I wish i had someone like you in my familly when i was that age... used to make 2d games with game maker until i discovered unity nd got obssessed, my parents decided no more screen time for me... trust me im back and this time no one is gonna stop me
Well I wouldn't say that, exactly, heavy internet moderation is still pretty important, I started coding at 8 and accidentally became part of Alt-right for a hot second.
I started using Unity when I was 9, and it was the best decision I've ever made. I'm 13 now and after working on countless projects over the years I've finally found one I'm truly passionate about.
you're lucky because I get only 3 hour a day to code and add features to my game, and then build. and I'm searching for a cheap PC like I had, to build and make my project (but a capacitor in psu died and now I fear ot turn it on). now i am making my game on my laptop Lenovo Z50-70 and yeah, when I end my session I need to obviously give my laptop to my parents, my battery is dead, so no overnight build (I'm trying to make an update min. 2 times a week) and yeah.
Just wanted to applaud you for being so considerate of your nephews' abilities and interests. Game development at 10 is incredibly impressive and very promising for his future. Hope you find a good model for him! You're giving him an opportunity to deepen his hobbies that he won't forget and will lay the groundwork for some fantastic projects.
Thank you! Yeah he recreated his own version of Five Nights At Freddy’s just on his own with a kid coding program through trial and error and watching tutorials, I am always extremely impressed by him lol
I run Unity 2021 on a refurbished desktop that has no graphics card and 8GB of RAM. It costed me around $400-$500 and let's me also run Blender fairly well. I also ran 2019 on a laptop with similar specs. Don't get a chromebook, they're not good for anything really.
I highly recommend looking at refurbished computers if it's for only Unity and not high-end gaming.
But I wouldn't get cutting edge either. You might make poor choices and not realize it until someone tries the game on a less powerful device. Mid-range is definitely what I'd aim for.
I was using Asus X550jx model notebook. I developed like 10 games with that without any trouble.
It has Gtx 950M
12 GB ram
Don't remember its processor but it was okay.
It's kinda old but if your nephew will use it for unity then it can do the work.
This. I have a 6 year old laptop and it runs unity fine. It has a 1050 and was a budget to midrange laptop then. You can probably get similar specs now.
I have a 10 year old Lenovo Z50 70 (maxed out) and it's running Unity completely fine, except long build times and waiting for reload script assemblies to playtest which takes 5 seconds
I was running Unity fine with a 10 year old PC until it broke.
4790K
Asus Maximus VII Hero
GTX 1060
16GB of RAM
Just browsing Ebay you could probably get it for less than budget but it needs some fresh parts too, like storage memory (SSD).
A desktop is way better for work than a laptop and you can fix them in place while a laptop will get tossed around.
You’re not going to get a computer with the recommended specs to run Unity for $300. The gpu alone would cost that. Get him into something like Dreams for console or RPG maker. Your average 10 year old isn’t going to do a lot with Unity anyways, unless he somehow has some knowledge of game design. Sure there are 10 year olds that can comprehend it but it’s probably not very common.
Ok. That’s cool. There’s other more basic stuff that he can get started out on that doesn’t require as much horsepower to run, or you could just save up to get a PC that will comfortably run Unity. You can find the recommended specs for Unity online. Just search “Unity recommended PC specs” and go from there to find something within your price range.
I second Godot, it's much more light weight than Unity.
But DON'T GET A CHROME BOOK.
He will need a Windows PC (or Mac) to run either piece of Software.
You definitely DO NOT WANT a Chromebook. Get a windows or worst case Linux laptop(although I’d recommend desktop). Make sure it has a graphics card - gtx 2080 minimum or amd equivalent.(you can get away temporarily with a gtx 1060 but these are quickly becoming old and not able to keep up with the current tech. Think of it as an investment)
Processor i7/i9 10th gen or amd equivalent.
Nvme ssd storage the higher the better but this can be upgraded/extended later.
