If I were to buy my first PC and I weren't very nerd/tech oriented, I would probably look into a Dell or HP refurbished business computer with a strong PSU and a motherboard with PCIe expansion slot with the idea that I would add an nVidia GTX 1050 TI. With a moderate sized screen, it would total just about $400. NewEgg has a good selection. I could take it to college.
To be sure I get what I wanted inside the box, I would focus on the 3 or 4 games that I play or want to play. Steam lists minimum and best requirements and I would try to get a system that exceeded minimums and might almost get me to 'best'.
If it can handle a demanding game, then facebook and photoshop won't be an issue.
Even better is if you have a techie friend who can check it over.