£500 budget PC
Discussion
I m looking to rekindle my PC racing years with Assetto Corse / F1 25 etc and would like some help on specs. I have someone willing to do the build but would really appreciate a decent list of specs/options. Now I know it s a potential bottomless pit of money but I m aiming to spend around £500-£650 (I have a monitor and speakers).
Thoughts on a decent build? Let me know what you have.
Thoughts on a decent build? Let me know what you have.
Edited by Moley RUFC on Saturday 30th May 22:17
You're going to struggle. There are significant shortages of memory chips at the moment driving up the cost massively for memory, SSD's and GPU's - all things you will need in your gaming pc.This shortage will be with us for at least the next year...
Just quickly looking at some examples
16gb of ram (2x8gb) is over 200 quid looking at Scan.co.uk.
A 1 tb nvme SSD is about 180 to 200 quid, and 1 tb may be tight if you want more than a few games.
An Nvidia 5060 GPU with 8GBb of ram starts at 300 quid.
Have a look at https://uk.pcpartpicker.com to get some ideas.
But your budget may need a bump for new parts.
Just quickly looking at some examples
16gb of ram (2x8gb) is over 200 quid looking at Scan.co.uk.
A 1 tb nvme SSD is about 180 to 200 quid, and 1 tb may be tight if you want more than a few games.
An Nvidia 5060 GPU with 8GBb of ram starts at 300 quid.
Have a look at https://uk.pcpartpicker.com to get some ideas.
But your budget may need a bump for new parts.
If you want a PC just for games and have a good internet connection have a look at GeForce Now (GFN).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187756121916?mkevt=1&am...
I run GFN off a £200 slimline PC that sits in my media wall connected to a 4K projector and steering wheel. There are various subscriptions plans, I was on the £100/year plan but now upgraded to the £200/year tier which gives you access to a 5080 equivalent graphics card and the ability to game on any other device.
There is a whole thread of GFN, but essentially it's a really easy way to play games with graphics settings turned up to max on pretty much any devic, without the faff of having to manage your own hardware. I'm currently playing Horizon 6 on it, but AC Rally, Le Mans Ultimate works great too. For some reason though the latest F1 games aren't on GFN.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Oh AC Rally looks incredible at 4K max graphics settings, and not far off real life!!! it's also very very hard to even complete a stage without crashing let alone set a good time, it's the kind of game you want to play at max graphics settings
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187756121916?mkevt=1&am...
I run GFN off a £200 slimline PC that sits in my media wall connected to a 4K projector and steering wheel. There are various subscriptions plans, I was on the £100/year plan but now upgraded to the £200/year tier which gives you access to a 5080 equivalent graphics card and the ability to game on any other device.
There is a whole thread of GFN, but essentially it's a really easy way to play games with graphics settings turned up to max on pretty much any devic, without the faff of having to manage your own hardware. I'm currently playing Horizon 6 on it, but AC Rally, Le Mans Ultimate works great too. For some reason though the latest F1 games aren't on GFN.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Oh AC Rally looks incredible at 4K max graphics settings, and not far off real life!!! it's also very very hard to even complete a stage without crashing let alone set a good time, it's the kind of game you want to play at max graphics settings
Edited by gangzoom on Sunday 31st May 06:19
Geforce now is the only way to play, unless you want to sink a grand in to a mid level rig that won't be really that good.
£200 a year for incredible performance that never breaks, never needs upgrading and doesn't take up any room.
I've run GFnow on a 5 year old chromebook before now when I've been staying at hotels for work trips, just can't be beaten
£200 a year for incredible performance that never breaks, never needs upgrading and doesn't take up any room.
I've run GFnow on a 5 year old chromebook before now when I've been staying at hotels for work trips, just can't be beaten
Nicks90 said:
Geforce now is the only way to play, unless you want to sink a grand in to a mid level rig that won't be really that good.
£200 a year for incredible performance that never breaks, never needs upgrading and doesn't take up any room.
