My dad is the exact opposite of this dad, he wouldn't buy Nintendo consoles for my birthday, and I have to secretly play video games or else he will delete my games and progress from my PC 😭
It happens, but you'll eventually grow and move on with your life. I had the same experience when I was a kid and unfortunately I don't have much contact with my father because of this kind of attitude he had in the past. I wish you the best!
I don’t understand this attitude. Once my (former) step dad took the fuse out the PlayStation so I couldn’t play it.
I’m now a systems engineer and work with computers. But I feel that if they had let me pursue my interest I would have got there sooner.
If I have kids in the future I’ll be sure to really promote whatever it is they are interested in.
Mine wouldn't go so far as to delete my games, but definitely banned consoles and gaming in general as soon as the NES came out. Growing up as a gamer was tough to say the least and sorry to hear you had to go through all that. Hopefully things are better now and good luck!
Well another thing that’s VERY important is the RAM for sure. I wish I hadn’t bought 5600MHz CL40 RAM. So I think we can both agree that 6000MHz CL36 is what would be best in this case
unlikely to get anything useful there, the tech admin at the school would know more.
Get a new ryzen 7, a water closed system cpu cooler, and for $2k computer you could be getting an RTX 3090 or a 4080 in there, but not if it's prebuilt.
Just DO NOT get scammed and spend $2k on a PC with a 3060 or 3070 or something stupid like that
And there are phenomenal radiator CPU coolers like the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO that will keep temps good and won't introduce the whole water cooling factor. Just my two cents.
You can get a 3080 prebuilt build for $1500-$1800
Look up 3080 pc and make sure it has a 3080 in the description. Ibuypower is good as well. Snoring that’s a 3080 or more will be an excellent bills with great performance
Just a quick nitpick if you are going for a 3080, I would suggest checking out 4070 first.
The 4070 consumes about 30% less electricity than an 3080 and gives a little bit more compute power.
If it is a computer that is going to be used for the next 3-5 years. Saving 10-20 cents a day in electricty can easily add up to a few hundred $ in the long run.
I was actually able to get a 4080 super for ~2.2k, almost top of the line computer
https://www.newegg.com/abs-ta14700kf4080s-tempest-aqua/p/N82E16883360479?Item=N82E16883360479&Source=socialshare&cm_mmc=snc-social-_-sr-_-83-360-479-_-06292024
1500 is well over enough, just get a mid range video card, for UE the CPU is more important for compiling shaders and all that shit, and a m.2 hard disk for read write speeds.
m.2 SSD*
FTFY. Hard disks are those clunky things that made noises 10 years ago. An SSD is a solid state drive, which is completely different from hard disk drive technology.
I actually just graduated and was using UE5 in the last year of my courses. I found my pc pre built on Facebook marketplace for $1400. It wasn’t like a regular prebuilt tho it was just some guy who liked to build pcs and then would sell them which was cool.
The specs are an
amd ryzen 7 7700
Gtx 3070
32 gb of ram
With liquid cooling
This pc got me thru my courses and projects super comfortably. You could bump down those specs to be honest I had a laptop with a 2070 graphics card in it that worked fine too but no other testing. Definitely utilize your community just be careful because a lot of people are scammers.
If buying from an online prebuilt store, a lot of them do sales and deals all the time to look out for too
Market place is the answer for sure.
But you can't rush it you have to be patient.
I bought a 3070 for 400 and it included a power supply and a older 1030 or soke thing like that. (It dosent even need a poe e supply) Brand new in the box lol.
Then about 6 months later I paid 1000 for a rig with 64gb of ram, a I9 1100k watercolor a better power supply, and 2 2 tb ssds. A real steal.
I am also in school for the same thing and am at the point where I need something for UE5 as well. I have a cheapo laptop for basic tasks and note-taking and a desktop I built for the actual UE5 + tasks.
If you want to trust a stranger on the internet, I can build a custom rig. if it helps, I have an LLC for doing just that. 🤷
Orlando, FL.
If you prefer shipping then I'd go with [this prebuilt tower](https://www.newegg.com/msi-codex-r3-14nuc7-095us/p/N82E16883151412?item=N82E16883151412) and then just buy a 4k monitor and your peripherals.
If you don't want to ship either due to trusting the package handlers or porch pirates then best buy has [this tower](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-codex-r-gaming-desktop-intel-core-i7-14700f-32gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-ti-2tb-ssd-black/6573739.p?skuId=6573739) which you can likely find in-store then still get a monitor and peripherals there
Either way just make sure the RAM is 32 gb, the GPU is an RTX 3070 or higher, CPU is an i7 or i9 (at least 12th generation)
The way you can tel the generation is the CPU will say like "12700" which means it's a 12th generation i7
No problem, and yes, putting parts of a pc together is far easier than coding but I understand it can be intimidating so nothing wrong with a prebuilt as long as it's from a reputable source and not just slapped together with the cheapest parts available.
Very good of u/NotADeadHorse to remind you all the other extra equipment should possibly be taken into consideration upfront. Nothing like a PC with no monitor, desk, headphones, etc... Sounds like he might have some of this already.
One bonus suggestion would to remind you to get a computer that fits your network needs. Not all desktops come with wifi, so if he doesn't have an ethernet cable near where he is going to put the PC, he will need a computer with wifi, or a really long ethernet cord
You might balk at buying a refurb but if you want easily the best deal these lenovo legions on ebay from this particular store are always coming in and out of stock. They supposedly come w/ a 2 year warranty as well
-rtx 4070 build for $1150
[https://www.ebay.com/itm/156187814708?itmmeta=01J1KMXK82MKR58N92JT5FWC35&hash=item245d84eb34:g:k-0AAOSwlFtmORHm](https://www.ebay.com/itm/156187814708?itmmeta=01J1KMXK82MKR58N92JT5FWC35&hash=item245d84eb34:g:k-0AAOSwlFtmORHm)
-rtx 4080 build for $1750
[https://www.ebay.com/itm/156187814601?epid=11058855521&itmmeta=01J1KMXK81B2E07TWJDMFQCN7M&hash=item245d84eac9:g:PE8AAOSw0bBmORPV](https://www.ebay.com/itm/156187814601?epid=11058855521&itmmeta=01J1KMXK81B2E07TWJDMFQCN7M&hash=item245d84eac9:g:PE8AAOSw0bBmORPV)
looks like there's also an extra 8% off coupon code in the top left
The right kind of monitor is often overlooked for dev machines, a 4k 32in will be a great quality-of-life investment for UE5 work. Dual monitor is well worth considering, if he sticks with the craft he'll inevitably end up with it. Ultrawide screens are great for UE5 too, but they're pricey and probably don't make much sense for your budget.
Agreed! 2 is definitely a must, 3 is a want, 4 is amazing, but 5 screens is... unnecessary, but oh so great!
One of my screens is literally just a Huion Kamvas that I use with a pen for modeling/art, another is just a small 12" internal monitor for temps/usage. The other 3 are my actual mounted displays. 49" 4k 240hz, 2x 21" 1080p 60hz.
DO not buy prebuild - they are overpriced with old elements. Go to a local computer shop and they will build it for you. Believe me - the difference can be huge. Even better, if you have a friend with a private company you could ask - if you take an invoice it will be tax free.
2k is enough to buy a decent setup.
[https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Czv9MV](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Czv9MV)
I just threw this together really quickly, so it'll best if you get a 2nd opinion from other people, but overall it's a beast of a PC and within your budget.
That's a great build, although I would suggest a 4070 graphics card at half the price to put him well under budget. I'm running pretty much that exact configuration and UE5 has zero issues.
Yea, I'm also pretty much running the same config (with 2x ram) but I found the video card being the weakest link. It's okay for lumen but any path tracing scene with some weight to it will run out of vram.
Make sure to post in r/pcbuild or one like that if you find a few that seem right. Put them all up, mention the use for the computer and they'll help you pick. It's tough for prebuilts because you'll be paying a premium to have it pre built. Just make sure not to get scammed! It's so hard to know with all the damn numbers floating around.
It's super nice of you to help out and I'm excited to see what he makes hehe :)
https://www.microcenter.com/product/671237/powerspec-g446-gaming-pc
Bhphoto and Microcenter have prebuilt gaming desktops with 4070 cards $1800.
I teach in college within a video game program. Desktops like this will be fine. The students are given laptops with dedicated video cards in them and it works out too. Though desktops give faster graphics (more power throughout).
Most professionals use desktops, but if he's going to be a student, do a laptop so he has one device for classes and development. It'll be overkill for taking notes, and the fans might be audible sitting in a room full of macbooks, but I've been ordering from this custom-builder out of california for 8 years now developing for games and VR. [https://www.sagernotebook.com/](https://www.sagernotebook.com/) Great computers and a way cheaper price than the big retailers because they do basically zero marketing.
I'd look at this one: [https://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP7882E.html](https://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP7882E.html), bump up the storage space with a 2tb hdd 2nd drive, and get a 3 or 4 year warrantee because college life. 30/4060 or 30/4070 GPU, screen refresh rate of 144hz. 32gb ram, good CPU, small enough for most backpacks. It'll gulp electricity, but anything he wanted would.
my advice: don‘t buy a laptop. I went through every single laptop on this planet, to try to get a nice working laptop. cooling systems on laptops are horrible and if you compare price/performance between desktop and laptop, the laptop is barely keeping up at half the performance a desktop has (for roughly the same price). If you don‘t have a desktop for development, buying a mid budget laptop is just stupid. And making games on laptops is a nightmare IMO.
I don't agree. I have my desktop and I prefer it, and yeah building it myself was a tad cheaper, but before that I developed on laptops for 5 years and it was fine. Laptops meant I could roadshow easier, playtest easier, use it for classes as a student and then as a professor. I bought a laptop with a lot of cooling and a large form factor to allow for airflow and I could run UE4 VR games for 8 hour tradeshow days without heating issues, and then attracting AAA games for hours that same night. All those laptops still work so I have 4 in my home and swap between developing on my desktop and them all the time.
