Computer Buying ~tips from ladies~ - they stopped selling the Barbie PC; what do

[Mound Dweller]

Its a real pain in the ass to get to building your first PC.

That's a myth in my experience, if you time your buying well enough and don't go full retard with the LED add ons you can still make yourself an ebic masheen that runs crysis at 60 FPS for less than £500. When I popped my self-build cherry I went in completely raw and had no idea what I was doing, just bought the cheapest chinesium I could find and threw it together after intellectually meditating to YT tutorials for 8+ hours the day before, it took me maybe 30 minutes actually building it? I'm not even a computer autist, it really is just sticking bits together, you only have to be mindful not to spill thermal paste everywhere... and remember to plug everything in of course, I spent a few months not actually taking advantage of the GPU because I plugged in the wrong wire.

 

[glioblastoma multiforme]

That's a myth in my experience, if you time your buying well enough and don't go full retard with the LED add ons you can still make yourself an ebic masheen that runs crysis at 60 FPS for less than £500. When I popped my self-build cherry I went in completely raw and had no idea what I was doing, just bought the cheapest chinesium I could find and threw it together after intellectually meditating to YT tutorials for 8+ hours the day before, it took me maybe 30 minutes actually building it? I'm not even a computer autist, it really is just sticking bits together, you only have to be mindful not to spill thermal paste everywhere... and remember to plug everything in of course, I spent a few months not actually taking advantage of the GPU because I plugged in the wrong wire.

Only thing you need to make sure of is that the motherboard fits the bits you buy- it will fundamentally limit the type/number of RAM cards and storage slots you can add. If there's no slots on the motherboard, you can't have it, end of.

Also, get a decent power supply. The one on my super-expensive work machine went once and that is extremely capable of taking out the motherboard. I don't know what was special about mine that stopped it taking out the whole machine when it went. Either way, plug it into a surge protecting multitap rather than straight into the wall.

I don't know what happens if you want Windows on a self-build. I suspect Microsoft can help with that, but if you're taking that route expect to spend more on an operating system- or just use Linux instead. I suspect vidya = Windows (previously said, consolefag so no idea). I hope so for your sake, Linux + Nvidia is a PITA combo for someone (i.e. me) who vaguely has a clue and I did once brick my machine to the extent I needed a well informed friend to come out and sort it.

Though tbh unless you find the idea fun I don't see the point in a custom build. If the nuts and bolts interest you, go for it. If they don't, get a refurbished model from someone local who can tell you it will run Crysis and provides a comprehensive warranty.

 

[Artorias Sneed]

Do you have a specific budget?

I recommend getting a pre-built PC from a chain computer store that has a good reputation. I've been using the same pre-built gaming PC since 2017. It cost me around $1,500 AUD ($1,000 USD) from an Aussie company called Scorptec and has chugged along nicely (though it will need replacing soon I reckon).

You mentioned you're not much of a gamer. Me too, though I do play some Dead by Daylight. My PC doesn't really handle it at max graphics, but if you're like me and happy to run heavier games at minimum, even a bit of a smaller budget would probably be fine. The parts have only gotten better, so the same price I paid back then should translate to better machine than mine (but high-performance parts are ridiculously costly at the moment).

 

[Aunt Carol]

Is there a reason you want a pc and not a tablet?

I don't think I'm elderly enough for a tablet. This is probably an emotional decision. Also I like to type on a normal keyboard.

You're in the market at a bad time. Bleeding edge with DDR5 is prohibitively expensive.

Oh, man, definitely aware of socioeconomic forces. Gotta get a sturdy battlestation before the world completely finishes collapsing.

Asking for tech advice from women is like asking for makeup advice from men.

But I'm asking for shopping advice!

Also, get a decent power supply. The one on my super-expensive work machine went once and that is extremely capable of taking out the motherboard. I don't know what was special about mine that stopped it taking out the whole machine when it went. Either way, plug it into a surge protecting multitap rather than straight into the wall.

Oh, man! That's when I discovered my friendly computer repair place had gone out of business: in the middle of a crippling ice storm (unrelated) my power supply suddenly and loudly released the magic smoke and stopped working. I was lucky too; it didn't fry anything but itself. I have my tower and monitors plugged into a backup power source with a surge protector.

