New to Gaming

[Emma McManus 33]

Hello everyone. My nearly 10 year old son is a huge gaming fan and is looking to get into it but I have no idea where to start regarding hardware. 
he is looking a pc/gaming computer for Christmas but I’m guessing this isn’t the type of the thing you can just walk into curry’s/pc world and purchase. 
so I’m looking some help, where would I go to start looking at gaming computer setups and what do I need for someone who is just getting started with it? 

[phil bottle 9,767]

2 hours ago, Emma McManus said:

 

Hello everyone. My nearly 10 year old son is a huge gaming fan and is looking to get into it but I have no idea where to start regarding hardware. 
he is looking a pc/gaming computer for Christmas but I’m guessing this isn’t the type of the thing you can just walk into curry’s/pc world and purchase. 
so I’m looking some help, where would I go to start looking at gaming computer setups and what do I need for someone who is just getting started with it? 

 

Hi Emma, thanks for getting in touch, I'm sure we can help provide advice.

 

First thing I'd say is that this is not the best time to buy a gaming PC. Certain chips and parts have become very low in supply, so prices are ridiculously high at the moment. So bear that in mind.

 

Secondly, do you know what type of games your son plays?

 

Thirdly, do you have a monitor? If not, that would be needed too, and the resolution, be it 1080p, 1440p or 4k would impact what type of PC to go for.

 

Finally, there are sites like Overclockers that sell ready-made gaming PCs and I encourage you to check them out.

 

If you reply to the questions above we'll be able to see what's best.

[Emma McManus 33]

Hi and many thanks for your reply. He plays roblox, minecraft, terraria, among us etc. He also has a PS4 and PS VR headset where he plays five nights at freddys, Spider-Man, various motorbike racing Games. He also has a switch where he plays Zelda, mario, etc. But he defo spending more time on terraria at the moment. I’m not into computer games at all lol and neither is my husband, so this is a total minefield to us! 🤯
 

we don’t have a monitor either so we are starting completely from scratch. 
 

thanks so much for your help, and I will defo take a look at the website you’ve suggested. 👍🏼👍🏼

[Emma McManus 33]

I’ve also just asked him “randomly” what games he plays and yes all of the above with the addition of The Crew 2, Star Wars battlefront on PS4 and super hot VR being the favs alongside terraria 

[phil bottle 9,767]

That's helpful and sounds like he will play most contemporary games and need a half decent computer that will last him some years.

But as I say, it's not a great time to be buying a PC as it's more expensive than usual.

Would a laptop be a consideration or are you thinking desktop?

What is your budget? 

Sorry to be asking more questions but we'll get there...

[Emma McManus 33]

To be honest we will go with whatever is best. Initially I had thought a laptop was more contemporary, as who the hell has desktops nowadays! Lol. But speaking with family members who are more technologically minded than myself are saying that for gamers desktop is the way to go. That it’s easier to upgrade certain parts with a custom made desktop rather than a laptop? And if something goes wrong with a laptop the whole thing needs replaced whereas with a desktop you can remove that one component and replace it. I could be talking complete nonsense though so please correct me if I am. 
 

I get what you’re saying about it being a bad time but this is a “Santa” present and you know when a kid has decided that’s what they want, it’s hard to turn them. And he’s been wanting this since last Xmas! Lol. So I don’t think I have a choice!! 
 

Regarding budget, we were ideally hoping to get him decently kitted out with the potential to maybe add on, for around £600-£700 but if it went abit over that we could stretch  a little.

 

please don’t apologise for questions I’m so thankful for your help. 

[RenFengge 1,042]

32 minutes ago, Emma McManus said:

To be honest we will go with whatever is best. Initially I had thought a laptop was more contemporary, as who the hell has desktops nowadays! Lol. But speaking with family members who are more technologically minded than myself are saying that for gamers desktop is the way to go. That it’s easier to upgrade certain parts with a custom made desktop rather than a laptop? And if something goes wrong with a laptop the whole thing needs replaced whereas with a desktop you can remove that one component and replace it. I could be talking complete nonsense though so please correct me if I am. 

