What computer should I buy?

“What PC/Laptop should I buy” is a question seen all over the place in all kinds of creative industry. I want to fully answer this question and, if you look at the scroll bar on the right-hand side of your screen, it’s not a quick answer…

It used to be only a one horse race in the creative world: buy an Apple Mac! However, in the last 10 years or so, the Windows-based computers (sometimes just called PC’s) have become an excellent option for creatives.

Whenever you see this question in a Facebook group, such as British Voiceovers (https://www.facebook.com/groups/britishvoiceovers) there’s usually 50 comments all recommending different brands and different specs. Sometimes you’ll see the mac enthusiast still questioning the merit of a Windows computer… but that’s another conversation.

It can be a bit stressful!

The problem is that none of the replies to these posts explain why they recommend an “Intel i7”, or why “8gb RAM” is the “minimum”. These terms mean nothing without a bit of context and explanation. Desktops and laptops are usually sold on their specifications, not their build quality.

I’m a bit of a computer hardware enthusiast and wanted to offer my knowledge. If you’re in the market for a new computer, I hope the below information will help you get the best option for your budget.

Any feedback is always welcome, so please don’t hesitate to drop me an email with your thoughts.

Let’s get started…

I said this is an entirely different conversation, and it is, but I wanted to give a very brief overview as it will help your buying decision.

Firstly, a “Mac” only has one manufacturer: Apple. This means the naming convention and the number of options available to you is a lot simpler. Yes, you can get a varying degree of computer hardware options, but it removes a lot of choice from a confusing buying decision! Apple are known to make the best looking and well-made products. They last a long time and rarely run into problems. This is heavily reflected in the price.

Computers running Windows have MANY manufacturers such as Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer… The list is massive. However, this means there’s lots of competition in the market making the overall cost cheaper compared to a Mac. Windows computers used to have a reputation that they always break but this really isn’t the case anymore. It’s true that nearly all viruses and malware target Windows users but the preventative measures in place are more than capable of preventing them all. Sorry to say, but these days it’s almost certainly operator error!

Stick to what you know and need

Switching from Mac to Windows, or vice versa, will be a big learning curve. If you’ve always used a Mac, then it may be worth sticking with Mac. If you’ve always used Windows… stick to windows.

Further to all this, there may be some other reason why you may actually need one or the other. For example, some software or external hardware that you already own may only work with Windows or on a mac.

Overall, it’s personal preference. I said this would be brief… and believe me, it is! This is a debate that will remain on the internet for decades to come!

Laptop or Desktop/Tower?

This is, of course, entirely personal preference. I like a Desktop, or “tower”, on my desk and a separate laptop if I want to lounge on the sofa or travel with. When considering which to get, the components can be different (which I’ll explain later) but the concepts of everything here should be the same.

Let’s look at what’s inside the Computer… Or laptop… Or Mac… or Tower…

Just like the human brain, every computer has a bunch of components that all do different things. When looking for a new PC, the most important are:

• CPU – Central Processing Unit. This is the part of “the brain” that does all the thinking.
• RAM – Random-Access Memory. The short-term memory for the brain.
• Hard Drive (HDD, SSD) – Sometimes called a hard disk drive, solid state drive. This is the brain’s long-term memory.
• GPU – Graphics processing unit sometimes just called a “Graphics Card”. More on this later… but it’s effectively the part of “the brain” that determines how good your eyesight is

If you’re buying a PC that’s already pre-built then these are the 4 components they will brag about in their marketing. If you wanted to build your own then you will need to learn more about Motherboards (and chipsets), PSUs (Power Supply Units), CPU coolers, cases and fans (and RGB controllers if that’s your thing). I won’t go into detail about those in this blog though.

Now lets look into each component individually.

There’s only two main things you need to consider when looking for a CPU or processor: number of compute “Cores” and “GHz” (meaning “gigahertz”).

The more Cores a processor has, means the more tasks it can complete simultaneously. This isn’t an exact science, but if you have lots of clothes to clean and only one washing machine, it’ll take longer to clean all the clothes. More cores, more can be done. “Threads” are a newer term that you may see and it refers to technology that splits a single core into 2 “virtual cores”. Imagine a washing machine with 2 smaller drums.

GHz – or gigahertz – is a number to determine how quick it can do things. Sometimes referred to as “clock speed”. Using the clothes analogy, the higher the GHz, the quicker the clothes will wash meaning you can get through all your washing quicker. You will sometimes see “boost clock” which is the maximum speed the cpu is designed to “boost” to under heavy load. This can be improved with “overclocking” but that’s a pretty advanced technique that I don’t recommend unless you’re an enthusiast!

Note: there’s also a unit of measurement called IPC – instructions per cycle, but it’s more complicated and I won’t go into detail here, but all you need to know is…

As with most tech, the higher the number, the faster/better it is. 

If you’re going down the Windows route or considering a 2nd hand Apple laptop, there are only two names in the CPU market: Intel and AMD.

