Help with Specs for new desktop please

[Pib]

Based on the OP'S latest description of requirements a i3 based system would be more than enough...and a separate video card wouldn't really be required as the CPU built in GPU can easily handle most tasks except demanding games and video editing..it can still handle them but kinda on the slow side.

And both the monitor and video card must be capable of generating/displaying resolution xyz..

[2fishin2]

OP after reading you requirements again, I strongly recommend a Minx Neo Z64 Windows machine. This would be the perfect machine for you. I have attached a link to their homepage and a you tube search. Look into this machine and dont let preconceived opinions close your mind. If you are in BKK, go to Fortune Town MRT Rama 9 and you can see them in action. Dont let the small aize confuse or mislead you, they are full up computers with HDMI, USB, bluetooth and wireless. Android or Windows based, your choice. Dont let the size or price of 5000 baht fool you. If you get one you wont be disappointed at all.

https://m.youtube.com/results?q=minx%20neo%20z64%20windows&search_type=&uploaded=m

http://minix.com.hk/products/neo-z64-windows#search

[Konini]

I've been doing a lot of researching overnight, and I think that those toy/TV/mini type things look really good. I'm going to get myselft one of the Minix boxes running windows, just to see how it works if nothing else. If it doesn't do everything I want it to, I can hook it up to the TV in the bedroom and buy an i5, but I really think that that I may be able to get away with it. I hadn't realised these things were available. I can perhaps now spend a little more than I was going to on a monitor without feeling guilty (I always do, I'm as always dealing with wants not needs).

Last question, I promise - can I buy one in Chiang Mai or will I have to order it?

Thank you to everybody who offered opinions, and I hope your footie team won.

[ikbenhet]

I've been doing a lot of researching overnight, and I think that those toy/TV/mini type things look really good. I'm going to get myselft one of the Minix boxes running windows, just to see how it works if nothing else. If it doesn't do everything I want it to, I can hook it up to the TV in the bedroom and buy an i5, but I really think that that I may be able to get away with it. I hadn't realised these things were available. I can perhaps now spend a little more than I was going to on a monitor without feeling guilty (I always do, I'm as always dealing with wants not needs).

Last question, I promise - can I buy one in Chiang Mai or will I have to order it?

Thank you to everybody who offered opinions, and I hope your footie team won.

I ordered mine trough Lazada.

No problems at all and pay on delivery.

[Konini]

I know I said no more questions, the last one, honest. Visited the web site Minix.hg, wasn't able to connect to suppliers, and Lazada where they are for sale. Do I buy this box complete with windows or do I buy just the box? Serious question, I really don't know the answer. It's almost as if someone thought it would be funny to hide all of the obvious answers so people might amuse others.

[Pib]

I know I said no more questions, the last one, honest. Visited the web site Minix.hg, wasn't able to connect to suppliers, and Lazada where they are for sale. Do I buy this box complete with windows or do I buy just the box? Serious question, I really don't know the answer. It's almost as if someone thought it would be funny to hide all of the obvious answers so people might amuse others.

Are you sure you want a low horsepower Z3735F CPU that comes in the Minx? Also, only 2GB of RAM.

When comparing it to a i3-4030U CPU typical in many basic laptops, the Minx Z3735F CPU comes in with some low Passmark scores, especially the Passmark Single Core score which is about the same as an old Celeron CPU. In fact, my eight year Toshiba with a Celeron M 380 CPU has a Passmark Single Core Score of around 350 and the Minx Z3735F an even lower score of 316. The Z3735F main claim to fame is its very low power usage which is good when used in mobile/battery power devices but you may not care too much about if being plugged in all the time. It also just has the Intel HD built-in GPU which is the low end for Intel built-in GPUs. The Minx will surely get the basic job done...just be sure that's all your want/need.

http://minix.com.hk/products/neo-z64-windows

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i3-4030U-vs-Intel-Atom-Z3735F

[Pib]

I know I said no more questions, the last one, honest. Visited the web site Minix.hg, wasn't able to connect to suppliers, and Lazada where they are for sale. Do I buy this box complete with windows or do I buy just the box? Serious question, I really don't know the answer. It's almost as if someone thought it would be funny to hide all of the obvious answers so people might amuse others.

