Best Computer or PC for Podcasting & Audio Production in 2025?

Is there such a thing as a “best computer for podcasting?”. There’s rarely ever a one-size-fits-all answer to questions like this. There are a few different factors to think about – namely, what your needs and budget are.

When deciding what computer or laptop to get to produce your podcast (or any audio), a lot depends on what DAW (digital audio workstation, or audio editing software in plain English!) and plugin software you use.

Often, upgrading the computer you already have will be fine. But what if you need to buy again from scratch? Let’s take a look at how I think about buying a great audio production computer.

A quick heads up before we get started: we use some affiliate links, which help support all our free content. If you want to skip ahead to our best computer for podcasting recs, then I’ll catch you down there!

What’s the Difference Between a Laptop & Computer for Podcasting?

I got into the nuances of choosing a laptop for podcasting in our dedicated article. But how do you decide between a laptop and a desktop PC? What’s the difference?

Generally, a desktop PC can be custom-built or pre-built (those from the store are ready to go) and will have more resource power and the ability for future upgrades as they arise, or when the funds are available to do so. 

With a laptop, there are not many parts that can be replaced should they fail. This affects upgrades, too.

I like to call building desktop PCs “future-proofing”, due to the customization ability.  However, the key factor to always keep in mind is that all parts must remain compatible with each other – see your local computer shop to check compatibility before purchase.

Why Choose a Desktop PC for Podcasting?

As mentioned earlier, you can generally get a more powerful machine in a desktop compared to a laptop.  You can also upgrade it slowly to make it more of a workhorse. 

Often, once you start getting into production on a laptop, the recording process itself can cause a fan to rev like crazy, which means it gets into your recording and makes it noisy.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve come across this in audiobook recordings from laptops that ruined the performance with excessive fan revs.  Plugins in editing can also be resource-hungry, meaning they need heavier performance from the CPU and RAM.

A DAW such as Audacity or Reaper may not be as resource-intensive, but you need to keep in mind that several other processes and programs must be running at all times, even with the Operating System alone. Add to that others, such as having a browser open, extensions, and anti-virus software, and the resource pool can run out pretty quickly these days, even on an 8-gig RAM computer.

Lastly, if you invest in a desktop PC, and if you’re a gamer, your machine can multitask in your downtime!

Desktop PC for Podcasting Resources

When I use the term “resources”, I’m talking about the symbiotic relationship that the RAM and the CPU share.  Back when I was new to desktop builds, I was under the myth of “the higher the RAM the better off you are”.  This isn’t necessarily true.  Well… it is and it isn’t.  Even if you invest in 64 GB of RAM, if your CPU is “slow” (i.e., not that many cores, and a lower base speed), your RAM won’t be utilized properly. 

This means you can still overload your system, causing it to freeze or crash. This may all sound overwhelming right now ,but don’t fret.

Recommended RAM and CPU

This is a personal preference, but I would recommend a custom build or pre-built machine that has at least 16 GB of RAM and a 6-core CPU like the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 processor, 3.8 GHz, 32 MB L3.  

AMD brings high-performance CPUs at a way more affordable price.  I use them in my custom builds, and I feel they perform nicely. A quad-core CPU is the bare minimum.

Brands like Corsair and Kingston are great for RAM. RAM has come down drastically in price over the years, so if you are going to build a PC, aim for 32 GB if you can.

Other Considerations for a Desktop Build for Podcasting

You don’t need a top-of-the-line video card, but you don’t want to completely cheap out either – I learned this the hard way.  Even though we are working with audio, DAWs (especially when auto-scrolling and using iZotope RX’s editor) are surprisingly heavy on graphic resources, which can impact your machine’s performance.  Learn from younger Sarah’s mistake!

You can also swap out fans in a desktop PC for “silent” fans.  They aren’t truly silent, but much better than the stock fans.  I’ve had good results with Noctua fans.  Just be sure they can fit in the case prior to purchase. My case is huge, and it barely fits.  Again, when in doubt, contact your local computer parts store.  These would be considered a luxury purchase, not a necessity.

