# What do you consider to be the minimum specs for your next computer?



## SW Dweller (Jan 6, 2021)

Not at all.









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I have the big brother I7 at 1.73 Ghz and 32meg of ram. Win 7 and 64 bit os. It has a 1 meg vid card. I am not playing games so IMO more is not needed.

Check the scratch and dent at Dell




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The last 4 machines I have purchased have been from here.

I do mostly web surfing and the bottle neck I have is my ISP connection. To cheap to pony up for more speed. Way to easy to down load what I want transfer to USB and watch on the TV.
Just finished the new Vikings saga, if you like that sort of thing recommended. 


I used a 8086 at work with the green screen. The boss had a 286.


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

specs don't matter at this point for the normal user - the lowest grade mainstream machines are overkill for the average user.

What matters is durability, lifespan, quality of keyboard/trackpad and ability to repair. Consumer laptops are junk in this regard - should only consider business grade - the best ones now are likely the lenovo thinkpads, but even those aren't what they used to be.

A computer isn't worth buying if it can't last 10 years at least, the time of needing to buy a new one every 2 or 3 years just for performance improvements is very long gone.

I'm running a 12 year old athlon ii quad in a 18 year old case - it does just fine. (desktop)


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

SW Dweller said:


> Not at all.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I am a big fan of scratch and dent as well as special order returns (when it comes to appliances)

We bought all of our appliances when my wife worked at Lowe's. We didn't care if there was a dent or scratch on the side or even on the front as long as the appliance worked. The same applies to computers. I am tough on things, partially due to my grip strength. or lack there of. 

And yes, I remember PC's from that era. PC, PC XT, PC AT and on up. We were adding them to our company so fast we bought em bare bones and I was building them in house. In addition to running the data center and all my other duties. Those were the days!!


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

user_12345a said:


> specs don't matter at this point for the normal user - the lowest grade mainstream machines are overkill for the average user.
> 
> What matters is durability, lifespan, quality of keyboard/trackpad and ability to repair. Consumer laptops are junk in this regard - should only consider business grade - the best ones now are likely the lenovo thinkpads, but even those aren't what they used to be.
> 
> ...


I agree with you to a point. It depends on the user. 

Most users actually can get buy with a Chromebook for what they do at home. 

I replace my laptops every 2-3 years, not because I want a faster/better/cuter etc. machine, I am beyond that point in my life. I don't want to pay for a machine that would last longer because to get what I want it would cost a lot more. Most of my laptops are sub $1k. But, that is what works for me. Your mileage may vary. 

And being a geek from way back, I have a NAS and other things to play with. I like tech, what can I say. And, everything is backed up to my google account as well. 

l haven't used a desktop in years. I can't sit one place that long. But that is due to my various conditions. 

Plus, I never toss my old stuff. I don't want any old data storage device out there. I know what can be other geeks can do.


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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

If you have to buy a new machine every 3 years, there are no savings at all going consumer grade and it's incredibly wasteful.

Better to save up and get better quality.

A thinkpad l or t series will cost about double for the same specs, but have a keyboard with travel, metal hinges, actual mouse buttons and the entire bottom cover comes off for service with a few screws.

A thinkpad E series, maybe 50% more.

The t series now has soldered ram which sucks.

Unless you're a heavy video editor or gamer or professional doing 3d cad, the user experience is not at all enhanced by super fast processor, etc.
An ssd does improve things though and it's important to get a quality monitor.

The best value is actually in second hand business grade if you find a good seller that hasn't jacked up prices in the last 2 years.


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## geenowalker (Aug 19, 2013)

Anything more than a i5 with 8GB of ram and 520G HD is sufficient for the average user. The only difference between the i5 and i9 chips can only be visible when large calculations are present (autocad, etc). Would never buy a consumer laptop as you are looking for longevity (business class worth every penny). The spec will not run out in the next few years as diminishing returns have been reached. VGA card has little impact on the eyes compared to the screen type. Make sure Laptop has HDMI and buy a 24" external monitor for when you not moving around and have a bunch of work. Your eyes will thank you. This is $850 and I just bought 3 for my employees. We get 3-4 years out of ThinkPad and beat the snot out of them. The HP bus class machines are just as good, but more expensive, Nothing lasts like a Thinkpad . Thats why 90% of consultants use them. Havent seen or bough a dell bus class laptop in 20 years.





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## user_12345a (Nov 23, 2014)

geenowalker said:


> Anything more than a i5 with 8GB of ram and 520G HD is sufficient for the average user. The only difference between the i5 and i9 chips can only be visible when large calculations are present (autocad, etc). Would never buy a consumer laptop as you are looking for longevity (business class worth every penny). The spec will not run out in the next few years as diminishing returns have been reached. VGA card has little impact on the eyes compared to the screen type. Make sure Laptop has HDMI and buy a 24" external monitor for when you not moving around and have a bunch of work. Your eyes will thank you. This is $850 and I just bought 3 for my employees. We get 3-4 years out of ThinkPad and beat the snot out of them. The HP bus class machines are just as good, but more expensive, Nothing lasts like a Thinkpad . Thats why 90% of consultants use them. Havent seen or bough a dell bus class laptop in 20 years.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


To add - the hdmi output on amd/ati systems is very flawed, it doesn't do pixel by pixel, it's scaled and under-scanned.

ATI drivers are very broken and they refuse to fix.

Go intel integrated graphics for a laptop or nvidia if better performance is needed.


Most people don't even need close to an i5 quad (or quad i3 for desktop) and 4gb of ram is enough - but when the chip is soldered on, might as well just go for the quad I guess.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

Ummm, guys? I was asking what YOUR minimum specs were. If I offended you by my comments on your specs, it was not intentional. I was just trying to share what MY thoughts were and I was NOT trying to change your minds. They are your specs. 

