Buy or Build a Gaming PC

[cinusara]

Hello, I need your wise advice. I want to buy my grandson a PC for his birthday, and he has his eye on this one at PC Componentes.
https://www.pccomponentes.com/pccom-ready-amd-ryzen-7-5800x-32gb-1tb-ssd-rtx-5060-windows-11-home
My question is whether this PC would be suitable for him, or if I could build one for roughly the same price by buying the components separately, would I be able to improve it?
Which components would they be? Thanks

[cobito]

I added up the components listed in the description and it comes to €1,322 using non-refurbished parts and the first Windows 11 Home license I found without much searching. So it looks like buying it pre-built costs roughly the same as buying the parts separately.

It would be good to know what it's intended for; I assume it's for gaming. As for the build, yes, it seems well-balanced to me, although I'm a bit out of the loop when it comes to graphics cards. Hopefully, someone can chime in and help you out with that.

[pos_yo]

I agree with @cobito on this. It's a balanced configuration even though the CPU generation is a bit outdated, but I don't think that's really relevant. AMD's 5000 series was so good that it's still holding its own today. Nvidia's 5060 is from this generation, so it will have access to the best features this generation has to offer. You'll be able to enjoy games at 1080p with high frame rates, and at 1440p, it will still be able to hold its own with DLSS.

The only issue I see, though I'll reiterate it's not a major one, is that when you eventually want to upgrade the CPU, you'll also need to upgrade the motherboard and RAM to DDR5. Another drawback is that it's not the best time to buy components due to the DRAM situation, which always adds an extra cost. But then again, no one guarantees things won't get worse, and you get a PC when you need it. It's never easy to pick the right time...

In short, it's a solid machine. I hope your grandson enjoys it for many, many years.

[Fassou]

@cinusara Since it's for gaming, I'd lean more towards this one. It comes with a better GPU and you'll really notice the difference. Even though it uses a slightly lower-tier CPU (still more than enough for gaming) and the motherboard is pretty basic, that distributor builds them in bulk so you won't run into any issues.

That said, this one doesn't include a Windows license in the price.

Cheers!

[_Neptunno_]

@cinusara We're heading into a tough time in the PC world. The exaggerated spike in RAM prices due to the AI boom is going to create a complicated situation. A few years ago, we went through the GPU bubble, and it got so crazy that in the end, it was actually more cost-effective to buy a pre-built PC than to build it from parts.

DDR5, which is what the latest generation systems use, is sky-high in price. To give you a recent example, the modules I bought two years ago for my 7800X3D are now going for around €500-550, whereas I paid €160 for them. It's insane... a lot of people are opting to install just a single memory module or sticking with 8GB to cut costs. It's gotten so crazy that I just read a news article about RAM theft starting to happen... meaning people are breaking into offices or factories to steal RAM from computers.

In short: right now, it's cheaper to buy a complete system by hunting for deals than to build it yourself, unless you already have components lying around at home.

My contribution to add to what the other members have said:

• The PC you looked at is actually very good, the 5800X is a great processor, although given the RAM price hike, its price should be a bit lower. And mind you, DDR4 has "only gone up 150% in price, compared to over 308% for DDR5"...

• However, I think @Fassou's option is much better. Even though the CPU is a bit lower-end, the RTX 5070 is a much better graphics card than the 5060. For a gaming PC, which is what your grandson is looking for, it makes the most sense by far. Both are 8-core processors and are more than up to the task.

Those 32GB of RAM will give the PC a lot of longevity. And the good thing is that in the future, if he finds it lacking, you could just upgrade the processor to a 5700X3D or 5800X3D, and he'd have a computer that lasts for many more years without needing to change anything else.

As an "emergency option" in this crazy market, you could also look into a gaming laptop, which sometimes offers surprisingly good value for its specs, although a desktop is always easier to upgrade later. But it's always good to have a "Plan C"
The "Plan D" would just be a Steam Deck hahaha

Finally, keep in mind what monitor your grandson has. If he plays at 1080p or 1440p, Fassou's option will be more than enough, but if he wants to play on a 4K TV, it would be a bit more of a stretch depending on the game.

Ah, and don't worry about buying a system without a Windows license; nowadays it's affordable to buy a license and install it yourself. There are a million tutorials out there, even if he doesn't have experience.

Cheers!!

P.S.: Your grandson is going to be thrilled with his PC, that's for sure

[cinusara]

Thank you very much, gentlemen. Your opinions and knowledge have helped me make a decision, and it's the one given by @Fassou. Thank you very much