What Pc Would Be Best For Me

I am still using a 13 year old desktop with Windows 7 as the OS (I know, I know). I am so used to it that I've resisted upgrading, but now has developed some hardware issues (mouse and keyboard are intermittently displaying a right-click menu). I asked a local electronics guru for advice and this was his reply:

This is what I recommend for minimum system specs.
CPU: Intel i5 or greater
Memory: 8GB or greater
Storage: Nvme 1T
If you go to Best Buy and show a customer service person the specs you are looking for (above) they can show you what they have.
Best Buy will try to upsell you with support plans and Virus protection. DECLINE THIS. Virus protection is included in Windows 11 and is the best on the market, and its FREE!
Both Dell and HP PC (towers) are very similar. And do not come with a monitor. I would stay away from All-In-One PCs where the PC is built into a monitor.

He went on to ad that a HP Envy would be his top choice. This may be overkill for what an old lady would need - I am not into serious gaming unless you consider online Mahjongg as that. I hardly need that much storage. This is a graphic of my current disk:



I am looking for recommendations. Thank you.

 

First, it is good you explained, more or less, the purpose of this computer. That is, not for serious gaming. With that, I agree with the recommended specs but would emphasize the "or greater" for RAM. I would recommend 16GB as a minimum.

Also, I like to say you wouldn't buy a brand new Porsche or Lexus then fill it up with fuel from the corner Tobacco, Bait and Cell Phone shop. EVERYTHING inside the computer case depends on good, clean stable power. So get a quality power supply from a reputable maker. I like Seasonic power supplies. "Gold" certified is good.

I definitely recommend going with a SSD (solid state drive). Do note even the slowest SSD will run circles around your current hard drive. NVME SSDs are among the fastest SSDs, but also tend to be more expensive than standard SATA or non-NVME SSDs. For your stated use, you don't "need" a NVME SSD. That said, with careful shopping, reasonably priced NVME SSDs can be found so don't rule them out either.

If you found a local electronics guru you trust, then consider asking him to build a computer for you.

As he and you correctly noted, Best Buy (and Dell and HP) will try to sell you all sorts of upgrades and extras you don't need. Not only that, they will pre-load all sorts of extra junk on your computer you don't need either.

IMO, it would be worth paying a local pro $100 to build one for you. In this way, you get a custom built computer, built specifically for you and how you use your computer. Plus you will have a local pro who you already trust that knows your computer.

Locally built custom computers do tend to cost a little more than factory built computers. This is because Dell and HP, for example, can go to their component (CPU, motherboard, RAM, drive, etc.) suppliers and promise to buy 1,000,000 units over the next year, then demand and get deep volume discounts. Self-built or local custom builders just don't have that purchasing clout. But still, careful shopping (with a little patience) with Amazon, B&H and other retailers can get some decent prices.

Speaking of prices, you need to set a budget. Your local pro can't build one without knowing how much you are willing to spend and we can't recommend a factory built either. You also need to determine what you will be bringing with you. That is, do you need a new monitor? If your current monitor is 13 years old too, you might. And if so, what size suits you? 24" is about perfect for my 72 year old eyes. What about a new keyboard and mouse?

I also agree with your guru that the security built into Windows is more than adequate. It is what I use on all our systems there. But the user is, always has been, and always will be the weakest link in security. So it is still upon us to keep our computer (and its security) current, and to avoid being "click-happy" on unsolicited links, downloads, popups, and attachments. But note those are the exact same precautions we must take, regardless our security program of choice.

Hope that helps.

 

Thank you for your informative reply, Digerati.
Unfortunately, the guy I mentioned doesn't do builds, he only services systems and designs Web pages. I could probably upgrade my system to Windows 10, but even that will be obsolete later this year. I don't know how I will learn the nuances of Windows 11 after using Windows 7 for 13 years.

 

Probably about the same way you learned going from XP to W7. Time and patience.

That said, there are ways to make W11 look and feel almost the same as W7.

Start 11 is what I use.

 

Ma'am, it all depends on what you're going to be using it for. If, like my 80 year-old mother, you use it for nothing but Facebook, email, and family photos (and a little bit of Mahjongg, of course), you can probably safely shop for a lesser-equipped machine.

Your guru mentioned BestBuy? They currently have an Acer Aspire listed with an Intel Celeron processor, 8 GB of RAM (which is probably adequate unless you are really working the machine), and a 500 GB SSD (which, looking at the graphic you supplied, should also be adequate to your needs) for roughly $400. The only problem I have with Acers is a bit of a reputation - earned or otherwise, I don't know - for running a bit warm and, as @Digerati points out in his tagline, heat is the bane of all electronics.

It's very easy to buy (or build) a machine that constitutes overkill, too much hardware (and money) for its expected use. Finding that sweet spot, though, where everything is just right? That can take a bit of time and research...and is entirely up to the individual.

 

I forgot to comment about All in One (AiO) PCs. I agree with your guru on that too. The concept for AiO is fine. They look nice and they take up less desk or floor space than a computer with a separate case. They also eliminate the rat's nests of cables and the dust they collect.

But an AiO is basically a laptop computer mounted inside a monitor case instead of a laptop case. The problem is, like a laptop, they can pack the power of a PC into that limited space, but not the necessary cooling. If you consider even a standard tower case, with multiple large fans, is often challenged to keep the interior components properly cooled, it is no wonder these cases struggle. But unlike a laptop where the computer itself is in the base of the laptop and monitor is in the lid, with an AiO, the computer and monitor occupy the same space. This can result in the heat from the monitor impacting the computer too.

Another huge (IMO) problem with AiOs and laptops alike is they tend to be very proprietary. And proprietary means fewer options and higher costs for consumers.