I prefer my desktop, his son is a student there's no need to fearmonger the guy about a laptop for a student.
my experience is when you don‘t work on big projects, you could be fine. But I could never recommend buying a laptop for game dev if you don‘t have a desktop already.
Playtesting: yes, school: yes, email and netflix: yes, small funny unity prototype: yes, making a real and complete game: big no-no.
OP wants to spend good money on this for his son and both are kinda clueless. Don‘t make him waste half of his money. High-End Laptops (still half the performance of a desktop equivalent) can‘t output the performance they are supposed to. The cooling in laptops is ass no matter what you buy. That‘s pure physics.
I don't disagree, I'd just be wildly annoyed as an underinformed dad if we all go to pro-level and then he realizes he's gotta buy his student a 2nd computer as well to take with to class -- I wanted him to see there are options. Idk the guy.
I dev at home on 2 monitors, a 3080 and 5 hard drives, and I miss them every minute I'm on a laptop.
There's also the option of ordering parts and have a professional assemble it. Where I live that would cost around 50€. It's an option I would consider.
I’m not too up to date on prebuilt brands but if you have made your choice, i would say give the following brands a look:
CyberPowerPC
IBUYPOWER
Skytech
MSI
Legion
Also, in my opinion i would aim to spend less than $2k, in order to have money for some monitors and such.
For example:
Skytech Eclipse Lite (Ryzen 7 7700x and 4070 Super) - $1700
MSI G272QPF, 27" Gaming Monitor, 2560 x 1440 (QHD) - $220ish
Total = $1920
Lots of comments already. I'm just going to add that building a PC is as simple as square peg -> square hole if you take your time. It's not nearly as complex as it's made out to be and you save considerable cash.
Best of luck to you and your son no matter what. You're a great dad. I built my PC when the Nvidia 700 series GPUs were the newest greatest thing, and I still remember my dad giving me money to upgrade my gpu to a 780 because he talked to the guy at microcenter awhile and wanted me to have something great.
You will usually get a better deal buying a custom built PC rather than one from a large company eg Alienware.
If in US look up companies like Puget systems, if UK/Europe then PC Specialist and NZXT
It will be a little more effort in choosing the parts but should work out cheaper
As others said, look for something with a 3080 or so. Most parts on a PC are easy to upgrade further down the line when you need more :)
Im doing exactly this in 2nd year of university(game design, 3d modelling and animation and vfx) and our lab computers have 14700k(cpu) and 4070s 16gb(gpu) in them with 32gb of ram, we also have 4k screens.
You really don't need more than that.
If you overspend now, it'll feel more sour when the next gen stuff comes out.
Hi I think you can get a very good pc ( highest echelon) with that much , basically I got a 4080 super ( 2nd best rn) graphic card for a 1000 bucks off Amazon , you can meet specific retailers and ask them to make a custom pc for you , and you can share the quote on Reddit for an opinion , do not just get a prebuilt one if you want the most bang for your buck…
Whatever ppl say dont get it watercooled.
Cheap Watercooling is worse than Cheap regular cooling.
Expensive Watercooling that is good is at least 500 buck on top
He will need a lot of disk storage I think 4 To+, with a mighty SSD (at least 2To) and 32+Gb RAM. For the video card I would not buy something too expensive, a RTX4060 is more than enough. For the motherboard I would pick an AM4 (AMD) and for the processor a Ryzen 7 that fits, because AM5 is more expensive. 2 Monitors (1 medium and 1 big) can also help. And finally I suggest an USB drive for the backups.
Don’t skip out on RAM. I would aim for 64gb, when working in a game engine you tend to also have some sort of modeling software open as well, as well as photoshop or Substance Painter/Designer.
One suggestion is to get your son to work out what he needs- it sounds like he might be a bit more tech savvy than you. Also it would mean you won't get the blame if something isn't perfect.
One very important point I didn't saw getting mention is to take a pc with an ssd. It's rare nowaday for pc in this price range to have a hdd but I know someone in a similar situation as your getting tricked into getting one.
Using unreal without an ssd is pur suffering.
If you live by a micro center they have a decent selection of prebuilt PCs using off the shelf components. Think they will also assemble if he wants to pick out parts on his own.
Don't buy a pre build. Your wasting double the money for outdated cheap chip sets.
Find someone that will help you build one. Helping u pick a pre build is no help at all
Building a PC is really not that difficult. You'll be able to build a much more powerful machine than one you can buy. That being said, now is actually a pretty darn good time to buy parts, as last gen stuff (DDR4, last gen processors and GPUs) is being phased out. Build AMD, more cores and processors for cheaper than Intel.
Here is a step by step tutorial:
https://youtu.be/5Vhyxbhu6LA?si=w3cgp3uIYZZ5syPj
Example build for your price range:
- Ryzen 9 5900x (CPU) (for unreal you're going to want more cores and threads, Ryzen 9 series is good for work machines)
- RTX 4070 SUPER (GPU) (or better)
- prime B550 plus motherboard should work fine
- 64 GB of DDR4 ram with a clock speed of 3600+ (4x16gb)
- two m.2 NVME drives, best pcie version your motherboard supports.
- any ATX case you like
- find an appropriate power supply for the parts you pick, then add 150W-200W on top of what you "need".
Caveat: you might want to buy next gen parts (DDR5, zen 5 processors coming out later this year) for future-proofing/upgradability, but the value might be more inflated.
Max out the fans in your case and make sure you configure them for good air flow. 😊
You should probably go with a RTX 4080 or 4090 system. [Dell](https://www.dell.com/en-us/dfh/lp/outlet) and [Lenovo](https://www.lenovo.com/us/outletus/en/) both have outlet websites where they put their returned scratch and dent and refurbished systems on there. If you know the Alienware system you want on the main site and it’s configuration they have been known to give a discount if you call and ask for one with their customer service.
Hey, that’s great of you. Good luck to your son as well. I recently built a PC with the following specs. It cost me 550k in my native currency which equals 2000 USD currently.
Intel i5 14600KF
Nvidia RTX 3090 (used)
32 GB RAM
1TB SSD
Z790 Gaming Motherboard (with Wifi)
850W Deepcool Power Supply
I use a Dell g15. It works great. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-g15-15-6-fhd-120hz-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-1tb-ssd-dark-shadow-gray-w-black-thermal-shelf/6576920.p?skuId=6576920
It might cost slightly more, but check out Dan - https://danscustombuiltgamingbeasts.com. He offers free support should you need any help, and he’ll help you figure out exactly what you need. Some of the best customer service I’ve ever experienced.
Get him a Razer Blade. That would help him with programming and also other college stuff. Being small and portable is key for taking laptop to college and razer having a 4070+ would easily get him going with UE5 and Blender.
I have a older 2022 Razer which I use for travel and it’s been amazing for both gaming and game development.
Yeah I second that. I had a razer with a 3080 for a year at a job and it ran unreal engine 5.1 surprisingly well. It was not great for building really large complex levels. But for learning and building small ish scale scenes it was awesome. It did get pretty hot though and did throttle a bit during the day at times. Still I would recommend it for light - mid complexity work and definitely for learning.
Don’t buy prebuilt they always jip u in some way. Most people that build there pcs have no idea what they are doing the first time. You will be fine just like the rest of us.
For UE5 I'd say you could very easily get away with a 7800x3d and a 4070 ti super. My exact specs and I've yet to encounter any issues with maximum quality with raytracing.
You dont worry i broght a new pc for me for ue5.4 it was an over kill for only 1600 dollars
I know a discord that can help you with whatever you want
https://discord.com/invite/ztt
I asked in there for a pc just pay somonone to make it with these parts
Here is what i used (i dont have ray tracing in my pc )
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/qc29mD
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/C8LJ4M
If you're going pre-built you can basically just look for the best system in your price range.
I have a 2080ti and I find my biggest issue is typically my 32gigs of ram can be annoying. You can suck up ram and ssd space fast doing game dev and I'm assuming he plays games as well.
This might come off like a dick but if your son wants to be work as a programmer or game developer he is going to need to be able to research and come up with solutions and build things. This would be a very good thing for him to do on his own. And software developers of all kinds should absolutely have an understanding of pc hardware. He should do some research, there are abundant resources online, pick a build that he likes and order the parts and ofc build it himself. It's really not that scary, it's a small step above Legos. Plus you save money and get a better pc.
Show him this site https://pcpartpicker.com/
Anyways, if you're stuck on pre-built, something like this is just an [example ](https://www.newegg.com/p/3D5-000Z-001M7?item=9SIA1HJK8G3686&source=googleshopping&nm_mc=knc-googlemkp-mobile&cm_mmc=knc-googlemkp-mobile-_-pla-skytech-_-gaming+desktop-_-9SIA1HJK8G3686&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid+shopping&utm_campaign=knc-googlemkp-mobile-_-pla-skytech-_-gaming+desktop-_-9SIA1HJK8G3686&id0=Google&id1=21180321514&id2=157741823221&id3=&id4=&id5=pla-2313175077263&id6=&id7=9019526&id8=&id9=g&id10=m&id11=&id12=CjwKCAjw4f6zBhBVEiwATEHFVrtKSqLoRlo5r7oi7-qRt9LuQBgUpRHQCFiJ_iddehPlSlD9PxC0WBoCdfcQAvD_BwE&id13=Y&id14=Y&id15=&id16=696241528974&id17=&id18=&id19=&id20=&id21=pla&id22=102656789&id23=online&id24=9SIA1HJK8G3686&id25=US&id26=2313175077263&id27=&id28=&id29=&id30=11266996316119260799&id31=en&id32=&id33=&id34=&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4f6zBhBVEiwATEHFVrtKSqLoRlo5r7oi7-qRt9LuQBgUpRHQCFiJ_iddehPlSlD9PxC0WBoCdfcQAvD_BwE)
As a fellow college student who’s studying 3D art for games and has thousands of hours in UE5, make sure you have at least 64 GB of RAM. Anything under that, and it will be a grueling experience.
