My 8 year old brother is addicted to TF2 but i need some questions

[Cylinder]

ok so christmas is close and i want to buy him a pre build pc so i can be in peace, whats a good pc that can run TF2 smoothly? i know i know, a dumb question it just im scare of buying a pre build and the performance are really bad for him to play Tf2, I AM aware that the game is super old, but just in case. i just want someone to tell me what pre build i should buy and link me the pc.

[poliakov.noam]

buy him the best one you can afford and dont look back, lag is horrible and youre brother shouldnt have to deal with that, also merry christhmass

[DarkCrystalMethod]

Any modern pc at the store should be able to handle TF2 easily.
To make it easier use a wired internet connection while playing.
And being a desktop you can upgrade whatever the bottleneck is, but really most should play it just fine. Try to exceed the "Recommended" system requirements from the store page or you're going to have a bad time. Also they haven't updated those in a while(possibly ever).

RECOMMENDED:
OS *: Windows® 7 (32/64-bit)
Processor: Pentium 4 processor (3.0GHz, or better)
Memory: 1 GB RAM
DirectX: Version 9.0c
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 15 GB available space
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.

I used to run NT4
Pentium III 350Mhz
256MB RAM
DirectX Version 9.0c(once I finally got around to Windows2000)
20GB IBM DeskStar HDD, and I think TF2 only used 12GB. Today its 23GB once all the new maps got in.
And on a lovely AOHell3.0 dialup.

Anyway, plan ahead.
And if you're feeling lucky try a linux distro(most will work with steam but you'll have to figure out their package manager as there's not really an installer to directly download through your browser).
If you're feeling expensive get a Mac, except that no longer works natively and you'll have to use bootcamp or vmware or OracleVirtualBox. Apple is to blame for that problem though and Valve need only to catch up(retool, etc)

[Eighteen-Counts Trevor]

I'd give you the specs of my ThinkPad but I have no idea what they are. Still runs the game fine though. Hell, my old laptop ran tf2 well until some of the important keys stopped working and that one is old enough to have a built in CD drive. Hope that helps but I would like to mention that your brother really should not be playing tf2 yet.

[ゴ『M.P. Firebrand』ゴ]

I recommend a good CYBERPOWER pc, they’re cheap and reliable middle-end PCs, and mine runs TF2 and around 90 FPS or more but I capped it somewhere around there so I’m not gonna overheat it. My advice is buy water cooling because some get overheating issues a few years down the line. Plus it runs other games pretty well too.

[Rahk]

I can't link one but if you know anything at all about PC's this game is practically CPU bound and will require a decent one. You should be able to sang a pretty decent PC at a good price as long as you look for strong single core performance; decent clock speed (over about 3 GHZ should be fine imo) and obviously a nice SSD and at least 16GB of ram because it is now standard and criminal to give someone less

[DarkCrystalMethod]

If you skip past the drama...
They tell the story of inventing "The Large Pixel Colider"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt_Sz_srw80
Probably "weak" by today's standards, but still impressive for its time.
100% certain it can run TF2.

[A Pebble]

Literally any PC can run TF2. Just get him the cheapest thing you can find.

[Cat_Soldier]

Originally posted by ゴ『M.P. Firebrand』ゴ:

I recommend a good CYBERPOWER pc, they’re cheap and reliable middle-end PCs, and mine runs TF2 and around 90 FPS or more but I capped it somewhere around there so I’m not gonna overheat it. My advice is buy water cooling because some get overheating issues a few years down the line. Plus it runs other games pretty well too.

Cyberpower is shady, Their prebuilts have inconsistent parts and sometimes they ship with the worst power supplies ever created. I highly advise against cyberpower or ibuypower. Their flashy cool rgb color vomits don’t make up for their possible risk in using.

OP, tf2 relies on single thread performance, look for a CPU that has powerful single thread performance. Typically higher click rate intels and ryzen CPU’s will be enough, especially paired with fast ram

If you are using the computer to solely run tf2, you can potentially cheap out on a GPU and get something like a 1660 ti, but if you want to play other more modern games consider getting something like a 4060 ti (a solid enough gpu for 1080p)

[libadwaita (she/her)]

Don't buy a prebuilt, instead find someone who can build you a PC. Usually, shops like Microcenter or Canada Computers, or other computer shops can do so if you can't find anyone.

If you're looking for something on a cheap budget, something like this should suffice: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RDK4ZJ - Assuming you live in the US.

It will run TF2 pretty well.

[rocketgreentea]

Originally posted by libadwaita (she/her):

Don't buy a prebuilt, instead find someone who can build you a PC. Usually, shops like Microcenter or Canada Computers, or other computer shops can do so if you can't find anyone.

If you're looking for something on a cheap budget, something like this should suffice: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RDK4ZJ - Assuming you live in the US.

It will run TF2 pretty well.

prebuilts are fine just don't buy from ♥♥♥♥♥♥ companies

[libadwaita (she/her)]

Originally posted by rocketgreentea:

Originally posted by libadwaita (she/her):

Don't buy a prebuilt, instead find someone who can build you a PC. Usually, shops like Microcenter or Canada Computers, or other computer shops can do so if you can't find anyone.

If you're looking for something on a cheap budget, something like this should suffice: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RDK4ZJ - Assuming you live in the US.

It will run TF2 pretty well.

prebuilts are fine just don't buy from ♥♥♥♥♥♥ companies

They can be pricey for what you get, and are often poorly balanced. Having Microcenter or a similar store build you a custom build is usually better on the wallet and it's usually going to be a better balanced system if you can't build it yourself.

[poliakov.noam]

everyone is being so kind its so sweet

[cardboard bottle]

just google dell/hp gaming desktop and whatever is more than 100 dollars you should be good. but high cpu and ram and gpu shouldint have to be too strong, most likely they will play minecraft and roblox so dont go super cheap or weak. also a stronger one will last longer.

[DarkCrystalMethod]

Don't forget the right keyboard and mouse.
Extra buttons are "nice" if you know how to use them(and have hands large enough).
I never use the built-in keyboard on a laptop when gaming, that wears it out and then it starts doing "strange" things. External USB KB and M is optimal.

[Dye&]

Buy him expensive and high quality pc and monitor but spend the rest like 12 dollars for the mouse and keyboard