# In market for a new desktop computer - help?



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

I'm thinking of upgrading to a new desktop computer ( currently using a Lenovo dinosaur with Win 7!). Other than getting something with Win 10, what the other B A S I C specs or components should I look for in a machine these days? how much RAM do i need? processor speed , storage GB etc. ....all that gobbledygook... but just the basics?do NOT want or need "top-o'-the-line" gear.
As you can prob. guess I don't do any gaming, don't want to watch netflix on it, don't download any complicated stuff etc. Just want to continue the simple stuff that I'm doing now.....emails,googling stuff, posting on CMF etc... but maybe with a little more "oomph"! -pardon the technical term. 
Thanks all!


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

For the stuff you do .. pretty much anything with Win 10 will do. Wait for a sale on BestBuy for an Acer or HP desktop.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Anything new will work, a lot of the cost today is in the video card.

My son games on a 10yr old desktop with an upgraded video card.

Since you don't care about gaming, you could also quite reasonably get a laptop and just plug in the external stuff you want.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

I get mine from a local computer store. I tell the guy what I want, basically a dead reliable Toyota not a screaming Lamborghini, and he builds it. The only unusual part is a heavy duty power supply everything else is good quality off the shelf stuff. I get a new one every five years or so, the last 2 both cost $450 which I think is reasonable.
If you want to order one online Lenovo still builds the best from what I hear. Get one with a solid state hard drive for extra reliability.
The reason I stress reliability is that I use my computer for trading stocks and do NOT want it to let me down in the middle of the day. So far it never has, although my internet service can be iffy.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Rusty O'Toole said:


> I get mine from a local computer store. I tell the guy what I want, basically a dead reliable Toyota not a screaming Lamborghini, and he builds it. The only unusual part is a heavy duty power supply everything else is good quality off the shelf stuff. I get a new one every five years or so, the last 2 both cost $450 which I think is reasonable.
> If you want to order one online Lenovo still builds the best from what I hear. Get one with a solid state hard drive for extra reliability.
> The reason I stress reliability is that I use my computer for trading stocks and do NOT want it to let me down in the middle of the day. So far it never has, although my internet service can be iffy.


If you have a reputable local guy, that's a great call.
I don't think SSDs are "more reliable", I think they're so much faster that the small cost premium (which is near $0 for 500gb) it's a no brainer.
I'm also personally a fan of "as much memory" as you can cram in it. 

FYI my last non gaming machine (last year) was a refurb Dell 9020, i7-4790, 32gb RAM, 500GB SSD for $250+tax.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

the last 3 desktops I've had have been refurbished. from computer local liquidation store(all less than $250 each)
current one bought in Oct. 2016- $149 +tax (on sale from $169!)


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## Thal81 (Sep 5, 2017)

Something with either a core i3 (Intel) or rysen3 (AMD) CPU with integrated graphics, 8 GB RAM (don't get 4GB, not optimal for Win10), 250GB SSD drive (or 500GB, barely any price diff). Should be real cheap for a brand new one.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

^^^^ thanks Thai^^^^


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

what about this guy?








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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I have an old desktop. 8gb memory, W7. I only use it occasionally for mail, tax, etc. No memory intensive spreadsheets etc. My system disk was also failing. 9 or ten years old.

I intended to buy a new unit. Four months ago I decide to try upgrading it instead.

I bought new system disk ($50) and the restored 7 from my restore disks that I was actually able to locate (after backing up some files). 

Then, I upgraded W7 to W10. This upgrade was still available for free five months ago.

Very happy that I did this. System runs much faster. Not certain if it is because of W10 or because I cleared out a lot of garbage. I had nothing to loose other than the $50 disk.

