Hi all,
I'm in the market for a new PC and am having a bit of trouble on finding somtheing budget friendly which matches my needs. My main use case is for cyber security work, but I will be doing some light photoshop/illustrator and 3D modeling as a hobby. The CS work requires me to run a few VMs and Linux environments so I'm leaning towards AMD over Intel (either 12 or 16 core) but if Intel will suffice, I'm fine with that too.
I'm opting for a discrete GPU both for CS PW cracking and in case Blender/CAD needs more GPU. Please correct me if I'm wrong/don't need this. Minimum 6GB I think should be enough?
Other specs: 1TB SSD, with minimum of 32GB RAM. Not sure how different the DDR4 vs DDR5 is, so I'm open to either. I don't think I need liquid coolant, so air cooling is fine. WiFi connection. Win10 or 11 is fine (I havent used Windows OS in a long time as most of my work so far has been ChromeOS).
The biggest constraint is my price which I'm budgeting $1400. Which, yes, I know is ridiculous given the above specs so I'm trying to find a pre-built which gets AS CLOSE to budget as possible. I AM OPEN TO REFURBISHED machines if it will lower the budget so long as the specs/hardware hold up for my use case.
I don't need/want/prefer the "gaming" aesthetic of the RGB interior fans with a glass/clear chassis. Honestly if it would reduce the price by omitting these, it would be better for me. Only reason I bring it up is because each time I try and filter search my specs I immediately get redirected to "gaming PCs".
Other things which may be pertinent? I have a cat who sheds and they love to sit on my desk/under my chair while I work. The tower will be under my desk. I don't need a keyboard, mouse or screen.
I don't have the skill/knowhow to DIY/build my own box nor do I have the time. Maybe if the computer starts failing down the road, I could learn how to replace and upgrade pieces, but for now only looking for pre-built machines.
Closest thing I've found in price point and specs is the MINISFORUM AtomMan G1 Pro or the 89A6 (fully AMD version -opting for this) but while the small form factor is appealing, I'm worried about heat dissapation and potential fan noise.
TIA