If you’re going to splash out on a brand new Apple MacBook or a Mac Mini, they have recently started creating their own chips, starting with the M1 chip, which bundles the processor and other components in a single chip! Pretty clever stuff.

Intel

Intel’s main line-up of CPU’s are called “Intel Core processors”. These come in 4 versions: i3, i5, i7 and i9.

They use the same naming scheme but make generational improvements. A typical Intel CPU will be named something like “i7-10700k”, you only need to really pay attention to the first 2 parts:

• i7-10700k – Model
• i7-10700k – Generation
• i7-10700k – SKU
• i7-10700k – processor use-case
  • There’s a huge variance in intel processors because of the vast array of use cases. For example, there are 19 different versions of the 10th Generation i7 processor: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/series/195734/10th-generation-intel-core-i7-processors.html

AMD

AMD has a similar naming convention with their “Ryzen” lineup: Ryzen 3, Ryzen 5, Ryzen 7 and Ryzen 9.

Like Intel, they also have generational improvements. A “Ryzen 5 2600” is part of the “2000 series”. A “Ryzen 5 5600x” is part of the “5000 series”.

There are fewer versions of the AMD options which can make things easier when choosing a computer with an AMD CPU.

With all of these, as always, the higher the number, the faster the processor.

Apple chips

Apple decided to stop depending on Intel or AMD to provide them chips so they decided to make their own. It’s all a bit new and going into any detail would mean this is no longer a beginners guide.

At time of writing there is only an M1 processor with the future chips being named “M2”, “M3” etc. So I’m confident in saying that the higher the number, the better and faster it is.

Which should I choose?

I would always recommend prioritising the generation of the cpu, rather than the model number. Two computers with “Intel i7 processors” can perform very differently if they’re from different generations. Also, “more cores” doesn’t always mean “faster computer”. Using the washing machine analogy, if you have 3 loads of washing – and this is the biggest amount of washing you’ll ever have – 10 washing machines is a waste of money.

RAM or memory is a little easier to grasp but there are some very important points to know to make sure you’re getting the best for your budget. It’s not just a simple case of “more is better”.

The amount of ram is – of course – important though. Modern computers will require 4GB (GigaBytes) of ram to even operate. It’s highly believed – and I concur – that 8GB is the “sweet spot” and should be considered the minimum for any use-case. Even just doing emails and word processing on modern computers can use up a lot of the computers “Short-term memory”. For heavier work, like editing raw audio, images, video or high-end gaming; 16GB should the minimum.

However, it’s not just the amount of ram we need to consider, it’s also the speed and generation! Like processors, RAM comes with its own speed rating in “Hz” but it’s more common to refer to it as “MHz”. For example, you will see RAM speeds advertised as “3000MHz” instead of “3GHz”. This is most likely due to prevent any confusion between the processor and RAM. There’s a further unit of measurement for RAM called “timings” but that’s for the enthusiasts out there!

Unlike processors, RAM has industry-wide generational gaps not specifically limited to a manufacturer. These are more commonly referred to as “Standards”. Currently, the most recent “Standard” is “DDR4” and any PC bought new will most certainly be using DDR4 RAM. It’s worth knowing this if you’re looking through the 2nd hand market.

The last thing to consider is something called “Dual Channel” (and possibly in the future “Quad Channel”). Without going into too much detail, RAM comes in the form of “sticks” (or “Modules”) and having 2 sticks in “Dual Channel” mode means the computer can access multiple parts of the RAM quicker. When buying a PC with 8GB ram, you will want 2 sticks of 4gb running Dual Channel rather than a single 8gb stick.

What’s the perfect RAM?

I would say that 8GB, in 2x4GB sticks, running at 2666mhz is a really good choice for all circumstances. For gaming, have 16gb, 2x8GB, at maybe 3200mhz. There’s a huge number of manufacturers out there for RAM, and even some sticks that have flashing RGB lights(!) but you shouldn’t need to worry about that if buying a pre-built machine.

Should I upgrade after some time?

Of course you can but it’s not just a simple case of buying more RAM sticks and putting them in the computer. Plus more ram doesn’t mean “More speed”. There’s nothing wrong with more RAM though.

If you’re not totally replacing the existing RAM then you need to make sure you buy an identical stick(s). For example, if you have 4 RAM slots in your computer, and 2 already have sticks in them, you need to buy the EXACT same make, model, capacity and speed. There are tools online to help you with this. Also, sometimes RAM wont run at their advertised speeds when you insert them in the computer. This is most likely due to what’s called an “XMP profile”… This is a more advanced thing so I won’t go into detail here.

Now we get onto the main storage of your computer. This is definitely more straight forward… hopefully.

You need somewhere to store your operating system (Windows or MacOS) and all your stuff (work, games, photos etc). These will take up megabytes (1000 bytes), gigabytes (1000 megabytes) and terabytes (1000 gigabytes).

When looking at marketing numbers for storage, you will likely be looking at the size of the storage in gigabytes (GB) and terabytes (TB).