I have been working with PC's since IBM first introduce them. I kind of know a lot about them. Probably more than most people you know. In 1986 I had a 285 PC's set up on a token-ring network sharing files and talking to a Honeywell DPS-6 minicomputer that was connected to a Mainframe that was handling all the processing for the mortgage company I was working for. I also had two servers running that were set up to allow the fire sharing as the PC's didn't have any storage on their own. And remember, this was almost 40 years ago. I

My storage needs are my own. I have 1.5 TB on my laptop. Yes, for most people that is exponentially way too much. But, that is MY needs.

My proc choice is sufficient for my needs. I do wish it were a bit faster, but I am no longer pressed for time. 

Why I want it faster is not really any concern of yours but, I will tell you. I am into photography. A faster proc will let me manipulate images easier. Same for music. 

Also, the reason why I replace my LT is also my own preferences. Yes, I know buying a business LT will last me longer. because they are better made. But I don't care about it that much. I like getting a new machine to play with. I like to see what improvements have been made in the motherboard, acessory boards, heat sinks and heat transfer/exhaust and other things. And what improvements have been made in the graphics board and monitor. And what they have made worse. And how I can change them. 

I like to play, learn, improve, etc.. I am NOT concerned with what you feel is wasting money. To me it is entertainment and worth the price.


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## FM3 (Aug 12, 2019)

ktownskier said:


> My current laptop is
> All I do is web surf, watch movies, post of forums and work on my photography. It is more than I need but I couldn't pass up based on the price.
> 
> My next computer will be another laptop, I want at least 12 gigs of memory, It will probably have a 15" touch screen that will the highest resolution I can get.


Pretty sure in another thread you said your current laptop is 17". 
You are downgrading to less memory and a a smaller screen though with higher resolution why again?

My minimum upgrade would be a 12-core CPU. But I already have an 8-core, and my other stuff is pretty good too.


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## RockyMtBeerMan (Dec 12, 2018)

My minspec is that the fans start spinning when i push the button 

Since your eyes are uncooperative. me, retina surgery (awesome), think about getting a 32..35 inch curved monitor you can plug into your laptop. Helps! Beer helps, too...

That, or an 85 inch flatscreen TV you can plug in  you could switch between laptop hdmi input and DVR input  if using cables, or use casting or wireless.

Been thinking of getting a swingarm to mount a monitor on, too.

i use a touchscreen tablet when watching TV to look up stuff i see/hear; very handy.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

FM3 said:


> Pretty sure in another thread you said your current laptop is 17".
> You are downgrading to less memory and a a smaller screen though with higher resolution why again?
> 
> My minimum upgrade would be a 12-core CPU. But I already have an 8-core, and my other stuff is pretty good too.


I don't need the width of the screen as much as I need better resolution. I sometimes enlarge a screen to see things easier and I don't want them pixelated like they used to be. I switch between windows instead of tabs in each window. The old ALT-TAB is ingrained in me. 

I do have 16 gigs in my current LT that is due to my scavenging some memory from my last laptop. which had the same memory sticks as my current LT. 

As I said, I want at least 12 gigs. but if I can get more at a reasonable price, I wouldn't turn it down. If I had a desktop, or even a docking station like I have for my wife's workspace, Then I would be running at least 2 27" monitors with the best response rate. Even though I am not a gamer anymore. Damn TBI, I try and see what I am capable of. And, it is fun to let the geek in me out every once in a while.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

RockyMtBeerMan said:


> My minspec is that the fans start spinning when i push the button
> 
> Since your eyes are uncooperative. me, retina surgery (awesome), think about getting a 32..35 inch curved monitor you can plug into your laptop. Helps! Beer helps, too...
> 
> ...


Cast from my LT or tablet to my TV? Preposterous. I have never heard of such a thing. (he types as he has Netflix running from his tablet casting to his 65" LG Nanocell flatscreen mounted on the wall in his bedroom).

I am more of a Barrel Aged Manhattan or Old Fashioned than Beer kind of guy. But I do enjoy a good wheat beer at times. 

About the only thing that is wireless in my house are the Laptops/tablets/phones. The TV's and other stationary devices are all hardwired. Even though I have my wireless network locked down as hard as I can, and my router lets me know of any new connection, I am still security conscious. Besides, ethernet is still faster than WIFI.


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## rusty baker (Feb 13, 2009)

I am running a 2009 Inspiron N7110, 8GB ram 1TB, 17.3 " It will do anything I need and I have used very little of the memory, about 80% left. I have hundreds of pictures stored on it. I hope it will last as long as I do. If not, I have two other W7, a Chromebook (junk) and a W10 desktop.


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## wrbrb (Aug 18, 2020)

I'm a fan of purchasing old Lenovo Thinkpad or HP Elitebook business laptops. Average specs, but you can get decent replacement batteries or just use them plugged in, and they're more than enough for the average user. The durability and ability to upgrade or repair yourself is important.


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## 1865wingate (12 mo ago)

ktownskier said:


> My first computer had 64K on the mother board, a 10 meg hard drive and 1 5" floppy drive. The screen was a 12" green screen. Yes, I am that old. It was the mid 80's and it was the PC-XT and the processor was an intel 8086. I don't even remember how fast it was. Nor do I remember how many PC's have had since then. Either desktop, luggable or laptop.
> 
> My current laptop is an MSI laptop with an Intel Core I-5 processor running at 2.5 ghz. I have 16 gigs of memory. There are two SSDs, one has 500gigs, the other has 1 Terabyte of storage. And I paid $750 for it 6 months ago. All I do is web surf, watch movies, post of forums and work on my photography. It is more than I need but I couldn't pass up based on the price.
> 
> ...


My first was a 64k Radio Shack color computer that could play little games, and I was absolutely sure computers were a fad that would die out. Then I learned it ran on something called OS9 and I could write a program in BASIC on it. Now I like a nice light one so when it dies I can skip it over the water further.


