[OK, this got reaaaally long. But my wife seems less than thrilled to discuss this stuff with me…]
Hi all, I’m in need of a computer refresh and trying to weigh my options. I’ve had my current Mac mini for about 8 or 9 years. These days, everything is running pretty slowly. It is still useable, but not great. Luckily, we don’t ask too much of it, mainly using it for internet browsing, finance stuff, etc. I also do very basic photo processing with Lightroom, but nothing crazy. No real gaming of any kind. I have a 2TB external HDD that houses all my photos and videos and music.
I’ve been waiting for a mini refresh, but nothing has been announced yet. I’m considered switching to a Windows box, even though I still have flashbacks about all the rebooting I used to do, searching for drivers to download, BIOS, etc. Are things better now? I know it may be a cliché, but the Mac is nice in that all my peripherals and apps just worked without much fuss.
Price is the main reason for considering a change of systems. The new iMacs are nice, but the base model is $1099, and I’m worried the specs on that are not good enough. For $1299 you can upgrade the CPU, GPU, display, and other specs, but that’s getting pretty expensive.
If switching to PC, that leaves me with buying off the shelf or building my own. My last build was probably 12-13 years ago, but I’m already getting the itch reading through build guides.
Build:
If I go this way, I will probably want to focus on it running smoothly and quietly. I know I don’t need a high-speed gaming rig with glowing fans and a skull on the tower, but I do want things future-proof where I can.
[I did a rough build here, just to get an idea of prices: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/m3VptJ may need to shave some costs off somewhere]
Processor: how much do I need? I’ve already gotten lost amidst i5 vs i7 vs Ryzen, 2 vs 4, core etc. Maybe what I have in the parts list is overkill. Should I save some cash and maybe upgrade in a few years, or will I then need a new mobo?
Mobo: This and the case is where I’m trying to figure out size. Can I go with mini-ITX? Or will that limit me too much and I need to go Micro-ATX? No sure what other features would be must-have for the motherboard.
Case: Like the idea of a smaller cube, as long as I can fit everything I need. I was looking at the Termaltake V1, Fractal Define Nano or Node 304, etc. Any other suggestions? Def want dust filtration and as quiet as possible.
Memory: Definitely want an SSD as my boot drive, around 256GB probably. Not really familiar with the M.2 versions vs normal type. Prices were similar so which should I use? Also have my 2TB HDD, which I will have to re-format, or just spring for a new one. Then either mount internally or get a USB 3 enclosure.
RAM: 8GB enough? Or spend on 16? Maybe a single 8 stick so I can throw another in later? Thought 32 would be standard by now!
Video card: do I need one? What type? Do I need to worry about how big it is, and whether I have enough cooling power? I know the processors have integrated, but will even a basic card boost performance?
PSU: I like that things are modular these days! For my needs I would probably just get a mid-level PSU with good reviews, and either modular or semi.
Cooling: I was looking into CPU coolers, especially the water cooled version (on my last build water cooling required a tank, pumps, etc.). Is that overkill for what I’ll be doing? I see some CPUs come with a cooler attached. I added a basic cooler to my parts list. I would then just add a few fans, don’t think I need a controller or anything. I would just want fans that are quiet and efficient.
Off the shelf:
I like the idea of an all-in-one for the simplicity, clean desktop, but will I be giving up features? I saw the Acer all-in-one, I think the Z3, and that they had another one coming out. They had several versions, with different processors but most only had a 5400RPM HDD in it, which seems crazy not to use an SSD. I could swab out the HDD for an SSD, but I’m not sure how upgrade friendly they are. Any other boxes that are well regarded, either all-in-one or regular box?
Thanks for all the help!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hi all, I’m in need of a computer refresh and trying to weigh my options. I’ve had my current Mac mini for about 8 or 9 years. These days, everything is running pretty slowly. It is still useable, but not great. Luckily, we don’t ask too much of it, mainly using it for internet browsing, finance stuff, etc. I also do very basic photo processing with Lightroom, but nothing crazy. No real gaming of any kind. I have a 2TB external HDD that houses all my photos and videos and music.
I’ve been waiting for a mini refresh, but nothing has been announced yet. I’m considered switching to a Windows box, even though I still have flashbacks about all the rebooting I used to do, searching for drivers to download, BIOS, etc. Are things better now? I know it may be a cliché, but the Mac is nice in that all my peripherals and apps just worked without much fuss.
Price is the main reason for considering a change of systems. The new iMacs are nice, but the base model is $1099, and I’m worried the specs on that are not good enough. For $1299 you can upgrade the CPU, GPU, display, and other specs, but that’s getting pretty expensive.
If switching to PC, that leaves me with buying off the shelf or building my own. My last build was probably 12-13 years ago, but I’m already getting the itch reading through build guides.
Build:
If I go this way, I will probably want to focus on it running smoothly and quietly. I know I don’t need a high-speed gaming rig with glowing fans and a skull on the tower, but I do want things future-proof where I can.
[I did a rough build here, just to get an idea of prices: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/m3VptJ may need to shave some costs off somewhere]
Processor: how much do I need? I’ve already gotten lost amidst i5 vs i7 vs Ryzen, 2 vs 4, core etc. Maybe what I have in the parts list is overkill. Should I save some cash and maybe upgrade in a few years, or will I then need a new mobo?
Mobo: This and the case is where I’m trying to figure out size. Can I go with mini-ITX? Or will that limit me too much and I need to go Micro-ATX? No sure what other features would be must-have for the motherboard.
Case: Like the idea of a smaller cube, as long as I can fit everything I need. I was looking at the Termaltake V1, Fractal Define Nano or Node 304, etc. Any other suggestions? Def want dust filtration and as quiet as possible.
Memory: Definitely want an SSD as my boot drive, around 256GB probably. Not really familiar with the M.2 versions vs normal type. Prices were similar so which should I use? Also have my 2TB HDD, which I will have to re-format, or just spring for a new one. Then either mount internally or get a USB 3 enclosure.
RAM: 8GB enough? Or spend on 16? Maybe a single 8 stick so I can throw another in later? Thought 32 would be standard by now!
Video card: do I need one? What type? Do I need to worry about how big it is, and whether I have enough cooling power? I know the processors have integrated, but will even a basic card boost performance?
PSU: I like that things are modular these days! For my needs I would probably just get a mid-level PSU with good reviews, and either modular or semi.
Cooling: I was looking into CPU coolers, especially the water cooled version (on my last build water cooling required a tank, pumps, etc.). Is that overkill for what I’ll be doing? I see some CPUs come with a cooler attached. I added a basic cooler to my parts list. I would then just add a few fans, don’t think I need a controller or anything. I would just want fans that are quiet and efficient.
Off the shelf:
I like the idea of an all-in-one for the simplicity, clean desktop, but will I be giving up features? I saw the Acer all-in-one, I think the Z3, and that they had another one coming out. They had several versions, with different processors but most only had a 5400RPM HDD in it, which seems crazy not to use an SSD. I could swab out the HDD for an SSD, but I’m not sure how upgrade friendly they are. Any other boxes that are well regarded, either all-in-one or regular box?
Thanks for all the help!!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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