Need desktop advice

C

Clang!

Joined
Jul 26, 2010
Messages
518
Due to the discontinuation of Windows XP support by Microsoft, and the fact that my home computer is too old to run anything more recent, I've decided to upgrade. There are three budget systems that meet my criteria: 4th generation i3 or better processor, 3.0 GHz or better processor speed, minimum 4GB DDR3 RAM, minimum 500 GB hard drive, DVD read/write capabilties, and running Windows 7 (I have not heard good things about running Windows 8 w/o a touchscreen). The first two are home computers and the last is a business computer (Windows 7 Professional has extra security features). I will be adding in MS office home and Student 2010 (2013 is optimized for a touch screen)

Dell Inspiron 3000 (3847)
$500
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
4th Generation Intel® Core™ i3-4130 Processor (3M Cache, 3.4 GHz)
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 1600MHz (4GBx2)
1TB 7200 rpm SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive
Intel® HD Integrated Graphics (4400 standard on i3-4130 chip)
Tray load DVD Drive (Reads and Writes to DVD/CD)
8-in-1 Media Card Reader

Lenovo H530 (57321273)
$500
Intel Core i3-4130 Processor 3.4GHz
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
6GB DDR3-1600 RAM
1TB 7,200RPM Hard Drive
Intel HD Graphics 4400
DVD Drive
7-in-1 Memory Card Reader

Lenovo 10AS002JUS
$520
Windows 7 Professional 64bit
Intel Core i3-4130 Processor 3.4GHz
4GB DDR3-1600 RAM
500GB 7,200RPM Hard Drive
Intel HD Graphics 4400
1TB 7,200RPM Hard Drive
DVD RW

Any feedback or suggestions will be very much appreciated as I haven't computer shopped in several years.
 
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I use Lenovo at work.....they run good. I would avoid Dell mainly because I feel they don't support drivers well for previous OS releases like you are getting into. Win 8 is the norm now....but they will stick Win 7 in a box for you to sell you something. Was my case with a new Vista laptop I put XP on....they offered XP drivers but they never worked well for me....especially wireless driver and CD/DVD driver...that one locks machine up every time I use it on first try. Works great in Vista.

I would definitely go with Win 7 and if you don't need to join a domain the home premium Lenovo Should work just fine....especially with 6 GB RAM.

John
 
Please build it, saves you money and you can get exactly what you want. If you need help with that there are plenty of resources only but honestly if you can put two things together, you're set.
 
They are all a similar specification, and look like they would work fine for day to day use, Internet browsing, Office etc.

Windows Professional isn't worth the extra money for most home users. From memory the main extra features it gives you are Domain membership and BitLocker HDD encryption, both of which most home users wouldn't need.

I would consider 4 GB of RAM to be a minimum, and would ideally purchase more. But for day to day use 4 GB will be OK for most people.

I've used Lenovo laptops and desktops, and Dell laptops and found them all to be OK so I think you have chosen two reasonable manufacturers there.

Do all of them have space for a second Hard Drive in case you want to back up or expand the storage?
 
Due to the discontinuation of Windows XP support by Microsoft, and the fact that my home computer is too old to run anything more recent, I've decided to upgrade.
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I have no plans to upgrade any of my XP computers just because of that. It isn't as if your computer will stop working. ;)

My advice, keep using your current computer until it really needs replacing, and then build a good one yourself.
 
I'm still running one older XP computer and looking at doing the same type of upgrade. Up until a few years ago my primary computer was always a Dell. Last one was very unreliable and customer support was weak and tedious. Been running a budget Lenovo since and it just keep working without a hiccup.
 
Are all of your programs/drivers capable of working with a 64-bit OS? Are you running any legacy programs on the PC you're replacing that you'll lose with the 64-bit version of WIN 7?
 
Lenovo makes solid laptops, we have one in the office that is like 12 years old and it won't quit. It doesn't get used for more than word processing, and spread sheet creation by some folks, but it works well. I like HP machines at the moment,mI have an EliteBook that i use for work, it's a bit on the smaller size, but does what I need it to do. It was expensive though, $700+ though. As far as the "extra security features" they only apply if you are using the computer in a domain such as in a workplace, with specific networking/server protocols in place. Otherwise, it makes no difference.
 