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## stick\shift (Mar 23, 2015)

I have need of a laptop for work, since I often have to take it with me to hold meetings at other locations. That said, my next desktop will have at least 16 GB RAM and one SSD - I built my current desktop in 2013 with a small SSD for OS and programs with 8 GB RAM and a spinning disk for data and have since added another 8 GB RAM. The difference is that I will need a better video card, as I have gotten used to having three screens with the laptop whereas the current desktop will only run two. I don't do anything weird or out there with the computer but the work I do calls for many programs and browser windows to be open at the same time.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

stick\shift said:


> I have need of a laptop for work, since I often have to take it with me to hold meetings at other locations. That said, my next desktop will have at least 16 GB RAM and one SSD - I built my current desktop in 2013 with a small SSD for OS and programs with 8 GB RAM and a spinning disk for data and have since added another 8 GB RAM. The difference is that I will need a better video card, as I have gotten used to having three screens with the laptop whereas the current desktop will only run two. I don't do anything weird or out there with the computer but the work I do calls for many programs and browser windows to be open at the same time.


Well, you are on here, that is weird enough....


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## YaterSpoon (Dec 1, 2016)

My minimum specs for a laptop:

Ability to survive falling off the bed, at least three times.
15", good sound, touch screen, back-lit keys, miscellaneous Jack's,
Not having a fan running excessively.
Not a Dell.
Not a Dell.


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## pumpkin11 (Oct 31, 2020)

It really depends on what your using it for, specs will vary greatly from one user to the next.
I use my computer pretty much for general web surfing/browsing.

I built a new computer a few months ago, and here is what I went with......

CPU - AMD Ryzen 5700G @ 3.8
Motherboard - ASUS X570-PRO
RAM - Cosair Vengeance 16G x 4
PSU - Corsair RMX750
SSD - Samsung 980 PRO 1TB x 2
Monitor - LG Ultragear 32 inch
Fans - UPHere 120mm RBG LED x 6
Case - Golden Field Z21

This system is a bit overkill for my needs, but very happy with it,
I was a computer tech for 15 years


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## Bill McC (Sep 15, 2021)

user_12345a said:


> specs don't matter at this point for the normal user - the lowest grade mainstream machines are overkill for the average user.
> 
> What matters is durability, lifespan, quality of keyboard/trackpad and ability to repair. Consumer laptops are junk in this regard - should only consider business grade - the best ones now are likely the lenovo thinkpads, but even those aren't what they used to be.
> 
> ...


That is where the top-of-the-line Apple laptops shine their machines will do ten years. They run on modified UNIX. The only thing that went on mine was the battery, but I use and abuse it. It was an easy fix to get the battery from ifixit. I also have an AMD laptop that I run my cad programs on, an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H with Radeon Graphics 2.90 GHz it is a good little machine and not expensive. 

Sincerely, 

William McCormick


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

ktownskier said:


> My first computer had 64K on the mother board, a 10 meg hard drive and 1 5" floppy drive. The screen was a 12" green screen. Yes, I am that old. It was the mid 80's and it was the PC-XT and the processor was an intel 8086. I don't even remember how fast it was. Nor do I remember how many PC's have had since then. Either desktop, luggable or laptop.
> 
> My current laptop is an MSI laptop with an Intel Core I-5 processor running at 2.5 ghz. I have 16 gigs of memory. There are two SSDs, one has 500gigs, the other has 1 Terabyte of storage. And I paid $750 for it 6 months ago. All I do is web surf, watch movies, post of forums and work on my photography. It is more than I need but I couldn't pass up based on the price.
> 
> ...


How about a 1977 Apple with 48K RAM, no mass storage device (I did finally get a Radio Shack cassette player as "mass storage") and an old B/W TV with the computer output soldered to a point on the video input of the receiver as a monitor to show the 40 columns of fuzzy capital letters on the screen - all coupled to a screaming 300 baud modem.

I remember thinking, "How can you make any program that can fill 48K!"

However, the first computer I programmed was a Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-8 in 1964 using Fortran keyed into a Teletype that was connected to the remote mini. I was 14 and my school was lucky to have access, as was I.

And now - I can hardly understand the darned things... LOL


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## Bill McC (Sep 15, 2021)

Domo said:


> How about a 1977 Apple with 48K RAM, no mass storage device (I did finally get a Radio Shack cassette player as "mass storage") and an old B/W TV with the computer output soldered to a point on the video input of the receiver as a monitor to show the 40 columns of fuzzy capital letters on the screen - all coupled to a screaming 300 baud modem.
> 
> I remember thinking, "How can you make any program that can fill 48K!"
> 
> ...


I love the smell of the burning oil from the teletype. 

Sincerely, 

William McCormick


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

Domo said:


> How about a 1977 Apple with 48K RAM, no mass storage device (I did finally get a Radio Shack cassette player as "mass storage") and an old B/W TV with the computer output soldered to a point on the video input of the receiver as a monitor to show the 40 columns of fuzzy capital letters on the screen - all coupled to a screaming 300 baud modem.
> 
> I remember thinking, "How can you make any program that can fill 48K!"
> 
> ...


I still write some scrips in basic, just to make sure I can. 

When I learned programming for real, it was COBOL, Pascal and Fortran. And on paper tape. Then when I want to college, we switched to punch cards. And yes, I did drop stacks of cards at times. What a frickin' mess. 

I played my first video game on a PDP8 on a 6" green screen. It was a dog fight game. It wrote the screen so slow that when the plane turned the corner, the plane bent. I played it on a computer at MIT where my brother was earning a degree in CS and EE. 

I got out of programming as I was more interested in the systems as a whole, plus I got distracted too easily. (undiagnosed ADD it turned out) And I got into the data management side and the operations side. And when we PC's came out, I came into my own. (see my earlier post about what I was doing back in the mid 80's)

Those were the days, weren't they?