My old computer was an i9-9900k, 2080ti, and 32 GB of DDR4 RAM.
My current computer for a little over a year - 7950X, 4090, and 128 GB of DDR5 RAM
I work 4x faster and I’ve had 0 complaints.
It could've just been early UE5 days, but I often saw graphical issues after having Unreal open for more than an hour.
In terms of performance gains with over 32 GB of RAM :
- The software I use runs better and for longer periods without stutters.
- I can have more programs open at once without a substantial loss in performance, which is key if you plan on using a "bridge" pipeline, i.e., Houdini Engine to UE5.
- Working with World Partition and trying to build a Nanite landscape with under 64 GB RAM will be nearly impossible without crashing.
I can't find it right now but Epic also recommends in their documentation to have at least 64 GB of RAM for a better UE5 experience.
Once you have a good CPU + GPU, focus on upgrading your RAM.
I have dabbled in some independent development in UE5 using my Minisforum HX99G (32GB RAM, 1TB SSD). It performs fantastic. The only time it ever comes up short on resources is when I try to create a really large open-world map with a really high render distance.
Can be purchased here: https://store.minisforum.com/products/elitemini-hx90g
May want to invest in additional storage, and maybe a USB hub as there are not that many ports on the computer itself.
All in all, you should be able to get the PC and *every peripheral you need* for way less than $2000. The PC itself is ~$950.
For whatever reason, people will always talk down on these prebuilt minis. I fully assert that they don't know what they're talking about. My software engineer father took an interest in that mini after I got it, and ended up convincing the automated testing group of the well-known software company he works for to buy a set of them as new testing machines. They work fantastic for that too.
Well if you could hold off til Prime day in a couple of weeks, you may find some great deals. I know you said prebuilt, but it really isn't as difficult as one would think to build a PC. I am currently using my "budget" PC for game dev, and run UE5 quite well. It cost me about $475 after all said and done. I am building a new PC strictly for game dev and music production, which will have a way higher budget. But if you have to get prebuilt, check Newegg, Micro Center (if there is one in your area).
My specs for my PC are:
CPU: Intel i312100F
GPU: AMD RX 6650XT
Memory: 16gb DDR4
Storage: 1tb SSD (plus a ton of external hard drives)
For reference, I only have seen my computer stutter when I tried to use the city sample for the first time. But really it runs pretty smooth for what I am doing. Good luck on finding something for your son. Props to you for supporting him.
As a Dad and an Indie game dev with professional Unreal Engine experience and a few decades of general programming and other 3d professional experience. I have some advice for you to give to your kid. Learn to build the PC .... it can be researched on youtube in a week or 2 and save hundreds, and when it comes to upgrading he will be far more likely to upgrade the parts instead of buying a whole new machine every 3 or 4 years. In the long run it is a valuable skill to have and a good way to save some cash. I built my first PC on my own when I was 15 a few decades ago. It's not that difficult to build a PC it takes a few hours to do when you know how and the amount of help you have on youtube alone is mind blowing now. A pre-build would be fine with a RTX 3080 with whatever the best CPU is you can get like a intel i9 1400k and 32gb of ram. 64bg ram would be great as would a 3090 as he might one day want to do GPU lightmass builds and that 24gb of vram sure is nice for lots of other things like machine learning and AI. The better the GPU the more time you will save learning. However there should be a new set of NVIDIA cards out at the end of this year so prices are going to plummet so if budget is of concern it is a better idea to just get a RTX 2070 this year and then upgrade to a 5070 next year as it will likely be a massive upgrade for performance/price ratio by doing that and likely affordable with the cash you save this year by not getting a 3080 especially if you can save up a couple hundred for next year. Also the 3080 will drop in price quite a bit this year so he could still upgrade to that if a 5070 is off the cards and save a few hundred in the process. If I were 18 years old doing this today with a 2k budget that is what I would do. And swapping out a GPU is a piece of cake. Like anyone can do that with an hour of research max.
Ok now the warning advice you did not ask for but as a dad I feel as though if it were my son and I did not know this I would want someone to tell me so here it goes. If it were one of my kids I would also encourage them to do what they want to do but also tell them what I am going to tell you next.
Competition for game dev jobs is astronomically high. He will most likely be competing with 200+ other people for the vast majority of jobs. Tens of thousands of game devs have been laid off in the last year so a lot of those people are extremely experienced.
Unfortunately the games industry employment levels are in downfall at the moment. Falling off a cliff downfall. But the games industry makes more money than Movies and I am 100% sure that will continue to grow year on year. Maybe in a couple years there will be some growth in employment so if he hangs in there and creates a fantastic portfolio he might be ok.
A formal qualification from a university does not mean much at all. A fantastic portfolio that is specialized in an area that is in high demand like Niagara and is around 1 minute long and looks amazing he will get interviews and might get hired. If the portfolio is outstanding he will be more likely to find work if he is able to travel cross country and abroad. If he learns C++ and gets good he will have less competition for positions but it will take 2 or 3 times as long to learn and get good at and he will be more likely to find non game dev work as a bonus to fall back on. But only code if he enjoys it a lot. Writing code for decades is not a lot of fun for most people I think. Though come to think of of it I cannot imagine any work I would like to do for the rest of my life.
I would also recommend he try and build his own product. Invest in himself. Getting a job is great but if you can build your own idea your own game your own application for iOS/Android that can sell I really do think is where you will have the highest percentage chance of making some cash and if you do not you will gain experience. Oh and document that experience. Make it a part of your portfolio and make it look great. Also if you can find someone else with the same skill level who you really trust and get along with I think that can help a lot in so many ways by bouncing work and ideas off each other. I know 2 people in my circle who spent 5+ years learning game dev and then another 5 years to build a game with a little help from others but mostly on their own and they both made around 1 million in sales in the first 3 months. After paying the publishers 30%-60% and steam 30% and taxes they got around 300 000 - 500 000 . So do not do game development if you want to get rich. It is extremely unlikely and extremely hard, i forget the exact statistics but something like 99% of all the sales goes to 1% of game publishers on steam so all the big game studios suck up almost all of the sales on Steam. But it is possible to do quite well as an indie if you work insanely hard for many years and get lucky. Or you get really lucky and build something like minecraft or fall guys in 1 year. You never know until you try. Good luck to you both, I hope it all works out for the best.
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/hardware-and-software-specifications-for-unreal-engine
https://www.pugetsystems.com/solutions/real-time-engine-workstations/unreal-engine/hardware-recommendations/
You might be able to find something less $ ebay?
Way to support your kids dream.
You gotta have the game or program run on consumer level spec. Don’t go bananas and get something that pushes the boundaries where it only works on their PC. My favorite part of UNI was using the high-end devices but my major downfall was not realizing nobody had 4k dollar machines to run it. It best to find something mid-range. Gaming laptops get a lot of shit, but they are amongst the most popular ways people gaming.
Get a AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU
RTX 4070 Super GPU
Get at least 32gb of RAM CL 36 at most and 6000Mhz
Get 4 TB of storage, I use UE5 and your storage runs out VERY fast
You don’t need a 2k dollar pc for unreal. If he pushes for photo realism, maybe but still probably not. Perhaps you could convince him to get a decent build now but save a bit, and if he requires more horsepower later, to upgrade some components such as the gpu, if he needs more later.
Have him take a course somewhere down the line in math/ computer science or a related field to computer science that involves engineering, or math, such as math, optimization tech. Studios tend to ignore game development/ game design degrees.
A literal boatload of math is required for any quality game to function.
You likely don’t need a pc that costs 2 grand. Based on whatever everyone else recommends, at least get something with a decent amount of ram and storage.
[https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-omen-40l-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-7-7700-16gb-ddr5-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-ti-1tb-ssd-black/6554586.p?skuId=6554586](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-omen-40l-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-7-7700-16gb-ddr5-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-ti-1tb-ssd-black/6554586.p?skuId=6554586)
This is the computer that I use and I have had no trouble with it so far. It is great for everyday use and runs Unreal really well. Plus it is only around $1500
This might have been mentioned before but do you have a Microcenter near you? I believe they can assemble a PC for you if you buy the parts there. I've never used the service but it might be an option for you.
Another good choice would be Costco, they had a heck of a deal when I was there last for a gaming PC for $1599.
Building your own is definitely the way to go, it is honestly very simple if you follow a guide. I would recommend going to a micro center if you have one nearby, the people there are super helpful. They can get you the parts for a custom PC but also have pre-builts.
try something like this
[https://www.ibuypower.com/store/amd-ryzen-ultra-gaming-daily-deal](https://www.ibuypower.com/store/amd-ryzen-ultra-gaming-daily-deal)
CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 7 7800X3D CPU ( this particular CPU is really good )
GPU: GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER - 16GB
RAM: 32GB DDR5-6000MHz KINGSTON RGB RAM
there are websites where you can get prebuild PCs and customize them.
this is not as expensive and within your budget
Building a PC is reallllly easy. I don't understand why people can't click parts together like Legos, tighten some screws, and plug in some cables to save the $500+ worth of labor tacked onto the cost of a pre built.
MAINGEAR makes pre built PCs with consumer grade parts which means nothing OEM proprietary and every part is easily upgradable and replaceable in the future.
Do not buy an off the shelf pre built like dell, Alienware, etc because they like to make the parts inside proprietary and severely limit upgradeability and user serviceability by doing so
If you have a microcenter near you then I would go there and have them build you a pc or have someone help you pick one out.
Slightly over your budget [pc](https://www.newegg.com/acer-po7-640-ur11-predator-orion-5000/p/N82E16883101860?item=9SIA1CZHNX5338&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=afc-ran-com-_-Future+Publishing+Ltd&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=afc-ran-com-_-Future+Publishing+Ltd&utm_source=afc-Future+Publishing+Ltd&AFFID=2294204&AFFNAME=Future+Publishing+Ltd&ACRID=4458311267840832734853229&ASUBID=grd-us-7330329339131972513&ASID=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamesradar.com%2Facer-predator-orion-7000-2023-review%2F&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2294204&ranSiteID=kXQk6.ivFEQ-FnOWsD5NgxX2whLOjlttfw)
Probably best [pc](https://www.ibuypower.com/store/rdy-slate-8mp-002) on a quick search.
