Buy or build a gaming PC

[cinusara]

Hello, I need your wise advice, I want to buy a PC for my grandson for his birthday and he has set his eyes on this one at PC Components.
https://www.pccomponentes.com/pccom-ready-amd-ryzen-7-5800x-32gb-1tb-ssd-rtx-5060-windows-11-home
My question is if this PC will serve him or if I could put together one more or less of the same price but buying the components separately I could improve it.
Which components would be? Thank you

[cobito]

I have added the components that come in the description and I get 1322€ with components that are not refurbished and the first license of Windows 11 Home that I have found without searching. So it looks like it costs more or less the same to buy it assembled than by parts.

It would be good to know what it is going to be used for: I understand that it is for gaming. The configuration is yes, I think it is balanced although I am out of tune with the issue of graphics cards. Let's see if someone can help you with this.

[pos_yo]

I agree with @cobito on this, it's a balanced configuration even if it has a not very current CPU generation but I don't think it's relevant, the AMD 5000 series was so good that it still holds up today. The Nvidia 5060 is from this generation so it will have access to the best of this generation and will enjoy games at 1080p at high frame rates and at 1440p, it will be able to compete with DLSS.

The only problem I see, although, I insist, it's not a big problem, is that when you want to upgrade the CPU, you will have to upgrade the motherboard and the RAM to DDR5. Another handicap is that it's not the best time to buy components because of the DRAM issue which always implies an extra cost but of course, no one guarantees that it won't get worse and a PC is needed when it's needed, it's also not easy to choose the right time...

In short, good machine, I hope your grandson enjoys it for many, many years.

[Fassou]

@cinusara If it's for gaming, I would go for this one, which has a better graphics card and you'll notice a big difference, even though it has a lower processor (more than enough for gaming) and the motherboard is very standard, but this distributor assembles it by the truckload so you won't have any problems.

However, this one doesn't include the Windows license in the price.

Cheers!

[_Neptunno_]

@cinusara a difficult time is coming in the PC world. The exaggerated increase in the price of RAM due to AI is going to create a complicated situation. A few years ago we lived through the graphics card bubble and it was so crazy that in the end it was more profitable to buy the PC already assembled than to build it from parts.

DDR5, which is what the latest generation of equipment uses, is skyrocketing. Just a couple of years ago, the modules I bought for my 7800X3D were now at around 500-550€ when they cost me 160€. It's crazy... many people are opting to build only one module of memory or stay at 8GB to save money. It's so crazy that I just read a news story that there are already cases of RAM thefts... that is, breaking into offices or factories and stealing the memory from the equipment.

In summary: right now it's more cost-effective to buy a complete team looking for deals than to build it yourself, unless you already have components at home.

My contribution to complete what the colleagues are saying:

• The PC you've seen is very good, the 5800X is a great processor, although due to the RAM increase its price should be somewhat lower. And beware, DDR4 "has only increased in price by 150% compared to more than 308% for DDR5"...

• However, I think the option of @Fassou is much better. Although the CPU is a bit lower, the RTX 5070 is a much better graphics card than the 5060. For a gaming PC, which is what your grandson is looking for, this makes the most sense. Both are 8-core processors and they are more than enough.

Those 32GB of memory will give the PC a lot of life. And the good thing is that in the future, if it runs out, you could just upgrade the processor to a 5700X3D or 5800X3D and it would have a computer for many more years without changing anything else.

As an "emergency option" in this crazy market, you could also look at some gaming laptops, which sometimes surprise in price with their components, although the desktop is always more comfortable to update later. But it's good to always have a "plan C"
The "plan D" would already be a Steam Deck jajajaja

Finally, take into account what monitor your grandson has. If he plays at 1080p or 1440p, with Fassou's option he will be more than enough, but if he wants to play on a 4K TV, then it would be a bit tighter depending on the game.

Oh, and don't worry about buying a team without a Windows license, nowadays it's affordable to buy a license and install it yourself, there are a million tutorials, if you don't have experience.

Regards!!

P.D: Your grandson will be delighted with his PC, that's for sure

[cinusara]

Many thanks gentlemen, your opinions and knowledge have helped me make a decision and it is the one that has given me @Fassou, Many thanks