A Question For Computer Techs

[RxBoy]

I am planning to buy a new computer in the near future. The one I currently have only has 256MB of RAM and it's running very slowly. I would like to know what you computer techs recommend that I buy. I know that new pcs are running Windows 7 now. My current one still has XP and I know that there's no point in even trying to upgrade it to make it able to run Windows7. My question is this...what are the minimum system configurations that I should look for in the computer I buy? I want it to run fast and be efficient enough to last several years.

[Bandit]

Get (at least) a dual core processor, and if you can, a quad core chip.
And at least 2 gigs of RAM - 4 is preferable.

If you're on a budget, you may want to keep the dual cores in mind - they have got a lot cheaper over the last year or so.

B

[Broomjockey]

Moved to Tech Help, where the computer people live.


As for specs, Bandit has it fairly well nailed. If you'd give some idea as to your budget, and what you'll be using it for, we can give more solid recommendations. After all, a gaming rig looks absolutely nothing like a web browsing computer.

[Pedersen]

Well, you provide no information on how you will use the computer, nor on your expected budget. As such, valid recommendations can run from "Buy a top-end Mac running OSX, set up triple boot with Windows 7 and Ubuntu Linux. Get about 10 terabytes of space internally, and make sure it's got no less than 16G of RAM, along with 3 or 4 high end video cards" all the way down to "Asus makes a nice netbook you could consider."

How will you use the computer? What do you currently run, and what do you want to be able to run? How much money do you have to spend on this? Give us that information, and we can point you in the right direction.

Anything less than that, and you're only going to get generic advice back.

[RxBoy]

I don't do any gaming or participate in those virtual worlds that are set up online. I use my computer mostly for email, reading news, chatting, and shopping. I like to watch videos and I buy a lot of music online. I know I need a large hard drive to hold all the music I buy, but I've heard lots of conflicting stories about RAM and other things that you need for a computer to run fast. Cost isn't really an issue for me, if I can get something that will not go obsolete for several years I'll pay what I need to. Although yes, something in the $400-$600 range would be nice if I could get it.

[Broomjockey]

Music playing, watching online videos, and emailing?

Right. And you want a system that'll last as long as possible.

*thinks...*

4GB RAM, DDR2. That'll future-proof you, and give you lots of overhead to run multiple programs at once.

You'll want a Core 2 Duo processor (or the AMD equivalent), but the GHz as high as possible.

You want TWO hard drives. One for the operating system (I suggest Windows 7) and programs, one for your data. You can probably get by with the first one being about 250GB, probably a bit less. The other, you'll want to go as large as you can afford. One TB drives should not be scoffed at. Make sure they aren't the "Green" options. The seek times on those tend to blow.

You'll need a video card. NVidia 9800+ or higher, or ATI equivalent. On-board video is your enemy.

Power supply, probably around 500W.

What processor you get will inform what motherboard you get, but generally ASUS, Gigabyte, or EVGA are decent options. Don't go overboard on this one, just get whatever will run your RAM at its proper speed, and keep your processor happy.

Optical drive? Stick with a DVD drive.

That should be all the parts you need. Stick it all in an Antec 900 case.

[Pedersen]

With that in mind, chances are good that the video card will not be a major issue for you, and you can get away with most anything that will be shipped with a new computer.

You are going to want memory, though. As Bandit said, you're going to want a minimum of 2G, and 4G is better. Make sure to have room for expansion, so you can easily increase it later if necessary. Windows will be happier the more memory you throw at it.

CPU: Quad core is the way to go. Chances are good you want to listen to music while you use the computer, from the sounds of it. More cores means less likelihood of skipping.

Hard drive space: If you're a music/video hound, do not go for less than 1T of space. More is better.

Future proofing: Get a 64 bit CPU. That's the direction the industry is moving in. For now, it will be slightly harder to get software to support it. In another year or two, you'll have no problem with that, and in 5 years, you'll have a hard time getting 32 bit software.

More future proofing: Get a computer with available expansion slots. PCI Express x16 is a good thing to make sure you have. Have a couple of them. This will let you replace the onboard video with something good later if you need to.

[Broomjockey]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883103218

There's a decent prefab. A little overblown in the RAM department. But it gives you a good idea of what to expect.

[It's me]

You know... I never run current hardware.. and here's why:

I run Windows 7 on seven year old T40 Thinkpads, and it runs really well. Runs pretty nicely with only 1GB of RAM, although I've boosted the machines up to 2GB. T40s won't support the aero interface with all the semi-transparent stuff, but other than 7 runs perfectly.

