F5F Stay Refreshed Software PC Gaming Can you acquire a respectable gaming PC with a modest income?

Can you acquire a respectable gaming PC with a modest income?

Can you acquire a respectable gaming PC with a modest income?

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pfau19
Junior Member
24
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM
#1
Hello everyone, I’d like to get your thoughts on something. I'm really hoping to acquire a gaming PC to enjoy games that don’t require a huge amount of processing power. Recently, I received an employment offer from a company – the initial salary is modest, roughly equivalent to 16,000 British pounds annually, but it’s expected to rise as I gain experience. I am currently debt-free and possess savings, and I plan to begin working while residing with my family; however, I anticipate relocating within two or three months.

I'm particularly interested in strategy games, but mostly those with less intensive system needs. The most demanding title I'm considering is Attila Total War, which will likely perform poorly due to its poor optimization, alongside games like Rome 2, Shogun 2, Pike & Shot campaigns, and Ultimate General. I’d be satisfied with either an Nvidia GTX 1660Ti or GTX 1070.

Thankfully, computer prices in my region are reasonable and it's fairly simple to purchase gaming PCs locally, so there’s no need to order one from overseas. What are your suggestions? I'm contemplating installment payments to avoid overextending my credit card, although I admit I’m inexperienced with managing finances and tend to spend more than intended, so any guidance would be valuable.
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pfau19
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM #1

Hello everyone, I’d like to get your thoughts on something. I'm really hoping to acquire a gaming PC to enjoy games that don’t require a huge amount of processing power. Recently, I received an employment offer from a company – the initial salary is modest, roughly equivalent to 16,000 British pounds annually, but it’s expected to rise as I gain experience. I am currently debt-free and possess savings, and I plan to begin working while residing with my family; however, I anticipate relocating within two or three months.

I'm particularly interested in strategy games, but mostly those with less intensive system needs. The most demanding title I'm considering is Attila Total War, which will likely perform poorly due to its poor optimization, alongside games like Rome 2, Shogun 2, Pike & Shot campaigns, and Ultimate General. I’d be satisfied with either an Nvidia GTX 1660Ti or GTX 1070.

Thankfully, computer prices in my region are reasonable and it's fairly simple to purchase gaming PCs locally, so there’s no need to order one from overseas. What are your suggestions? I'm contemplating installment payments to avoid overextending my credit card, although I admit I’m inexperienced with managing finances and tend to spend more than intended, so any guidance would be valuable.

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Benett2000
Junior Member
3
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM
#2
On top of what sky said, judging by those games, you don't need anywhere near a 1660ti or 1070.
You can game comfortably on a Ryzen 2400g or 3400g with 8gb of ram and a 500gb SSD with a budget PSU and case.
Assuming you need peripherals, any cheap mouse and keyboard combo will do and a basic 1080p monitor as well.
Judging by what you've said I assume you are in the U.K.
So here's a PCPartPicker list for you to look at.
But as sky said, no need to be in a rush. Paying your bills and getting your financials to be balanced and worked out first is more important.
This build is pretty much ready to rock and has the ability to be upgraded by simply dropping a graphics card into it.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5...
B
Benett2000
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM #2

On top of what sky said, judging by those games, you don't need anywhere near a 1660ti or 1070.
You can game comfortably on a Ryzen 2400g or 3400g with 8gb of ram and a 500gb SSD with a budget PSU and case.
Assuming you need peripherals, any cheap mouse and keyboard combo will do and a basic 1080p monitor as well.
Judging by what you've said I assume you are in the U.K.
So here's a PCPartPicker list for you to look at.
But as sky said, no need to be in a rush. Paying your bills and getting your financials to be balanced and worked out first is more important.
This build is pretty much ready to rock and has the ability to be upgraded by simply dropping a graphics card into it.
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5...

G
garm1606
Member
64
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM
#3
The final cost hinges on your spending habits and the amount remaining after covering all your obligations. Computer components generally decrease in price over time, making it a good strategy to accumulate savings and purchase them at a later date rather than incurring immediate installment payments. Within one or two months, you’ll likely gather sufficient funds to acquire a completely new personal computer.
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garm1606
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM #3

The final cost hinges on your spending habits and the amount remaining after covering all your obligations. Computer components generally decrease in price over time, making it a good strategy to accumulate savings and purchase them at a later date rather than incurring immediate installment payments. Within one or two months, you’ll likely gather sufficient funds to acquire a completely new personal computer.