Why not try cleaning your system and upgrading to W10. If that works..great. If not buy a new unit. This was my plan.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> what about this guy?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


It would be ok, but a bit on the slower side. $200 should be about the floor for a functional computer, so I'd keep looking.
I think the CPU should be at least as fast as an i7-3770 (which is about 10 years old now)


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

*Then, I upgraded W7 to W10. This upgrade was still available for free five months ago.*

Is it still available? if so, where?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

jargey3000 said:


> I'm thinking of upgrading to a new desktop computer ( currently using a Lenovo dinosaur with Win 7!). Other than getting something with Win 10, what the other B A S I C specs or components should I look for in a machine these days? how much RAM do i need? processor speed , storage GB etc. ....all that gobbledygook... but just the basics?do NOT want or need "top-o'-the-line" gear.
> As you can prob. guess I don't do any gaming, don't want to watch netflix on it, don't download any complicated stuff etc. Just want to continue the simple stuff that I'm doing now.....emails,googling stuff, posting on CMF etc... but maybe with a little more "oomph"! -pardon the technical term.
> Thanks all!


I would suggest just getting a laptop and treating it like a desktop (plug in a montior, keyboard, mouse). 

For basic web browsing, 8gb of ram should be enough, though you could get for 16gb for not much more. You should be able to get something reasonable for 500-700$. The processor speed is a bit misleading. Better off checking benchmarks for the CPU to compare. A 4 core CPU is more than enough for your needs (probably an i5 if you are going with intel). If you find something you are interested in, post it here and we'll give you feedback.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Still running Windows 7? Time is running out to upgrade to Windows 10


You can still get Windows 10 for free -- and you'll need it to get the free Windows 11 upgrade.




www.cnet.com









__





Tip: You can still upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10 for free


Windows 7 went end-of-life today, but you can still take advantage of Microsoft's offer of a free Windows 10 upgrade, even though it officially ended years ago.




www.pcworld.com





As I recall, I also viewed some youtube videos about it.

I cannot remember where I found the instructions but above should work. I believe I followed the pcmag article. Lots of data if you google free windows 10 upgrade. This was exactly why I decided to at least try to upgrade my desktop. I was of the opinion that I had sufficient memory and processor speed. The end result worked so well that I did the same with an old notebook.

I was far more concerned with memory than I was with cpu simply because of what I use the desktop for. Fortunately my desktop did have 8MB memory. The subsequent increase in speed was significant.

I just checked my system. I installed W10 on Oct. 27/20. My cpu is intel core i3 3.3 Ghz.

You really have nothing to loose by trying this. Even if you do this you should still clean up your disks, etc. Run some of the microsoft tools, etc. Lots of suggestions on the web for doing this as well if you google. I am by no means a techie. If I can replace a hard drive, install W10, etc. ANYONE can do it.

I used the money I saved towards a new ipad.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

MrMatt said:


> It would be ok, but a bit on the slower side. $200 should be about the floor for a functional computer, so I'd keep looking.
> I think the CPU should be at least as fast as an i7-3770 (which is about 10 years old now)


He would be perfectly fine with that CPU. I'm running a much older AMD Phenom II X3 720 and it's perfectly fine. It's still surprisingly quick. I've never felt the need to upgrade. 16 GB of RAM definitely helps... it's amazing how much RAM modern web browsers consume. I remember when people told me I'd never need 16 GB.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

nathan79 said:


> He would be perfectly fine with that CPU. I'm running a much older AMD Phenom II X3 720 and it's perfectly fine. It's still surprisingly quick. I've never felt the need to upgrade. 16 GB of RAM definitely helps... it's amazing how much RAM modern web browsers consume. I remember when people told me I'd never need 16 GB.


I sold my Phenom II x4 w 8gb, because I found it too slow, (and is faster than the linked to system) which is why I suggested something a bit better.

I do think going and buying a $1k laptop (like an Acer Aspire 5) or comperable Lenovo would be a good idea.
I think business refurbs are a great idea for those so inclined, lots of really good Thinkpads out there.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

MrMatt said:


> I sold my Phenom II x4 w 8gb, because I found it too slow, (and is faster than the linked to system) which is why I suggested something a bit better.
> 
> I do think going and buying a $1k laptop (like an Acer Aspire 5) or comperable Lenovo would be a good idea.
> I think business refurbs are a great idea for those so inclined, lots of really good Thinkpads out there.


