Tips needed before choosing computer.

[LT550]

Hi!

I currently sit with an Lenovo T550 laptop and I am in the planning phase of start saving money for either a laptop or a desktop, however I am a noob on the technical things and what sort of stuff I need, so therefore I need som help...

 

Goals:

Having a computer which is good enough to meet the following criterias and tasks:

 

- Be able to editing photos, text, illustrations, basically work with the whole Adobe Creative Cloud spectrum of stuff even if my goal is to pursue a career in Web Development or Web Design. 

 

- Be able to store and work with larger files linked to the topics mentioned above

 

- Have multiple heavy programs running at the same time without hiccups. I.e Photoshop, Illustrator and web developer software

 

- A midsize screen and high resolution to be able to work long hours without too much eye damage however it should have the capability to plug in an external monitor. So preferably lightweight before big screen should be the criteria 

 

- Watch YouTube and other streaming services..

- Play games like Microsoft flight simulator..

 

 

Here are a few questions that I need some help with:

 

- Should I get 16 or 32GB of RAM?

- Should I choose a stationary computer or a laptop?

- What processor should I aim for?

 

Are there anything else i need to think of? Like I said, I am a noob and a novice so every bit of help is appreciated

[Nicodemus]

If you're looking to play a game like MSFS you will need a pretty hefty GPU, a laptop might struggle with that on mid-high settings. I would recommend budgeting more on a higher end GPU primarily as you will be working with creative cloud as well. I would say at least a 3070ti or higher (40xx series cards "coming" in the next 6 months or so, might want to hold out for those. Availability is a question mark so either way I don't think you can go too wrong depending on when you are ready to buy), Typically I would recommend an NVME 1TB drive for your system and you could add some spinny bois (HDD) for larger amounts of storage while keeping costs down. You will also probably want 32 gigs of ram if you are working with multiple heavy programs. And I would probably look for either an AMD/Intel processor with 8 cores/16 threads, anything more than that I feel you will be wasting money on a CPU/diminishing returns imo. A desktop will get you more performance/dollar and more headroom for upgrading down the line if you find some aspect is holding you back/future headroom if you aren't too worried about travelling with the system a lot. You can always store files in the cloud you might need to go in and share in person with your laptop. Hopefully that helps you out somewhat!

 

Edit - Here is a quick and dirty PCPartPicker build for an example I did, Obviously you can fiddle around and change out parts according to your needs.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2pXkwc

[LT550]

43 minutes ago, Nicodemus said:

If you're looking to play a game like MSFS you will need a pretty hefty GPU, a laptop might struggle with that on mid-high settings. I would recommend budgeting more on a higher end GPU primarily as you will be working with creative cloud as well. I would say at least a 3070ti or higher (40xx series cards "coming" in the next 6 months or so, might want to hold out for those. Availability is a question mark so either way I don't think you can go too wrong depending on when you are ready to buy), Typically I would recommend an NVME 1TB drive for your system and you could add some spinny bois (HDD) for larger amounts of storage while keeping costs down. You will also probably want 32 gigs of ram if you are working with multiple heavy programs. And I would probably look for either an AMD/Intel processor with 8 cores/16 threads, anything more than that I feel you will be wasting money on a CPU/diminishing returns imo. A desktop will get you more performance/dollar and more headroom for upgrading down the line if you find some aspect is holding you back/future headroom if you aren't too worried about travelling with the system a lot. You can always store files in the cloud you might need to go in and share in person with your laptop. Hopefully that helps you out somewhat!

 

Edit - Here is a quick and dirty PCPartPicker build for an example I did, Obviously you can fiddle around and change out parts according to your needs.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2pXkwc

Thank you so very much! This has helped me a great deal to sort my questions out!!!

[aDoomGuy]

Mostly 16 GB is plenty, but MS Flight Sim seemed to like it when I upgraded to 32. So maybe that's best. I got a lot of junk in the trunk running all the time though...

[LT550]

@Nicodemus& @aDoomGuy - what if i scratch the MSFS stuff and divert that one to my xbox, would it change much on the outcome for the needs for the computer?

[Nicodemus]

9 minutes ago, LT550 said:

@Nicodemus& @aDoomGuy - what if i scratch the MSFS stuff and divert that one to my xbox, would it change much on the outcome for the needs for the computer?

You could lower your GPU requirements, probably a 3060ti would suffice and still give you good performance in your creative cloud/other games. Also ram could be 16 gb, I'm sure you'd likely be fine but for the small increase in price I would go with 32 still for futureproofing.

[LT550]

5 minutes ago, Nicodemus said:

You could lower your GPU requirements, probably a 3060ti would suffice and still give you good performance in your creative cloud/other games. Also ram could be 16 gb, I'm sure you'd likely be fine but for the small increase in price I would go with 32 still for futureproofing.

Thank you!!

[aDoomGuy]

5 minutes ago, LT550 said:

@Nicodemus& @aDoomGuy - what if i scratch the MSFS stuff and divert that one to my xbox, would it change much on the outcome for the needs for the computer?

You can get fairly cheap 32GB kits. Mine didn't cost all that much. Pretty good build below just need a case that you like.

 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 3.5 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($184.99 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 Blue 74.34 CFM CPU Cooler  ($14.99 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard  ($159.99 @ Amazon) 
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($108.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive  ($104.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8 GB TUF GAMING OC Video Card  ($713.95 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2021) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($119.99 @ Corsair) 
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 11 Home OEM 64-bit  ($119.98 @ Amazon) 
Total: $1527.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-06-14 12:49 EDT-0400

[Poinkachu]

34 minutes ago, LT550 said:

@Nicodemus& @aDoomGuy - what if i scratch the MSFS stuff and divert that one to my xbox, would it change much on the outcome for the needs for the computer?

You can start with just 16gb ram if you want, then you can add more later if you feel you need it.

Honestly if you aren't using the photoshop and such to make money yet, 16gb should be enough.
As for CPU & GPU, you can lower it if you scrap the idea of MsFS.
Well, you can still play MsFS if you build a mid end, just don't go too nuts on the graphic settings and expect massive FPS or something.

Photoshop's utilization of more cores and threads is pretty much a diminishing one. [See Vid Below as comparison for the Photoshop benchmark score]
5900x is a 12 cores 24 threads CPU  , 5600x is 6 cores 12 threads CPU.
So yeah, if you are low on budget, or not using such softwares to make money yet (pro), don't dwell too much on getting the best for such softwares.

Plus, new CPUs and chipsets is looming on the horizon (although it will require you to switch to DDR5 Rams & Motherboards).
Just sayin' what you buy now might end up being in a total sale soon (at the very least at USA market).

If my old potato PC can be used to design a 3ft x 6ft banner with a shit ton of elements and effects in it (Albeit at slower pace, especially when it comes to saving the file), then pretty sure nowadays low-mid end PC can handle it just fine.
My old potato PC :
i7-870
GTX 660 OC
8GB DDR3 1333mhz or somethin'

SSD (Only for the past year, before that it's all HDD )

Laptop or Desktop?
Depends, how often do you need to do something that requires a well-built computer outside your house.