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Worldrockers
Junior Member
18
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM
#4
Absolutely, that appears to be a worthwhile proposal. Considering the characteristics of these games, I’m dedicated to utilizing an integrated processor and graphics card – specifically Intel alongside Nvidia. It has been suggested that for strategy titles and Total War, instruction per clock cycle (IPC) and single-core speed are more important than multi-threading or the quantity of cores. Do you believe that 2025 will be a favorable time to acquire new hardware? And is it likely that Nvidia's lower-end RTX cards will see a reduction in their prices?
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Worldrockers
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM #4

Absolutely, that appears to be a worthwhile proposal. Considering the characteristics of these games, I’m dedicated to utilizing an integrated processor and graphics card – specifically Intel alongside Nvidia. It has been suggested that for strategy titles and Total War, instruction per clock cycle (IPC) and single-core speed are more important than multi-threading or the quantity of cores. Do you believe that 2025 will be a favorable time to acquire new hardware? And is it likely that Nvidia's lower-end RTX cards will see a reduction in their prices?

M
Mexican_Style
Junior Member
47
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM
#5
Beyond what sky indicated, considering the games you play, a high-end graphics card like a 1660ti or 1070 isn’t necessary.

You can play games smoothly with a Ryzen 2400G or 3400G processor, combined with 8GB of RAM and a 500GB solid-state drive, utilizing an affordable power supply and case. If you require peripherals, inexpensive mouse and keyboard sets along with a standard 1080p display will suffice.

Given your comments, I believe you are located in the United Kingdom.

Here’s a PCPartPicker list for your consideration:

CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G – 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£121.98 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard:
MSI B450M PRO-M2 MAX – Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£83.40 @ Alza)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance LPX – 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 (£60.78 @ Aria PC)
Storage:
Kingston A400 – 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£42.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case:
Fractal Design Focus G – ATX Mid Tower Case (£46.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply:
SeaSonic EVO Edition 620 W – 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£69.98 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor:
Asus VA229HR – 21.5" 1920x1080 75 Hz Monitor (£84.62 @ CCL Computers)
Keyboard:
Thermaltake Commander – Wired Gaming Keyboard with Optical Mouse (£40.28 @ Amazon UK)

Total: £550.42 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts where available)

Generated by
PCPartPicker
2019-11-09 11:13 GMT+0000
M
Mexican_Style
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM #5

Beyond what sky indicated, considering the games you play, a high-end graphics card like a 1660ti or 1070 isn’t necessary.

You can play games smoothly with a Ryzen 2400G or 3400G processor, combined with 8GB of RAM and a 500GB solid-state drive, utilizing an affordable power supply and case. If you require peripherals, inexpensive mouse and keyboard sets along with a standard 1080p display will suffice.

Given your comments, I believe you are located in the United Kingdom.

Here’s a PCPartPicker list for your consideration:

CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 3400G – 3.7 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£121.98 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard:
MSI B450M PRO-M2 MAX – Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£83.40 @ Alza)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance LPX – 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 (£60.78 @ Aria PC)
Storage:
Kingston A400 – 480 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£42.39 @ Amazon UK)
Case:
Fractal Design Focus G – ATX Mid Tower Case (£46.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply:
SeaSonic EVO Edition 620 W – 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£69.98 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor:
Asus VA229HR – 21.5" 1920x1080 75 Hz Monitor (£84.62 @ CCL Computers)
Keyboard:
Thermaltake Commander – Wired Gaming Keyboard with Optical Mouse (£40.28 @ Amazon UK)

Total: £550.42 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts where available)

Generated by
PCPartPicker
2019-11-09 11:13 GMT+0000

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Doiwix
Junior Member
11
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM
#6
It would be wise to accumulate a sufficient sum of funds in advance, because unforeseen circumstances may arise and lead to financial hardship, as well as increased costs for electronic devices.
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Doiwix
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM #6

It would be wise to accumulate a sufficient sum of funds in advance, because unforeseen circumstances may arise and lead to financial hardship, as well as increased costs for electronic devices.

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WH0LEF33D
Member
141
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM
#7
This discussion is more than two years old.
Please refrain from reviving past conversations.
Closing
Wolfshadw
Moderator
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WH0LEF33D
05-25-2025, 08:54 AM #7

This discussion is more than two years old.
Please refrain from reviving past conversations.
Closing
Wolfshadw
Moderator