The extra memory is always a plus for Adobe applications.
You don't mention monitors (or video cards). He might want to consider dual monitors if he likes to have a lot of palettes open, so you'll want to take a better look at the video card.
The better monitors like the Dell 2209WA (IPS) have much wider viewing angle,
full 8 bit color depth . Besides good swivel, tilt and height adjustments, it can rotate 90 degrees for portrait document creation. The 2209WA is often on sale as low as $209.00 The IPS (In Plane Switching) type generally have slower response times.
The more common monitor today is the TN (Twisted Nematic) type but
only has 6 bit color depth but with a faster response time that's good for general use, gaming and movies but a narrower viewing angle.
Monitor types:
TFT LCD - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia