kibitzer wrote:
Title tells it. My current computer is having difficulties--pretty sure it's a hardware thing, but in any case I've had it for several years and it's time for a new one. Strictly home use. Oh, and it'll be a PC--I've had trouble with Macs and don't like them.
A geek told me to look for an Intel I-5 or I-7 core and a minimum of 12 gigs of RAM (for future, if not current, uses).
What say you, Letsrun? Any specs or specific brands or software you recommend?
Assuming you've been okay with your older computer until it started acting up, your geek's advice is way overkill. Any current processor should be enough for you and 8GB of RAM if you keep multiple tabs in your browser and multiple programs running. Otherwise, 4-6GB is probably enough for you.
You should definitely go with a SSD. They are way faster than hard drives on a PC. A laptop is a lot more convenient than a tower or All-in-one computer. I haven't used a desktop PC in 8 years.
Here are my criteria and what I'm currently looking at.
Laptop. Lightweight. Excellent display. Between 12" and 14" screen. Able to run 2-3 programs (word, excel, browser with 6-8 tabs open). No other major uses.
I've decided on the Samsung Spin 7 2 in 1 laptop with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD. It's currently $899 at Best Buy, but it was $599 on Black Friday and I expect it will be close to that after Christmas.
If you go cheap, do NOT get the 32GB SSD drive. After you load Office and a couple more programs, there isn't enough space left for Windows to do its periodic updates.