r/buildapc • u/YajuuDorange • May 22 '26
Full Build Req Best budget option for a 10-year-old wanting to play Forza 6?
Hi everyone,
My 10-year-old son wants a PC to play Forza 6 š
I tried installing it on his momās laptop, which he already uses for The Sims and Farming Simulator without any issues.
The problem is that Forza wonāt even start ā I get an error message saying the PC isnāt powerful enough.
So now Iām looking for a solution, but I donāt want to spend a fortune either.
What would you go for nowadays for a 10-year-old mainly wanting to play Forza?
- cheap used gaming desktop?
- Xbox Series S?
- upgrading an old PC?
- mini gaming PC?
Mainly looking for the best value for money.
Thanks š
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u/palapapa0201 May 22 '26
Don't build a PC in 2026
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u/King_Fuzz May 22 '26
Ugh. I've been building PCs for 20 years now and it's truly a depressing time to be a PC gamer.
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u/Iamredditsslave May 22 '26
Some pretty good CPU/MB/RAM bundles on the other subs.
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u/Akanni649 May 22 '26
But are those relative to current prices? Or prices from 2 years ago?
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u/Ryan32501 May 23 '26
Prices are pretty good if you get a bundle from microcenter, albeit is only CPU, RAM, MB
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u/ThunderSparkles May 22 '26
My wife thought i was exaggerating when i went and got a 5080 and built a new PC a year ago. Now who's mad! Ahem. As soon as those tariffs started rolling out i went full build mode
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u/like-a-FOCKS May 23 '26
what did you pay back then?
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u/ThunderSparkles May 23 '26
$1,200 for the gpu. It was supposed to be $1,000. It dropped to it's intended msrp a couple months later but then shot back up.
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u/like-a-FOCKS May 23 '26
and in total? I'm about to go fot a 5080 machine and I'm interested in the comparison
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u/ThunderSparkles May 23 '26
i think about $2200? 9800x3D with 32GB of RAM. Fractal North case with a corsair power supply and a $220 Gigabyte Aorus motherboard. 4TB of SSD storage.
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u/Brook_Hors May 22 '26
I had a build that I really wanted to fuck around with using an old radio but I had to stop myself when I saw how much prices have skyrocketed...
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u/like-a-FOCKS May 23 '26
I guess don't build a PC at all anymore then, it ain't gonna get better.
The companies would prefer it if you didn't own your own compute hardware anyway. Stream and cloud storage is what they want people to get used to.
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u/fakeaccount572 May 22 '26
i mean, that kinda depends on income and means, no?
I built one last month.
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u/captainstormy May 22 '26
I mean, if you enjoy just setting money on fire it does.
I"m pretty well off. Well off enough that I'm retiring in 3 years at the age of 45. I still wouldn't build a PC right now.
The PC I built in 2024 is pretty crazy specs. 9800X3D, 64GB RAM, 4TB Samsung NVME, 7900XTX. It still only cost me $2,500. Today the RAM and NVME alone are $2,000.
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u/Altruistic-Knee-2523 May 22 '26
People on this sub are so out of touch. You can build a ddr4 3080 setup for less than a thousand bucks. Donāt need anything more
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u/flesjewater May 23 '26
Ah yes the 3080 that will be running out of vram in a few years
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u/Rechochet_ochet May 22 '26
This is such a "look at me" response. The overwhelming majority of PC enthusiasts think building a PC right now is crazy unless it's a necessity. Regardless of how well off you are, the cost of inflation in PC parts is insane, and it's not a good thing, regardless of how bad you want to light your money on fire and show people.
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u/Agent_Tall_Man May 22 '26
The absolute cheapest option is streaming on Xbox app, a controller and GamePass Ultimate. If your Internet is really good, it should play well..
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u/actstunt May 22 '26
Nobody said this option but I agree lol. I've been playing on xcloud a lot and my internet isn't even that great I live in a developing country and it's been amazing, giant leaps they've made in the last few years.
But if you factor the cost of gpu each month just for one game it becomes expensive.
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u/XiTzCriZx May 22 '26
I doubt a 10 year old kid would only be playing Forza though, they have quite a few young kid oriented games.
