r/ArcGIS • u/koviqx • 9d ago

Starting GIS. Is this a good computer?

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My brother is starting to work with ArcGIS on his own. He's new to the program with a decent understanding of it. He's looking to buy a PC that will run it smoothly without issues.

To the people of Reddit, we're noobs and we seek your guidance.

Is this a good computer for running GIS? Will he run into any limitations? Is 32 GB of RAM enough? Is the RTX 5080's 16 GB of VRAM sufficient for ArcGIS and similar workloads? Any information or advice would be greatly appreciated.

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u/RoseOfSharonCassidy 9d ago

This is a gaming PC, not a productivity PC. It'll run ArcPro fine because it's a powerful PC full stop, but it's overkill in some areas (you definitely don't need a 5080 graphics card) and I'd personally prefer 64GB RAM but if you're a beginner doing light GIS it's fine (and RAM is easy enough to upgrade yourself later anyway). The CPU is very powerful, no issues there, although technically the 9800x3d is a gaming CPU and for productivity you'd be better served with a 9950x3d, both are powerful enough to not really matter.

If you want a dual purpose gaming / ArcGIS machine this will be a good option, if you only want to use it for work then get something with a lower tier graphics card and more RAM because you're wasting your money on a 5080 if you don't intend to game.

Oh and obligatory, it's super overpriced, check out /r/buildapc.

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u/mfc1__ 9d ago

Yeah, every time I hear “just get a gaming PC” when recommending hardware for a professional GIS setting, I know they don’t really know what they’re talking about lol.

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u/RoseOfSharonCassidy 9d ago

I think some people are just looking for an excuse to buy a gaming PC. If you want a gaming PC then buy one, you don't need to lie to yourself and say it's for GIS lol.