Cor, look I'm posting a new thread. First time in YEARS!!
We're in need of a new desktop PC as the current one is very old and stopped working about three years ago. I'm massively out of touch so what's the latest thinking on a decent medium spec machine that'll do a reasonable job of running games at an acceptable level?
Self-build or buy ready made? And where's good to buy from these days?
Depending on what you're looking to play, it could be worth checking out Dell Outlet or a few refurb/ex-office stock websites. Like SCC Trade, and I imagine there's plenty on ebay like that.
Well... I think setting a rough budget and an idea of what kind of games you (or the kids) want to play would be a good start. And then blow the budget anyway :-$
Depends what you want it for. Mainly, no gaming, a bit of gaming, or hardcore gaming?
Personally I'd take a look at some of the charts and guides on Tom's Hardware. It's surprising how capable budget graphics cards can be these days if you're not trying to push them to 4k resolutions or run the latest games with all the fancy graphics turned up to max. Avoid choosing a specific brand, as although Nvidia currently rule the high end of the market, AMD do make some compelling cards a bit further down. It all depends on your budget level.
Lastly, you could also consider a refurb PC. CPUs have really stagnated over the last few years performance wise. My primary PC is still using a Core i5 from 2009 and a graphics card from 2013, yet will play Deus Ex: Mankind Divided at 1920x1200 whilst still looking pretty good (not on maximum quality obviously).
To be honest, I think you're looking at more like £800 for a new PC with that kind of specs. Yeah, I know...
I'd be aiming for a Ryzen 5 1400, 2x 4GB DDR4, AMD RX470 GPU, etc; that should see you through for a fair few years, even better if you can get an SSD as well since they make everything seem so much more responsive.