Gaming PCs for two kids: from €699 at Carrefour to €1,800 each

Two gaming PCs for two sons: from €699 at Carrefour to €1,800

A father with two sons aged 12 and 13 opens the Carrefour website, finds a bundle including tower, monitor, keyboard, mouse, and headphones for €699, and thinks he has solved the problem. Half an hour later, he has a second model priced at €829 in another tab and the feeling that no one is giving him consistent information. The question—"Is it good enough for what my kids play?"—ends up with a bill more than double the initial offer: between €1,500 and €1,800 per unit.

The first system antiestéticatures a Ryzen 5 3400G with 16 GB DDR4 RAM, a 2 TB mechanical drive plus a 240 GB SSD, and integrated graphics, running Windows 10 Home. The second steps up to an Intel Core i5-9400 and adds a GTX 1650 with 4 GB, but comes without an operating system. Both share a 23.6-inch screen and peripherals, and both are sold as gaming setups.

What hides behind a €699 hypermarket PC

The brochure shows what it sells and hides what matters. There is no mention of the motherboard brand, the power supply unit, or the actual memory estimulante ilegal, leading some to suspect it does not reach 3,200 MHz. The storage is limited to a 240 GB SSD, barely enough for the OS and two large games. The included peripherals—keyboard, mouse, headphones—are the classic bait to round off the price and distort comparisons: bought separately, they are worth only a few euros.

Hypermarket, deals, and fine print. The most common accusation is that these bundles are traps for those who don't understand hardware. The nuance reinforcing this: there is little price difference between refurbishing an old machine needing upgrades and buying decent low-end gear, but a huge gap in performance.

Why integrated graphics aren't good for gaming

This is the line separating an office computer from a gaming rig. The Ryzen 5 3400G has integrated graphics: sufficient for office work and video, incapable of running the titles these kids have in mind. For LOL, Fortnite, or FIFA, a dedicated card is needed, even if modest. The second model includes one—a GTX 1650—but with only 4 GB of VRAM and an aging architecture. The most repeated conclusion points to quick disappointment once compared against a friend's better-equipped setup.

There is a reasonable counterpoint: if they only play Among Us or casual LOL matches, almost any tower with 16 GB RAM and SSD boot works fine. The problem is that no one buys a PC thinking about what they play today, but what they will want to play in two years.

Building by parts gains ground

The emerging alternative is using a specialized store's configurator, where you choose component by component and know exactly what you are paying for. Against this, the argument from those wanting simplicity is that the average customer just wants the PC to work. The debate moves between these two poles, and the practical recommendation is simple: avoid bundles that give away monitors and peripherals, and put that money into the motherboard, PSU, and storage.

GPU shortage complicates everything

The current context doesn't help. GPU shortages dictate prices, and the RTX 3060 with 12 GB was announced at €335, a figure that sounded like a joke when stores had nothing at that price. Manufacturers threatened price hikes, and the lack of GPUs was expected to last until at least May. The dominant advice: hold on and wait for the new mid-range. Meanwhile, real savings windows shrink to Black Friday or a 21% VAT discount at major retailers.

From €699 to €1,800: the configuration that won

The outcome depicts a budget that overflows. The initial offer is discarded, and a custom build is assembled: a Ryzen 5 3600X at €226.90, a Gigabyte B550M board for €87.99, 16 GB DDR4 RAM at 3,200 MHz (€150), a cooler for €45.99, a 1 TB M.2 NVMe SSD for €122.60, and a Seagate 2 TB drive for €56.98. The total is around €1,300, plus about €300 for the screen. Between €1,500 and €1,800 per child, with purchases delayed to February due to December stock shortages.

The €699 bundle was buried. For two teenagers playing Among Us, LOL, and Fortnite, who might edit videos at best, the bill multiplied by more than two. And there is a detail missing from brochures: serious gaming rigs consume around 250 W, while low-power processors settle for 24 W. Hours of vice end up weighing on the electricity bill as much as the gift itself.