Norman from MN. writes:
What desktop is the “best buy” right now for just home use and selling things on eBay?
That’s a much harder question to answer then you might imagine, Norman. For this reply’s sake, we’ll focus on specifications to get in a desktop instead of manufacturers, as things like warranty, price, location and availability vary greatly among companies.
For basic tasks like web browsing, e-mail and auction creation you don’t need a lot, but there are certain components which will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
Processor: Core i3-2100 (Or higher) or Core i5-2300 (or higher). The newest core i3 and i5 processors from Intel have very solid performance for the price and offer a very speedy processor compared to some cheaper AMD alternatives. While AMD processors compete well when running many applications at once, single applications will respond quicker on a core i3 or i5 chip. The one exception is AMD’s A6 and A8 line of processors, which while being slower on single applications do have very impressive integrated graphics which can enable modest game playing.
Memory: 4 GB or higher. More than 4 GB isn’t necessary for a few applications used at once, but can’t hurt. Don’t spend extra money to upgrade unless you have a specific program which requires it like Photoshop.
Hard Drive: Any are good, but look for one where the speed is rated at 7200 RPM. You’ll really shock the PC sales guy by asking what the hard drive speed rating is, but 7200 RPM drives perform significantly faster then 5400 RPM drives typically found in cheaper PC’s. If you can’t get a 7200RPM drive it’s not the end of the world, but it’ll make programs open faster and browsing images/files quicker.
Monitor: Buy the biggest you can afford. Having bought my father a 24″ LCD on sale at a wholesale club for $249 I knew even though he initially said he didn’t need it and it was too big, he soon fell in love with the easily readable text and larger work area.
And here is one last tip… Don’t be afraid to find someone to build it for you! Building a PC isn’t as hard as it sounds, and with a little help from your local computer geek you can get exactly what you want, often for hundreds less then the big box stores.
~Tim
Tags: amd, best value, core i3, intel, new computer, sandybridge, system builder
Had mine built totally happy, have a laptop had everything transfered to a desktop extra software, 2 harddrives total 750, intel 4, 3.5 gigs ram, I wanted XP just feel comfortable with it, Wifi, Light scribe DVD recorder, Blue Ray player, 3.5 disk, Multi function card reader less then $ 200, they are out there just ask.
Good tips to know… I am aiming more for an all-in-one computer (HP in particular), since I have limited desk space at home and my laptop fits quite well there, but I’d appreciate a bigger monitor than that 15″ that I have now…
very good, solid advice, Tim!!!
Way to go!!!
HD: 7200rpm is a good recommendation. SSD is another option if they are looking for better performance. The best solution is a SSD for Apps & OS, and a HD for data files.
Monitor: For a while I agreed with the “bigger is better” school of thought. But I’ve come to realize that in LCD that is not true. No matter what size they are, LCD’s are currently limited to an up limit of HD 1920x1080P resolution. My ancient 17″ CRT had resolution of 2500×1600. So, even though screen size was smaller, screen “area” was larger. That means, if you really want to see more applications on screen, CRT’s are better.
The article is full of good info but you left out one thing – how do I know what rpm my present PC operates at?
Don’t forget the many online computer dealers! I got a heck of a deal on a laptop for Christmas!