desktop, laptop, windows 7, windows 8 ????

I currently have a desktop that is about 10 years old. Dell Dimension Intel Pentium 4 CPU, 2.66 GHz, 512 MB RAM. I'm basically OK with it though I'm sure I'll be happier with the new one I now need to buy because I'm using Windows XP. Love XP, but since I'm being forced to upgrade, so be it, but I need some advice. I have Windows 7 at work and have learned to accept it, though there are still things I miss from XP. I'm getting older and have some vision issues (nothing major), but wearing tri-focals also causes issues with my monitor positioning due to neck problems. I use this computer for MS Word, letter writing and other word processing, I use Excel for keeping up with my finances and my mother's, I surf the internet mostly for personal research and some minor amount of video watching. I do not download movies or music and probably won't in the future. I don't game and probably won't in the future. I do not own a smart phone so am not accustomed to the convenience of touch screen and all that involves, so won't miss it on my home computer. I do some photo editing but only for personal use. I'm telling you all this because to make some decisions before I purchase my new computer I need some advice.

- laptop, desktop, all in one?
- Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 8.1?
- what size hard drive (need plenty for long time use, but not more than needed for budget reasons)?
- how much RAM (same as with hard drive, enough but not excessive)?
- processor?
- oh and what about solid state hard drives (never heard of this until I started researching a new computer). Is this something I should consider?

I like to invest what I can when I buy a computer so there is the least amount possible of later upgrading. As you can see, I keep one a long time. However, that does not mean budget is not an issue. Not a really tight budget, but I can't do a laptop AND desktop. One coumputer will have to serve all my needs.

So anybody want to offer advice to this poor, hardworking lady who has let technology run off and leave her!? I know this is a lot, but I really need a starting place. If I can narrow things down, it would be helpful.

Thanks so much for any help you can offer.
pattipat

 

pattipat...

All of what Major Attitude said, and I will just add some insights.

I have learned that the PC and how it is set up is all about you. If you really are a traditionalist as am I and as are many PC users, you will do well to make sure your traditionalistic tendencies are accomodated.

Some options:

The desktop or laptop is definitely a decision you must be confident with. If you are leaning toward desktop, keep in mind that you can add a tablet (or a smart phone) for travel and communications on the go should you have need of portability. Once you select the laptop, you are locked into the screen size. A desktop will make it possible for you to choose your screen size with a larger screen.

Considering the way things are going, you could be looking at another PC in 2-3 years. I know you probably don't think so at this point, but Intel and AMD are both preparing to launch new processors, and the program and internet content will be more and more designed for them. To be really up to date, the cost will be around $1200-$1500 for the latest to date, but if you want a PC that will get you by comfortably, you can find one for $750-$1000. You should be OK for the foreseeable future with a PC in the latter range.

Here are some nice options for a desktop. I don't know much about laptops :-o:

Tower
http://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-ENVY-700...1284843285?pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item4ace11a715

http://www.ebay.com/itm/INTEL-i5-25...0692173677?pt=Desktop_PCs&hash=item5af711776d

If you scroll down on the second one, you will see that you have options. I would recommend adding a graphics card like the NVIDIA GT 640, which is an expensive add on at $100. I believe, however, this is the one area where I would want to be with the main stream. This card would give you very nice performance and keep you humming along for a good while. This price does not include the operating system...something to keep in mind. You can order Windows 7 Pro which is a plus.

I personally like these deals and wholeheartedly recommend them. You can call the dealer and discuss the issues if you are interested.

Small Form Factor

HP small form factors are a great size, but the power supply is only 240 watts versus 450 watts for the Lenovo. The Transource is 300 watts which is barely enough to get by I would say.

http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/thinkcentre/m-series-towers/m93-m93p-sff/#techspecs

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/products/workstations/product-detail.html?oid=5260568#!tab=specs

http://www.transource.com/KitBuilder/kit_config.asp?pkid=MIR-B900S

I have a Transource tower, so I just thought I would give you a look at what is available on the aftermarket with this last one.

Good luck. I know you will really like whatever you choose. PCs have come a long way since the Pentium 4 days...

:-D

 

You really have asked some excellent questions and been given some very sound advice. There is one thing about laptops however that has not been mentioned at all but that is, in my experience anyway, their biggest disadvantage, and that is battery life. If you would be likely to use the machine on mains power much of the time then battery life isn't a big issue at all. But if you would be running primarily on battery, or need extended battery life on occasion, it becomes major in a relatively short time. Batteries can lose performance at an alarming rate, and can be pretty useless after 3-4 years, at which time replacements are outrageously expensive and may not perform anywhere near as well as the original.