 

Hi Emma,

 

Welcome!

 

I felt the urge to respond to this, as your comment reminded me of my time in HS. My response is going to go against the rule of thumb, which is desktops for gamers.

 

So, there's a reason why I was gaming on a laptop for many years. However, that is not to say that most of the time I didn't have a desktop. I did. I had both a desktop and a laptop usually. It wasn't until I was in college that I was laptop-based for a good while. But, I was also a nomad, sort of.

 

Here's the main benefit that I had with a laptop --> I was mobile. If I was kicked out of a room, not a problem. If I ended up staying late at school for one reason or another, it didn't matter. If I wanted to game and the family was going on a trip for the weekend, that's fine, I had my laptop.

 

Here's the downside --> any gaming laptop worth the money is going to be "heavier" than a basic laptop. However, today's heaviest laptops are what the lightest laptops were during my time as a "nomad" (my friends considered me a nomad since I was always on the move). I carried around a 18" laptop that weighed around 14lbs. I think that was the heaviest one I ever carried. Had to look for a certain bag just to fit it. I think the lightest laptop at the time was around 5lbs. Maingear's (maingear.com) most robust gaming laptop is 4.4lbs today.

 

Are laptops upgradeable? Lol. Absolutely not. The cases are, in general, designed for the specs. You can't just be adding RAM or swapping out a graphics card. However, if your son is young enough, and if you basically get the best possible thing out there, he could technically use the laptop for like 4 years. Why am I saying this?

 

Before I got my husband @TurboR56Mini  into gaming, my concern was always about getting kicked out of my game room/home office. So, if he needed the space, I could just take my laptop to the living room. I ended up also buying him a gaming laptop when I bought my last one in 2015. Our laptops lasted us until December 2020. Technically, they could even still run some games today like Destiny 2, Civilization, Sims, Fallout, Witcher 1 - 3, Mass Effect, etc. But, those laptops were also near-top of the line at the time too. Each laptop cost us about $2800 each. Paid for by year-end bonus. They did their jobs well. I still use mine to watch things if I want to lounge in bed.

 

Now, if you do go desktop, which is always going to be the best way to go, I would suggest trying to find a quality PC maker to start you off... or a local PC person to teach your son how to build one. These days, I can't be bothered to build my own. Plus, getting parts is a pain. PC builders tend to have parts that consumers cannot get. Since I don't build my own anymore, I'm very loyal to Maingear here in the US. They are a great company. They have fantastic customer service and top notch quality. They work with you if you want to upgrade components. The only reason why my latest PC is from Xidax is because Xidax gave me a killer deal and they had the chips I wanted... Also, another good company.. but they are not in driving distance to me if I want to do a component swap.

 

Anyway.. just some thoughts I felt like throwing in for this conversation.

[GazzaGarratt 11,056]

Hi Emma @Emma McManus , I'm Lee and welcome to FG! Phil @phil bottle and La @RenFengge above has been pretty good so far and I wouldn't be disagreeing with him much in terms of questions. I assume you are looking for a ready made PC and not to be made by yourself? I was assured by the rest of the FG people here that these days there isn't as much difference to cost as it used to be back in the day so for less hassle i'll go with the ready made.

 

1. The PC Tower (with all the bits to make it work in it)
2. Monitor
3. Keyboard
4. Mouse
5. Operating System (like Windows 7, etc)
6. Chair
7. Desk

I apologies in advance if this is teaching you to suck eggs but you never know what people have thought about and allowed room in their budget for these things. If you're buying a ready made PC, they'll usually come with parts 1-5 (although 5 can be missing in some bundles so beware).

 

Those games won't require a huge amount of 'top spec' for them to work, however as he is nearly 10, I would imagine he'll be wanting to be play first person shooters before you know it and that when you need a little more oomph.

