You will not need a patch no matter which way you use it. You can either connect the machine to the computer and open patterns that way, save the patterns to a thumb drive, connect it to the machine and read them, or get PED Basic, save the designs onto a card and insert the card into the machine the read them. If you have the option of using a thumb drive that cost nearly nothing to bring the designs to the machine, I don't see why do the expense of PED Basic. Is not needed. You can still use preloaded cards produced by Brother, but you don't need PED Basic for that. The cards have the designs permanently loaded, and you just insert it into the machine. I prefer to buy individual patterns on-line. When I have seen cards I don't like or need every design on it and individual ones are very cheap at emblibrary.com. Buy them on the .pes format and make sure don't buy them bigger than your biggest hoop. You will have no problem.