As someone completely new to PC building I'm looking for some advice. For multiple reasons, the idea of building my own system is appealing, but I need some help possibly critiquing my expectations and/or evaluating my reasons for doing this in the first place.
First off, I am a professional graphic designer, and have worked most recently on Macintosh, but I have little to no investment in the whole Mac vs. PC argument. I have worked on PC in the past without any issues, so possibly switching platforms for work is not a huge deal for me.
So, my reasons for building a PC:
1. It sounds fun! The tech geek side of me gets excited about a project like this. I like learning about something new and building something that I can use and tinker with.
2. I like to do some PC gaming, mostly strategy games like Civ and Xcom. My six-year-old Mac won't handle Xcom 2, and I can't stand not being able to play it. My gaming needs are not huge, but I wouldn't mind having a system that would at least give me the option to play new titles.
3. As I said above, my Mac for work is getting a bit gray in the tooth, although it still handles most tasks just fine. I have to be more cognizant of managing how many applications I have open at one time than I used to be. I mostly work with the 2D Adobe apps like InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. I do a bit of video-editing now and then in Premier Pro, but nothing very intensive.
Money is not necessarily a huge limiting factor, but I still consider this to be in the realm of learning/hobby. I want to spend as little as possible, while possibly using for work and allowing for potential future upgrades/fun. I've put together two potential builds, basically with just a slight difference in RAM and GPU.
Does one of these builds linked below make more sense than the other? Are they overkill for my needs or will I be disappointed with the performance? Can I skimp in one area to get more in another?
Build 1
Build 2-more RAM, GPU
Thanks if you read all this!
First off, I am a professional graphic designer, and have worked most recently on Macintosh, but I have little to no investment in the whole Mac vs. PC argument. I have worked on PC in the past without any issues, so possibly switching platforms for work is not a huge deal for me.
So, my reasons for building a PC:
1. It sounds fun! The tech geek side of me gets excited about a project like this. I like learning about something new and building something that I can use and tinker with.
2. I like to do some PC gaming, mostly strategy games like Civ and Xcom. My six-year-old Mac won't handle Xcom 2, and I can't stand not being able to play it. My gaming needs are not huge, but I wouldn't mind having a system that would at least give me the option to play new titles.
3. As I said above, my Mac for work is getting a bit gray in the tooth, although it still handles most tasks just fine. I have to be more cognizant of managing how many applications I have open at one time than I used to be. I mostly work with the 2D Adobe apps like InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop. I do a bit of video-editing now and then in Premier Pro, but nothing very intensive.
Money is not necessarily a huge limiting factor, but I still consider this to be in the realm of learning/hobby. I want to spend as little as possible, while possibly using for work and allowing for potential future upgrades/fun. I've put together two potential builds, basically with just a slight difference in RAM and GPU.
Does one of these builds linked below make more sense than the other? Are they overkill for my needs or will I be disappointed with the performance? Can I skimp in one area to get more in another?
Build 1
Build 2-more RAM, GPU
Thanks if you read all this!
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram