You’ll need to know what motherboard socket and chipset you want to put this CPU into. And telling us can help us offer options.
Places like MicroCenter and NewEgg have deals on combo packages.
Also are you looking to upgrade an existing, working computer, or are you looking for the whole thing?
Laptops are, IMHO, more useful these days than a desktop PC for students/college. You can find decent deals on laptops, desktops, touchscreens, build-your-own at all the usual places: Costco, Sam’s, Adorama, Newegg, Amazon, Microsoft (yes, they have good deals on the Surface line), MicroCenter, BestBuy, etc.
Probably not worth it to hunt for a specific CPU upgrade or even to build your own. Look at sites like PCPartsBuilder.com for some build lists.
gaming machines are still often towers because of power needed to run them and the number of fans needed to keep them cool. Seen several gaming laptops, and those under about 7k are generally not worth it if he is a hard core gamer. depending on how old the mommy board is, you will probably have to upgrade the mother board and the CPU together and possibly the RAM, and if it is of any age at all, you’ll want more RAM
Hopefully you’re confident gaming will not become a problem. Some kids get so immersed they have difficulty self-regulating their time in it.
We lived this first hand with our son.
We thought the experience of building his own gaming rig would be a good education.
He ended up needing to take a break from college.
And he showed us a broadcast from the school cautioning kids to stop throwing water bottles filled with urine out of the dorm windows.
Seriously - it was so common they had to broadcast that notice. This is a highly selective, globally recognized university.
We have several friends with sons who are treading down that same path, starting in high school.
It was a blessing for us that Fortnite re-optimized the game favoring gaming consoles. Our son sold his gaming rig. But he acknowledges the pull remains strong.
but others get success from it. One person i know from years ago as a hard core gamer (online before all the modern stuff like discord, but he gamed a lot) works high up in security for Amazon in the EU. They have relocated his family 3 or 4 times as he moved up the chain.
I know some parents who, after hearing serious stories re one or more “gaming problem kids” within their family or friends circle, simply would not buy their children high end equipment.
Instead, they purchased schoolwork-serviceable laptops only. Exactly for fear of this problem repeating within their own minor children.
@f00l it’s a tricky thing. Some “experts” recommend no screens in the kids’ bedrooms period until they’ve demonstrated the ability to responsibly handle it.
There’s probably a middle road in there somewhere and every family is different.
…trying not to turn this into a general kid-raising discussion…
I am in the same place as you. I use and manage linux systems in the house.
All of the comments above are strongly worth considering.
My daughter wants a “gaming” system(image & power)with a graphics tablet. Graphics tablets tend not to support anything other than Windows or iOS.
I have a rig for her with 16Gb ram(minimum recommended). The CPU needs to be updated. AMD chips tend to give you the most bang for the $, especially the one’s with Vega graphics. And I need to also buy Windows 10 & the tablet.
There is definitely a toxic culture more prevalent in PC gaming because there is no console maker with a reputation to protect (Microsoft/XB and Sony/PS and Nintendo/Switch)
Also keep an eye on Discord, Line, and other “chat” apps, and monitor Spotify playlists.
Privacy is something you get when you turn 18 and our jobs as parents are to try and create that, as well as prevent them from losing opportunities in their very real adult future by doing and saying things to be taken out of context and used against them in public years and decades later.
The internet never forgets. Any chat message ever typed out is logged somewhere and can be republished by anyone that ever saw it or in the server logs. Everyone has chat history. On their phones in most cases, and on other gamer’s PCs.
And there is zero ability to hold people responsible, especially the sociopaths who target children or their peers.
It is a virtual Lord of the Flies out there in online gaming chatrooms where no posting is too offensive and the whole “influencer” culture is one big toxic popularity contest race to the bottom when making it to the top fails for all who aspire to be the next Kardashians or Ninja.
Just the CPU or the whole computer?
/image cpu
You’ll need to know what motherboard socket and chipset you want to put this CPU into. And telling us can help us offer options.
Places like MicroCenter and NewEgg have deals on combo packages.
Also are you looking to upgrade an existing, working computer, or are you looking for the whole thing?