Good luck. My wife just ordered the following computer. EliteDesk E3S91UT Desktop Computer - Intel Core i5 i5-4570S
2.90 GHz - Ultra Slim - 4 GB RAM - 500 GB HDD - DVD-Writer -
Intel HD 4600 Graphics - Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. Her business IT guy put the specs together for her although its a home computer. She is in finance and runs a lot of budgets, etc. on excel.

My son agrees with you. Windows 8 is suited for touchscreen. I don't know why, but that's what he says.

My wife said to me, do you think this is good enough. I said. I play solitaire on the computer, I'm sure it will be fine.
 
You can easily disable the windows 8 home screen. It will function like windows 7 then.

Most computer companies use the same parts made in the same factories. Most computers are overkill for the average user. You can easily add a new hard drive, RAM, DVD or blu-ray drive, or power supply, and even possibly a graphics card all on your own so you can start with a basic configuration and customize quite easily. Making your own computer is pretty easy too.

Overall the systems listed all sound like more than enough for general use.
 
We use Dell laptops hooked up to docking stations at work, and they tend to go belly up about every 5,000 hours, which translates to about 6 years for a home computer. Ironically, something on my home computer goes belly up about every 6 years.
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I have an older Seagate 500GB hard drive for external backups and all the computers I'm ordering are full or mini towers, so there should be an expansion bay for a backup hard drive. The HDDs in my current computer use the older parrallel pin interfaces and cannot be transfered to the new computer.
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I can order a custom system built to spec from one of the local shops. I have very little computer building experience, and don't want to risk the cost of a mistake on my part.
 
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I think you can buy win8 and use the disk to load win7 if that's what you want. Later on you can "upgrade" to win8 for free when win7 is no longer supported.

I used win2k pro for a long time. Picked up winXP when turbotax wouldn't support win2k any more. I bought the Home version because everyone said you didn't need the pro. Turned out when I went to network the two computers on my router that XP Home didn't have much in the way of user control of various permissions for network sharing folders, etc compared to my old Win2k Pro. They might have changed things in win7, but I picked up the Pro version just in case.

I'd pick up a dedicated video card. It should make your system performance a little better than the integrated graphics, although you could always add the card later.

Be sure and get a system (motherboard) that supports hard drives larger than 2T.
 
I use the pro version as it does have a few more features and generally speaking it is more stable based on it being a business version. Yes, most of us don't need a core i 5 or core i 7 for daily use but why get one that might not work real well in two years or less?

I am in computer business and have been since the Dos days and liked win2k, winxppro, and win7pro. I still Have pentium 4 file server that had Winxppro on it so I could access it outside to get files but the program I used doesn't have any support past winxppro called HFS, I think! I haven't found a program for win7pro to replace it to this day.

I have a core i 5 desktop, core i 7 laptop and a tablet as well as my file server desktop but mostly use the tablet...go figure!
 
sir_mike said:
I use the pro version as it does have a few more features and generally speaking it is more stable based on it being a business version. Yes, most of us don't need a core i 5 or core i 7 for daily use but why get one that might not work real well in two years or less?

I am in computer business and have been since the Dos days and liked win2k, winxppro, and win7pro. I still Have pentium 4 file server that had Winxppro on it so I could access it outside to get files but the program I used doesn't have any support past winxppro called HFS, I think! I haven't found a program for win7pro to replace it to this day.

I have a core i 5 desktop, core i 7 laptop and a tablet as well as my file server desktop but mostly use the tablet...go figure!
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I like the pro version simply because it is more stable and it enables me to encrypt the hard drive as an additional security measure.

You're right that most people, myself included, can get by with a base level system. I need the big 3 from MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), Quicken, Turbo Tax, web browsing, and basic games and photo editing. The catch is I don't like having to constantly upgrade just to to be able to use my computer. I'd rather be one-and-done. The only reason I've been able to get my current computer to last as long as it did was is that I had originally built the computer for fairly heavyweight (as in leave computer on overnight) number crunching.