 

Would it help if we found a few links on some low budget, on budget, and over budget bundles on the internet to help your selection? We could probably help with all the rest too if needed as theres been previous topics on what chairs and desks people want these days too.

 

@Greboth @Diddums @Tar-Eruntalion  @Spacedeck  @BO7H B4RRELS  @The3rdWalker  - just tagging a few core PC players if they can add anything to help with what you need!

[Emma McManus 33]

A huge thank you @GazzaGarrattand @RenFenggefor all the information and advice you have given. 
Thanks for sharing the pros and cons you found with the laptops @RenFengge, I can certainly appreciate both sides of the coin. But we are pretty certain the gaming computer will be a fixed location, most likely in my sons bedroom on a desk. I can see the benefits of a laptop being portable but I do try to ensure he keeps up with his other activities etc as well as gaming, so the fact it’s of fixed abode and he can’t take it with him everywhere won’t necessarily be a bad thing.

 

you guys have been so so helpful thanks so much. And that would be great if you could share or point me in the direction of various bundles that cover a range of budgets. I do understand that the likes of call of duty etc is no doubt in the pipeline soon so I would prefer to go abit more high spec to allow for that. One thing Santa brought last year was a gaming chair so we have that!! Woohoo! But any ideas on desks would be great too. 
 

And believe me when I say I’m a total newbie when it comes to all this so what seems like simple ABCs to you guys is like a a different language to me. So please elaborate as much as you want, don’t assume I understand because it’s highly likely I don’t!! Lol. I promise I am super clever on other topics in life, gaming just isn’t one of them! 🤣🤣

[Tar-Eruntalion 511]

one small suggestion is that whether you buy a prebuilt or a custom one you should ask about compatibility with windows 11 for the cpu cause you don't want to spend that much money and be in risk of viruses etc in five years when windows 10 stops being updated and you don't want to be left with a powerful system that's at the mercy of the hackers etc out there, not that it's commonplace but it doesn't hurt to be cautious

 

another point if you have a tight budget is to spend more on the insides of the tower and a good monitor and not on stuff with rgb lighting that your son may want, yes they look pretty and they are all the craze now but with the insane prices for the core stuff it's better to "cheap out" on mice and keyboards which can be easily replaced anytime than buy an awesome looking rig that struggles performance-wise after a year for example

 

also buy an 1080p monitor, 4k are pricier and the resources needed(cpu/gpu etc) to run games at 4k can't be covered by your budget, i have a 24 inch screen/1080p resolution and it's perfectly fine

[Emma McManus 33]

@Tar-Eruntalion many thanks for all your tips. I’ll certainly take those into consideration when we go looking and ask those questions. There is a local company that has turned a lorry into a gaming party bus that you can site out for parties etc. I happened to contact them to see if they could point me in the direction of someone who sells the computers or could help us construct one ourselves. He purchased a gaming computer for his son 1.5 years ago and has suggested a company in Belfast to speak with. So I’ve sent them a message and they will be in contact when they get their bundles together for Xmas. So as much info as I can gather up from now until then will be great as I’ll know the right questions to ask etc. 👍🏼👍🏼

[Emma McManus 33]

Hello guys and gals!! Me again!! I recently received this bundle offer from a local company but this likes double Dutch to me!! Would you mind having a look and see if this sounds good? 

 

please Help! 

[GazzaGarratt 11,056]

@Emma McManus  just gonna wait for one of the experts to arrive to help us understand more. I think the monitor is pretty small if you ask me. 24" minimum as eventually he'll want 2 screens on show. My spider sense is tingling though and thinking you can get a better ready made one from Scan or Overclockers.

 

@Diddums @Greboth @phil bottle @Spacedeck  @TurboR56Mini  @RenFengge @BO7H B4RRELS  if you don't think its a good deal, should we find a few links to some better packages on OCUK or Scan?