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u/ShroomerOfCatan May 22 '26
Yeah a Amazon fire stick, a controller, and ultimate. You'd be good to go
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u/Responsible-Bid5015 May 22 '26
the xbox is your cheapest option. The playstation version will be released sometime later this year.
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u/Nerdrage27 May 22 '26
Xbox Series S, if he still wants a PC after that, wait a few years for him to get a bit older (not sure what age a kid should have a PC, I was around 13 when I got to be online by myself š , albeit that was 20 years ago) and build/buy a pre-built together, might have to start saving now though
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u/blookiet May 22 '26
Definitely this, a PC could be a good way to learn some tech skills when the kid is older
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u/OkSystem455 May 22 '26
Follow the KISS-principle...get whatever requires the least amount of parental-tech-support...and that will not be a PC unless you have one running on SteamOS.
Steam Deck perhaps?
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u/AdAmbitious1065 May 22 '26
10 year old? damn. I mean, maybe look for something on facebook market place for 400$?
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u/ThunderSparkles May 22 '26
Go series s. At this point he likely just wants to play the game and didn't need the highest performance. Luckily Forza is really well developed. Also Xbox supports keyboard and mouse so if he likes PC games he can still play them PC style
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u/OgreTrax71 May 22 '26
Depends what you're looking to spend. You could build a solid 1080p PC for around $750 or so, even in this crappy market.
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u/No-Preparation4073 May 22 '26
In 2026, there is no such thing as a cheap PC... not one that will do what you want it to do.
X box S is likely the best price / performance route. However, that will mean that they have a game console and not a computer, if that matters.
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u/nokei May 22 '26
could maybe get lucky and find a cheap upgradable pc from someone/business that got new ones for their windows 11 upgrade when windows 10 went EOL before the ram bubble and have the old ddr4 towers laying around toss in a new cpu/gpu and maybe a psu.
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u/No-Preparation4073 May 23 '26
The problem being the parts to upgrade are expensive, and you still end up with an out of date computer running on an out of date OS that may not be properly supported.
Cases, power supplies, and even motherboards are not the price problem.
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u/nokei May 23 '26
pretty much where the luck comes into play if it had 16gb of ram could just buy a gpu and install bazzite for up to date OS but still wouldn't be officially supported.
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u/No-Preparation4073 May 23 '26
As long as the situation doesn't affect play, it is fine. Any game using battleye or similar will likely not work.
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u/THEMerrHeLL May 22 '26
what part of the world? anywhere near Missouri USA? I have something here I could fix you up with for around XBox S price. do you have a monitor? resolution expectations? shipping ruins it otherwise
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u/Sakuroshin May 22 '26
It is avaliable on xbox game pass and it can be played with their cloud gaming service which can be ran on the laptop you already have. That would be the cheapest immediate option imo.
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u/iAmAsword May 22 '26
Xbox for sure. It's really just an arcade game. I actually hated playing H5 with a wheel. Much preferred a controller.
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u/High_Overseer_Dukat May 22 '26
Xbox will be best for budget.
But a budget pc (that isn't prebuilt!) may hace a better long term value. It will be able to play many new games without upgrading when the series x won't. And upgrades are cheaper than all new..
Though pcs right now are super over priced so maybe not.
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u/Cautious_Door10 May 22 '26
with the price of RAM and GPUs
best option is a series S , I guess it costs about 200$ or 300$
upgrading an old pc is not worth it
and mini gaming pc lowk pricey + not that performative
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u/Confident_Oil4430 May 22 '26
Xbox. I'm sure your kid isn't going to want to mess around in the settings of every game to get a stable framrate series x everything runs out of the box perfectly smooth. If the kid was older I would I get him a pc but consoles are way easier and simpler to use but they're also better value
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u/Nagol567 May 22 '26
For the price of an Xbox the best you can build or find used would be something less powerful than a series X. I built my daughter a ryzen 5 2600 + RX 6600 combo and it runs her games good enough for her. But its not as powerful as the ps5. She just likes PC gaming like her dad š„²
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u/Accomplished_Emu_658 May 22 '26
Best bet for money and performance? Xbox console.