Like you, I can trace my PC experience back to DOS. I first learned how to operate a computer on a Commodore 64 running DOS.
 
Clang! said:
I like the pro version simply because it is more stable and it enables me to encrypt the hard drive as an additional security measure.

You're right that most people, myself included, can get by with a base level system. I need the big 3 from MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), Quicken, Turbo Tax, web browsing, and basic games and photo editing. The catch is I don't like having to constantly upgrade just to to be able to use my computer. I'd rather be one-and-done. The only reason I've been able to get my current computer to last as long as it did was is that I had originally built the computer for fairly heavyweight (as in leave computer on overnight) number crunching.

Like you, I can trace my PC experience back to DOS. I first learned how to operate a computer on a Commodore 64 running DOS.
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Ah, the good old days when times were simpler! LOL

I use the office fairly often but not as much as I used to. A lot of database design, excel spreadsheets, etc. I was one of those guys the hated 3rd party software so I would create something in either a database or excel to eliminate Quicken, or create a word template to eliminate a database or mail merge program etc.

Now the I don't do much of that anymore a tablet works fine so far. Just got the tablet couple days ago. :) Time to liquidate! Maybe!
 
Avoid Dell. terrible customer service, and they have a nasty habit of building in "features" that bite later.

If there is a price difference to with win7 32bit, that is an option. However then you won't get any benefit from RAM past 4Gb so that is something to consider.

Either of those lenovos will do you fine. Right now tech moves so fast that expecting to upgrade is kind of a suckers game. I'm assuming from the specs that you don't plan to use it for gaming. Since this is the case, integrated graphics will do what you need them to without hassle.

If you use more than one machine and have a home network, then be sure to go with the pro machine. But if its going to be your only one, its not as big a deal.
 
Thanks for the warning about the Dell features and lack of customer sevice. My Wife's HP has the same headache where they installed their own UI over the OS. It makes troubleshooting an unholy pain in the patootie. I check Consumer Reports for manufacturer tech support and brand reliability. None of the PC manufacturer's did well in the tech support department, but Lenovo sucked less then the others.

There's not much of a difference in prices between Win7 32 and 64 bit OS'. If I were really determined to keep the computer running. I'd go that route. But after 10 years, it's time to replace it. Not to mention I'm having a hard time finding replacement parts that still use an IDE interface.

I'm not much of a gamer. If I can run X-plane 10 or FSX, and a decent driving sim, I'll be happy. I am expecting to upgrade, which is the reason I wanted the gen 4 i3 processor. It uses the same LGA 1150 socket as the gen 4 i5 and i7 processors allowing me to upgrade at a later time and extend the service life of the computer.

There is a second computer at home, but I haven't decided if I'm going to try to network them together. I'd like to be able to use the Seagate external HDD as a network drive for backups.

I'm going to go with the Lenovo H530 (57321273). Thanks for all your help.
 
Clang! said:
I'm going to go with the Lenovo H530 (57321273). Thanks for all your help.
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I wouldn't buy anything off-the-shelf without reassurance that all of the internal parts are standard components that can be upgraded and replaced in the future, that sufficient expansion slots and plugs are available, and that the power supply and motherboard specs are capable of supporting additional and/or upgraded components.

You mentioned above that photo editing is one task you'll be using the computer for. I recently snapped together a dedicated photo editing computer. Here's the topic, if you're interested. Undoubtedly overkill for your basic needs, but I received lots of great general advice from more knowledgeable forum members.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...mputer-build-for-photo-video-editing-Graphics

I never updated that topic after I snapped the parts together, and I never even posted pictures that I took of the build. :(
So as an update, I can say that the new computer is screaming fast and easily runs older versions of Photoshop and the latest from Nikon Capture NX2.