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## pumpkin11 (Oct 31, 2020)

ktownskier said:


> I still write some scrips in basic, just to make sure I can.
> 
> When I learned programming for real, it was COBOL, Pascal and Fortran.


I was an absolute master at BASIC back in high school,

Then i went to college where they were teaching COBOL and I was starting all over again, it was depressing at the time


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

For the old timers - just remember; Writing code used to be a HOLEY endeavor.... but now, it simply BYTES as a job.


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## Fish_Stick (Feb 28, 2017)

Better than the one it's replacing . But with tech changing and being a heavy CPU and GPU user it's all in what I can afford. Haven't bought a laptop in ages and stick with desktops due to upgrades. Intel, AMD, doesn't matter just $ to performance ratio. SSDs a must (NVME preferred), expandability internally for additional hard drives and a PCI card or 2 if needed. Solid power supply. Performance over looks for me, no need for lights or anything flashy. I'd put minimums but it depends on what has changed since the last upgrade. Currently running a 6 core i5 and could easily double that and still want faster. 144 Hz refresh rate gaming can require serious CPU cycles not to mention the GPU load.


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## turbo4 (Jan 30, 2021)

I recently bought a laptop and i hate it ,also hate the touchpad ,so clunky compared to the mouse. My old desktop is 5 times faster. Both are HP. Ill never buy another laptop again. The only spec i pay attention to lately is video capability as i run several very large displays at once from a single tower .A 32in and27 in.


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## Davejss (May 14, 2012)

I haven't used a laptop or desktop computer since they came out with tablets. Every computer I've 3ver owned has at some point needed work, or got really slow or just became obsolete. My tablet just works like the day I bought it. It's always on, so no startup time, it gets updated when updates are available, and it never breaks down.


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## turbo4 (Jan 30, 2021)

Davejss said:


> My tablet just works like the day I bought it.


Mine does too, slower then mollasses. Maybe HP laptops are just junk. My wife has an apple that works great for quite afew years on what its made for but like an IPhone too many things i cant use it for. We had a Dell laptop in the past and that was crap too ,slower than the HP i think.


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## Domo (Nov 9, 2018)

turbo4 said:


> Mine does too, slower then mollasses. Maybe HP laptops are just junk. My wife has an apple that works great for quite afew years on what its made for but like an IPhone too many things i cant use it for. We had a Dell laptop in the past and that was crap too ,slower than the HP i think.


Yes, you've evaluated those three brands quite well.
The frosting on the cake is always the OS and the myriad of advertising traps and gimmicks and subscriptions to do the most simple things.
I love {sarcasm} wading through advertisements on anything that I already paid for and now can't make clean without spending days reformatting and reinstalling apps.


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## turbo4 (Jan 30, 2021)

I do like HP Desktop computers. For the price (around $500) they work well .I get a new one(just the tower) about every 5 to 6 yrs and most of the time they are still working fine while getting replaced and reduced to back up machines. I use it for business as well so it gets a lot if hours put on it. I have a old Compact that still works fine as well but its very old .


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

I taught myself Basic on a Commodore VIC-20 (1KB of RAM). My company got an IBM 11xx something and I learned FORTRAN using punch cards for input. My phone has 100s of times more computing capacity.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

Davejss said:


> I haven't used a laptop or desktop computer since they came out with tablets. Every computer I've 3ver owned has at some point needed work, or got really slow or just became obsolete. My tablet just works like the day I bought it. It's always on, so no startup time, it gets updated when updates are available, and it never breaks down.


I am glad that you have found something that works for you. 

I think that for most of us, having an actual keyboard is better than a virtual keyboard. Personally, I hate trying to type on my tablet/phone. I usually use voice to text. 

The main reason why computers slow down is that people don't do any maintenance on them. Just shutting down a computer every night and restarting it in the morning makes a difference. And that does not mean closing the lid on an LT or turning off the monitor on a desktop. Click on start, select the power icon and then select shut down. Not RESTART, SHUT-DOWN. 

Also, if you have an HDD, do a defrag on it at least twice a year, monthly would be better. It will speed up your storage drive quite a bit. 

Your PC may also include other apps that will optimize your computer. Take a look for them on the start menu or in the Settings section. 

Finally, go through and check what programs have been installed. Remove any you no longer and any you don't remember installing. If you are unsure what a program is for, do a web search for it.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

While reading through these wonderful posts I have noticed a few possible things that may or may not be a point of confusion/misunderstanding. 

A computer has several different types of memory. that it uses to function. The three main types are RAM, Storage and Video. 
RAM is what is on your motherboard, either directly attached or on a memory stick that is plugged into a socket on your motherboard. It is usually measured in gigabytes or gigs. and when you turn your computer off, it goes away. 

Storage memory is where your computer puts things you want to save as well as what it needs to be a computer. Things like the operating system (OS), programs to do things, (Office, Browsers, etc.) and other ancillary things. It is stored on a drive, either a hard disk or solid state. (a solid state drive is like a thumb drive but much, much bigger and better constructed). Once something is written to the storage drive (I don't like using the term memory as it may cause confusion for some people with RAM memory) it stays there until you tell the computer you want to delete it/put it in the trash. Turning off the power to the computer won't disturb any data written to the storage drive. 

Video memory is what is used to help put images on the screen. It may use the RAM memory or it may be dedicated Video memory. It all depends on your computer system. If your computer has a dedicated video board, then it more than likely has dedicated video memory. If your computer has built in graphics, then it will more than likely have shared RAM memory. 

Regarding Storage Drives. Hard Disk Drives have been around a long, long, LONG time. They store a lot of data but, they can be slow to write and read the data Also, the data is written to the disk in small chunks, and these chunks can be written anywhere on the disks. If the disks become too fragmented, i.e. not written next to each other, then it will take longer to retrieve the data you need. Which is why you need to run a defrag program on your HDD periodically. I used to do it once a week or more. 