Laptops are, IMHO, more useful these days than a desktop PC for students/college. You can find decent deals on laptops, desktops, touchscreens, build-your-own at all the usual places: Costco, Sam’s, Adorama, Newegg, Amazon, Microsoft (yes, they have good deals on the Surface line), MicroCenter, BestBuy, etc.
Probably not worth it to hunt for a specific CPU upgrade or even to build your own. Look at sites like PCPartsBuilder.com for some build lists.
gaming machines are still often towers because of power needed to run them and the number of fans needed to keep them cool. Seen several gaming laptops, and those under about 7k are generally not worth it if he is a hard core gamer. depending on how old the mommy board is, you will probably have to upgrade the mother board and the CPU together and possibly the RAM, and if it is of any age at all, you’ll want more RAM
Speaking as a gamer chick / geek
Hopefully you’re confident gaming will not become a problem. Some kids get so immersed they have difficulty self-regulating their time in it.
We lived this first hand with our son.
We thought the experience of building his own gaming rig would be a good education.
He ended up needing to take a break from college.
And he showed us a broadcast from the school cautioning kids to stop throwing water bottles filled with urine out of the dorm windows.
Seriously - it was so common they had to broadcast that notice. This is a highly selective, globally recognized university.
We have several friends with sons who are treading down that same path, starting in high school.
It was a blessing for us that Fortnite re-optimized the game favoring gaming consoles. Our son sold his gaming rig. But he acknowledges the pull remains strong.
@RedOak
these stories always make me sad.
but others get success from it. One person i know from years ago as a hard core gamer (online before all the modern stuff like discord, but he gamed a lot) works high up in security for Amazon in the EU. They have relocated his family 3 or 4 times as he moved up the chain.
Everything has the potential for addiction.
@Cerridwyn
Yah, that’s the argument often put forward - “don’t worry, it will bring him valuable skills for a future career…”
That might be true for many kids. But it has the potential to ruin some kids’ futures.
I’d guess the people who succeed later would have also done so without the immersion in gaming.
I’m not claiming all kids get trapped - but the damage it does to kids who do get trapped is scary stuff.
If only there were a way to know ahead if time which kids are likely to get caught.
@Cerridwyn @RedOak
I know some parents who, after hearing serious stories re one or more “gaming problem kids” within their family or friends circle, simply would not buy their children high end equipment.
Instead, they purchased schoolwork-serviceable laptops only. Exactly for fear of this problem repeating within their own minor children.
It is sad.
@RedOak
yeah
but he same can be said of alcohol
or other substances I guess
even food, people get addicted to sugar or other foods.
Not sure what it is
@f00l it’s a tricky thing. Some “experts” recommend no screens in the kids’ bedrooms period until they’ve demonstrated the ability to responsibly handle it.
There’s probably a middle road in there somewhere and every family is different.
…trying not to turn this into a general kid-raising discussion…
@RedOak
Agreed.
I am in the same place as you. I use and manage linux systems in the house.
All of the comments above are strongly worth considering.
My daughter wants a “gaming” system(image & power)with a graphics tablet. Graphics tablets tend not to support anything other than Windows or iOS.
I have a rig for her with 16Gb ram(minimum recommended). The CPU needs to be updated. AMD chips tend to give you the most bang for the $, especially the one’s with Vega graphics. And I need to also buy Windows 10 & the tablet.
There is definitely a toxic culture more prevalent in PC gaming because there is no console maker with a reputation to protect (Microsoft/XB and Sony/PS and Nintendo/Switch)
Also keep an eye on Discord, Line, and other “chat” apps, and monitor Spotify playlists.
Privacy is something you get when you turn 18 and our jobs as parents are to try and create that, as well as prevent them from losing opportunities in their very real adult future by doing and saying things to be taken out of context and used against them in public years and decades later.
The internet never forgets. Any chat message ever typed out is logged somewhere and can be republished by anyone that ever saw it or in the server logs. Everyone has chat history. On their phones in most cases, and on other gamer’s PCs.
And there is zero ability to hold people responsible, especially the sociopaths who target children or their peers.
It is a virtual Lord of the Flies out there in online gaming chatrooms where no posting is too offensive and the whole “influencer” culture is one big toxic popularity contest race to the bottom when making it to the top fails for all who aspire to be the next Kardashians or Ninja.