Trying to read 'between the lines' of your post I would be recommending a highly specified desktop for both great performance and an extended life. I followed this course when buying my current PC seven years ago and it's still coping well with Windows 8.1 and other up-to-date software. In fact so well I don't feel under any pressure yet to upgrade. Laptops I have had in the intervening years simply don't compare.

 

Regarding the price range, I think you could go even lower than $750, the low end of the price range mentioned by AtlBo. Your computing performance needs are really quite minimal. So, a computer such as this one, priced at $500, from newegg.com is, in my opinion, a viable option for you: ASUS Intel Core i3 4GB DDR3 500GB HDD Capacity Desktop PC Windows 7 Professional.

 

Thank you all for some very good information. I will check out prices soon and see what I can get and stay within a reasonable budget. I think I need to rule out a laptop and I can probably get more for my money with a traditional desktop instead of an all in one and I have the space for it, just had a momentary lust for a less bulky bank of electronic gadgetry! I will probably just go ahead and go for Windows 8/8.1 and accept that it is time to learn something new. The amount of RAM and hard drive will just be per budget, but your recommendations will help me assure I get more than the minimum needed. As for the solid state.....well, we'll just have to see how much price difference it makes and decide if it's in the budget!

Your advice and guidance have been very helpful. Thank you, it is appreciated.

pattipat

 

Thanks again to you all for your advice. I've been looking at Dell's website. I have ordered here before, but wonder with my needs, if this is the best way to go about it. Simple yes, but...if I get the Intel i5, 500 GB or more (Dell I'm looking at is 1 TB), 4 GB RAM (Dell I'm looking at is 8GB), does the brand of computer really make that much difference? Does it have to do with the quality of the machine or the quality of the support when you get a Dell? I was looking at the Dell SPX 8700 @$699, then by the time I add a monitor and MS office 2013, we're close to $1200 without tax, shipping and any other misc. "stuff". If this is what I need to do, I can swing it, but I'm not sure I'm not overbuying. What do you think about buying from Staples, Circuit City or some place like that. I've never bought a computer from a local bricks and mortar store...bought a Gateway online and Dell online.

I'm making progress with your help, but could use a little more advice.

Thanks,
Patti

 

Those stores are fine. OfficeMax has a DeDell Inspiron i660-1044BK Desktop PC for $400 and it comes with Windows 7 Home Premium.

What version of MS Office was part of the total dollar amount you mentioned? In your original post, you mentioned Word and Excel. If you don't need Outlook or Access (database), then the Home and Student edition would meet your needs. You can get it for around $140; for example http://www.staples.com/Microsoft-Office-Home-Student-2013-for-Windows-1-User-Download/product_135163

 

pattipat...

Glad to see you are looking into a nicer machine...:-D

If you would like to think things through on a deeper level, here are some things I would be thinking about before buying:

1. Intel will be launching a new series of processors this quarter. That could have some fairly far ranging effects on prices. Not that you will need one of the new processors, when you could get something nice and use it for a few years and then pick up one with one of those when the prices are more reasonable. I have a 1st gen i3 which is the bottom of the barrel of i3, and I believe I could use it for the next 2 years without any problem. There are plenty of affordable i5 processor machines out there with a processor that benchmarks (tests) easily twice as fast as the i series processor I have. You will be fine with an i5 machine. The prices are good on ebay for them by the way.

2. I picked up a used business tower at ebay for $70 delievered. This was with a 1st gen i3 processor, an Asus motherboard (very nice board), Seasonic power supply (very nice PSU), a Radeon HD 4350 graphics card, and 8 GB RAM. If you look in the $200 or less range for a used PC, you can then pick up spare/emergency parts for it and keep them in a box in the closet or whatever, while spending well less than $400 (for the PC). I would recommend a tower over a small form factor case design if this is your choice, because you will be able to use basically any motherboard and power supply if you need to replace one of them. Adding a monitor is tricky, so be careful. The features of monitors are little understood I think by and large, but if you are spending $200, you should be getting HDMI and DVI compatibility along with some other things. If you focus on the PC first, then you can make that a separate discussion. I think that would be a good idea personally :-o.

