Last Updated on December 4, 2023
The Alarco gaming PC is due for a proper review update as it seems to still be sold as a solid budget-friendly pre-built gaming PC.
Super-affordable PC rigs are pretty limited on the market today so it’s no wonder that the Alarco PCs stand out for those wanting to save the most money possible on a PC – people are still buying this PC and my goal is to help those to stay away from these PCs or to help them on an upgrade path using these cases.
In this review, we will go over the different variations of the Alarco gaming PCs, each of which uses a similar (extremely old) hardware configuration but with different case designs. Unfortunately, there isn’t much of anything good to share about these PCs… as you’re much better off going with other rigs or building a PC of your own.
With that, let’s get to the review.
Product: Alarco Gaming PC
Recommended Price: Around $500
Cheapest Place To Buy: Amazon.com
Warranty: 1 Year
My Rating: See below!
Pros
- Highly affordable when the market was crashing
- Cool enough cases with decent airflow (with some variations)
Cons
- Uses hardware that came out around 2012-2014
- Is not able to handle or run today’s AAA games
- An upgrade path involves replacing every single part
Inexpensive Gaming Rigs From Alarco?
These gaming rigs from the brand “Alarco” have sort of been in the spotlight on Amazon for a little while now due to the past craziness in the GPU market. These days, the market has settled and there are plenty of choices now – but back then, these Alarco PCs were being sold left and right as the only affordable pre-built on the market.
Their official website showcases all of their different pre-built rigs, but they all seem to be “out of stock” – they are purely focused on selling on Amazon.
And I wouldn’t bet on any solid customer support or them making good on their policy – their contact page is a 404 error at the time of this writing… So you aren’t able to reach out to them through their official website.
I tried to use an internet archive to see if they’ve done anything in the past but I wasn’t able to access the pages that would elaborate on what the company is about.
Although we aren’t able to see how they brand themselves and what they’re about, they seem to at least be transparent about the hardware they put into these PCs.
Now that the market is essentially back to normal (compared to the insane market changes a few years back for PC hardware) I wouldn’t even bat an eye at these PCs.
But since times were rough for those of us searching for good hardware at good prices, we almost had no choice but to consider getting a very cheap PC to have a PC gaming foundation to start out on.
So, is there room to upgrade these PCs?
Are they even worth the time and money to one day upgrade them to high-performance gaming PCs?
Let’s look into the actual hardware going on with these rigs – let’s see what kind of performance we can expect right out of the gate.
Please, look into the guide on how to build your own PC for $500 here on the site – I’m more than happy to help you build something that will actually work well for gaming!
With that out of the way, feel free to continue reading through the rest of the review about the rig if you want. I hope it helps you to understand what is actually going on with this PC and how it doesn’t compare to anything that you would be able to put together for yourself.
Main Features
The main differences when it comes to overall features with each Alarco desktop is with the case design and how many fans come with. Otherwise, all of these different Alarco PCs have, essentially, all of the same main features.
There are a couple of desktops that they provide that don’t come with some of these specific features but it’s easy to tell which ones come with what.
The newest versions of the Alarco desktop PCs come with a RGB remote which lets you change the colors of the fans and/or accent lighting of the case.
There are multiple colors as well as different lighting settings to choose from.
There are 2x USB 2.0 slots on the top of the case along with a single USB 3.0 slot.
Then there are some other slots available at the back of the PC from the motherboard. That brings the total number of USB slots to 3x USB 3.0 and 4x USB 2.0.
I’ll touch up on why a specific variation of the Alarco desktop is recommended over the others here later on, but the version you should go with comes with 6 total RGB fans.
There are 3 intake fans in the front, 2 exhaust fans on the top, and a single exhaust fan in the back.
The side panel is tempered glass and altogether it’s a good-looking aesthetic with the RGB fans and the case put together as a whole. Plenty of ventilation going on as well.
That about covers everything when it comes to the main features involved with these Alarco PCs – now, onto the important bits about overall gaming performance!
Gaming Performance
Gaming performance is the obvious main focus when it comes to any gaming PC that you might be looking at getting.