The other type of Storage Drive is called a Solid State Drive or SSD. As I mentioned earlier, it is like a big thumb drive or card you put into your camera. Just better packaged and holds more data and is more reliable. Plus it is much faster than an HD drive, it doesn't need to be defragged and it is a heckuva lot smaller than an HDD. Some computers use a combination/hybrid of two drives, a small SSD that the OS and other programs are stored on and a bigger HDD where data is stored. A computer that has an SSD that holds the OS will boot much, much faster than one that doesn't. 

The Motherboard is the main electronic board that everything is plugged into. Including the CPU, RAM, Storage Drives and Video/Graphics board if they are discrete and not built into the motherboard. Also, things like WIFI, USB, HDMI, etc. are attached to the motherboard as well. 

PC's typically refer to Windows based computers, Macs always refer to Apple's computers. They each have their own operating system and do not play well together. Some people tend to think of PC's as being more geared towards business while Mac's tend towards the artistic inclined. While that may have been true in the past, either system can do the same work as the other.


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## ktkelly (Apr 7, 2007)

17" screen, 1tb SSD, DVD drive, docking station, 4 USB ports, and I am good.


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## taylorjm (Apr 11, 2013)

I've been buying asus viveobook for the past 5-6 laptops and like them. I still have all of them just in case I need one as a backup or while travelling. I just got a 17" because the eyes are getting bad as well and I like being able to make everything bigger and not have it take up the whole screen.


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## Bill McC (Sep 15, 2021)

These are the scores from my ASUS, AMD laptop. I run it on a 55-inch Samsung 4k screen. And it is a nice output. It outputs 3840 x 2160 at 60 frames a second to that Samsung. You can read it from across the street. I do not do any gaming just Cadd and it rips through my General Cadd software program. 










Sincerely, 

William McCormick


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

I have had a couple of ASUS TUF Notebooks. one lasted a long time, one lasted just beyond the warranty. The bezel cracked around the screen and I contacted ASUS and they sad they could repair it but it would probably cost as much to repair as it would to buy a new one. 

Nice scores Mr. McCormick!! Here are mine. 
The GPU is way off as it is using the built in graphics card and not the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 TX card that is built in as well. I might try and clean up and tweak some setting to see if I can get it to run better.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

Just something for people to keep in mind. 

These are YOUR minimum requirements. Not anyone else's. Nor are they what you feel everyone should have. 

Just because you like Purple Gatorade and think it is the best flavor in the world and that everyone should drink it. Billy Bob may prefer Arctic Frost and Sally Mae is keen on Ice Tea.


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## Old Thomas (Nov 28, 2019)

I usually use an iPad but I have a desktop computer for lengthy word documents, spreadsheets and storing pictures. Almost any modern Windows computer will work. I am not plotting a trajectory to Uranus.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

Old Thomas said:


> I usually use an iPad but I have a desktop computer for lengthy word documents, spreadsheets and storing pictures. Almost any modern Windows computer will work. I am not plotting a trajectory to Uranus.


I use my Galaxy Tab for a lot of minor game playing. Cribbage, Solitaire, and checking emails. I have even streamed movies on it. And, it is great for listening to music. But, for me, not much more. But, that is my personal point of view. Damn shaky hands and bad eyes. 

If you are not plotting a trajectory to Uranus, how about Mars? or Seattle? I do use my tablet for directions a alot as well.


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## Deja-vue (Mar 24, 2013)

lol, my current Rig, built in 2018:









Mostly use 10-12 programs at the same Time, ripping Blu-Rays, etc. troubleshoot multiple computers remotely in different locations.
Going on 4 years, Threadripper + Nvme + Lots of memory will carry it until the worldwide Chip shortage is over.
3 34 inch Ultra-wide Screens give me plenty of Real-Estate for remote control computers. Not a Gamer.
Hoping for the Threadripper 39XX to drop in pricing a bit.
.


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## Bill McC (Sep 15, 2021)

ktownskier said:


> I have had a couple of ASUS TUF Notebooks. one lasted a long time, one lasted just beyond the warranty. The bezel cracked around the screen and I contacted ASUS and they sad they could repair it but it would probably cost as much to repair as it would to buy a new one.
> 
> Nice scores Mr. McCormick!! Here are mine.
> The GPU is way off as it is using the built in graphics card and not the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 TX card that is built in as well. I might try and clean up and tweak some setting to see if I can get it to run better.
> ...


That is all you need for doing almost anything you wish to do. You can even run Adobe Lightroom and photoshop on that and it will perform very well. 

Sincerely, 

William McCormick


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## Shiftyshift (Sep 5, 2018)

ktownskier said:


> Ummm, guys? I was asking what YOUR minimum specs were. If I offended you by my comments on your specs, it was not intentional. I was just trying to share what MY thoughts were and I was NOT trying to change your minds. They are your specs.
> 
> I have been working with PC's since IBM first introduce them. I kind of know a lot about them. Probably more than most people you know. In 1986 I had a 285 PC's set up on a token-ring network sharing files and talking to a Honeywell DPS-6 minicomputer that was connected to a Mainframe that was handling all the processing for the mortgage company I was working for. I also had two servers running that were set up to allow the fire sharing as the PC's didn't have any storage on their own. And remember, this was almost 40 years ago. I
> 
> ...


I have had a career in the software business. Started out with concurrent CPM and upgrading dual floppy PCs at a Microage! First computer was a 286. I needed a lot of computers and was buying refurbished from Dell. Beware! They would send me garbage that I had to send back. One has lasted (Windows 10). I never get anything with less that 16 Gig ram. I use a desktop for every day with a 27" monitor. Since you already had a nice laptop you might consider getting something that will support a large monitor. A 17" laptop is very difficult to tote around. Better one with a smaller screen and use an external monitor. You can even use both at the same time. I have one nice Lenovo laptop I got from a guy that refurbishes them. It has been great. I worked for a large software company and they stopped using Dell laptops and went to Lenovo while I worked for them.