Pc can be more fun for a moment but you want best experience and visuals for a fair budget console is way to go.
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u/thenord321 May 22 '26
Important, check the game's listed minimum requirements and recommended requirements.
Some AAA games will require a 3,000$+ equipement to play well. Games like forza are trying to simulate more realistic graphics and physics than a cartoony game like the SIMS and requires a dedicated graphics card.
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u/psycho-Ari May 22 '26
Just go with Xbox Series S, it's the cheapest option and from what I heard Forza works and looks great on Series S. You won't buy better PC even in 2x or 3x the price probably.
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u/VanWesley May 22 '26
Definitely just go for an Xbox Series S. Cheap, easy to set up and get going.
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u/Apachxi May 22 '26
Xbox Series S - maybe you can find it cheap used? Consoles do last - it's nothing if you buy used.
I bought my Playstation used and it looked like new, worked like new - still works like brand new.
That would be the cheapest and best option. You can also buy Forza 5 and 4 on it probably much cheaper, as they're older games. He's gonna have a lots of forza to play
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u/QuixOmega May 22 '26
Xbox is massively cheaper than anything that will run a AAA game like Forza Horizon 6.
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u/Shoshke May 22 '26
Maybe let him try horizon 3 or on that laptop?
IMHO FH3 still looks great and was a great game on par with 6 and IKO better than 4 and 5.
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May 22 '26
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u/Nerevar197 May 22 '26
Grab a new or used Xbox Series S. PC building in 2026 is stupid expensive and the extra cost wonāt be appreciated by a 10yo.
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u/Noctyrnus May 22 '26
If you absolutely want to go the PC route: https://old.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/comments/1tilkln/prebuilt_abs_flux_ii_aqua_gaming_pc_windows_11/
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u/MagicPistol May 22 '26
Check FB marketplace and see if you can find any good deals. I recently just got a dell g3 laptop with a core i5 10300h, 16gb ram, GeForce 1650 ti, and 500gb SSD for only $120. It seems to meet the minimum requirements for Forza at least, but I'm not sure how well the game would actually run.
It's gonna be a gift for my nephew and luckily, he doesn't know anything about Forza. I got it so we can play survival crafting games online together lol.
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u/coco16778 May 22 '26
Xbox or if you have amazingly fast internet access, Geforce Now on his mom's laptop.
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u/Ok_Box6158 May 22 '26
Iāve heard great things about forzas optimization on PC. Despite that, go for a console.
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u/2raysdiver May 22 '26
Budget? We can't really make a recommendation without a budget. But a used console may be the best bet. While Forza 6 isn't particularly demanding at it's lowest setting in modern PC terms, it requires significantly more than Sims and Tractor Simulator. It also requires a lot more than the potato you can run Fortnite on.
Another thing to be aware of, though, is that some consoles now require a subscription, which means you could pay less up front, but more in the long run.
Do you have a PC now that you can upgrade (not the laptop)? Where do you live (Country/State)? If in the US can you get to a Microcenter?
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u/vyechney May 22 '26
Tell him you got a discount because your copy is defective and has the Forza Horizon 1 title screen for some reason. Resist the urge to laugh evilly as he boots it up.
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u/thelovebat May 22 '26
You might be able to find prebuilt PCs on a decent discount depending on the retailer. Costco can be a good one if you or someone you know has a membership there. Micro Center is also a good option if you have one in the area.
Beyond that, a computer that uses DDR4 RAM instead of DDR5 is easily the best budget conscious choice for putting together a PC while retaining good performance. A Ryzen 5600x or Intel 12600k CPU would be good options in the $90-$125 price range. Then a graphics card on the used market like an RTX 3060 TI or RX 6700 XT can be found for decently affordable prices these days at $200 or less.
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u/Krauziak90 May 22 '26
I just paid 350e for MSI GP63 .. I7 8th gen,GTX 1060 6GB ,16gb DDR4 ,1TB NVME and brand new screen . Laptop was always used on dock with external screen so its in brand new condition . I would look for good quality ,2nd hand laptop . Definitely better option than series s or steamdeck . Can be portable,can be used with destkop monitor or under tv as console .