If you have the budget, invest in two SSDs – one dedicated solely to the Operating System, and one dedicated to storing files and session files from your DAW.  This will help your machine run more efficiently.  Try to get minimum 1TB – files and installed software add up a lot quicker these days.

The prices have really come down since SSDs first appeared on the market, and watching for sales can help too.  You can start with one and add another later, as long as the case can fit it and the motherboard has the connections to add more.

Check your DAW Requirements to Figure out Your Minimum Spec

The Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) you choose has a huge effect on the computer you need. Remember to check out our podcast editing software article if you’re still trying to choose one for producing your show.

• Pro Tools Studio, for instance, is a resource-intensive program that requires a quad-core processor (Intel i5 or better) to run. For the average podcaster, a Pro Tools-capable system is likely overkill.
• Adobe Audition, by comparison, will run on nearly any system with a multicore processor and 4GB of RAM or better.
• Reaper does not have specifications for its software, and is often said “will run on a potato”.
• Audacity, like Reaper, has quite low requirements, asking for 2GB RAM and just 1GHz processor speed.

A non-DAW option for recording, editing, producing, and publishing your podcast is Alitu. Alitu is a web app, so if your computer is good enough to connect to the internet, it’ll be more than capable of running all of these processes, without the need for additional software.

Check DAW Plugin Requirements

Another factor that determines your computer needs is the requirements of the plugins you use with your DAW. Common plugins like iZotope RX or Ozone require more resources to handle the intensive processing the software does to your audio. Virtual instruments and synths like Kontakt often require more RAM to handle the number of audio samples processed and minimise latency.

What’s Latency?

Latency is a common concern in audio production, and for good reason. But if you follow our CPU recommendations below, it shouldn’t cause any problems.

Latency is the time between the input and output of a sound. It is the difference between when you press a key on your keyboard and hear a sound played from your monitors. It is also the delay between speaking into a microphone and hearing your voice played from your monitors.

Every system has some latency. But as long as the latency is below 20ms, your ears won’t notice the delay.

What to Look for in a Computer for Podcast Production

The two most critical factors that affect your computer’s ability to process sound are RAM and CPU. Other factors, like drive speed, can help, but your memory and processor are the key factors in how smoothly your system, and therefore your DAW, operates.

Memory Considerations

For most podcasters, 64GB of RAM would be overkill. If you do sound design or run a lot of high-end graphics systems or games on your computer, more RAM is better. But for the average user, 16GB of RAM is enough to meet most system requirements and have plenty of space to load stock plugins and audio.

More RAM means more tracks and more plugins.

Processor Speed & Type

Your central processing unit (CPU) is the brain of your computer. It takes data from the system memory and processes the calculations and machine language that allows your computer to perform its tasks.

A faster processing speed means the computer can complete each of its tasks faster. More processing cores are the equivalent of having more than one processor, which means your system is able to process more calculations at once. This leads to less stuttering, lower latency and the ability to handle more powerful plugins on more tracks at once.

Custom Builds Vs Pre-Builds

The information above is helpful if you want to venture down the road of a custom build, and can give you a starting point if you don’t have access to a place that can build one for you. 

The irksome thing with prebuilds is that they can have a few high-quality parts but then “cheap out” on others in the same unit.  A good starting point for prebuilds is to search for “gaming desktop”.  

Best Computers for Podcast Production: Our Recommendations

We’re happy to make some recommendations here, but remember, on something like computers, it’s impossible for us to actually try them all out. We’re basing this on advertised spec and reviews. So, if they work as advertised, they should do the job very nicely!

Budget-Friendly PC Recommendations

Brands to look at for a budget-friendly desktop computer include:

• HP: Options here
• Dell: Options here
• Lenovo: Options here

Gaming PC Recommendations

The few brands to check out for gaming PCs are:

• MSI: Check out a range of options here
• Asus: Check out options here
• Alienware: Check out options here

I also asked founder Colin Gray “If you were buying a new PC for podcasting today, what models would you consider?”