Most of the performance in-game will be from the graphics card (GPU). The power of the GPU will help to dictate how smooth (or not) a game will be able to run.
Then when we combine this expected power with the computer’s processor (CPU) we will have a general idea of how it’ll run some of the most popular games that are out there.
Let’s start with the GPU. Does it have enough power to justify having it come with this PC?
Below is a quick benchmark chart to compare the performance with other graphics cards similar to it – all of which were released around 2012-2013.
For those of you that don’t understand what all of those video card comparisons really mean – I’ve elaborated on the performance in this next section.
GPU Performance
All of the Alarco gaming desktops come with a GTX 750 4GB graphics card. This is a step up from what they used to use (GTX 650 1GB) but it’s still not enough to run new AAA title games at decent settings. You’re still going to have trouble running almost any newer game with this card.
This card is several generations old but it makes sense why it’s included in these desktops. When these PCs were first coming out, it was almost impossible to get deals on current hardware – so all of the old hardware went into these PCs and were being sold as “gaming” PCs.
Sure, you can get a little bit of 1080p gaming performance out of this card. It’ll handle a game like Rocket League at 1080p and high graphics settings and still crank out over 60 FPS on average…
But before you decide on this PC… you need to ask yourself what you’re planning on playing and what you’re expecting to be able to play with this PC.
If you’re trying to play some of the newer titles such as Call of Duty Warzone, Cyberpunk 2077 or Apex Legends… You are going to have a rough time playing them.
They are hardly playable at all with a GTX 750 graphics card.
There are plenty of videos on GTX 750 performance that you can check for yourself to see what the card is capable of.
When it comes to all of the newer AAA titles that are out – this card isn’t going to be able to handle them.
Not without major downscaling of resolution and all the game’s graphics settings set to the lowest possible level.
Alarco says in their product page description that it’s able to run Fortnite at around 30 FPS average on lower settings as well as GTA V on lower settings… And this is true! You’ll be able to run some of those older or more optimized games at lower settings and 1080p resolution.
So in a nutshell – be certain of the exact games you plan on playing with this PC as it is.
The GTX 750 is a very old card. It first came out in 2014.
Think of the performance as basically right around the original Xbox One and PS4 for most games.
But also take optimization into account – it might run GTA V better than an original Xbox One but it’s not going to come remotely close to having a playable experience with a game such as Warzone.
CPU Performance
When you’re thinking of the overall performance such as how well it’d be able to run graphics programs or generic rendering – you also need to factor in the performance level of the processor.
This PC uses an Intel i5-2400 processor. This processor is from the 2nd generation of processors from Intel.
To compare it to what is being used today as far as processing performance – at the time of this writing – Intel is currently at their 13th generation of processors.
So… This is a very old processor that Alarco is using on this desktop. These came out around 2011-2012.
To sum it up – it’s not going to be able to handle any intensive graphics programs or rendering. Streaming would be extremely rough with this PC, even with games that are very low-demanding.
However – when it comes to running GTA V or other older, highly optimized games… This processor will get the job done.
There isn’t much more to say about the performance coming from the CPU…
Don’t expect to be able to run the latest versions of Photoshop optimally with a CPU like this and don’t expect it to be able to run the latest, high demanding AAA game titles.
The main concern with this CPU is the path of upgrading this PC as a whole – which is really the only reason for getting an Alarco PC anyway – but I’ll elaborate on that while we get into all of the other important pieces of hardware.
Other Important Hardware
Now that you know what you can expect when it comes to overall gaming performance – what about everything else going on with these PCs?
Is there a viable path for upgrading it?
Does it come with anything that will be practical in the future?
That’s what I’ll be looking at and explaining with the other hardware involved here. If you’re going to be buying this PC, you need to know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.
The most important part about this PC is whether or not there is anything to scavenge up when you’re able to effectively upgrade everything in the future.
Motherboard
So as you know, this PC uses a 2nd generation Intel processor.
That means that the processor needs to be compatible with a motherboard that was designed for those 2nd generation processors.
The Intel i5-2400 is compatible with motherboards that use the LGA 1155 socket.
So as far as upgrading the processor to something better in the future, using the same motherboard that came with the desktop, it’d also have to be compatible with an LGA 1155 socket.