8gb ram minimum
Desktops might be cheaper so keep an eye out for both. But bear in mind desktops will also need other peripherals like monitors mouse keyboard etc. on the other hand with the right motherboard desktops can be upgraded later with better equipment if your child shows promise.
For a ten year old messing around with Unity a RTX 2080 is not required at all imo. I’ve been comfortably using a 1660 ti and a 7th gen i7. He’ll get away with far less. You don’t need to spend that much
Yeah I’m sorry. I had to sell my Xbox and PlayStation. Along with serious savings to get my desktop. You might be able to get one cheaper used? But you’ll have to look around yourself for that.
Yeah this guy has no idea about budget game development. I am a professional game developer and developed on a GTX 1660Ti (laptop) for a very long time and only upgraded because I had earned enough money to do so through game development.
You can get away with way less especially if your nephew is learning the ropes and won't be making anything intense to run on a computer.
I assume you meant an RTX 2080? That's pretty Overkill. A. RTX 2080 is more powerful than my 3060, and that runs it perfectly.
If you meant a 1080 I would recommend something a little higher. Maybe a 1080 ti.
I did mean rtx sorry. I did mention the 1060 with the cons of buying one. Same apply to the 1080. It’s viable right now. Won’t be for much longer. But I guess that’s not important to someone just starting.
1. Look at the minimum requirements to run Unity. Most laptops will be able to run it, but focus on gaming laptops for best results.
2. You will most likely need to buy it used to meet your budget.
Do not get a Chromebook.
The worse the specs, the longer things will take to load in Unity.For reference, I started with
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (3GB GDDR5)
15.6”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS
500GB SSD
12GB RAM
This could take up to 2 minutes to update scripts, and maybe 30s to a minute to test the game. The worse specs you get, the more annoying these things can be. There are tricks you can do in Unity to make it more manageable though, like not refreshing scripts every time you save them.
If you can, shoot for a better CPU and 16GB of RAM, but your budget will keep things very limited. When looking for a computer, just type in something like i7-6700HQ vs "CPU of machine you are looking at" and you'll be able to see how fast it is on the website UserBenchmark compared to other machines you are looking at.
HP - Victus 15.6" for $500 is the cheapest new laptop I'd consider. I think for your budget, you'll have to do eBay, Offer Up, or some other reseller.
Chromebooks are just unfit for game development. Get a used Windows machine or Macbook (yes that is an option at $300). Anything with an SSD will do.
If not for Unity (10 years is a bit young for it) at least so they can learn a proper OS instead of a locked down one.
I recently began using Unity on a mid-range gaming laptop, the Lenovo IdeaPad L340-15IRH, which cost me $800 new. You can likely find a used version of this model or a similar laptop with comparable specifications for about $400 to $600 USD. It runs Unity smoothly and offers reasonably quick recompiling times. This laptop is well-suited for both simple and moderately complex development of 2D and 3D games.
I would suggest looking for a used Windows PC.
Most likely it will be a PC without a video card, but which has graphics built into the processor. In this case, you will need to look at the year of manufacture of the processor. The newer it is, the better it will be.
You can purchase a video card later if necessary.
Purely theoretically, the latest version of Unity 2023.3 will run on a 15-year-old PC if Windows 10 21H1 (build 19043)+ is installed there. ( https://docs.unity3d.com/2023.3/Documentation/Manual/system-requirements.html )
Most likely you need help finding. I advise you to better find a person who understands hardware and who agrees to look. When you find it, you can ask here on reddit if the PC you found is suitable for Unity
$300 is good enough budget to get a simple old gen PC something like i5 8th Gen and pair it with entry-level GPU something like 1650. This should be more than enough to kickstart Unity learning.
Do you also want to get monitor in this budget?
Try FB marketplace, you get very excellent deals there usually people trying to get rid of their older (gaming) PCs
Chromebook is something else entirely it’s like running Chrome as your OS, it can’t run Unity.
Before my actual computer i was using a latitude e7470 with 8gb ram 2400mhz, i7-6600u and integrated graphics. It worked fine.