Colin’s Recommendations

I go through computers far too fast – too much desire for the shiny new thing 🤣 Here are a couple of recommendations based on what I’ve used and loved over the past few years. They’re both laptops, because, like most people, I need to be able to work in a few different places. These two models don’t lose any power despite being in small packages, though!

1️⃣ Lenovo Legion 7i

Any of the legion models will serve you well. They’re beasts for gaming, but pretty high budget. I’m working on the linked model right now.

2️⃣ ASUS ROG Zepherus G14

I loved this laptop… pretty small and light (way more portable than my current Legion 7i) but still really powerful. Here’s one with a great spec, currently on sale. But go higher or lower on spec in the ROG range to suit your budget.

Have fun!

Common Myths Around Audio Production Computers

Mac v. PC

Mac v. PC is the Coke v. Pepsi of the computer world. At one time, there was a significant division between Mac and PC in terms of capabilities, and especially, available software. However, as Macs picked up the Intel chipset over Motorola and as software programmers began developing more for both OSX and Windows platforms, the differences became less and less meaningful.

Ultimately, the answer to the Mac vs PC question depends on user preference and budget. If you are already a PC or Mac user who is satisfied with your operating system, there’s no real gain to switching between them.

You can opt to buy an Apple computer for the first time, but they are definitely on the pricey side.  Currently, there are some software compatibility issues with their M1 technology.  As a personal opinion, I’d hold off while more software developers catch up and iron out the kinks, since it is very new tech.

Is Pro Tools the Industry Standard?

Yes! And no! It all depends on the industry.

For the music recording industry, as well as film and TV, Pro Tools is hands down the most common software you will see in studios around the globe.

If you produce EDM, you’re more likely to work in Logic or FL Studio. If you work in gaming sound, the standards are murkier, with some working in Pro Tools, and some working in some other DAW of their choice.

Across the board, I am seeing more and more sound designers make the switch to Reaper. And in podcasting, no standards for software choice currently exist.

More and more, like the Mac vs. PC argument, the tools you use to create your podcasts or music are largely dependent on personal choice and the needs of your production.

Again, check out our Best Podcast Editing Software roundup for a full range of options here.

DAW Alternatives to Save Resources

Whether you’re running a PC from 1998 that can barely process a Word doc within an hour, or if you’re intimidated by the thought of learning DAW-based audio production, then be sure to check out Alitu

Alitu is a podcast-making app designed to make recording, processing, editing and publishing as simple as humanly possible. It enables users to create and publish a podcast without knowing the slightest thing about audio production.

Whether you record inside Alitu or import your audio from elsewhere, its production tools do all the cleaning up and volume levelling for you, automatically.

Podcast editing is made simple with the episode builder’s drag-and-drop features. Alitu auto-generates transcriptions, and you can delete text in those, which deletes the matching audio in your recordings. There’s even an automatic filler word and silence remover tool.

To top it all off, you can publish directly to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and dozens of apps, directories, and platforms directly from the Alitu interface.

Alitu is completely browser-based, so it won’t drain on your computer’s valuable resources like some other DAWs can. Even Apple are apparently impressed, having mentioned it during their recent WWDC keynote!

Best Computer for Podcasting: Conclusion

This is based solely on personal experience, but if you are in the position to budget or save for a custom build, then this is the way to go for the best bang for your buck.

Here, you’ll have little to no manufacturer bloatware eating your processing resources, and part replacement is much easier, too.  Many computer parts stores can help you select and assemble parts.

You can do prebuild, but READ, READ, READ all their spec charts, research reviews from multiple sites, and double-check if they can be upgraded or modified. You can end up with a nice machine, but it may take a bit more research on your end. Hopefully, with the information provided here, you can make a better-informed choice.

Think of a desktop PC as a long-term investment.  You don’t need to drop a ton of money, but if you go down this path, make sure you start with a sturdy foundation!

Not sold on a desktop computer or PC? Then maybe a laptop for podcasting is a better option for your own needs and budget.