You must have had the top-end Phenom II X4. Unless you're a serious gamer I'm surprised you would think it's too slow. Mine is only the X3 running at 2.8 Ghz. It still works great for web browsing or watching video, and doing some light gaming. Then again I also have 16 GB of RAM, an SSD, and a dedicated graphics card. The CPU doesn't need to be amazing when everything else is pulling its weight.


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

nathan79 said:


> You must have had the top-end Phenom II X4. Unless you're a serious gamer I'm surprised you would think it's too slow. Mine is only the X3 running at 2.8 Ghz. It still works great for web browsing or watching video, and doing some light gaming. Then again I also have 16 GB of RAM, an SSD, and a dedicated graphics card. The CPU doesn't need to be amazing when everything else is pulling its weight.


No gaming (on that machine), but I am a "power user", and I did extend it's usefulness until mid 2019 with an SSD.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

jargey...I believe this is the site I used to lead me though upgrading windows gratis.









Still running Windows 7? Time is running out to upgrade to Windows 10


You can still get Windows 10 for free -- and you'll need it to get the free Windows 11 upgrade.




www.cnet.com


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

OP Here: this one looks pretty good for my needs. asking $180, monitor included.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

Don't buy shite from private sellers (their junk). You have no idea what they have done to them. Buy from a dealer that will at least provide some guarantees.


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

The one with the A8 processor would be faster, not to mention newer.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

nathan79 said:


> The one with the A8 processor would be faster, not to mention newer.


how can you tell it's newer?


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> how can you tell it's newer?


Google the cpuname ie a8-5500 vs a6-7300
You'll get a link like




__





UserBenchmark: AMD A4-6300 APU vs A8-5500






cpu.userbenchmark.com





I think at the $200 price range an A8 with 8gb of memory is actually a pretty good deal.
Myself I spend many hours a day on a computer, so I don't mind spending more

Honestly something like this is what I would get.








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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

MrMatt said:


> Google the cpuname ie a8-5500 vs a6-7300
> You'll get a link like
> 
> 
> ...


arrrgh! .....I cant seem to get that link to work, to compare the 2


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

OP here - Choice #3! 
Comments?
Desktop Computer Package


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> OP here - Choice #3!
> Comments?
> Desktop Computer Package


No.
The first one is much better.








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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

MrMatt said:


> No.
> The first one is much better.
> 
> 
> ...


 dont forget that "gaming" means zero to me! lol. 
I just want to keep emailing, googling, a little youtubing, and posting on CMF! so.....


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

which is better #2 or #3?
I might be leaning towards them because they also include monitors...which I cud also do with a new one...


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## Dilbert (Nov 20, 2016)

I cant remember the last time I switched on my PC. I do everything I need on the IPad. Banking, email, etc.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

FYI
#1 will do $200 (asking was $220)
#2 will do $150 (asking $180)
#3 offered $200 (asking $250) no reply yet.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Dilbert said:


> I cant remember the last time I switched on my PC. I do everything I need on the IPad. Banking, email, etc.


ya. I do have an ipad. still like desktop too though...


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Splurge and buy yourself a 27 inch flat screen monitor. I love mine. They come on sale frequently for $200-220. Mine is an Hp..three years old. I love it!


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> dont forget that "gaming" means zero to me! lol.
> I just want to keep emailing, googling, a little youtubing, and posting on CMF! so.....


I work with a guy like this, he ended up buying a Lenovo L330 laptop (budget) he loves it.
Even though he doesn't do much, the SSD makes it much faster.

I understand being frugal, but a computer that does your task 10% faster or better can save a lot of time if you use it a bunch.

One person uses his iPad a lot, I had an iPad and found for many tasks it did pretty good. I've since upgraded to an Android tablet and I really like it, though I generally work from my desktop.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

anyone else care to compare my 3 "choices":

1. Asus cm1745 desktop | Desktop Computers | St. John's | Kijiji

2.











