the Bedrock version. Bedrock version is the version that works with pretty much everything. Consoles, Smartphones, Tablets and it's also on the PC Windows store.
Java is pretty much PC only and the only one that works with the Steam Deck (if you don't install windows on it)
Java and Bedrock can't play together.
Java is pretty much PC only and the only one that works with the Steam Deck (if you don't install windows on it)
Java and Bedrock can't play together.
hinch7
Member
Maybe one those mini-PC's. Something like the GMKtec K8 from AliExpress. Its small and doesn't take up much space. Its got Oculink as well to pair up with an external GPU. There's also a lot of mini-PC's on AliExpress with 4060's in them.
Plus Ryzen Ai powered mini PC's that have quite decent iGPU's in them. A Strixpoint APU with Radeon 890M is roughly on par with a GTX 1070 which is more than enough for Fortnite and Minecraft.
Plus Ryzen Ai powered mini PC's that have quite decent iGPU's in them. A Strixpoint APU with Radeon 890M is roughly on par with a GTX 1070 which is more than enough for Fortnite and Minecraft.
Last edited:
Mister Wolf
Member
Rog Ally X. He can always get an eGPU later if he desires more power.
OverHeat
« generous god »
Multiplayers
StereoVsn
Gold Member
Get him a laptop with a 4060/4070 as these are on some deep sales now. Or Look at BestBuy or equivalent for a prebuilt with a 4060/4060Ti/4070.
Alternatively build a system with upcoming 9060XT or 5060/5060Ti 16GB.
IMO, for a kid laptop is better as it's easier for homework stuff as your son could take it to the kitchen or something when working on it.
Edit: Btw, I did basically this just a month ago. Got him a laptop on big discount from Microcenter with a 4070 and Intel's 14th gen i7 with a decent screen for about $1000 (on sale and open box in good condition).
Battery life is meh, but he is really using it only at home and he is pretty happy with the thing.
Last edited:
BlackTron
Member
I'll be honest if I were in this boat, it would be pretty hard not to try and snipe some laptop deal. It's versatile, comes ready to go and can fill any role it has to in the future, including being stuffed in a backpack. But if you upgrade him later and it spends all its time plugged into a TV as some sort of media box nothing is lost there either.
While it's portable, it's not as portable as a Steam Deck so it discourages the kind of Game Boy type addiction you might be afraid of without being a cinderblock either.
While it's portable, it's not as portable as a Steam Deck so it discourages the kind of Game Boy type addiction you might be afraid of without being a cinderblock either.
Toots
Member
About those things you can't do on console....
https://gamerjournalist.com/the-10-best-minecraft-sex-mods/
Anyway don't buy him something too powerful, have him learn to play with settings and not to max everything out without thinking about it.
Then he might get interested in the hardware part of pc gaming and learn a lot of useful things.
Fbh
Member
If you don't want to build something yourself you should be able to find some prebuild with a 4060 for that price (probably 4060ti if you find some good sale).
Which should be more than enough to run those games and is still a decent 1080p card even for newer and more demanding games.
As others have said, for a kid a Laptop might be better though, which you should also be able to find around that price looking at sales
Doesnt Fortnite have some issues running with SteamOS? (I think because the anit-cheat doesn't play nicely with it)
Which should be more than enough to run those games and is still a decent 1080p card even for newer and more demanding games.
As others have said, for a kid a Laptop might be better though, which you should also be able to find around that price looking at sales
Doesnt Fortnite have some issues running with SteamOS? (I think because the anit-cheat doesn't play nicely with it)
Topher
Identifies as young
How old is he? Depending on his age, this might be a good time to teach him how to build his own PC. My sons were really proud of what they did after they built their first PCs.
Lucifers Beard
Member
I'd have thought a Ryzen 5 and 4060 style build would work out well enough. No need to go overkill and this combo should be great for Fortnite and Minecraft.
StereoVsn
Gold Member
That is actually a pretty darn good idea.
DenchDeckard
Moderated wildly
i5-14400F
B760 Mobo
32GB of DDR5 6000MHz
1TB System drive
2TB NVME
RTX 5060 / 16GB 5060 Ti
650 / 750W PSU
I say Intel as it edges out AMD in that CPU price bracket.
B760 Mobo
32GB of DDR5 6000MHz
1TB System drive
2TB NVME
RTX 5060 / 16GB 5060 Ti
650 / 750W PSU
I say Intel as it edges out AMD in that CPU price bracket.
BlackTron
Member
This
Stitch
Member
I guess he want's the Java version then. Installing mods for it could be annoying in Linux. I'd say get him a Laptop.
OverHeat
« generous god »
13
MadchesterManc
Member
If its a cheap build only for a short time to play those games until you pass your own down later, I guess something like a used 5600X(3D maybe) & 3060. Shouldn't cost more than about £500/600 to put together a system like that and will be more than enough for those kinda games at 1080p, maybe even 1440p.
delirium trigger
Member
Build something with like a 5060 gpu and an intel 14400f and shop around for some motherboard/ram combo deals.