Intel named the 2nd and 3rd generation processors Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge. That’s what the LGA 1155 socket motherboards are compatible with – Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processors.
Again, at the time of this writing, Intel is on their 11th generation of desktop processors.
If you were planning on getting this PC and upgrading the hardware in the future – you will have to replace the processor, motherboard, and RAM completely in order to have full compatibility with your upgrades.
That’s a lot of upgrading to have to do…
I’ll quickly go over the RAM and storage included with this and then I’ll explain my thoughts on whether or not it’s worth getting this desktop to do a full upgrade later on.
RAM
RAM (memory) is important for multi-tasking and when it comes to gaming, it helps with performance when you add in a bunch of different mods to games such as Skyrim or Minecraft.
This PC uses 8GB of DDR3 RAM. Two 4GB sticks are used and there are two RAM slots on the motherboard.
8GB of RAM is a good amount for the overall gaming performance of the CPU and the GPU. Although DDR3 is an old generation of RAM type – I’m happy to see that 8GB of total RAM is being used here.
In general, 8GB of RAM will be more than enough to handle a few things such as having Discord open while playing a game etc.
Now how much of that multi-tasking will come down to the performance of the CPU… So I wouldn’t expect to be able to run a stream, a YouTube video, or have Discord open with multiple people in a channel while playing GTA V.
Storage
This PC comes with 1TB of HDD storage. HDDs are traditional hard disk drives.
I was upset to see that this PC doesn’t come with a SSD (solid state drive) instead of an HDD… But the point of this PC seems to be to compromise some of the faster, newer hardware to have at least something.
Having the Windows 10 operating system installed on the 1TB HDD is going to make things run pretty slowly… especially when you compare it to the speed of today’s SSDs.
1TB of total storage will be more than enough to store everything you’ll need from the games and programs you use but eventually, you’ll want to add in a SSD and reinstall Windows to it.
Is This Worth Getting To Upgrade It?
Look, the only reason anyone is looking at a PC like this is so that they can have something while they wait out for the market to get better so that they can afford better parts.
If you’re absolutely desperate to have a desktop PC and you don’t feel like scouring around to build something on the cheap then I can see why you’d want to buy an Alarco gaming desktop…
But I want to encourage you to look into building your own PC. The market has really started settling down and it finally makes sense to build a gaming PC.
For $500, you could build a PC that could run Warzone or other newer titles just fine whereas this $500 pre-built can hardly handle those titles if at all.
For highly optimized games such as Valorant or CS2 – this PC will be able to play them just fine.
So if you’re truly needing a desktop PC for lower demanding titles and want an entry-level to it then this PC will work.
But you need to fully understand that in order to get this PC to run newer titles, you will essentially need to replace everything.
The only piece you will be able to salvage after upgrading is the hard drive because if you’re going into the 3000 series video cards as an upgrade in the future then you’ll also need more than a 500W power supply that comes with this PC.
If you’re dead set on this PC and you completely understand the performance level of it then I’d suggest getting the six-fan variation of this desktop.
The other versions don’t have as much cooling potential and for future upgrades, it’ll be very nice to have six fans ready to go.
Conclusion
All in all, if you’re looking at some cheaper budget options for a pre-built desktop today then you’ll likely come across an Alarco gaming computer.
The only reason this PC is justifiable at all is that the hardware market has had its ups and downs – but not today.
There are other pre-built gaming PCs that you can look at, although much higher in price… they’d be more justifiable.
If you’re looking for something that can run Valorant, Minecraft, CS2, GTA V or other older games then this will run them at a decent level with a tweaked low/medium setting.
It does NOT make sense to get this PC now that the hardware market has gone down significantly in price, making it worth it to build a PC of your own.
Since you will basically have to completely rebuild this PC in the future for upgrades – it’ll make more sense to simply build your own PC and have quadruple the amount of performance for the same price.
Keep in mind that Alarco mentions having a 1-year warranty but there isn’t any official contact form or anything…
But Amazon will surely work with you as they make those statements on their product page and they must follow through with those statements.
Be sure to read through the Amazon reviews as well, those are reviews from folks that have used this PC for some time now.