On Lazada it shows them coming with Win 8.1

http://www.lazada.co.th/catalog/?q=Minx+Neo+Z64

[dutchweller]

Thanks for the help so far. To answer a few questions, yes i5 with 2gb ram (not 4 as I thought) and 250 ssd is my current, don't know what graphics the graphics or audio cards are, CCleaner tells me the following:

i5 CPU M 450 @ 2.40GH, 2gb RAM, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 545v - that is the limit of what I can find and I hope it makes sense to someone. It's a Samsung and I've had it 4 or 5 years, the longest I've ever had a laptop for. The only money I've put into it is a new battery and replaced the 500b drive with a 250 ssd and a couple of new keyboards and power supply, in both of those cases my fault for not being careful. It's still running OK, getting a bit tatty around the edges, the on/off button is a soft one and over the last year I've been getting a bit worried that it will one day give up the ghost altogether. One of the 3 usb ports will only work the cooling fan, not enough power even for the mouse which is always plugged in. The screen is showing signs of wear too. I know that it will last for years and years if I only use it when we go away (3 or 4 times a year for a month or so), but with constant heavy use I don't know how long. I'm not worried about failure, I only have a couple of data files and they are backed up. Everything else I need is easily available with a couple of old gems backed up. I can do a complete reinstall of Windows 7 with all the programs I use (and some of those I may only use once a year) in less than an hour. I don't have anything fancy or exotic nowadays, really don't need it.

The laptop is strapped for safety onto one of those floor standing desks that pull over your lap with the legs going under you (I'm not very good at explaining things), and I have a 1tb external drive permanently hooked up for storage (apart from when we go away). This means that with the mouse I have both good USB ports in use and have to unplug one when I want something else in. Reason for it having this permanent home is partly because I have some serious back problems and it stops me from curling up in really awkward positions with it on my lap or stomach. I know I should sit at a desk in a chair blah, blah - sitting at a desk writing code for 16 plus hours a day for 20 years is how my back got stuffed. I can have the best intentions but I will not carry them out, so I make allowances for it. Also, I found that it's actually quite nice not to have it on my lap all the time and because the desk is on an angle the screen is maybe 6 inches higher than when it's on my lap, which I find nice. My reason for thinking a desktop would be more suitable is two fold, firstly that I want to have the SSD and there isn't enough room in the laptop for another hard drive (I'm assuming there, I really have no idea what is inside the thing, and I've always been more software orientated and not really that interested in learning about hardware. Besides, I'm too old for that now. And too clumsy). The other reason is more complicated (below).

My laptop desk is a bit rickety, so I'm going to have a stand with a swinging arm made, then I can use it in the lounge, on the sun lounger or in bed. I will have the monitor fixed to the arm with a bracket, and underneath have a small but wide angled shelf for a keyboard and mouse. Undecided whether to go wireless or have the box on the base of the stand. I could do it with a laptop, but I'd have to have a separate keyboard as I want it a fair bit closer than the screen. I'd also pay a lot more for a laptop with a 20 inch screen.

The reason I think I need a graphics card is basically because I have one now. I really don't know. No gaming but movies, the current laptop only has a 1366x768 display and I've got used to watching much better quality from the TV and tablet, perhaps onboard graphics would suffice, I don't know the answer to that. A 20 inch tablet might just do the trick, and I know transformer laptops are going that way, but those with bigger screens really are top end and it would be wasteful money-wise. As I said, it's not a problem, I'll spend what I need to, but I've been buying computers since my Sinclair then Amstrad, always paying a premium for the latest upgradeable, always throwing it away 18 months later as it's been worthless and buying new. I know the advances aren't seeming to go as quickly as they did from the early 1980's to about 2005, but I honestly can't see the point in wasting money on grunt that I don't need and more importantly will never need again. I have an 18 month old 3D smart television that still has the 3D glasses sealed in plastic and we watch things I've downloaded onto a USB disk because the TV doesn't think the files in my shared folder occasionally get deleted and replaced (common problem apparently), and I really can't be bothered finding a solution. I did look for a while, but I really prefer to download in advance so that there is never any site gone down or streaming buffer and we can stop and start knowing that will start as soon as we press play. Our habits aren't going to change now. I've always bought the latest and greatest, but I don't need to do that any more. I won't ever need better quality than the 2560x1600 that is on the tablet (but I would like to get that quality, it's very nice), we aren't going to buy another TV in our lifetime so if things get even better, and my eyes can't tell the difference between our TV and Ultra HD, we won't know it exists so won't want it.

