technology Need help choosing a new computer

[Millennium Shadow 1,095]

I've been thinking of buying a new computer for while now because my current one (a Dell all-in-one) is slow AF and it's hard and time-consuming to work on my projects and use the internet. It sometimes says that there isn't any internet, even though it's connected and my phone is using the internet connection just fine.

I've thought about getting a tower with Windows 10, with at least 1TB hard drive/memoy, more-than-enough of RAM, a good processor, etc. I also want a wireless keyboard and mouse and dual screens. I'd use one screen for my work and use the other for internet-surfing and/or using Discord.

Do any of your have any recommendations for the brand of computer? Should I go to Walmart or Best Buy?
I'm on a budget, so I need options that are less than $500.

Also, what can I do get my current and new computer to run as fast as possible and get rid of any/all viruses and shit?

Thanks.

[Early Sunsets 2,096]

What kind of work would you be doing on it? That's important when picking out specs. Things like heavy video editing require something beefy, more than $500 can buy. And I don't know if you're comfortable doing this, but building your own PC is almost always cheaper and better in every regard than buying a prebuilt, but it's also more complicated, especially if you've never done it before. I don't know everything about building them, but I can certainly help and/or point you to good resources.

Also, I'd recommend an SSD over a Hard Drive. At the very least, an SSD that's large enough to hold your OS and a few programs that you use frequently is a really good idea. The speed increase is ridiculous. It's also more expensive, though. A good 500GB SSD costs about $80.

As for viruses, I'm not an expert on that side of things, but Malwarebytes is usually pretty good at catching mostly everything. After that you could look through the running processes in Task Manager and turn to Google if anything looks suspicious, like multiple instances of a process that should only have one (but some are supposed to have multiple, so don't go ending tasks and deleting files willy-nilly).

Getting an SSD and transferring your files over will make your computer feel so much faster, and you can still use the old Hard Drive to store all your files and stuff, as long as your PC has enough SATA cables. Prebuilts can be kind of iffy on that. I recommend Samsung SSD's. It's literally plug-and-play if you use their software. It saves all your passwords and everything, and it might even be enough of an upgrade that you feel you don't need a new PC, which would save a lot of money.

 

EDIT: Just realized your current PC is an all-in-one, so replacing the Hard Drive with an SSD might not actually be possible. Or maybe it is, but it would probably be pretty difficult, depending on how it's designed. Those can be tricky to work with.

Edited December 1, 2019 by Booker

[Millennium Shadow 1,095]

20 minutes ago, Booker said:

What kind of work would you be doing on it?

I'll be doing video-editing, digital art, Photoshop, Blender, and maybe a few others.

And I'm okay with building my own PC, if it's cheaper.

Anything else you can help me with?

[Early Sunsets 2,096]

EDIT: Just ignore this post and look at my next one. That one is about as good as you're gonna get for $500.

I'd definitely go with something with a good number of CPU cores and plenty of RAM, then. If you don't mind going last-gen to save money then the Ryzen 5 2600 is a good choice, but the Ryzen 7 2700 is actually at a really good price right now. Intel CPUs tend to be really expensive.

Actually, I might be thinking of a heavier work load than you really need. A Ryzen 3 3200G could be plenty for what you do. You know better how intensive your work is, so I'd recommend looking up benchmarks of the programs you use for different CPUs. It takes a lot of research, and the 2600 and 2700 might be out of your budget, depending on what deals you find.

As for GPU pairing, that's pretty CPU-specific. Whatever CPU you pick, just Google GPU pairings for it. I definitely wouldn't go any lower than an Nvidia GTX 1050 or an AMD RX 570, though.

And get a motherboard that has a high RAM capacity so you don't buy 32GB of RAM, only to find out the board only supports 16GB. A 4x8GB setup should give you a good amount, but again, look at benchmarks. And get RAM with higher clock speeds if you go with an AMD processor.

Make sure your PSU is rated at 80+ Bronze at least, and if your system is going to draw, let's say, 350 peak watts, get a 450 to 550 watt PSU. PC Part Picker is good for figuring that out, and it also tells you about any incompatibilities with parts you pick.

And get a good case! You don't have to spend $60 on one, but don't get the $15 Chinese stamped sheet-metal special that has razor-sharp edges.

I rambled a bit. Sorry about that  It basically comes down to research, and a lot of it. PC Part Picker is your friend. It's a really useful website.

Edited December 1, 2019 by Booker

[Early Sunsets 2,096]

Ooh, this could actually be good for you. No research required. I don't know if 16GB of RAM is enough for you, though.

Spoiler

 

 

[Lucky Bells 34,679]

@Millennium Shadow Moving to Media Discussion 

[Splashee 28,473]

20 hours ago, Millennium Shadow said:

Also, what can I do get my current and new computer to run as fast as possible and get rid of any/all viruses and shit?
 

Not possible!

 

... Really, not possible. Antivirus software makes computer slow. You have to deal with viruses manually, which is a huge task, like staying away from certain Internet activities, and using sandbox environments to run applications and extract data when those are needed.

[Millennium Shadow 1,095]

7 hours ago, Splashee said:

Not possible!

 

... Really, not possible. Antivirus software makes computer slow. You have to deal with viruses manually, which is a huge task, like staying away from certain Internet activities, and using sandbox environments to run applications and extract data when those are needed.

So, how can I get rid of any/all viruses on my current computer?

Also, you said that antiviruses slow my computer. Are antiviruses not good investments? I'm a little confused, here. 

[Crimson storm 1,807]

Dell with google defender, it work great on mine

[Polar 791]

On 12/1/2019 at 1:55 PM, Millennium Shadow said:

Also, what can I do get my current and new computer to run as fast as possible and get rid of any/all viruses and shit?