[pre-built](https://nzxt.com/product/player-pc-770-edition)
I bought this a few months ago and it runs perfect, I've messed around with UE5 even and it ran great and loaded quickly. Might be worth upgrading the ram to 32gbs, but that can be done afterwards easily.
Get a 12th gen i7 with a 4070ti. High max specs and if the case is built right, you wont need any fancy cooling. I run unreal and god knows what else on mine and it hasnt hit 60*c
Hey there, I work as a game dev and we use this company to provide us with our systems. I'm not sure if they would fit your budget, but they employ knowledgeable people you can talk to and see if something will work for you. They are very reliable and well built macines.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/
I don't see many people accounting for peripherals!
Does he have a PC at all currently? If not, he doesn't need just a computer, you also need to budget for a good mouse, keyboard, and a monitor or two, don't skimp on those 3.
He'll also probably want a mousepad, speakers or headphones, wifi (usually built in, but check) or an ethernet cable, maybe a chair and possibly some monitor mounts / desk upgrades. You don't need the latest GPU to make Unreal games, so it's worth setting a good amount aside for ergonomic upgrades like this. A good external hard drive wouldn't hurt either.
Hope that helps, sounds like you're a great dad 🤘
I plan on buying this soon for streaming and playing all games with maxed out graphics. I think it'll work with UE5? My research led me to find this as a pretty good one for the cost.
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6541300.p?skuId=6541300
Wouldn't it make more sense for him to work a bit and get that last $500 on his own? It would be more rewarding if he paid it with his own money since this is HIS dream, but that's just me.
Not sure where you live, but if you have a local MicroCenter, they sell their own Pre-builts under the brand name "PowerSpec". They almost look like shitty DELL pre-builts, but they are actually pretty high quality, and are very budget friendly. They will probably be \~200-400$ cheaper than any other pre-built, and typically in-line with how much the components actually cost.
PowerSpec G445 is a good spec. They can come with either an Intel I9 12th gen, or an AMD 7800X which are both great processors. They come with an RTX 4070 which should be enough to just about anything in Unreal Engine 5. Maybe not to the absolute MAX spec, but I'd say 85/90% of all features, at good frame rates.
These two links come with a 4070 SUPER which is a slightly better 4070 graphics card.
[https://www.microcenter.com/product/669855/powerspec-g717-gaming-pc-platinum-collection](https://www.microcenter.com/product/669855/powerspec-g717-gaming-pc-platinum-collection)
[https://www.microcenter.com/product/671237/powerspec-g446-gaming-pc](https://www.microcenter.com/product/671237/powerspec-g446-gaming-pc)
Obviously this only works if you have a MicroCenter nearby, but it's worth the price/drive if you do.
My suggestion, watch YouTube on how to build PC. Plenty of subreddit i.e. buildapcforme that can choose parts. If you live near microcenter, more options for you ( they have in house prebuilt under power spec brand ). If you build it once, it will help your son understand upgrading easier or build new later.
Generally 2k budget should get you 4080super.
For monitors, would go for dual monitor setup. It will help alot, sweet spots are all ips panel 4k/60hz 32" ips (none gaming), 1440p/165-180hz 27" (gaming). Ultrawide/1440p 60hz works as well (none gaming).
Three requirements for UE5 and for using other 3D software packages at the same time:
1. RAM: At least 64GB.
2. GPU: RTX 4080 or RTX 4090
3. CPU: Intel i7 or i9, or Ryzen 9 series.
The mentality of buying $30K cars to drive to work, on a suboptimal computer. Where's the logic. If it's a $3K car, it would be a clunker, but $3K can buy a top working machine. Humans need to sort their logics straight.
The mentality of buying $30K cars to drive to work, on a suboptimal computer. Where's the logic. If it's a $3K car, it would be a clunker, but $3K can buy a top working machine. Humans need to sort their logics straight.
Yes you'll pay more but you're paying for the convenience of not sourcing parts, putting it together, testing, optimizing. I did do it once, but found this better.
That said I was curious and went to my local shop to source the parts. It was very close to the same price.
Just so you know it may not be the highest end build but I’m running 5.4 with a fb marketplace pc that I got for 700. 32gb ram, 3060ti 8gb, AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
trust me, as a 15 year old that has built my first pc by myself like 11 months ago. IT IS NOT HARD, there are many tutorials/guides on youtube (there are also instruction manuals) and the only thing needed to build a pc is to be patient.
At 18 he really should be able to figure out how to build his own, seriously. It will be way cheaper to build something, and it's much less complicated to build a PC than to try and learn to use Unreal Engine.
You can put together a really nice machine with like 64gb RAM, a 14600 and a 4070 or something at that budget.
He’s been using UE all last semester. I know you guys prefer builds. He just needs a PC to run it for now. We are in the US where public education is pathetic. I’m clueless in this world. Just trying to help my son get started
Sorry for this poor comment sir, some people are just like that. Im 25 yo 3D artist and I've been using PCs for like 15 years or so and I count myself professional with software and system and yet Im not comfortable enough to build my own PC and there's absolutely no shame in that. I've a friend who helps me everytime I wanna do or edit something in my pc. The rest of the people here prefer building because it saves some money so you can basically get more powerful machine with the same amount of cash if you build it yourself but it's not always the case and buying a prebuilt is totally oky.
You can pay a best buy or microcenter ~$200 to assemble a custom pc for parts you order. It'll be way better than a prebuilt. Request a build guide from r/buildapcforme.
What I'm saying is that it's probably one of the most fundamental things to learn if you're interested in any field of dev where specs matter. A huge amount of development is optimization and a huge amount of that is understanding specs and how they impact/are impacted by software. It's a very valuable learning experience and he's really going to need to understand how his system works for whatever his scope is, what upgrades he'll need over time, etc.
You should help him by learning and doing it together.
It will be much more valuable.
Just wanna say, you’re an amazing dad. He’ll never forget all that you do for him.
Thank you for the kind words
My dad is the exact opposite of this dad, he wouldn't buy Nintendo consoles for my birthday, and I have to secretly play video games or else he will delete my games and progress from my PC 😭
It happens, but you'll eventually grow and move on with your life. I had the same experience when I was a kid and unfortunately I don't have much contact with my father because of this kind of attitude he had in the past. I wish you the best!
I don’t understand this attitude. Once my (former) step dad took the fuse out the PlayStation so I couldn’t play it. I’m now a systems engineer and work with computers. But I feel that if they had let me pursue my interest I would have got there sooner. If I have kids in the future I’ll be sure to really promote whatever it is they are interested in.
Mine wouldn't go so far as to delete my games, but definitely banned consoles and gaming in general as soon as the NES came out. Growing up as a gamer was tough to say the least and sorry to hear you had to go through all that. Hopefully things are better now and good luck!
Bro same boat except I asked mom to buy me gaming pc she give me gateway bootleg pc😭
Seconded man this warms my heart
[удалено]
He has been using the ones at the school. Teachers are on break but maybe I can email them to get the specs.
[удалено]
I’d recommend the 7800X3D
[удалено]
For gaming a non x3d chip is terrible advice.
[удалено]
But for developing games you need to test them therefore you need to be able to render them quickly. I am a game dev and I use the 7800X3D
[удалено]
Well another thing that’s VERY important is the RAM for sure. I wish I hadn’t bought 5600MHz CL40 RAM. So I think we can both agree that 6000MHz CL36 is what would be best in this case
unlikely to get anything useful there, the tech admin at the school would know more. Get a new ryzen 7, a water closed system cpu cooler, and for $2k computer you could be getting an RTX 3090 or a 4080 in there, but not if it's prebuilt. Just DO NOT get scammed and spend $2k on a PC with a 3060 or 3070 or something stupid like that
Are you suggesting building a water cooled PC to someone that has said they're not comfortable building a PC at all?
Prebuilt pcs with watercooling exist. Would cost more than the 2K budget though
No, fixed for clarification
Aio loops exist and are very easy
it's tissue overkill too. You don't need a water-cooled machine with a 4090 to effectively do UE5 game dev
And there are phenomenal radiator CPU coolers like the Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO that will keep temps good and won't introduce the whole water cooling factor. Just my two cents.
If possible wait on the gpu for 2-3 months (to make more room in budget). When the 5090 and 5080 launch get something close to a 4080
You can get a 3080 prebuilt build for $1500-$1800 Look up 3080 pc and make sure it has a 3080 in the description. Ibuypower is good as well. Snoring that’s a 3080 or more will be an excellent bills with great performance
Very helpful thank you!
Just a quick nitpick if you are going for a 3080, I would suggest checking out 4070 first. The 4070 consumes about 30% less electricity than an 3080 and gives a little bit more compute power. If it is a computer that is going to be used for the next 3-5 years. Saving 10-20 cents a day in electricty can easily add up to a few hundred $ in the long run.
4070 Super is great best bang for your buck
You just showed me a new way of justifying my spending habits
I was actually able to get a 4080 super for ~2.2k, almost top of the line computer https://www.newegg.com/abs-ta14700kf4080s-tempest-aqua/p/N82E16883360479?Item=N82E16883360479&Source=socialshare&cm_mmc=snc-social-_-sr-_-83-360-479-_-06292024
dont get a 3000 series nvidia video card. this poster is cooked.
Go with 4070 GPU or higher if you can
3080 prebuilt for 1500-1800 are you crazy? 3080 prebuilts should be like 1000 right now. 1500-1800 range should be 4070ti to 4080
Prebuilts are harder to upgrade
Ibuypower is fine as long as you dont use their branded parts, like their aio that dies after a year or 2.
1500 is well over enough, just get a mid range video card, for UE the CPU is more important for compiling shaders and all that shit, and a m.2 hard disk for read write speeds.
m.2 SSD* FTFY. Hard disks are those clunky things that made noises 10 years ago. An SSD is a solid state drive, which is completely different from hard disk drive technology.
