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Image: Lenovo
Console or PC?
Ask what their friends play. If it’s on console, buy that console. If they want PC games, mods, or a computer for homework too, get a PC.
Laptop or desktop?
A gaming laptop does homework and moves between rooms. A desktop upgrades more easily. For a first setup, a laptop like the Lenovo LOQ Essential 15 keeps it simple. Plan to add a second 16GB RAM stick: its spare slot is free, per Lenovo.
Budget for the whole setup
The laptop is only part of it. Count a mouse, headphones and maybe a monitor. A 1440p screen like the AOC Q27G3XMN makes a laptop feel like a desktop at home.
What you don’t need to pay for
RGB lighting. It doesn’t add frames.
4K. None of the laptops here has a 4K screen.
The “gaming” version of every accessory.
Before you hand it over
Set up a child account with parental controls on Windows through Microsoft Family Safety. Consoles and Steam have their own controls too. Agree on time limits before the first game installs, not after.
Image: Lenovo
Lenovo LOQ Essential 15IRX11 (83SC007RUS)
A 65W GPU and one RAM stick, with a free slot. Know what you're getting.
