NerdDad and I have decided that we need a new desktop computer. We haven’t bought a computer since Windows Vista and that was about 3 years ago.
I have to say that I am a bit overwhelmed at all the choices that out there! I usually love Dell computers but I want to make sure that I am getting the most for my money but… I don’t want to settle for something that will be buggy later. If we aren’t shopping with Dell we usually shop reconditioned at CompUSA but we tend to have little issues with those later. This will be a computer we will keep for a while because it will probably become a media computer in a few years or a kid computer;).
So what are we looking for?
- A Windows machine (No, I am not buying an Apple. Period)
- Under $700
- Probably at least an i3 but probably more
- We want to run 2 screens!
- I want to Skype and stream video for a possible Web show.
- Want to play video games
- Blogging, of course but that is such a small resource demand
- Running a Virtual Machine for NerdDad’s projects
- Run VNC well (again, not a huge demand)
- Want it to run fairly quietly & cool (previous issues)
That isn’t really all that much. The challenge is knowing what is over kill versus a little room to grow. How much Ram should I get? How many cores? A little SSD? What level of a graphics card?
Ugh! So much research to do! Anyone have any wisdom?
– 32-64 Gig SSD for the OS (Windows 7/8)
– min. of 4 Gig RAM, better 8
– a Intel i5 2320
– a AMD Radeon 6750 or 6950 (cheap and good)
– a Sharkoon Economy Case (enough space for everything)
– a HDD with enough space for your media
– replace the CPU cooler with a Alpenföhn, Arctic, be quiet or any other know brand about 30 USD/EUR
– use a huge and silent case cooler at the back of the case blowing out
– use a smaller and silent cooler at the front blowing air into the case
No, but I want to get my very first laptop! Can’t wait to hear what you come up with!
Was tweeting you on twitter (@allisondellion)
I’ve consistently bought parts from tigerdirect.com and newegg.com for over five years now. To me the hardest part is installing Windows after you’ve already built the computer. 🙂 Buying windows is also one of the more expensive parts, so it helps if you already have a personal or business copy.
A benefit to a personal build is that you can always swap out the parts later if you find they aren’t working how you want them to. For example, if your computer does not run cool enough with your CPU’s stock cooling, you can always replace the fan with a higher performance one later on.
Feel free to email with whatever you decide on. I can at least make sure you don’t over pay. 🙂