[Emma McManus 33]

Thank you so much @GazzaGarratt, we appreciate any help and advice anyone can give as we literally haven’t a clue what half of these numbers mean. 
 

this was another offer someone else had recommended, just for the pc/ hard drive part of that makes sense! (Probs the total wrong name for it but you’ll hopefully understand what I mean from the pic. And then we would choose a bigger monitor screen as you’ve suggested. How does this compare? 

[Diddums 4,346]

Hi Emma 🙂

 

Ideally at this sort of money, you're looking for a solid foundation upon which to build or upgrade in future - is your son likely to start looking to upgrade his own stuff in a few years (bearing in mind that I was building PCs from whatever bits I could find at the age of 13, and they were much harder to build almost 25 years ago!)? 

 

If so, then get a decent monitor (I always stand by this, there's no point spending mega money on a fancy PC if you end up looking at a poundland screen). As it's his first PC, I'd say go for 24", there are hundreds of good ones going cheap at this price. Keep in mind that PC gamers are absolute nerds of the highest order and will bore you to death with refresh rates, panel types, response times etc. He's unlikely to see the difference between a £100 monitor and a £1000 monitor at his age, but will still like all the "gamey" stuff they put on them, like fancy logos and stuff. 

 

Keyboard and mouse you can buy for as little as £20 for a cheapo set, and then buy him "gaming" models for his birthday or when he mows the lawn or whatever. 

 

As for the PC itself, as @phil bottle says you're buying in the middle of a gold rush, coupled with a worldwide pandemic and brexit. And no fucker wants to drive trucks anymore. 

That doesn't mean you won't find good deals, it just means you'll have to look harder, and manage your expectations. 

 

The games he plays and what he wants to do is screaming 1080p, but as he wants to do VR, you'll need a fairly chunky graphics card, I'd say a 3060ti at minimum (which is sort of the least I'd recommend anyway). 

 

How far can you push your budget realistically? I've had a quick look around and to get everything you're looking at around £1200, however this will be a decent system with tons of space for upgrades. It also includes a monitor, mouse, keyboard and headset. You could go as low as £800 but then you're heading in to "integrated graphics" territory, which won't serve his wants well unfortunately. 

 

 

 

 

[Diddums 4,346]

This looks pretty good, and CCL are a decent shop too so I suspect their after sales will be good too. This is a good foundation which will provide a solid upgrade path.

 

CCL Hyper Ryzen 3 1200, 16GB RAM, 240GB SSD, GTX 1650 Gaming PC

WWW.EBAY.CO.UK

---

New, Latest Spec Version! Now features an improved case design with USB 3.0 ports, front RGB LED strip and feature-rich MSI B450 chipset motherboard <p></p> <p>Amazing Gaming PC with the latest AMD...

 

 

You just need peripherals then, happy to help with those too 🙂 

 

[phil bottle 9,767]

Everything @Diddums said above I agree with 100% and can't add anything. I have been looking online for alternative solutions but he pretty much covered it all!

[Emma McManus 33]

@Diddumsthank you so so much! You’re an absolute star taking time to reply and in such detail, that is a huge help. 
Regarding the item you have pasted from eBay, what does that all include? I’m so sorry if I’m asking you to repeat yourself but  the lingo just goes way over my head so I need someone to simplify it for me. 
So what does that package from eBay get me and what else do I need on top of that? Also another user had told me to check it’s compatibility to windows 10/11, does it state anywhere on this item about that?  And sorry what are peripherals? It defo sounds like I need your help with that also!! 
 

Regarding the playing VR he has that for his PlayStation but would it be commonly used with a gaming Pc?  
 

ideally we didn’t want to have to go over £1000 as santa has to come to 2 other kids aswell lol, but at the same time I don’t eBay to throw money away on rubbish stuff when I could’ve got so much better for a couple of hundred pounds more. 

[Diddums 4,346]

That PC above is a plug & play model so is a complete computer. You'll still need a monitor, mouse, keyboard, mouse mat (and perhaps a desk & chair, depending on what you guys have at home. 

