Need help finding a gaming computer

[Haole Boy]

Aloha everyone. One of my customers wants to give the grandson a gaming computer. With a budget of $400, so I'm not sure this is possible. I've tried to locate a refurbished one but I know nothing about the various video cards and CPUs so I just get lost. I found several on eBay, but I'm quite leery of recommending anything from eBay to a customer. I'm hoping someone here can help with this.

The grandson told her he plays Day Z, Fortnite, and Grand Theft Auto. I'm attaching a spreadsheet with info from the customer on the "recommended" hardware.

The customer sent me this link
https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...qmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_38mtnczann_e
and while the CPU is in the ballpark, I'm guessing that we'd need to add a video card.

Thanx in advance for any assistance you can provide.

Harry Z

 

[DataMedics]

$400 will buy the graphics card you need to smoothly play those games, but not much more. I'd tell him that it's just not enough money and what he'll be giving his grandson for that price is little more than an office computer. Nothing close to a gaming machine.

For any kind of gaming, he really should be looking to spend $600+ IMHO. The only way you might hit that price point is to scrounge all used parts on eBay. But even then, that's not leaving any room for you to make a buck as the guy building and setting it up.

Perhaps he should consider a console for that price point. Xbox, PS4, etc.

 

[Porthos]

One of my customers wants to give the grandson a gaming computer. With a budget of $400

 

[Porthos]

The customer sent me this link
https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...qmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_38mtnczann_e
and while the CPU is in the ballpark, I'm guessing that we'd need to add a video card.

Hate it when a customer shows me something like this and expects not to pay over $400. needs a video card at least and then it leaves you no room to profit and will blame you if it does not live up to their expectations with the games.

Then you have to watch if they ship to Hawaii.

 

[nerd2u]

Don't waste your time or theirs sometimes you have to be the bearer of bad news and simply tell them their budget and expectations aren't aligned.

Sent from my SM-G870W using Tapatalk

 

[Haole Boy]

I concur with all your comments, and that's why I'm looking at refurbished machines as a possibility. I found several under $400 on eBay, but I'm just not familiar enough with all the fancy video cards to know if they meet the specs suggested for these games, and I really don't want to spend several (non-billable) hours researching this. Was hoping someone who knows this arena could point the way...

Mahalo,

Harry Z

 

[phaZed]

Ya, I would contend that $800-1000 would be my "starting point".

 

[DataMedics]

I found several under $400 on eBay

Yeah, but those are the gaming machines of 8-10 years ago. His grandson is going to want to play the latest and greatest games and is going to be severely disappointed when it doesn't even meet the minimum requirements of most new games. And you'll get blamed.

Point him to ebay if you'd like, but don't dare get involved unless you want to have an upset customer who you didn't even make any money from.

If a customer were to tell me "I want a gaming machine and I only want to pay $400" my reply would be: "Yeah, and I want to drive a Tesla and only pay $400 a month. But, neither of us is going to get that deal. So you can either cough up the money for the Tesla or settle for a Ford which is what you seem to want to pay for."

 

[hjelpio]

imho, it'd be better to sit down and talk with the guy, explaining why that budget just won't fly. Not because you can't be bothered to, but because the computer would be nowhere near being able to run at a level that his grandson would find acceptable. You'd be happy to work with them to set up a proper setup, and give them an estimate. 400 would certainly get you a computer, but it would be throwing money right out the window if there are any expectations of running GTA V or Fortnite.

Is how I'd do it anyway.

 

[kpk1]

It has to be a gaming console.

They never understand what's involved in getting a pc/ laptop to a good gaming spec and the costs involved.

Reality I'm afraid.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[sapphirescales]

Ironically I could help your client. I just sold a used gaming system yesterday to an old man that wanted a good computer so that his grandson could play Fortnite. For $450 I got him a used gaming system that I got traded in for $100. It had a 3rd gen i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 250GB SSD, Windows 10, and a GTX 750. Normally I would have sold a computer like this for more, but I make exceptions sometimes on a case by case basis.

Unfortunately I don't have a similar system I could offer the OP right now. Any time I get used gaming computers in they're usually sold in a day or two. I usually recommend upgrading gaming computers rather than trading them in unless they're really old. I have another gaming computer I got traded in a week ago with a Core 2 Extreme series CPU and some ancient graphics card and DDR2 memory. You can't really call it a "gaming" computer anymore. I suspect I'll be selling it to someone for basic office use on a budget.

 

[Haole Boy]

Thanx for all the replies. I've sent an email to the customer telling her she either needs to double her budget or take a look at an Xbox or PlayStation. Also referred her to a local Game Stop store for more information.

Mahalo for the the replies! Very much appreciated.

Happy Channukah, Merry Christmas, Joyous Kwanzaa and Bah, Humbug to all of you.

Harry Z

 

[Sky-Knight]

I do specific Dell Optiplex refurbs for this purpose, getting the correct rig leaves you open to swap the PSU and be able to toss in the GPU. BUT, the base system is still $300 to get started, a 1050 is another $170 alone. So anyone that wanted an entry level rig like that from me is going to be out at least $500. I don't agree with a $400 GPU being the starter here, or even the expectation. Sure, a 1070 would be nice, but that's not what's asked for here.

GTA V runs great on a 1060, Fortnite and DayZ don't require much more. That being said this is "yesterdays" rig, so as the games come along over the next year or two it's not going to age well. But WTF do you expect for entry level!