But be aware that some of the reviews could be from people who don’t understand the different levels of graphics settings and performance levels…
But, again, before you look into buying this desktop… PLEASE look into our guides here on the site for putting a build of your own together. For the same $500 today, you could put together a gaming PC that will actually be able to play every single game that is currently released and last for years to come!
So, are you going to be getting this PC?
What do you plan on playing with this rig?
Are you interested in a low-budget build to slowly upgrade from in the future?
Let me know in the comments below! 😀
Pros
- Highly affordable when the market was crashing
- Cool enough cases with decent airflow (with some variations)
Cons
- Uses hardware that came out around 2012-2014
- Is not able to handle or run today's AAA games
- An upgrade path involves replacing every single part
Hey there! 👋 I’m Colton, founder of PC Builds On A Budget.
Whether you need help putting your PC together, finding a great pre-built rig, or want some help finding awesome peripherals – I’ve got you covered!
I share my experiences of anything and everything related to gaming PCs with you here. 👍
Hi Colton I ran across this article and you when researching my Son PC I can not seem to get it to work correctly anymore it goes on and off it’s just a mess I wanted to see if it could be upgraded or how would I begin to build him one ? I’m trying not to have to purchase another money is tight
Hey Tijuan,
Unfortunately, all of the parts used with these Alarco PCs are extremely old… It makes sense that it randomly loses power and whatnot.
If you wanted to upgrade it, you’ll end up needing to replace each part essentially. You would still be able to use the case that came with the PC, but that’s the super unfortunate part about these PCs… They aren’t anything close to the level of performance you need for today’s games/uses.
You could start with a new motherboard, new RAM, and a new processor. Some processors come with integrated graphics which means you wouldn’t have to spend any money on a graphics card right away.
If this sounds like something you’d like to do, let me know and I’d be happy to try and help! 👍
Hey just ran accross this post my wife got this pc for my son and he wants to start streaming I know that I will have to buy new parts for that to happen so what would I need to buy for him to stream and game games like apex would the recommendations you gave may be enough and will I only need those 3 parts the graphics card, bored, and fam thank you for your time!
For good quality streaming… I’d recommend getting parts that are higher levels of performance compared to the 5600G processor. You’ll need a new CPU, new motherboard that is compatible with that CPU along with new RAM because the old RAM would not be compatible. Then to run the games on decent settings while streaming you’d need a good GPU to go along with it.
I suppose a more direct path for upgrading would be on what kind of streaming quality you/your son would want to get out of it. Different parts are going to provide different levels of performance on the streaming side of things and it’d be better to start out with parts that do that well, rather than sub par.
Let me know what you decide on or if you have an idea of the level of quality or how much you’re able to spend for replacing the parts then I can help you move forward from there!
Hey I ordered the parts u recommended that one guy was asking about at the beginning of January the new ram, mother bored and graphics card but I’m new to PCs so would it be easy for me to install these parts and where can I find like a guide to install them any help would be great thank you!
Also are these the only parts I will need to buy and install to. Run better overall for now
That’s this 5600G CPU/board combo or the other parts that were separate? You might need to do a BIOS update for the motherboard if it doesn’t ship with the latest update, otherwise yes, it would run better and be ready for any more future upgrades by changing out parts like that or something similar! 👍
Hi Colton I just received a this pc as a birthday gift I was wondering what parts I need to be able to run AAA Titles and apex legends I’m new to the pc world so I have no knowledge of the parts is there a specific motherboard to upgrade to graphics card ram I appreciate your help
Hey there, May.
You’ll need to replace almost all of the hardware in order to run Apex Legends smoothly… No, there is not a specific motherboard you’d need to replace but there are some options that I could recommend going with?
I’d first suggest going with a AM4 socket motherboard that can use Ryzen CPUs. Something like this motherboard from Asus would be great to use the Ryzen 5600G processor with. There are also some combo deals such as this motherboard/CPU combo that you could use. With a new board, you’ll need different RAM as the RAM that comes with the desktop isn’t compatible with newer boards. I’d recommend going with something like this 16GB kit from Corsair.