 

What headset does he have for his PlayStation? Most will work on PC so that's another item he can get later on with his birthday money if he even needs to. 

 

As for the VR, if he plays with that on his PlayStation then you shouldn't need to purchase anything for the PC for a while and rather save it for another time. If it holds his interest on the PlayStation then it might be worth looking in to, but for most folks it's one of those gadgets you use until you smash your mum's favourite vase to bits and fling it in a drawer only to be used on sleepovers and bragging sessions. 

 

If you list out exactly what you need, I am happy to list out a bespoke list of items to buy. Not needing VR opens a lot more, as it's graphically very demanding and needs more expensive hardware. 

 

That PC on Ebay is a solid buy, but if you already have a desk / chair then you might be able to get a higher performing model.

 

Don't buy anything off ebay unless you speak to us first, loads of crap on there from sellers who live in countries where warranties are merely suggestions. The only reason I linked that one is because it's from CCL's own official store and they're a pretty reputable company with whom you shouldn't have any problems with warranties or support. 

 

Here's their site if you're interested:

 

Please Wait... | Cloudflare

WWW.CCLONLINE.COM

 

For info, a lot of PC manufacturers (or System Integrators as they like to call themselves) have official ebay stores. Sometimes it's just additional revenue for them, but more often than not they use it to sell their less glamourous systems, often built out of last-generation hardware (still brand new with proper warranties, just older models). 

 

Like I said though, run it by us first so you don't get burned. 

 

Happy to help with anything, always a pleasure to help someone get their kids in to one of the world's best hobbies 🙂

[Diddums 4,346]

9 hours ago, Emma McManus said:

Hello guys and gals!! Me again!! I recently received this bundle offer from a local company but this likes double Dutch to me!! Would you mind having a look and see if this sounds good? 

 

please Help! 

 

 

Holy moly, I just had a deeper look at this, and if the fact that a computer specialist is using Gmail wasn't enough of a red flag, the fact he's charging £200 to build it certainly is. This whole build is covered in red flags, whatever you do, stay away from this guy. He saw you coming a mile away, that Intel platform is a dead-end system so he's likely flogging unsellable stock to you. Half the "features" he's listed are built in to the motherboard too. 

 

That's a £700 system before he adds in his wholesale discount, another £50-75 to build it takes it to £775 at most. £900 is taking the piss, and that hardware is a joke.

 

Run a mile.

[Emma McManus 33]

@Diddums- again thank you for such an amazing response and for “dumbing” it down abit for me. lol.

 

sweet Jesus thank goodness I joined this forum and sent you guys that offer to look at. It was my bro that suggested joining a gaming forum to get advice and help from you guys, as you would know the ins and outs! And he couldn’t have been more right!! You’ve saved us big time because

 We would’ve 100% went for that “deal” we were sent. As I’ve said we haven’t a clue to are probably very naive, and clearly too trusting of the a$$holes out there trying to flog rubbish and charge a fortune!! 
 

ok onwards from him…..

We have a chair which Santa brought last year but we need a desk so I would love to see some of your options on those. Santa is bringing the bulk of it but Grandparents are also going to help out with different parts so if we kept the desk out of our budget and allocated to a grandparent  should that free up funds a bit??

 

regarding the VR I’m afraid to commit and say recommend me a model without it incase he ends up disappointed and wanting it. He doesn’t have loads of VR games at the mo that’s the only thing, but as he gets older that could change??? So it probably would be nice to have the option for him. Excuse my ignorance but his VR is specifically for the PS4? Does that mean it’ll defo work on a gaming computer aswell or is it just compatible with his PS??

 

you’ve asked for a list of what I need and you will tailor a bespoke list. That sounds like the actual dream for me right now but I kid you not when I say I don’t know, researching gaming has opened up a whole different vocabulary I didn’t know existed!! Lol but I’ll give it a go. 
*pc/harddrive - regarding the spec I’m literally buying off your advice 

*monior 
*keyboard

*mouse

*mouse mat
 

*we also need a desk so would appreciate your suggestions but factor it out of our budget for now and allocated to a grandparent.