3.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

1 seems reasonable

Do not buy #2. (8gb is absolutely min amount of ram I would recommend having). This computer is ancient.

Not enough info on #3.

For such a small amount of money, I would not agonize. Just get 1.


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## Retired Peasant (Apr 22, 2013)

I'd go with 1.
@andrewf # 2 says 12 gb RAM?
#3 - am I reading this right? 4gb RAM and 3gb HD


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Retired Peasant said:


> I'd go with 1.
> @andrewf # 2 says 12 gb RAM?
> #3 - am I reading this right? 4gb RAM and 3gb HD


re #3. that's what it says........?? mistake....?


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I am running 8MB of memory on my system. Performance is perfect. Very much improved from before the W upgrade and disk upgrade. BUT.....I only use it occasionally for web surfing, mail, and tax returns. Not certain if the performance is attributable to the memory, the cpu, W10 upgrade, new system disk, or a combo of all three. And of course the what I do on the unit. 

I started by looking at used or refurb systems on the market. Thing is, I knew what I had and I knew what I needed based on my useage.

If I was doing more on the system I would have replaced it a system with more memory and a good amount of SSD. And a decent processor chip of course.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

ian said:


> .....
> Why not try cleaning your system and upgrading to W10. If that works..great. If not buy a new unit. This was my plan.


how do I go about "cleaning out my system"? (and please don't mention Ex-Lax....)


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

jargey3000 said:


> how do I go about "cleaning out my system"? (and please don't mention Ex-Lax....)


I would throw in an SSD, install windows, and after that, put the old drive in as a "data" drive.

But honestly buying a new computer is easier.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

You could run some disk tools that you will find in w7 start menu. Alternatively simply Google....you will gets lots of data plus some youtubes.
I am not a techie. you might want to empty cache memory.

Someone smart may know what happens when you do the w10 upgrade.


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

If you're not technically savvy, or have access to someone who is, I would recommend just buying a new computer. If you're asking for advice on the internet, I assume that means you don't have access to someone who is technically savvy.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

I am anything but tech savvy. Once I realized that I had 8GB of memory I decided to try upgrading.

What took the longest? Took me 20 minutes to find the original windows7 restore disks that I made when I first got the system 9 or 10 years ago...after two or three moves. Took about 10 minutes to watch the youtube on how to replace a system disk. It took about another 20 minutes from start to finish to install the new disk.

After that it was all a matter of inserting the restore media and following the on screen instructions. I got a huge performance improvement simply by doing this. I did not intend to migrate to W10 buty my this simple success was the push that I needed. It took five minutes to google and read how to get W10 gratis. Another 5 minute youtube confidence booster. Once I got on the right site it was a matter of following the very simple W10 install procedure.

It actually took far longer to install the many W10 updates that were needed once I had W10 up and running that it did anything else. Oh,, and I did have to go out and buy a memory stick in order to make a restore media for W10


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## Dox (Mar 19, 2021)

jargey3000 said:


> I'm thinking of upgrading to a new desktop computer ( currently using a Lenovo dinosaur with Win 7!). Other than getting something with Win 10, what the other B A S I C specs or components should I look for in a machine these days? how much RAM do i need? processor speed , storage GB etc. ....all that gobbledygook... but just the basics?do NOT want or need "top-o'-the-line" gear.
> As you can prob. guess I don't do any gaming, don't want to watch netflix on it, don't download any complicated stuff etc. Just want to continue the simple stuff that I'm doing now.....emails,googling stuff, posting on CMF etc... but maybe with a little more "oomph"! -pardon the technical term.
> Thanks all!





jargey3000 said:


> I'm thinking of upgrading to a new desktop computer ( currently using a Lenovo dinosaur with Win 7!). Other than getting something with Win 10, what the other B A S I C specs or components should I look for in a machine these days? how much RAM do i need? processor speed , storage GB etc. ....all that gobbledygook... but just the basics?do NOT want or need "top-o'-the-line" gear.
> As you can prob. guess I don't do any gaming, don't want to watch netflix on it, don't download any complicated stuff etc. Just want to continue the simple stuff that I'm doing now.....emails,googling stuff, posting on CMF etc... but maybe with a little more "oomph"! -pardon the technical term.
> Thanks all!


