Where to Buy

[Cow Poke]

Yeah, frequently pre-made computers don't have a power supply that can handle hardware upgrades. That's why I mentioned getting one that has a power supply that can be replaced. I had a Dell once that was one of their few that doesn't use a proprietary sized power supply (physical dimensions, not capacity) and I was able to swap it out and add a graphics card so I could play Minecraft with Rational Gaze while we were still living on separate continents.

If you get a small form factor tower, you are pretty much locked into the default hardware configuration.

Yup, and some of the computers have proprietary power supplies so only THEIR power supply will physically fit.

Back in the day, I built clones like crazy, from the ground up, and could compete quite well with the big guys' name brand computers.
When the big guys started adding the OS for free, and I had to buy and license, it got less competitive for me to build clones.

Then, everybody in the world started building computers, so I only build one if it's a very specific non-standard situation.

Even gaming computers -- you used to have to build those for what you want, but now they're available at very competitive prices from multiple sources.

So, I'll add "compatibility" to my "scalability" -- can't scale up if the foundation is too proprietary.

[Littlejoe]

Based on pricing I'm guessing SSD beats HDD but 512gb is pushing the $400 mark. I did find a 1T HDD in the mid $300s.

I'd been planning to get another machine for the video side if I found that I was using it but I do want a machine now that can handle the blogging / writing and let me try out podcasting and video.

So, should I even consider the 1T HDD? https://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...o=1145914&Sku=

Or just suck it up and look at the more expensive machines? https://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...o=1145909&Sku=

I'll price shop once I am clear on what I need - tiger direct has a nice specification chart which is why I didn't have to ask what DDR is.

Thanks so much for the help!

SSD is Solid State Drive. It has no moving parts like a motor to spin the drive, or the read/write heads that move in and out seeking the data. So, there is less to fail on a SSD vs. a HDD. HDD's in the 1 TB range will slow down your system considerably...ask me how I know. If you want more storage, the simplest is to get a 1 TB thumb drive. You can find them as low as $20 on Amazon.

So, I know you are gettting a lot of advice but, mine would be: Stick with the 256gb drive and use any extra funds to upgrade the video card for what you are doing instead of the SSD/HDD and get a 500 gb - 1 tb thumb drive for storage.

BTW, I have used Newegg for many many years and never had an issue with anything I have bought there, (unlike some computer places on Amazon)...but they are rarely the lowest price.

[Cow Poke]

SSD is Solid State Drive. It has no moving parts like a motor to spin the drive, or the read/write heads that move in and out seeking the data. So, there is less to fail on a SSD vs. a HDD. HDD's in the 1 TB range will slow down your system considerably...ask me how I know. If you want more storage, the simplest is to get a 1 TB thumb drive. You can find them as low as $20 on Amazon.

So, I know you are gettting a lot of advice but, mine would be: Stick with the 256gb drive and use any extra funds to upgrade the video card for what you are doing instead of the SSD/HDD and get a 500 gb - 1 tb thumb drive for storage.

BTW, I have used Newegg for many many years and never had an issue with anything I have bought there, (unlike some computer places on Amazon)...but they are rarely the lowest price.

The man is not even .03% wrong!

[Littlejoe]

The man is not even .03% wrong!

[Sparko]

SSD is Solid State Drive. It has no moving parts like a motor to spin the drive, or the read/write heads that move in and out seeking the data. So, there is less to fail on a SSD vs. a HDD. HDD's in the 1 TB range will slow down your system considerably...ask me how I know. If you want more storage, the simplest is to get a 1 TB thumb drive. You can find them as low as $20 on Amazon.

So, I know you are gettting a lot of advice but, mine would be: Stick with the 256gb drive and use any extra funds to upgrade the video card for what you are doing instead of the SSD/HDD and get a 500 gb - 1 tb thumb drive for storage.

