Author Topic: Which desktop/laptop should I get?  (Read 4254 times)

Offline ari9

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Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« on: March 12, 2018, 07:38:07 PM »
Looking to buy a desktop AND a laptop

both for regular family home use
need a lot of memory for pictures, etc
and enough speed to be fast with multiple browsers/documents open.
no intense gaming or graphics

any recommendations?

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2018, 04:26:12 PM »
Is DELL XPS 15 a good deal? I like the full bezel usage and light / thin / long battery life. I see the 9560 on ebay at 900sh used

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2018, 04:36:35 PM »
Is DELL XPS 15 a good deal? I like the full bezel usage and light / thin / long battery life. I see the 9560 on ebay at 900sh used
Ask here

Offline Definitions

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #4 on: April 26, 2023, 08:24:38 PM »
I have a choice of getting an i7-13700 or for an extra $300 get an i9-13900. Is it worth it?
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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #5 on: April 27, 2023, 03:52:18 AM »
I have a choice of getting an i7-13700 or for an extra $300 get an i9-13900. Is it worth it?
Short answer: almost never.
Long answer: are you doing anything that would max out the processor constantly? For example: Do you do data science? Constantly convert hujongous videos? Then yes, it is worth it if you have the cash. For everyone else (even gamers unless you HAVE to game at 4K and are getting a graphic card to match), almost never.
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Offline Definitions

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #6 on: April 27, 2023, 11:32:25 AM »
Short answer: almost never.
Long answer: are you doing anything that would max out the processor constantly? For example: Do you do data science? Constantly convert hujongous videos? Then yes, it is worth it if you have the cash. For everyone else (even gamers unless you HAVE to game at 4K and are getting a graphic card to match), almost never.
Looking to get it for a programmer that needs a new PC. He uses Visual Studio if that makes a difference. The main goal is to decrease build times of the application being coded. He often has to rebuild it and that currently takes around 20-30 seconds each time with an i7 6700. Wondering if it's worth it to splurge an extra $300.

According to userbenchmark.com it's only an overall 2% increase in performance so I'm leaning towards no.

But the 64 core multi core speed is 24% better. I have no idea what that means.

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i9-13900-vs-Intel-Core-i7-13700/m1977296vsm1963418
« Last Edit: April 27, 2023, 11:37:54 AM by Definitions »
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Offline Definitions

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #7 on: April 27, 2023, 11:36:39 AM »
The PC in mind is
https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/optiplex-tower/spd/optiplex-7010-plus-desktop/gctoomtpusvp?redirectto=SOC&configurationid=8613a275-58a2-4d9f-8b09-9876751ef34d

I want to upgrade it to 32gb ram and have two 1tb ssd's for raid 1 storage. I want to do that myself but I'm not familiar with which components are compatible.

The Dell rep said it has 3 M.2 2230/2280 slots
Are these compatible? And are these a good choice for speed? Budget is not an issue unless it's extremely expensive.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/325342960102?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=ANTB-InmQOe&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=RLgacEyGRd-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

https://www.ebay.com/itm/125869709387?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=wpbX_Jd7SeG&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=RLgacEyGRd-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
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Offline mevinyavin

