Need new desktop PC advice
 

Our existing PC is showing its age, and I think it's time for a new one. (I think it's about 8 years old. Running XP. The small hard drive is 90% full, and I've been moving as many files as I can to an external hard drive to free up space. The DVD drive failed years ago, and the DVD burner works intermittently. I upgraded it to maximum RAM about 4 years ago, so no improvements to be made there.)

I want to get a Windows 7 machine while I still can because I have one at work and am familiar with Windows 7. I haven't been following the current state of things, so I don't know what's good. I'd like to spend under $500. What specifications should I look for in a machine? How much RAM? What speed processor? What kind of processor? We don't do gaming, but our current PC has analog stereo audio inputs that I have really grown to love, so I'd like a halfway decent audio card. Otherwise it's typical home office work. Web browsing. Some YouTube videos. Addicting Games. That sort of thing.

Who makes a good PC? We've been happy with this Dell, but are there other equally good brands out there? Who do I buy from? Is NewEgg the place to buy?

You could build your own. ..

That way you can teach your son about them, and if it breaks you know how to fix it. I had a lot of fun building that gaming rig with Spencer.

I bought my parts at tigerDirect which used to be comp USA.

I'm fairly comfortable hooking up all the bits of hardware, but I don't have much interest in learning the software side of things to get all the part to work together. I have a feeling there will be driver issues and BIOS stuff and things like that. Yuck.

I'm happy to buy a machine and order some extra RAM on the side and install it, but that's about it. Maybe install a sound card too, but that's even not that appealing because it might involve cutting the case to make it fit.

Almost all systems have audio built in to the mainboard, no sound card needed. Most people buying sound cards now are doing it for 7.1 sound.

4MB RAM is fine.

The current line of Intel budget processors is the Core i3 line. Don't be satisfied with anything lower than the Core CPUs. AMD has not really kept pace with Intel in recent years.

Many modern systems are delivering with Win8. You may get a better custom system from a builder such as Directron. (click on PCs & Barebones, System Specials. Sort by price. Add $100 to the price because the OS is not automatically included.) Although you could build one yourself or get me or Jim to do it for you.

Newegg sells major PC company systems, but only recently. They are more of a parts company.

The oh wow component these days is the solid state drive. It's expensive. It's worth it.

If you need a monitor, there's nothing wrong with getting a 23" Acer from Newegg for about $120, or the 24" for $140.

Thanks! this is helpful info. Time to poke around a bit.

Yes to the SSD. hell yes.

Is a Pentium processor worse than an i3 processor?

I'm wondering why this one seems like a good deal compared to others in the same price range, considering it comes with Win7 installed. Has 8GB RAM too, when others around the same price have 4GB. Is the Intel Pentium G2130 Ivy Bridge 3.2 GHz LGA1155 Dual-Core Processor less desirable?

Most of the others don't include the OS, so that's the same thing as being $100 cheaper.

So what does the solid state drive do for you?

They seem small for their price. Do you get a SSD for the system to use and then a second traditional HD for storing all your files?

I was not aware that a few Pentium brand names were in the Ivy Bridge group of Intel processors. That's a good value processor.

SSDs just do everything disk-related tons faster, so yeah the idea is to put the operating system there, and anything you want to get done RIGHT AWAY.

UT,

A Pentium brand processor makes an AMD look good.

I personally wouldn't touch anything with below a Core i5 (which is what my wife's laptop runs). Those are plenty fast for most items.

The SSD is the best value, however. Stick with a good brand like Samsung or Intel, and you'll love it. I used one to rejuvenate an old Core 2 laptop, and it is like having a whole new machine.

I would seriously consider Windows 8 with one of the Start Menu replacements like Classic Shell as the OS. It's really blindingly fast, wireless works as well as OS X, and it has really good power management support. The new UI is an abomination, but it doesn't mean you can't replace it. Plus, Windows Explorer has a lot of new features in this version. Task Manager is also greatly improved.

Windows 8 also has really good SSD support at the OS level. 7 doesn't have good support (it was bolted on).

4GB RAM on a Core i5 with an SSD on Windows 8 with a half-decent NVidia card and your machine will outright scream. I wouldn't put an SSD and 7 in the same machine unless I had to. OS X or Linux, since both have been tweaked for SSDs, I would.

That's fanboyish nonsense, and not good advice for an everyday PC buyer who has stated a reasonable preference for 7.

You mean besides the better TRIM support in the OS (as opposed to an add-on like I have to put in for my Intel drive with Windows 7 to periodically run it) and support for newer SSD technologies? I've run both, and 8 does do a better job with them.

Uhh...no. Not a fanboy here.

You had to add on something to run an IDEAL SSD configuration on 7...

But you had to add on something to make 8 even USABLE for the average user!

If you were to run 7 would you put an SSD on it? Of course you would.

This intrigued me. I have a Dell Dimension 8400. 9 years ago, CNet said it was among the fastest PCs they had ever seen back when they tested it in *cough* 2004. Would a SSD make it a new machine? Or would that be stupid? I'd still want a new OS, and the DVD burner is acting up.

Back to a new machine, how big does a SSD need to be to get the speed performance? I'd still store all my jpegs and stuff on another drive.

The size doesn't matter. It's the physical properties of the device. They are fast because, simplistically, they don't have to wait for platters to move under a read head.

ETA: As long as your OS and other IO intensive tasks can fit.

I'm not sure if XP has gotten updates to optimize read/writes on SSDs. I'd bet you'd see some improvement regardless.