My reason for avoiding the All In One things are basically because they are new and it's human nature to abhor change, I don't know how long they've been out or how well they perform, and I know that a monitor will be not as heavy for the swinging arm as an all in one, desktop would be more cost efficient than a laptop - more upgradeable if I want (larger monitor readily available for much less money than a corresponding laptop screen and it would probably be the only thing I'd upgrade). Also in the back of my mind is that old thing about having a fridge/freezer or washer/dryer; when the fridge or the dryer goes kaput, the whole thing is knackered. Much better have separate, because; break. I'm old, I think of these things.

I think that's it, but if anyone needs more, I can ramble like you couldn't imagine.

so

Your Video card on your laptop is

ATI Mobility Radeon HD 545v

Should be more than capable for doing what you need

I beleve your bottelneck is your System ram 2gb ram is very low I think if you go and buy a 8gb stick of ram and stick it in the laptop you will see a world of diffrence..

Will cost you about ฿1700-2000 to do it and if your intending on keeping the laptop it will be a worthwhile thing to do regardless.

If your lookig to just have a desktop for web surfing and movies one of the small

MINIX NEO Z64 (Windows 8 installed)

They are more than capable of playing HD video ect

Small and portable if needed

Cheap

[Konini]

Are you sure you want a low horsepower Z3735F CPU that comes in the Minx? Also, only 2GB of RAM.

When comparing it to a i3-4030U CPU typical in many basic laptops, the Minx Z3735F CPU comes in with some low Passmark scores, especially the Passmark Single Core score which is about the same as an old Celeron CPU. In fact, my eight year Toshiba with a Celeron M 380 CPU has a Passmark Single Core Score of around 350 and the Minx Z3735F an even lower score of 316. The Z3735F main claim to fame is its very low power usage which is good when used in mobile/battery power devices but you may not care too much about if being plugged in all the time. It also just has the Intel HD built-in GPU which is the low end for Intel built-in GPUs. The Minx will surely get the basic job done...just be sure that's all your want/need.m-Z3735F

I have a feeling it may well be all that I need, and if it isn't, it doesn't matter, not so much money and not wasted as I'll be able to attach the box to the television in the bedroom. For browsing though, I really think that it should be enough. I still have the laptop, which was upgraded with an SSD last year and it isn't going anywhere, this for anything serious, although I've been trying to think what I'll actually need if for and I'm stumped. Only one way to find out I suppose, really isn't even an expensive experiment.

[2fishin2]

Go for it. Like I said before I bought 2 androids and then the windows one. It is a perfect media machine. Dont let the small amount of RAM fool you it streams video without issue. Like you said for the price you cant lose. And they are small enough you can put them in your back pack and take anywhere. Just a little larger than the size of a large wallet. One of my friends turned me onto them, Ive been hooked ever since. I stream movies and tv from Kodi some in HD and they are great.

[guzzi850m2]

Go for it. Like I said before I bought 2 androids and then the windows one. It is a perfect media machine. Dont let the small amount of RAM fool you it streams video without issue. Like you said for the price you cant lose. And they are small enough you can put them in your back pack and take anywhere. Just a little larger than the size of a large wallet. One of my friends turned me onto them, Ive been hooked ever since. I stream movies and tv from Kodi some in HD and they are great.

So which system do you prefer? Win or Android?

I am considering a mini pc for my TV but will keep on using desktop's as I has began to edit videos.

I am running an i5 with 8gb ram from 2011, win7 64 bit. Still thinking about the free upgrade to win10 but will for sure wait until next year when more bugs have been sorted.

Will likely build a new next year and use the old desktop up in my sons room.

The next one will not get lower specs than I have now and ssd for op.

[northernphil]

I've always found Spec Saver pretty good.