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Need Advice on Purchasing New PC

Marc v E

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And half the software that is available and closed source architecture.
For a consumer that is an advantage imo.
The soft and hardware is tested together which results in better use of resources. There is one way of doing things which is usually based on getting great results with little effort.

Ime the closed architecture applies more to iphone and ipad.

I regularly develop software on windows and linux, where linux is the faster and more stabile platform. All of my colleagues use macs because they crash less than windows based pcs. Just my experience, ymmv.
 

ZolaIII

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For video editing right now definitely i7 or i9 current gen right now (same goes for lower tier) if you want new one.

 

sealman

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You may want to go to the OS power/performance settings and select a "reset to default settings" type of option. That may fix you sleep/waking problem.
That might fix the sleep wake issue, but for how long? My personal experience using the sleep function is that it works great.............. right up to the point that it doesn't. Sometimes resetting to default fixes the issue but it always seems to come back.
My solution is to just not use either sleep or hibernate at all. Startup times with SSD's and M.2's are ridiculously fast compared to a platter type hard drives startup time and the 15 or so seconds of waiting for stuff to load is awesome compared to old school drives.
 

Doodski

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especially on things like putting the CPU in
... and putting in the RAM and the NVMe drive. The last desktop I built some months ago the retailer put them in for no charge to ensure they have no issues. That was very convenient. They also updated the BIOS too.
 

Doodski

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This is a good reason to stay away from Dell, who uses nonstandard connectors for no good reason.
Yessss, stay away from Dell if you want standardized parts.
The big thing there is going from DDR4 to DDR5 DRAM. In the context of this discussion though that's unlikely to matter for a few years. For OP's case I wouldn't see the point in building a DDR5 box and dealing with that expense (unless they really want to.)
I have DDR5 because the motherboard takes it but otherwise it makes little difference at this time even for gaming.
 

Doodski

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Startup times with SSD's and M.2's are ridiculously fast compared to a platter type hard drives startup time and the 15 or so seconds of waiting for stuff to load is awesome compared to old school drives.
I'm looking at seconds to boot in as fast as I can type my password is as fast as it goes with a Samsung 1TB NVMe M.2 drive
 

Timcognito

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I regularly develop software on windows and linux, where linux is the faster and more stabile platform. All of my colleagues use macs because they crash less than windows based pcs. Just my experience, ymmv.
Well most my friends like Macs too. But I use CAD programs for designing and before retiring a lot medical imaging programs associated with CAT and MRI scans to build models. Most of those sorts of programs for engineering are PC based. Nothing wrong with Macs but things like they don't support FLAC for music are annoying.
 

JSmith

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There's no reason to get a Mac unless you're used to their software and OS... if you really want you can run MacOS on a normal PC and vice versa by using VM type software or creating different boot partitions.


JSmith
 

olbobcat

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Really depends on your needs. If you don't need an optical drive for ripping or a lot of internal hard drive space I would go with a NUC or a knockoff. If it is for most media you are fine with an i5. If it is constantly on they are cheaper to run than most NAS. I have always built my PCs for the last 30 years but it is not always cheaper in today's market.
 

Beershaun

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I just built a PC to play with VR and I bought all the components on newegg.com they have a nice PC builder tool as well as some well spec'd pre built desktops. Take a look at their pre built desktops and try out the builder tool and see what you think.
 

Doodski

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an i5. If it is constantly on they are cheaper to run than most NAS.
My i5-12600K downclocks to 800MHz when the desktop PC is not strained. So power use is minimalized even though performance is still exceptional. I have not overclocked it yet but I can easily say it is really very fast. I had a i5-8600K before this and it was fast fast but this i5-12600K leaves it in the dust. I have a gaming PC and benchmark that way.
 

dlaloum

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I have an old HTPC, which is still running - now well over 10 years old - with a Phenom 1065T onboard, updated it recently with an AMD Radeon 6600 - and it still keeps up with pretty much everything (ok I don't run FPS shooter games!)

I more or less retired it to secondary duty about a year back when I built a completely passive HTPC

I used the HDPlex H5 case - so it looks like a power amp, in the cabinet with the rest of the gear.
The outside of the case has heatsink sides, just like an amp - with heatpipes carrying the heat from the CPU (and GPU) to the sides

Benefit of a completely passive design like this one:
  1. It is completely silent - no moving parts...
  2. No dust issues - as there are no fans to suck dust in, and all cooling is via natural convection
Downsides:
  1. Has to be built yourself, or custom built for you (see QuietPC in the USA)
  2. Constrained as to heat load of the CPU / GPU - those heatsink sides can theoretically dissipate around 95W (according to spec)
    1. Actual heat dissipation based on CPU settings seems more like 75W or 80W continuous
  3. Constrained as to CPU and GPU used, both to be able to fit inside the case (GPU), and to be able to meet the heat limitations
    1. AMD CPU's work well, I have been running mine with a 4750G with onboard GPU
      1. it does 4K no sweat
      2. Runs strategy games very well
      3. Not good for FPS games @ 4k (that would require an external GPU)
      4. CPU needs to be configured to constrain power draw/thermal load (not hugely constrained, but still... mine frequently runs at full turbo speed, constraints tend to get hit when heavily multithreaded loads that last a long time are on there... then it might slow down to 4.2MHz
      5. High speed RAM helps to get the most from it...
    2. GPU's get tricky
      1. The manufacturer does provide fittings for several GPU's - but the Thermal load constraints make things complicated
      2. I am planning an upgrade with an AMD RX6600 GPU - but need to do some custom work on the heatpipe mounting block to make it fit
      3. Apparently QuietPC have overcome this issue, and do provide build with RX6600
      4. The GPU needs to be undervolted, and configured to limit its heat output - so maximum performance is constrained
      5. I have experimented with the RX6600 under those constraints - and performance is excellent - many 4k FPS games are playable (at restrained detail levels)

Having said all that - Looking at the example of my older HTPC - it is still perfectly capable of doing everything I want, including 4k120 with HDR - all it needed was a new GPU card fitted. - Yes it is not as fast as the newer PC - but for almost all the stuff I do every day, the difference is NOT noticeable. - But I had been wanting a fully passive HTPC for years.... so now it is the spare.
 