I don’t know about you...but I have tried ESET and it works just fine, computer ran at normal speeds. They also have it for mobile, Android has the full package when it comes to mobile Anti-Virus, Kaspersky is fast too, but, on PC it does slow the PC down some.

Edited December 20, 2019 by Interdimensional

[Oblivion 20,259]

You could build something decent for around 500 dollars! I mean I could help you if you'd like! 

[Millennium Shadow 1,095]

2 minutes ago, Blivy said:

You could build something decent for around $500! I mean, I could help you, if you'd like!

I do appreciate the offer, but Booker has a Santa hat has provided a list of parts that would suffice my needs, and I found them on Amazon. But when I added the prices of all the part, it was in the $600 range, but I don't think it's that bad, and the $600 isn't including the keyboard, mouse, speakers, and monitors. Plus, I've added a new desk and chair to that list. Yeah, the grand total may be lose to $1000, but I think the end result would be a nice investment. 

But please do tell me what did you have in mind. 

BTW, what OS and browser do you use? My current computer uses Windows 10, but I'll be switching to Linux Mint Cinnamon with my new computer. For the browser, I currently use Chrome, and I'll continue to use it when I get my new computer, but I'll be adding Tor, if you know what that is, that is.

[Sunlight Glisten 365]

Deffinantly get an SSD 256 minumum. I got my first this past summer. So much faster. If you need extra storage you can always get an external HD. 

At least 8 ram but id recommend 16. Unless youre an epic gamer you will never need more than 16. 

As to processor that depends on your budget. 

[Oblivion 20,259]

Just now, Millennium Shadow said:

I do appreciate the offer, but Booker has a Santa hat has provided a list of parts that would suffice my needs, and I found them on Amazon. But when I added the prices of all the part, it was in the $600 range, but I don't think it's that bad, and the $600 isn't including the keyboard, mouse, speakers, and monitors. Plus, I've added a new desk and chair to that list. Yeah, the grand total may be lose to $1000, but I think the end result would be a nice investment. 

But please do tell me what did you have in mind. 

BTW, what OS and browser do you use? My current computer uses Windows 10, but I'll be switching to Linux Mint Cinnamon with my new computer. For the browser, I currently use Chrome, and I'll continue to use it when I get my new computer, but I'll be adding Tor, if you know what that is, that is.

I Use chrome and windows 10.I'd honestly just recommend the same build as me tbh. 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/

Thats what I come up with. Also you can download windows 10 for free and get a windows 10 key off ebay for around 4 to 20 dollars, I got a windows key for 4 bucks and it works perfectly! 

[Early Sunsets 2,096]

6 hours ago, Blivy said:

I Use chrome and windows 10.I'd honestly just recommend the same build as me tbh. 

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/

Thats what I come up with. Also you can download windows 10 for free and get a windows 10 key off ebay for around 4 to 20 dollars, I got a windows key for 4 bucks and it works perfectly! 

That's literally the exact same build I ended up recommending  except I opted for the 2666 MHz version of that ram since it's the same price on Amazon, and the 860 QVO 1TB is actually only $30 more, so that was on the list instead.

And aren't those keys risky since they're probably bought using a stolen credit card, and Microsoft can disable the key at any time?

Wait a second, I see what happened. You didn't link to a saved list, you just linked to the default list page so it showed me my unsaved build I thought you had the exact same idea as me.

Edited December 23, 2019 by Booker has a Santa hat

[Oblivion 20,259]

18 hours ago, Booker has a Santa hat said:

That's literally the exact same build I ended up recommending  except I opted for the 2666 MHz version of that ram since it's the same price on Amazon, and the 860 QVO 1TB is actually only $30 more, so that was on the list instead.

And aren't those keys risky since they're probably bought using a stolen credit card, and Microsoft can disable the key at any time?

Wait a second, I see what happened. You didn't link to a saved list, you just linked to the default list page so it showed me my unsaved build I thought you had the exact same idea as me.

Haha, that should be a saved build! 

Component		Selection		Base	Promo	Shipping	Tax		Price	Where
CPU			AMD Ryzen 7 1700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor	$194.94		FREE			$194.94		Buy
CPU Cooler			ARCTIC Alpine AM4 LP CPU Cooler From parametric filter: Match Any	$8.99					$8.99		Buy
Motherboard			ASRock B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard	$59.99		$3.99			$63.98		Buy
Memory			Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory	$81.99		FREE			$81.99		Buy
		Add Additional Memory
Storage			Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive	$39.99					$39.99		Buy
Storage			Samsung 860 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$54.99					$54.99		Buy
		Add Additional Storage
Video Card			EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3 GB SC GAMING Video Card	$169.99	-$40.00 1, 2	FREE			$129.99		Buy
Case			DIYPC F2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case	$34.97		$7.99			$42.96		Buy
Power Supply			Corsair RMx (2018) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply	$99.99	-$20.00 2	FREE			$79.99		Buy
Optical Drive		Choose An Optical Drive
Operating System		Choose An Operating System
Software		Choose Software
Monitor		Choose A Monitor
External Storage		Choose External Storage
Laptop		Choose A Laptop
Accessories / Other		Case Accessories, Case Fans, Fan Controllers, Thermal Compound, UPS Systems
Expansion Cards / Networking		Sound Cards, Wired Network Adapters, Wireless Network Adapters
Peripherals		Headphones, Keyboards, Mice, Speakers
Base Total:									$745.84
Promo Discounts:									-$20.00
Mail-in Rebates:									-$40.00
Shipping:									$11.98
Total:									$697.82