Gaming PC advice

[Hobo]

Setting up a golf sim at home and there is a requirement for a PC to power the launch monitor. The launch monitor manufacturer states the following requirements;

- Windows 10 (64 bit)
- 8GB RAM
- Intel i3 10100F/AMD Ryzen 2600
- Nvidia GTX 1650/AMD Radeon 580
- 128GB SSG

I know very little about PC's and where to best get them from, and what to look for, so would welcome any comments on suppliers, expected costs, etc.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

That's quite a low spec so should not cost much.

Do you have budget? Do you already have a monitor (if so, what resolution), mouse, keyboard, speakers etc?

[rinseout]

That spec is so low, almost any pc or laptop will be capable of running it.

[Hobo]

I'm guessing thats minimum requirements, and the more 'updated' they release, then I'm guessing those basic requirements may struggle, so may be well worth updating graphics cards, etc.

Budget wise, honestly not sure what I'm looking at, hence asking.

[Hobo]

I don't have a monitor or keyboard, but think as opposed to a monitor it would be linked to a TV screen as the main screen will obviously be an impact screen via a projector with it being a sim room.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Hobo said:

I'm guessing thats minimum requirements, and the more 'updated' they release, then I'm guessing those basic requirements may struggle, so may be well worth updating graphics cards, etc.

Budget wise, honestly not sure what I'm looking at, hence asking.

That is a massively open ended question though. You could spend 500 quid or 2000+ quid, you need to give a rough budget.

Edited by RedWhiteMonkey on Tuesday 29th July 12:34

[Hobo]

Suppose I wanted to look at it the other way around. What would it cost to achieve the specification they state ?

From there I can then look, or take advise, on which elements may be worth upgrading to somewhat futureproof it.

I don't want to spend a massive amount, so if £500 could achieve it that would be great, as the projector is 2k and the launch monitor either 2k or 4k, so its starting to add up

[RedWhiteMonkey]

What is the actual golf game/software?

The specification you have posted states some pieces of hardware that are no longer in production so it might be useful to see what is actually needed.

[Hobo]

Skytrak+
https://skytrakgolf.com/products/skytrak-plus-laun...

It also says that an ipad could be used, but from what I've seen online they aren't able to cope with the software in its best resolution, etc.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

PCPartPicker is a good website to spec builds and find prices/advice.

The following build would meet the stated requirements, but I would never recommend it (too many compromises):

PCPartPicker Part List: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/s6ttTM

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£200.68 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£49.06 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Crucial CT8G4DFS824A 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 CL17 Memory (£12.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Patriot P220 128 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£10.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Sapphire PULSE Low Profile Radeon RX 6400 4 GB Video Card (£124.99 @ MoreCoCo)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£38.14 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: be quiet! System Power 10 450 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£44.90 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home Retail - Download 64-bit (£105.81 @ EE Store)
Total: £587.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-07-29 12:58 BST+0100

It really makes much more sense to identify a proper budget and work from that.

[Hobo]

The issue being I genuinely don't know what I should be looking for. The system requirements they propose is obviously the starting point, but after that I genuinely don't know/understand what I should be upgrading, etc, and/or expecting to pay.

Its going to be sat in the garage and not used for anything else but to purely run the Skytrak+ software, but am conscious to keep releasing updates which improve the graphics which no doubt need better graphics cards, and a quicker processor, but aside from that I genuinely don't know what else would be impacted.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

System requirements are generally out of date very quickly in comparison to the advancement of computer hardware. This means it actually can get more expensive to try to match old system requirements than to build something up to date, as you'd need to source old parts.

I'm guessing a pre-built PC is more for you.

A basic Currys job should be perfectly fine:
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/medion-erazer-re...

[boyse7en]

I'd buy a reconditioned laptop off of eBay for about £250. Given the setup is in the garage, the constantly variable temperatures and humidity levels won't do an occasionally-used PC a lot of good. At least you can bring the laptop into the house.

[Hobo]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

System requirements are generally out of date very quickly in comparison to the advancement of computer hardware. This means it actually can get more expensive to try to match old system requirements than to build something up to date, as you'd need to source old parts.

I'm guessing a pre-built PC is more for you.

A basic Currys job should be perfectly fine:
https://www.currys.co.uk/products/medion-erazer-re...

Pre-built is defo the option for me

The model you link to looks fine to me. I'm assuming its pretty much better than required in all areas so should be future proofed to some degree.