A computer/device that works with light gaming and school work

[Max_74]

I am in need of a new computer for school that is capable of running programs such as photoshop, final cut pro and maya.

Although this is its primary use I also want to play games with friends such as Pay Day 2, Garry's Mod and Dead by Daylight. It doesn't need top be able to run them at the highest settings or run the newest games (I have a PS4 for the newest AAA games) but it does need to be able to run the games above relatively smoothly.

What is the best way to go about this? Would it be to buy a cheap laptop and a desktop, or to buy a laptop that is capable? I'm not sure.

 

[hang-the-9]

Since you have a PS4 for games, if you don't care about keeping up with newer titles on the computer, a single laptop may be best in your case.

Sure you can get a desktop for games and a cheaper laptop for notes, browsing etc.. but if you don't use it much, the desktop is mostly taking up room.

What is your budget for the computer? If it's over $1,000 you can actually pick up a very good system for mid range gaming with a 1060 video card, or for about $800 a still good system with a 960m video card.

 

[jaguarskx]

I don't know anything about Final Cut, but Maya is a pretty demanding program. I would say that a quad core Intel CPU is recommended as well as a dedicated graphics chip / card.

I would say that purchasing a powerful laptop would be less expensive than buying a powerful desktop and inexpensive laptop.

 

[velo3100]

I would buy a desktop as it saves you from buying cables to connect your laptop to an external monitor. This is important as 3d modelling in maya is not the best experience in a laptop. This also applies for final cut pro and photoshop. As for gaming that is up to you, if you need to play the lightweight games then a laptop maybe good, otherwise get a desktop that can do everything and you can use it after school.

 

[kgt1182]

i3 6100 Intel Core
RX 460 AMD Radeon
8 GB RAM DDR4 1600MHz
128 GB SSD
H motherboard ATX

This should be good