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[SOLVED] Comparing, need help with comparing two computer with different SPECS

Dec 6, 2019
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i am looking at these two computers for my son, he has autism and since getting an xbox a couple years ago has changed his lif,e he is very good at games, for xmas i have brought him a pro mic an external memory thing for x box and table chair a good monitor etc because he wants to start a youtube channel, i think he needs a pc and the extra memory thing i brought is probably not needed now. I have found two , here are all the specs, forgive me as i have little knowledge, i know it needs to be able to edit videos he does, connect somehow to xbox and stream to youtube and get software etc to add on, so here is what i have found

NUMBER 1

AMD CUSTOM BUILT GAMING TOWER THAT IS BRAND NEW AND FRESHLY ASSEMBLED. BUILT WITH ALL NEW HARDWARE,
THE MACHINE IS FLAWLESS AND RUNS FAST IT IS RUNNING A FRESHLY INSTALLED VERSION OF "GENUINE AND ACTIVATED MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7 ULTIMATE 64 bit OPERATING SYSTEM".
Hardware features:- AMD A4 PRO-7300B 3.8GHZ APU WITH RADEON HD GRAPHICS ONBOARD. ASROCK GAMING MOTHERBOARD WITH RADEON HD GRAPHICS.
INCLUDES 6 USB PORTS 1X VGA OUTPUT 1X DVI OUTPUT INCLUDES 16GB OF DDR3 KINGSTON HYPER X FURY 1866 MHZ GAMING MEMORY. INCLUDES NVIDIA GTX560 TI GDDR5 HDMI OUTPUT STAND ALONE GRAPHICS CARD WITH THE LATEST VIDEO DRIVERS.
ALL DRIVERS ARE NEWLY INSTALLED AND UPTO DATE. NEW 250GB SATA 3 HARDDRIVE FOR OPERATING SYSTEM.
NEW SATA 3 DVD/CD REWRITER WITH 2X SATA 3 6GB A SECOND CABLES. FEATURES FRONT 2X USB 2.0 AND 3.0 SOCKETS,
PLUS HD AUDIO OUTPUTS FRONT FOR GAMING HEAD SET. INCLUDES REALTEK HD AUDIO 5.1 SURROUND SOUND ONBOARD. 3X 120MM RED LED FANS HIGH AIR FLOW LOW NOISE.
1X HIGH COOLING CAPACITY COPPER BASED HEATSINK AND FAN FITTED WITH OPTIMAL THERMAL PASTE. 1X 550 WATT GAMING POWER SUPPLY NEW 1X 24PIN POWER 1X 12V CPU 4PIN PLUG. 2X MOLEX 3X SATA INCLUDES LATEST SOFTWARES AND DRIVERS ALL INSTALLED THIS WEEK INCLUDING REGISTERED VERSION OF REGISTERY MECHANIC. MALWAREBYTES ANTI VIRUS FULLY REGISTERED. APACHE OPEN OFFICE SUITE. 64 BIT GOOGLE CHROME BROWSER

2ND OPTION

The Specifications: CPU: Intel Core i7 4790 ( Quad-Core / Eight-Thread @ 4GHz ) GPU: AMD RX570 4GB ( PowerColor Edition ) Display Connectors: 1x HDMI / 3x DisplayPort / 1x DVI RAM: 24GB DDR3 @ 1600MHz SSD: 240GB HDD: 1000GB PSU: 600w - Corsair ( 80+ Efficiency Certified ) OS: Windows 10 Pro 64Bit Extras: USB 3.0 / Gigabit Ethernet Add-ON Accessories: Mouse / Keyboard

I WOULD BE SO GRATEFUL FOR FEEDBACK AS THEY ARE SEOMD HAND SO I NEED TO MAKE MY MIND UP QUICLY TO WHICH IS THE BEST ONE, I KNOW HE WILL BE OVERJOYED TO HAVE A PROPER SET UP, THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE I REALLY APPRECIATE ANY HELP.
 