The 500W power supply should suffice for those replacement parts. You would be using the integrated Vega graphics from the Ryzen 5600G CPU since it has better performance than the GTX 650 card. Then, when you’re ready for better gaming performance, you could get a dedicated graphics card. With the integrated graphics from the 5600G, you’d be able to get 60 FPS average on low settings on Apex Legends.
I hope that I’ve helped! Let me know if you’d want other part recommendations, always happy to help!
Thanks Colton just ordered the parts will try this out for now !
Awesome! Reach out if you need any help, or to even let us know how it goes! 👍
So I installed all the parts last night and the rig turns on everything seems to be in place but when I plug the hdmi into the cpu the monitor says it’s nothing there idk if it’s the bios update that needs to be done please help
You’re able to get into BIOS, right?
If you can, then go into BIOS and check if there’s a “primary display” option. Set it to CPU graphics or IGP if that’s an available option. Sometimes monitors don’t detect the right input. Try to switch between different HDMI inputs, Displayport, and anything else on your monitor.
If you don’t get any display at all, does anything light up with the debug LED on the board? That can also help to narrow down what the issue is, if you’re unable to get to BIOS at all.
And you’ve got the RAM inserted into the correct slots, from what the manual for the motherboard shows?
I can’t get into bios to update I can’t get a a display when I plug hdmi into cpu I’ve removed the cmos battery that didn’t work either as far as lights the leds are on and on the mother board it’s self on the left side there’s a good light running through the mother board and the ram is in the right slots A2 B2 as suggested in the manual
And the board is the ASUS Prime B550-PLUS right? Are you able to try the Displayport instead of HDMI? It could default to the Displayport instead of HDMI.
The LEDs I’m referring to are the Q-LEDs – the board has debug lights and can tell you if there is a specific problem based on the different Q-LEDs that might be lit up. They are on the right side of the board, next to the RAM slots.
If the problem does end up being that you just need a Displayport cable for the board then you might be able to post with the 650 if you don’t have a Displayport cable.
I would also try another HDMI cable. Although you may have used that same cable with the old GPU, there’s a chance that the cable is just janky when it comes to using the integrated GPU with the 5600G.
And with the PC on, does it stay on? Fans are moving and lights stay on for good? If not, then you for sure have the second power connector next to the CPU plugged in all the way, right? Just gotta check off every possible box while troubleshooting!
Should I put the 650 in too plug into that and then see if I can access bios to change it ?
Hey I finally got it it was actually the b550m-A I returned it and got a tuf b550 plus wifi 2 for like 20 bucks more a much better buy it had flash back bios although the windows 11 installation was a pain I’m finally updated and set up will test it out soon thanks for all your help !
Awesome! Glad the return process was smooth and you were able to snag a board that worked out in the end! 👍
What graphics card do you recommend?
Hey there Miquel,
Are you referring to also using the components I recommended for this other user from before?
It comes down to what all of the other components you’re planning on upgrading to and what type of budget you’re working with. If you’re planning on upgrading using what I’ve linked for May, then I’d recommend starting with the integrated graphics from the 5600G processor then eventually going for something like this RX 6500 XT or this RX 6600 from PowerColor as, at the time of this writing, is the most budget friendly when it comes to those cards and they’re a good match with a 5600G processor.
Hi, I was looking to upgrade my son’s alarco with 8gb more ram. The one we have has 2 slots but only one 8gb golden memory card. I don’t much about upgrading and tigerdirect couldn’t help. Is the something compatible? Is it even worth it? Would it help?
Thanks Matt
Hey Matt,
You’d be much better off replacing the motherboard and getting 16GB of DDR4 RAM instead of getting another 8GB of DDR3 RAM. The parts that this build uses are much older than what’s available today… I’m not even sure how easy it would be to find a matching 8GB stick of the RAM that is currently installed.
If that’s something you’d want to look into doing, feel free to reach out again and I can help out! All in all, I don’t think it’d be worth finding another DDR3 8GB stick of RAM – it’d be worth going to 16GB of RAM after upgrading to a new board and replacing the CPU and GPU along with the RAM.