The monitor was especially tricky, how to find something acceptable without the big $$ price tag of specialty photo monitors. The solution was the new ProArt series from Asus. Outstanding value. :thumbup:

There are also numerous articles online that discuss computer specs from a photographer's standpoint. Finding an article that lists the most current computer hardware components by model name might not be possible, but the basics haven't changed in the last couple of years:
http://www.techhive.com/article/259293/how_to_build_a_pc_for_photographers.html
As an example, Photoshop CS6 requires a minimum of 1GB of RAM and an Intel Pentium 4 processor, but for best performance, Adobe recommends 16GB of RAM and a dual 8-core Intel processor.
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Clang! said:
I'm not much of a gamer. If I can run X-plane 10 or FSX, and a decent driving sim, I'll be happy...
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System Requirements for X-Plane 10
Recommended System Specifications
For the best experience, we recommend the following system specs:

a 3 GHz, multi-core CPU (or, even better, multiple processors),
4 GB of RAM,
a DVD-ROM, and
a DirectX 10-capable (DX11 preferred) video card with 2 GB of on-board, dedicated VRAM.
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The above is from the official X-Plane website.
The following is from a simulator enthusiast website (bold is mine):
http://www.davebritzius.com/hardware-requirements-for-flight-simulator

What do you need to run Flight Simulator FSX or P3D and what would it cost? What about X-Plane 10?

The Sensible Solution:
You will need a desktop PC (together with a low-power secondary machine or a laptop to have Google Earth and Flight Planner software on the other machine)

CPU: – at least a 3.4GHz I5 Ivybridge (Quad Core)
MOTHERBOARD: – mid-range board that will accommodate an LGA1155 CPU
RAM:- 8GB (FSX and P3D are only 32-bit applications, but with a 64-bit OS, the maximum possible RAM can be available to the simulator)
GRAPHICS CARD: – Nvidia GTX660 or GTX670 alternatively ATI HD7750 or ATI7770
MONITOR :- 24″
HARD DRIVE :- 1TB 7200RPM
CONTROL: Joystick, Mouse and Keyboard (You can’t just use a mouse)
HARDWARE: – Case, PSU and a second internet-capable PC or laptop
NETWORK :- Cable and switch or WiFi
SOFTWARE :- Windows7 -64bit and Microsoft Flight Simulator FSX or, better, Prepar3D – Academic version, FSUIIPC and WIDEFS(registered) and FS-Earth. For X-plane, it’s Windows 7-64-bit or Ubuntu Linux 64-bit.
This is really the minimum for X-Plane 10 – (64-bit).
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Fortunately, the suggested graphic card is only $200.
Unfortunately you can't add a modern graphic card to the computer you selected, at least not without replacing the motherboard and power supply, and that's assuming that the Lenovo is build with a standard-spec PSU and motherboard in the first place, and that the case is sufficiently ventilated and cooled. Many/most off-the-shelf computers are none of those things.

I am expecting to upgrade...
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It'll be easier and less expensive to upgrade in the future if you start off with a decent foundation.

Best luck to you, and don't hesitate to start a new topic if you decide to build a good computer now. There are many knowledgeable and experienced computer folks here at BF who could walk you through the entire process from selecting components, to snapping them together, to installing the software. :thumbup:
 
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Bob W said:
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Unfortunately you can't add a modern graphic card to the computer you selected, at least not without replacing the motherboard and power supply, and that's assuming that the Lenovo is build with a standard-spec PSU and motherboard in the first place, and that the case is sufficiently ventilated and cooled.
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OK, I'm underspec'd for X-Plane 10, so I'll have to go with FSX. Worst case scenario is I continue to run FS9, which has most of the sliders all the way to the right with my current 2002 vintage system.

Given the sheer number of servers and business computers that Lenovo offers, I think it's a safe bet that they use standard PSUs and motherboards. Upgrading will probably require replacing the 180w PSU, adding better fans, but not the motherboard. It"s a minitower, not a small FF computer, so I'm not taking any significant hit on cooling for the wattage I'll need to dissipate.

You're correct in that I don't have the the a PCI 3.0 slot for a good graphics card. The best I have on the board is a PCI 16x, and I can get video cards for that.
 
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