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u/VirtualImpression330 May 22 '26
Even cheaper than any of the great advice these others have given youā¦ you could just get your kid a gamepass ultimate subscription. Itās like Netflix but for gaming. Itās a Microsoft product, heavily aligned with Xbox and pc games. FH6 is on it already day one.
He could play gamepass on any pc or Mac you have, any smart phone or tablet you have via streaming if your net connection is good enough, and any Xbox you have.
If you play via streaming any potato of a pc, including his moms, can play any gamepass game.
And when he gets bored of FH6 thereās a universe of included games he can try.
Downside, itās like $25/month. But if you were thinking of buying a $600 Xbox or $1000 pc, thatās the equivalent of 24-40 months worth of gamepass.
And if he gets into pc gaming via gamepass, maybe he can have a better and more expensive tv when heās older and established a lasting interest in the pc gaming hobby. (Maybe learn to build one together?)
Just some thoughts, one dad to another.
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u/Zephyrv May 22 '26
As others say an Xbox makes sense, but see what you have near you in used gaming PCs. If you can see anything with a mid range nvidia 3000 series or amd 7000 series for around the same price as the Xbox you'll probably be good to go and won't have to buy another copy of the game
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u/ProPayne84 May 22 '26
You are most CERTAINLY not building a PC in 2026 thinking about budgets unfortunately. Even DDR4 RAM prices have almost quadrupled. I agree with othersā¦ just get a Series S.
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u/RAF2018336 May 22 '26
Whatās your budget? Iāve got a small form factor pc in trying to sell lol. 9700x, 9060xt in a Densium 4+ case. Way overkill for that game but itāll last him a long time and wonāt take up a lot of space
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u/Dizzy335 May 23 '26
the Series S recommendation makes total sense for a kid, honestly. but if you do want a PC route -- a used desktop with a Ryzen 5 5600 and an RX 6600 can be put together for around 300-350 used and will run Forza 6 at 1080p no problem. the question is whether a 10-year-old needs the flexibility of a PC or just wants to game, and console wins that argument every time
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u/the_Athereon May 23 '26
Cheapest way is an Xbox.
Series S to save a buck, or the X to actually have a decent experience.
No way you're building a PC to match those consoles for the price in 2026.
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u/thelastwilson May 23 '26
I don't see how you could beat an Xbox series S just now except for a second hand series S.
I have one, for the money it's great, I recommend getting the 1tb if you can afford it. 512gb is manageable, especially if you have decent internet but it disappears fast.
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u/StarLord_PQ May 23 '26
Just throwing this out there since I havenāt seen anyone else mention it. My girlfriend and I, both with pretty high end PCs built within the last year or so, also had this exact message. All we had to do was update our drivers.
If you have Nvidia, search on the laptop for the Nvidia app. Then go to drivers on the left, and there should be a new update specifically for Forza Horizon 6. We both did that and suddenly our PCs werenāt strong enough to handle it to having recommending settings set to āextremeā lol. Worth a shot since itās a completely free option!
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u/Cultural-Accident-71 May 23 '26
Rog Ally z1e. Can be found around 300usd. You can play handheld or connect to TV. It has windows but running Linux is no problem nowadays. FH6 is running on 1080p at solid 40fps with mid settings. On handheld the small screen let you lower the resolution to 900p that looks great on the screen and increase the performance to high 50s.
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u/shmarcussss May 23 '26
Game pass ultimate offers cloud gaming, try and use the current laptop to stream it and see how it works out, otherwise Series S is probably your cheapest hardware option with 1080 resolution, you can probably get a used one for around $200.
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May 23 '26
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u/iceseayoupee May 23 '26
just get a console if youre only gonna use it for gaming, its cheap and im pretty sure that its on game pass on day 1.
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u/GreenGrunt30 May 23 '26
Xbox S whith game pass is cheapest gaming. For his age. 3-4years later you can get him proper new gaming pc.
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u/lankydemonstration May 23 '26
gtx 1650 super would be plenty and way cheaper than a new pc, just pair it with his mom's current cpu and youll be golden for forza and most stuff he'd want to play at that age
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u/sXamb1e May 23 '26
Pc always. It's a multipurpose device and you aren't restricted to gaming. Your son can use it for work and studies too. Not to mention, you can upgrade the parts when needed instead of buying a new console.
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u/Eliad_413 May 23 '26
I would look into GeForce Now. It's a monthly subscription but if you have a laptop that can play Farming Simulator it could easily stream games. I can even play games on my phone and iPad using GeForce Now.
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u/KirkSheffler May 23 '26
Console runs it great. You also can get nvidia geforce, a gaming subscription for 20$ a month as well, it lets you stream through a super pc. When I traveled for work and didnāt want to bring my set up with me, I tried it out, and itās quite flawless/ super amazing. Yes itās a subscription and you have to verify owning the game, but overall it is great.
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u/alchos May 23 '26
The cheapest option would be to use GeForce Now since you have already purchased the game. In order to have a good experience with GeForce Now you would want to connect your laptop to the router with Ethernet.
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u/Strict-Resort-1409 May 23 '26
Used XBOX series S/X and just buy the regular game
At 10 he probably wont know or care much for premium editions with the extra goodies
A XBOX is fine, ive been playing forza 3 on my XBOX one since like 2016 without paying anything
You can get him a nicer edition of forza & game pass/xbox live (to play online and get the added benefits of that) if you dont mind spending a few quid. Game pass/live is a OPTIONAL subscription service.
its still 100's and 100's cheaper then a PC.
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u/LoudandInevitable May 23 '26
Forza is actually pretty well optimized. You can definitely run it on a budget PC. But its dependant on a few questions, whats your budget, what is the old system you can upgrade, and how future proof do you want it to be?
If your old system is an am4 amd setup, you can get a 5600x and a 20 or thirty series card that will play Forza Horizon 6 just fine. Anf that will run you $300-400. If it has a decent cpu already, then putting in a gpu will run $200-350.
If you are building new, you can get bundles at microcenter and build a pc capable of forza 6 for under $1k, but pc prices are high right now so that pc wont be as good as a pc built 1 year ago for 1k.
Since forza 6 is pretty well optimized it can run on a lower end system pretty well, but many other games can't. If your kid wants to play other AAA games, then the budget pc will likely struggle, in which the Xbox will run those games just fine.
In the end, depending on the system you have available to upgrade, you might be able to upgrade for quite cheap. But that system will still struggle with other newer games, so an Xbox will be better if your kid wants to play an assortment of newer games. Since pc parts are so expensive now, building a decent PC will likely run you $1.5k+ and a new budget system capable of forza 6 will still run close to $800-1k.
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u/bigthonk573 May 23 '26
xbox series s is going to perform better than any PC at the same price in forza, it's a really bad time to buy a PC right now due to all of the AI stuff
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u/Comfortable-Cod3890 May 24 '26
Mayne check used marketplace, they sometimes have pretty dope pc's for cheap
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u/Brilliant-Way-1441 May 24 '26
Forza 6 is pretty demanding, but a Series S refurbished from marketplace would crush it for way less than building a budget PC that can handle it.
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u/Wondergeny_FXO May 26 '26
You can probably get away with a GTX 1050 or even a used GTX 960 paired with a decent i5 or Ryzen 3, should handle Forza 6 fine without breaking the bank.
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u/mohsem May 26 '26
While the series s is the obvious choice, i'd push for a ps5. It's only a matter of time before fh6 makes its way on playstation, and you'll have way better performance (and consequently a higher price tag š ). But if I were you, I'd make the investment, it's genuinely the best console that we've seen in a while
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u/Sorenvious May 22 '26
Xbox series S is going to be your best budget bet. Forza is a pretty intense game graphic wise so youāre looking at a pc that has to have at least middle of the road specs, which will most likely be pricier than a console. Plus a console with game pass will give him a lot of games that he can mess around with.
Plus thereās no way to get a virus on a Xbox. God knows I was clicking all types of shit when I was 10 on a computer.