Can you recommend a motherboard as mentioned in your response. We were looking to upgrade to 16gb as well but as you mentioned above it might not be worth it.
Hey Michele,
It would not be worth adding another 8GB of RAM with the motherboard that’s included with the build. When you decide to upgrade to a newer motherboard, you will also need to replace the processor as well as the RAM – DDR3 RAM is not going to be compatible with a newer motherboard as well as the current CPU would not be compatible.
It comes down to what you’re trying to spend and what’s available. Let me know in a reply or another comment if you decide you’re wanting to upgrade everything, just gotta know your budget for upgrading and what kind of performance you’re looking for! 👍
what parts do i need to play something like elden ring
Hey Xavier,
You’ll need a much more powerful processor and video card to be able to run Elden Ring. As a bare minimum, you’d need a motherboard that is compatible with something like an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 3 3300X processor. Then you’d need 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and at least a GTX 1060 video card if you want decent performance on a tweaked medium graphics setting.
You’d still be able to use the same power supply with those part changes along with the storage that comes with. Unfortunately, the motherboard is very old that Alarco uses for this desktop as is and it is not compatible with newer hardware.
If you end up replacing everything and need help, I’m all ears! Happy to help – just reach out in another comment! ?
Hey there, My son is into gaming and we were wondering what in your opinion would be the best options for upgrading this pc. He mainly wants to upgrade it to play rainbow six siege and he has been using this pc and in powder settings he gets 30 to 40 fps. What in your opinion would be best for Rainbow Sue siege
Sorry I have trouble with words the word “powder” I mean to say lower
Hey Yaiden!
If you wanted to start with the video card for better performance then I would recommend something like this GTX 1660 from Zotac. Although there will be some bottleneck in performance with the CPU that is in the PC, it should still be a huge boost in performance compared to the video card that it currently uses.
As I mentioned in this part of the review – a full upgrade path will include almost replacing everything. The motherboard would have to be replaced for a better processor and you’d have to get DDR4 RAM because the DDR3 RAM that the PC uses would not be compatible with a newer generation of motherboard. I would suggest doing that down the road whenever you and your son deem it necessary for better performance in other games that he might be interested in playing.
Let me know if you end up replacing the video card with the Zotac GTX 1660 here – would love to hear back on how much your son would see in performance! Also feel free to ask away for anything else if you need help upgrading anything else, I’m all ears! ?
Thank you very much Colton, Me and My son are grateful for your help. I have done research and went looking on Amazon for components that will fit for the mother board and have ordered them. Again thank you very much for you helping us with upgrading the PC
Quick question if I was to get the GtX 1660 and swap the gtx 650 with the 1660 I wouldn’t have to upgrade anything else right?
Right, but as I mentioned, there would be some bottlenecking going on because of how old all of the other parts are. Eventually, you’ll absolutely need to upgrade everything else to fully utilize the GTX 1660 upgrade.
Hey Colton first of all I just want to say thank you for sharing your information on this pc! I’ve decided to do the upgrade path but I don’t know what pc parts to get for it could you help me with that? I’m looking to replace everthing if possible!
Hey Jacob!
That comes down to what type of processor you’d want to use as you’ll need to replace the motherboard with something that is compatible with the newer processors that are available.
So you’ll want to choose which processor you’d want to go with, which will narrow down which motherboards you could use with it. From there you’d be replacing the RAM, adding in a dedicated video card, etc!
Let me know if you need help as you move forward with choosing your parts, I’d be happy to help! ?
Thank you for helping me out Colton! I’m gonna completely honest with you, I don’t anything about pc parts (sorry if im being a nuisance) what would be your recommendation for a processor and motherboard?
No problem man.
First, what’s your goal with the PC? This pre-built as-is will not be able to run games very well at all, mainly running games such as GTA V or Fortnite on the lowest settings with lower FPS rates. Depending on what level of performance you’d want out of your PC, maybe starting from scratch would be the better route.
Could you give me an idea of the type of performance you’d want, maybe as well as what type of budget you’d want to work with? Then I’ll be able to know the range of parts that’ll work best for ya!