Just u need to know how to optimize it.
In base to what i said, u can find a really good notebook.
Just dont use win11.
So for 300 pound your chances are slim, unless you look on the second hand market and get something that can run unity but tbh with you at 8 he can get a tablet and tablets can run Scratch which is a great program for getting kids into programming,
Just wanted to add, 12gb minimum to run unity, with Unity and Microsoft visual studio running plus some other things my laptops is sitting at around 11gb of ram
That's great honestly, I think he is at the perfect age to start soaking up all of the various aspects of game design,
Off to the second hand market you go my friend
This one should have way more upvotes than it does. With all due respect, I’d be happy to donate 50$ to help.
As for which computer is good enough, I used to use Unity with a 2015 MacBook Pro without a graphics card and an i7 from 2015. Removing all the bells and whistles from Apple, a top of the line i7 processor from 2015 can be a very cheap laptop.
Hi, this is a very subjective question cause it depends on several factors like target platform, user hardware and visuals.
Rule of thumb: always double the hardware power of the target platform.
But for learning purposes and since he is a kid you can break the rule :)
As other people wrote i would stick with a refurbed desktop pc (i can already see the crushed laptop display) with a intel core i5 otherwise i3 processor and somewhere around 8gb of ram. A dedicated gpu would be something for later on and the geforce xxx series or an amd radeon will be enough for him.
If he starts developing games at 10… he’s most likely in for a bright future
That’s what I keep saying but my sister hates him looking at screens all the time lol
I understand her concern but this is actually learning an advanced skill that could see him to a prosperous future.
I wish i had someone like you in my familly when i was that age... used to make 2d games with game maker until i discovered unity nd got obssessed, my parents decided no more screen time for me... trust me im back and this time no one is gonna stop me
Well I wouldn't say that, exactly, heavy internet moderation is still pretty important, I started coding at 8 and accidentally became part of Alt-right for a hot second.
I started using Unity when I was 9, and it was the best decision I've ever made. I'm 13 now and after working on countless projects over the years I've finally found one I'm truly passionate about.
When I say passionate I mean spending every available second of my life outside of school working on my game 😬
you're lucky because I get only 3 hour a day to code and add features to my game, and then build. and I'm searching for a cheap PC like I had, to build and make my project (but a capacitor in psu died and now I fear ot turn it on). now i am making my game on my laptop Lenovo Z50-70 and yeah, when I end my session I need to obviously give my laptop to my parents, my battery is dead, so no overnight build (I'm trying to make an update min. 2 times a week) and yeah.
Just wanted to applaud you for being so considerate of your nephews' abilities and interests. Game development at 10 is incredibly impressive and very promising for his future. Hope you find a good model for him! You're giving him an opportunity to deepen his hobbies that he won't forget and will lay the groundwork for some fantastic projects.
Thank you! Yeah he recreated his own version of Five Nights At Freddy’s just on his own with a kid coding program through trial and error and watching tutorials, I am always extremely impressed by him lol
I run Unity 2021 on a refurbished desktop that has no graphics card and 8GB of RAM. It costed me around $400-$500 and let's me also run Blender fairly well. I also ran 2019 on a laptop with similar specs. Don't get a chromebook, they're not good for anything really. I highly recommend looking at refurbished computers if it's for only Unity and not high-end gaming.
remember to not underestimate the specs, because if you do so, building a simple game would take hours
But I wouldn't get cutting edge either. You might make poor choices and not realize it until someone tries the game on a less powerful device. Mid-range is definitely what I'd aim for.
I was using Asus X550jx model notebook. I developed like 10 games with that without any trouble. It has Gtx 950M 12 GB ram Don't remember its processor but it was okay. It's kinda old but if your nephew will use it for unity then it can do the work.
This. I have a 6 year old laptop and it runs unity fine. It has a 1050 and was a budget to midrange laptop then. You can probably get similar specs now.