Marc v E

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There's no reason to get a Mac unless you're used to their software and OS... if you really want you can run MacOS on a normal PC and vice versa by using VM type software or creating different boot partitions.


JSmith
I respect your view, but my experience has been different.

I have used a mac mini from 2007, which has performed flawlessly. Before I purchased it I was concerned of the lack of available software and the locked-in architecture. I experienced none of that during its use. The only limitations I experienced were that after 10 years of use, if I used too resource intensive soft or hardware it would become slow. Using it for what it was intended for is still good.

My mother has used a macbook pro for close to 15 years. Never had any problems with it. Replaced it with a macbook air because the battery was turning bad and replacing it would not make economic sense vs buying new.

I have used only windows pc's privately until 2007. After that I have used quite a few highish end laptops for my work. My wife had an Asus windows laptop. The amount of work I put into those fixing registry problems or instability is quite substantial. My wife's laptop kept crashing when she was working with large amount of pictures. Hardware was fine, it turned out to be a known problem that could be caused by 1 of 4 possible causes, according to Microsoft. After checking 4 out of 4 in as many days and still finding no stabile solution, that's when I decided to stop buying windows software. One of the other quirks was that the system crashed if you let the laptop go in sleep mode and close the lid. The same has been reported in a thread by Amir.

In my work as software engineer, windows based laptops have cost me and my colleagues so much time to fix on a regular basis, that return on investment when buying a macbook, would be within a month, possibly within 2 weeks. A direct colleague of mine and myself literally spent the time equivalent of thousands of euros the past 6 months to setup those windows machines after they hanged, crashed or got parts of their registry corrupt. This was using high end laptops by knowledgable people in a software development team using Docker and IDE's.

In short: they cost more up-front, but it's well worth it. Both in time, satisfaction and money spent. All ime and imo of course. Yymv
 
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JaccoW

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for no apparent reason and can't display 4k content.
There could be two reasons for this;
1. Your PC is so old that the HDMI port doesn't support higher resolutions. (I know that was a thing on my old Sony S13P laptop from 11 years ago)
2. Some streaming services (Netflix) only allow 4K playback through browsers or apps that support certain anti-copy features. Netflix on chrome can be a stuttering mess for me whereas it's smooth as butter playing back through Edge. The way I found out there was some content protection is because my Philips Hue app wouldn't work when playing back Netflix through Edge.
 

FrantzM

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Hi

I haven't read all the posts in the thread. I suggest to go for a Mac Mini with M1 chip and 8 GB of RAM... If you must 10 Gig Ethernet. Done. Yes it plays FLAC with Audivarna and JRiver... Being used as I write this in various professional video studios.

Peace.
 

antcollinet

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I am currently using a fairly dated ASUS PC that has been serving me well but lately been freezing up for no apparent reason and can't display 4k content. I need a new PC but don't need a blazing fast computer as I don't game but do watch and edit 4K GoPro videos, stream music and surf the web. I'm afraid if I go buy something at Costco I will inadvertently buy something that will either be obsolete by the time I get it home or won't play 4K video, etc. Can someone give me some advice on what I need to be looking for in terms of video capabilities, high speed USB ports, etc?
You have one application - 4k video editing that does need a "blazingly fast" pc. Unless you are very patient. if you want future proof, also make sure it can handle HDR content.

I'm also lost in the mac world so unfamiliar with current windows hardware. I'd be suggesting on of the M1 or better models.
 
OP
Rottmannash

Rottmannash

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There could be two reasons for this;
1. Your PC is so old that the HDMI port doesn't support higher resolutions. (I know that was a thing on my old Sony S13P laptop from 11 years ago)
2. Some streaming services (Netflix) only allow 4K playback through browsers or apps that support certain anti-copy features. Netflix on chrome can be a stuttering mess for me whereas it's smooth as butter playing back through Edge. The way I found out there was some content protection is because my Philips Hue app wouldn't work when playing back Netflix through Edge.
I play GoPro videos I make myself. No Netflix on the PC...yet.
 

Andretti60

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One final thought I'd like to add is that I having used both Windows and mac products, my experience is that Apple pcs are cheaper to own in the long run.

The only major disadvantage of a mac is the initial steep price and that the mac mouse is just not as good as logitech. (So I just buy logitech)
I agree with everything except for the mouse. First of all, the mouse is a personal choice, it has to "fit" the hand. Right now on my desk I have my personal iMac with the Mighty mouse (that I adore) and the Windows work pc with a wireless Logitech keyboard plus mouse (standard issue K545) I go back and forth with no problem, but I prefer by a long run the Apple keyboard and mouse.
Bottom line, a mouse is replaceable, it should not be a reason to choose a computer.
 

Dilliw

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I just bought this one on Prime days:


The Beelink and other mini computers have various specs so you have to play around with it to find the right model for your application. This model only has 8gb of RAM and only 256gb of internal storage, but I'm using it to basically run Chrome and MS Office, and I have plenty of cloud/external storage for my stuff. I just velcro'd it to the back of a 27" 4k monitor, added a camera, keyboard and mouse, and called it a all-n-one.

So far it runs as it says it would and has no problem with the 4k video.
 
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