BTW, I have used Newegg for many many years and never had an issue with anything I have bought there, (unlike some computer places on Amazon)...but they are rarely the lowest price.

warning. those $20 1TB thumbdrives are chinese fakes. They are usually some smaller drive that has been doctored to report 1TB space. Your files will be destroyed. The valid ones are still over $150.

Also they are pretty slow compared to an SSD or internal HDD. especially since the boxes she is looking at only have USB2.0 and not 3.0

Cheaper to buy an internal hard drive.

Although if speed isn't an issue you can get a 2TB usb drive (not flash drive) for about $60 and a 5TB for $100

[Teallaura]

So I am hearing buy the 256gb, get a new video card, do something with it and buy some sort of external storage. Make sure the tower is big and not Dell. When the time comes, re-refurbish the thing myself by adding the video card and a new power supply (which, I presume, isn't just a new cord). Don't buy chinese flash drive knock offs. Maybe buy a new hard drive that goes inside the thing I will be re-re-refurbishing.

Sure, no problem. What could possibly go wrong?




Okay, serious version: LJ thinks the 256gb is fine but will need a new video card. Sparky doesn't fully disagree but is not convinced about the external storage. Everyone seems convinced that I will need to upgrade to some extent and that can be done by buying a few things and that is cheaper than a new machine.

Is there a reason storage speed might matter? I don't see one if it is just storing files after the fact but could it be a problem working with the file?

We'll discuss your collective delusions about my electronics skills later but how complicated is the video card part?

Thanks!

[Teallaura]

Sorry for the double post - it timed out while I was editing.

EDIT: I'm reading this wrong, aren't I? The real contention is about the hard drive size, not the back up storage. Can the 256gb run the graphics reasonably with the updated video card and can extra storage act as a work around?

So y'all agree I can get by with 256gb at first but once there's any real video work things change. At that point I'll need more storage or a 512gb. Am I understanding correctly now?

[NorrinRadd]

I'm going to be doing a lot of content on multiple platforms which was why I was looking at 16GB but I won't be doing anything graphics heavy for some time if ever. Am I being over cautious? I'd rather save the money now but not if I don't get what I need.

I have 8GB on this laptop, and RAM usage is consistently over 75% and often gets close to 90%. That's running two browsers (basically, Opera for Facebook, Pale Moon for everything else), a Bible study program, and an email client.

[Teallaura]

16GB it is!

[QuantaFille]

So I am hearing buy the 256gb, get a new video card, do something with it and buy some sort of external storage. Make sure the tower is big and not Dell. When the time comes, re-refurbish the thing myself by adding the video card and a new power supply (which, I presume, isn't just a new cord). Don't buy chinese flash drive knock offs. Maybe buy a new hard drive that goes inside the thing I will be re-re-refurbishing.

Sure, no problem. What could possibly go wrong?

The power supply is a box mounted inside the case. It is what the cord plugs into on the outside of the case, and then all your components plug into the box inside the case. They are usually a standard physical size so you can swap it out for one with a higher wattage if you need to, but some manufacturers use their own proprietary sized box for the power supply so that you can't do that. It is usually an issue if you get a compact case like a mini tower or a micro tower. If you get a full size tower it will not likely be an issue. If you plan on adding a video card, you will also need room for that so that's another reason to avoid the smaller towers.

Another thing to keep in mind is that usually, opening the case will void your warranty. Fortunately, most of the time any problems you'll have with a new computer not working properly will show up pretty quickly and can be dealt with before you start opening it up to re-re-refurbish. Also, a refurbished computer will have a shorter warranty period anyway.

Okay, serious version: LJ thinks the 256gb is fine but will need a new video card. Sparky doesn't fully disagree but is not convinced about the external storage. Everyone seems convinced that I will need to upgrade to some extent and that can be done by buying a few things and that is cheaper than a new machine.

Is there a reason storage speed might matter? I don't see one if it is just storing files after the fact but could it be a problem working with the file?