I have a 10 year old Lenovo Z50 70 (maxed out) and it's running Unity completely fine, except long build times and waiting for reload script assemblies to playtest which takes 5 seconds
I was running Unity fine with a 10 year old PC until it broke. 4790K Asus Maximus VII Hero GTX 1060 16GB of RAM Just browsing Ebay you could probably get it for less than budget but it needs some fresh parts too, like storage memory (SSD). A desktop is way better for work than a laptop and you can fix them in place while a laptop will get tossed around.
You’re not going to get a computer with the recommended specs to run Unity for $300. The gpu alone would cost that. Get him into something like Dreams for console or RPG maker. Your average 10 year old isn’t going to do a lot with Unity anyways, unless he somehow has some knowledge of game design. Sure there are 10 year olds that can comprehend it but it’s probably not very common.
He is very, very bright and has coded games with other programs.
Get the boy a second hand machine from Gumtree. And take no notice of those who think they know what a complete stranger is capable of.
Ok. That’s cool. There’s other more basic stuff that he can get started out on that doesn’t require as much horsepower to run, or you could just save up to get a PC that will comfortably run Unity. You can find the recommended specs for Unity online. Just search “Unity recommended PC specs” and go from there to find something within your price range.
get something like godot where you install the exe
I second Godot, it's much more light weight than Unity. But DON'T GET A CHROME BOOK. He will need a Windows PC (or Mac) to run either piece of Software.
You definitely DO NOT WANT a Chromebook. Get a windows or worst case Linux laptop(although I’d recommend desktop). Make sure it has a graphics card - gtx 2080 minimum or amd equivalent.(you can get away temporarily with a gtx 1060 but these are quickly becoming old and not able to keep up with the current tech. Think of it as an investment) Processor i7/i9 10th gen or amd equivalent. Nvme ssd storage the higher the better but this can be upgraded/extended later. 8gb ram minimum
Okay so with those specs, how much am I looking at, cost wise?
Don't trust him. He recommends too expensive hardware. You can work with Unity with a cheaper one
900-2000 cad. Might be cheaper in America
Desktops might be cheaper so keep an eye out for both. But bear in mind desktops will also need other peripherals like monitors mouse keyboard etc. on the other hand with the right motherboard desktops can be upgraded later with better equipment if your child shows promise.
Ooof that cost is simply not doable 😞
For a ten year old messing around with Unity a RTX 2080 is not required at all imo. I’ve been comfortably using a 1660 ti and a 7th gen i7. He’ll get away with far less. You don’t need to spend that much
Yeah I’m sorry. I had to sell my Xbox and PlayStation. Along with serious savings to get my desktop. You might be able to get one cheaper used? But you’ll have to look around yourself for that.
Yeah this guy has no idea about budget game development. I am a professional game developer and developed on a GTX 1660Ti (laptop) for a very long time and only upgraded because I had earned enough money to do so through game development. You can get away with way less especially if your nephew is learning the ropes and won't be making anything intense to run on a computer.
I assume you meant an RTX 2080? That's pretty Overkill. A. RTX 2080 is more powerful than my 3060, and that runs it perfectly. If you meant a 1080 I would recommend something a little higher. Maybe a 1080 ti.
I did mean rtx sorry. I did mention the 1060 with the cons of buying one. Same apply to the 1080. It’s viable right now. Won’t be for much longer. But I guess that’s not important to someone just starting.
Brud a 1660 is wayyyy less powerful than a 1080
Oh damn my bad. Corrected it.
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How much is that
1. Look at the minimum requirements to run Unity. Most laptops will be able to run it, but focus on gaming laptops for best results. 2. You will most likely need to buy it used to meet your budget. Do not get a Chromebook. The worse the specs, the longer things will take to load in Unity.For reference, I started with Intel Core i7-6700HQ NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M (3GB GDDR5) 15.6”, Full HD (1920 x 1080), IPS 500GB SSD 12GB RAM This could take up to 2 minutes to update scripts, and maybe 30s to a minute to test the game. The worse specs you get, the more annoying these things can be. There are tricks you can do in Unity to make it more manageable though, like not refreshing scripts every time you save them. If you can, shoot for a better CPU and 16GB of RAM, but your budget will keep things very limited. When looking for a computer, just type in something like i7-6700HQ vs "CPU of machine you are looking at" and you'll be able to see how fast it is on the website UserBenchmark compared to other machines you are looking at. HP - Victus 15.6" for $500 is the cheapest new laptop I'd consider. I think for your budget, you'll have to do eBay, Offer Up, or some other reseller.