There are only really 2 types of “drive”: Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or Solid State Drive (SSD). Some SSD’s can also have the term “NVMe” in marketing material and is just a faster type of SSD.

You should be looking for an SSD. This is the faster of the 2 and your operating system and main storage should be on an SSD. Hard Disk Drives (HDD) are great for mass storage needs, but they are slow. If you have many terabytes of files that you don’t need to access regularly, such as family photos, videos or backups of work files; then getting a HDD as a secondary drive is a great idea. However, they do make a noise, so it’s worth noting if you’re buying a computer specifically for audio work.

To put the speed difference in perspective, an SSD can load into windows in 10 seconds (sometimes quicker). An HDD can take up to 50 seconds!! This is just one use-case scenario. YouTube is full of side-by-side comparisons with various use cases (gaming, editing video etc) and SSD’s will always come on top so that will always be my recommendation.

What’s the fastest possible drive?

NVMe drives running on PCIe Gen4. Does that make any sense to you? It’s annoying that this exact wording could be used in the marketing material on some websites.

Here’s a breakdown of all the types:

• HDD’s read and write data at around 150 megabytes per second (mbps).
• The slowest SSD’s are between 300 and 600 mbps.
• The slowest “NVMe” SSD drive is MUCH faster, at around 2000mbps!
• The fastest PCIe Gen4 NVMe drives go up to 7000mbps.

It’s worth noting that, in some cases, things will just take as long as they take. For example, I went from a SATA-based SSD to an NVMe drive and windows took the same time to boot. In some cases I can tell the difference, but the most noticeable difference will be going from an HDD to any form of SSD.

How much space do I need?

Minimum 250gb. You may not even need more than that!

There’s loads of “cloud storage” systems out there that are super easy to use and integrate well with both operating systems and you can offload files to store on the cloud saving space on your computer. You may even have a load of cloud storage already:

• Microsoft Office 365 (Word, Excel etc) gives 1TB of cloud storage as part of the basic package via OneDrive
• Gmail or Google accounts give 100gb for free via Google Drive
• Apple users, iCloud will provide you with 5gb for free

Note: It’s always going to be cheaper in the long run to store data locally by buying a bigger drive, but if something goes wrong (which it rarely does, so don’t panic) you could lose all your data.

Before I get going with this one, you may not need to consider a GPU at all, which will make your purchasing decision much easier.

GPU’s are considered mainly for gaming. However, in order for you to see something on your monitor, something inside your computer needs to deal with that. Many processors, especially those on the Intel side, will have what’s called an “Integrated Graphics” chip meaning you don’t need a separate GPU. Sometimes these chips are even good enough to run some graphically un-intensive games such as Minecraft.

This doesn’t mean that the Ryzen offerings don’t offer the same thing. Far from it! The Ryzen 5 3400GE can run modern “AAA” titles at 1080p and over 30 frames per second… (that’s good… if you didn’t know). There’s just less options on the AMD side for integrated graphics.

Many processors – and especially the faster ones – don’t come with an integrated graphics chip and so manufacturers will add a GPU into the computer.

If you aren’t going to be gaming or editing video… you really don’t need to read more than the above.

Which GPU will help me save the universe best?!

There’s loads of options but only 2 main types: NVidia & AMD.

A GPU can be a very costly part of your pc if you want the best graphics and the highest frame rate. I wont go into details about the options here because it all depends on so many factors. For example, if all you want to do is play fortnite on a 1080p monitor that runs at 60hz, there’s no point in spending £1500 on a GPU that’s designed for 4k gaming at over 100 hz!

Like any big purchase, it all depends on the use-case and budget. Brand Loyalty might also come into it.

One of the main things that cropped up in each section of this post is “generation”. The newer components are the best and in some strange cases – mainly due to competition – they are actually cheaper than the previous, slower generation.

Using a an example of a voice artist, they may never need to run anything other than Adobe Audition and Google Chrome. In that case, I’d recommend:

• CPU – a Ryzen 3000 series (probably a Ryzen 5 3600) or 9th Gen Intel (i5 or higher)
• RAM – 8GB minimum, but 16GB if you can stretch. (Note: It’s very rare that more information on the type of RAM is displayed in marketing material)
• Storage – 250gb SSD minimum. If you need more storage, either get a bigger SSD or a secondary HDD.

The marketing language for pre-built computers is frustrating light, but I completely understand why. However, you should now know that being told “get an i7” means absolutely nothing and “you need to upgrade your RAM” just isn’t that simple.

If you walk into a shop looking to buy a pre-built pc, the sales-team can sense your lack of knowledge immediately. Although I’m not saying they will try to rip you off, you are definitely better off knowing some of the basics of modern pc components before you hand over the cash!

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for getting this far! It’s a lot of information to take in, and I might have confused you more, but when you’re parting ways with all that money on something that you can run a whole business on, it’s worth knowing what you’re buying.

If you want to say thanks then say it with a share on social media, and if you see anyone asking “what pc should I buy”, send them this way before they get bombarded with suggestions that wont make sense to them!

Cheers! 🙂