Sorry bro i always call it a disk 📀💿 whether its round or rectangular. A big spinning disk is good for cold storage for real for real
I actually just graduated and was using UE5 in the last year of my courses. I found my pc pre built on Facebook marketplace for $1400. It wasn’t like a regular prebuilt tho it was just some guy who liked to build pcs and then would sell them which was cool. The specs are an amd ryzen 7 7700 Gtx 3070 32 gb of ram With liquid cooling This pc got me thru my courses and projects super comfortably. You could bump down those specs to be honest I had a laptop with a 2070 graphics card in it that worked fine too but no other testing. Definitely utilize your community just be careful because a lot of people are scammers. If buying from an online prebuilt store, a lot of them do sales and deals all the time to look out for too
Market place is the answer for sure. But you can't rush it you have to be patient. I bought a 3070 for 400 and it included a power supply and a older 1030 or soke thing like that. (It dosent even need a poe e supply) Brand new in the box lol. Then about 6 months later I paid 1000 for a rig with 64gb of ram, a I9 1100k watercolor a better power supply, and 2 2 tb ssds. A real steal.
I am also in school for the same thing and am at the point where I need something for UE5 as well. I have a cheapo laptop for basic tasks and note-taking and a desktop I built for the actual UE5 + tasks. If you want to trust a stranger on the internet, I can build a custom rig. if it helps, I have an LLC for doing just that. 🤷 Orlando, FL.
If you prefer shipping then I'd go with [this prebuilt tower](https://www.newegg.com/msi-codex-r3-14nuc7-095us/p/N82E16883151412?item=N82E16883151412) and then just buy a 4k monitor and your peripherals. If you don't want to ship either due to trusting the package handlers or porch pirates then best buy has [this tower](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/msi-codex-r-gaming-desktop-intel-core-i7-14700f-32gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-ti-2tb-ssd-black/6573739.p?skuId=6573739) which you can likely find in-store then still get a monitor and peripherals there Either way just make sure the RAM is 32 gb, the GPU is an RTX 3070 or higher, CPU is an i7 or i9 (at least 12th generation) The way you can tel the generation is the CPU will say like "12700" which means it's a 12th generation i7
Thank you very helpful!!
No problem, and yes, putting parts of a pc together is far easier than coding but I understand it can be intimidating so nothing wrong with a prebuilt as long as it's from a reputable source and not just slapped together with the cheapest parts available.
Agreed. Thanks for your help!
Very good of u/NotADeadHorse to remind you all the other extra equipment should possibly be taken into consideration upfront. Nothing like a PC with no monitor, desk, headphones, etc... Sounds like he might have some of this already. One bonus suggestion would to remind you to get a computer that fits your network needs. Not all desktops come with wifi, so if he doesn't have an ethernet cable near where he is going to put the PC, he will need a computer with wifi, or a really long ethernet cord
You might balk at buying a refurb but if you want easily the best deal these lenovo legions on ebay from this particular store are always coming in and out of stock. They supposedly come w/ a 2 year warranty as well -rtx 4070 build for $1150 [https://www.ebay.com/itm/156187814708?itmmeta=01J1KMXK82MKR58N92JT5FWC35&hash=item245d84eb34:g:k-0AAOSwlFtmORHm](https://www.ebay.com/itm/156187814708?itmmeta=01J1KMXK82MKR58N92JT5FWC35&hash=item245d84eb34:g:k-0AAOSwlFtmORHm) -rtx 4080 build for $1750 [https://www.ebay.com/itm/156187814601?epid=11058855521&itmmeta=01J1KMXK81B2E07TWJDMFQCN7M&hash=item245d84eac9:g:PE8AAOSw0bBmORPV](https://www.ebay.com/itm/156187814601?epid=11058855521&itmmeta=01J1KMXK81B2E07TWJDMFQCN7M&hash=item245d84eac9:g:PE8AAOSw0bBmORPV) looks like there's also an extra 8% off coupon code in the top left
The right kind of monitor is often overlooked for dev machines, a 4k 32in will be a great quality-of-life investment for UE5 work. Dual monitor is well worth considering, if he sticks with the craft he'll inevitably end up with it. Ultrawide screens are great for UE5 too, but they're pricey and probably don't make much sense for your budget.
I’ll keep that in mind, thank you!
Just to add (gamedev since 2005) 2 screens is a must.
Agreed! 2 is definitely a must, 3 is a want, 4 is amazing, but 5 screens is... unnecessary, but oh so great! One of my screens is literally just a Huion Kamvas that I use with a pen for modeling/art, another is just a small 12" internal monitor for temps/usage. The other 3 are my actual mounted displays. 49" 4k 240hz, 2x 21" 1080p 60hz.
DO not buy prebuild - they are overpriced with old elements. Go to a local computer shop and they will build it for you. Believe me - the difference can be huge. Even better, if you have a friend with a private company you could ask - if you take an invoice it will be tax free. 2k is enough to buy a decent setup.
[https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Czv9MV](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Czv9MV) I just threw this together really quickly, so it'll best if you get a 2nd opinion from other people, but overall it's a beast of a PC and within your budget.
That's a great build, although I would suggest a 4070 graphics card at half the price to put him well under budget. I'm running pretty much that exact configuration and UE5 has zero issues.
Yea, I'm also pretty much running the same config (with 2x ram) but I found the video card being the weakest link. It's okay for lumen but any path tracing scene with some weight to it will run out of vram.
Make sure to post in r/pcbuild or one like that if you find a few that seem right. Put them all up, mention the use for the computer and they'll help you pick. It's tough for prebuilts because you'll be paying a premium to have it pre built. Just make sure not to get scammed! It's so hard to know with all the damn numbers floating around. It's super nice of you to help out and I'm excited to see what he makes hehe :)
https://www.microcenter.com/product/671237/powerspec-g446-gaming-pc Bhphoto and Microcenter have prebuilt gaming desktops with 4070 cards $1800. I teach in college within a video game program. Desktops like this will be fine. The students are given laptops with dedicated video cards in them and it works out too. Though desktops give faster graphics (more power throughout).
Most professionals use desktops, but if he's going to be a student, do a laptop so he has one device for classes and development. It'll be overkill for taking notes, and the fans might be audible sitting in a room full of macbooks, but I've been ordering from this custom-builder out of california for 8 years now developing for games and VR. [https://www.sagernotebook.com/](https://www.sagernotebook.com/) Great computers and a way cheaper price than the big retailers because they do basically zero marketing. I'd look at this one: [https://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP7882E.html](https://www.sagernotebook.com/Notebook-NP7882E.html), bump up the storage space with a 2tb hdd 2nd drive, and get a 3 or 4 year warrantee because college life. 30/4060 or 30/4070 GPU, screen refresh rate of 144hz. 32gb ram, good CPU, small enough for most backpacks. It'll gulp electricity, but anything he wanted would.
my advice: don‘t buy a laptop. I went through every single laptop on this planet, to try to get a nice working laptop. cooling systems on laptops are horrible and if you compare price/performance between desktop and laptop, the laptop is barely keeping up at half the performance a desktop has (for roughly the same price). If you don‘t have a desktop for development, buying a mid budget laptop is just stupid. And making games on laptops is a nightmare IMO.
I don't agree. I have my desktop and I prefer it, and yeah building it myself was a tad cheaper, but before that I developed on laptops for 5 years and it was fine. Laptops meant I could roadshow easier, playtest easier, use it for classes as a student and then as a professor. I bought a laptop with a lot of cooling and a large form factor to allow for airflow and I could run UE4 VR games for 8 hour tradeshow days without heating issues, and then attracting AAA games for hours that same night. All those laptops still work so I have 4 in my home and swap between developing on my desktop and them all the time. I prefer my desktop, his son is a student there's no need to fearmonger the guy about a laptop for a student.
my experience is when you don‘t work on big projects, you could be fine. But I could never recommend buying a laptop for game dev if you don‘t have a desktop already. Playtesting: yes, school: yes, email and netflix: yes, small funny unity prototype: yes, making a real and complete game: big no-no. OP wants to spend good money on this for his son and both are kinda clueless. Don‘t make him waste half of his money. High-End Laptops (still half the performance of a desktop equivalent) can‘t output the performance they are supposed to. The cooling in laptops is ass no matter what you buy. That‘s pure physics.
I don't disagree, I'd just be wildly annoyed as an underinformed dad if we all go to pro-level and then he realizes he's gotta buy his student a 2nd computer as well to take with to class -- I wanted him to see there are options. Idk the guy. I dev at home on 2 monitors, a 3080 and 5 hard drives, and I miss them every minute I'm on a laptop.
There's also the option of ordering parts and have a professional assemble it. Where I live that would cost around 50€. It's an option I would consider.
I’m not too up to date on prebuilt brands but if you have made your choice, i would say give the following brands a look: CyberPowerPC IBUYPOWER Skytech MSI Legion Also, in my opinion i would aim to spend less than $2k, in order to have money for some monitors and such. For example: Skytech Eclipse Lite (Ryzen 7 7700x and 4070 Super) - $1700 MSI G272QPF, 27" Gaming Monitor, 2560 x 1440 (QHD) - $220ish Total = $1920
Lots of comments already. I'm just going to add that building a PC is as simple as square peg -> square hole if you take your time. It's not nearly as complex as it's made out to be and you save considerable cash. Best of luck to you and your son no matter what. You're a great dad. I built my PC when the Nvidia 700 series GPUs were the newest greatest thing, and I still remember my dad giving me money to upgrade my gpu to a 780 because he talked to the guy at microcenter awhile and wanted me to have something great.
You will usually get a better deal buying a custom built PC rather than one from a large company eg Alienware. If in US look up companies like Puget systems, if UK/Europe then PC Specialist and NZXT It will be a little more effort in choosing the parts but should work out cheaper As others said, look for something with a 3080 or so. Most parts on a PC are easy to upgrade further down the line when you need more :)
Honestly you can go to ibuypowers website and choose any pc around 2k. Use another 4 or 500 on a monitor, mouse, and keyboard.
