A build for my 11 year old....

[TH3M4DR4TT3R]

I want to start a project, using second hand parts, for my 11 year old son.. I was thinking of a mini atx build to start him on the road to PC building but wondered if this is going to be my cheapest option or my bestest option even.. Like every 11 year old he wants a PC that will play Fortnite and Minecraft on medium settings and like every dad I want him to be able to do his homework on it..

If anybody has a cheap build they've done or know of a guide on here for one I would be appreciative, also any advice on pitfalls and traps would be of help..

I am looking at a mini atx build because of space and lower costs FYI.. I should add that I have some DDR3 ram already (2x2GB) and also that speed is not the aim here, a bit of game play and some homework is and I want him to learn and enjoy the build..

Thanks, Colin...

[mcbaes72]

I'm not sure if this would be viewed as cheap, but consider:

 

CPU: Intel i5-9400 or AMD 3600 (non-X) version

GPU: GTX 1050 Ti or RX 570

SATA SSD: 500GB or 1TB

 

I went with newer CPUs, but previous generation GPUs.  SATA SSDs give you good value for speed/storage space.  I figured all other parts would be easier to plan around once you determine at least the CPU and GPU first.

[TH3M4DR4TT3R]

Quote

6 minutes ago, mcbaes72 said:

I'm not sure if this would be considered cheap, but consider:

 

CPU: Intel i5 or AMD 3600 (non-X) version

GPU: GTX 1050 Ti or RX 570

SATA SSD: 500GB or 1TB

 

Thanks very much for the info, I'm more tempted by an AMD cpu because I've never used one in any previous PC and had also looked at the rx570 so I'm pleased that you thought that would be a good choice as well.. A 3600 and a RX570 on the second hand market look reasonably priced

Quote

 

.. I had also thought of a smaller ssd with a bigger 7200 hdd (2TB)..

Thanks again for the help...

[Metallus97]

Allllright, nice! 

Can you give me a rage of budget and tell me where youre buying? Idd be glad to put something together  

 

AAAND I can add, that I recommend going with a modern platform. There you will not be able to use the DDR3 you got. Also 2x2 wont cut it for today, even in a low budget and "homework PC" situation. 

[leo1798]

If you're looking to go used, this is my suggestion:

CPU: Ryzen 5 1600 (should be ~$80-$90)

Motherboard: Cheap B350 or B450 Motherboard, new is better, but used can be okay

Memory: 16GB DDR4 2x8 3200MHz - very cheap and important, used and new are both fine

GPU: RX 470/570 for under $100, GTX 1070 for under $200

SSD: Intel 660p 512GB or 1TB

 

 

[TH3M4DR4TT3R]

Hi, I have a budget of around £300-£350 but am happy with second hand parts as it's more for the build experience.. I'm good with the AMD 3600 (non-X) version and an RX 570 at present but am open to change on anything really.. I have no build experience either so it's a steep learning curve for dad and son.. small form factor is good though cos I'm pushed for space..

Thanks for the help...

[Metallus97]

Just now, leo1798 said:

If you're looking to go used, this is my suggestion:

CPU: Ryzen 5 1600 (should be ~$80-$90)

Motherboard: Cheap B350 or B450 Motherboard, new is better, but used can be okay

Memory: 16GB DDR4 2x8 3200MHz - very cheap and important, used and new are both fine

GPU: RX 470/570 for under $100, GTX 1070 for under $200

 

 

And case etc: go to any store and pick something that looks decent and doesn't rattle to much  

[TH3M4DR4TT3R]

Quote

1 minute ago, Metallus97 said:

And case etc: go to any store and pick something that looks decent and doesn't rattle to much  

Quote

2 minutes ago, leo1798 said:

If you're looking to go used, this is my suggestion:

CPU: Ryzen 5 1600 (should be ~$80-$90)

Motherboard: Cheap B350 or B450 Motherboard, new is better, but used can be okay

Memory: 16GB DDR4 2x8 3200MHz - very cheap and important, used and new are both fine

GPU: RX 470/570 for under $100, GTX 1070 for under $200

SSD: Intel 660p 512GB or 1TB

 

 

 

 

Thanks to you both, much appreciated, this looks like the build then.. My son is down at the weekend and it's his birthday so it looks like we'll be shopping for parts.. thanks again to you all for the help... it's a great forum where you can post for help and get your problems sorted within half an hour...

[Metallus97]

PCPartPicker Part List: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/qCWmGc

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor  (£114.78 @ Aria PC) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard  (£66.00 @ AWD-IT) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport AT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory  (£75.59 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Crucial BX500 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (£48.93 @ Amazon UK) 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (£36.78 @ Aria PC) 
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 570 8 GB Video Card  (£134.99 @ CCL Computers) 
Power Supply: BitFenix Formula Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply  (£66.53 @ CCL Computers) 
Total: £543.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-03 00:28 BST+0100

 

 

Total price is high, but those are all new parts.

CPU/mobo: B450 was 10 more than B350, but getting a B350 used is fine as well (Mobo used is most likely ok, cpu used is fine)

GPU:I did not find a available RX470 (will be cheaper used BUT GET THE 8GB VERSION!) 

Memory: Get the cheapest 2x8GB 3200Mhz DDR4 available (used is good. DONT buy slower ram. Ryzen is heavily chocked by slower RAM. Though faster RAM will make it a litte faster, but 3200 is gold for price/perf)

PSU: personally I love Corsair, but at the price this unit is boss! (Used is a NoNo, never know what the previous peeps did with the unit and you dont want your home to burn down...)

Case: Something that doesn't fall apart (used ok, unless its to dirty )