Solution
Don't know what kind of budget you are working with but as stated above, going to a local custom PC shop or a micro center (if you have one) would do wonders in getting something with a newer Ryzen CPU with fast RAM.

In fact, if you have a computer place you know of that you can trust, you can have them build the PC for you and here is a parts list for you to check out.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State...
In my opinion (which is no expert opinion!! haha), both PCs are a bit outdated. I had an intel i5 3570K that I built in 2012 and is showing it's age... I just used Black Friday to build a new PC because of this. Intel is releasing their 9000 series chips currently and the i7 you are looking at is the 4000 series. I do graphics with Photoshop and Illustrator and my 3000 series is starting to show its age. The i7 you're looking at was released in 2014. I can only assume in another year or two it will be pretty outdated and may need to upgrade again.

As for streaming/podcasting, I'm not sure how strong the PC and graphics card really needs to be. But, I would pass on both of these and find something a bit more modern that will last and produce good quality video. Editing will strain the PC quite a bit and as tech advances the hardware on these PCs will most likely deteriorate quickly. To future proof yourself (and if budget is an issue), I'd look for a PC with an AMD or Intel 7000 to 8000 series CPU (something released within last 2 years). I think something like the Radeon RX570 (in second PC described) or Nvidia GTX 1050 would suffice for a graphics card (he shouldn't need anything crazy expensive if he isn't playing games on the PC).

If I were you, I'd check around locally for a custom PC shop (have a Microcenter nearby?) and stop in for a discussion and/or have a custom build completed that is tailored to your son's needs/wants. At the very least, I'd buy a new, more modern, PC compared to a second hand PC. Most second hand's are probably going to be outdated... They are getting rid of their old ones because they've replaced it with a stronger build themselves.

Also, a side note.. I posted on here looking for advice to either just upgrade my i5 3570 or replace it. I didn't get many replies, but it was short and sweet.. Replace it haha.
 
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Don't know what kind of budget you are working with but as stated above, going to a local custom PC shop or a micro center (if you have one) would do wonders in getting something with a newer Ryzen CPU with fast RAM.

In fact, if you have a computer place you know of that you can trust, you can have them build the PC for you and here is a parts list for you to check out.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Intel 660p 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 580 8 GB GTS XXX ED Video Card ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Focus G Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($62.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12III 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $651.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-06 13:58 EST-0500



I did not include Windows license key because it's not necessary to install Windows and use it. It just removes a watermark and unlocks personalizing in settings (you know, where you go and change wallpaper?)

SSD is for OS and main applications and HDD is for mass storage.

I opted for the RX 580 with 8GB because when it comes to content creation and video editing, GPU assistance is important and having enough V-RAM is also important. 4GB just isn't gonna cut it.

System RAM is also crucial for video editing and quite honestly anything.
I would've put 32GB in there but opted for 16GB instead to save a little money and especially since most likely his video editing isn't going to be for anything ridiculous and in 4K so 16GB is enough for now.

Now the super important part.
Streaming.

Your kid can do one of two things for streaming his Xbox gameplay using the PC.

Option 1 is free and thusly cheap.
Make sure both the PC and the Xbox are hard wired to internet and not using WiFi.

Then get the Xbox Companion app installed on PC from the Windows Store and use it to stream video and audio from the Xbox to the PC and control the game by plugging a controller into the PC using the app.

This is a remote play function. And doing this, he can capture the gameplay in OBS (which is what he will use for streaming) by just capturing the window that the game is streaming itself into on the PC.


The second option which costs money.

Buy a capture card to capture the video and audio.

There are two types of capture card.
USB external cards, and PCIe internal cards.

Elgato and AverMedia are the two main brands to look at.

Either way you slice it, you'll pay at least $100-$150 and at most $400 depending on what type of capture card you get and it's capabilities.
 
Solution