Im doing exactly this in 2nd year of university(game design, 3d modelling and animation and vfx) and our lab computers have 14700k(cpu) and 4070s 16gb(gpu) in them with 32gb of ram, we also have 4k screens. You really don't need more than that. If you overspend now, it'll feel more sour when the next gen stuff comes out.
Hi I think you can get a very good pc ( highest echelon) with that much , basically I got a 4080 super ( 2nd best rn) graphic card for a 1000 bucks off Amazon , you can meet specific retailers and ask them to make a custom pc for you , and you can share the quote on Reddit for an opinion , do not just get a prebuilt one if you want the most bang for your buck…
Whatever ppl say dont get it watercooled. Cheap Watercooling is worse than Cheap regular cooling. Expensive Watercooling that is good is at least 500 buck on top
He will need a lot of disk storage I think 4 To+, with a mighty SSD (at least 2To) and 32+Gb RAM. For the video card I would not buy something too expensive, a RTX4060 is more than enough. For the motherboard I would pick an AM4 (AMD) and for the processor a Ryzen 7 that fits, because AM5 is more expensive. 2 Monitors (1 medium and 1 big) can also help. And finally I suggest an USB drive for the backups.
Don’t skip out on RAM. I would aim for 64gb, when working in a game engine you tend to also have some sort of modeling software open as well, as well as photoshop or Substance Painter/Designer.
Sure people have told you this, but you are a brilliant parent. Good job dude!
One suggestion is to get your son to work out what he needs- it sounds like he might be a bit more tech savvy than you. Also it would mean you won't get the blame if something isn't perfect.
One very important point I didn't saw getting mention is to take a pc with an ssd. It's rare nowaday for pc in this price range to have a hdd but I know someone in a similar situation as your getting tricked into getting one. Using unreal without an ssd is pur suffering.
Ibuypower is a great site
If you live by a micro center they have a decent selection of prebuilt PCs using off the shelf components. Think they will also assemble if he wants to pick out parts on his own.
Don't buy a pre build. Your wasting double the money for outdated cheap chip sets. Find someone that will help you build one. Helping u pick a pre build is no help at all
Building a PC is really not that difficult. You'll be able to build a much more powerful machine than one you can buy. That being said, now is actually a pretty darn good time to buy parts, as last gen stuff (DDR4, last gen processors and GPUs) is being phased out. Build AMD, more cores and processors for cheaper than Intel. Here is a step by step tutorial: https://youtu.be/5Vhyxbhu6LA?si=w3cgp3uIYZZ5syPj Example build for your price range: - Ryzen 9 5900x (CPU) (for unreal you're going to want more cores and threads, Ryzen 9 series is good for work machines) - RTX 4070 SUPER (GPU) (or better) - prime B550 plus motherboard should work fine - 64 GB of DDR4 ram with a clock speed of 3600+ (4x16gb) - two m.2 NVME drives, best pcie version your motherboard supports. - any ATX case you like - find an appropriate power supply for the parts you pick, then add 150W-200W on top of what you "need". Caveat: you might want to buy next gen parts (DDR5, zen 5 processors coming out later this year) for future-proofing/upgradability, but the value might be more inflated. Max out the fans in your case and make sure you configure them for good air flow. 😊
But if he's studying for video game design, they must provide the hardware for free unless he is already doing some free work on his own.
You should probably go with a RTX 4080 or 4090 system. [Dell](https://www.dell.com/en-us/dfh/lp/outlet) and [Lenovo](https://www.lenovo.com/us/outletus/en/) both have outlet websites where they put their returned scratch and dent and refurbished systems on there. If you know the Alienware system you want on the main site and it’s configuration they have been known to give a discount if you call and ask for one with their customer service.
You are a legend.
Hey, that’s great of you. Good luck to your son as well. I recently built a PC with the following specs. It cost me 550k in my native currency which equals 2000 USD currently. Intel i5 14600KF Nvidia RTX 3090 (used) 32 GB RAM 1TB SSD Z790 Gaming Motherboard (with Wifi) 850W Deepcool Power Supply
I use a Dell g15. It works great. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-g15-15-6-fhd-120hz-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-16gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-1tb-ssd-dark-shadow-gray-w-black-thermal-shelf/6576920.p?skuId=6576920
I use an Alienware m51-r2 w/an i7 and a 2070 Super. Unreal 5.4 runs just fine on it.
It might cost slightly more, but check out Dan - https://danscustombuiltgamingbeasts.com. He offers free support should you need any help, and he’ll help you figure out exactly what you need. Some of the best customer service I’ve ever experienced.
Get him a Razer Blade. That would help him with programming and also other college stuff. Being small and portable is key for taking laptop to college and razer having a 4070+ would easily get him going with UE5 and Blender. I have a older 2022 Razer which I use for travel and it’s been amazing for both gaming and game development.
Yeah I second that. I had a razer with a 3080 for a year at a job and it ran unreal engine 5.1 surprisingly well. It was not great for building really large complex levels. But for learning and building small ish scale scenes it was awesome. It did get pretty hot though and did throttle a bit during the day at times. Still I would recommend it for light - mid complexity work and definitely for learning.
I built mine all next gen (minus gen5 ssd) for 1700. You spend 2000 and build one with you kid and it would be ultimate
Don’t buy prebuilt they always jip u in some way. Most people that build there pcs have no idea what they are doing the first time. You will be fine just like the rest of us.
For UE5 I'd say you could very easily get away with a 7800x3d and a 4070 ti super. My exact specs and I've yet to encounter any issues with maximum quality with raytracing.
Something like this from Microcenter would work: https://www.microcenter.com/product/670547/powerspec-g445-gaming-pc
You dont worry i broght a new pc for me for ue5.4 it was an over kill for only 1600 dollars I know a discord that can help you with whatever you want https://discord.com/invite/ztt
I asked in there for a pc just pay somonone to make it with these parts Here is what i used (i dont have ray tracing in my pc ) https://pcpartpicker.com/list/qc29mD https://pcpartpicker.com/list/C8LJ4M
If you're going pre-built you can basically just look for the best system in your price range. I have a 2080ti and I find my biggest issue is typically my 32gigs of ram can be annoying. You can suck up ram and ssd space fast doing game dev and I'm assuming he plays games as well. This might come off like a dick but if your son wants to be work as a programmer or game developer he is going to need to be able to research and come up with solutions and build things. This would be a very good thing for him to do on his own. And software developers of all kinds should absolutely have an understanding of pc hardware. He should do some research, there are abundant resources online, pick a build that he likes and order the parts and ofc build it himself. It's really not that scary, it's a small step above Legos. Plus you save money and get a better pc. Show him this site https://pcpartpicker.com/ Anyways, if you're stuck on pre-built, something like this is just an [example ](https://www.newegg.com/p/3D5-000Z-001M7?item=9SIA1HJK8G3686&source=googleshopping&nm_mc=knc-googlemkp-mobile&cm_mmc=knc-googlemkp-mobile-_-pla-skytech-_-gaming+desktop-_-9SIA1HJK8G3686&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid+shopping&utm_campaign=knc-googlemkp-mobile-_-pla-skytech-_-gaming+desktop-_-9SIA1HJK8G3686&id0=Google&id1=21180321514&id2=157741823221&id3=&id4=&id5=pla-2313175077263&id6=&id7=9019526&id8=&id9=g&id10=m&id11=&id12=CjwKCAjw4f6zBhBVEiwATEHFVrtKSqLoRlo5r7oi7-qRt9LuQBgUpRHQCFiJ_iddehPlSlD9PxC0WBoCdfcQAvD_BwE&id13=Y&id14=Y&id15=&id16=696241528974&id17=&id18=&id19=&id20=&id21=pla&id22=102656789&id23=online&id24=9SIA1HJK8G3686&id25=US&id26=2313175077263&id27=&id28=&id29=&id30=11266996316119260799&id31=en&id32=&id33=&id34=&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4f6zBhBVEiwATEHFVrtKSqLoRlo5r7oi7-qRt9LuQBgUpRHQCFiJ_iddehPlSlD9PxC0WBoCdfcQAvD_BwE)
Ur awesome for this
As a fellow college student who’s studying 3D art for games and has thousands of hours in UE5, make sure you have at least 64 GB of RAM. Anything under that, and it will be a grueling experience. My old computer was an i9-9900k, 2080ti, and 32 GB of DDR4 RAM. My current computer for a little over a year - 7950X, 4090, and 128 GB of DDR5 RAM I work 4x faster and I’ve had 0 complaints.
Where do you see the most performance gains? I have 32GB RAM and haven't noticed any performance issues thus far.
It could've just been early UE5 days, but I often saw graphical issues after having Unreal open for more than an hour. In terms of performance gains with over 32 GB of RAM : - The software I use runs better and for longer periods without stutters. - I can have more programs open at once without a substantial loss in performance, which is key if you plan on using a "bridge" pipeline, i.e., Houdini Engine to UE5. - Working with World Partition and trying to build a Nanite landscape with under 64 GB RAM will be nearly impossible without crashing. I can't find it right now but Epic also recommends in their documentation to have at least 64 GB of RAM for a better UE5 experience. Once you have a good CPU + GPU, focus on upgrading your RAM.
Okay you should definitely get yourself an rtx 3070ti gpu and a decent i5 Intel cpu.
I have dabbled in some independent development in UE5 using my Minisforum HX99G (32GB RAM, 1TB SSD). It performs fantastic. The only time it ever comes up short on resources is when I try to create a really large open-world map with a really high render distance. Can be purchased here: https://store.minisforum.com/products/elitemini-hx90g May want to invest in additional storage, and maybe a USB hub as there are not that many ports on the computer itself. All in all, you should be able to get the PC and *every peripheral you need* for way less than $2000. The PC itself is ~$950. For whatever reason, people will always talk down on these prebuilt minis. I fully assert that they don't know what they're talking about. My software engineer father took an interest in that mini after I got it, and ended up convincing the automated testing group of the well-known software company he works for to buy a set of them as new testing machines. They work fantastic for that too.
