HELP I need a new desktop PC

[HOJ]

Any pointers for buying a new PC, I'm running on an HP - Windows 7 one, I bought in 2015 (and have an AVG antivirus subscription which is up for renewal) which seems to be huffing and puffing a bit, the base criteria is I need to reload my 2016 Sketchup/layout package and my 2016 Quickbooks accounting software, if nothing else.

I'm used to window's - XL and word etc, nothing else that's critical, no gaming nonsense or high demand, simple works, probably go to John Lewis to buy, looking at this one:

https://www.johnlewis.com/hp-slim-s...essor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-dark-black/p110659741

Not restricted to budget, within reason.

Main question is, can I load my legacy programs on to a new PC, and if I can could someone explain how best to do so.

I have back ups of critical files and stuff, and not interested in any cloud or subscription options, with my flaky rural internet connection.

TIA

 

[okeydokey]

If your legacy programs are important I would be inclined to go to a proper computer shop and find help - no disrespects to the John Lewis staff but do they have the knowledge?
Might be worth seeing if you can add more ram and get your current hard drive mirror copied onto a ssd drive if you can the speed increase will be dramatic.

 

[SammyQ]

"Might be worth seeing if you can add more ram and get your current hard drive mirror copied onto a ssd drive if you can the speed increase will be dramatic."

Too right. 8Meg is thin enough RAM for todays bloatware. And that hard drive is weedy. Think at least four times that size.

 

[Sideways]

Not at all recently, I decided I needed a windows box for just a few programs and opted for an all solid state M series "tiny" PC by Lenovo.
Now Lenovo's online sales channel has an apalling reputation - online sales are handled by a 3rd party - but if you want a desktop machine, I do like the small format. Mine has been switched on / asleep on standby continually for the last 8 years and gets a restart about once a quarter.
HP have a line of small PCs just like them.
These little boxes are used in lots of retail and commercial settings so I think the hardware is made to be reliable
They can be had in a variety of configurations. I opted for two screens and as many usb ports as I could pack in.

 

[artie]

After getting advice on here a while back, this is what I bought to replace my aging one.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126591293475

Now sold out but similar is available.

It's a much faster processor than the new one you're looking at.

When it came the graphics card was not as advertised, so I got a £30 refund making it a very cheap PC.

I went to the Dell site and downloaded the latest updates etc, popped in another 8GB of ram and now I have a very competent pc for the light use I have it for.

I've been told that windows 10 has compatibility mode whereby you can run xp, 7, 8 programs, but I have not done it.

 

[Spectric]

I'm used to window's - XL and word etc,

Any Pc running windows 10 will suffice, don't need a huge drive for the OS but a solid state one gives faster boot times and a large mechanical drive for everything else, ie your work files.

The biggest problem you might find is that many suppliers are now shipping with windows 11, you might be better with windows 10 which is what I am currently sticking to.

Many of the suppliers seem to deal mainly in gaming Pc's that tend to light up like christmas trees so for your needs you might be better looking at somewhere like curry's. They are not the cheapest or always the most knowledgable but you can see whats on offer and you get reasonable local support.

 

[Chubber]

Have you considered an All In One (AIO) model, no wires, or do have a monitor you wish to keep?

As above, get a bit more than 8mb RAM and seek professional assistance in getting a mirror copy of your HD on it.

I confess I am to microcomputing what the late Cyril Smith MP was to hang-gliding, but I have been looking at the the market for a couple of months for a new AIO with a solid state hard drive to replace my current AIO which turns Inkscape into a trial of patience.

 

[Inspector]

I had to look up what an AIO was and to my surprise it is a Windoze version of my iMac that I have had since 2009. Poor old girl is getting little long in the tooth. I'll save a little and get a Mac mini. I can use my existing mouse and keyboard (I think) and just have to add a monitor and it will likely see me out.

 

[pe2dave]

A little caution re Windows 10. Recent rumours talk about M$ dropping support for it in 2025.
I can't fault Lenovo for smaller machines, I've been very happy with them...
Though the current one on my desk (build for my wife) is built from bits.
Case, 500W psu, Asus (AMD cpu) motherboard, SSD for Window, hard drive for backup.
Hardest part is buying M$ software!

 

[Tom K]

Try these Chinese made like most electronics using high quality components. Basically a lap top with the keyboard, screen and battery removed. https://www.geekom.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOooqG3b-MpmZxB9LhyAFfj3hQFGOLXL_-r-LZsymj9NkMOZGGgll
Mine is a using Ultra 9 processor with a 2TB ssd and 32g Ram comes preloaded with windows 11 pro

 

[Diver Fred]

If your legacy programs are important I would be inclined to go to a proper computer shop and find help - no disrespects to the John Lewis staff but do they have the knowledge?
Might be worth seeing if you can add more ram and get your current hard drive mirror copied onto a ssd drive if you can the speed increase will be dramatic.

Out of the choice between John Lewis and Curry's/PC world I think I'd go to John Lewis but I agree with @okeydokey about their knowledge. A 'professional' computer shop should be a better bet.

As for config :- me I'd be looking at a small SSD (128GB) to have the programs loaded onto (speeds up boost time) with large HDD (1Tb) to store your data on. At least 16Gb ram, but much better to have 32GB or a machine that the memory (RAM) can be expanded easily. If you aren't sure on what you are doing then the 'professional' shop should be willing to help you out on how to set out the way your programs work. With (Windows) programs like Sketchup are very memory hungry so having a lot of memory will speed up the system (the program won't be writing to/reading from the HDD a lot of time).