Videos take up a lot of space. When you are editing video, the editing program is writing the file to the hard drive as it creates the file. It can only create the file as fast as the hard drive can record it. So for your main drive, the one that Windows and your programs are on, you will need a fast one for video. That means SSD. This is the drive that your video program will write the file to.
For your storage drive, speed isn't as crucial. When you are watching a video, just about any slow HDD nowadays can read the file plenty fast for playback. Any internal SATA HDD will be suitable for storage. I still recommend one that is 7200 RPM as opposed to 5400 RPM, just for a little extra speed. So if you have music and movies you want to play, this drive is the one you would store them on. If you need to be able to take these files with you, you'd use an external USB drive. But if you have the room in the case, I'd go with internal because it will be a little faster if it's SATA instead of USB. It's always a good idea to at least have a decent size USB stick or external USB drive in addition to anything else, just to store backups of everything. I use my phone for this as well. All my important documents, music, photos, audiobooks, are on my computer's internal drive, my external USB backup drive, and my cell phone. That way if something fails, I still have two copies.

If you only have one hard drive, you will need one that is both fast and big. That is expensive. You can save money by getting a main drive (with your operating system and programs) that is fast but a little bit smaller (a 256GB or 512GB SSD), and a secondary drive for storage that is big, but not as fast (2 or 4TB internal SATA HDD, 7200 RPM). With two hard drives, you will still have the speed when you need it, and still have lots of storage space. You would most likely have even more storage space than you would if you just had the one big SSD.

You may be able to save money by getting a computer that comes with a 7200 RPM HDD for now, and put an SSD in it later when you upgrade for processing video, because that's when you'll really notice the difference in storage speed.

If the motherboard has the slot for it, the M.2 format drives will be the fastest SSD, but also the most expensive. You can buy SATA SSDs that are a little less expensive, but also a bit slower due to the way they connect to the motherboard. You will need a slot in the case for any SATA drive because they don't attach directly onto the motherboard. They fit into the case slot, and there's a cable that attaches it to the motherboard. It is not always specified what motherboard is in a prefab computer, but you might be able to find out by contacting the manufacturer before you buy. Many times they are proprietary, but all you need to know is how many SATA ports there are and whether there are any M.2 slots.

We'll discuss your collective delusions about my electronics skills later but how complicated is the video card part?

Thanks!

If you know how these work, you can assemble a computer, and I'm not even joking:
41es0LHGB8L._AC_SY1000_.jpg

Once you get the thing in, one of us can walk you through driver installation. It's not hard.

[Cow Poke]

I have 8GB on this laptop, and RAM usage is consistently over 75% and often gets close to 90%. That's running two browsers (basically, Opera for Facebook, Pale Moon for everything else), a Bible study program, and an email client.

and RAM is CHEAP --- I either go for a box that comes with 16GB, or I make sure that it's upgradeable to 16GB.

I don't know about the newer computers, but I remember many times where, for example, it comes with 8GB -- 2) 4GB in 2 slots - one each -- and only TWO slots total.
In other words, to go to 16 GB, you had to replace both 4GB with 2) 8GB, wasting the 8GB that was already in there.

And most of the memory sales places have "configurators" that can check your brand and model and tell you exactly what RAM you need. In fact, they'll even run diags on your computer and tell you how many RAM slots you have, how many are occupied, and what your options are.

[Teallaura]

The power supply is a box mounted inside the case. It is what the cord plugs into on the outside of the case, and then all your components plug into the box inside the case. They are usually a standard physical size so you can swap it out for one with a higher wattage if you need to, but some manufacturers use their own proprietary sized box for the power supply so that you can't do that. It is usually an issue if you get a compact case like a mini tower or a micro tower. If you get a full size tower it will not likely be an issue. If you plan on adding a video card, you will also need room for that so that's another reason to avoid the smaller towers.

Another thing to keep in mind is that usually, opening the case will void your warranty. Fortunately, most of the time any problems you'll have with a new computer not working properly will show up pretty quickly and can be dealt with before you start opening it up to re-re-refurbish. Also, a refurbished computer will have a shorter warranty period anyway.



