Can you help a Mother out?

RuthieRose

Hi All.

I have a 12 year old that is begging for a gaming PC for Christmas for the longest time. He wants it for two things.

1. To play a game called sea of thieves
2. He is saving for Oculus Quest 2 VR headset and tells me he needs a PC for that.
3. He plays other games but he already has a PS4 but apparently you need a PC for other games.

My head is spinning reading all this information and not having a clue what it does. I just want a starting PC that can hold a few games and run his VR headset. I don't want to have to take out a mortgage to buy it!!

Can anyone help me or point me in the right direction of a pre built good starting gaming pc?

Thanks in advance.

TheValeyard

The PC market is in bit of turmoil at the moment. Some components are in short supply and prices can be inflated.

I think there is a thread layout for where you can post your budget and what exactly you need the PC for.

I'm sure someone could post a link or happily answer here, not sure which is best.

But sounds like you're starting from scratch, will need everything that goes with it, etc?

RuthieRose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117919345#Comment_117919345

Its literally for those reasons above. I have a PC. Its a Dell something or other that I use for office bits and he tried to download his game on to it but it didn't work for some reason.

Is it hard to upgrade an existing PC? Its only a year old... if that.

Shiminay

Not too hard depending on what's already in it. Can you share the details of your Dell? What's its name or model number.

As mentioned, the market's in some turmoil - there's a global chip shortage and PC parts have been one of the hardest-hit areas. I've been trying to upgrade my own video card for almost 2 years now and there's nothing affordable.

RuthieRose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117919606#Comment_117919606

Oh Wow, 2 Years!!

I have a Dell Vostro i5 8GB SSD windows 10 pro. I got that info off the invoice as I haven't a clue.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920366#Comment_117920366

Your PC meets the minimum requirements for the Occulus, with the exception of the graphics card. Maybe what he needs is a Graphics Card for Christmas. Thats the good news, the bad news is a decent Graphics card is 250-300 minimum.

Shiminay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920568#Comment_117920568

You're not getting a good, VR capable graphics card for 300. 600 at least for something useful and that'd be if you could even find something second hand.

Here’s a nice easy-to-grasp guide to buying a graphics card, which points out that it is important to ensure it matches to both your CPU (computer processor) and your monitor/viewing platform, bearing in mind that your monitor or viewing platform

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-buying-guide%2C5844.html

I myself am trying to set up a gaming computer for myself some time in the near future!

This will give you an idea of the pricing of graphics cards.

edit - Boards software won’t allow me to link to EBay. Google eBay Graphics Cards and you will be able to filter the specs, including pricing you can afford, new, refurbished, second hand, GB capacity etc. Hopefully you will find something within your budget.

Skerries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920366#Comment_117920366

is that a laptop as you can't upgrade the graphics on a laptop only on desktop?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920905#Comment_117920905

Dell Vostro i5 come in both desktop and laptop form, what I’m wondering about is the 8GB… is that RAM (the memory)?

Solitaire

That looks like a laptop alright. Not that it matters, as most Dell desktops are designed to be non-upgradeable anyway and almost all the modern ones use custom ATX12VO PSUs that can't be replaced and won't have the juice to run the kind of graphics card needed for VR :(

This will most likely have to be a full new PC build I'm afraid, and a punishingly expensive one at that if it is to be used for VR gaming in our post-COVID world :o

Here are the minimum system requirements for the Oculus Quest 2 Virtual Reality Headset:

https://www.systemrequirementslab.com/cyri/requirements/oculus-quest-2/20359

The 8 GB RAM should be (minimally) sufficient

brav

thats to get it connected, but actually playing VR games will require more than a gtx 970., those were the specs when the first oculus rift cv1 came out.

for the price of a graphics card for VR gaming you could easily get Xbox Series S for sea of thieves and oculus quest 2 and use it standalone.

if you need a full PC then I think lucky to get one for VR gaming under 1500

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117921239#Comment_117921239

Yeah, I’m in same kind of position and got similar advice. The standalone XBox seems to be the best overall solution from what I’m seeing.

Shiminay

A console is NEVER a better alternative to a PC, only a cheaper one :D You've gotta pay €60/year for basic online services and I wouldn't be surprised to see that rise as time goes on. Games are also a lot more expensive (typically €60 vs €40)

Also, I had nothing but nightmares buying tech from eBay, I would avoid it like the plague. Some arseholes took €300 off me for parts and then filed a complaint against me when I asked them where things were after 3 weeks. I was on the verge of engaging a solicitor until someone in PayPal finally refunded me.

The Oculus Quest 2 seems to be a lovely bit of kit and with a €350 ish price tag, it's probably not going to ruin you :D It doesn't need a PC, the Oculus Rift is the one that needs a PC, but it can be connected via a special (and expensive) cable.

I have bought minor tech stuff through a certain couple of good dealers on eBay, which provided excellent service, but I’d certainly want to know the reputation of dealers on eBay for more major stuff.

The Oculus website itself isn’t greatly informative, at least not at a glance.

The One Doctor

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058209794/can-you-help-a-mother-out

The Quest 2 doesn't need a PC specifically. It's a PC in itself. You don't need a high-falutin' PC at all. Honestly though, PC stuff is really expensive right now, I'd be sticking with the Quest 2 only for the moment.

I have a VR headset and it requires and high powered machine to make it run smoothly, and I spent €2000 to make it like that two years ago. Now the machine would cost €3000. I'm happy I spent the money as the VR stuff I do needs it.

Your son (and you) are lucky that the tech is around that he doesn't need a PC to run the headset tbh.

TLDR: Stick with the Quest 2. No PC needed.

RuthieRose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920905#Comment_117920905

Its a desktop

RuthieRose

Folks.

I can't thank you enough for your help and you all managed to keep your computer language to suit my non tech mind!!

I think I will get him the Quest 2 VR headset and maybe he can save for an x box for his sea of thieves game. The gaming PC may have to wait for a few years.

Thank you all again for your help.

Shiminay

He's lucky to have you :)

I believe he'll need a Facebook account to use the Quest. They have their own "app store" to get games from, so your credit card is probably going to be in high demand :D