I've run GFnow on a 5 year old chromebook before now when I've been staying at hotels for work trips, just can't be beaten
Thanks everyone….I’m converted after the replies above. I just need to sort my 300mb full fibre broadband which continually drops to a poor signal during Teams meeting etc. The box was on floor so I’ve moved it up onto a table and could get a booster given I’ll need a good consistent connection. £200 a year for incredible performance that never breaks, never needs upgrading and doesn't take up any room.
I've run GFnow on a 5 year old chromebook before now when I've been staying at hotels for work trips, just can't be beaten
gangzoom said:
If you want a PC just for games and have a good internet connection have a look at GeForce Now (GFN).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187756121916?mkevt=1&am...
I run GFN off a £200 slimline PC that sits in my media wall connected to a 4K projector and steering wheel. There are various subscriptions plans, I was on the £100/year plan but now upgraded to the £200/year tier which gives you access to a 5080 equivalent graphics card and the ability to game on any other device.
There is a whole thread of GFN, but essentially it's a really easy way to play games with graphics settings turned up to max on pretty much any devic, without the faff of having to manage your own hardware. I'm currently playing Horizon 6 on it, but AC Rally, Le Mans Ultimate works great too. For some reason though the latest F1 games aren't on GFN.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNJDi8SlXiWEyQnDTraShSG0Y68pMG70707s--fAOb3kVsrkvMuxyuK4-bTxFhvSrh9fnigdkxe70SortOPt9TnDr59EhlFV7x4YvSAQInso9dvcj8-3-Ov4jiQ2cXx7CCN_GeXhUS6GvlXK0hhptKSkw=w1080-h812-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
Oh AC Rally looks incredible at 4K max graphics settings, and not far off real life!!! it's also very very hard to even complete a stage without crashing let alone set a good time, it's the kind of game you want to play at max graphics settings
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNPmb6qFVjIMgyr6VM7bFCbuPlaLqg451BR9ECHw-AW7hJq1TRNJb9bZQj7-7ty2uzF2JlilyhIU9ldsSjJtUph3VgpBvCsSr_MCXNPcGP-zIxY_Sn1VnZQ_TkZ90_yLUME671lsL1-VFdvrs9CdE2IkQ=w1080-h1438-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczMrWUsyJ_YugtV3TIZceX6bWdGNLx7w13yFtXmotVVNtIU7Y5IEcvvOVDZUy8S588FPG1NVdifU8iVnU-kmCTg_SipFQDvHLu-NNji67ByF_8i22NfsK54EkrT3dtHLPyZbBd3vQgHTonh5-yIoexysVQ=w1080-h1441-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
Superb….thanks for that. I think the GFN route is the most sensible one - I’ll likely choose the same pc you’ve gone for.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187756121916?mkevt=1&am...
I run GFN off a £200 slimline PC that sits in my media wall connected to a 4K projector and steering wheel. There are various subscriptions plans, I was on the £100/year plan but now upgraded to the £200/year tier which gives you access to a 5080 equivalent graphics card and the ability to game on any other device.
