Hey everyone! I'm about to start my junior year in university (shout out to community college!) and I really need help with something important. I currently have a 2021 MacBook M1, which has been fine for writing essays and completing basic assignments, but the programs I'll be using for my major in computer simulation & gaming (like Unreal Engine, Unity, and Blender) require way more power. I met with a professor who told me to get a good graphics card and avoid AMD, which left me kind of confused. The only PCs I've seen are those expensive DELL Alienware desktops that made me faint just looking at the prices!
After researching for hours, I'm feeling overwhelmed with all the PC build options and specifications. I need guidance on what specs are optimal without going overboard, and what a fair price would be for different parts or a complete setup. I'd like to keep my budget under $2,500 USD, but I'm stretching to $3,000 if absolutely necessary. I would love some patient advice on where to look, what to prioritize, and what pitfalls to avoid. I know I might not have everything figured out, and I appreciate any insights you can share. Thanks in advance!
2 Answers
First off, I'd advise you to look at where you're buying from because prices can vary. And about the AMD comment you got from your professor—it’s outdated! AMD has caught up a lot, especially for gaming and graphical tasks. Don't be afraid to consider AMD options if they fit your budget and needs better. Just make sure to look for reliable benchmarks and reviews as you decide on parts. You could build a powerful PC that will handle your coursework beautifully without breaking the bank!
You can actually build a PC for much less than your budget. I suggest aiming for a solid Intel i7 setup instead. You should be able to put together a really high-performing PC with around 12 cores, 64GB of RAM, and a decent SSD for about $1,250. That gives you a lot of room to play with upgrades in the future if you need them. Here’s a great build list I found: check out PCPartPicker to piece it all together!
Wow, thanks for that suggestion! That price is music to my ears. I’ll definitely check PCPartPicker and compare the parts you mentioned!
Totally agree! AMD's really come a long way, and the price performance ratio is often much better. If you're after good graphics, an AMD GPU can be great, but Nvidia cards also have their perks, particularly for productivity tasks. Just do some comparison shopping!