toaks @toaks

TL;DR: I'm thinking about asking for a desktop computer for Christmas and I kinda need some advice

For the past 5-6 years, the practicality of a laptop has been worth the drawbacks. Now, as I start to do things which require more power from a computer, it seems to be becoming a bottleneck rather than freeing.

I know very little about things like motherboards, power supplies, anything AMD, and desktops in general 🫠 so I figure it's not worth building one from scratch for me

What's a good desktop? I'm looking to get something better than my laptop (16 gb RAM, i7-12700…k?, laptop RTX 3060, 1 TB SSD) and I have a lot of money saved from never participating in capitalism (I don't want to spend a butt load of $$$ on this though).

Does anyone have any advice? Should I get a prebuilt? Assemble it myself? Try AMD parts (not sure about this though)?

Just trying here before I dive into… Reddit 🤢

Nov 13, 2024, 1:35 AM
6

comments

justaseacow @justaseacow Nov 13, 2024, 2:58 AM

  • prebuilts are usually more expensive than an equivalent self built computer, but sometimes you can get a prebuilt on a massive sale and it’s cheaper

  • use pcpartpicker.com to find compatible parts

  • pc parts are usually cheaper than the equivalent laptop part
mef @mef Nov 13, 2024, 2:59 AM

I was literally just about to say that first part lol
toaks @toaks Nov 13, 2024, 3:01 AM

Replying to the comment as you typed this lol
toaks @toaks Nov 13, 2024, 3:01 AM

Thanks for the tips!

I know you can save on labor but I don't know a lot about computers and I don't want to mess something up/order incorrect parts or something.

I've seen pcpartspicker! That site is a godsend, thanks for the recommendation.

I've been using laptops because they are massively convenient for portability. I've changed my mindset on it recently though.
mef @mef Nov 13, 2024, 12:07 PM

just curious, what do you need the extra compute power for?

My first assumption would be rendering stuff because that is quite intensive
toaks @toaks Nov 13, 2024, 4:03 PM

As I've started diving more into 3D animation (especially anything with simulations) and game design, I've found that my computer can't quite keep up. When I render my photo real animations, I get hit with constraints on quality quickly. Also, if I'm being honest, I think creating a computer/upgrading it myself also sounds like a very rewarding thing to do. The hard thing with a prebuilt is that I don't have all the information on the computer on hand, but a self-built seems like a massive undertaking