Best Entry-Level Gaming PCs for Young Gamers

Buying a gaming PC for young gamers can be tricky as you balance educational and gaming needs. Desktops and laptops in schools are essential tools, and sometimes parents need to secure a dedicated machine for video games. But what if you need one machine for both educational and video game use? Is there a PC to satisfy both school and pleasure? For the best experience, selecting the right entry-level gaming PC is crucial.

In this article, we’ll explore gaming computers for young users. The best gaming computers not only offer powerful performance but also support educational needs. We’ll guide you through choosing the best gaming PC for younger users that meets your budget. When choosing the best gaming PC, consider both budget and performance. We’ll even provide a guide on future-proofing your investment, ensuring the best value for money.

What Features Do You Need?

Let’s start with hardware. High-quality components play a crucial role in delivering a smooth gaming experience. If you’re new to PC gaming or buying your first gaming PC, you may opt for an entry-level gaming computer. Instead, look for one that’s best for you and the games you play.

A mid-range processor, like an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5, along with 16 GB DDR5 RAM, supports most video games. Storage-wise, solid-state drives (SSDs) are the trend. Look for a good amount - 512GB to 1TB SSD. Some PCs have the option to combine both SSD and HDD (hard-disk drive) which is great because you’ll have more space - fast SSDs speed up load-times, while a large HDD gives you tons of space to store games.

Next, you’ll want a good graphics card for smooth gameplay. Gaming PCs require significant power, and thus a dedicated graphics card is crucial. For younger users, a NVIDIA GTX 1660 or AMD Radeon RX 580 GPU supports 1080p gaming at 60 fps. On this note, if looking at a laptop or desktop monitor, consider one with a high-refresh rate (144Hz+) and IPS or OLED panels for good colour.

If you’re a parent, you may want some parental controls to manage play time and ensure age-appropriateness of content. Many operating systems come with built-in controls to set time limits, restrict access to games/websites and monitor what your child sees online. These features ensure a balanced and safe gaming experience for younger users. If you want extra protection, installing a child-safe web browser and antivirus helps.

HP Entry-Level Gaming PCs

Reviewed as some of the best entry-level options, these ensure great gaming experiences without breaking the bank. Here are some PCs to consider for young gamers in Singapore.

The HP Victus Series

The HP Victus is a great starting point for new gamers, with both desktop and laptop options. The Victus offers a solid build and is among the best in budget gaming PCs.

For portability, the Victus gaming laptops may suit you (or your child) better. They’re entry-level gaming PC options that are powerful and portable. The Victus offers a balanced design and great value for its price.

Best Entry-Level Gaming Laptop for Young Gamers

The Victus 16.1 inch Gaming Laptop is an excellent choice for young gamers who need a machine for both gaming and schoolwork. This powerful yet affordable laptop features an AMD Ryzen 5 8640H processor capable of reaching 5.0 GHz max boost clock with 16 MB L3 cache, perfect for homework and gaming alike.

• Windows 11 Home operating system

• NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU (8 GB GDDR6 dedicated)

• 16.1" diagonal FHD display

• 16 GB memory and 512 GB SSD storage

• USB-C connectivity with DisplayPort and Power Delivery support

This Victus model offers the performance young gamers need without breaking the bank, making it ideal for students who want to play the latest games while having sufficient power for educational applications and productivity tasks.

The HP OMEN Series

Known for high-end gaming, the HP OMEN is our flagship series when it comes to satisfying gamer needs. It delivers extraordinary gaming PC power and is ideal for enthusiasts. These PCs come equipped with slightly more powerful internals, with Intel Core Ultra processors and dedicated NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics.

Priced a bit higher than the Victus, gamers will see a difference in performance and visuals when they play, especially when in-game settings are maxed. You also get OMEN Gaming Hub to personalise everything from FPS to RGB lighting.

Premium Gaming Laptop for Serious Young Gamers

The OMEN Transcend 14 inch Gaming Laptop represents the premium end of gaming laptops, perfect for serious young gamers who demand high performance. This sophisticated machine comes with an Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor featuring 16 cores and 22 threads for exceptional multitasking capabilities.

• Windows 11 Home operating system

• Intel Arc Graphics for impressive visual performance

• 14" diagonal 2.8K display for stunning visuals

• 16 GB memory and generous 1 TB SSD storage

• Advanced connectivity with Thunderbolt 4 and multiple USB ports

The OMEN Transcend balances powerful performance with portability, making it perfect for young gamers who need a premium machine that can handle AAA gaming titles while also excelling at resource-intensive school projects like video editing or programming.