Videos take up a lot of space. When you are editing video, the editing program is writing the file to the hard drive as it creates the file. It can only create the file as fast as the hard drive can record it. So for your main drive, the one that Windows and your programs are on, you will need a fast one for video. That means SSD. This is the drive that your video program will write the file to.
For your storage drive, speed isn't as crucial. When you are watching a video, just about any slow HDD nowadays can read the file plenty fast for playback. Any internal SATA HDD will be suitable for storage. I still recommend one that is 7200 RPM as opposed to 5400 RPM, just for a little extra speed. So if you have music and movies you want to play, this drive is the one you would store them on. If you need to be able to take these files with you, you'd use an external USB drive. But if you have the room in the case, I'd go with internal because it will be a little faster if it's SATA instead of USB. It's always a good idea to at least have a decent size USB stick or external USB drive in addition to anything else, just to store backups of everything. I use my phone for this as well. All my important documents, music, photos, audiobooks, are on my computer's internal drive, my external USB backup drive, and my cell phone. That way if something fails, I still have two copies.

If you only have one hard drive, you will need one that is both fast and big. That is expensive. You can save money by getting a main drive (with your operating system and programs) that is fast but a little bit smaller (a 256GB or 512GB SSD), and a secondary drive for storage that is big, but not as fast (2 or 4TB internal SATA HDD, 7200 RPM). With two hard drives, you will still have the speed when you need it, and still have lots of storage space. You would most likely have even more storage space than you would if you just had the one big SSD.

You may be able to save money by getting a computer that comes with a 7200 RPM HDD for now, and put an SSD in it later when you upgrade for processing video, because that's when you'll really notice the difference in storage speed.

If the motherboard has the slot for it, the M.2 format drives will be the fastest SSD, but also the most expensive. You can buy SATA SSDs that are a little less expensive, but also a bit slower due to the way they connect to the motherboard. You will need a slot in the case for any SATA drive because they don't attach directly onto the motherboard. They fit into the case slot, and there's a cable that attaches it to the motherboard. It is not always specified what motherboard is in a prefab computer, but you might be able to find out by contacting the manufacturer before you buy. Many times they are proprietary, but all you need to know is how many SATA ports there are and whether there are any M.2 slots.



If you know how these work, you can assemble a computer, and I'm not even joking:
41es0LHGB8L._AC_SY1000_.jpg

Once you get the thing in, one of us can walk you through driver installation. It's not hard.

Er, a computer can have two internal drives?




That really does help - let me digest it a bit more. I'm pretty sure I'll be back with questions.

[Teallaura]

and RAM is CHEAP --- I either go for a box that comes with 16GB, or I make sure that it's upgradeable to 16GB.

I don't know about the newer computers, but I remember many times where, for example, it comes with 8GB -- 2) 4GB in 2 slots - one each -- and only TWO slots total.
In other words, to go to 16 GB, you had to replace both 4GB with 2) 8GB, wasting the 8GB that was already in there.

And most of the memory sales places have "configurators" that can check your brand and model and tell you exactly what RAM you need. In fact, they'll even run diags on your computer and tell you how many RAM slots you have, how many are occupied, and what your options are.

Online?

[Cerebrum123]

Er, a computer can have two internal drives?




That really does help - let me digest it a bit more. I'm pretty sure I'll be back with questions.

Depending on the motherboard it can have more than two internal hard drives. I have an internal SSD and an internal HDD with room for more.

[Cow Poke]

Er, a computer can have two internal drives?

In a full size box, as many as FOUR!

That really does help - let me digest it a bit more. I'm pretty sure I'll be back with questions.

I had a "tower" computer way back when that allowed EIGHT drives - because, back then, you needed a floppy drive, a CD Rom drive, a hard drive (or two), and maybe a "pullout grab-n-go hard drive".

And bacon.