New computer purchase help

Do you want a desktop or a laptop? Specs are similar. You can hook up a screen, keyboard and mouse to a laptop if that is a concern. You just want something basic for surfing the web?

I still prefer Dell for most things. Though now it's still 'back to school' and there should be good deals.

Best Buy is an option, often they have decent sale items. Costco can also be good. I bought my current home laptop from Costco's website, bought a Lenovo (which I like). I'm not sure if Sam's Club sells PC's, but that could be an option too.

Here's my "retired IT guy recommendation":

1) If you need a laptop, buy a laptop. But if you do NOT need a laptop, DON'T buy one; buy a desktop instead. Cheaper for the same performance, bigger screen (s), far easier to work on, generally far less trouble, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.

2) Do *NOT* buy a computer - ANY computer - from Best Buy, Costco, Wal*Mart, etc. They mostly sell consumer grade crap. Buy a COMMERCIAL grade system from someone who specializes in such. Yes, it will cost you more, but you'll have far less problems with it. This is why people bitch about Apple being so "expensive". No, they're not. Whatever else you can say about them, Apple doesn't sell consumer grade junk, buying similar quality in the non-Apple sphere means similar money. Especially avoid consumer grade laptops.

3) Fuck windows, fuck Apple. Install Linux. It may run just FINE on your existing hardware for that matter.

4) Dell, Lenovo, and others (except HP) sell pre-configured Linux machines out of the box, so you don't have to think about installation or if a given system has something that is problematic. See #3

5) My knowledge is now 10 years out of date, I had to have someone talk me through buying a self-assembled Linux desktop about 18 months ago. Lenovo and HP both used to be the champs of stuffing their systems with crapware. We were an HP shop - I generally prefer(ed) HP in the commercial space, but even back then they had an "HP Performance Adviser" that gave wrong information. When HP told me it was wrong, my first question was "The why the HELL is it even on the machine?!"

6) With #5 in mind, my current advice is to NEVER buy an HP printer. Buy Brother or Canon instead.

I had a Dell all-in-one - a 27" model 7700 IIRC. It was awesome for everyday things such as browsing the web, email, etc. I bought a new Dell because the 7700 sucked when I decided to learn CAD and make my one 3d models. The tipping point was when I started making videos of my wheeling misadventures.

I like Dell. I think you'd be happy with one of their all-in-ones.

Unfortunately, no matter what you buy at the moment, you're likely going to grossly overpay for it. You can thank AI, datacenters and the greedy pricks scurrying to suckle up to the cash teats for that one. That and maybe a little residual tariff fuckery, but costs are well up.

As a real world example, I purchased computer components to build a new workstation in February 2025, this includes a chassis, software and all the naughty bits. Knowing a little something of what's been happened in the market since that time, I repriced the same system a little over a month ago to see the extent of the damage...



Just about twice the price, and that's for components that are at least 1.5 years old at this point, not the latest and greatest.

chili_pepper said:

Unfortunately, no matter what you buy at the moment, you're likely going to grossly overpay for it. You can thank AI, datacenters and the greedy pricks scurrying to suckle up to the cash teats for that one. That and maybe a little residual tariff fuckery, but costs are well up.

As a real world example, I purchased computer components to build a new workstation in February 2025, this includes a chassis, software and all the naughty bits. Knowing a little something of what's been happened in the market since that time, I repriced the same system a little over a month ago to see the extent of the damage...

View attachment 709130

Just about twice the price, and that's for components that are at least 1.5 years old at this point, not the latest and greatest.

Click to expand...

yup. I didn't get the graphics card I wanted because of that.

If a desktop, I would build... It's not too difficult and it allows you to upgrade or work on yourself if needed. I built mine years ago, it's served me well and when I need more power, storage, etc I just upgrade the parts needed.

Laptop, I don't mind Dell but I spent $4500 on an XPS17 for work and its been a PITA. Have had the motherboard replaced twice, trackpad sucks, audio sometimes stops working, it freezes.

Not sure what other brands are good for laptops.

