When choosing a computer for uses such as web browsing, gaming, photo and video
editing, I would recommend that my friend build a PC. Being able to build allows for a
good amount of customization, and being able to add or upgrade parts as needed. The
sweet spot for a build would be about $500, actually cheaper than buying a PC that is
pre built. $500 is enough to allow them to accomplish everything needed, without
breaking the bank. This also allows for upgrades in the future. We will start off with the
CPU- Ryzen 5 2600, provides all the power needed for photo and video editing, breezes
through web browsing, and is great for gaming. The motherboard- ASRock B450 PRO4, a
micro ATX motherboard, has 4 SATA ports, which will allow for adding multiple storage
options. 8GBs of RAM for the PC will definitely give them the power to accomplish
everything needed. The GPU- XFX Radeon RX 570 8GB, provides plenty of graphical
power need to play pretty much anything thrown at it. As for the storage we will choose
the PNY 500GB SSD. SSDs are a lot faster than HDDs, at the cost of being less affordable.
However, the PNY SSD provides plenty of space, without sacrificing on speed or price,
making it an essential component of the build. For the case that all of these components
will go into, we will choose the Thermaltake Versa H18. This case provides adequate
cooling and cable management for all of the components. And lastly, powering
everything, the power supply- the Seasonic S12 500W, will provide efficient power for the
entire PC. This build will total about $500, and will provide my friend will everything they
will need in a computer, with room for upgrading later.
It sounds like my friend would like a well-rounded computer that can do everything a
computer does well. This, along with having enough space to store his photos and videos
and being able to display them with good quality. First I would suggest sticking with a
computer that supports Windows because a lot of popular games do not play on Mac. If
my buddy wanted to take his computer with him, obviously the laptop is the best choice
here. That takes some of the stress out because a lot of great companies like Asus,
Alienware, HP, etc make laptops you can buy and will be great for quite a while. You will
not have to worry about upgrading and it is generally ready to use after a short
installation. If a laptop was not the route to go, then a desktop just provides more
options. Either way, I would suggest having an SSD to load games and maybe a photo or
video editing software from, at least 1TB of space because I had one that was about
250GB and was not nearly enough. Additionally, 2TB of storage on the HDD would be my
suggestion for a starting point. Unless they take a ridiculous amount of pictures every
time you pull the camera out this should last, and even at this point, my friend could
look into cloud or external storage devices. Recently games played on a computer come
with amazing graphics and with that technology comes the graphics cards. I may be
biased here because I have a 2080 in my computer, but I would suggest anything in the
2K generation of graphics cards is worth the investment. As I said, my card is a 2080 and
the images it produces in some games are incredible. When going for processors more is
better in my opinion. I have an i7. If I could have afforded the i9 when I purchased my
computer I definitely would have. Do I think it is necessary? Not at all, my computer only
runs into issues when I know I am pushing the CPU too far. I think these parts can put
you in a position to have a solid running computer for up to five years, and the only
reason to upgrade will be the advance in technology, not due to the failure of the part.
If I were to recommend a computer to my friend, I would recommend the exact same
one I use which is a MacBook Pro. I enjoy using this computer because I use all apple
products and its easy to connect my phone to my Mac so I can access my files anywhere.
My MacBook has a 2.6GHz 6-core processor and 512 GB of storage. This computer is a
popular choice for people who work in the tech world. Graphic designers as well as web
and software developers sometimes choose this computer. It has outstanding tools for
editing photos and videos. And is an absolute beast when it comes to multitasking. The
storage is in the form of SSD which means much faster load speeds as well. As far as
external devices go, you can connect any other Apple product to it as well. From the
Magic Mouse to an extra keyboard if you choose. But my most favorite feature is that I
can snap photos on my iPhone and without connecting my phone to the Mac, the photos
are already uploaded to my collection which makes for fast and seamless backup as well
as editing. It is also perfect for homework! Personally I think that a MacBook is a great
choice for anyone, my reason being that it is easy to use, and has more then enough
power to accomplish the needs of nearly everyone.
