time to buy a new computer

Discussion in 'Computer Science & Culture' started by sculptor, Mar 14, 2015.

  1. sculptor Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    8,466
    OK-the obvious
    I'm looking to replace the current laptop that runs 2 monitors.
    2 monitors is a must, maybe 3 would be better?

    As a books and paper student, I would have up to 12 open books on various stands as I would research and construct a paper.
    Old habits and all--- as I leave multiple windows open (google chrome) the computer begins to go slower and slower until I loose interest in the subject at hand, and just walk away.

    So, aside from trying to change my old habits, any advice as to machine to buy and components?
    Cost is an issue.
     
  2. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  3. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    33,264
    Why not get a desktop because you can get much more for your money. A laptop with the graphics card won't be the same as a desktop because the desktop will handle much greater loads.
     
  4. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  5. sculptor Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    8,466
    Yeh:
    I was thinking, maybe desktop with 2 or 3 video cards?
     
  6. Google AdSense Guest Advertisement



    to hide all adverts.
  7. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    33,264
    If you look around you'll find that all you need is one good card to operate 3 or more monitors. Both AMD and Nivia make them and they are about the same.
     
  8. Repo Man Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,955
    If saving money is critical, upgrading your existing computer would likely give you the best return on investment. Number one on the list would be a new hard drive. Standard hard drives slow down over time, and eventually fail outright. Replacing the hard drive with one like this and reinstalling your operating system would probably make your computer faster than it ever has been. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178340
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2015
  9. Repo Man Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    4,955
    It is also possible that you might be able to increase the memory, and even replace the CPU with a faster one. These are more advanced options, and if you want to find out more, punch the model number into Google. If you have a popular make and model, there will likely be forums where others have upgraded the same laptop.
     
  10. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    33,264
    Solid State hard drives are the best thing today so if you build the desktop use a terabyte solid state and you will not have any heat build up at all and there's no moving parts which means no noise.
     
  11. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    13,938
    Uh... terabyte ssds are still in the thousand dollar range if memory serves heh
     
  12. OnlyMe Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    3,914
    Samsung 1TB SSD $439.99 Amazon.com
     
  13. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    13,938
    Wow... those came down in price quickly! Faster than I expected. Still more than I could lay down for an ssd (I have a 120gb ocz vertex 2 that has served me well for years now)
     
  14. sculptor Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    8,466
    wow
    I ain't assembled a desktop since win98 (been living on used laptops)
    Change seems to e accelerating again, even the connectors...
    There's a whole new lexicon flashing into my visual cortex, and the poor old brain struggles to inculcate the changes.
    Thanks again for the boost into this brave new world................
    The journey has just begun.
    (again)
     
  15. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    23,198
    In Atlanta GA on 28 June13, I bought an ASUS “SonicMaster” notebook computer (model S400CA with touch screen of ~13.5 inch size) for just under $500. It has: 3.89GB of usable RAM and 443GB of SSM of which 214GB is being used. 64 bit processor & Operating system. A 1.80GHz CPU now running Windows 8.1 I know little about these things, but suspect better is available for less now, but this more than meets my needs so doubt I'll be buying another for years.
     
  16. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    33,264
    SAMSUNG 850 EVO-Series MZ-75E500B/AM 2.5" 500GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
    Email to a Friend
    Be the first to review this product
    Sign up for price alert
    Availability: In stock
    Regular Price: $259.99
    Special Price $199.99

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!




    http://www.googleadservices.com/pag...-vertical-internal-solid-state-drive-ssd.html

    This is what I use and have been using for about a year now.
     
  17. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    13,938
  18. dinosaurs! Registered Member

    Messages:
    4
    I'd recommend waiting a little bit. Desktop/laptop DDR4, SATA express/NVMe, and faster interconnects like USB-C are right around the corner. Normally saying "wait for something better" isn't very good advice, but DDR4 and SATAe have been years in development and they should provide substantial performance improvements.

    Don't bother trying to upgrade your laptop, since laptop upgrades are a) an expensive, difficult PITA, and b) rarely worth the bang-for-the buck. Although you could consider adding more RAM, which is relatively cheap and simple (at least on computers where the RAM chips aren't soldered in) , and it should substantially help the slowdown you experience when running multiple apps simultaneously.
     
    darksidZz likes this.
  19. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    33,264
  20. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    13,938
    Indeed - the rapid advancement and price drop of SSD's has, quite honestly, caught me by surprise... and I generally try to stay abreast of such things 0o'
     
  21. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    33,264
  22. Kittamaru Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Adieu, Sciforums. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    13,938
  23. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

    Messages:
    33,264
     

Share This Page