I guess it comes down to needs. I do a lot of CAD work on mine and occasional gaming, and would be overkill if not needed for either

I'd just go on Amazon and look for the specs you want and the price you are willing to pay and order it.

TJuser said:

If a desktop, I would build... It's not too difficult and it allows you to upgrade or work on yourself if needed. I built mine years ago, it's served me well and when I need more power, storage, etc I just upgrade the parts needed.

Laptop, I don't mind Dell but I spent $4500 on an XPS17 for work and its been a PITA. Have had the motherboard replaced twice, trackpad sucks, audio sometimes stops working, it freezes.

Not sure what other brands are good for laptops.

I guess it comes down to needs. I do a lot of CAD work on mine and occasional gaming, and would be overkill if not needed for either

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Dell XPS series is consumer grade according to AI. If that's true, that's typical of a bad laptop in the consumer space.

Acknowledging that EVERYONE has the occasional piece of crap; again, buy a COMMERCIAL grade from Lenovo, HP, or Dell. You'll have far better chance of a great experience. I have a commercial grade HP from 2009, still works fine and its my travel system. Another good choice is the Panasonic toughbook. In confirming that they're still made, the Dell "Rugged Extreme" came to my attention.

Or buy a desktop if you don't need a laptop - commercial grade preferably. Or assemble your own as you state, using a good grade of components.

And run Linux!

Why not just Get rid of Windows and install Linux?

It sounds like Windows could be eating up RAM space. You could install Linux Mint and regain like 6+ GB of free Ram space.

I did this with an old Thinkpad laptop from 2013 and it runs just fine now. The only reason I have Windows installed on my main rig is because all of the drivers for devices are coded for Windows, Windows is a tech cartel and Indian malware company at this point.

Feralkid said:

Why not just Get rid of Windows and install Linux?

It sounds like Windows could be eating up RAM space. You could install Linux Mint and regain like 6+ GB of free Ram space.

I did this with an old Thinkpad laptop from 2013 and it runs just fine now. The only reason I have Windows installed on my main rig is because all of the drivers for devices are coded for Windows, Windows is a tech cartel and Indian malware company at this point.

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Absolutely. If the old system is otherwise fine, this would be free and easy to try. The only potential headache might - and I stress MIGHT - be the presence of some poorly supported hardware. That's fairly rare these days, and it costs nothing to try.

My company issues me laptops and I do a lot of stuff on my own as well.

Concerning Dell, it's a BIG "It Depends".

My previous Dell laptop was a flaming POS. My current Dell laptop is fine.

I also have an issued M5 Pro Macbook Pro and it is tons better than the current Dell with the Ultra 7 processor.

Concerning Linux, give Zorin a try.

It comes with links for Wine and Bottles and makes running a Windows application quite smooth.

Click on a Windows exe file, it pops up "Do you want to install Windows compatibility?"

Click Yes and you get Wine and Bottles installed seamlessly.

All that said, what is your budget and use case?

We'll all be glad to help spend your money, but we don't want you to waste it.

Edit: OP, not sure where you are located in Trumpsylvania, but it might be worth it to see if there's a MicroCenter near you.

Great place if you decide to build your own as their prices are normally as good as or better than Amazon, NewEgg, et al.

They also have actually knowledgeable staff that you can ask questions if necessary.

They regularly have some banger deals on motherboard/CPU combos.

HERE'S their current list of AMD and Intel bundles.

Many of these MoBo/CPU/RAM bundles are barely more than just the RAM.

Due to the AI and data centers, you're usually going to get screwed on RAM and SSD no matter where you go.

Zorba said:

Dell XPS series is consumer grade according to AI. If that's true, that's typical of a bad laptop in the consumer space.

Acknowledging that EVERYONE has the occasional piece of crap; again, buy a COMMERCIAL grade from Lenovo, HP, or Dell. You'll have far better chance of a great experience. I have a commercial grade HP from 2009, still works fine and its my travel system. Another good choice is the Panasonic toughbook. In confirming that they're still made, the Dell "Rugged Extreme" came to my attention.

Or buy a desktop if you don't need a laptop - commercial grade preferably. Or assemble your own as you state, using a good grade of components.