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #8 on: April 28, 2023, 07:31:35 AM »
Okay, so let's address each item separately.
Regarding the processor: it is true that compiling does use the whole processor. That said, unless you expect your workload to get significantly more intense, if a 6700 takes 20-30 seconds, the i7 will demolish that task nearly instantly. I'm not sure the gains you would indeed get from the i9 are worth the money. On the other hand, you are buying this once and if it will last as long as the 6700 one did, I would say to go for it. (The link you posted lists it as $214 more.)
RAM: the link you posted is compatible. I don't know if it matches the RAM already inside and if there are two more DIMMs (RAM slots) empty, but if it doesn't match exactly, you should take the old RAM out and use only the new set.
SSDs and RAID: My understanding is that if it has two M2 slots, setting up RAID is a software issue. But DON'T get that SSD - it is quite possibly the worst SSD to buy. (Believe it or not, it is actually the first review I ever read about an SSD that turned me off ever buying it.)
Anyway, the drives Dell is selling are "Class 35," which I interpret as NVME 3.0. If you can, ask them if the computer supports 4.0 or not on BOTH M2 slots (sometimes only one supports the latest spec). The fastest 4.0 drives run around $100 each (the slowest that actually function at 4.0 speeds - unlike the Kingston you found - are about half that). You can upgrade to 2TB for $10ish more, so that makes more sense if you are buying the fastest ones. Get a heat sink for each one.
When you figure out if you are buying 3.0, 4.0 budget or 4.0 ultra fast drives, I'll find you a good one.
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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #9 on: April 28, 2023, 04:33:59 PM »
https://dl.dell.com/content/manual20258849-optiplex-tower-plus-7010-owner-s-manual.pdf?language=en-us

Page 26.

Dell support said that it does support 4.0 on all slots. I guess I should go with that then. I'd also stick with the faster ones
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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #10 on: April 30, 2023, 06:54:46 AM »
https://dl.dell.com/content/manual20258849-optiplex-tower-plus-7010-owner-s-manual.pdf?language=en-us

Page 26.

Dell support said that it does support 4.0 on all slots. I guess I should go with that then. I'd also stick with the faster ones
This drive is excellent value at $65 each.
https://www.amazon.com/HP-FX900-Pro-NVMe-Gaming/dp/B09PCD1G6X

For a heatsink you would get something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YRSZPH8/
I'm not sure how it works as I don't have much hands-on experience with desktop installation. Try to get Dell to tell you if these match, or ask HP (who sells the drive) or Be quiet! (who sells the heatsink).
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Offline Definitions

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #11 on: April 30, 2023, 09:18:50 PM »
This drive is excellent value at $65 each.
https://www.amazon.com/HP-FX900-Pro-NVMe-Gaming/dp/B09PCD1G6X

For a heatsink you would get something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YRSZPH8/
I'm not sure how it works as I don't have much hands-on experience with desktop installation. Try to get Dell to tell you if these match, or ask HP (who sells the drive) or Be quiet! (who sells the heatsink).
Do you have any suggestions for RAM. The one I posted before was just picked out of a hat. If there is a better choice I'd rather get the better one.
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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #12 on: May 01, 2023, 04:32:55 AM »
Do you have any suggestions for RAM. The one I posted before was just picked out of a hat. If there is a better choice I'd rather get the better one.
2x16GB DDR5 starts at around $75 for a decent latency. I found a match to yours (for out of a hat, you sure chose a good one) for $98. There is no better latency, only higher clock speeds that ten-to-one are not supported on your computer anyway.
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Offline Definitions

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #13 on: May 22, 2023, 09:12:01 PM »
This drive is excellent value at $65 each.
https://www.amazon.com/HP-FX900-Pro-NVMe-Gaming/dp/B09PCD1G6X

For a heatsink you would get something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YRSZPH8/
I'm not sure how it works as I don't have much hands-on experience with desktop installation. Try to get Dell to tell you if these match, or ask HP (who sells the drive) or Be quiet! (who sells the heatsink).
My computer finally came today! The SSD I want to get working on asap so I bought this SN850X https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7CPSN2K?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp&th=1 for the SSD because I know you won't be able to answer this at least until tomorrow and it seems to be highly rated by PCMagazine. I can cancel the order. Would you recommend something else?

I didn't like this one https://www.amazon.com/HP-FX900-Pro-NVMe-Gaming/dp/B09PCD1G6X because it was sold by a third party and I don't know who I can trust when it comes to memory.

The RAM I didn't purchase yet. Still up in the air with that. would you still recommend this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B15DST2L/?tag=cl03f-20&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
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Offline mevinyavin

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #14 on: May 23, 2023, 04:05:08 AM »
My computer finally came today! The SSD I want to get working on asap so I bought this SN850X https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B7CPSN2K?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp&th=1 for the SSD because I know you won't be able to answer this at least until tomorrow and it seems to be highly rated by PCMagazine. I can cancel the order. Would you recommend something else?

