I'm the ~computer expert~ in my family, which means I know how to use Dropbox, google error messages, and what a torrent is*. I'm thinking of buying a gaming PC so I can play games that came out more recently than 2012, e.g. Mass Effect: Andromeda Mass Effect: Andromeda Mass Effect: AndromedaMaaaaa Things: 1. I am very cheap, and I have no real excuse for buying a computer (i.e. my laptop still works fine, I won't need it for work or study, and I don't have an older PC to pass on to someone else.) My rent is very high because London and I'm trying to save all my money for various Education expenses. So unless I can get a surprisingly well-paid summer job, I would probably budget around £300 for a tower. Example. 2. I don't know anything about computers and tbqh I don't have much interest in learning. I mean. I'll happily listen to someone explain stuff to me, I'm sure it's interesting, but I don't want to start doing independent study of the different hardware developers so I can have the first clue about whether a given PC fits my specifications. 3. I'm happy to play games on the lowest graphics setting, so long as they play. I'm not looking to buy something right now this second but I probably will be sometime in the next...year? So if I find possibilities, could you guys give me opinions on whether they're suitable? I figure the Kintsugi advice forum is probably the most n00b-friendly place on the internet. *it's magic. l337.
Hmm... 'Gaming computer' tends to be mutually exclusive with 'cheap', I'm afraid. Honestly the cheapest way to do it (which will probably not be cheap) would be to build your own, which is fairly easy especially with shopping list sites such as: https://pcpartpicker.com But I mean, if you're trying to save money with a gaming PC, I'd recommend... Don't? For much cheaper than you can buy a brand new gaming PC, you could probably buy an Xbox or PS4 or whatever system your games of choice come on, and that would obviously be much cheaper comparatively than a designated gaming PC.
no personal experience, but my friend just got a Lenovo Y50-70 a few weeks ago and said it was really cheap and runs games beautifully - I watched him play some games on it and they looked fantastic and didn't lag at all and i don't really have standards for video games but it was miles better than what my computer can do at least. I can ask him more questions if you want, but that's what I'm looking at for myself based on his recommendation.
Honestly, you don't really need a fancy gaming computer to run most modern games -- requirements these days are pretty forgiving. Finding some cheap computers like the one you linked and cross-referencing the minimum requirements for some games you want to be able to play with the hardware that computer comes with (and keeping in mind whether or not you'll need to add on a monitor, speakers, keyboard, and mouse), you'll probably find one that meets your needs, especially if you're willing to wait for sales. ETA Also I don't know if Craigslist or a similar site exists in the UK, but my former roommate found a decent-ish gaming computer for very cheap on there once, because a student had to build one for his class and didn't want to keep it. There are good deals around, if you look. ETATA Oh and I'm sure people here would be perfectly willing to opine on whatever you do find, if you want our opinions.
