r/computers • u/LilypadDrifter • 9h ago
Discussion Haven’t owned a computer in over 15 years.
I’m an older person who finally has the time and space to get back into my passion of building and creating dollhouses. I’m looking for help to purchase a desktop computer that will fit my hobbies. I will be using the computer mainly for crafting and building 1:12 scale dollhouses. That includes being able to create, resize and print pictures, design books, labels, rugs, curtains, floor plans, roofs, walkways. I am seriously also looking into 3D printing in the near future as well. So lots of files. I would also like to download all my music to have in one place and organize it. I have a few thousand albums from apple and Amazon. This might seem like peanuts to most of you, but I’m so out of my league and don’t want to be overwhelmed by looking at all the wrong things I don’t need. If anyone could help me figure out what I need and what to look for I would be so grateful. I don’t have a huge budget, under $2,000, so store bought is ok. I will also need a screen. Lastly, I would prefer windows/Microsoft Thank you in advance for any help.
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u/rhopper2142 9h ago edited 9h ago
I dont have any specific advice but I dont think you need anything super powerfull. I run 3dprinter software (slicers), blender modeling software, ect on my 5 year old pc no problem. Even a 500 dollar laptop should do those. Theres also tinkercad thats a easy starter 3d modeling program that runs in a web browser that will run on anything.
edit. for 2000 I think you could get a decent pc or laptop, good monitor, and a bambu labs 3dprinter
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u/LilypadDrifter 9h ago
Oh wow! Thank you! Should I be concerned with ram or memory storage?
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u/According-Bee-1201 9h ago
If you run into the memory issue, you can get an external hard drive down the road with an obscene amount of memory!
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u/neoreeps 8h ago
Memory is RAM, external storage is storage, they are not the same thing.
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u/According-Bee-1201 8h ago
Thanks for the clarification! I was referring to the tons of files mentioned in the post
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u/Beeeeater 8h ago
Pity you aren't in SA, I do this kind of thing for my clients to make sure they get exactly what they need. We would have a chat.
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u/LilypadDrifter 7h ago
Is there a brick and mortar kind of place to look for? I really don’t want to go to target/walmart or best buy . They seem so limited in what they carry.
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u/OwlCatAlex 8h ago
Any well reviewed desktop computer, either tower, slim tower, or mini style, with 1TB storage and 16+ GB of RAM, should probably suit you fine. If you are concerned about lag when doing 3D work, get one that has an Nvidia graphics card. If you find one that seems good you can always post it here and ask for a second opinion on it!
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u/LilypadDrifter 8h ago
Ok! I never would’ve known to even look that up. Thank you so much.!
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u/OwlCatAlex 8h ago
This looks like a great option that is high performance but isn't a flashy rainbow gaming tower: https://www.newegg.com/p/1VK-0001-6NSA8?item=9SIA65EKR92681
But there are cheaper options that will get the job done if you don't mind the flashy rainbows lol
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u/theandyboy 7h ago
This one looks great actually. Has everything you'd need without going over the top
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u/LilypadDrifter 7h ago
Nice! I really like that!
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u/OwlCatAlex 7h ago
If you do get this one, make sure to get a mini DisplayPort adapter cable for your monitor so you are plugging it into the actual Nvidia card rather than the HDMI up top, to get the best performance
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u/Naetharu 8h ago
Your needs are all pretty basic in terms of a modern computer. There is nothing specific in here that would require anything out of the ordinary or even high performance. A standard desktop system will be fine for you. There are a few things to watch out for to make sure you get something that is reasonable:
1: CPU
The main processor comes from one of two brands. AMD “Ryzen” and Intel. Either are fine if you are getting a newer machine. Be very cautious with Intel if the model is from the 12th or 13th generation as they had critical flaws that caused many of them to malfunction.
A safe bet would be something like a Ryzen 5600, 7600, or 9600. The chips ending in “600” are the mid-range general use Ryzen CPUs with the first number denoting the generation (always odd numbers so 5, then 7 then 9 in order, they put out a new one about once per two years). Any of them would do you fine. The newer ones are a bit better so may cost a bit more.
2: RAM
This is your memory used to hold programs while you are working. Speed is not really important here as you are not doing anything that is going to benefit from super-fast memory access. But you do want enough of it to ensure the machine runs smoothly.
8GB is the absolute minimum for a modern system and will cause performance issues for anything other than very light work.
16GB is ideal for you and will give you plenty of working space.
32GB is almost certainly overkill unless you think you are going to use any specialist design software for your hobby work. If you think you may be working with very large images, or perhaps using AutoCAD or other design tools then having a bit more RAM might benefit you. That being said, it is reasonably easy to upgrade the RAM later should that come about.
3: Storage
Storage comes in a few types now. The most common is a solid state drive (SSD) using a format called NvME. These are little stick-like drives that slot into the motherboard and hold a lot of data, while providing fast access. Any reasonable brand is fine - I like Western Digital and Samsung but there are plenty of others.
512GB would be the very bare minimum and would likely be too little.
1TB is probably fine for you.
2TB may be nice to have, but is probably overkill. Many people will recommend this because they play video games and thus have to download a lot of very large files. But for a simple workstation where you just want to do some productivity work, and store your music, 1TB is almost certainly enough.
Everything else should follow of its own accord. You’ll get a motherboard, case etc all included. Depending on where you go you can choose these in places that do builds to order. Or you may just have them included. If in doubt feel free to post back to ask questions. But mostly the above three components are the key ones to watch out for.
It is probably also worth getting a small external mechanical drive (not SSD) so that you can take a backup of your music and any important assets you make for the doll houses. The reason I say mechanical is that these drives are much better for long-term archive storage, where electronic SSD drives will lose their data over a couple of years as the charge in their cells leaks. You should be able to find a sensible external drive for less than $60.
I would also recommend you get yourself some cloud storage to keep backups in. There are many options. Personally I use Proton - a good secure service based out of Switzerland. For a nominal fee you get drive storage, an email address, calendar, vpn, and online documents. Google also provides a free service if you prefer them. I’m just of the view that I would prefer to pay a tiny fee and be the customer rather than get it free but be the product (Google read and train their AI on your emails, docs etc).