I need help getting a PC for my lovely mother
Posted by Picharcho@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 13 comments
Hi, hows it going?
As the title states.
My mom has been playing games on the same computer since I was 4, I am now 20.
She doesnt need much, she's old, she plays Farmville 2 on Facebook. It pisses me off that she's built her farm to the point where she cant play it anymore without the entire computer lagging. To add on to the viruses I put on said computer when I was 10, she needs an upgrade. But I want it to be capable of handling the future too. By that I mean I want a PC that can just... work for 10 years with minimal up keep needed.
But I want something atleast fast so if she wants to play more games, she can with minimal to no lag. And I cant spend a thousand dollars on a fully custom build PC for her dispite how much I want to, A) Because im not just upgrading the PC, and B) Its 2026, you know why buying a PC now is a scary time
I was thinking of like... an Optiplex 5050, with a 560 or smt and a i5 5600. Cause aparently it just works like that? Idk how like... Mobos and Ram and CPUs work in tandem I just know they work together.
Im also open to suggestions, cause maybe the 560 is more expensive then the 1660. Maybe theres a better cheaper CPU. Maybe theres a better housing for it. Maybe a slightly more expensive CPU that works better, but I dont know.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate you. Take care of yourself
vlhube71@reddit
I’d probably look into getting her a Macbook. It’s user friendly and will pretty much work out of the box. Given she plays Farmville, it’s all she needs. In fact, she’ll probably prefer an IPad Air, or Pro if you can budget for it.
Otherwise, if there is a specific game she is looking to play, get the system appropriate for it.
I’m sure your mom’s priority is ease of use and convenience.
Picharcho@reddit (OP)
Yeah But Shes Not Used To The Mac Interface And Doesnt Really Like Apple Products
vlhube71@reddit
Really? Does she prefer Android?
My wife sounds to be your mom's age. She flat out prefers a laptop or tablet. She plays a bunch of games also, though obviously no AAA titles. If your mom actually plays PC games or plans to, sure, a PC makes sense but if she is like my wife, ease of use, convenience and portability are main priorities. Playing games on the couch or before bed is easier.
But, if she actually wants a PC, then a Dell like you mentioned would work. A prebuilt makes sense since it's built by the OEM and they can provide support.
Tumeni1959@reddit
In the UK, I can get ex-business fanless PCs for £35-40 with Win10 installed. If you have dealers who do this in your locale ... ?
If she has the monitor, keyboard and mouse already ...
Picharcho@reddit (OP)
Gunna Be Honest Facebook Market Place And Craiglist Didnt Cross My Mind
Tumeni1959@reddit
Neither of those are involved
joan16v@reddit
what about a mini pc?
Picharcho@reddit (OP)
My Sister Is Probably Gunna Use It For School So I Need Something With A Card. I Also Dont Know If Shes Been Thinking About Other Games To Play
irecki88@reddit
Get her refurbished iMac 2020 with Intel CPU and dedicated graphics card. They would probably go for about $300 US / 500 Aud. If you feeling adventurous put Windows on it via boot camp. The screen on those is pristine and with Mac OS it's very hard to get any malware or viruses. Ideally find one that had thermal paste replaced durring refurbishment.
Picharcho@reddit (OP)
Thatd Work But Shes Also Been Into Like Curved Monitors And Stuff And Her Desk Is Barely Big Enough For 1 Monitor
FewEstablishment4099@reddit
See if downloading it on her phone, runs any better. Typically, these games aren't demanding at all. So, either it's a browser optimisation issue (Chrome is known to be a hog, so maybe try Firefox instead), or it's running on Intel iGPU, in which case, simply adding a basic dGPU would suffice. What are the current specs?
Picharcho@reddit (OP)
Thats The Problem The PC Is From 2008. Its Like DDR3 If That
TectonicMongoose@reddit
R/buildmeapc might be the place to go if you do end up deciding to build one rather than a pre built or apple laptop.