I run Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Firefox, Media Player, Outlook...

Not bad for less than $250 worth of hardware.

[lordlundar]

You'll need a video card. NVidia 9800+ or higher, or ATI equivalent. On-board video is your enemy.

Truer words are rarely spoke.

[sirwired]

I'm going to dissent here...

The stated requirements can be fulfilled by just about anything that boots, other than avoiding netbooks, buying virtually the cheapest system available should work just fine.

As long as the system has 2GB of RAM (although I would personally consider 3GB to be my minimum), anything else is gravy. You simply don't need a decent machine to web surf.

If you really want to be safe, 3GB of RAM (the highest amount most versions of Windows can actually use), a dual-core processor, and you are good to go. You should be able to get a pre-build with those specs for $400 or less (plus monitor.) This should tide you over for 3-4 years. You could spend a lot more, and get a lot more, but that won't make it any more reliable, and won't provide any actual benefit you could notice for many years.

A 9800 or better video card? 500W PS? Two hard drives? For web surfing and youTube? All power-hungry overkill.

I would stay away from building yourself unless you like screwing around with your computer. This is just an invitation to have something go wrong, and something only access to spare parts (as trial bits) could possibly fix. (My last home-built suffered from a CPU incompatibility, which required a BIOS chip swapout, and a Dead-in-a-week HDD... not something a consumer should be messing with.)

SirWired

[Broomjockey]

A 9800 or better video card? 500W PS? Two hard drives? For web surfing and youTube? All power-hungry overkill.

You missed the requirement that this functions for years. Going from XP to Vista in 7 years more than doubled the base RAM requirements. Running multiple tabs in FF can boost the consumption for that *one* program in to the GB range NOW. Four years from now, do you really think it's going to improve? No. You overbuild NOW and you save the hassle of the system being useless later. That's why we're recommending a 64-bit OS, and the rest.

[Eric the Grey]

I too would reccomend a pre-built system. With your requirements, almost anything off the shelf will be sufficient.

Adding more memory will be a blessing, especially if you increase the number of uses you make of your machine, and do more things at once (music, quicken for your checkbook, Firefox for surfing, etc...)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16883103218

There's a decent prefab. A little overblown in the RAM department. But it gives you a good idea of what to expect.

Not a bad idea, but avoid Vista like the plague. I've had no real problems with Vista myself, but I seem to be one of the few. Windows 7 is fresh and a much needed upgrade for XP and what Vista should have been.


Eric the Grey

[crashhelmet]

My brother just bought an eMachines desktop from the Mart of Wal. It comes with Windows 7, 6GB of RAM, and a 750GB HDD. I think the CPU was a Dual Core 3GHz, but I honestly don't remember. He paid $400 for it. For him, it's all he needs and will suit him find for the next couple of years, if not longer. Something like that will probably suit you fine as well.

But the things to look for are Processor Speed/Power, RAM, and HDD space. RAM and HDD are cheap to upgrade, but if you don't know what your'e doing they could cost you in labor. Might as well get it now. I tell people to spend a little extra now to keep from having to buy a new computer in 2 years when the cheaper gets obsolete.

CH

[sirwired]

I have a laptop coming on its fourth birthday that still does basic web surfing just fine. It was a near-bottom machine when I got it, but it still holds together.

I am firm in my conclusion that a 9800 or better video card with a 500W power supply and two hard drives is power-hungry, noisy, overkill for a home web-surfing machine. That's a mid-range gaming build, not a web surfer. Certainly a home-build is a horrible idea for an average consumer. Too much to go wrong... the initial assembly labor (by no means trivial) is just the start.

Yes, Firefox can consume 1GB of memory all by itself... but the machine won't be doing anything else! A 3GB machine should be able to run Firefox for a few years, and the machine is unlikely to require an OS upgrade during its lifetime, so the theoretical memory requirements of Windows 8 or 9 don't really matter.

64-bit is maybe a viable choice, as long as there are no old peripherals (like scanners) that need to still work... certainly it does provide more memory headroom for the future. But 64-bit Windows is still by no means common in average-consumer pre-builds.

I think it makes far more sense to save pennies now, and replace it in 4 years if it proves to run out of steam, rather than spend big bucks now, and more bucks on the power bill, and try to drag a machine along for 6-7 years. (And I consider it very unlikely that the combination of a toasty video card, high-watt PS, fast CPU, and two hard drives would actually remain functioning that long.)

SirWired