new computer time?

[Medsport]

It seems like I just got my computer not that long ago, but I think I got it in 2014 so it's probably about time. I actually built it by ordering components through Newegg loosely based off a gaming computer (although I never used it for that purpose) It is an AMG HD. Not top of the line by any means, but was quite fast when new. I have since had it worked on twice for viruses and now it is shutting down by itself periodically which is a first for me. I have no idea what is wrong as I'm not that technically savvy. It does take about 10 minutes to load now and it looks to have plenty of room left on the hard drive, but there is obviously something wrong. I'm guessing it's either getting too hot as the fan doesn't seem to run that fast and will speed up from time to time, a hard drive issue, another virus (although it is not showing anything when I search using Avast, which keeps wanting me to upgrade but I've always just used its free edition with the spam blocker), or is it just too old and been neglected too long?

Other issues I've had are my monitor on/off button broke several years ago and is always on when I turn the computer on, the floppy disk drive has not opened in years either and the speakers quit a couple years ago so I got another cheap pair that only work when plugged into the front input jack. I do have a lot of pictures on the home screen and when I surf I know I usually have too many tabs open at once so don't know if one of these are causing the shut down issue or just the age and fact when I opened up the case it was loaded with dust balls and crap. I tried to clean out what I could, but everything is covered with a film (I know I probably shouldn't smoke when on it, but that is the main time I do). Anyway, what do you computer guys think? I'm thinking probably most cost effective to just get a new computer and try to take better care of it from the start. I hear these solid state hard drives are better anyway and I should have plenty of cash when I get my taxes back for a reasonable new unit. I'm thinking 1k or so if possible. I'm also concerned about transferring things over if I do this, but I really don't have a lot of stuff besides some files and some pics. I hear it's not that hard to do? I'm assuming the router and printer should plug right up to a new computer too or is there more to it? Oh and what kind of computer do you guys suggest? Should I just build another one myself or are the pre-built ones better? The gaming PC's do look cool, but like I said I haven't played anything online in years. AMG or Intel? Thanks in advance guys and sorry for the long post.

Sponsored

 

[Medsport]

Not very often. I have Avast installed on mine and it will periodically come up and say emergency update and I will try to scan and clean the computer. It will usually get rid of a lot of stuff, but never gets up to 100% anymore. But like I said it keeps wanting me to "upgrade" for a yearly price to clean everything. I don't think its working properly either as each time I start the computer up it says its out of date and a pop up comes up with a "key", but every time I try it it doesn't work. So I rarely turn it off anymore and just put it to sleep until I get on again. If I do start it up, I always go into the task manager and close some stuff down which seems to help, but I don't know if it really does. It does say I have 8 outdated drivers too, but like I said, it wants me to buy a subscription to actually update them. I don't know if that is the problem and if I should go ahead and do it or if it is some kind of scam? This has been coming up for probably over a year now. I'm just thinking for the age and condition of the computer, it may be better and more cost effective to just start over with a new one. I'm sure technology and speed have increased since I got this one and newer ones would most likely use less energy too or am I mistaken?

Forgot to mention, that the CPU and Disk % is usually high at first, but after everything is loaded goes down to a low percentage and when I start doing stuff on the computer and especially if I open more than 1 browser, the disk % typically jumps up to near 100%. If I let the computer sit and rest awhile, it will usually start going down again, but if I keep running it for long that is when it seems to shut off at times, but not always. This obviously is a pain in the butt. I did take the computer to a computer shop a many years ago, but moved to a small town that doesn't have one and I also had a guy come to my house once years ago to fix a bug, but really don't want to do that again either. BTW, this shutdown without warning never happened until fairly recently even when I had the viruses in the past and after a scan it isn't finding any bugs at this time either.

 

[Ebm]

I would recommend building or buying a new PC. When buying a PC, always buy something a little better than what you actually need so it lasts awhile. Futureproof it a little.

AMD or Intel are both good. Can't go wrong with either.

If Intel, I recommend i5-12600K
If AMD, I recommend Ryzen 5 5600X

They are best bang for buck value right now. I personally use the i5-12600K in my gaming pc.

I don't personally see a reason to use anything for antivirus other than Windows Defender, which comes with Windows 10 or Windows 11. Windows Defender is consistently rated at the top by independent tests. Other than Windows Defender, just don't do shady stuff in general lol. Don't visit questionable websites.

I would never use a regular ole hard drive these days. There are different kinds of solid state drives. A 2.5 inch SSD or an M.2 SSD for example. A 2.5 inch SSD uses a Sata cable. An M.2 SSD plugs directly into a slot on your motherboard. I would at a minimum use a 2.5 inch SSD, but would ideally use an M.2 NVMe. Hard drive speeds are slow, 2.5 inch solid state drive speeds are good, M.2 Sata speeds are better, and M.2 NVMe speeds are best.

Make sure to check what slots your motherboard has. M.2 NVMe slots are not compatible with an M.2 Sata drive.

Non-gaming build:
i5-12600K
8GB of RAM
M.2 NVMe [128GB or 256GB for OS drive]
2.5 inch SSD [With how much storage space you need] to store everything else. Photos, videos, etc.
Should come in under $1,000.

Gaming build:
i5-12600K
Nvidia RTX 2000 or 3000 series GPU
16GB of RAM (with a higher frequency)
M.2 NVMe [1 TB or 2 TB to store games]
M.2 NVMe [128GB or 256GB for OS drive]
2.5 inch SSD [With how much storage space you need] to store everything else. Photos, videos, etc.
The gaming PC build above will be over $1,000. You can get a used GPU or a slightly older generation GPU and save some money.