I didn't like this one https://www.amazon.com/HP-FX900-Pro-NVMe-Gaming/dp/B09PCD1G6X because it was sold by a third party and I don't know who I can trust when it comes to memory.

The RAM I didn't purchase yet. Still up in the air with that. would you still recommend this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B15DST2L/?tag=cl03f-20&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
Both choices look good, unless you think it is worth me spending a 1/2 hour to save you (at most) $10. The hardware is excellent, the SN850X is considered of the best SSDs you can buy today by every review I've seen of it, and the RAM is superb.
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Offline Definitions

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #15 on: May 23, 2023, 08:02:26 AM »
Both choices look good, unless you think it is worth me spending a 1/2 hour to save you (at most) $10. The hardware is excellent, the SN850X is considered of the best SSDs you can buy today by every review I've seen of it, and the RAM is superb.
Definitely don't do that. I have the greenlight to spend vs looking for the best deal possible.

I have a different question though with the ram. The link above says it's 6000mhz but the user manual of my PC seems to say that the highest supported is 4400mhz. Did I read that correct? And if so is a higher speed compatible (I don't mind spending a bit more to keep the resale value higher in the future)?

Page 19

https://dl.dell.com/content/manual20258849-optiplex-tower-plus-7010-owner-s-manual.pdf?language=en-us
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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #16 on: May 23, 2023, 08:27:23 AM »
Definitely don't do that. I have the greenlight to spend vs looking for the best deal possible.

I have a different question though with the ram. The link above says it's 6000mhz but the user manual of my PC seems to say that the highest supported is 4400mhz. Did I read that correct? And if so is a higher speed compatible (I don't mind spending a bit more to keep the resale value higher in the future)?

Page 19

https://dl.dell.com/content/manual20258849-optiplex-tower-plus-7010-owner-s-manual.pdf?language=en-us
It is compatible. Will it run at 6K? No (or so Dell says). But the latency will matter regardless, and doesn't get any better even if you downclock the RAM.
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Offline Definitions

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #17 on: May 28, 2023, 10:59:24 PM »
It is compatible. Will it run at 6K? No (or so Dell says). But the latency will matter regardless, and doesn't get any better even if you downclock the RAM.
Turns out dell is fussy. The computer didn't want to boot. It gave me an error that its incompatible. (The power button light blinks a certain sequence for different errors. Mine was an incompatible memory error)

I got the 4800mhz version arriving on Tuesday.

And in other news I can't figure out how to do a clean install of windows on this computer. It can't find the USB drive. Too long for me to type out here. Likely related to the RAID 1 configuration.

I'm only going to look at the right side of this comic :)

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #18 on: May 29, 2023, 01:17:12 AM »
Turns out dell is fussy. The computer didn't want to boot. It gave me an error that its incompatible. (The power button light blinks a certain sequence for different errors. Mine was an incompatible memory error)

I got the 4800mhz version arriving on Tuesday.

And in other news I can't figure out how to do a clean install of windows on this computer. It can't find the USB drive. Too long for me to type out here. Likely related to the RAID 1 configuration.

Hmm. AFAIK it is supposed to be compatible, but I never tried so this is strange. I wonder if a BIOS setting needs to be tweaked first.
Re: the install, what exactly is not working? Is it that Windows won't create a recovery drive?
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Offline Definitions

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Re: Which desktop/laptop should I get?
« Reply #19 on: June 07, 2023, 12:38:24 PM »
Hmm. AFAIK it is supposed to be compatible, but I never tried so this is strange. I wonder if a BIOS setting needs to be tweaked first.
Re: the install, what exactly is not working? Is it that Windows won't create a recovery drive?
https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=27868.msg2717745#msg2717745
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