Factory made PCs can suffer from proprietary modifications too - but typically less so than laptops or AiOs. This is where self or local custom built computers really have the advantage because they strictly comply with the ATX Form Factor industry standards. Nothing is proprietary. This means consumers have nearly unlimited options at competitive prices and that typically allows the computer to evolve over years with compatible upgrades - a very good thing.

 

I have to agree with on this recommendation. Even the cheaper of the two, ( EQR6), is somewhat overkill for what you do, so will take longer to out date itself. Those Ryzen 5 CPU's are real work horses. I use them a lot for everyday PC's. The really small size of those things is amazing, you can mount them right on the back of your monitor. Plus they have built in Bluetooth, and 16Gigs of Crucial brand DDR5 Ram, also has 500GB crucial brand NVME 4.o M.2 Hard drive.... Whats not to like. The price is hard to beat as well. $359+ tax is a great deal. Unless you go used, one would be hard pressed to build an equivalent in a full size PC for that price.

 

Hello,


I'm a former second hand pc reseller, via the components that came through the recycling arm, that got tested and on sold.
I'd would daily advise people on if ro go for something new or secondhand / recycled.

I would agree 100% to stay away from all in one P.C, where all the components are bound to the screen.
For the most part those come in one of two types, trash made to fail or over priced.
At least that was my, now decades old, reference with them.

It appears from the information you've stated the P.C isn't used for large spreadsheets or business purposes.
Its not going to be used for intense gaming purposes or even E-sports titles.
That means you do not need gold rated power supplies at premium prices or an expensive graphics cards or computer CPU with higher power consumption let alone blistering fast hard drives.
That's great, from a budget point of view.

One thing to note you can save on activating your next computers Windows license costs, by using the windows activation key / code off your existing Windows 7 computer. Thus you do not need to spend twice for windows activation.

What we can gain from your post is what you have currently used your P.C for. However apart from your daily use are there additional things you might like to do or try on computers?

I'd just note some of the advice above maybe an overspend.
Gold rated power supplies would be an over spend
Buying a more expensive NVME (new style of data storage interface" also comes with draw backs.
That being these drives require a trim, which can run automatically, but they also lack durability, with typical warranty of 2-5 years.
While these are fast, its really not needed to load mahjong. Okay.
If you are the type of computer user who just wants it to run and holds on to a computer long term, just get a older style Hard disk Drive.
For the costs they tend to be cheaper at the cost of speed, again the overspend factor is here vs bleeding edge tech NVME storage.

So windows takes 10 seconds longer to load, mahjong takes the same longer to load etc..
If you were a serious gamer and textures and heavy graphics loads of data were the case then perhaps.
However i'd go for the older tech, platter style disc.
If you store a lot of photos or videos there maybe a consideration, of the two main types of these hard drives these are called CMR and SMR.
The RPM spin of the hard drive plays a factor 5,400 / 7,200 etc.. and so does the Hard drives cache 64Mb / 256mb for example.

However depending on the usage small files, small games any drive will do, but the speed it spins at is still a factor.
Its not like your photo or video editing for a business where time is a cost.
If you do store lots of video clips from online, such as hobbies interests or movies, then this may change.
Ask the salesperson at the store about this depending on eeds, but don't get upsold to any, modern SSD or NVME hard drive types at least if the price to real world use cant be justified for the $. This is based from you post, your a low hardware requirement user from what i can tell. So the recommendations are similar.

Note:-
There is cloning software for computers
This can, when used correctly, completely copy your existing Windows 7 and all the files on it.
So you can transfer your existing familiar Windows 7 and all your programs with it.
*There maybe an issue where newer hardware is unsupported by 13 year old programs, including Windows 7
This is because support never existed or stopped, so things such as drivers to communicate between hardware and the program maybe an Issue.
However your mahjong will still be available in some new format or still the same game just newer version will work on it, so wouldn't worry about that aspect.

Windows 10 is at End of life, later this year, think ends in OCtober. So it will no longer get updates, you'll likely skip the windows 10 Option.

As we dont know your Budget its hard to just come out and say for that amount of cash your best $ to performance to case use is awkward to assess.
However
Something you will find cheap about now days on Second Hand market world wide, as we dont know your local market, will be builds similar to this
6 core Cpu
16Gb ram
4Gb+ Graphics card
Likely already windows 10 on it.

These were are readily available over the past 0-10 years or so still valid and current today ( yes its a 0 )
An AMD brand Ryzen 3600 would be more than enough from your usage and likely be the last computer you'll need with such basic requirements.
It may even be over kill and a cheap older Intel i7 - 4790 - 4 core may do it if your budget is a constraint.

Good luck in your search, and dont be scared to check out your local PC recycling stores that sell computers that have been refurbished, you can save on the windows Fee using your Windows 7 license. Do not let them tell you thats not a thing, okay.
They may even have a tech on site who will use your windows 7 license key - code to activate windows and can do that for you.
That should be one of the smallest fees you can get from any PC store as its rather basic from a tech perspective.
But in the end you can still save on their sale price, as windows will be included as part of the sales price, at least typically.

* Quick edit smart TV also have the Internet = Youtube and various game stores which have content on them and can be accessed by wifi or fixed cable CAT 5-6 etc.. These will also have Mahjong on them as well as many other apps via internet access. Some may even be stored locally. So if you dont have a smart TV already or were thinking of upgrading, theres many things on them these days, almost like an over sized PC tablet. Some of them you can plug a keyboard into using wireless tech. So another option to side grade.

Good luck in your hunt.

 

Appropriate user name necro61 because you necroed a thread that's been dormant for 3 months. It would seem likely the OP is done with his hunt and already purchased his replacement computer, or has decided to stick with what he had.

 

Thanks for all the helpful advice, necro61. I am still trying to decide. The system I have now was bought as a refurb and it's given me over decade of service.