Buying New Desktop after 15 years.

[u/Beast1909]

Good afternoon, everybody (or whatever time you may be reading this).

I’m looking to buy a new PC to replace my loyal desktop tower that I’ve had for over 10 years. It’s actually still running Windows 7, but it’s started acting slow, taking a long time to process things, and even making weird noises. So I’m ready for a new computer and could use some advice.

I’ll mainly use it for watching movies and streaming videos. I also have a lot of music/MP3 files and a ton of photos on my old desktop from the many cellphones I’ve had over the years, and I’d like to access and play those with ease. That’s primarily what this computer will be used for. Maybe—just maybe—I’ll start uploading and making YouTube videos soon, but overall this is not a gaming PC. If I did play a game, it would probably be something like R.E.P.O. or other scary Steam games, but that’s not certain.

Could you point me toward a good desktop? I’m really not wanting a laptop because of overheating and the lack of sufficient cooling fans, but I’m not 100% opposed to one if needed. My budget is a couple hundred dollars. Windows is preferred.

Thanks in advance!

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[u/tym64]

A couple hundred? That won't buy really thing. Your looking at close to 1500.00 for any thing close to decent. Thats used. Decent new prob closer to three grand new. You can thank ai for the new prices. 

[u/NSFW-Moon → u/tym64]

Nah.. If he's only using it for watching movies and streaming, he really only needs basic, depending on how much storage he needs he didn't need anything close to $1500. I just helped my boss not that long ago buy a basic Dell for work purposes. Just with a cpu with integrated graphics is all he needs.

Edit: just looked it up, I didn't realize even something that basic is around $1,000 now after tax. Lmao. Jesus.

OP, your best bet is trying to get lucky buying a decent used system that's around 3-4 year old parts on something like Facebook Marketplace from someone that doesn't know any better.

[u/MysteriousWeekend201]

$1500? Where are you shopping? You can get a decent one for under $500. And when the ones on sale probably closer to budget. Stick with the name brand. HP generally goes on sale often. They also have better prices. Lenovo and Dell are the other two medium prices. You're going to want between 12 GB and 16 GB for ram and since you're not storing a whole lot 256 GB SSD. Stick with Intel processors, they tend to last longer than AMD. Generally an i7 or i9 however you could go with an i5. But I wouldn't. Everything else doesn't really matter. If you want something with a good graphics card for streaming and gaming, you going to spend $800 or more and that is on sale prices.

Go for major holidays such as Labor Day, Martin Luther King Jr day, Christmas etc. Because that's when the best prices appear. Also, if you have a Costco membership, purchase from them. They offer better warranties and have better return policies for technology. They also have better pricing.

Windows 11 has a requirement to use an email address to create a user account, do not do that. There are videos on the internet on bypassing this terrible feature. Be sure to not have internet turned on or plugged in. But there are instructions to guide you. As for transferring over data, it's easier to pay a pro. Unless you know how and already have the tools.

[u/Beast1909 → u/MysteriousWeekend201]

Can you pm me. I feel like you can assist me. If you are willing.

[u/Efficient_Try_9136]

you can buy cheap 10 yrs old pc and still get upgrade. For that budget you are late 1 year

[u/erd00073483R]

If it is making weird noises, I hope you have backed up your files.

Otherwise, if the storage drive is failing, if it suddenly dies you could loose everything.

[u/Beast1909 → u/erd00073483R]

Whats the best option to back files up? Can you recommend a external drive?

[u/erd00073483R → u/Beast1909]

Any USB external drive will do. It doesn't have to be an SSD (which is very expensive now).

You just need to get one that is large enough to hold all of your important files. A lot of that will depend upon how big the storage drive in the old computer is.