If you don't want the hassle of building a PC, you can find pre-built PC deals on Newegg, Amazon, Best Buy, Tiger Direct, or Micro Center. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a pre-built PC if the deal was good.

Last note, buy a good CPU cooler for your CPU. In most cases, water cooling isn't necessary even with a gaming PC. Just a regular ole air cooler is fine. I personally use a Noctua cpu cooler, but there are plenty of good coolers out there.

I know this is a lot of information. If you have any questions, let me know.

List of PC components to buy:
- CPU
- CPU cooler if your CPU doesn't come with one
- Thermal paste if your CPU cooler doesn't come with it
- GPU if gaming. If just doing regular tasks, the integrated graphics should be fine. Make sure your CPU comes with integrated graphics. Intel processors usually do with the exception of the KFs.
- RAM
- Storage Drive(s)
- Motherboard
- Operating System
- Power supply
- Case
- Case fans if the case doesn't come with one or you need more
- Keyboard
- Mouse
- Monitor
- *Possibly cables: HDMI, Displayport, Sata cable, Power cable, etc

 

[Medsport]

Thanks Ebm! Is it fairly straight forward transferring over some stuff like documents and pictures? Also the router and printer should hook up no problem? I'll have to think about it a bit and start looking around. Would a gaming build be overkill if I never use it for that purpose? I kind of built my current one that way mostly thinking it would be better or faster. I thought about getting back into it, but never did. I do think the gaming builds look cooler with the lights and such, but I know that's not a good reason to get one if the extra graphics and such isn't really needed. I'm sure I'll have more questions for ya later.

BTW, I thought the problem with the computer shutting off was the electrical outlet in my room at first as it seems very touchy (if I unplugged any one of them it would shut everything down). It is a 6 plug outlet thing called Duraware. I had everything plugged into it, but the first thing I did was get extension cords and plugged everything in other outlets, but it is still shutting off periodically. I'm thinking maybe I should have an electrician take a look at it before I get the new PC. The upstairs was wired with the old knob and tube system before I bought the place, but I had them re-do it, but I'm wondering if they skimped on the outlet or if it even makes a difference. There is one of those downstairs too and it doesn't seem to want to come off. I have no idea how they are attached.

 

[dead_inside]

Don’t over buy. Price does not equal speed. Anything will browse the internet, send/receive emails, and compose documents. If you’re asking about printers and routers, I would steer away from building a PC. Managing drivers and delicate hardware can be a pain. Unless you are gaming or editing video, get something cheap and consider yourself wise

 

[Medsport]

So where do you guys suggest I go if I were to get a pre-built unit? Off the top of my head I was thinking Best Buy. They have a Cyberpower gaming PC that looks decent for 1.2k (about 1.5k total with monitor, speakers and tax). A little more than I was thinking, but I can swing it. You can get 10% off by opening up a credit card with them too. Yeah I could get a plain HP for about $500 less, but IDK not a huge difference and if I got the better one, it would be a little more futureproof and be ready if I want to try to get back into gaming at some point.

There is an independent computer place in the town I used to live also, but last time I went there, they seemed kind of pricey. I have yet to look on Amazon and Newegg for a ore-built unit, but not sure about having one delivered. Are they pretty safe going that route? I'm sure there is some kind of insurance if it is damaged in transport.

 

[Medsport]

Man I've spent hours looking and it is overwhelming. I found an interesting one on amazon though. It is a CUK Continunuum micro gaming unit and looks to have all the goodies I would need inside. It has an infinity front and 6 fans inside which seems like overkill, but can't hurt I guess. It is listed at $875 and just needs a monitor and maybe some speakers. What do you guys think? I'm not sure how the energy use would be with all the fans and with the lights, but wouldn't think it would be much different than what my current computer uses.

 

[dead_inside]

I haven’t seen where you’ve said what you are using it for. I see where you said gaming units look good but imo you would be paying for something you wouldn’t be using. If you’re not gaming or editing video, get a Dell or HP laptop from Costco, Walmart, or Bestbuy. Get a dock for your monitor and peripherals. Now you can sit and be productive and you have the benefit of undocking and looking at 6g with the TV on in the background. Just something to think about. Not trying to discourage something you’re excited about

 

[Medsport]

Thanks for the reply, but I'm not really interested in a laptop. I was just going to get a full size tower, but see some of the mid or minis might be ok. They would fit better on my desk too instead of under it. Like I said I haven't done any gaming in years. The last I did was at a job back in the late 90's-Duke Nukem, Blood and the like. It was fun playing the multi-player and never got back into it since. I know its a stupid reason, but I kind of wanted one of the towers that have the lights that are customizable and I know good cooling is recommended, which could be one of my problems now. I wonder if you can build a basically personal or multitask computer with the lights and stuff that come with a lot of the gaming builds? I just noticed Walmart has a ton of computers and some of the basic ones with a good foundation are pretty cheap too.

 

[Medsport]

Hey Ebm, I think I found something that looks pretty good at Best Buy. Its an Omen 30L Gaming Desktop with AMD Ryzen 5600G, 16GB HyperX, Radeon RX 6600XT and 1TB SSD. Its priced at $1299 before monitor and speakers. It seems to have good reviews and is easily upgradable. It has a clean look too and I love the name. About the only negative I noticed is it says the fans speed up under load and can get loud, but I probably won't be pushing it that much and I'm sure there are ways to upgrade this if needed. It does say it would take a few days to get it for pickup though. They also have an open box very similar, but it has the AMD 3700X, 16GB, NVIDIA Ge Force RTX 2060, 1 TB HDD + 256GB SSD for a couple hundred less. Maybe this would be the way to go since it has the 2 HD's. But not sure if it is a demo model or what the open box means for sure?

Sponsored