 

[MorrisWoodman12]

a) I'm no computer expert however here's my two penny worth.
Windows 10 support is definitely ending. Microsoft state that after October 14th 2025 it will no longer provide free software updates. So if you want updates for security against breaches etc after that you will either have to change to Windows 11 or pay a subscription.
There already rumours about Windows 12 which probably is at least a further two or three years away but that's purely my guess based on reading a few articles.
If you can't get legacy programmes to run in win 10/11 then you can always install a virtual machine and run win 7 in that: it's what I do.
If you do decide to buy a new machine it should be fully hardware compatible with win 11 which does have some specific hardware restrictions.
Have fun
Martin

 

[Phill05]

I have just gone through the same I was on Win 7 and I purchased refurbished Dell desktop small form on Amazon it says 2022 model running Win 11, I have been able to install some of my old 2005 / 2010 programs and they work fine.

They tell me Win 11 updates are a pain but I see you can pause them for a month so that will help.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I'm going against the grain ...

Get an iMac. Yes, I know you are comfortable with Windows, so get a Windows emulator software, such as Parallels, and you will be able to run all your Windows software at the same time. Then take the time to get used to the Mac, and discover what Windows wants to be. Macs offer greater reliability and endurance. My desk top is a 2017 iMac 24" screen with 16 Gb ram and a 1Tb SSD. I have the latest MacBook Pro, but still get reliable use from a 2014 MacBook Air, and a 2011 MacBook Pro which was upgraded with new ram and SSD.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[martin45]

If you fancy building one this is worth a watch:



He fully explains and demonstrates every part of it.

I built one for my daughter. 1st time I tried it. Very straightforward. I put a 1 Tb hard disk in it as well as the 500gb ssd as they are relatively cheap.

 

[HOJ]

Thanks all, I am tempted to look at the Apple Mac option, most people I know use them, even ancient ones, I'm a dinosaur when it comes to moving away from familiarity, but never been a real fan of windows to be honest.

I reckon this will be my last PC purchase, and as I said before the critical element will be getting my 2 programs I need working.

Might get on the bus tomorrow and go look see at: 2024 Apple Mac mini Desktop Computer, M4 Processor, 16GB RAM, 256GB, Silver

 

[trvlr]

I don't know anything about the Ryzen kit... But can it run Windows (11) or it a for Linux based system only?

 

[Geoff_S]

An iMac? Probably need replacing in 10 years.

I’ve been a Mac user for 21 years now. Guess what I’m having to look at spending money on?

IMHO, Apple is not the panacea for all home computing issues any more than Microsoft.

 

[TRITON]

Any pointers for buying a new PC, I'm running on an HP - Windows 7 one, I bought in 2015 (and have an AVG antivirus subscription which is up for renewal) which seems to be huffing and puffing a bit, the base criteria is I need to reload my 2016 Sketchup/layout package and my 2016 Quickbooks accounting software, if nothing else.

I'm used to window's - XL and word etc, nothing else that's critical, no gaming nonsense or high demand, simple works, probably go to John Lewis to buy, looking at this one:

https://www.johnlewis.com/hp-slim-s...essor-8gb-ram-256gb-ssd-dark-black/p110659741

Not restricted to budget, within reason.

Main question is, can I load my legacy programs on to a new PC, and if I can could someone explain how best to do so.

I have back ups of critical files and stuff, and not interested in any cloud or subscription options, with my flaky rural internet connection.

TIA

For the type of things you want to do that looks fine.

I've an older(About 9 years old- i think i got it in 2014 or 15) system that was quite good in its time(Alienware X51) and TBH its run about everything I've ever needed it to do, including games, which task the computer more than anything else.
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4460 CPU @ 3.20GHz 3.20 GHz 64 bit
Ram- 8GB
GPU Nvidia Geforce GTX960 plus
I couldnt say how these compare to modern todays components, but i would think they are about average.

One thing I do understand is dont get to hung up on the graphics, by which I mean graphics card=games only. the GPU is important if you are going to watch vid, or interact with sites like you tube

As to your AVG subscription That i think is just a waste of money.
I mean its not going to help you really as any serious issues only come from your own actions, as in you follow a bad link, or click on something dodgy, like from an email, or go to unscrupulous porn sites.
I've always likened these things to the vampire. For the vampire to get in you must first grant them permission. So it is the same as all the dodgy stuff. To get infected with viruses or hacked, you must first allow it to happen by doing the above.
After my initial subscription finished, i didnt bother renewing so for the last 8 or so years the only anti virus on my computer, is the one that comes free and preinstalled on your windows operating system. and in all that time nothing has happened- obviously i dont open dodgy software or go to dodgy sites or follow unknown email or web site links, but it runs its scheduled scan once a week or whatever and its never found a thing.
I think that not only are they a waste of money, but they slow down your computer and possibly, possibly even cause problem,s to happen themselves.- Take from that what you will.

But todays computers, as computers are the main and important bit of tech in everyones life is even the basic system will do everything you need and its only the most modern and intensive games that require the more expensive systems, or even anything more than 8gb of ram
That said, 8 is fine, 16 would be best., and only 32 or 64 etc etc if you are a mad in the head dedicated gamer.

 

[martin45]

trvlr said:
I don't know anything about the Ryzen kit... But can it run Windows (11) or it a for Linux based system only?
Apologies, I should have said that its on Windows 11. I had it on the "free" version where you cant change the personalisation : wallpaper, theme etc, which didn't bother me in the slightest. You get occasional notifications but you just ignore them.
My daughter wanted this stuff so I bought a licence activation from Kinguin (around €25). More about activation is on this article:
https://www.tomshardware.com/software/windows/windows-11-free-or-cheap

Personally I wouldn't bother with he activation code. It doesn't appear to do too much.