16 GB is minimal in 2021 and a 4 GB graphics card otherwise you will be left behind wishing you had a better rig to play new demanding titles coming out in the future let’s face it gtav is an old game now so if you want to play GTA 6 at 60 FPS you’re going to need better than a 1 GB graphics card and 8 GB of ram I had 4 GB graphics card and 8 GB of ram and believe me I was ok with GTA V but to play anything coming out in 2022 you’re going to struggle don’t forget although you have 8 GB of ram you don’t fully as the computer uses abit so you only have like 7.20 or something like that so 16 GB is what you want going into 2022 you should be ok for a few years till say 2025/6 I don’t know maybe a little bit more good luck hope this post helps you’re decision making
For sure, Leon. Thanks for reaching out and sharing your thoughts on this rig vs. the demanding titles that are coming out now and in the future. 100%, this PC will not be able to handle higher demanding titles at higher frame rates. Some of them likely won’t even be at a playable frame rate. This PC is for starting out with “something” when it comes to having a PC. Upgrading everything inside is inevitable if you want to be able to have higher frame rates on the higher demanding titles that are coming out.
Colton,
My grandson just hit me up with his Christmas list…at least he’s giving me time to shop. He’s 13 and his World is gaming. He sent me a picture of this Alarco. Your review was very helpful but bottom line…what do you think? Is there another brand I should be looking at?
Thanks, Kim
Hey there Kim,
First off, it’s awesome that you want to help your grandson get into computer gaming! 🙂
It comes down to what he’s trying to play. Do you know if he’s strictly trying to play Fortnite? Or maybe any other game he has mentioned?
The reason I ask is because this PC has some pretty old hardware… But even some of the most popular games, like Fortnite, are able to run on it. It’s not going to run on extremely high levels of performance, but they will be playable. Most other newer games that are more demanding than Fortnite aren’t going to run very well with this PC as is…
Then when you’re asking about other brands… I want you to understand that the computer hardware market is in a rough spot right now. Alarco PCs are made with old hardware and they are more affordable compared to other brands because of that.
If you were interested in other prebuilt computers, what would be your ideal budget point for getting him a gaming computer?
Let me know! I’m all ears and I’m more than happy to help! ?
I just confused on one thing still, while i already bought this pc before actually giving it a good check, i would like pretty much upgrade everything. Are you able to upgrade and change anything or everything from the gpu to the cpu on this pc.
Hey Victor,
Yes – you will be able to upgrade everything whenever you deem it necessary. The only thing is that you’ll have to change out the motherboard when you change your CPU as well since you’d be upgrading to a much newer generation… The previous motherboard would no longer be compatible with the new hardware that you upgrade to.
You’ll also need to get a newer generation of RAM as the newer generations of CPUs and motherboards are only compatible with a specific type of RAM. DDR4 RAM, to be exact (assuming that’s the upgrade path that you’d be taking).
But as for the hard drive, the power supply (depending on what you upgrade to, you might need to upgrade the power supply as well) and the case you won’t have to change anything else up.
If you have any other comments or questions let me know, I’m all ears. ?
The games that are coming out today are so intense and huge. The gpu alone is too small for anything high tech. If you’re a serious gamer and really want to stay involved in many of these new intense and higher tech games you really need to get a pc specifically for high level gaming. It doesn’t seem like this pc has enough power for the full experience, but it is really one of the only ones you can get right now
DashDNations,
You’re right. That and the upgrade path… you’d basically be building your own PC from scratch anyway. With that said, if someone REALLY wanted a PC on the cheap for entry-level gaming while we wait for the market to get back to a better level… I can see how that makes sense.
I am looking at Alarco because the hardware market, as you well know, is messed up right now. And on the other hand I don’t have as much disposable income as I had a couple of years ago. So looking for cheaper options is just a must. I feel there are disadvantages but currently Alarco is a decent option. Thanks for this review.
Hey Paolo,
Yeah… When it comes to what is needed, hardware wise, for today’s games… These PCs just aren’t gonna cut it. It’s enough to play highly optimized games like GTA V or low-level games – games that need much hardware.
Hopefully it won’t take years in order for the market to get back to a good spot. We all miss building awesome rigs for this same price point! 😒
I’m glad that you found the review to be helpful!