What Budget Should I Consider for a New PC for My Friend Who Draws?
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SketchyUser123
Hey everyone! My friend's PC has been really struggling for about two years now, with various power issues popping up. They're not a gamer; they mainly use their desktop for drawing with Clip Studio Paint and have a dual monitor setup along with a tablet. They've been pretty stubborn about getting a new one (even though it's been two years), and I'm thinking about getting them a new PC for Christmas, or at least covering most of the costs. What kind of budget are we looking at for a setup that's mainly for drawing?
Answers
You might just need to replace the power supply! If you can find a consistent issue, you could look for a donor PC to swap out parts—most upgrades shouldn't cost more than about $70. Alternatively, you could grab an older i5 Dell office desktop for around $100 if they just need something basic.
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Could you explain what you mean by "actively dying"? Like, what kind of issues are you experiencing? It might be something as simple as wiring issues that a new PC wouldn't solve. I'd suggest figuring out what the actual problem is first before investing in a whole new computer.
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For drawing, you can definitely check the builds over at r/buildapcforme or pcpartpicker.com. Just remove the GPU from those configurations, and it should still be great for what they need, likely even overkill. A Ryzen mini PC could work too, and you might be able to get it for around $300 or less!
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If they're mainly drawing, you could keep things super affordable and find a Dell OEM machine for about $100-200. That should serve them well for their needs.
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I’d suggest budgeting around $1,000 USD if you’re planning to build something decent. This should get you a solid setup if you go the DIY route.
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SketchyUser123: The build is over 12 years old, and they've moved houses several times in the last two years. There have been multiple instances where it just wouldn't boot at different apartments.