Computer buying advice?

[Iastfan112]

From what you're describing for use cases I think an i7 or i9 is pretty overkill.

Yes, I'd go with at least 16 gigs of RAM. 32 isn't really necessary at this point but having an upgrade path to it is worth considering.

I know most folks here have been talking about Intel offerings but AMD has really stepped up its game in the past few years and is worth a hard look. Especially in the realm of more office productivity type work their Ryzen line tends to do well.

If you were to build your own PC I'd think along these lines:

AMD build- https://pcpartpicker.com/list/sXmsxG

Intel build- https://pcpartpicker.com/list/y6cpMZ

You might be able to get away with a lesser graphics card than I listed, depending on what "light" gaming entails for you.

Don't skimp on power supplies. Do a little research on them, which are good and which are bad. Even mostly good brands can have a few mediocre psu's. I'd also HIGHLY suggest going modular with the cabling. Lessens the hassle and makes things prettier.

 

[FredCyclone]

Hi - I'm looking to replace a home desktop PC - and am looking for advice and/or deals for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. I would consider new or refurbished. I'm not going to be using it for heavy duty gaming. Remote connection to Corporate office (work), some spreadsheets/analysis and other typical home productivity stuff, etc... plus light gaming.

Basic specs I had been considering:

i7 processor
16 or 32GB RAM
1T or 2T hard drive
(optional SSD secondary drive)

Thoughts? Is refurbished ok for basic use like I've described?

Basically I'm just wondering if you've come across any nice deals..

Thanks,

ILikeBacon

Make sure your boot up Drive is a,

NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD

sequential read/write speeds of 3,500/2,500 MB/s*

the second drive can be whatever.

Will make your computer fast, stable and reliable for years to come.

 

[dmclone]

Make sure your boot up Drive is a,

NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD

sequential read/write speeds of 3,500/2,500 MB/s*

the second drive can be whatever.

Will make your computer fast, stable and reliable for years to come.

I just ran a test. My motherboard has a slot for M.2 SSD but that's not what I'm using. Doesn't this number seem a little high?

 

[ISUCyclones2015]

I just ran a test. My motherboard has a slot for M.2 SSD but that's not what I'm using. Doesn't this number seem a little high?

Those are roughly 10x what they actually are.

https://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Samsung-850-Evo-500GB/Rating/3477

 

[jdoggivjc]

If you want to go really cheap go i5. I personally would not. I9s are available now making i7s cheaper.

Alienware "Dell" computers are junk. I have owned two (bought brand new) and both died after the warranty expired. Build it yourself there is a ton of info and guideance available.

I have an Alienware laptop. I love it.

But he shouldn't be spending that kind of money on an Alienware for what he plans on using it for.

 

[MeowingCows]

Still better to cut out the middleman and DIY.

Not really. I'm a huge building fan, done many of my own, but I wouldn't recommend building to someone who has no need for it. It's simply too expensive versus just buying a pre-built with similar specs (and Windows pre-installed, which is $70 or so on it's own).

 

[MeowingCows]

I just ran a test. My motherboard has a slot for M.2 SSD but that's not what I'm using. Doesn't this number seem a little high?

These numbers aren't even possible with or without NVMe... SATA is limited to about 550MB/s max speed either way. NVMe current max for consumer stuff (that I've seen -- I own a 960 EVO) is around 3,000MB/s, maybe more. Those numbers kinda make sense if it's actually KB/s.

Oh, while I brought it up, NVMe is largely a waste of money versus any other SSD -- unless you have massive files (think lots of large videos and stuff). They don't move bunches of smaller files much faster than SATA does. I can't honestly say I can perceive any difference between my NVMe M.2 and my SATA M.2 in real-world usage. However, I do recommend M.2 to builders whenever possible -- the SATA ones often don't cost any more than the 2.5" ones, and they require no cabling or installation effort whatsoever. So nice.