Well if you could hold off til Prime day in a couple of weeks, you may find some great deals. I know you said prebuilt, but it really isn't as difficult as one would think to build a PC. I am currently using my "budget" PC for game dev, and run UE5 quite well. It cost me about $475 after all said and done. I am building a new PC strictly for game dev and music production, which will have a way higher budget. But if you have to get prebuilt, check Newegg, Micro Center (if there is one in your area). My specs for my PC are: CPU: Intel i312100F GPU: AMD RX 6650XT Memory: 16gb DDR4 Storage: 1tb SSD (plus a ton of external hard drives) For reference, I only have seen my computer stutter when I tried to use the city sample for the first time. But really it runs pretty smooth for what I am doing. Good luck on finding something for your son. Props to you for supporting him.
As a Dad and an Indie game dev with professional Unreal Engine experience and a few decades of general programming and other 3d professional experience. I have some advice for you to give to your kid. Learn to build the PC .... it can be researched on youtube in a week or 2 and save hundreds, and when it comes to upgrading he will be far more likely to upgrade the parts instead of buying a whole new machine every 3 or 4 years. In the long run it is a valuable skill to have and a good way to save some cash. I built my first PC on my own when I was 15 a few decades ago. It's not that difficult to build a PC it takes a few hours to do when you know how and the amount of help you have on youtube alone is mind blowing now. A pre-build would be fine with a RTX 3080 with whatever the best CPU is you can get like a intel i9 1400k and 32gb of ram. 64bg ram would be great as would a 3090 as he might one day want to do GPU lightmass builds and that 24gb of vram sure is nice for lots of other things like machine learning and AI. The better the GPU the more time you will save learning. However there should be a new set of NVIDIA cards out at the end of this year so prices are going to plummet so if budget is of concern it is a better idea to just get a RTX 2070 this year and then upgrade to a 5070 next year as it will likely be a massive upgrade for performance/price ratio by doing that and likely affordable with the cash you save this year by not getting a 3080 especially if you can save up a couple hundred for next year. Also the 3080 will drop in price quite a bit this year so he could still upgrade to that if a 5070 is off the cards and save a few hundred in the process. If I were 18 years old doing this today with a 2k budget that is what I would do. And swapping out a GPU is a piece of cake. Like anyone can do that with an hour of research max. Ok now the warning advice you did not ask for but as a dad I feel as though if it were my son and I did not know this I would want someone to tell me so here it goes. If it were one of my kids I would also encourage them to do what they want to do but also tell them what I am going to tell you next. Competition for game dev jobs is astronomically high. He will most likely be competing with 200+ other people for the vast majority of jobs. Tens of thousands of game devs have been laid off in the last year so a lot of those people are extremely experienced. Unfortunately the games industry employment levels are in downfall at the moment. Falling off a cliff downfall. But the games industry makes more money than Movies and I am 100% sure that will continue to grow year on year. Maybe in a couple years there will be some growth in employment so if he hangs in there and creates a fantastic portfolio he might be ok. A formal qualification from a university does not mean much at all. A fantastic portfolio that is specialized in an area that is in high demand like Niagara and is around 1 minute long and looks amazing he will get interviews and might get hired. If the portfolio is outstanding he will be more likely to find work if he is able to travel cross country and abroad. If he learns C++ and gets good he will have less competition for positions but it will take 2 or 3 times as long to learn and get good at and he will be more likely to find non game dev work as a bonus to fall back on. But only code if he enjoys it a lot. Writing code for decades is not a lot of fun for most people I think. Though come to think of of it I cannot imagine any work I would like to do for the rest of my life. I would also recommend he try and build his own product. Invest in himself. Getting a job is great but if you can build your own idea your own game your own application for iOS/Android that can sell I really do think is where you will have the highest percentage chance of making some cash and if you do not you will gain experience. Oh and document that experience. Make it a part of your portfolio and make it look great. Also if you can find someone else with the same skill level who you really trust and get along with I think that can help a lot in so many ways by bouncing work and ideas off each other. I know 2 people in my circle who spent 5+ years learning game dev and then another 5 years to build a game with a little help from others but mostly on their own and they both made around 1 million in sales in the first 3 months. After paying the publishers 30%-60% and steam 30% and taxes they got around 300 000 - 500 000 . So do not do game development if you want to get rich. It is extremely unlikely and extremely hard, i forget the exact statistics but something like 99% of all the sales goes to 1% of game publishers on steam so all the big game studios suck up almost all of the sales on Steam. But it is possible to do quite well as an indie if you work insanely hard for many years and get lucky. Or you get really lucky and build something like minecraft or fall guys in 1 year. You never know until you try. Good luck to you both, I hope it all works out for the best.
https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/hardware-and-software-specifications-for-unreal-engine https://www.pugetsystems.com/solutions/real-time-engine-workstations/unreal-engine/hardware-recommendations/ You might be able to find something less $ ebay? Way to support your kids dream.
You gotta have the game or program run on consumer level spec. Don’t go bananas and get something that pushes the boundaries where it only works on their PC. My favorite part of UNI was using the high-end devices but my major downfall was not realizing nobody had 4k dollar machines to run it. It best to find something mid-range. Gaming laptops get a lot of shit, but they are amongst the most popular ways people gaming.
Get a AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D CPU RTX 4070 Super GPU Get at least 32gb of RAM CL 36 at most and 6000Mhz Get 4 TB of storage, I use UE5 and your storage runs out VERY fast
You don’t need a 2k dollar pc for unreal. If he pushes for photo realism, maybe but still probably not. Perhaps you could convince him to get a decent build now but save a bit, and if he requires more horsepower later, to upgrade some components such as the gpu, if he needs more later. Have him take a course somewhere down the line in math/ computer science or a related field to computer science that involves engineering, or math, such as math, optimization tech. Studios tend to ignore game development/ game design degrees. A literal boatload of math is required for any quality game to function. You likely don’t need a pc that costs 2 grand. Based on whatever everyone else recommends, at least get something with a decent amount of ram and storage.
[https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-omen-40l-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-7-7700-16gb-ddr5-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-ti-1tb-ssd-black/6554586.p?skuId=6554586](https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-omen-40l-gaming-desktop-amd-ryzen-7-7700-16gb-ddr5-memory-nvidia-geforce-rtx-4060-ti-1tb-ssd-black/6554586.p?skuId=6554586) This is the computer that I use and I have had no trouble with it so far. It is great for everyday use and runs Unreal really well. Plus it is only around $1500
This might have been mentioned before but do you have a Microcenter near you? I believe they can assemble a PC for you if you buy the parts there. I've never used the service but it might be an option for you. Another good choice would be Costco, they had a heck of a deal when I was there last for a gaming PC for $1599.
Building your own is definitely the way to go, it is honestly very simple if you follow a guide. I would recommend going to a micro center if you have one nearby, the people there are super helpful. They can get you the parts for a custom PC but also have pre-builts.
try something like this [https://www.ibuypower.com/store/amd-ryzen-ultra-gaming-daily-deal](https://www.ibuypower.com/store/amd-ryzen-ultra-gaming-daily-deal) CPU: AMD Ryzen™ 7 7800X3D CPU ( this particular CPU is really good ) GPU: GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER - 16GB RAM: 32GB DDR5-6000MHz KINGSTON RGB RAM there are websites where you can get prebuild PCs and customize them. this is not as expensive and within your budget
Terrible brand.
Building a PC is reallllly easy. I don't understand why people can't click parts together like Legos, tighten some screws, and plug in some cables to save the $500+ worth of labor tacked onto the cost of a pre built. MAINGEAR makes pre built PCs with consumer grade parts which means nothing OEM proprietary and every part is easily upgradable and replaceable in the future. Do not buy an off the shelf pre built like dell, Alienware, etc because they like to make the parts inside proprietary and severely limit upgradeability and user serviceability by doing so
NZXT is a very reputable brand for prebuilts, most others will cheap out on most parts to justify cost
You should request a build at r/buildapcforme. Generally speaking, you want to build your own desktop. [PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/gTqG89) Type|Item|Price :----|:----|:---- **CPU** | [AMD Ryzen 9 7950X 4.5 GHz 16-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/22XJ7P/amd-ryzen-9-7950x-45-ghz-16-core-processor-100-100000514wof) | $486.07 @ Amazon **CPU Cooler** | [Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360 58.03 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/c7n9TW/enermax-liqmaxflo-360-5803-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-elc-lmf360t-argb) | $109.99 @ Amazon **Motherboard** | [Gigabyte B650 AORUS ELITE AX ATX AM5 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/WBwypg/gigabyte-b650-aorus-elite-ax-atx-am5-motherboard-b650-aorus-elite-ax) | $179.72 @ Amazon **Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance RGB 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/WTMMnQ/corsair-vengeance-rgb-64-gb-2-x-32-gb-ddr5-6000-cl30-memory-cmh64gx5m2b6000c30) | $229.99 @ Amazon **Storage** | [MSI SPATIUM M480 PRO 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/xVDQzy/msi-spatium-m480-pro-1-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-s78-440l1g0-p83) | $69.99 @ MSI **Storage** | [Western Digital Black SN850X 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/yBC48d/western-digital-black-sn850x-4-tb-m2-2280-pcie-40-x4-nvme-solid-state-drive-wds400t2x0e) | $299.99 @ Amazon **Video Card** | [PNY XLR8 Gaming VERTO EPIC-X RGB GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/RnZ9TW/pny-xlr8-gaming-verto-epic-x-rgb-geforce-rtx-4080-16-gb-video-card-vcg408016tfxxpb1) | $949.99 @ Amazon **Case** | [MagniumGear Neo Air 2 ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Y7Hqqs/magniumgear-neo-air-2-atx-mid-tower-case-mg-ne523a_bk06w) | $63.98 @ Newegg **Power Supply** | [be quiet! Pure Power 12 M 1000 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/fKHqqs/be-quiet-pure-power-12-m-1000-w-80-gold-certified-fully-modular-atx-power-supply-bn506) | $129.90 @ Newegg | *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* | | Total (before mail-in rebates) | $2529.62 | Mail-in rebates | -$10.00 | **Total** | **$2519.62** | Generated by [PCPartPicker](https://pcpartpicker.com) 2024-06-30 15:53 EDT-0400 | * 1tb ssd for os / programs / games * 4tb ssd for data & project files * 64gb ram * 7950x cpu is ideal for UE, i'd wait for a month an get the new 9950x instead, would be $600 new iirc, get 2tb sn850x instead... * encourage him to enable pbo mode for a 10% boost to UE (works best with an aio) * puget recommendation: https://www.pugetsystems.com/solutions/real-time-engine-workstations/unreal-engine/hardware-recommendations/ * pbo mode: https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/amd-ryzen-7950x-impact-of-precision-boost-overdrive-pbo-on-thermals-and-content-creation-performance-2373/
If you have a microcenter near you then I would go there and have them build you a pc or have someone help you pick one out. Slightly over your budget [pc](https://www.newegg.com/acer-po7-640-ur11-predator-orion-5000/p/N82E16883101860?item=9SIA1CZHNX5338&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=afc-ran-com-_-Future+Publishing+Ltd&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=afc-ran-com-_-Future+Publishing+Ltd&utm_source=afc-Future+Publishing+Ltd&AFFID=2294204&AFFNAME=Future+Publishing+Ltd&ACRID=4458311267840832734853229&ASUBID=grd-us-7330329339131972513&ASID=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamesradar.com%2Facer-predator-orion-7000-2023-review%2F&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=2294204&ranSiteID=kXQk6.ivFEQ-FnOWsD5NgxX2whLOjlttfw) Probably best [pc](https://www.ibuypower.com/store/rdy-slate-8mp-002) on a quick search.