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## tinedog (Jun 23, 2017)

ktownskier said:


> My first computer had 64K on the mother board, a 10 meg hard drive and 1 5" floppy drive. The screen was a 12" green screen. Yes, I am that old. It was the mid 80's and it was the PC-XT and the processor was an intel 8086. I don't even remember how fast it was. Nor do I remember how many PC's have had since then. Either desktop, luggable or laptop.
> My current laptop is an MSI laptop with an Intel Core I-5 processor running at 2.5 ghz. I have 16 gigs of memory. There are two SSDs, one has 500gigs, the other has 1 Terabyte of storage. And I paid $750 for it 6 months ago. All I do is web surf, watch movies, post of forums and work on my photography. It is more than I need but I couldn't pass up based on the price.
> 
> My next computer will be another laptop, because I like the convenience. It will be a PC as I haven't drunk the Kool-Aid and all I have ever known is PC's for over 35 years. It will probably have a 15" touch screen that will the highest resolution I can get. As will be the video card. (Damn eyes!!) I want to be able to bring my large storage drive over so it needs to be expandable. I am not overly concerned about the processor, it could be Intel or AMD, it just needs to be decently powered. But, I want at least 12 gigs of memory. And, it needs to have a strong chassis as I tend to drop things.
> ...


I've built my own since about the 2nd one which was in the early 80's. My present philosophy is; build to the limit of the motherboard, and your budget. Future proof as much as possible. The last one I built was: a really nice traditional case with lots of mesh and airflow, an Asus gamer motherboard, an i9 Intel chip, 128 GB of ram (the motherboards limit)1 TB m.2 drive, several 3tb data drives (to be upgraded later) Decent 800w power supply, Corsair backlit mechanical keyboard. I don't sweat the stuff that will evolve, but the stuff set in stone, like the memory limit on the motherboard, I fill to the limit, because; once a few years pass, things change, sofware is always looking for more ram, and while I don't need it yet, I will, and when that happens, it will likely be obsolete, and expensive.


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## turbo4 (Jan 30, 2021)

My first computer in the early 90s was $4000 and it was put together from components by a friend.


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## postmandug (Oct 1, 2015)

You may want to rethink the touchscreen on a laptop. The last PC i ordered from Dell was a 14” laptop with a touchscreen. If you’re not extremely careful when typing using the keyboard, your fingers can just slightly touch the screen causing whatever you’re working on to pause because the machine thinks you’re now trying to input something using the touch feature. Wish I’d thought of this before. It’s really a pain in the ass. I rarely use the touch feature now. Buyer beware!


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## TomtheElder (Sep 9, 2021)

Before recently retiring I was pretty much constantly on ArcGIS, processing a file with over 1 million lines of data. Because of the IT costs, our Department put the program and data on a server at headquarters and replaced our PCs with smaller computers that did not need much processing or storage capacity because that was all done on the server. Processing time actually went down. That also allowed me to work from home 2-3 days per week because I didn't need to have the program on my home computer. A light bulb went off and I have moved EVERYTHING online. I still own 5 computers, but all I use are a $250 micro PC (4"x4"x1.5") with my TV as its monitor and a low-end HP laptop for travel. If you can find a online source for photo processing you just might save money with no loss of performance (assuming high speed internet).


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

@postmandug & @TomtheElder 
Thank you for your concern. 
I am asking what YOU consider to be the minimum requirements. I find it interesting what people feel to be their minimum requirements. So far I don't think I have had anybody mention Apple/Mac. Which is strange as they are great machines. 

Personally I don't like them as Apple restricts what software can go on them. At least they did in the past, that may have changed. And, while I played with the Apple II when it first came out and liked it, I couldn't afford it. But, I really liked the Newton, it was just before it's time. 

I like laptops, they do what I need them to do. I like the convenience and portability. I have had desktops and they also work great. I have bought prebuilt, made my own and modified prebuilt ones. I started with the first PC's when they came out in 1981 and have kept up with them. 

In other words, I pretty much have things figured out. But I do keep up with things. I read tech journals, pop magazines and the like. 

So, I kinda know what I want, need, understand how things work. And, any touch screen I would buy, would not be close to the keyboard.


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## Bill McC (Sep 15, 2021)

ktownskier said:


> @postmandug & @TomtheElder
> Thank you for your concern.
> I am asking what YOU consider to be the minimum requirements. I find it interesting what people feel to be their minimum requirements. So far I don't think I have had anybody mention Apple/Mac. Which is strange as they are great machines.
> 
> ...


I have both a Mac Book Pro and an ASUS. I like the mac for browsing and fast startup. I use it for email and high-resolution photography as well as video, shot with a GH5 and adjusted in Lightroom and Photoshop. I take a lot of pictures of the family.

I started out on a mainframe with a teletype, then I went to the home computers Commodore and it is amazing what you can do with them and a cassette player. Then I bought a Zenix system but switched it out for a 286 in 1987 then in 1988 I was working for a chemical disposal company handling hazardous waste. But on my resume, I put one of my hobbies as computing after explosives and high-speed photography. So when they thought the computer company they hired was maybe ripping them off they asked me to check the guy out. He wanted a check and when I asked him to see the database work he said he could not because he had to bring a disk with a batch file on it. I asked him what was in the batch file and he told me. So I said type Copy con and the name of the batch file you want to create. Enter in each line and at the end type control-Z and you can create a batch file from the keyboard. He said that is ridiculous if that could be done all the security could be bypassed. So he did it and he nearly soiled himself when it worked. He kept saying how do you know that? So the boss stopped the check and told me to make the database. I created a very fast the fastest Novel network at the time, and then made a database to track hazardous waste. Created a buss loop network in the office it was fast, especially for the time. A friend that worked at AVIS helped me set it up. 










