As this YouTube video indicates, there is currently a RAM shortage. However, I do feel an obligation to upgrade my PC technology in the not-too-distant future since Microsoft ended general support of Windows 10 last October. Scott Mueller of Upgrading and Repairing PCs fame has generally felt that it is a good idea for one to build a PC from scratch. What would be the best brand of RAM to purchase at the present time? I do admit that the transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11 isn’t going as well as expected. (Does the term “Microslop” ring a bell?)
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My Tech guru Leo Laporte had a couple TV shows back in the late 90’s/early 2000’s. He would review building your own PC for a learning experience to his viewers. But he came to the conclusion that you actually spent more making a PC rather than just ordering a Dell or (back then) Gateway 2000. Yes, I’m old! My 1st PC was a Gateway. Of course there are other brands. And now most people use a laptop or their phone. I do love a good desktop with a large monitor.
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Usually it does not matter the brand - so much of the stuff comes from Asia and the makers just stick a tag on it. I tend to start with the brand names: Kingston, Crucial, GSkill. They are all pretty close in price. One warning - beware the gray market. You want to get your components from a reputable company (no, I don’t shop at Amazon unless I can help it).
My goto source has always been NewEgg. That said, there ARE big name suppliers on Amazon that are reputable.
If you decide to build it, focus on the motherboard. Everything else flows from there.
Editorial: Having written software for 40+ years and a consultant for the last 20+, there is one thing I cannot tolerate - a flakey machine. I was a Dell man for decades, but I had a Dell laptop many years ago fail on me (lost the hard drive) and it took me a week to get it back up and running. That’s one week of billable time I lost, way more than the laptop cost let alone good parts.
The problem with batch made PCs and laptops is you never know what the short cuts were by the maker. The next Dell I bought had a Radeon GPU - chronic noise issues and blue screens. For me, one blue screen a year is intolerable. So, I’m fussy. I spend a little more on my laptops (I use Eluktronics), but the past two are still running. Desktop? I build my own. I know what’s going into the case I pick. The last machine I built is 6 years old and runs like a clock. The one before that was handed down amongst 3 children - it’s over 10 years old and still runs. Building your own PC will cost a tad more, but in my opinion it’s worth it.
You’re much better off throwing away an old machine and getting a new one with Windows 11 installed.
In the 22nd edition (released 2015) of his book Upgrading and Repairing PCs, Scott Mueller did admit the following:
The main thing to note is that you rarely save money when building your own system; purchasing a complete system from a mail-order vendor or mass merchandiser is almost always less expensive.
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Agreed. And I built plenty of machines back in the day.
Back in the early 2000’s it was always cheaper to assemble them yourself, if you could sort out the dip switches and incompatibility issues and pony up for Windows. But the math changed.
Jolly, when do you think the math changed? Keep in mind that I had a whole bunch of communications with Scott Mueller during the 2010-2020 period, when he had his own online forum.
Jolly, do you think Newegg is the best place online to purchase a refurbished PC? How about Amazon? If I had to buy a refurbished PC, I would prefer one that utilizes an ATX form factor or some variation of it.
Refurbished PCs can be cheaper, but why start out with a used hard drive and other components? A “cheap” new PC is way better than a high-end PC from just a few years ago. And do you really want all of the hassle of moving to a new computer only to have to wear out sooner?
NewEgg and Amazon both sell third-party stuff, which can be sketchy. And of course, “renewed” means used.
Just spend $500 on a new PC or even get a mini. Unless you need high-demand gaming or VR, a (good) mini like MINISFORUM will be great.
Would you recommend getting a “cheap” new PC with a solid-state drive? Also, when did the math change when it came to building a PC from scratch?
By the way, is Windows 11 really that terrible of an operating system? There’s been bad publicity about it lately.
Also, Jolly, would you recommend a Lenovo ThinkPad laptop? Would you recommend the Acer Aspire TC-1775-UR11 or any of the other PCs that are specifically brought up in this article?
Windows 11 is pretty much like 10. A solid-state drive will increase the speed somewhat, but for longterm reliability and storage, a conventional HDD still rules. Of course if you get a mini, it would definitely have an SDD. But you could get an external HDD and connect via USB.
Sure that Aspire TC-1775-UR11 looks good. 8gb and the (smaller) 512 SSD would be fine for most casual users.
No offense, Jolly, but $500 is quite a bit of money for me. I’m on a fixed income. I currently receive $1,464/month in SSDI benefits. I live with my elderly parents, whom I usually pay $520/month in rent.
No worries; we’re in a place where people want to save more, spend less and avoid being ripped off.
My budget compromise would be this for $250 on Amazon:
ACEMAGIC Mini Pc Windows 11 Pro, AMD Ryzen 4300U Processor up to 3.7 GHz Mini Computers, 16GB DDR4 256GB SSD, 4K Triple Display WiFi5 BT4.2 VESA Micro Small Pc for Business and Home, Mini Desktop
Not a well-known name or the newest model, but it’ll be 10,000 times better than trying to upgrade your old PC to run Windows 11.
An SSD will increase the speed “somewhat”? Are you serious? Show me anything selling today with a common spinner hard drive.
I certainly agree with the comments about NewEgg and Amazon, especially Amazon. NewEgg has finally drunk the KoolAid and opened up their site to 3rd party vendors.
One thing the OP did not mention is what do they intend to do with their PC? Browse the web, check email and what not? You don’t need a lot of h/w for that.
lol @ a “common spinner hard drive.” This comment reminds me a bit of the people who get $2k cellphones for features they don’t need or understand. Is it a huge deal for you if it takes your PC one minute to boot instead of 10 seconds?
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Within reason. If the OP goes small, he might get a 2.5” spinner to fit. If he goes new, it will be an NVMe period. To answer your specific question, for me - yes. But I’m a developer. I had an older Dell Precision with a 7200 RPM hard drive. I was shocked at how much faster it ran with a SATA SSD.
As for Windows 11, the real issue (OP needs to pay attention here) is it’s requirement for TPM 2.0. A newer motherboard or system will have this support. No amount of spinners will resolve that issue.
This discussion is moot. Yes, there was a time when someone clueless might ask a Geek what they need in a new computer when people were cobbling them together in their basements and strip malls.
But today, anything that comes with Windows 11 can run it. And a “spinner” HDD will be fine for anyone.