 

*he has a relatively new headset I’d need to check the make of it later but when purchasing we paid about £80-90 for it I think, does that make it sound like it’s decent?? Lol

 

again can’t thank you enough!! Scary that that mess would’ve been bought without a second thought only for you!! 

[Emma McManus 33]

@Diddums- just had a chat with hubby and he says take the VR out of it. According to him Danny only uses it to play the wee “stupid” games with his sister or sometime Five Nights at Freddys. Nothing else, so right now it’s not needed I hope that helps.

 

[Diddums 4,346]

Good morning 🙂

 

For a desk, get something to your or your parents' budget. Provided the chair offers some adjustment, I wouldn't worry about it being all the blingy. This is fairly affordable, comes in black or white and has some cable management to tidy up the inevitable rat's nest under the desk:

 

 

UTESPELARE Gaming desk, black

WWW.IKEA.COM

---

UTESPELARE Gaming desk, black Raise the large, sturdy UTESPELARE gaming desk to a height that optimally suits you. The metal mesh at the back of the table top allows air to circulate and cool your PC when the...

 

Unfortunately the Playstation VR headset won't work on the PC, and a PC model also requires a fairly chunky graphics card to run as it's a much more demanding application. Remove that from the needs/wants list and suddenly you'll get a lot more bang for your buck. I'd expect his headset to work on the PC as well, but if you're unsure, post a photo of it and we can let you know. 

 

Ok, the PC then. I'd recommend this one:

 

CCL Hyper Ryzen 5 1600, 16GB RAM, 480GB SSD, GTX 1650, Windows 10 Gaming PC

WWW.EBAY.CO.UK

---

Amazing Gaming PC with the latest AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Processor and 16GB of DDR4 RAM. This processor features turbo boost technology which cleverly increases the speed from 3.2GHz to 3.6GHz to give you...

 

This has a decent processor, loads of RAM and a decent graphics card. The SSD (which is how much stuff you can store on the PC) isn't the biggest, but upgrading this is easy as pie. It has solid bones upon which to build, looks fancy and will deliver. It's not the cheapest, but going cheaper will sadly bring in too many compromises, like not enough RAM, much smaller hard drive, no Windows, etc. 

 

For a monitor, I'd suggest MSI's 24" curved 1080p monitor:

 

MSI Optix G241VC Curved Gaming Monitor - 23.6 Inch, 16:9 Full HD (1920 x 1080), VA, 75Hz, 1 ms, 1800R, AMD FreeSync, VGA, HDMI, Black - MSI

WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK

---

Buy MSI Optix G241VC Curved Gaming Monitor - 23.6 Inch, 16:9 Full HD (1920 x 1080), VA, 75Hz, 1 ms, 1800R, AMD FreeSync, VGA, HDMI, Black at Amazon.

 

Again - not the highest spec, but it looks fantastic and is a decent price with loads of gaming features. I might be wrong, but I think @GazzaGarratt has one, he can chime in on it too.

 

For a keyboard and mouse, I'm a bit out of the loop with these but I'll say avoid wireless as the batteries on the cheaper models die out very quickly, leaving your son with a 10 minute play time between charges. Also avoid mechanical keyboards as they just make a racket with their clickety clackety noise (I used to be a fan of them until the non-mechanical technology caught up to the point of having the same feel, but without the irritating noise). Honestly I'd say keep it cheap and cheerful, in this field you want a good reliable brand with less gimmicks, than a fancypants model with lights and stuff which will break after a month. When it comes to mice and keyboards, the rule is generally that the cheap stuff is good as long as it's brand name, and to get top quality stuff you're looking at £80+ for a keyboard alone. All the stuff inbetween is cheap Chinese stuff and that's always a bit of a lottery. If I had to recommend one, I'd say go for this Microsoft combo:

 

Microsoft Wired Desktop 600 Keyboard and Mouse Set, UK Layout - Black : Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK

---

Buy

 

£20, will work a treat, no mechanical noise, no constant charging and can be replaced later on.

