Building a new gaming PC for my brother. Ideas?

Buriedfire

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My brother Jason, had been riding to work on his motorcycle when a tractor trailer came in to his lane and ran over him. His legs were crushed and he received two compound fractures to his femur and tibia, fractures to his tibia and ankle, damaged knee cartilage and other injuries. He will be unable to walk for up to 6 months and will have decent use after about a year.
I want to get him a computer so that he can play games, while he is going through the physical therapy process, with his twin brother and I.

He'll be in bed or a wheelchair mostly so I think a wireless keyboard and mouse would be best? Or would a laptop work? They're expensive for a quality gaming one though... I am starting a GoFundMe for him as I can't afford it with my own medical problems/bills and he's on military disability so can't afford it for himself either.

If you have any ideas or input please feel free to post. As for budget I'm not too sure as it depends on how much I can raise for him.
 
When you have a budget then we can start to piece something together. Sorry to hear about your brother.

If he's in a wheel chair I think modifying a fold up table would be best so he can fit the chair under the table and have a solid surface for a mouse and keyboard. It's also very cheap.
 
Okay. We'll set the budget at about $1500, give or take.
I like that idea of the fold up table though. That way he'll be able to sit at a desk like table :)
 
Let's just wait until you have the money. No sense in taking time to piece something together then parts change prices or your budget becomes way off. Not trying to be rude, just prices do change daily.
 
Yeah, that's true. I'll just estimate the price with shipping/warranty etc. He is still in the hospital, so it will be a bit before he's able to even sit up to play games for any length of time. Can't imagine what he's going through =/
 
Sorry to hear about your brother. With him having leg injuries I would recommend against a gaming laptop, mainly due to the size and weight. If he would always use a tray/table that would be one thing. But if he was playing in bed, having a clunky heating pad constantly sitting by the femur could be troublesome. I'm not knocking gaming laptops, I own one and love it. Just an observation.
Another thing to think about is where would you put a desktop. Will it be on a desk, if so, how big is your screen. Also, would it be more beneficial to hook up to a tv via VGA/dvi/hdmi instead of a PC monitor.
Then there will be the situation with wireless. What distance will it be from the system. Short ranges offer USB/wireless options where longer ranges might be better for Bluetooth. Also, if he will use a mouse, don't forget if you aren't planning on having a table to get him something to have smooth mouse sensor capabilities. This last is more of a convenience due to the fact that glossy or uneven surfaces tend to be hard to use a mouse on.
These are all meant to be thoughts recommended to keep in mind while searching your options.
 
Sorry to hear about your brother. With him having leg injuries I would recommend against a gaming laptop, mainly due to the size and weight. If he would always use a tray/table that would be one thing. But if he was playing in bed, having a clunky heating pad constantly sitting by the femur could be troublesome. I'm not knocking gaming laptops, I own one and love it. Just an observation.
Another thing to think about is where would you put a desktop. Will it be on a desk, if so, how big is your screen. Also, would it be more beneficial to hook up to a tv via VGA/dvi/hdmi instead of a PC monitor.
Then there will be the situation with wireless. What distance will it be from the system. Short ranges offer USB/wireless options where longer ranges might be better for Bluetooth. Also, if he will use a mouse, don't forget if you aren't planning on having a table to get him something to have smooth mouse sensor capabilities. This last is more of a convenience due to the fact that glossy or uneven surfaces tend to be hard to use a mouse on.
These are all meant to be thoughts recommended to keep in mind while searching your options.
I thought about these and that's why I recommended modifying a fold up table if he winds up in a wheel chair. They are cheap and good gaming grade lasers can read the white surface from any table you can easily get at Walmart. He also has room for a TV or a PC monitor and the ability to keep his tower on it.
 
I thought about these and that's why I recommended modifying a fold up table if he winds up in a wheel chair. They are cheap and good gaming grade lasers can read the white surface from any table you can easily get at Walmart. He also has room for a TV or a PC monitor and the ability to keep his tower on it.

I should have made a better point with the tv recommendation. I mention this for various reasons.
1) If he has a tv in place that could save money and space
2) if he has vision problems or just is too far away from monitor, a tv may offer better options.

The downsides of TV opposed to monitors can be
1) tv's can but are not ideally made for PC use (although they are becoming more so due to the media machine market), that said, if he is in a small or compact room, the higher power required to run on TV can cause greater heating issues. Most of the time this can be easily taken care of by making sure your machine is built with airflow in mind and placed in a place in the room for easy air flow access.
2) the graphics settings for monitors can be a bit easier to setup then tv's. Not saying they can't be setup properly, but some tv brands can be a hassle.

Again, these are just things to think about.
 
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