Suggest specs for a new computer :)

Kyriakos

Kyriakos

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I will be buying a new computer, and while it won't be cutting edge tech, I mean it to at least have been good tech for (say) 5 years ago. So pls suggest cpu and computer card power (and anything else you think is crucial) :)
Basically I want it to be running all non-super needy programs without issue, but certainly don't care about zero-day games or such.

Budget is ok, but due to to differences in market value I don't really feel like focusing on that here.

Oh, another thing: ideally I will be buying a small cpu - the tabletop cpu, not the tower. Already have a screen and other peripherals.
 
Ryzen 5 series CPU, affordable, faster and doesn't get as hot as Intel's i5 series.
16GB ram in 2 sticks of 8GB each.
A motherboard with Wi-Fi built in, if you need wireless internet. Midrange ASUS and MSI are generally good quality for the price.
If you need a GPU, RTX3050 if you don't really game, RTX3060 if you do. Stay clear of the 4000 series, overpriced and too big to fit into some cases.

In general, don't buy the newest 2023 stuff if you're on a budget; buy 2021-2022 items at a discount instead. There's nothing wrong with them :)

PS these days, you don't really save any money by assembling it yourself. So, depending on where you buy it, perhaps have them assemble it under warranty. That's the idea on my shores anyway.
 
Maybe not, but if you have 2-3 motherboard candidates at roughly the same price and 1 of them do not have Wi-Fi, I would discard that one.

That obviously depends on the case, but the smaller RTX cards are released in both small versions with just 1 fan and larger versions with 2 fans. You lose a bit of performance with the 1 fan edition.

Spoiler :




Btw if you don't really game, a RTX 2000 series is fine as well, as is a Ryzen 3 CPU - if you can still find them at good discounts.
 
At least 16KB of RAM. Don’t let some of the manufacturers fool you, they put both ROM and RAM in memory specs and try to pass that off as a powerful machine.
 
When I upgraded my PC a few years ago, I found an NVMe SSD for storage made a surprising difference in its overall speed. I didn't even realize what a slug my old SATA HD was. I had to get a new motherboard for the SSD, so if you're rebuilding or building from scratch, make sure your motherboard can accommodate one. I assume every new motherboard will, but it couldn't hurt to double-check before you buy a new one. There's also another type of SSD called an M.2, and I don't know what the differences. I think they look similar, but they're not the same. I think M.2 is newer, fwiw.
 
EgonSpengler said:
When I upgraded my PC a few years ago, I found an NVMe SSD for storage made a surprising difference in its overall speed. I didn't even realize what a slug my old SATA HD was. I had to get a new motherboard for the SSD, so if you're rebuilding or building from scratch, make sure your motherboard can accommodate one. I assume every new motherboard will, but it couldn't hurt to double-check before you buy a new one. There's also another type of SSD called an M.2, and I don't know what the differences. I think they look similar, but they're not the same. I think M.2 is newer, fwiw.
Click to expand...

Yeah, get an SSD that uses the NVMe protocol if possible; it's a small SSD stick that connects directly onto the motherboard and it is the fastest. You'll feel the difference especially when you boot the PC, mine boots in about 12-15 secs. Your OS should always be installed on the fastest SSD in your machine.

As for RAM speed... there's no point in buying faster RAM than what your chosen motherboard can accommodate. Right now, RAM are comparably cheap, so you can get fast RAM at a good price. Perhaps something like DDR4 at 2600ish-3200ish MHz, depending on what you want to use the machine for.
 
Definitely get a machine that has DDR4 or DDR5 RAM. That will help process turn times faster with games like the Civilization or Total War series. Although if you are not looking to spend a lot then stick to DDR4.

I also agree with Eva on the graphics card recommendation. GeForce RTX series is a good model. Just look for the one that fits your budget. Even the lower end RTX cards still will perform fantastically if you are playing just strategy games.
 
These guys keep up-to-date and show you how to align your parts to be compatible at any price point. You don't have to build a pc. Their builds show you how to choose what to look for at the price you want to pay.

www.logicalincrements.com

Logical Increments PC Buying Guide

Helping you build a PC, at any budget.
www.logicalincrements.com www.logicalincrements.com
 
Birdjaguar said:
These guys keep up-to-date and show you how to align your parts to be compatible at any price point. You don't have to build a pc. Their builds show you how to choose what to look for at the price you want to pay.

www.logicalincrements.com

Logical Increments PC Buying Guide

Helping you build a PC, at any budget.
www.logicalincrements.com www.logicalincrements.com
Click to expand...

Excellent website :thumbsup:

DDR4 RAM are ridiculously cheap atm; amazing value for money. They cost 2-3 times as much during Covid. I would actually consider 2x16GB sticks instead of 2x8GB, depending on your budget.

Make sure that the motherboard chosen has the compatible socket for the CPU you go with; Intel and Ryzen use different sockets.

Note that all the GPUs in the examples, are Radeon cards instead of Nvidia cards. Radeon has closed the gap recently and some cards offer great value. I'm not knowledgeable on the current Radeon lineup, so I'll leave any suggestions on that to someone who is.
 
Core i7 9700k 3,0 to 4,5Ghz, 16GB DDR4 RAM, SSD 250-450GB, some good video card like at least 1GB.

I dunno what I would do with more than that. Actually I have 6 year old Core i5 and it still does all I need, so I'm not changing it.

I believe we're in a new era for computing, at least for domestic users. Previously, we knew our equipment sucked because it was so slow and didn't run anything and didn't have storage for anything. I'm talking about the Pentium II era in general, but nowadays the only difference is running Photoshop or playing games.
 
Zilog Z80 2MHz, 16kb ram, dual 160kb 5.25" floppy drives.with the CPM operating system.
 
Not buying a SSD is a huge mistake other components can't fix.
 
Here's what you do; go to the web site and thee highest performance machine. Then buy the machine that is one step down from that. It will be cool enough to be useful for a long time, but you will not be paying the premium attached to the best model. This works with a lot of things. Concert tickets for example.
 
SSD is pretty essential nowadays. But also, bigger is always better (that's what she said) when it comes to Hard Drive. Your Hard Drive is going to get outdated *quick*. You think having a 512 GB HD is "good enough"? It won't be in two AAA game releases. Baldur's Gate 3 (sidenote: loved BG 1 & BG 2, my favorite Isometric party-based RPGs, although Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is up there; skeptical on BG 3, will start playing it soon) requires 141 GB to simply install it, not counting savegames.

Your HD is gonna get chewed up by half quickly by basic files (Windows, a virus program like AVG, Office if you use that), then add multiple huge new games (I don't know what they do with all that space)? You're out of room tout suite. So, aside from RAM, get the biggest SSD hard drive you can afford. 2 TB Samsung - 990 PRO NVMe - is great (like $150 here in the US), but not the literal best of course.
 
Hm, I have some specific build to ask you people about:

(looking at the site, and translating to english)

1694488809317.png

CPU, Memory, Hard Drive, Gfx card. Build says it comes with 8GB ram but you can alter it (as in buy then, I suppose) to up to 64GB (so I should, if I choose this, ask for 16GB, or more?)

I will post other builds too, pls help ^^

And a second one, with NVME: (@EvaDK , @Moff Jerjerrod and others)

1694489062986.png


Maybe this second is decent? Here are some more stats:
1694489234724.png


It's not dreadfully expensive, but at the upper edge of what I am willing to pay (700 euros).
It also has built-in wireless wifi (which I will ask at the store about, given I use a mobile anyway)
 
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