Sincerely, 

William McCormick


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## postmandug (Oct 1, 2015)

My current minimums would be a good processor, at least 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD.
unless you’re a huge gamer, video is excellent quality even on motherboards.
I’m kinda like you Skier, just started a few years later. 1990 was a 386SX with a whopping 20MB HDD and 640K RAM😂 but I was forward thinking enough to get one with a 1X CD-ROM.
Built and repaired many in the ensuing years. It was a fun hobby. Even dabbled in Networking late 90’s early 2000’s
i do have an iPhone and iPad but I dislike Apple’s proprietary software and the fact I can’t add an SD card if I so choose.
i tend to keep my hardware as long as it will support what I need it to do, which isn’t much anymore (retired)
Love all my devices for music however!


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## Bill McC (Sep 15, 2021)

pumpkin11 said:


> I was an absolute master at BASIC back in high school,
> 
> Then i went to college where they were teaching COBOL and I was starting all over again, it was depressing at the time


Especially when you consider all the compiler's lack in their ability to re-parse a section of code as needed. 

The language you use would be almost a non-issue if the compiler for that language was any good. Sad what happened to computers. Most code today is filler and nonsense. If you wanted to fix it you would have to write your own operating system loop. And with the changing hardware and standards, it was too much for me. No one else wanted to go there. 

Sincerely, 

William McCormick


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

@Bill McC Beautiful pic of Dad and Daughter.

We have similar backgrounds. Mine was a bit more systems oriented, but we did a lot of the same things. I remember writing basic scripts to automate things for myself and then having people ask me for them so that they could use them.

After I got let go at the mortgage company in CO, on the day I finished my task of getting PC's to talk to the Honeywell DSP-8 mini-computer using a modified RS-232 serial bus connector and some programming of my own. (I was let go because I didn't complete the task on time, I was one day late!! Although it could have been due to my going out with his daughter as friends as I was engaged to my ex-wife back in MN.) I got several calls from the company who took over asking me to come work for them as they couldn't figure out how I did what I did.

I took some time off from computers to get married, get my degree and then I worked in retail for 6 years trying to get into a management trainee program. Which I didn't after several tries. So, I left and found a job in a call center for a health insurance company. Which I loved. We were using software that was developed by United HealthCare. It was a client/server system. And being the geek I am, I took an interest in the behind the scenes aspect of it.

Everyone in awhile, we would get a system slowdown that we called clocking, (the hourglass symbol would pop up) and we couldn't do anything. When it lasted more than a few minutes, our managers would call UHC and tell them we were stopped. They would check their side and figure out if anything was going on. 

After a while, the software team started sending over some of the dev team to monitor what happens when it "clocks'. if there are certain times or conditions or ? One thing I noticed is that between the hours of 11-1, the system overall seemed slower and I speculated that it might be related to the increase use of people searching the web. It ended up not being the reason but I impressed the manager of the software team and I was to interview for a position on their team. Which I did and I got hired to the dark side. 

I was hired as Q/A (Quality Control Analyst) but I was really the teams first point of contact when there were issues. And, it wasn't just from my prior company, it was from all of UHC's call centers who used my teams call tracking software. Talk about a steep learning curve but I was loving it. I learned so much stuff. I learned to do SQL searches to spot DB problems since I had fresh eyes. 

And there were a lot of things I wasn't even aware of that I had to do. Such as running reports for the various call centers and other areas. This is also when I became a Technical Writer as I had to update and create new manuals for our software. I had to write the release updates for each new releases. And I had to write updates for the training manuals for the Training department. I eventually went out and trained the leads on what was coming as well as when UHC acquired new Healthcare Companies and moved them to our systems. It was so much fun!!

I was asked by another team to join them but the new manager of my team didn't want me to leave. And they got into a bidding ware over me. Now that was fun!! My old team/new manager won as well as I. 

A couple of years later, I did finally leave the group and joined a smaller group that had a major impact over all of UHC's call centers. But, that is a tale for a different time.


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## Bill McC (Sep 15, 2021)

ktownskier said:


> @Bill McC Beautiful pic of Dad and Daughter.
> 
> We have similar backgrounds. Mine was a bit more systems oriented, but we did a lot of the same things. I remember writing basic scripts to automate things for myself and then having people ask me for them so that they could use them.
> 
> ...


I realized it is not about the money, it is about the chaos. Most people only know how to survive in chaos, as if they were in the animal kingdom. When I play their game they cry foul. I am sure you were up against it. 

The reason for a computer is not so it is artificially intelligent, which is an oxymoron. It is to save time and not duplicate work as you would have to do with a paper system. When I make a database there are no wasted keystrokes. Customer entry is short and sweet, Name of the company, Address, Tel#, ZipCode. And if they have custom products those are entered into the system. When invoicing all that is entered is customer# and number of custom products and any number of standard products. Which took less than one minute per customer. When I got there they were months behind on the billing. They didn't know but during this time I was collecting the amounts of waste each customer from each waste stream was generating. So at the end of the year report time which the EPA stated took 11 hours per waste stream to create, we handled 1,700 waste streams. The boss had said laughingly "I wish the computer could do this too." I said it already does. So for Two Saturdays, the person in charge of outgoing waste entered in special outgoing waste stream codes for each customer's waste stream and the following Monday morning we printed out the information on the EPA forms meant to be filled in by hand. I had to program the output using the special printer codes of that printer to do it. So I saved them 18,700 hours that year in reporting. But I hated the office environment, for lunch, I would go out and move 180,000 pounds of hazardous waste by hand by myself for relief from the office. The guys outside loved it because they didn't have to do anything and would take a long lunch. I would load two tractor-trailers by rolling the drums from the back to the front of the trailer in a Tyvek suit. Some of the drums were over 800 pounds. 

Today people use strange practices, they double enter information, they store it in directories that multiple people have access to, it is just chaos. The database that I made used less than 40 megabytes, which was actually large for the time, but it did more than was normal for the time. 

