2 Gaming PC's - Budget 1000-1200 Each

gizabeer · 27-11-2025 03:04PM #1

Hi , I'm Looking to build 2 same spec pc's for my young lads aged 8 and 11 , They currently share an old pc with a GTX 1070ti so anything is an upgrade , At the moment they just play less demanding stuff like Teardown , Garry's mod and Jurassic world but having a bit of headroom would be good.

This is my first time building a PC (or 2) !!

New Build or Upgrade?:

New Build

Existing parts/monitors to reuse?:

No

PC purpose?:

Gaming

Purchase country? Near Micro Center?

Eu

Monitors needed?:

No , I was going to pick up 2 of these https://www.currys.ie/products/aoc-cu34g4-wide-quad-hd-34-curved-va-gaming-monitor-black-10279493.html

Budget range?

1200 each Max

WiFi or wired connection?:

Wifi

Size/noise constraints?:

Not really

Color/lighting preferences?:

White , lots of rgb !

Any other specific needs?:

Would like a case along the lines of

The MSI MAG PANO 100R PZ WHITE

Would also like an AIO cooler in because they look cool !

I'll get a couple of new keyboards and mice off amazon.

Thanks in advance

K.O.Kiki · 27-11-2025 05:45PM

Worst time to buy sadly - RAM prices have tripled in the past 2 weeks!

I'd honestly look at pre-builts, e.g.

Cordell · 09-12-2025 12:42PM

I just looked at the 32GB kits I got this spring for my kids, they went from ~100 to ~600.

MoodeRator · 06-01-2026 03:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124023877#Comment_124023877

Would this one be ok to play Atomfall in 1440? I have been out of gaming for years and need a new PC, so thought I might try some light gaming again. Or are there better options out there in the same price range?

Paradigit Gaming Advanced RX AMD

Coyler · 06-01-2026 06:38PM

From what I understand Atomfall will run on a potato and that system is going to be a very capable 1440p, high settings PC. That being said, "Expected in 27 days" would give me pause.

MoodeRator · 06-01-2026 07:49PM

Thanks Coyler, unfortunately it also went up by €200 since I posted :(

Coyler · 07-01-2026 01:02PM

At €1,499 it's not a bad price. You are talking €1,300-1,400 for a self build using similar specs. My issues is you could pay the money and at some point the order gets cancelled on you as prices continue to rise.

That all said, there is something to having a project you can work on with your kids. I think there is something to be said for getting parts and doing it together.

Coyler · 07-01-2026 02:28PM

So, you could come at this as a more a long term project between you are and your kids and not worrying too much about maximising the system specs. Might make more sense to look at AM4 builds and keep it cheap and cheerful but still with decent specs. Using the below as a working example.

PCPartPicker Part List: https://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/KtDxLc

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor (€181.86 @ Amazon Deutschland )
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE ARGB 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler (€50.89 @ Caseking )
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550 EAGLE WIFI6 ATX AM4 Motherboard (€112.89 @ Computeruniverse )
Memory: Silicon Power GAMING 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (€99.99 @ Amazon Deutschland )
Storage: SanDisk Extreme 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€89.99 @ Amazon Deutschland )
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Radeon RX 9060 XT 16 GB Video Card (€406.99 @ Computeruniverse )
Case: Montech XR ATX Mid Tower Case (€65.89 @ Caseking )
Power Supply: MSI MAG A650BN 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (€56.10 @ Amazon Deutschland )
Total: €1064.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2026-01-07 14:04 CET+0100

We are going into this with the view that the CPU/Mobo/RAM/SSD are all just to get you through a phase. They'll be perfectly fine for the time being and AM4 will handle gaming years to come. All my family's various flavours of gaming rigs are AM4 and it's far from any limiting factor for us. Now, buying brand new AM4 isn't wise but unfortunately DDR5 pricing makes for hard choices and even AMD themselves might start production back up again. Second hand would be even better but that market isn't great since COVID and any hint of a spike in prices brings all the scalpers out. Which they are again now. You can get good value if you are hunting out single parts for in place upgradeds but considering you are looking for two new machines it's just not worth the time.

The 16GB of RAM isn't ideal but again considering pricing right now it's a perfectly good holding position for 2026. Very easy to upgrade down the line if needed.

The way I see it, by the time those AM4 CPUs are not cutting for your kids, they'll be well into their teens and we'll be onto different AMD/Intel CPUs altogether and possibly into mainstream use of DDR6. It's not perfect but I don't see the major benefit is spending nearly an extra €1,000 on 2 AM5 systems that will give you almost identical performance on the off chance you'll upgrade the CPU down the line.

As for RGB, plenty of that with the Heat Sink and the Case fans. The motherboard has a header to control the RGB on those as well.

Get a couple of decent screw drivers with nice magnetic tips and get them trained up. Those dark motherboard screws are a nightmare to see against the dark PCB sitting in a black case under some basic lighting while your reading classes have gone walkabout. Or so I'm told :)

MoodeRator · 07-01-2026 06:14PM

Many thanks for such a great helpful response. However there are no children involved, I am the only child left in the house. :)

I don't really have the time or patience do be self building anymore. I would prefer pre built now at this stage. Although I see the risk of time and price change on the linked item, I also cant find what mobo is used there, as I want to be sure I can add possibly up to 4 sata drives in there

Coyler · 07-01-2026 10:24PM

Sorry, I was reading the OP :)

Sniff around Caseking. Thats a 7600x/9060XT build with 32GB of RAM. Cheaper and better spec than the one you linked.

Anois_ · 07-01-2026 10:52PM

Should have started your own thread tbh. The OP wouldn't know what is going on in his thread.

gizabeer · 18-02-2026 11:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124127546#Comment_124127546

I ended up buying 2 of the white ones , 5 days after I ordered them the delivery time changed from a week to the start of January but I rang customer support and ended up getting them just in time on Christmas eve ! They were Only €1299 so ended up being a good deal with the way it is now.

2 Gaming PC's - Budget 1000-1200 Each

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