Desktop computer suggestions for 2D development, preferably under $1,300

I'm currently on a old slow Win7 machine and am looking to upgrade, preferably at around $1300 or less (maybe I'm being unreasonable with that price range with the ongoing GPU shortage). I'd mainly use the machine for 2D work (Unity and Visual Studio) and web browsing.

I'm thinking an i7 or AMD equivalent, 16 GB RAM, at least 256 SSD, dedicated graphics.

I'd appreciate suggestions, thanks.

Here are some I've been looking at: Lenovo - Legion Tower 5 , CyberPowerPC - Gamer Master Gaming Desktop (maybe get this and upgrade to 16 GB in the near future?), HP ENVY Gaming Desktop PC , Dell XPS 8930 , general Newegg search in the above price range

 

Does it absolutely have to be prebuilt? You're getting absolutely fleeced with those prices.

 

Every month, PC Gamer magazine suggests gaming PC builds at 3 different price points. If you don't mind assembling the parts yourself as Murgilod suggests, you can save a bundle. Otherwise, you could look at the builds and find a prebuilt PC with similar specs. If you already have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse, their current mid-range build is $1089 for an AMD Ryzen 5 3600X, RTX 3060 Ti, 16 GB DDR4, 1 TB SSD, 1 TB HDD, and related parts (motherboard, case, etc.). You might be able to find a prebuilt PC with similar specs for a few hundred more. (I haven't looked.)

 

1300 will get you a CPU but no mobo if you want a workstation that is.

 

The thing is you may be able to get GPUs via pre-built that are currently unavailable sold seperately due to the global shortage.

That said with the components you are looking at in those builds you may still be fine to build it yourself and find stock you need. (Like one of those prebuilt has a 1650 as a graphics card and costs a bomb, they really look overpriced for what they are even given the shortage worldwide)

 

Stick to the brief, champ. You can do 2D dev in Unity on a toaster.

 

If it isn't at least a Ryzen 5900X, @MDADigital wouldn't trust it with getting toast right.

 

12 cores is so 2018. I wouldnt go below 16

 

That use case would explain a bunch. I reckon Intel would be better for toast, though.

 

Here's a tip for prebuilt.

For example the Alienware R10 (Ryzen edition).

CPU:Ryzen 7 5800 (OEM) not the X version.
Ram: 8 Gigs.
GPU: RX6800 XT. Being you want to do 2D then just cheap out on the GPU options they offer.

For like $1350 dollars. I got a PC with the parts above.
Or buy the same GPU for like $1800. from a scalper.

I got my own ram so it's cheaper, so I just got the basic ram option.

(the discounts still apply regardless) but normally this build is more than $1350.
To get it so cheap (or if you want a cheaper GPU) then just sign up for the dell newsletter for 10% off.
Not sure if the Coupon 50OFF699 is still available but that'll also give you 50 dollars off.
Next sign up for a dell account and get even more discount (Didn't see a percentage) but it took off like $30-$40 dollars for me.

Taxes will raise it (for me) about like $135. So I paid like $1450ish for this build.

I ain't payin a scalper nearly 2 grand when i can bet an entire build cheaper.

So for example you could get a decent sub $1000 rig with the discounts above.

 

With how hot the Ryzens run at idle? Bang for your buck for toast is way better with AMD. You can make like three times as many slices for half the price.

 

I was thinking of review descriptions of the 11900k being things like "hot and power hungry".

 

11900k is completely irrelevant since 5950x beats it in single core perf

 

If you're going to cockwaffle over CPU specs, can you at least try to do so within the OP's actual budget.

 

Thanks for the tips. I am somewhat uncomfortable with building my own (not much experience), but if I'll really save a good bit of money maybe I should go with that. I have read that in passing that, at this point, building your own machine is relatively simple (compared to years and decades ago).

https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-pc-build-guide/

Adding up the prices here seems closer to 1,300 than 1,100 though

 

I recommend ignoring everything with a name brand unless they offer a sale you can't refuse (speaking of which we're not that far away from July 4th sales though who knows if there will be any stock at all). NewEgg has been manufacturing their own line of systems under the brand "ABS" and selling them for reasonable prices.

It's not the latest generation processor nor one that I would have recommended in the past but it's the closest to your budget that is still available. Just about everything else at that price point that was worth buying has been bought.

https://www.newegg.com/abs-ali510/p/N82E16883360110

Ignore the prices currently shown by that website. All of them are MSRP. Currently the only way to buy a card close to that price is to win the NewEgg Shuffle and even then a 3060 which should cost $329 MSRP is selling for $600 USD thanks to almost every card being part of a combo rather than individually available.

Spoiler: Latest NewEgg Shuffle 3060s

Want to know what the scalpers are currently selling (yes, selling, not just listing) 3060 Tis for? $1,300 USD.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=3060+Ti&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1

 

I do 3D on the 7700K integrated graphics and it works just fine with the build in render pipeline.

 

I used the print version of the June 2021 issue and omitted the monitor, keyboard, and mouse they included in their build. The online prices are probably more current. Prices fluctuate daily, and as mainstream media gets more panicky about chip manufacturing shortages, it may be driving prices up.

 

Sorry to bump but I figured I'd keep inquiring/asking for advice: what if I was to buy something like this $650 machine and upgrade the RAM and put in a second SSD in the near future? (general advice seems to consistently be that I can not worry so much about the GPU for 2D, which if true is naturally a good thing for me right now) Frankly I'd prefer not trying to build a whole PC from scratch, even if it means paying a bit more than than I should (within reason).

 

That GPU is from 2014 or something. Don't even bother with it.

I would say keep an eye out for a good deal. With a prebuilt at least you will be able to get a GPU without getting ripped off.

These are expired but something similar comes around every few weeks.

https://slickdeals.net/f/15002647-h...9-99-at-officedepot-com?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1

https://slickdeals.net/f/14977391-h...win10h-1173-24-and-more?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1

 

If you're trying to save as much as possible this is the better deal. You lose the dedicated GPU but in this instance the AMD Vega integrated graphics of the 4600G is superior. Plus it has 12GB RAM and a 1TB SSD all while costing only $600.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-desktop-amd-ryzen-5-12gb-1tb-ssd-jet-black/6454569.p?skuId=6454569

 

Yep. I can do 2D and 3D dev perfectly fine on my old 6-year-old i5 laptop.

 

Wow, that's a great deal. Always thought Best Buy was overpriced, but they are actually giving a great deal this time

 

Just bear in mind that you can get a build with a CPU that is 40% faster + a GPU (1660 super) for $200~ more. So around $400 more parts for $200~ more retail

https://slickdeals.net/f/15020074-d...super-830-free-shipping?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1

Also be sure to check the power supply if you plan to upgrade some stuff. Most of these prebuilt ones have the smallest PSU possible to power it.

 

Some of them don't even have the proper connectors even if they have sufficient power delivery. I checked the model I linked above but all I was able to determine is that it has the necessary slot for a GPU. While it does vary somewhat between generations this means you'd likely be limited to a "50" model card or below (eg 1050).

 

Yeah - one way that you can check on what upgrades you may be able to do is to see what part upgrades the manufacturer provides on the same model. Not guaranteed but most of the time the base parts are the same. Not guaranteed though!

 

Appreciate the tip. I may go with that for now. If it doesn't work out during the two week period, I'll return it and try waiting for July 4th deals (though I imagine I won't be "quick enough on the draw" to grab those before others do ). Right now I'm dealing with unbearable Unity/VS load and compile times. (And I should probably switch away from Chrome but old habits...)