Do you have a specific budget?

I haven't looked around enough to really get an idea. I was steeling myself to end up paying US $2,000 when I was first looking at something brand new from online, but obviously less is preferable!

I mostly play puzzle games these days because I am a stereotype, but although buying games and playing games are different hobbies, I'd like to play Stray and poke around the Metal Gear reissues.

Right now I have:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 950 @ 3.07GHz
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560
and 12 Gb RAM.

That's a CPU from 2009 and a video card from 2011, which is part of why I think it'd be better to start over than to upgrade parts. Which could be incorrect!

Everyone in my IRL circles who was good at computer slowly turned trans or polyamorous, or moved away, so I don't have good resources to tap in meatspace.

 

[Harry Dresden]

But I'm asking for shopping advice!

That's a great point, lol. as for shopping advice If you don't want a MacBook Neo, I have another good suggestion: get an old Dell Optiplex. You already use old computer parts, so it would be a step up. I'm sure they are also easy to upgrade, and I have seen people play big video games like Fortnite on those computers and other games more complex than puzzle games. You can also get one for as cheap as 300 bucks, and offices often give them away. Linus Tech Tips and his Linux guy, before he trooned out and left him, made a video about Dell OptiPlexes being great, cheap gaming PCs. I recall it being a good watch.

 

[Pee Cola]

That's a great point, lol. as for shopping advice If you don't want a MacBook Neo, I have another good suggestion: get an old Dell Optiplex. You already use old computer parts, so it would be a step up. I'm sure they are also easy to upgrade, and I have seen people play big video games like Fortnite on those computers and other games more complex than puzzle games.

The DankPods $150 Gaming Computer is a cromulent archetype of such a battlestation:

Dell Precision T1700 tower with an i7 4790, 16GB DDR3 RAM, 256GB SSD and a GTX 1060 GPU... and it actually games OK.

 

[Greedy Fly]

With component prices going up due to the AI bubble I would say wait for a bit till it comes crumbling down.

Right, forget about tips for shopping, I need tips on where to get a junkie console cowboy bf who deals in blackmarket RAM and can be easily fooled into leaving it unattended.

but the combination of disillusionment with Microsoft and successfully using a trashpicked 2012 MacBook Pro as a daily driver for the last couple of years has changed my view on things.

The current state of Windows is really pushing me to retvrn to Mac (which I grew up on but haven't used for a while). I despise the experience and it's only getting worse. Maybe next year; my current laptop is 7 or 8 years old but I replaced the battery a while back so it's not going to completely die yet...

 

[Aunt Carol]

Update: I went to several meatspace local computer places and found the best value+vibes combo at a store that does repair on anything and has warranties on their self-built systems. Also it's owned by a husband, wife and the world's sleepiest dog.

I'm bringing my current PC in to them next week and they're going to laugh at it add the old drive (possibly -s) to the new machine, if the borkage isn't a drive problem.

 

[Quack_Quack]

Update: I went to several meatspace local computer places and found the best value+vibes combo at a store that does repair on anything and has warranties on their self-built systems. Also it's owned by a husband, wife and the world's sleepiest dog.

I'm bringing my current PC in to them next week and they're going to laugh at it add the old drive (possibly -s) to the new machine, if the borkage isn't a drive problem.

I am guessing it was 50/50 between dog fuss and tech stuff... maybe 75/25 to the dog...

 

[Aunt Carol]

I am guessing it was 50/50 between dog fuss and tech stuff... maybe 75/25 to the dog...

Unsurprisingly, I'm the stereotypical cat person and usually a bit leery of dogs. But a calm shop pet is a green flag for a good atmosphere. Doesn't count if someone ties up their angry or status-symbol dog behind the counter, but this was a well-worn old dog curled up in his equally-worn office chair.

The staff knew the things I needed an expert for, but were normal enough to talk to. Not trying to make a sale or trying to dick-measure, not too autistic to communicate. (Not too concerned by my halting explanation of what I wanted and what I wanted done.) Good hours, and they've been in business long enough that they'll likely stay that way.

Like folks were saying, it's not just assembling the PC but that I'd like backup lined up in case something goes wrong beyond my ability to troubleshoot.