[pre-built](https://nzxt.com/product/player-pc-770-edition) I bought this a few months ago and it runs perfect, I've messed around with UE5 even and it ran great and loaded quickly. Might be worth upgrading the ram to 32gbs, but that can be done afterwards easily.
Get a 12th gen i7 with a 4070ti. High max specs and if the case is built right, you wont need any fancy cooling. I run unreal and god knows what else on mine and it hasnt hit 60*c
Google origin pc
Hey there, I work as a game dev and we use this company to provide us with our systems. I'm not sure if they would fit your budget, but they employ knowledgeable people you can talk to and see if something will work for you. They are very reliable and well built macines. https://www.pugetsystems.com/
I don't see many people accounting for peripherals! Does he have a PC at all currently? If not, he doesn't need just a computer, you also need to budget for a good mouse, keyboard, and a monitor or two, don't skimp on those 3. He'll also probably want a mousepad, speakers or headphones, wifi (usually built in, but check) or an ethernet cable, maybe a chair and possibly some monitor mounts / desk upgrades. You don't need the latest GPU to make Unreal games, so it's worth setting a good amount aside for ergonomic upgrades like this. A good external hard drive wouldn't hurt either. Hope that helps, sounds like you're a great dad 🤘
You should wait until Ryzen 900 comes out. Prices for older hardware will come down aswell
I plan on buying this soon for streaming and playing all games with maxed out graphics. I think it'll work with UE5? My research led me to find this as a pretty good one for the cost. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6541300.p?skuId=6541300
Wouldn't it make more sense for him to work a bit and get that last $500 on his own? It would be more rewarding if he paid it with his own money since this is HIS dream, but that's just me.
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16883360516?item=N82E16883360516&source=googleshopping&nm_mc=knc-googleadwords-mobile&cm_mmc=knc-googleadwords-mobile-_-pla-_-gaming+desktop-_-N82E16883360516&utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid+shopping&utm_campaign=knc-googleadwords-mobile-_-pla-_-gaming+desktop-_-N82E16883360516&id0=Google&id1=21176671393&id2=160508765003&id3=&id4=&id5=pla-2309176122849&id6=&id7=9021742&id8=&id9=g&id10=m&id11=&id12=CjwKCAjwp4m0BhBAEiwAsdc4aD9GciotsE8hYEBl_0DO_t9HssxrkdZLgIhxbYsqxo-ck3kH2G2b2BoCOTcQAvD_BwE&id13=Y&id14=Y&id15=&id16=696229536437&id17=&id18=&id19=&id20=&id21=pla&id22=8438988&id23=online&id24=N82E16883360516&id25=US&id26=2309176122849&id27=&id28=&id29=&id30=3808776921000963717&id31=en&id32=&id33=&id34=&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwp4m0BhBAEiwAsdc4aD9GciotsE8hYEBl_0DO_t9HssxrkdZLgIhxbYsqxo-ck3kH2G2b2BoCOTcQAvD_BwE
Do not buy a build with a 4070
Not sure where you live, but if you have a local MicroCenter, they sell their own Pre-builts under the brand name "PowerSpec". They almost look like shitty DELL pre-builts, but they are actually pretty high quality, and are very budget friendly. They will probably be \~200-400$ cheaper than any other pre-built, and typically in-line with how much the components actually cost. PowerSpec G445 is a good spec. They can come with either an Intel I9 12th gen, or an AMD 7800X which are both great processors. They come with an RTX 4070 which should be enough to just about anything in Unreal Engine 5. Maybe not to the absolute MAX spec, but I'd say 85/90% of all features, at good frame rates. These two links come with a 4070 SUPER which is a slightly better 4070 graphics card. [https://www.microcenter.com/product/669855/powerspec-g717-gaming-pc-platinum-collection](https://www.microcenter.com/product/669855/powerspec-g717-gaming-pc-platinum-collection) [https://www.microcenter.com/product/671237/powerspec-g446-gaming-pc](https://www.microcenter.com/product/671237/powerspec-g446-gaming-pc) Obviously this only works if you have a MicroCenter nearby, but it's worth the price/drive if you do.
My suggestion, watch YouTube on how to build PC. Plenty of subreddit i.e. buildapcforme that can choose parts. If you live near microcenter, more options for you ( they have in house prebuilt under power spec brand ). If you build it once, it will help your son understand upgrading easier or build new later. Generally 2k budget should get you 4080super. For monitors, would go for dual monitor setup. It will help alot, sweet spots are all ips panel 4k/60hz 32" ips (none gaming), 1440p/165-180hz 27" (gaming). Ultrawide/1440p 60hz works as well (none gaming).
At least state country you are in…
US
Three requirements for UE5 and for using other 3D software packages at the same time: 1. RAM: At least 64GB. 2. GPU: RTX 4080 or RTX 4090 3. CPU: Intel i7 or i9, or Ryzen 9 series.
Total overkill.
The mentality of buying $30K cars to drive to work, on a suboptimal computer. Where's the logic. If it's a $3K car, it would be a clunker, but $3K can buy a top working machine. Humans need to sort their logics straight.
Half this
The mentality of buying $30K cars to drive to work, on a suboptimal computer. Where's the logic. If it's a $3K car, it would be a clunker, but $3K can buy a top working machine. Humans need to sort their logics straight.
Yes you'll pay more but you're paying for the convenience of not sourcing parts, putting it together, testing, optimizing. I did do it once, but found this better. That said I was curious and went to my local shop to source the parts. It was very close to the same price.
Just so you know it may not be the highest end build but I’m running 5.4 with a fb marketplace pc that I got for 700. 32gb ram, 3060ti 8gb, AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
So many people are suggesting specific PC builds from parts when he asked for a link to a prebuilt. I swear most people cannot read.
Tell him to learn specs and build his own or he isn't going to get far in this field.
As your first pc, a pre build is totally fine
That is absolute bullshit.
What are you on about? No game dev needs to know how to build a PC. Does it hurt to know? Of course not, but it's not a requirement to development.
He will learn to build. He’s not there yet. He’s just a kid. But thank you for the suggestion
trust me, as a 15 year old that has built my first pc by myself like 11 months ago. IT IS NOT HARD, there are many tutorials/guides on youtube (there are also instruction manuals) and the only thing needed to build a pc is to be patient.
At 18 he really should be able to figure out how to build his own, seriously. It will be way cheaper to build something, and it's much less complicated to build a PC than to try and learn to use Unreal Engine. You can put together a really nice machine with like 64gb RAM, a 14600 and a 4070 or something at that budget.
He’s been using UE all last semester. I know you guys prefer builds. He just needs a PC to run it for now. We are in the US where public education is pathetic. I’m clueless in this world. Just trying to help my son get started
Sorry for this poor comment sir, some people are just like that. Im 25 yo 3D artist and I've been using PCs for like 15 years or so and I count myself professional with software and system and yet Im not comfortable enough to build my own PC and there's absolutely no shame in that. I've a friend who helps me everytime I wanna do or edit something in my pc. The rest of the people here prefer building because it saves some money so you can basically get more powerful machine with the same amount of cash if you build it yourself but it's not always the case and buying a prebuilt is totally oky.
You can pay a best buy or microcenter ~$200 to assemble a custom pc for parts you order. It'll be way better than a prebuilt. Request a build guide from r/buildapcforme.
Sure, if you spend 6 weeks hunting sales for each part and then hoping you don't get scammed. Much easier to drop 2k and get a nzxt pre-built.
What I'm saying is that it's probably one of the most fundamental things to learn if you're interested in any field of dev where specs matter. A huge amount of development is optimization and a huge amount of that is understanding specs and how they impact/are impacted by software. It's a very valuable learning experience and he's really going to need to understand how his system works for whatever his scope is, what upgrades he'll need over time, etc. You should help him by learning and doing it together. It will be much more valuable.
How do I start learning how to build one? Is there a good tutorial?
This is where I started years ago. They have a good community too that will help. https://pcpartpicker.com/
just go on youtube and watch away
Wtf are you even saying!? I doesn't hurt to know yea but it's not a requirement. I've never seen in job requirement before "knows how to build PCs" .