3. As things are, I think most avid PC users would say that PCs with the higher end parts are worth going out of the way for. I agree with this fully. Most of the straight manufacturer models are either designed to survive through a business cycle (say 3-5 years) specifically or are designed by same said company that designs mostly PCs that are designed to survive a business cycle (that don't look like a business machine but are one basically). Also, PCs with high end aftermarket parts can be affordable. The difficulty is when you are buying with parts in mind for the first time. There is alot of research to do to get to the bottom of what is best for you in a veritable sea of parts. I still say it's worth the effort, mostly because it's not as bad as it sounds but, also, because the parts really are very much better. Example...Crucial RAM comes with a lifetime warranty. Not going to find this in a store bought PC very often.

4. Something to consider. If you Google the following:

Passmark {your current processor brand and model here}

you can see the benchmark average for users using a PC with your current processor. You can then use the same search when looking at PCs you are considering purchasing and compare the processor benchmarks. You will find that anything i5 will benchmark 10 times the power and speed of your current processor (or MORE). You are going to like what you get irregardless of where it comes from I am very confident, but, honestly, I don't think you'll find it too much by any means. Passmark also has benchmarks for PCI-e graphics cards (not onboard graphics like the typical store bought PC). I recommend a graphics card on a PC very much. It's not an overrated add on in my opinion (need a 450 watt power supply to have a solid graphics card...something to keep in mind if this interests you).

5. ebay is a very good source of new PCs. If you search ebay using the filters at the price range between $200 and $400 and then select "New", you will see hoards of PCs in that price range that fit right in with what you are looking at already. Here is a link to this search:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/PC-Desktops...=nc&LH_ItemCondition=1000&_udlo=200&_udhi=400

All of these carry warranties of some sort.

I am sure there will be good advice here, but if you have any questions about a particular PC, please feel free to post a link to the PC. I am sure you will get some great input on the specs of the machine.

Dell sounds OK to me. However, I think you can do better if you aren't against looking around...I would say significantly (alot) better. I don't know if everyone would agree with me, but that's my experience I guess I would say...

 

Thanks usafveteran and AtlBo. I'm looking at the home and student version of MS Office. I use Outlook at work and outlook Express at home. I would enjoy Outlook, but have no need for Access at this time and going up a step was about $80. Don't know if Outlook $80 more!

AtlBo, I think I'll stay away from used computers as I know NOTHING about later add ons and updates, but I will check out the new ones on Ebay. I'm not against looking around, but with my limited time to search and research and my high ignorance factor talking computers quickly gets over my head.

Thanks again, I will check out your suggestions.

Patti

 

Which Dell Dimension do you have? RAM upgrades and Hard Drive upgrades are another option.

I've got a Dell Precision M70 mobile workstation with a 15.6" screen and XP as the original OS. I can connect an external monitor to the workstation if I need to because I have vision problems as well (vitreous hemorrhage in the right eye and cataracts in both eyes).

I know Microsoft support for XP (except definition updates for MSSE) will no longer be available after 4/8/14. Because I can't afford a new computer, I've upgraded my 80GB hard drive to 120GB and upgrafed my RAM to PC-2 6400s from PC-2 4300. I have 2GB of RAM installed and am running Window Vista Ultimate 32-bit. I'm not having any issues with Vista but, I'm increasing my RAM to 3GB next month just to give the OS a little more breathing room.

You're running Microsoft Office products which Microsoft may no longer support. But there are freeware alternatives like Kingsoft Office and Libre Office which support Microsoft document formats and will even save files to those formats.

If you really want to get a new computer, that choice is entirely yours. But if you should decide you can get more life out of your Dell Dimension, you can get a larger monitor and depending on the model, you may be able to max out your RAM at 2GB and your Hard Drive at 2TB and run Vista, 7, 8 or 8.1. I've run all of them successfully on my Precision M70 including having the appropriate device drivers for all my devices including my two printers.

Just another option for you.

 

Yes, it is possible. I have an HP Compaq d530 CMT desktop PC that is over 10 years old. The processor is a Pentium 4, 2.66GHz. To upgrade it, I maxed out the RAM (originally 512MB) to 4GB (3.5 usable due to 32-bit system), installed a 250GB hard drive, and an AGP video card with 256MB of memory on the card. I installed Windows 7 and Office 2007 on that computer in 2010. I still have it but am phasing it out since the motherboard has some capacitors which show signs of imminent failure and I do not want to try finding a motherboard to replace it. However, even though it is possible, I would not recommend it if buying a new computer fits in the budget.

2TB is really overkill for the hard drive. Based on her stated usage, 500GB would be more than sufficient.

 

Check out End Of Life for Windows 7 and 8. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/lifecycle

Prior to selecting version 7 or 8 you may want to know how long Microsoft will support the above versions.