Price-Performance Comparison

Making the Right Choice

Optimal gameplay settings may vary from game to game, but for the most part, you’d want a balance between frame rate performance and graphics. In general, popular video games benefit from a great GPU, strong CPU, and ample RAM and storage. These PCs are tested for optimised performance in the latest video games. This config, standard in the PCs mentioned above, provides a solid foundation to enjoy popular franchises with some headroom for future releases.

If you’re thinking about buying a PC for school, the Victus and OMEN lines are more than sufficient, and with Windows 11 Home pre-installed and the option to purchase MS Office 365 (at a discount), students have a powerful productivity ecosystem at their fingertips. For household needs, these starter models are versatile enough to handle photo/video editing and stream movies and TV shows in high resolution. If you plan to store movies, photos and documents, alongside games on your PC, consider adding extra storage. Models with additional expansion capabilities can help future-proof your investment, so consider this as well. A prebuilt gaming PC with upgrade potential is a smart choice.

Value Features

All our PCs come with standard warranty coverage, typically one-year limited warranty that covers manufacturing defects. For extra peace of mind, extended warranty options including accidental damage protection are offered. With pickup and return included, these services can be beneficial, especially if your child is prone to mishaps.

Support options for our gaming PCs reflect our commitment to customer satisfaction. Users have access to technical support via phone, chat and email. HP Support Assistant comes pre-installed and gives you additional tools to troubleshoot and run diagnostics. HP’s online support forums and community also offer valuable resources for self-help and peer assistance. In a sense, you’re fully covered no matter which PC you purchase.

Other value features include:

• HP SmartFriend offers coaching on all things tech, like “how-to” guides and software installation.

• OMEN Gaming Hub, offered on all HP OMENs, optimises performance and customisability for all your games.

• Light Studio feature lets you customise colours, animations and lighting across your hardware and peripherals. It has 16.8 million colours to choose from.

• HP Sure Sense lets you game in peace, protecting your PC with AI. This anti-virus safeguards against 99% of known and unknown malware, protecting endpoints from threats like APTs and ransomware.

Future-Proofing your Investment

This is the idea that adding new components in a PC can prevent aging and make it run longer. Even if you have the best PC right now, there’s a chance that it’ll fall behind in a couple years, so future proofing is a concept to leave room for upgrades. To do this, take note of the motherboard, CPU, GPU, RAM and memory - as these will be the main components affecting longevity. Understanding what you have also ensures new components complement the rest of your system.

Next, look for a PC with expansion slots and compatibility with newer tech. Pay particular attention to PCIe slots (currently PCIe 4.0 or 5.0) and their ability to accommodate GPUs and NVMe SSDs in the future. Invest in systems with both traditional HDDs and fast SSDs to expand storage as you download more games. Gaming laptops like the OMEN series often offer better expansion options than regular laptops. This versatility makes them some of the best gaming PCs for future expansions. Lastly, RAM. While 8GB might suffice for games today, you’ll probably need 16GB or 32GB to remain competitive in the future, so consider this as well.

As with all modern PCs, regularly maintain and clean it to prevent dust build-up. Dust impairs cooling which will affect overall performance. Also keep your BIOS and drivers updated so that everything runs smoothly with the latest software.

How to Set up your PC

Unboxing and setup can be confusing, but don’t worry, here’s how to do it: Complete these steps to get your machine up and running smoothly.

1. Set up the space: Gaming laptops with their advanced cooling systems need proper ventilation, so make sure the space you have is properly ventilated.

2. Connect peripherals: Connect the keyboard and mouse if needed, and any external monitor you might use for a larger display.

3. Install software: Boot up the PC and follow instructions on-screen to install essential software. If you have an OMEN, check if OMEN Gaming Hub is installed; if not, install it.

4. Set up user accounts: Create a parental admin account for you and a separate user account for your child. To calibrate parental controls, go to Settings > Accounts > Your info to create your administrative account, then with this account sign in to the Microsoft Family Safety and select your child’s account to manage settings.

Next Steps

Now that you’re familiar with the fundamentals, it’s time to take the plunge and gift that special young person with a gaming PC perfect for them. Gaming PCs are an investment, but with proper care, can last a long time and serve multiple purposes, from conquering virtual worlds to completing school assignments.

If you’re considering a versatile gaming laptop that balances academic needs with entertainment, our HP Victus and OMEN series offer excellent options for different budgets and performance requirements. If you’re still unsure or have questions, our team in Singapore is more than happy to help you along the way.