Sincerely, 

William McCormick


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## IvanSmo (6 mo ago)

Usually when I buy a PC, I'm looking for i3 or i5 CPU and 8GB RAM minimum. Everything else is not important to me. MS Visual Studio 2019 running without any problems and that is all I'm concerned about.


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## IvanSmo (6 mo ago)

Deja-vue said:


> lol, my current Rig, built in 2018:
> View attachment 686122
> 
> 
> ...


Well this is something. I'm using 2x monitors at work and home. My wish is to have a setup like this one.


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## runagate (6 mo ago)

ktownskier said:


> My first computer had 64K on the mother board, a 10 meg hard drive and 1 5" floppy drive. The screen was a 12" green screen. Yes, I am that old. It was the mid 80's and it was the PC-XT and the processor was an intel 8086. I don't even remember how fast it was. Nor do I remember how many PC's have had since then. Either desktop, luggable or laptop.
> 
> My current laptop is an MSI laptop with an Intel Core I-5 processor running at 2.5 ghz. I have 16 gigs of memory. There are two SSDs, one has 500gigs, the other has 1 Terabyte of storage. And I paid $750 for it 6 months ago. All I do is web surf, watch movies, post of forums and work on my photography. It is more than I need but I couldn't pass up based on the price.
> 
> ...


MacBook Air


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

runagate said:


> MacBook Air


I am sorry to hear that... Just kidding. Apple makes beautiful products. I am just enamored with their closed environment.


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

IvanSmo said:


> Usually when I buy a PC, I'm looking for i3 or i5 CPU and 8GB RAM minimum. Everything else is not important to me. MS Visual Studio 2019 running without any problems and that is all I'm concerned about.


Decent minimums. 

What are the minimums required to run MS VS 2019? That is what you should look for when buying a new machine. 

I have been toying with going back to a desk top. Building my own powerhouse, liquid cooled, etc.. Multi Screens that are curved. I have a 55" Flat Screen that I can use as a Primary if I want. It is a backup just sitting around in case my 2-65" or 75" main screens go bad. 

But then reality hits and I remember that I don't play games anymore. At least from what I remember.


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## geenowalker (Aug 19, 2013)

This is what I bought my employees last fall during the upgrade (every 2 years). These last much longer than 2 years, but I fully depreciate them against the business, and therefore let the employee keep it upon upgrade for their kids going to school/college home PC, etc. Have owned every other business class machine since 1992 and these are the best from a build quality (toughness). NEVER owned ASUS, so cant speak but have a lot of colleagues that love their business class machines.


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## IvanSmo (6 mo ago)

ktownskier said:


> What are the minimums required to run MS VS 2019? That is what you should look for when buying a new machine.


Don't really know. I'm saying that the computers I use are not something to show around  

Right now, I'm working on a Lenovo T430 i5 + win 10 Pro + LG 17" extra monitor. Right next to it (for testing purposes) is ASUS model K73B with win 10 not being activated...


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## ktownskier (Aug 22, 2018)

The minimum requirements recommended by MS for Visual Studios 2022 are:

1.8 GHz or faster 64-bit processor; Quad-core or better recommended. ARM processors are not supported.
Minimum of 4 GB of RAM. Many factors impact resources used; we recommend 16 GB RAM for typical professional solutions.
Windows 365: Minimum 2 vCPU and 8 GB RAM. 4 vCPU and 16 GB of RAM recommended.
Hard disk space: Minimum of 850 MB up to 210 GB of available space, depending on features installed; typical installations require 20-50 GB of free space. We recommend installing Windows and Visual Studio on a solid-state drive (SSD) to increase performance.
Video card that supports a minimum display resolution of WXGA (1366 by 768); Visual Studio will work best at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 or higher.
Minimum resolution assumes zoom, DPI settings, and text scaling are set at 100%. If not set to 100%, minimum resolution should be scaled accordingly. For example, if you set the Windows display ‘Scale and layout’ setting on your Surface Book, which has a 3000x2000 physical display, to 200%, then Visual Studio would see a logical screen resolution of 1500x1000, meeting the minimum 1366x768 requirement.




geenowalker said:


> This is what I bought my employees last fall during the upgrade (every 2 years). These last much longer than 2 years, but I fully depreciate them against the business, and therefore let the employee keep it upon upgrade for their kids going to school/college home PC, etc. Have owned every other business class machine since 1992 and these are the best from a build quality (toughness). NEVER owned ASUS, so cant speak but have a lot of colleagues that love their business class machines. From the specs you supplied, they look like pretty good machines. I get the Pro version of the OS even for home use. Since working and storage memory is so cheap now a days, I tend to get as much as the MB can hold. SSD's make the machine boot so much faster as well. I also get the most current Networking (WiFi, Bluetooth, etc) that is acailable. Personally, I like a bigger screen, but then an outboard monitor can be plugged in.
> 
> When I worked in the business world, Stinkpads were the only laptops to use. But then, this was in the dark ages, back before 2010 and Lenovo bought out IBM. HP's were allowed by UHC as well. If you were a developer, you got the Thinkpad, if you were on the business side, you got an HP. Since I bridged both worlds, I got whatever I wanted. I put in the orders for our group so we tended to get the higher end stuff. And we got Admin privileges. (Which is a big thing when you work for a very large corporation like UHC)
> 
> Since I was laid off, I have bought my own, and I have bought pretty much every manufacturer out there. They are all good and bad. If you buy from a big box store, and you find a machine that is exclusive to that store, it may be made out of cheaper components than one that is available anywhere. I have found that to be true of LT's I have bought at Costco. But, I still buy them there as they are pretty damn cheap, and if they last longer than 18 months, I feel I am ahead. However, I don't spend more than $800-900 on them there. If I wanted a LT that would last me a long time, I would buy direct from the vendor as I still can get employee pricing.


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