Please recommend a new PC

[devonwoody]

(not interested in a Mac)

My pc keeps crashing, done system restores etc. I suspect hardware problem, it will crash for no reason on internet, imaging programs, even if left running over a period and no operation being performed..
So looking to perhaps replace wih a tower pc (hdmi socket and many at least 3 front usb connections) Would like to stay windows 7pro but realise that might be difficult.
medium to high end pc wanted.

 

[AJB Temple]

I run both PCs and Macs professionally and personally. We have just replaced about 40 PCs and laptops. I think it is highly unlikely that I would buy a tower PC these days for personal use unless I wanted to use high end video cards: what is your reasoning for that?

Is your current PC a tower? Can yo actually pinpoint what is causing the problem. Almost everything is easily switched out and replaced.

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks for prompt reply. The main reason for having to stick with windows I have some high end corel painter programs (which are windows) and alone would cost pounds to replace and I have never liked mac and dont want to learn all those new tricks running a computer. (approaching 80)

You would be welcome to look into my computer and spot what is wrong.

Edit

Just run for twentythree minutes withoug a crash, went to a restore point in May this year.

 

[dzj]

There could be lot of reasons why this happens.
A simple explanation might be that your CPU is overheating (faulty fan or dust...) or maybe that little battery inside
needs replacing. Sometimes it's a memory stick or video card that needs re-seating or cleaning its heat-sink.
It's worth trying and you don't need great expertise to fix such things.

 

[oakmitre]

If you have performed system restores to eliminate a new program as being the cause of the crashing, and have not pulled any wires to unseat something etc.

I would suspect it could be overheating or power supply related. PSUs don't fail cleanly and can cause a range of intermittent problems including damaging other components before they themselves fail.

Not to point out the obvious, but putting a PC on carpet (especially a laptop) or pushing up against a cupboard or wall can have a huge effect on airflow - depending upon where the fans are located. Sometimes if you have moved it in the winter it is fine, but the ambient temperature of summer plus the air flow restriction can tip it over the edge.

As a no cost trick which may work - with the pc switched off use a powerful vacuum cleaner hose on all the fans in the system whilst jabbing at them with a long soft house paintbrush. You can usually get the fans spinning using the vacuum cleaner, including the inlet and outlet areas of the PSU. Do not open the PSU case. Then switch on and make sure they are all spinning.

 

[MattRoberts]

You can also check if it's faulty RAM by removing all but one and then gradually swapping the other ones in while testing uptime in between

 

[sunnybob]

If its crashing by just stopping dead any everything black, than its most likely to be just overheating.
Like said above, push a vacuum cleaner right up against the vent underneath and the one on the side.

Mine just started crashing last week when we had a heat wave. The fan would run constantly fast for 10 minutes or so and then click, nothing. To be fair, the indoors temp. was 35c last week.
i now have mine on a raised platform to allow more air underneath.
If you are sitting with it on your lap then the air vents are blocked by your clothing.
Get a plastic stand with a built in fan.

 

[RobinBHM]

If you decide on a new computer, I think a solid state drive is worth having. If you need extra storage, have a hard disk drive as well.

Ive heard lenovo are quite well built pcs, but maybe the IT guys on here know what the best brands for reliability are.

 

[rafezetter]

I've been building mid / high end PC's for people as a hobby for about 16 years or so, and I'd echo whats been said - the PSU could well be the culprit, however a good clean can work wonders.

The best way is to blow out the entire case with a compressor, but failing that the hoover method will help, and possibly those cans of compressed air to get into the corners.

If the PC is old, over 3 years, anything other than the power supply will be hard to lay your hands on new - you might get lucky and buy some new old stock for things like memory sticks and CPU, but tbh buying a new PSU will either fix it or get you started on your new rig, so buy a PSU rated for your NEW rig not the old one, and build in a little extra headway on it.

You may know not all PSU's are equal, however even ones by better manufacturers can be iffy as the rated power isn't always what you get, so pay a bit extra and buy one rated as "TRUE POWER", this will give a much more stable output, giving your other components an easier time of it.

I have steer clear of manufactered PC's and build my own as they are cheaper, and won't cut corners - say a good cpu so it looks good on paper, but an iffy motherboard or PSU, or worse - basic stock cooling - a cardinal sin for two reasons, effective cooling and noise.

I can point you to a few places that will give sound advice on building your own rig should you choose.

If you are still using a PC with molex / ide ribbon connectors (instead of sata; google if you are not sure, they are noticibly different) you can get adaptors to make the new power supply work with the old components.

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks all.

I did the vacumn clean up, that was needed.

Did a system restore back to mid May.

Then did a backup because that seemed to work, that took 3 hrs without a crash to a mobile hard drive.(I see around 150gbs were loaded, that took a long time?)

Dont want to buy another computer at the moment, having a new workshop roof fitted this Friday coming hopefully.

Let you know how things go.

 

[finneyb]

I can point you to a few places that will give sound advice on building your own rig should you choose.

Does those places include laptop builds? If so, I would be interested.

Brian

 

[dzj]

Forgot to mention, you should also check to see if an capacitors are bloated or leaking. It's probably not
something you can fix by yourself, but at least you'd know where you stand.

https://www.geeksinphoenix.com/blog/ima ... _Up_01.jpg

 

[BearTricks]

You can't really build your own laptop because PC tower cases are produced to accept most components, whereas laptop cases are built to house specific hardware.

