If you keep the air temperature within the case low then the CPU and GPU cooling fans will be able to work more efficiently with the cooler air. It was essential when running a large RAID array because that used to get fairly warm and you also had the SCSI controller card and several RS232/485 data port cards.
New computer spec?
- Thread starter stuartpaul
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niemeyjt
Established Member
Exactly - and work out airflow directions so all fans are working together and not against each other - remembering hot air rises.
Your decision needs to be based on answers to questions on what you use it for and may use it for in the future.
Disk Size: Unless you use it for storing loads of large photo files and the like you probably don't need to worry about disk size. I find 250Gb more than enough to store my phone photos, office files etc. but I would wholeheartedly recommend a solid state disk (SSD) as they are far more reliable, silent and fast to boot up.
Screen and Graphics: Again this depends on what you like/need I have no need for high end graphics as I don't play games or use design software but I do like a quality screen.
Memory: Go for at least 16Gb to future proof the new computer
Network: Make sure it is 5Ghz dual band again to future proof it. The ability to run at 2.5 or 5 is dictated by your broadband router so a dual band will sort this.
CPU: This could nobble a computer so avoid low end CPU specs, likewise you probably don't need something that could give the Met Office forecasting system a run for its money. The better spec PC's will have more powerful CPUs. I tend to avoid AMD CPUs and plumb for Intel but that's just my view.
Everything else such as keyboard, screen size is very much down to personal choice so test it out if you can and carefully read several independent reviews for usage results. My wife has just moved from a 17" HP laptop to a 14" Acer Swift 3 with Intel Core i5 CPU, 1080 HD screen and 512Gb SSD and loves it - bough for just under £600. It is a very fast laptop with a superb screen.
Hope this helps but shout if something doesn't make sense
Disk Size: Unless you use it for storing loads of large photo files and the like you probably don't need to worry about disk size. I find 250Gb more than enough to store my phone photos, office files etc. but I would wholeheartedly recommend a solid state disk (SSD) as they are far more reliable, silent and fast to boot up.
Screen and Graphics: Again this depends on what you like/need I have no need for high end graphics as I don't play games or use design software but I do like a quality screen.
Memory: Go for at least 16Gb to future proof the new computer
Network: Make sure it is 5Ghz dual band again to future proof it. The ability to run at 2.5 or 5 is dictated by your broadband router so a dual band will sort this.
CPU: This could nobble a computer so avoid low end CPU specs, likewise you probably don't need something that could give the Met Office forecasting system a run for its money. The better spec PC's will have more powerful CPUs. I tend to avoid AMD CPUs and plumb for Intel but that's just my view.
Everything else such as keyboard, screen size is very much down to personal choice so test it out if you can and carefully read several independent reviews for usage results. My wife has just moved from a 17" HP laptop to a 14" Acer Swift 3 with Intel Core i5 CPU, 1080 HD screen and 512Gb SSD and loves it - bough for just under £600. It is a very fast laptop with a superb screen.
Hope this helps but shout if something doesn't make sense
Jonm
Established Member
You may have got some more targeted advice if you had put that at the beginning. From what you have said virtually anything new will be ok as long as the hard drive is big enough.
As for Macs I have a 12 year old “all in one” Mac and that would do what you are after. My 2012 Mac book with 8gb ram would do it easily except possibly for disc space. I would say that a refurbished Mac all in one, say 5 or six years old would be fine.
I have no experience of “all in one” windows machines but I do like windows machines and have an old Windows XP Desktop which I use occassionally.
Sounds like you just want something which works and do not want to get in to the technicalities, and you have an iPad. That does push you towards a Mac. You will find that using iCloud your photos, emails etc will all sync together, I pay £2.50 a month for iCloud.
With regard to the Lenova, the keypad and mouse are wired. For something on display which has to look good, wireless is better.
Please let us know what you end up with, it finishes the thread off.
RobinBHM
Established Member
SSD hard drive is a must.
Boot up times on windows 10 is around 10 seconds
Boot up times on windows 10 is around 10 seconds
Just to contrast this I have 3TB of images , not including video, so the statement of 250GB is more than enough is a very personal observation. Also one of the most important components for photo editing is the display. Mine are all colour calibrated too.
Network speed in a domestic environment is not critical. It is your broadband connection that is the bottle neck not the network in your house unless you are transferring lots of file around between systems at home.