Last edited:
Mister Wolf
Member
Rog Ally X. He can always get an eGPU later if he desires more power.
StereoVsn
Gold Member
On the other hand, making your kid learn Linux, mess around with terminal, drivers and mods is a great learning opportunity!
Topher
Identifies as young
Think that's about the age I taught my sons.
Ev1L AuRoN
Member
Minecraft runs fine on any 2016 mid-end PC, so, just buy something current
Ryzen 5 9600x
32Gb DDR5 6000mts
A mid-end MB with a B series chipset
1Tb SSD NVME 4
RX 6600 is plenty, 9060XT or RTX 5060Ti if u want something with more power
650w PSU (even 500w is enough)
simple case
Peripherals and a good 28'' display 1440p 144+
I have a daughter that only plays Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite, and she is doing fine using my old rig.
A mere R5 3600XT with 32gb ram ddr4 and a RTX 2060 6Gb.
Ryzen 5 9600x
32Gb DDR5 6000mts
A mid-end MB with a B series chipset
1Tb SSD NVME 4
RX 6600 is plenty, 9060XT or RTX 5060Ti if u want something with more power
650w PSU (even 500w is enough)
simple case
Peripherals and a good 28'' display 1440p 144+
I have a daughter that only plays Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite, and she is doing fine using my old rig.
A mere R5 3600XT with 32gb ram ddr4 and a RTX 2060 6Gb.
demented waffle
Gold Member
If it's just temporary, get him a lappy or minipc with a 780m igpu in it. That would be more than enough and save you some money.
Last edited:
Baemono
Member
I thought the Java version was canned
Black_Stride
do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Minecraft and Fortnite?
Fortnite can get heavy so might as well get an RTX4060Ti'16G, 4070 or 5060Ti'16G, 5070 for MFG, on the CPU front whatever you want, literally any modern 6 core CPU will eat through most games it doesnt even matter.
32GB RAM just because 24GB still costs too much for what you are getting and 16GB will probably not be enough.
Sorted.
I dont know prebuilt prices in CAD but if you can find something that meets those requirements you are golden for the next two years.
Id even tell anyone building a machine right now that this is a decent setup to get you into PC gaming.
Stitch
Member
nope, last update was a few weeks ago
Black_Stride
do not tempt fate do not contrain Wonder Woman's thighs do not do not
Java has never been sunsetted.
Sinfulgore
Member
poodaddy
Gold Member
Hey OP, my daughter's the exact same age and I just got her system set up, so this is a fortuitous topic in terms of timing lol.
I got her this exact model, but I didn't pay anywhere near this. https://a.co/d/084Afzf
It's an ASUS ROG NUC with a 4060 laptop grade GPU, (only 8% max difference in performance vs desktop grade, same TDP), and a mildly slow but fully capable for a child's purposes CPU. 16 gb of ram and a terabyte SSD as well. It's a great set up for a kid, particularly if they game on a 1080p monitor as it will pretty much max anything at 1080p, plus you get the frame generation of the 40 series as a cherry on top. She absolutely loves it, I built her a pretty sweet gaming desk and set-up up in the newly remodeled attic, and it seems like she's becoming more of a PC gamer than a console.....so I'm very proud lol.
But nah yeah, if you find that for around a grand it's a great way to get your kids setup to game proper on a system that runs low heat and is very compact and portable as well in case they wanna bring their setup with them. Also, just a straight up Steam Deck works great as a kid's first PC or a secondary PC, and it forces them to learn Linux a bit as they use the system more, and that's a big bonus if you ask me, as I think it's good for kids to know more than just Windows.
I got her this exact model, but I didn't pay anywhere near this. https://a.co/d/084Afzf
It's an ASUS ROG NUC with a 4060 laptop grade GPU, (only 8% max difference in performance vs desktop grade, same TDP), and a mildly slow but fully capable for a child's purposes CPU. 16 gb of ram and a terabyte SSD as well. It's a great set up for a kid, particularly if they game on a 1080p monitor as it will pretty much max anything at 1080p, plus you get the frame generation of the 40 series as a cherry on top. She absolutely loves it, I built her a pretty sweet gaming desk and set-up up in the newly remodeled attic, and it seems like she's becoming more of a PC gamer than a console.....so I'm very proud lol.
But nah yeah, if you find that for around a grand it's a great way to get your kids setup to game proper on a system that runs low heat and is very compact and portable as well in case they wanna bring their setup with them. Also, just a straight up Steam Deck works great as a kid's first PC or a secondary PC, and it forces them to learn Linux a bit as they use the system more, and that's a big bonus if you ask me, as I think it's good for kids to know more than just Windows.