Buy a new computer

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

I sometimes get asked to recommend a computer, which I don’t generally do. I tend toward specs more than brand names. Carol has always liked Dell computers, my boss at Ghost Ranch liked Lenovo. As I’ve said before, I bought the motherboard for my current computer at Goodwill for $10, so I clearly am not that picky.

Any big name computer manufacturer will have both high and low end computers, except for Apple, which only has high end computers. I’m not an Apple lover, mind you, but to do a fair comparison requires a high end PC with just about any Apple computer. That said, you won’t be buying a new Apple desktop for $300.

I do like Apple products, so that should definitely be on the board when considering a new computer. I just don’t prefer any particular manufacturer. So, what I generally suggest in this day and age is to buy the most computer you can afford, particularly the most processor. Desktops are generally upgradable where laptops may or may not be. Buy a solid state drive; I much prefer having a 256Gb SSD over a 1000Gb mechanical. I won’t use a terabyte of data, so bigger isn’t better, but an SSD is noticeably faster.

Apple has the new M1 processor, which sounds like it’s a better choice than Intel, though there may be some sales now on Intel Apples. AMD seems to have taken the lead over Intel too, so do a bit of homework and compare the processors you are considering. I suggest AMD Ryzen 5000 series, but Intel is fine too, preferable a Core i7 or i9. Don’t go less than 8Gb of ram.  

That’s about it for me, but I did find a good review from RollingStone Magazine that’s worth perusing HERE that talks about their faves.
​​