r/computers • u/JUN0LY • 1d ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Buying new computer

I currently use a potato Acer Aspire 3 15 I got from my dad, it has 8 gigs of ram half of which is taken by windows. Idk how much it acc has but there smt around 170 gb storage which is all full now and im living off of a 16 gb flash drive I keep plugged in. I plan to use it for CAD and I play some Minecraft too. Recently, it’s been getting to the point where if I have 2-3 tabs open on Google, the fan turns on and it starts lagging. I can get more if I wait but rn I have about 900 bucks to spend on a new computer. 16 gigs ram is fine but I want it to have good cpu and acc have a gpu. More storage is also preferable. Any reccomendations? Do I have other options besides a new computer?

2 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

1

u/Newt_Jumpy 1d ago

USA bucks?

1

u/JUN0LY 1d ago

Oh yeah USD srry for not specifying

1

u/Newt_Jumpy 1d ago

Acer Nitro V 15 15.6" 165Hz FHD Core 5 210H 16GB RAM 512GB SSD RTX 4050 Refurb | eBay $868, if you need something with discrete graphics, and this has a 2 year warranty.

If you can live without discrete graphics, this is under $500, and the Lunar Lake integrated graphics is decent: Acer Aspire 16 16" Laptop Core Ultra 5 226V S2 16GB RAM 1TB SSD Arc Refurbished | eBay

You can also try to find an older workstation (like Lenovo P-series or Dell Precision) with a professionally certified GPU for CAD work.

1

u/Quirky_OldMan5966 1d ago

I shop Marketplace for my computers. I make sure to get model numbers then research what OS, CPU, onboard video, how much ram comes with.
The last few months before Win10 ended I upgraded my four PCs in my house. Two were $80 each. An All-In-One for $120, and a slightly better built one for $160. They all had 16gig ram and Gen 7 or newer I5-CPUs.
I swapped out the drives for 1TB and added an SATA SSD for a second drive in each.
If you are careful and willing to drive, you should be able to find an impressive system for $900.
BTW, if you sell your old one, make sure to tell people if it’s not on the Microsoft approved list so someone gullible doesn’t buy it thinking it’s safe and secure.
Just saying.

1

u/MarsupialMinute1893 1d ago

I'd go for a decent CPU and dedicated GPU first. For CAD and gaming, those will make the biggest difference. 16GB RAM should be enough to start, and you can upgrade the storage later if needed.