You can upgrade some laptops' hardware, but having built PCs in the past I'd say it isn't worth it. Building a PC is easily the best way to get a cheap, high powered computer that should outlast a store built one, however laptops are so much more convenient.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

I think that computers (laptop or tower) have most of the characteristics of white goods. I expect them to work for 3 years +. I'm delighted if they carry on for 8-10 years. I have just replaced my laptop due to a variety of flakiness at about 5 years.

General policy - if they fail after 3-4 years - replace. The odd exception to this may be (for instance) the heating element in an oven where diagnosis, procurement and replacement are all straightforward. But the pace of change in IT means that items more than 3 years old are already becoming obselete, and after 5 certainly are!

You need to have a desire to understand and repair the innermost workings of a computer, and the time and inclination to try it. Replacement usually means another 3-5 years + of trouble free operation. The alternative of paying someone to identify and rectify a fault is usually disproportionately high given the risk of subsequent other failures on the same device.

Terry

 

[finneyb]

I think that computers (laptop or tower) have most of the characteristics of white goods. I expect them to work for 3 years +. I'm delighted if they carry on for 8-10 years. I have just replaced my laptop due to a variety of flakiness at about 5 years.

General policy - if they fail after 3-4 years - replace. The odd exception to this may be (for instance) the heating element in an oven where diagnosis, procurement and replacement are all straightforward. But the pace of change in IT means that items more than 3 years old are already becoming obselete, and after 5 certainly are!

You need to have a desire to understand and repair the innermost workings of a computer, and the time and inclination to try it. Replacement usually means another 3-5 years + of trouble free operation. The alternative of paying someone to identify and rectify a fault is usually disproportionately high given the risk of subsequent other failures on the same device.

Terry

eg my microwave of 3 years failed suddenly - suspected a fuse - found the main fuse and replace via ebay - it's now worked for another 4 years and is still going.

Brian

 

[sunnybob]

I've spent most of my life repairing stuff, but its becoming less viable by the year. If you can prove a fuse or a bearing has gone, replace it. If it needs to be taken apart to diagnose and its more than 5 years old, replace it.

My laptop has done extremely well. Its a HP pavillion which does not have a good reputation, but it has been used out here for 8 years now, operating for countless thousands of hours in extreme heat and humidity. I had to have a new hard drive fitted 4 years ago (it was still economically viable at that age), but i cant blame the laptop for that failure. It was colonised by a nest of very small ants and they ate the internals.
When I took it to the dealer and said, it just crashed, he opened the lid and pointed to the keyboard and said "theres your problem" A stream of microscopic ants were pouring out from the Z key. He had to disinfect his whole workbench to stop them spreading.

 

[Homerjh]

I like Dell PC's , my current one is 10+ years old (bought September 2005)and runs ok, struggles on some websites though, but it is a single core 3.2Ghz, 4gb ram, but don't want to replace until it really does start to die.

but it is a triggers broom, had a couple of different hard drives and memory sticks over the years..

if you are looking then i would suggest the following, i am out of the PC buying and building game for a log time, but :

SSD : a must, i have a cheap one in my pc and it transformed the performance massively, so well worth it
Memory : if you buy then check spec price upgrade from shop over buying elsewhere. I did this with my pc as the cost difference between (at the time) the standard 512Mb and the upgrade was more than buying it elsewhere and installing it myself. Also nowadays 4gb is a minimum, but with 64bit machines the higher the better.
Monitor : unless you need a new one then spec a PC without one, obvious but why buy if you don't need it
USB 3 : most will have this but ensure that they do
Video connections : check that what it has works with your monitor.
Noise : again my dell is almost silent (well makes some noise as it is old!), adding fancy GFX cards and suchlike may add more fans and noise in the background humming away.

 

[moosepig]

Faulty power supplies are very common, especially in pre-assembled PCs. They are extremely sensitive to temperature, and can have their lives shortened hugely by overheating. I found this out the hard way when the cheap PSU in my (at the time) expensive high-end workstation failed several years ago - I replaced it with a decent one, and that failed 12 months later... I eventually traced the cause to the design of the case which diverted hot air from the PSU cooling fan directly into the cooling air intake of the PSU. Ironically, the case was made by Coolermaster. I now run the thing with the side removed, and the current PSU has been running for 2+ years without a problem.

So if you do replace your PSU, firstly don't get a cheap one, secondly overspec it by a healthy margin so that it is not operating at its limits, and thirdly check the temperature of the air that the PSU is using for its cooling.

Hope that helps!

 

[vanitycat]

If it is a state of the art computer and possessing technology beyond your wildest dream. Then there is only one make you should turn to.

Fisherprice....
- with smiley face technology, turn every day into a rainbow day. Monday blues will never be an issue again.
- ease of set up and portability for the man on the go or on the loo.

- with 256 bit graphics you will be the envy of all your friends and family.

- with large buttons: poor eyesight and sausage fingers will never be an issue for you again.

- it even currently boasts an incompatibility of 99 percent with other software products compared to Apple's pitiful 65 percent. Don't follow the masses join the elite


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[woodpig]

If, as the OP said, you need a high spec machine once it's more than three or four years old and starts playing up then unless it's a quick and easy fix like a new HD it's probably worth looking to replace it. Unless of course you're happy to start replacing mother boards and processors if the casing will accept it.

I don't use PC's but we've had Dell and Sony stuff and had no complaints apart from Windows! :lol:

If I wanted a new PC I'd buy one of the monthly mags and look at their recommendations.