My boyfriend asked for a computer build for podcasting and light gaming for Christmas. He specifically wants a custom build desktop and I wasn’t able to talk him out of going this route. We’re starting from zero so I’d need to get a tower, monitor, keyboard, mouse, mic, webcam, etc. Trying to keep it under $1300ish for the package.
What kind of specs should I target to future proof the system for podcasting in case this becomes a serious hobby for him? I’ve built hundreds of PCs in my lifetime but never had to consider audio/video production. Also curious if anyone has advice for the podcasting equipment.
Thanks ahead of time.
I believe the equipment will add up and take away from your budget for the custom PC. I would suggest going with a MinisForum mini PC with an AMD APU that has the 780M with a high TDP. For example the EliteMini UM780 XTX. The 780M APU is very capable of gaming at 1080p, especially considering FSR. The CPU side is very capable. This particular mini PC has an Oculink port which is the best port to use to add an external GPU should he wish to upgrade later.
The BenQ Mobiuz EX240 is a decently priced quality 1080p monitor. It is fast, has good color accuracy, and supports AMD Freesync Premium which will pair up nicely with the 780M during gaming.
Consider using Linux to save money on the OS. Linux Mint Edge has a familiar look to Windows and supports the latest hardware.
A keyboard that I imagine would be good for productivity is the Keychron Q1 V1. It has a knob that can be made to do anything and they keys are hot swappable so in the future he could add some nice silent switches so it doesn’t interrupt his recordings/livestreams. This keyboard also works with Linux.
I don’t know really anything about podcast recording but I know it’s audio and some people will live stream their podcasts. The program Tenacity is free and used for audio recording and the program OBS is also free and used for live streaming. Both programs work on Linux.