There is a whole thread of GFN, but essentially it's a really easy way to play games with graphics settings turned up to max on pretty much any devic, without the faff of having to manage your own hardware. I'm currently playing Horizon 6 on it, but AC Rally, Le Mans Ultimate works great too. For some reason though the latest F1 games aren't on GFN.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNJDi8SlXiWEyQnDTraShSG0Y68pMG70707s--fAOb3kVsrkvMuxyuK4-bTxFhvSrh9fnigdkxe70SortOPt9TnDr59EhlFV7x4YvSAQInso9dvcj8-3-Ov4jiQ2cXx7CCN_GeXhUS6GvlXK0hhptKSkw=w1080-h812-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
Oh AC Rally looks incredible at 4K max graphics settings, and not far off real life!!! it's also very very hard to even complete a stage without crashing let alone set a good time, it's the kind of game you want to play at max graphics settings
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNPmb6qFVjIMgyr6VM7bFCbuPlaLqg451BR9ECHw-AW7hJq1TRNJb9bZQj7-7ty2uzF2JlilyhIU9ldsSjJtUph3VgpBvCsSr_MCXNPcGP-zIxY_Sn1VnZQ_TkZ90_yLUME671lsL1-VFdvrs9CdE2IkQ=w1080-h1438-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczMrWUsyJ_YugtV3TIZceX6bWdGNLx7w13yFtXmotVVNtIU7Y5IEcvvOVDZUy8S588FPG1NVdifU8iVnU-kmCTg_SipFQDvHLu-NNji67ByF_8i22NfsK54EkrT3dtHLPyZbBd3vQgHTonh5-yIoexysVQ=w1080-h1441-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
Edited by gangzoom on Sunday 31st May 06:19
Moley RUFC said:
Thanks everyone .I m converted after the replies above. I just need to sort my 300mb full fibre broadband which continually drops to a poor signal during Teams meeting etc. The box was on floor so I ve moved it up onto a table and could get a booster given I ll need a good consistent connection.
GFN is the reasons I upgraded to a WiFi6 mesh setup versus staying on WiFi5. It works great with MetaQuest 3 headset but admittedly it's not a 4K 120FPS stream.
My boardband speed is also restricted to 70-80mbs due to having only fibre to the cabinet, so this email from CityFibre yesterday made me smile
. I'll almost certainly upgrade to at least 200Mbps.
gangzoom said:
If you want a PC just for games and have a good internet connection have a look at GeForce Now (GFN).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187756121916?mkevt=1&am...
I run GFN off a £200 slimline PC that sits in my media wall connected to a 4K projector and steering wheel. There are various subscriptions plans, I was on the £100/year plan but now upgraded to the £200/year tier which gives you access to a 5080 equivalent graphics card and the ability to game on any other device.
There is a whole thread of GFN, but essentially it's a really easy way to play games with graphics settings turned up to max on pretty much any devic, without the faff of having to manage your own hardware. I'm currently playing Horizon 6 on it, but AC Rally, Le Mans Ultimate works great too. For some reason though the latest F1 games aren't on GFN.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNJDi8SlXiWEyQnDTraShSG0Y68pMG70707s--fAOb3kVsrkvMuxyuK4-bTxFhvSrh9fnigdkxe70SortOPt9TnDr59EhlFV7x4YvSAQInso9dvcj8-3-Ov4jiQ2cXx7CCN_GeXhUS6GvlXK0hhptKSkw=w1080-h812-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
Oh AC Rally looks incredible at 4K max graphics settings, and not far off real life!!! it's also very very hard to even complete a stage without crashing let alone set a good time, it's the kind of game you want to play at max graphics settings
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNPmb6qFVjIMgyr6VM7bFCbuPlaLqg451BR9ECHw-AW7hJq1TRNJb9bZQj7-7ty2uzF2JlilyhIU9ldsSjJtUph3VgpBvCsSr_MCXNPcGP-zIxY_Sn1VnZQ_TkZ90_yLUME671lsL1-VFdvrs9CdE2IkQ=w1080-h1438-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczMrWUsyJ_YugtV3TIZceX6bWdGNLx7w13yFtXmotVVNtIU7Y5IEcvvOVDZUy8S588FPG1NVdifU8iVnU-kmCTg_SipFQDvHLu-NNji67ByF_8i22NfsK54EkrT3dtHLPyZbBd3vQgHTonh5-yIoexysVQ=w1080-h1441-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
Out of interest is your Logitech steering plugged plugged into the pc or TV? I have a Logitech G29 wheel and pedals and presume they would work with the pc you have ?https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187756121916?mkevt=1&am...
I run GFN off a £200 slimline PC that sits in my media wall connected to a 4K projector and steering wheel. There are various subscriptions plans, I was on the £100/year plan but now upgraded to the £200/year tier which gives you access to a 5080 equivalent graphics card and the ability to game on any other device.