And run Linux!

Click to expand...

XPS is usually fairly high end. So when you are advising commercial grade, what specific models are your referring to? Do you have a link to a few? I'm assuming they will exceed his budget.

We use Dell Latitude laptops exclusively at my work and we're not allowed to order anything else and they don't allow desktops any longer (unless someone needs a high end workstation). In the last 20+ years and last 5 jobs, we have used Dell exclusively.

Linux: Definitely up to the user. My main laptop is Linux (Opensuse TW). Though I don't recommend Linux for anyone that isn't a power user (AKA good with computers).

suicideking said:

XPS is usually fairly high end. So when you are advising commercial grade, what specific models are your referring to? Do you have a link to a few? I'm assuming they will exceed his budget.

We use Dell Latitude laptops exclusively at my work and we're not allowed to order anything else and they don't allow desktops any longer...

Click to expand...

Latitude is commercial grade.

They don't allow desktops? They must like spending money.

Zorba said:

Latitude is commercial grade.

They don't allow desktops? They must like spending money.

Click to expand...

They stopped allowing desktops during Covid because some people needed to work from home. To get a desktop, you would have to need specs that aren't available in a desktop.

No real complaints about the Latitude series. Though not really budget friendly either.

suicideking said:

They stopped allowing desktops during Covid because some people needed to work from home. To get a desktop, you would have to need specs that aren't available in a desktop.

No real complaints about the Latitude series. Though not really budget friendly either.

Click to expand...

Well, no. You get what you pay for. A good grade system costs money. Junk costs less.

But Covid is over, I'd think they'd want to save some money and hassle by issuing desktops to those who don't actually need laptops - but, its their money!

chili_pepper said:

Unfortunately, no matter what you buy at the moment, you're likely going to grossly overpay for it. You can thank AI, datacenters and the greedy pricks scurrying to suckle up to the cash teats for that one. That and maybe a little residual tariff fuckery, but costs are well up.

As a real world example, I purchased computer components to build a new workstation in February 2025, this includes a chassis, software and all the naughty bits. Knowing a little something of what's been happened in the market since that time, I repriced the same system a little over a month ago to see the extent of the damage...

View attachment 709130

Just about twice the price, and that's for components that are at least 1.5 years old at this point, not the latest and greatest.

Click to expand...

I have a stipend from my company for a computer every 3 years and the desktops I'm pricing aren't that much better than the one I bought 3 years ago. The processor is the next generation but the memory and hard drive is the same. (Maybe better performance)

RHanna said:

I have a stipend from my company for a computer every 3 years and the desktops I'm pricing aren't that much better than the one I bought 3 years ago. The processor is the next generation but the memory and hard drive is the same. (Maybe better performance)

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They're not much different in 3 years. What they likely based that on is the warranty. Most have a 3 year warranty.

Go on ebay and look for a dell refurbished laptop if you don't need all the latest stuff and best graphics. You can get a good one fairly cheap. I've bought 3 that way Got 8 years out of my 1st one, bought one for my dad 5 years ago and currently my 2nd is doing good.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3070170397...pid=5337789113&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

tr21triton said:

Go on ebay and look for a dell refurbished laptop if you don't need all the latest stuff and best graphics. You can get a good one fairly cheap. I've bought 3 that way Got 8 years out of my 1st one, bought one for my dad 5 years ago and currently my 2nd is doing good.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/3070170397...pid=5337789113&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1

Click to expand...

The problem with doing that is you have to know how to lookup specs. You could be buying a 5-10yo PC. Easiest way to tell is search for the CPU (processor) model and find out when it was released.

A few sites to check:

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleCompare.php

http://cpuboss.com/

Also better if you're looking for a desktop. If you buy a refurb laptop, it might have broken keys, faded/damaged screen, or other things that are worn out. I bought an 'open box' gaming laptop from Best Buy a while back. It didn't come with the power adapter. So definitely a disappointment to receive it and not be able to turn it on for a few days until I received the power adapter I bought on Amazon. Tech support line told me to return it if I don't like it (and absorb the restocking fee).