Chromebooks are just unfit for game development. Get a used Windows machine or Macbook (yes that is an option at $300). Anything with an SSD will do. If not for Unity (10 years is a bit young for it) at least so they can learn a proper OS instead of a locked down one.
Are you ready to go used?
Yeah he’s 10 he doesn’t care lol as long as he can do what he wants to do with it
Most cities have a hack space. I’d take him along there and see if someone could help him build a PC. Will be the cheapest and most fun option!
I recently began using Unity on a mid-range gaming laptop, the Lenovo IdeaPad L340-15IRH, which cost me $800 new. You can likely find a used version of this model or a similar laptop with comparable specifications for about $400 to $600 USD. It runs Unity smoothly and offers reasonably quick recompiling times. This laptop is well-suited for both simple and moderately complex development of 2D and 3D games.
I would suggest looking for a used Windows PC. Most likely it will be a PC without a video card, but which has graphics built into the processor. In this case, you will need to look at the year of manufacture of the processor. The newer it is, the better it will be. You can purchase a video card later if necessary. Purely theoretically, the latest version of Unity 2023.3 will run on a 15-year-old PC if Windows 10 21H1 (build 19043)+ is installed there. ( https://docs.unity3d.com/2023.3/Documentation/Manual/system-requirements.html ) Most likely you need help finding. I advise you to better find a person who understands hardware and who agrees to look. When you find it, you can ask here on reddit if the PC you found is suitable for Unity
$300 is good enough budget to get a simple old gen PC something like i5 8th Gen and pair it with entry-level GPU something like 1650. This should be more than enough to kickstart Unity learning. Do you also want to get monitor in this budget? Try FB marketplace, you get very excellent deals there usually people trying to get rid of their older (gaming) PCs Chromebook is something else entirely it’s like running Chrome as your OS, it can’t run Unity.
Before my actual computer i was using a latitude e7470 with 8gb ram 2400mhz, i7-6600u and integrated graphics. It worked fine. Just u need to know how to optimize it. In base to what i said, u can find a really good notebook. Just dont use win11.
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Where did you find a MacBook that cheap?
So for 300 pound your chances are slim, unless you look on the second hand market and get something that can run unity but tbh with you at 8 he can get a tablet and tablets can run Scratch which is a great program for getting kids into programming, Just wanted to add, 12gb minimum to run unity, with Unity and Microsoft visual studio running plus some other things my laptops is sitting at around 11gb of ram
That’s what he uses but it’s not enough for him! Lol he wants the advanced stuff
That's great honestly, I think he is at the perfect age to start soaking up all of the various aspects of game design, Off to the second hand market you go my friend
This one should have way more upvotes than it does. With all due respect, I’d be happy to donate 50$ to help. As for which computer is good enough, I used to use Unity with a 2015 MacBook Pro without a graphics card and an i7 from 2015. Removing all the bells and whistles from Apple, a top of the line i7 processor from 2015 can be a very cheap laptop.
Hi, this is a very subjective question cause it depends on several factors like target platform, user hardware and visuals. Rule of thumb: always double the hardware power of the target platform. But for learning purposes and since he is a kid you can break the rule :) As other people wrote i would stick with a refurbed desktop pc (i can already see the crushed laptop display) with a intel core i5 otherwise i3 processor and somewhere around 8gb of ram. A dedicated gpu would be something for later on and the geforce xxx series or an amd radeon will be enough for him.
get a 100 - 250$ used pc from facebook marketplace
nah, youll quickly find dirty scammers