There is a whole thread of GFN, but essentially it's a really easy way to play games with graphics settings turned up to max on pretty much any devic, without the faff of having to manage your own hardware. I'm currently playing Horizon 6 on it, but AC Rally, Le Mans Ultimate works great too. For some reason though the latest F1 games aren't on GFN.
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNJDi8SlXiWEyQnDTraShSG0Y68pMG70707s--fAOb3kVsrkvMuxyuK4-bTxFhvSrh9fnigdkxe70SortOPt9TnDr59EhlFV7x4YvSAQInso9dvcj8-3-Ov4jiQ2cXx7CCN_GeXhUS6GvlXK0hhptKSkw=w1080-h812-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
Oh AC Rally looks incredible at 4K max graphics settings, and not far off real life!!! it's also very very hard to even complete a stage without crashing let alone set a good time, it's the kind of game you want to play at max graphics settings
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczNPmb6qFVjIMgyr6VM7bFCbuPlaLqg451BR9ECHw-AW7hJq1TRNJb9bZQj7-7ty2uzF2JlilyhIU9ldsSjJtUph3VgpBvCsSr_MCXNPcGP-zIxY_Sn1VnZQ_TkZ90_yLUME671lsL1-VFdvrs9CdE2IkQ=w1080-h1438-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
[Img]https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczMrWUsyJ_YugtV3TIZceX6bWdGNLx7w13yFtXmotVVNtIU7Y5IEcvvOVDZUy8S588FPG1NVdifU8iVnU-kmCTg_SipFQDvHLu-NNji67ByF_8i22NfsK54EkrT3dtHLPyZbBd3vQgHTonh5-yIoexysVQ=w1080-h1441-s-no-gm?authuser=0[/thumb]
Edited by gangzoom on Sunday 31st May 06:19
Edited by Moley RUFC on Monday 15th June 14:39
gangzoom said:
If you want a PC just for games and have a good internet connection have a look at GeForce Now (GFN).
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187756121916?mkevt=1&am...
I run GFN off a £200 slimline PC that sits in my media wall connected to a 4K projector and steering wheel. There are various subscriptions plans, I was on the £100/year plan but now upgraded to the £200/year tier which gives you access to a 5080 equivalent graphics card and the ability to game on any other device.
There is a whole thread of GFN, but essentially it's a really easy way to play games with graphics settings turned up to max on pretty much any devic, without the faff of having to manage your own hardware. I'm currently playing Horizon 6 on it, but AC Rally, Le Mans Ultimate works great too. For some reason though the latest F1 games aren't on GFN.
Really going to depend on how good your internet is and how good your router is even. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187756121916?mkevt=1&am...
I run GFN off a £200 slimline PC that sits in my media wall connected to a 4K projector and steering wheel. There are various subscriptions plans, I was on the £100/year plan but now upgraded to the £200/year tier which gives you access to a 5080 equivalent graphics card and the ability to game on any other device.
There is a whole thread of GFN, but essentially it's a really easy way to play games with graphics settings turned up to max on pretty much any devic, without the faff of having to manage your own hardware. I'm currently playing Horizon 6 on it, but AC Rally, Le Mans Ultimate works great too. For some reason though the latest F1 games aren't on GFN.
Edited by gangzoom on Sunday 31st May 06:19
I really liked my time using GFN. I think it represents a very good option. But unless I could use it whilst everyone else was out the house it was just too annoying. I am guessing it was a router thing more than anything else as 400mbit should be more than fine, but I could tell when my wife was scrolling instagram it caused the stream to hitch and stutter. I think my router has dynamic QoS mode, but you can't manually set it. Which would probably be better.
I also found the latency on some games just too much to cope with. Forza Horizon 5 was one game I just couldn't get on with, but slower stuff like Sniper Elite and Cyberpunk were fine. Cyberpunk with all the bells and whistles on does look fantastic as well.
Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Wednesday 17th June 17:00
Just throwing this out there OP,
I have a gaming PC spare, built in late 2016, it was relatively high spec at the time, briefly:
ASUS Z170 LGA1151 Pro Gaming ATX motherboard
Intel i7-6700K 4GHz CPU
Corsair Dominator 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 RAM
NZXT Kraken X61 CPU liquid cooler
Corsair 650W gold-rated fully modular PSU
Phanteks Eclipse P400S mid tower in grey
Fans: 3 x Noctua, 2 x Phanteks
It is sans a GPU (had a GTX 1080 but I sold that a while ago), and any storage (carried over to my current PC), but it was a nice build and ran really well, it's just no longer used as I have my newer setup..
It's not going to set any benchmark records but it would run your average racing games at 1080p / 60fps just fine with a half-decent GPU.
I'd only ask around £150 for it, which would leave you ~250 for something like a pre-owned RTX 2070 / 3060, and ~100 for a (new) SSD..
I have a gaming PC spare, built in late 2016, it was relatively high spec at the time, briefly:
ASUS Z170 LGA1151 Pro Gaming ATX motherboard
Intel i7-6700K 4GHz CPU
Corsair Dominator 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 RAM
NZXT Kraken X61 CPU liquid cooler
Corsair 650W gold-rated fully modular PSU
Phanteks Eclipse P400S mid tower in grey
Fans: 3 x Noctua, 2 x Phanteks
It is sans a GPU (had a GTX 1080 but I sold that a while ago), and any storage (carried over to my current PC), but it was a nice build and ran really well, it's just no longer used as I have my newer setup..
It's not going to set any benchmark records but it would run your average racing games at 1080p / 60fps just fine with a half-decent GPU.
I'd only ask around £150 for it, which would leave you ~250 for something like a pre-owned RTX 2070 / 3060, and ~100 for a (new) SSD..
Edited by smithyithy on Friday 19th June 10:53
smithyithy said:
Just throwing this out there OP,
I have a gaming PC spare, built in late 2016, it was relatively high spec at the time, briefly:
ASUS Z170 LGA1151 Pro Gaming ATX motherboard
Intel i7-6700K 4GHz CPU
Corsair Dominator 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 RAM
NZXT Kraken X61 CPU liquid cooler
Corsair 650W gold-rated fully modular PSU
Phanteks Eclipse P400S mid tower in grey
Fans: 3 x Noctua, 2 x Phanteks
It is sans a GPU (had a GTX 1080 but I sold that a while ago), and any storage (carried over to my current PC), but it was a nice build and ran really well, it's just no longer used as I have my newer setup..
It's not going to set any benchmark records but it would run your average racing games at 1080p / 60fps just fine with a half-decent GPU.
I'd only ask around £150 for it, which would leave you ~250 for something like a pre-owned RTX 2070 / 3060, and ~100 for a (new) SSD..
Thanks for the offer - a very fair one too I should add. I have a gaming PC spare, built in late 2016, it was relatively high spec at the time, briefly:
ASUS Z170 LGA1151 Pro Gaming ATX motherboard
Intel i7-6700K 4GHz CPU
Corsair Dominator 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 RAM
NZXT Kraken X61 CPU liquid cooler
Corsair 650W gold-rated fully modular PSU
Phanteks Eclipse P400S mid tower in grey
Fans: 3 x Noctua, 2 x Phanteks
It is sans a GPU (had a GTX 1080 but I sold that a while ago), and any storage (carried over to my current PC), but it was a nice build and ran really well, it's just no longer used as I have my newer setup..
It's not going to set any benchmark records but it would run your average racing games at 1080p / 60fps just fine with a half-decent GPU.
I'd only ask around £150 for it, which would leave you ~250 for something like a pre-owned RTX 2070 / 3060, and ~100 for a (new) SSD..
Edited by smithyithy on Friday 19th June 10:53
I’ve had a bit of a break today in that I’ve been given a surface pro from work which I plan to run GFN from. I don’t know the specs but it’s a 4 year old SP which I’m guessing will be adequate to run GFN from.
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