Hi,
If you just want to do simple stuff (like I do) then you can either spend some money of a good Chromebook (I bought one for my wife and she loves it!) or SAVE money and repurpose your desktop (like I did) with Linux (Mint or Manjaro .. both of which I use on separate drives. Chances are you'll never use W10 again unless you're a game or NEED MS Office.








Give an old PC new life by replacing Windows with Linux


Do you have an older computer that you're thinking about replacing because it runs too slowly? Well, there is a much cheaper alternative (it's free!) for you to consider. I know how enticing the idea of simply




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.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Dox...that's pretty radical ...for me ...


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## Dox (Mar 19, 2021)

jargey3000 said:


> Dox...that's pretty radical ...for me ...


Actually it isn't! There are many Linux enthusiasts out there who jumped (MS) ship like me. I made the switch about 10 yrs ago when I was in my 60's! It won't hurt to try out a LIVE distro on either a blank CD or flash drive ... besides you'll be learning something new.




__





Create the bootable media — Linux Mint Installation Guide documentation







linuxmint-installation-guide.readthedocs.io


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## MrMatt (Dec 21, 2011)

Dox said:


> Actually it isn't! There are many Linux enthusiasts out there who jumped (MS) ship like me. I made the switch about 10 yrs ago when I was in my 60's! It won't hurt to try out a LIVE distro on either a blank CD or flash drive ... besides you'll be learning something new.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I made the switch to Linux in the 90's, only recently has my main machine switched back to Windows. (I still have a Linux machine I use daily).

Honestly Linux is good enough, and I'd recommend chromebooks for a lot of use cases. But windows is finally decent IMO.

If you want to learn something, take a course, do a project.
Want to learn "computers", try "freecodecamp"


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

jargey3000 said:


> Dox...that's pretty radical ...for me ...


As it is for most of us old pharts. There are more important things for us to do with our lives, such as just getting up each morning and getting vertical. I'd just get a new desktop or laptop from Best Buy or equivalent and let Geek Squad do the data transfers if necessary. All this whiz bang stuff is for the younger set and the technically inclined. I consider myself fairly technically savvy but have no interest in doing any of the shite folks are talking about in this thread.

My ex has a contract with Geek Squad and any time she has an issue, she just phones them up, uses a code to allow them to access her computer remotely, and fixes the problem....and then deletes their access. Her life goes on with more important things.


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## cainvest (May 1, 2013)

Dox said:


> Actually it isn't! There are many Linux enthusiasts out there who jumped (MS) ship like me. I made the switch about 10 yrs ago when I was in my 60's!


I would agree if the person is somewhat technically inclined, otherwise no. One could even setup a raspberry pi4 for a desktop browsing setup if looking to go ultra low cost. 

For most people buying a lower end desktop from someone that can provide support is worthwhile, unless you have a reliable "technical friend" that can help out.


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## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

AltaRed said:


> As it is for most of us old pharts. There are more important things for us to do with our lives, such as just getting up each morning and getting vertical. I'd just get a new desktop or laptop from Best Buy or equivalent and let Geek Squad do the data transfers if necessary. All this whiz bang stuff is for the younger set and the technically inclined. I consider myself fairly technically savvy but have no interest in doing any of the shite folks are talking about in this thread.
> 
> My ex has a contract with Geek Squad and any time she has an issue, she just phones them up, uses a code to allow them to access her computer remotely, and fixes the problem....and then deletes their access. Her life goes on with more important things.


 to what alta said!!!


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## Retiredguy (Jul 24, 2013)

Yesterday bought a Western Digital 500GB SSD from Bestbuy ($89 + tax) and cloned it into my 5 yr old HP laptop (Intel I5 with 12 gb ram). Very nice speed upgrade.


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