 

That brings the total up to £882. I must be honest, this is a lot more than I was expecting at this price point! Let me know if you need anything else. Order quick if you can, I am fully expecting a massive shortage the closer we get the Christmas. 

 

Actually, I should probably start ordering some stuff for my wife too 😛 

 

[GazzaGarratt 11,056]

1 hour ago, Emma McManus said:

@Diddums- just had a chat with hubby and he says take the VR out of it. According to him Danny only uses it to play the wee “stupid” games with his sister or sometime Five Nights at Freddys. Nothing else, so right now it’s not needed I hope that helps.

 

 

Yep, agree with that. The PlayStation VR isn't made for PC, although you can fiddle with it and get it to work with adapters, etc. It just isn't worth it imo. A further Christmas down the line you can look at PC VR machines.

 

34 minutes ago, Diddums said:

For a monitor, I'd suggest MSI's 24" curved 1080p monitor:

 

MSI Optix G241VC Curved Gaming Monitor - 23.6 Inch, 16:9 Full HD (1920 x 1080), VA, 75Hz, 1 ms, 1800R, AMD FreeSync, VGA, HDMI, Black - MSI

WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK

---

Buy MSI Optix G241VC Curved Gaming Monitor - 23.6 Inch, 16:9 Full HD...

 

Again - not the highest spec, but it looks fantastic and is a decent price with loads of gaming features. I might be wrong, but I think @GazzaGarratt has one, he can chime in on it too.

 

I have 2 of these monitors and they are perfect for what he wants to do. Has the gaming needs such as quick response times and its a relatively cheap monitor compared to others in the market.

 

Desk wise, for me it would be trying to save money on it where possible but also it matters what you want to match in his bedroom. The ones above works but I don't think there's a desk that your son will care too much about. Get one that works for your budget and his room.

 

If you save on stuff like that, you can get little extras then like a desk mat from Amazon that has RGB lights all the way around it. Stuff like that kids LOVE and I have the one below that is only 17 quid.

 

RGB Gaming Mouse Mat Pad, BLADE HAWKS Oversized LED Extended Mousepad with Non-Slip Rubber Base, 10 Chroma RGB Keyboard Mouse Mat for Computer, PC, Desk - XXL(800×300×4mm) - Amazon.co.uk

WWW.AMAZON.CO.UK

---

Buy RGB Gaming Mouse Mat Pad, BLADE HAWKS Oversized LED Extended Mousepad with...

 

I expected the others to be better than me on the packages above, as I got everyone here to help me get the PC for my gaming needs.

 

Whats left on the list? I suppose dont forget games at the end of it all!

[Emma McManus 33]

@GazzaGarratt@DiddumsI am sending the biggest virtual hug in the world. You have no idea how much of a help you have been. I’m literally ordering everything you have linked below this evening when hubby and I get home from work. You are a computer genius in my eyes and have made what I would’ve classed as an absolute minefield a few weeks ago, much clearer and concise!!! And yes I’m pleasantly surprised as well with the price, I defo thought it was going to be well over £1000 and I was going to have to make really detrimental compromises to get it on budget. 

And also thanks for the tips about the keyboard!! Knowing me I would’ve been talked into the wireless mouse 100% and most nosiest keyboard on the planet that packed in come the new year!! What you’re saying makes so much sense, yet it would’ve been something i NEVER would’ve thought of. 
 

Thanks @GazzaGarrattfor the info on the mouse mats aswell. They defo look the part! And that’s great to hear you have those monitors and would rate them for what Danny will need at this time!! So reassuring to get proper user feedback.

 

i will let you guys know this evening when I get it all ordered. And if I think of any other questions in the meantime. 
 

this is his headset, he does have a microphone attachment but has taken it off at the mo. If you wouldn’t mind checking the compatibility.