"Gaming" PC

[pinion]

My son asked for a computer he can play Fortnite and Minecraft on. I'm thinking an older laptop or anything he can plug into his HDMI TV. I'm sorry for the OT post about a gaming computer but.... here we are.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

It's not too OT, there have been a couple of threads in the last year on gaming PCs. Note: Dell's online options have gone totally mercenary in upselling, so stay away unless you are looking at refurbs.

Does his TV have a low latency HDMI input? Unless it's Minecraft 4K, a laptop with a Nvidia 1660 Ti would be the minimum I would recommend. A small step up would be something with the Nvidia 2060 or an AMD Radeon RX 5600M.

Used laptops have been in short supply for almost a year, but there are used/refurb channels. Newegg has a refurb section but new models are only a little bit more for a step up in performance and getting a warranty.

[space-time]

Chip shortage… good luck

[Lew Zealand]

Fortnite has a very low spec mode that can play on just about anything. it doesn't look great but gets the job done. It's the graphical mode that cell phones use to play the game, ported to PC.

Minecraft has performance mods which also let it play on just about anything: The Fabric modloader, with the Sodium, Lithium, and Phosphor mods. With a 8 year old low end Radeon card (8570) I get 60+fps at 2560x1440 and MC's max 32 chunk render distance. Hell, in an ancient 2009 13" MacBook Pro I get 45 fps at 1280x800 and 16 chunk render which is decent.

An older laptop will probably just have Integrated graphics which could be enough for these games in these modes but just as likely could not. A GTX 960M or 1050 will play both of these games in these modes fine. Filliam's recommendations are much better for FN's regular graphics modes but honestly overkill for MC. And if you're in it just for the gameplay in FN, set it to the lowest mode and use a cheaper laptop.

[pinion]

Excellent suggestions. I'll look around. Thank you both!

[Rolando]

15 years ago, a buddy asked me about getting a "gaming rig"

I asked him. Do you want to play games, or f**k around with a computer?

"Play games"

Get the newest Xbox or Playstation and the biggest TV you can afford.

He got 70 inch 1080i rear projector monster. Loves it still!

[pinion]

Good point. I found a Switch Lite for $150. Asked if he wanted that and he said he wanted a computer. He's only got about $100 so hr has little options unless I bear the cost.

[Zoidberg]

The world of games is *far* bigger on the PC, and especially via services like Steam (which will have game sales pretty much daily; many games for $5 or less, down to a buck). It's kind of like the old argument about getting someone an iPod Touch for gaming instead of a GameBoy or variant; you'll pay a lot for the iPod Touch but the games were all in the $5 to $10 range. Consoles can be done the same if you're buying used games or keep an eye out for sales -- e.g., I just spent $25 on the Microsoft Xbox Store for about 6 games this weekend, and known title games (Mad Max, Doom (2016), etc.)

With a gaming PC, though, you'll spend a good chunk of change on the rig and the display, but the gaming experience can be far better, and you'll be able to upgrade components (general speaking) down the road for a better experience.

Bottom line, though, is if he wants a gaming PC that's what he wants, and a console is going to just be a consolation. (ha) The world of gaming is gargantuan via PC gaming, even if the initial target rig is "just" for things like Fortnite and Minecraft.

[kj]

The only problem is you literally can’t get a video card right now.

[Filliam H. Muffman]

kj wrote:
The only problem is you literally can’t get a video card right now.

You can if it comes in a computer (like a laptop with a discrete GPU). Just not a single retail unit.