As soon as people talk about specific requirements it very rapidly becomes a pointless game. CPU types and GPU are very dependent of maximising performance for specific tasks. For example I run dual NVidea GPU to support the AI programming we do at work.
The key thing is remember RAM and disk usage always increases exponentially over time. Get the biggest of both you can afford.
J-G
Established Member
The boot-up time is dependent upon much more than just doing so from an SSD and can be seriously affected when M$ demand that they 'phone home' and upgrade the O/S which can take many minutes. The best I've achieved for a bare Win 10 Pro is 14 seconds.
SSD, or better still M.2 SSD, are very good and being solid state are quiet but they do still have some issues as far as potential data loss is concerned. I always fit an SSD (usually M.2) used as Drive C but also fit a 'normal' HDD for data storage, often with some external drive for backup.
If you have the luxury of multiple PC's on a home network the external drive is probably overkill. My own network has 6 PC's running XP, Win 7 & Win 10.
Billy_wizz
Established Member
Avoiding AMD and picking Intel i current market would be a huge mistake in the current market
Picking Intel over AMD would generally be a huge mistake in the current market ! Also unless he's doing something that is hugely CPU intensive most modern CPUs would be more than enough
If this is the case the OP wouldn't have a choice but if he has then I recommend Intel.
RobinBHM
Established Member
yes indeed -my post was just a short comment without meat on the bone.
the big problem with windows is how it gets bloated with stuff constantly being added to start up, registry etc etc -most PCs after a few years can take a few minutes to start up.
for a new PC SSD does make a significant improvement on start up time -it can make an old PC come back to life, especially is done with a fresh install
We need to be careful of steering someone who may have very basic requirements down the path of a high end spec. Your needs and that of several others are very specific. My point is future proofing as much as possible within a budget, and that includes dual band WiFi.
Yes an SSD for the boot drive really helps, I use a WD blue 500Gb for the OS and programs but use normal hard drive for everything else. It is important to also have some means to backup your work files, always keep master copies safe and not on the Pc, these days USB pen drives are one good option but store them in a safe place! The SSD drives are no longer in the high price category, a 250Gb WD blue is now just £35 and the 500Gb WD blue £50 but there are several interfaces which will affect the Data speed.
Cooper
Established Member
We have a 2009 27" iMac which is still going strong but it will not permit anymore OS X updates past Yosemite which is frustrating when there is a current program that wants an update. I can't justify the outlay on a new Mac but a good secondhand one sounds attractive. Where should I look to find one in pristine condition?
J-G
Established Member
Just one very good reason to avoid the Apple platform.
J-G
Established Member
That might have been the correct stance a few years ago but with the advent of the Ryzen range it certainly isn't. - though I have been using and recommending AMD over Intel for 25+ years - purely on value for money terms.
powertools
Established Member
Do any of you computer experts have an opinion on a Chromebook for home users or do you have no experience and are unable to comment?
Michael C.
Member
Hello: read your thread (message) and decided to give you my side of the same story; I went ahead and purchased a DELL all-in-one with a 20" touch screen, has a R/W dvd player and a huge capacity hard drive, I requested the unit with Win 7Pro, 64bit rather than the usual Win10 installed, (my preferance) it also came with MS Office and a few other program I don't use, "I'm very private" I don't face, moon, give out instant grams of anything, basically an old-timer with a PC; i've taken the liberty of being presumptuous and also assumed you are (more or less) in my category; the all-in-one unit are great for some people; however, they need to be plugged up (electrical), the touch screen is OK but it's very sensitive and if your hand or fingers get too close to the screen, it reacts, since it needs to be plugged up, it also means you'll need to consider where you'll be using it, preferably a permanent location like a nice solid table where you can open up a notebook to take notes; I like my unit but it is NOT a laptop, which you can take with you; (I've never understood why people would take their laptop to beaches or camping); hope my 2 pence feedback can help.
Michael C.
Member
As a NON-EXPERT and while shopping I asked my self why are all the "CHROMEBOOKS and Chrome platform" units so much cheaper than comparable Windows platform PC's and notebooks.
Valhalla
Established Member
It's all Google......what they want is data, data, data - where you go, what you look at, how much you spend, what you buy - etc, etc, etc - they are as bad as, if not worse than facebook, amazon et al
